The Power of Simplicity

Writers use a lot of big things to get points across. They use imagery, personification, metaphors, symbolism, etc, but what about the tiny little things that you may or may not look right past. They lurk, hidden in plain sight on the page of a book.

No

Many writers and poets vary sentence length in order to affect our emotions, but what if you don't even need a sentence to destroy someone? What if you only needed a single word? There is one word that has the ability to crush all of your hopes and dreams in the blink of an eye.

Hypothetical Situation #1: You have been dating a girl for a few years and you're ready to take the next step. You take her out to a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. You walk her to the car and stop in the middle of the sidewalk to 'tie your shoe'. You pull out a ring and say, "Will you marry me?".

Now, there are many possible answers to this question. She could say, "Yes!" and jump up and down screaming, but that's the response everyone wants. There are many more negative responses, however. She could say, "I need to think about it." which is a pretty good sign that she isn't ready for commitment. She could say, "I don't love you." which is extremely heart-breaking and enough to drive anyone insane. But the most terrifying and horrific response to that question would be a very simple "No."

That "No." launches a rock down your throat. It starts your stomach churning and it makes your head ache. When you walk away from her you're left with a thousand questions: Why did she say no?; Did she ever love me?; Will I ever find love? That simple "No." will drive you mad and leave you in a heightened state of anxiety and depression.

Hypothetical Situation #2: You just so happen to be named 'Clark Kent' and you're on your knees with your cape and suit shredded watching Darkseid holding an innocent bystander by the shirt collar. You stare into the innocent person's eyes and see the fear and pain. You stare into the empty eyes of Darkseid and feel lost. You attempt one last act of heroism and say, "Kill me instead."

Now, obviously you're hoping that Darkseid says, "Of course.", gives a maniacal smile and rips your head off before you squeeze out another thought, but that's a pretty uneffective way to captivate an audience. From a writing standpoint, it's much more effective to have Darkseid squeeze out a simple, "No."

That "No." puts your heart in your throat and rips your eyes out of your head.

The Ultimate End.

This leads to another aspect of writing that can crush hopes and dreams. I call it 'the ultimate end', but you probably call it a period. Using a question mark to end a sentence shows uncertainty. Using an exclamation point shows emotion. But using a period can do so much more. If done right, a simple period can show certainty and emotion. It can highlight the darkest of thoughts or the brightest of images. It can scratch a sentence onto the back of your eyelids and stay with you months after you've finished the book.

Lets use some of my writing as an example.

Example #1: "In a hesitant manner, you raise your flashlight to peer above you. You see a silhouette, soon realizing that it is your friend, impaled on a tree branch, ten feet up. Behind you, you hear the shriek!"

The orange exclamation point leaves a shrieking sound throughout your mind and it sticks with you. Changing it to a period would give you an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Both are very effective ways to get the point across. This just goes to show you how punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence.

Example #2: "In what seemed like hours but was merely a few seconds, you quickly turn around and see two round objects. They are black with a silver glow. In one instant they are there, and then they disappear and return. Eyes!"

That orange exclamation point sparks fear and wonder in your heart. It sends adrenaline through your body. However, changing that exclamation point to a period would do far more to your emotions. It would make you wonder, but it wouldn't be a fearful wonder, it would be an anxious wonder. Anxiety, I believe, is far more powerful than fear. The period also creates that sense of hopelessness. You feel doomed and anxious and you're just about ready to give up all hope.

.

So next time you've written the perfect paragraph and you're practically manipulated your own emotions, but don't know what to say next, say as little as possible. The little, simple things often have the most impact.

(Original Post on December 27, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers104 )