The Orpheus Method of Writing
How I Finally Finished a First Draft Without Looking Back
I have many half written stories lying dormant on my drive. Since my teens I have written and rewritten stories of my own creation, yet it is only now, at the prime age of 30, that I have published a book.
I am not a traditionally educated writer, I came to it on my own. My education lies in the visual arts. However, once I was old enough to speak, I learned at the knee of my mother how to spin a tale. The dreaded words I would utter as my father put me to bed were, ‘Tell me a story.’ Stories were my mother’s domain, they would have to be pried from my father with force unless he had a drink in him.
I did not look up writing advice, I’ve always been more of an intuitive learner. So, when writing my book Copper Hollow, I stumbled upon this method of my own accord.
The problem with all of my previous stories were not their content, but the folly of Orpheus.
The tale of Orpheus(Or-fee-us) and Eurydice is tragically romantic.
‘Orpheus was a musician of unearthly brilliance, when he sang the birds took note. One day, he fell in love with a woman named Eurydice. The pair married and would have lived happily ever after, but for the viper that took Eurydice’s life. Her death broke Orpheus. He was determined to get his beloved back from the realm of Hades, and so with the magic of his music he survived the trials and tribulations of his trip to the underworld. Orpheus convinced Hades and Persephone to allow him to have his beloved back, but the god did not concede so easily. Hades promised that Orpheus could lead Eurydice out of the underworld on the condition that he did not look back to ensure she was there. As he travelled through Hades’ realm, he could not hear Eurydice behind him. He could never be sure she was there. He endeavoured not to look, but as he approached the end of his journey he could bear it no longer and he looked back. Eurydice was lost to Orpheus in that moment of doubt, remaining in the Underworld.’
— A slightly bastardised retelling of the tale by me.
The problem so many of my half written tales have, is that I had to look back, I had to fiddle and edit and ensure that it all made sense.
In going back, I could not step forward.
My stories would come to a halt as I fretted and worried about what was behind me, rather than dealing with what was before me.
The first draft is a horrible beast. It resembles Frankenstein’s monster in how its parts are those forced together in an ungodly construction. Without proper nurture, it should never see the light of day. The editing is important, but you have to build the beast before you can tame it.
If you’re trying to write a book and keep hitting a brick wall, you’re probably not looking where you’re going. The first draft should be full of mistakes and bad writing. It is not supposed to be perfect on the first go. Do not fall for Orpheus’ folly, do not look back until you have completed the journey.
By obeying the condition set for Orpheus by the gods, I finally succeeded in finishing my story. I call it the Orpheus Method. It is, in my experience, the only way I have found to actually finish a first draft.