Capturing the Complete Experience
Has it ever happened that you write a scene, it doesn’t matter whether it’s from memory or imagination (but perhaps this does happen most powerfully when we work from memory), and when you are done writing, you feel dissatisfied because the writing feels incomplete? You maybe feel that the writing hasn’t captured the complete experience and the full depth of emotions. I have heard writers say, “This doesn’t get at what I’m trying to show.” I have said this myself. What I’ve come to understand is that some experiences and even some imaginary scenes not only require but demand and deserve to be written more than once. Sometimes dozens of times. I tell writers who are experiencing this frustration that they haven’t failed, they haven’t demonstrated a lack of skill. The truth is that powerful moments are like rooms vibrating with tension, nuance, meaningful detail, powerful metaphor and strangeness. In order to first understand this room completely and then convey it to an audience, we have to enter it multiple times, and not always from the same door. We have to enter through the window, from the ceiling, a crack in a wall, a heat vent, a space between the floorboards. In other words, we have to write the scene from different perspectives, in different voices, moods, with emphasis on differing details, dialogue or gesture. It’s perfectly right not to be satisfied with one telling of a dynamic and powerful moment. That moment is a treasure trove of human interaction, awareness, misunderstanding, missed opportunity, subtle connections and realization. Every fiber of that room has something to say. Mining a scene over and over should be a writer’s joy. So when you feel disappointed after writing a scene because you haven’t capture the entirety of what you know is there, give a whoop of delight! You have struck gold.
Upcoming Events
Malibu Retreat: February 4 – 7, 2019 Four days of writing above Malibu Bay. Bring your imagination, stories, and poems. The surroundings are secluded and inspired. Join me to write your heart out in February! For more information: https://www.writingfulltilt.com/retreats/
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