Back in Writing Tips 1, I concluded by saying, “The skill of a writer is in shaping what he or she leaves out. The reader’s imagination expands into the elision the writer creates.”
… which gave me the idea that somehow the writer is shaping the inside of a mould into which the reader is expanding their imagination. The writer controls only the outer shell, the boundary. The reader does the rest.
In practice, this affects how we approach things like character development. In my mind, the best thing the writer can do is offer the reader only as much information as is needed to define the character’s relationship to the rest of the plot and the other characters in the story. Is it important that the character has a big nose or blue eyes? Well, on this theory, only if it explains why he/she attracts an opponent that hates people with big noses, or is loved by one who is beguiled by blue eyes. Otherwise, no, not really!
Consider the use of metaphor and simile in this regard. These devices are made for hollowing out a cavity within which the reader can exercise their imagination. When I say, ‘My lover’s beauty was like a summer’s day,’ I am inviting you to imagine someone whom you think beautiful, whom you think perhaps warm and optimistic (assuming that’s what you think of summer; the danger is that summer is the season in which your first pet hamster died, but generally speaking ‘warm and optimistic’ is where the image is sending most people.)
The main point is I am not telling what ‘he/she’ looks like physically. Rather, I’m indicating that all that is important is the warmth, beauty and optimism the character exudes. That’s all I need if these are the three things that come into play in the story. Blonde/black hair, brown/blue/green eyes, even the presence or non-presence of that little beauty spot to the left of the mouth will not matter to the plot, so go on: imagine the character as you will, Dear Reader. By all means, think of him/her as that first love you met one adolescent summer, the one who stole your heart and broke it. It will not matter that your old real-world crush came from Accrington and the spacey character in this story comes from Alpha Centauri. Just remember the attractive beauty on show is like summer, because that’s the bit that matters in the plot when I ask you to imagine how this Alpha Centauri character makes the story’s hero feel and act. I want you to remember your love from Accrington and how he/she made you feel. I want you to believe this feels the same way.
Contributed by D.N. Martin
leicesterwritersclub.com 