“The logic of words should yield to the logic of realities.”
– Louis D. Brandeis
I especially like this quote, as if one stays upon it for some time, it can open up many doors of perception.
To look at a few ideas that come to my mind, for instance, the utterances of characters; their responses to situations – play around with putting a character into an ordinary circumstance but with an extraordinary perception. Or, see how your character lies. For are not all lies altered realities?
Of course, all the subjects I bring up here have only been glanced at within this small piece and as ever it is for you, the writer, to research and develop your knowledge. I look at all of the above within the Short Story course I teach, but still personal self-study is an ongoing process. To heighten your understanding, not just of the techniques but also to delve further into any work you may have already begun developing, so you can work through the points above which are written as exercises below:
- Put a character into an ordinary situation whilst they are experiencing an extraordinary perception.
- Have your character tell a lie.
- Write a scene using third person then re-write it using the voice of a character in the story to deliver the scene.
- Research various genre forms in fiction, pay attention to any formulas or motifs involved, and play around with writing a scene using a different genre each time to tell the same narrative.
All artwork is courtesy of Reda Khalil.
