Dear World

Please Kill Me,

Greetings and happy Thursday my worldly word assassins. How goes it? Should the sands of time have manifested as promised, then the temple walls have begun to melt and we have only seconds to escape, (#IndianaJonesStyle).

Failing any other exaggerated metaphors, (or unnecessary Harrison Ford sequels) – the sands are still quite dry, the walls are fine, (and your bum is a little itchy from the chair #WipeTwice #2Ply) – which means that it’s the perfect time for this writer to whisper sweet nothings into his keyboard, (#Don’tWatch #Nevermind #IWantYouToWatch!!!).

*cough*

Moving on,

The Bleeding Heart, (otherwise known as – the original title of Beauty and the Beast- that they changed for some unknown reason. #Wasn’tOriginallyARose #GoogleIt #JustKiddingI’mLying).

In my time as an author, I’ve learned plenty about the craft. Obviously the basic rules, formats, spelling, (how to balance hot coffee on my backhand) – and other essential things of the like.

However, some of the most crucial lessons I’ve learned – have had to do with what I’ve discovered about myself, (while trekking somberly through the myriad of stories and whatever it is that I’m doing now).

Oddly enough, the most fruitful of these lessons, have (in one way or another), sprouted up from my heart, (emotions, feelings, #BlahBlahBlah), while writing.

As an artist, I’ve always considered myself a bit of a spectator. It’s an admirable position to fill – because as the person telling the story, or explaining a situation, it’s often best to do so without bias. Doing this allows the reader to choose their own sides, make their own assumptions, as well as give us (the creators), room to experiment with the effects of how something is delivered.

However, the job of a spectator becomes difficult when there ARE indeed biases. This can become tricky. As the author, you want to deliver the best and most true version of your story as possible. This means that sometimes we have to put words to paper that we don’t necessarily like or agree with. (Assuming you’ve done this enough, it’s likely that you’ve found your own way of milling through that).

The problem then becomes how to write it. I mean, let’s face it. If there’s a particular scene where a character takes the plunge from “tolerable” to “Trumpian levels of downright unbearable” – it becomes a bit harder to write unbiasedly. The conflict, of course, being that we want to hate them, but for the sake of the reader, we can’t do that too obviously.

Generally speaking, it’s-

*We tell the story. The reader interprets. We can sway and influence, but not too blatantly. That part is up to them.*

-And that is where the craft part comes in. When we practice our craft enough, we learn to write with a finesse that sets the reader up to think and feel as we want them too. But, it is ultimately up to them to decipher what something means.

-Disclaimer: I’m referring story-telling in general. There CAN be cases where this information doesn’t apply and situations where it’s manipulated for effect.-

So, for the Bleeding Hearts out there, stick to your guns and allow your emotions to provide you with an abundance of information – just be aware of the, “how”, when you write it.

*Avoid tonal inconsistencies, and if it doesn’t fit, avoid being too preachy. Be wary of becoming so involved that it affects the delivery of your story.*

Or don’t. It’s just a thought.

Alright, my pretties, I’ve got to go see a guy about these coffee burns, (*Shakespearean voice*, “The beans, they have burned me!” #FrownyFace). I’ll be back tomorrow for a post with words in it.

Gut-Punch Your Thursday,

-Antwan Crump.

 

Tourmaline: (A Collection of Things) – is currently available exclusively on Amazon Kindle.

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