I think Charles is getting to me. :) Not only did I have a dream last night, but I remembered enough of it to post about it. And, it has some relevance to my usual subjects.
I dreamt that I was reunited with a schooldays friend. I was maudlin and noted that we couldn't be children again - though, we certainly could still have childish moments. There was a lot of reminiscing between us, but I was still depressed, and said, "We're just remembering what happened, I want to *feel* that way again."
A writer's lesson right there, I think. It's not enough to relate events in your story like a news reporter, or as some form of public remembrance - you've got to impart what it *feels* to be in your story, what the characters are feeling.
I know this is no secret writers revelation, really. We want to engage our readers. It can't just be neat ideas, plot points and execution, we need to invest in our characters as real, not chess pieces on the board of a plot.
Odd that this concept showed up in my dream. Maybe I need to look at my latest w.i.p. and ensure there is enough emotional pull on the reader. Maybe my subconscious is being my story editor, too!
Even though it seems like basic Creative Writing 101 stuff, I think this is a lesson that is hard to learn and easy to forget. So it's good to "re-learn" it every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteAhh, my evil plan is beginning to work! I tell you, I see writers do this all the time, so that their stuff reads like getting something second hand. Good advice to keep in front of our heads while we're writing.
ReplyDeleteRight on Paul-good stuff.
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