Dear World

Please Kill Me,

Greetings, and happy Wednesday my middling misfits of the night – how goes the week thus far? Should your Mogwai have gotten wet – then you’ve likely got some cleaning up to do, (#GremlinsJoke #Gremlins1Not2).

In any case, I’m glad to have you here, yet again, for another round of, (whatever it is that I actually do here), advice.

And with that,

Weight, (otherwise known as – that thing #JonahHill has a love/hate relationship with).

As creatives we tend to deal a few heavier than average emotions, (just a few?).

As a chosen profession, we create, develop, and destroy a multitude of emotional peaks and valleys. Failing any particular profundity -we learn to channel our own emotions into the writing (and rightfully so, because where the hell else would you put them?).

Because of this -at times- it becomes necessary to draw on memories and emotions from our past, that in turn assist us in properly relaying certain less than favorable emotions into our stories, or otherwise adding weight to it.

The weight of a story has to do with more than the depth or complexity of the plot.

It’s more than that killer twist or perfect dialogue

– it’s the part of the story that you can’t do without; the part that makes the reader feel.

I don’t mean to come off as explaining away the secret, (by the way #EffTheSecret), nor as giving rudimentary advice-

(Ehh, a little Column A, a little Column B.)

“Shut up paranthetics!”

But after doing a bit of bouncing around, it seemed like an important thing to discuss.

Don’t be too easily swayed or impressed by stories packed and loaded with facts, (that I guarantee you the author didn’t figure out themselves), regurgitated for you to consume, and vomit back up again. (You’re essentially a vomit eating parasite if you do that).

And that’s no knock to the non-fiction writer’s out there. (We need you guys to tell us “what happened?”, and stuff.)

This one’s specifically for my fellow dream-weaving, world-building, (mildly sociopathic) , fiction writers-

I guess I should have led with that.

(Oh well, too late.)

Fiction is a powerful genre, for it’s ability to not only create a realm that we can designate our very own, but also for it’s ability to wisk away the willing to places that they couldn’t fathom without you playing as their authorial medium.

Our primary purpose , as authors, is to make that journey to the lands, perils, and nirvana’s that we expound – as thoroughly and effectively as possible. We do this through emotion. We do this by adding weight.

So, dig deep when you write your next line, paragraph, (grocery list?), etc. Make every word count, and spill your dialogue, directly from the aorta.

The true magic of fiction happens when reader and author -both, must break -to question reality.

Aspire to write accordingly. We get there through emotion.

We get there by adding weight – to our story.

---

Alright team, that’s the memo of the day, for uhh….today, (geez, I’m tired #WinterIsComing). 

I’ll be back tomorrow, for more words in a language that we (kind of) understand.

Gut-Punch Your Wednesday,

-Antwan Crump.