Polaroids

       Lamotts writing piece was all about development.  It is the most important aspect of a story, and can make or break it.  The use of a Polaroid was very well done, saying how you only really know what your story will turn out to be after you've started to really write it.  Stories develop as you write them, and slowly begin to reveal themselves as more substantial things than you previously had been aware of.  If you were undecided whether or not a character would make a life altering decision, keep writing.  Do no decide yet, simply write and let the character, or the actions of the world around them decide.  I did enjoy this piece.  It was entertaining and held real value to it.
       Lamott split the work into three main sections, Character, Plot, and Dialogue.  All three are incredibly important to a story, and there cannot be a well written piece without all three.  They all develop as time in the story passes.  You learn facts and background information on certain people, which leads to revelations on why they acted in the way that they did.  Suddenly a character who seemed evil at first, is not so evil after all, just forced into a situation they did not want to be in.  It can help progress the story along and develop the entire thing!  Character, dialogue and plot are essential to a well written story.
       Dialogue is the characters discussions.  It is what they are thinking without being in their head, it is what they want to convey to others, even if the truth is still locked away in their thoughts.  This gives you a very basic impression on the characters you're looking at.  At first it may be unclear who the character is and what their intentions are, but a well written dialogue can help alleviate the uncertainty.  It helps with person to person interaction, going from bone dry robotic conversation and gestures, to a heartfelt speech of how one feels for the other.  It gives life to the story, and more often than not makes the entire world come out of the pages.  It helps you connect and get a sense of how each person in the story feels about the other.
       Character is probably the most important part of the story.  While plot and dialogue make the story, character is necessary.  There is nothing to have a story about, if not for characters.  They are the essence of the story.  The good, bad, and well... slightly neutral.  Your characters should develop as you do, or the story does.  You gain experiences through life, and should use them to help character progression (assuming it fits well with the story).  Characters age, and gain their own "personal experiences".  Lamott described it as, your characters are not your own.  They live a life outside the story and you simply record what happens when they enter your story. It helps to think about their lives even while they are not in the story, this is another way to further development.
       Plot is also important.  It is the story.  Plot is what you want your story to be about.  It is how it will develop and conclude.  Plot can be a solid, concrete idea, or something much more fluid.  It can be the base of everything, or change with your story.  It is meant to flow, it should not be rough and unstable.  Lamott thought it was strange for authors to claim to know what the climax of their story was, right from the beginning.  It seemed to be a very "tunnel vision" type of writing.  There would be no room for development or new ideas for plot.  They would race to the climax of the story, ignoring possible sidetracks leading to better changes and progression.
       I enjoyed reading this.  It was a bit of a wake up call as a writer.  It made me realize that I need to broaden my horizons and not to think so linearly as I write.  I have a feeling I will be referencing this more than once while I continue to write stories, whether they are two pages or two-hundred, these ideas are always going to be important to a writer.