Creative writing - From think to ink - Lindstrom Simeon 2015
Give your writing a heart
Right now, think of your favourite book.
Even if you have a few, what’s the first one that springs to mind? Now, immediately ask yourself what emotion you attach to that book. You should be able to answer this quickly — in fact, you might have summoned up that same emotion merely by remembering that book. Long after the details of a particular book are forgotten, the emotion it stirred up still remains.
All the best books have this in common — they have an emotional core to them that really gives us a kick in the guts, one that we don’t soon forget. A book can be interesting or novel or clever, but if it has this emotional depth to it, it will far and away win our attention.
How do you make use of this fact and inject some emotional relevance into your own work? Well, if you’ve taken the time to carefully consider your own Big Why, like we did in the beginning of this book, you’re halfway there. Speak from your heart, from this Big Why, and your emotion and enthusiasm will naturally flow.
There are other ways to make sure you’re giving your writing that compelling human touch, though. Consider some of these techniques:
· When you write, build in natural tensions to drive the plot. For human beings, everything in life is an epic battle between two opposing forces. Really. Love versus isolation. Good versus bad. Death versus life. Knowledge versus ignorance. All the best characters demonstrate a struggle between two fundamental and conflicting principles. All the best stories show an interplay between two viable but different life philosophies. Design your stories and characters around these conflicts and your writing will naturally be compelling. Think of fundamental human archetypes, of challenges and conflicts you face in life, of your own narrative. If it’s interesting to you, it’s probably interesting to others.
· Mean it. I know this sounds obvious, but don’t write about something you actually don’t care about. If you think, “well, vampires seem to be popular,” your writing is not going to be convincing, and it will show. If it riles you up, write about it. Write about it like you mean it. If even you aren’t sold, how do you expect to bring your reader around?
· Don’t make things too perfect. Whether you’re writing fiction or not, and whoever your audience is, don’t make things too easy or neat. Leave some things unsaid. Don’t underestimate your reader’s ability to work hard to solve innate conflicts in your narrative. Be a little ambivalent. Don’t solve all your problems all at once. After all — this is what life is like, right? Life is messy and strange and full of deep mysteries. If you want to emulate it, don’t create work that is easy and overly simple.
· Don’t hold back. Some of the best writing in the world was writing that was shocking, ugly or frightening. Also don’t be afraid to explore lofty and idealistic themes in your writing. Go large. Push your boundaries. Be bold. Don’t be afraid of being a little offensive, or unpredictable. When you’re done with a piece of writing, look at it and ask yourself if everything’s really on the page, or if you’ve unconsciously toned things down a bit out of fear.
· “Kill your darlings,” as they say. Don’t be afraid to let go of something if it isn’t working. Be honest and ask if something is really fitting, if it’s reaching your gut, if it feels authentic and if it’s resonating. If not? Scrap it. It’s OK. The well is never empty. Keep writing and you’ll get there.