Mark Darrah's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
As Good As It Gets
Emily Dickinson doesn't pin it on Pinterest. John Steinbeck wouldn't have followed friends on Facebook. If Jack Kerouac and his crew had used smart phones, the poetry of a generation would have been lost to transitory tweets.
In the 1997 film "As Good As it Gets," Jack Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a misanthropic, multi-phobic, best-selling novelist. When Melvin's gay neighbor is hurt in a brutal robbery, Melvin is persuaded to take care of the neighbor's dog, and Melvin's life begins to change.
Mark Twain and Charles Dickens would have been prolific bloggers -- if they had been paid. Walt Whitman would have become a YouTube celebrity. Jacqueline Susann would have hired someone to manage her social media.
The skills one uses to be a popular social media personality, though, aren't necessarily the skills one needs to be a good writer. In fact, writers may be better served by having antisocial skills like the thoroughly unpleasant Melvin Udall.
When Melvin goes to see his psychiatrist, he looks around the reception area at the sad, troubled, and depressed people waiting to get help. Melvin, in his best mean and crazy Jack Nicholson, asks, "What if this is as good as it gets?"
A writer has to look and not flinch. A writer has to speak and not be concerned whether the words pierce and hurt. A writer has to be willing to ask, "What if this is as good as it gets?"
In the movie, Melvin, a waitress he kind of befriends, and his gay neighbor take a car trip to Baltimore to meet his neighbor's parents. Because of events on this journey, Melvin begins to recognize how his behavior upsets others. The film ends with their return home and the prospect of romance between Melvin and the waitress.
A happy ending, right? The misanthrope Melvin Udall becomes a nice, reasonably adjusted guy? Maybe so, but I doubt he writes a best seller again.
Mark Darrah
Author of A Catalogue of Common People
October 4, 2015
In the 1997 film "As Good As it Gets," Jack Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a misanthropic, multi-phobic, best-selling novelist. When Melvin's gay neighbor is hurt in a brutal robbery, Melvin is persuaded to take care of the neighbor's dog, and Melvin's life begins to change.
Mark Twain and Charles Dickens would have been prolific bloggers -- if they had been paid. Walt Whitman would have become a YouTube celebrity. Jacqueline Susann would have hired someone to manage her social media.
The skills one uses to be a popular social media personality, though, aren't necessarily the skills one needs to be a good writer. In fact, writers may be better served by having antisocial skills like the thoroughly unpleasant Melvin Udall.
When Melvin goes to see his psychiatrist, he looks around the reception area at the sad, troubled, and depressed people waiting to get help. Melvin, in his best mean and crazy Jack Nicholson, asks, "What if this is as good as it gets?"
A writer has to look and not flinch. A writer has to speak and not be concerned whether the words pierce and hurt. A writer has to be willing to ask, "What if this is as good as it gets?"
In the movie, Melvin, a waitress he kind of befriends, and his gay neighbor take a car trip to Baltimore to meet his neighbor's parents. Because of events on this journey, Melvin begins to recognize how his behavior upsets others. The film ends with their return home and the prospect of romance between Melvin and the waitress.
A happy ending, right? The misanthrope Melvin Udall becomes a nice, reasonably adjusted guy? Maybe so, but I doubt he writes a best seller again.
Mark Darrah
Author of A Catalogue of Common People
October 4, 2015
The Least Important Word in Personal Narratives
I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, but occasionally...
From "I Wanna Talk About Me" by Bobby Braddock
Figure it out?
The narrator serves as the central character of every personal narrative, whether memoir, autobiography, or simply a tale from the recalled past. Paradoxically, a story from one's life becomes more compelling the less the narrator intrudes.
If you write, or want to write, personal stories, avoid the word "I."
Why? Readers already know the narrator is in the story. Personal pronouns needlessly emphasize the fact.
Good writers try to keep from repeating words. First person stories can trap a storyteller into the overuse of personal references. That's why the work of beginning memoirists often feels flat and listless. Repetitive writing in any genre feels that way.
Suppose a storyteller writes a piece about his love of sports and tells about the first baseball game he attended. He could write:
"I saw Uncle Bob swing the bat, and the ball flew a million miles."
If the writer has already placed himself at the baseball game, the phrase "I saw" is superfluous and reminds the reader of the narrator's presence for no reason.
Here's a better version:
"Uncle Bob swung the bat, and the ball flew a million miles."
Sometimes the action in one's recollection is truly about the writer. If so, the story may require the use of the word "I."
Suppose a writer tells of her quest to discover why her comfortably middle-class mother had always been an enigma. The narrator remembers watching television news programs from the 1960's as a part of a college project. She writes:
"There on the screen, I saw my mother throw a Molotov cocktail at the administration building at Berkeley."
In this example, what the storyteller saw answers the question the narrative poses. The important point is what happened to the narrator, not to what happened to the baseball.
In short, write your personal stories as you would tell them out loud to friends. Set aside the writing for a few days, and then rewrite what you've done to eliminate as many "I's" and "me's" as you can.
Your stories will read much, much better.
I promise.
Best wishes,
Mark Darrah
Author of A Catalogue of Common People
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, but occasionally...
From "I Wanna Talk About Me" by Bobby Braddock
Figure it out?
The narrator serves as the central character of every personal narrative, whether memoir, autobiography, or simply a tale from the recalled past. Paradoxically, a story from one's life becomes more compelling the less the narrator intrudes.
If you write, or want to write, personal stories, avoid the word "I."
Why? Readers already know the narrator is in the story. Personal pronouns needlessly emphasize the fact.
Good writers try to keep from repeating words. First person stories can trap a storyteller into the overuse of personal references. That's why the work of beginning memoirists often feels flat and listless. Repetitive writing in any genre feels that way.
Suppose a storyteller writes a piece about his love of sports and tells about the first baseball game he attended. He could write:
"I saw Uncle Bob swing the bat, and the ball flew a million miles."
If the writer has already placed himself at the baseball game, the phrase "I saw" is superfluous and reminds the reader of the narrator's presence for no reason.
Here's a better version:
"Uncle Bob swung the bat, and the ball flew a million miles."
Sometimes the action in one's recollection is truly about the writer. If so, the story may require the use of the word "I."
Suppose a writer tells of her quest to discover why her comfortably middle-class mother had always been an enigma. The narrator remembers watching television news programs from the 1960's as a part of a college project. She writes:
"There on the screen, I saw my mother throw a Molotov cocktail at the administration building at Berkeley."
In this example, what the storyteller saw answers the question the narrative poses. The important point is what happened to the narrator, not to what happened to the baseball.
In short, write your personal stories as you would tell them out loud to friends. Set aside the writing for a few days, and then rewrite what you've done to eliminate as many "I's" and "me's" as you can.
Your stories will read much, much better.
I promise.
Best wishes,
Mark Darrah
Author of A Catalogue of Common People
