As writers, we initially tend to be either more cerebral or emotional than perceptive. Its occurs to me that writers are driven to express what they actually haven't figured out how to say verbally, but long to say somehow. Then, we at least have the struggle down on paper where we can move it around, erase it, start over and add to it. Seeing the words will perhaps give us a better chance of revising to something close to what we want to say.
Written expression is a bittersweet struggle, according to most writers who've written about writing. The need to write seems to come from a deep need, as I expect does most art. When the words work, we are elated, and when they don't and especially after a long struggle, we're often dismayed or despondent.
We learn when our writing says what we want that it has begun with what we see, touch, smell, hear, and only then with what we make of it by way of our minds and emotions. Surprisingly to both the new writer and the new visual artist, our art, when it is art, comes directly and spontaneously from our senses. It feels almost instinctual and sometimes spiritual when it's right and maybe that tricks us into thinking that art comes from a mystical place. We see the painting or we read the words that make our hearts sing and we almost assume some magical origin.
As we learn, though, when we attempt to create from a mystical place within ourselves, art eludes us. Still, art is an expression that reflects us in some, however obscure, mysterious ways. This said, art is not a quick Polaroid, a case study of a character or the facts of a story laid out upon a page either.
Art intimates a sensual reality, rather than imitating it.
Picture a Van Gogh in your mind. Let the painting flash across your mind's eye. A simple room, the color yellow and other bright and contrasting and complimentary colors; a rough blue shoe bent and shaped to the form of a man's foot; a bright flower open and screaming its vibrant life at you, the viewer; and a tall, dark and texturally swirling tree contrasted by bright white and yellow stars colors. We see that art is shades, values, structure, relationships, textures and forms. We feel a kind of wholeness or joy.
Now, think of Joyce Carol Oates' writing, a woman sitting tensed upon the edge of her seat, holding herself rigid, dressed in gray, a small stain at the white-ringed wrist of the dress. Through quick and telling detail of sight, Oates hints to us of character, scene and thereby, story, without ever filling in all of the numbers. She gives us not an entire snapshot, but an intimation. We strongly suspect that we know the current attitude of the woman. Aha! We read on.
Perceptions, whether expressed by a visual artist, a Van Gogh, or an excellent writer, provide us with sensual hints, drawing us in and wanting more. How exactly Van Gogh will execute the form, what Oates will have her character say and do, are almost imperceptably secondary to the perceptual hints at the realities shared with the viewer or reader. Without these perceptual glimpses, we turn from the work, bored, as bored as by the case study or the Polaroid.
The perception of alertness of Oates' woman begins with a woman. the woman's alertness is told to us in how she actually sits at the edge of her chair. Oates' needn't say, "The woman is alert," because she has shown us. Van Gogh does not need to correctly diagram the shape of his yellow room for us. He has made it just enough the shape of a room and containing what a room might plausibly contain that we instantly believe it to be a room. A diagram of the room would be of little interest.
Upon and through the artist's perceptions, character and story are both built and conveyed, whether painter or writer. In our quest to become fully human, we seek the arts, whether our own creations or others'.
Jolyn Wells-Moran, PhD, wrote while working in the mental health field for 24 years and is now a full-time freelance writer and oil painter living alternately in France and Washington State. She has written four published non-fiction books, many articles, short stories, curricula, business materials and is currently working on a novel, "Another Margarita Please." Another book is planned for 2006. Jolyn's website features one of her specialties, writing policies, procedures and other materials for non-profits at reasonable rates: See http://www.webspawner.com/users/writing adventures/ Her novel is at her fiction website: http://www.webspawner.com/users/writing and she can be reached at http://www.webspawner.com/users/writing
shuttle from O'Hare Brocton .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareIf you find your sentences filled with commas, and they... Read More
All your publishing options are as follows:--Conventional publishing--Vanity or subsidy... Read More
He ran up the steps and knocked on the door.... Read More
~~~Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned,... Read More
Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More
ACCEPT, EXCEPT Not commonly seen even from unpublished writers, who... Read More
No user manual? Surely you jest!It may seem comical, but... Read More
Today Norm Goldman, Editor of sketchandtravel and bookpleasures is honored... Read More
Picture this scene.Your hero is sitting in a bar. He's... Read More
As a previous article ("Making Better Word Choices ? 4... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?When an idea comes to us for... Read More
If your dream is to get published, the chance is... Read More
There are three ways to write a first draft. One... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More
We've all been told that we need to use all... Read More
All the famous writers I heard of could paper the... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More
When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them... Read More
Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The... Read More
What am I going to write about?Which topic is the... Read More
Productivity begins by recognizing and valuing your brilliance, time, and... Read More
So many clients come to me as a book or... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
Dream that your book can be a number one best... Read More
Chicago charter limousine service Hickory Hills ..The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
I've just come back to work after nine glorious, sun-drenched... Read More
Q: How do I expand on an idea without getting... Read More
1. Make your goals achievable.By achievable, we mean realistic and... Read More
Making Money from Freelance WritingIt's the question that every aspiring... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
FERRETING OUT WORK You keep hearing that there's work out... Read More
Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many... Read More
Story Structure Templates are the fastest way to write screenplays.... Read More
At first, I noticed that I could have written many... Read More
I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you... Read More
1) Convince yourself you want to do something else. If... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?How we usually begin the preparation stage... Read More
If you want happy customers to use your service or... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
In my ten years as an advertiser, I've encountered plenty... Read More
Writers are often are greatly surprised or disappointed by how... Read More
In the words of Aristotle, "happiness is self contentedness helping... Read More
Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people... Read More
How to Start Your Story with a BangThe purpose of... Read More
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the... Read More
Whether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want... Read More
Almost everyone could profit from enhancing their writing skills. From... Read More
Boost Brain Power Through WritingHave you ever noticed what happens... Read More
Writing |