As I was studying and honing my skill as a writer, I sought
to come up with road markers to push my abilities and give me the confidence to
take the next step. One of these markers was my Jack-and-Jill exercise.
The Jack-and-Jill exercise grew out of the fact that I write
mysteries and thrillers. Mysteries and thrillers tend to rely heavily upon
plot. I would sometimes read a mystery that, I felt, relied too much on plot
and left out other elements of literary style. This may be a matter of taste
because I gravitate toward literary mysteries like those of Tom Franklin and
Dennis Lehane. So in my own work, I tried to come up with an assignment that
would remind me of the importance of these other elements—even in a plot driven
genre. What I came up with was my Jack-and-Jill exercise.
Basically, the Jack-and-Jill exercise is to take a nursery
rhyme (like Jack and Jill) and rewrite it into a short story of some length
relying on skills other than plot. Because the plot is already laid out and
well known before the exercise begins, it forces me to focus on those
other elements of story such as description, dialogue, pacing and character. To
me, it feels like I’m working out those literary muscles that tend to atrophy
when I focus too much on plot.
This exercise often comes to my thoughts as I write my
novels. When I come to a place where I’m stepping from one plot point to
another and I find myself struggling to write that transition, I take a step
back and remember my Jack-and-Jill exercise. I change my focus away from plot
and try to make the transition stand on its own merit. Over the course of
writing three novels, I’ve found this exercise useful.
