This morning was a good session. The writing prompt was “Writing about an evening meal.” I ended up continuing the Alice and Tom story, where she asks him for his help. It was writing, not just words.
The text that went with this writing session was about writing deeply. And it was a classic D’oh moment for me when I read through it.
Of course the stuff that I think of as just journaling, just word flow, with no creativity, is just that. The balance I’m seeking isn’t about word flow, not really. It’s actually about depth. There have been times when I’ve been deep and still writing fast. But a lot of what I’ve been doing has been fast and light, skimming the emotional well.
Creative is deep. Not necessarily slow. Deep.
And the balance I need to find has much more to do with getting the emotions down on the page, rather than just the words. Of course I thought it was a word problem — I’m a writer. My world revolves around words.
But just words make for a pretty text, not necessarily a good one. My heart has to be there as well.
So that’s the next trick, and what I’m working on next.
How did they define deep?
They defined deep as an emotional connection with what you’re writing about. And in many ways, that applies to what I’ve been thinking about, to what I’ve been seeking.
Now I wonder what they mean by emotional connection…
What they talk about is the difference between telling the facts of a situation versus writing with emotion about a situation. It’s a very basic concept — but it’s something that I’ve lost touch with. I’m also extrapolating it greatly to fit my own situation. It really isn’t so much about thinking deep thoughts and writing deeply, for me, it’s just regaining that emotional connection.
Ahm yes, I see now. Thanks!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about trying to build more emotional depth in my stories. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you mean, but for me it’s a struggle. But it’s starting to dawn on me that if it makes me uncomfortable, I *need* to go there. That’s where the power is, and the power is what connects with readers. What ways are you finding to explore the depths?
I snuck over here via, by the way.
That’s part of what this is for me — going into those darker places, seeking out the areas that make me twitch. But that isn’t all of it, at least not for me. A lot of it is making that emotional connection with the character, as well as with myself. I’ve cut myself off, due to a lot of RL stuff, and I need to get back in touch with that emotional well inside me.
How did they define deep?
They defined deep as an emotional connection with what you’re writing about. And in many ways, that applies to what I’ve been thinking about, to what I’ve been seeking.
Now I wonder what they mean by emotional connection…
What they talk about is the difference between telling the facts of a situation versus writing with emotion about a situation. It’s a very basic concept — but it’s something that I’ve lost touch with. I’m also extrapolating it greatly to fit my own situation. It really isn’t so much about thinking deep thoughts and writing deeply, for me, it’s just regaining that emotional connection.
Ahm yes, I see now. Thanks!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about trying to build more emotional depth in my stories. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you mean, but for me it’s a struggle. But it’s starting to dawn on me that if it makes me uncomfortable, I *need* to go there. That’s where the power is, and the power is what connects with readers. What ways are you finding to explore the depths?
I snuck over here via, by the way.
That’s part of what this is for me — going into those darker places, seeking out the areas that make me twitch. But that isn’t all of it, at least not for me. A lot of it is making that emotional connection with the character, as well as with myself. I’ve cut myself off, due to a lot of RL stuff, and I need to get back in touch with that emotional well inside me.