Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid

There are legions of things which writers should fear, but two of them are as particularly dreadful: clichés and abstractions. Abstractions are particularly virulent. Avoid abstractions the way Superman steers clear of Kryptonite.

Abstractions are those high falutin’ words that pretend to be important but actually tell us nothing. Some of them are small nouns like “love” or “soul”; others are big as the universe. The trouble with abstractions is that such words do not relate to any tangible object that can be seen, heard, felt (in a palpable sense), smelled, or tasted. Not only that, abstractions are so general that their meanings differ among individuals; their meanings can't be easily defined. "Pain," for instance, can mean one thing to a toddler scraping his knee on a sliding board and another to a batter getting drilled by a pitch. Regarding pain, there are differences in kind, in degree of severity, and especially in the reaction of the person experiencing a certain pain. On the other hand, just like a rose is a rose, a thorn is a thorn no matter how deeply it sticks. Likewise the taste of a lemon, the smell of lilacs, the touch of silk.

Every worthwhile piece of fiction contains philosophical as well as psychological elements, but unless the writer shows these aspects in the plot, characterization, dialogue and setting, the reader is left at sea, floundering among massive waves of abstract thought. It makes for difficult reading and easy boredom. Even a story with somber themes needs a hook to capture and maintain the reader's interest. Ponderous abstractions are only good as an alternative to sleeping pills.

A piece of fiction is explicit in its showing a picture of a real human being living his life--breathing, actively thinking, talking, listening, moving, making love, raising hell -- as opposed to merely "being." The "implicit" part comes in the subtle ways the writer expresses the story. The emotion comes in with the reader’s reaction. One thing a good writer never does is "tell" what the character is "feeling." Show us how he happens to have reached that state; trust the story to allow the reader to figure out how the character "feels" by herself.

As a long-absent NitLetter used to say, “Write to express, not impress.” The quickest path to expressive writing is through specifics, not abstractions. It's important to remember that your writing is more effective when it employs specific, real-life counterparts to the character’s experiences. Trying to explain free-floating, amorphous, ultimately undefinable "feelings" is like trying to put a jersey on a jellyfish. Rather than attempting to capture emotions, which are frustratingly abstract, try creating a realistic scenario to which the reader can somehow relate. You can’t have sizzle without the steak.

Remember what William Carlos Williams said: "No ideas except in things." (That goes for writing fiction as well as poetry.) And speaking of poetry, please click and read this eminently wisearticle by Walt McDonald. The advice is invaluable.

http://www.valpo.edu/vpr/mcdonaldessay.html