“Do I look fat in this outfit?”
Woe to the husband or boyfriend on the
receiving end of that question. We know all too well that all too
many women don’t want an honest answer. I admit that if I heard my
better half blurt out, “Honey, you look like the broad side of a
barn,” he wouldn’t hear anything from me for a day at least.
Still, if I could go out looking better in a different outfit, I
would like to know.
And yes, this does have something to do
with writing.
I had polished a certain passage until
it shined, and finally I felt courageous enough to share it at a
recent writers’ forum. After some encouraging murmurings from the
group, the young woman to my right timidly raised her hand. “The
way you have the character positioned in the first paragraph - is
that even physically possible?” I looked back at what I’d just
read aloud. She was absolutely right.
How did I miss that?
That’s the question every writer asks
about what they’ve crafted – indeed what every person asks about
their day-to-day endeavors: There’s a blank spot in that paint job;
There’s a typo in that memo; There’s a thread dangling from your
jacket.
How did I miss that?
If you’re never asking that question,
it could indicate that you’re not taking enough risks, not trying
to live up to your potential. We must be made to ask that question
from time to time, and that’s what a writers’ group can do for
you. They can be the friends who feel safe in saying to you:
“Actually, that sentence is a little
too long.”
or
“No, that narrative doesn’t suit
you.”
or
“That dialogue doesn't coordinate
with your historical setting.”
These are the people you trust to say,
“Try something else … and be beautiful instead.”
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