Micro vs Macro of Writing

Actually trying to write has given me a further appreciation of the craft.

At the moment, I’m trying to write the early scenes for Remember Rain, and I am learning that I need to get more comfortable with letting my thoughts be placed on the page. It seems that although not every thought is “good”, I do need to pour them out in order to actually assess if it’s worth keeping. Often times, it can be slightly adjusted and simply fits into the moment of the story so far. I know that this is only a first draft so I shouldn’t worry too much, but this at least is how I am getting past the struggle of getting stuck from the infinite possibilities.

Which leads me to the thing I am noticing while experiencing stories, the micro side of writing. I am a big enjoyer of over-the-top stories where the elements of the story get absurd. Think card games on motorcycles or saving 100 girls from the horrible luck you’ve been given. What these stories often do well, or at least the ones I thoroughly enjoy, all use these absurd elements to amplify their respective core narratives.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s expresses each character’s thematic through the cards they play and crosses that with the intensity of riding a motorcycle. One of the greatest moments from the show is one of complete absurdity, the concept of performing an Accel Synchro Summon, where one must be in a state of Clear Mind and moving at such intense speed that they can momentarily disappear from reality and reappear transformed.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You is an entire series built on absurdity itself. The title of the series itself, the fact the main protagonist Rentaro is cursed with having 100 soulmates, and rejecting any of them will lead them to fatal misfortune. He instead chooses to date them all simultaneously, which is a feat no one reasonable could do, sort of filtering people out by virtue of it being absurd.

What I am trying to display with this point is the macro side of expressing the overall story and its characters is really well done. The overarching ideas come through in the big moments in the story and designs come through in the memorability of the stories.

But the thing I don’t realize is the fact these macro decisions become so compelling because of them working well with the micro decisions.