"Nothing is quite so false, in writing, as the heartfelt confession" -Charles D'Ambrosio
Oftentimes, while writing, people can get caught up in the idea that in order to create something of substance, one must inject it full of overly emotive cliches and platitudes. It is not easy to create a piece of writing that conveys a deeply emotional idea without sounding sappy or dramatic. To me, the best writers convey these emotions through hints and context clues littered throughout the piece that imply what they are trying to say without explicitly spelling it out for the reader.
A perfect example of this is Charles D'Ambrosios' "Documents," which touches on the deeply complex and emotional issues within his family without obnoxiously overstating them. He artfully explains the situation rather than how he feels about it, but explains in such a way that the reader picks up on the deep emotional scars that remain.
This belief that less is more is something that can be adapted to any field of writing; say what you mean, and in doing so, convey how you feel with as few words as possible. I find that I sometimes (often) struggle with this in my own writing. I feel that it's incredibly difficult and requires a subtle hand to be able to lead the reader through your story in such a way that information is revealed slowly, piece by piece, so that the reader can reach his own conclusions. What type of language a writer uses has a major impact on what the reader interprets as the meaning. I guess that means you should pick your words wisely.
-Olivia Chodos
Oftentimes, while writing, people can get caught up in the idea that in order to create something of substance, one must inject it full of overly emotive cliches and platitudes. It is not easy to create a piece of writing that conveys a deeply emotional idea without sounding sappy or dramatic. To me, the best writers convey these emotions through hints and context clues littered throughout the piece that imply what they are trying to say without explicitly spelling it out for the reader.
A perfect example of this is Charles D'Ambrosios' "Documents," which touches on the deeply complex and emotional issues within his family without obnoxiously overstating them. He artfully explains the situation rather than how he feels about it, but explains in such a way that the reader picks up on the deep emotional scars that remain.
This belief that less is more is something that can be adapted to any field of writing; say what you mean, and in doing so, convey how you feel with as few words as possible. I find that I sometimes (often) struggle with this in my own writing. I feel that it's incredibly difficult and requires a subtle hand to be able to lead the reader through your story in such a way that information is revealed slowly, piece by piece, so that the reader can reach his own conclusions. What type of language a writer uses has a major impact on what the reader interprets as the meaning. I guess that means you should pick your words wisely.
-Olivia Chodos
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