Thursday, January 20, 2011

Take Your Manuscript and Spray It with Cologne or Perfume. Right Now.

All---

I'm not joking.  Spray your manuscript with cologne.  And I don't mean you need to do it because it stinks.  I mean you need to it, because it's part of good writing.  What am I talking about?  Read on, my friends, read on.

I think a lot about how the human mind works.  (Some say too much. lol)  But over the years I've learned something that, for many, seems counterintuitive.  When I was growing up, I was pretty close to another kid who had pretty severe ADD, before it was super-trendy.  He used to tell me that the only way he could concentrate on his homework was to have music on, and that never made sense to me.  Wouldn't that be another distraction?

Well, over the years I've learned something about my own mind.  I don't have ADD, but I have some sensory issues that make me easily overwhelmed.  Clutter is stultifying to me, groups people oppressive, and jarring or repetitive noises (even when quiet) are literally painful.  I've found ways over the years of managing a lot of that, but I never understood why a couple of my tricks were helpful.

One thing that helps me when I'm in a crowd, like out and about, is if I'm listening to music in headphones.  Not necessarily so loud I can't hear the people I'm with, but loud enough that I can clearly hear it.  Why would that help?  It's more noise!  Ridiculous!

Another thing that helps is scent.  Burning incense.  Wearing a bit cologne.  Nothing overwhelming, but something that stands out that I can smell.  And what does that have to do with anything else?

Then one day I realized some others I do, subconsciously, to help manage those situations, and it finally dawned on me.  By giving myself one, single sensory input that's stronger than the others, I'm giving my brain something to focus on, rather than splitting its focus, and suddenly the other things that are around not only are "quieter" but are more manageable.  The strong sensory input takes the lead portion of my brain, so there's no more competition for that spot.  The brain is then more free to process the rest and prioritize appropriately.

Here's where we get the writing part.

I've always sort of understood the idea of anchors in writing.  Of needing to help ground your readers so that they don't feel like they're just floating around in your narrative.  An unanchored reader feels a bit lost and bit aimless.

I got that intellectually years ago.

But it wasn't until I figured out this sensory stuff that it truly clicked with me what that anchoring stuff is all about.  It's about giving the reader a focal point or something that draws them through the narrative or through the passage.  It's about bringing something to the forefront to help give the reader's brain a chance to process and prioritize everything else.

Often times, these anchors are the things that seem unnecessary.  Rich settings.  Props in characters' hands.  Objects in the space.  The weather.  The smells.  Sounds.  Writers often want to cut them out when they get in slash-and-tighten mode.  Anchors don't always seem to advance plot or character development.  And if they don't do that they need to go, right?

Well, I hardly need to wear a little cologne to get through my day in a literal sense.  I don't need to burn incense to write technically.  Wearing headphones in the mall doesn't contribute to my shopping or socializing experience.

So wrong.

Their contribution is not to the direct activity.  Their contribution is toward my ability to effectively engage in the activities.  Just  as your anchors may not contribute directly to your character development or to the advancement of your plot, but they are essential parts of helping your reader engage with your narrative in an effective way.

So take out that manuscript and spray it with a little cologne.

.Nevets.

14 comments:

  1. I like this post. I took your title literally. I thought back to "Legally Blond" and how Elle Woods had sprayed her resume with perfume.
    Anyway, I like what you've said. It's an interesting principal. It's a balancing act though, isn't it? I think it'll take practice deciding what serves as an anchor and what is actually distracting.
    This is something to think about (as is usually the case with your posts!)

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  2. Really interesting, Nevets! I don't think I ever understood how some are able to concentrate better with noise, but you're so right, it does work. A lady I once worked with always had her radio on in her office, and she was probably the most productive person there.

    I seem to always learn something when I come here. :)

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  3. I have a hard time focusing on only one thing to. I need some background noise that grounds me, but doesn't distract.

    I work in a site with lots of "drama noise" due to the clients we interview. The other office, for some reason, is deathly quiet in comparison. I hear every little sound in the other office - it is most intrusive. But I don't seem to hear everything in our office. Certain things attract my attention when I'm concentrating on my own processing, but I barely notice the rest of the people or their conversations.

    I can't stand odors though. They cloy my sinuses.

    And I do like a little "white noise" in a novel. I can't focus on just the bare basics of the story. Must be why I like epic fantasies, the need to pull back sometimes and get an overall picture of character/setting/plot.

    Lots of food for thought here Nevets. Very interesting analogy. Thanks.

    .........dhole

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  4. Definitely the most interesting post on writing I'm going to read today. Thanks!

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  5. Brilliant. I do understand the need for anchor points and recently have started adding them to my stories and wow, what a difference. Thank you for such an intellectual post.

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  6. @Scott - hahaha I probably should have chosen my title more carefully, given that there are some saps who literally do advise spraying your query letter or manuscript with some kind of scent to make it memorable. Such a terrible gimmick that practically screams, "My words aren't memorable on their own."

    You are very right, though, that it's a balance. To stretch my real life analogies, it's just like the difference between putting on a little scent and bathing in it, or burning a little incense in stead of making your house smell like puja.

    @Jennifer - Cool, glad you learned something!

    @Donna - Yeah, it definitely doesn't work for everyone. Very happy I gave you some food for thought!

    @Elena - Woohoo! :) Thanks!

    @Clarissa - You're welcome, and thanks for saying so!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're dead right, Nevets. There's a word for fiction which doesn't do these things: "screenplay". Strip all the incidental detail out and all you're left with is dialogue. I've been guilty of this myself. At the other end of the spectrum is incessant clutter, which detracts from the shape of the whole.

    The trick is get the "beats" proportionate, so that they reinforce the illusion that the reader is in a real world, without drowning in it.

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  8. @Tim - I like the idea of beats. My anchors are pretty bare bones when I first write, mostly delivered via character interaction with the environment, and I have to enrichen them when I re-write. Thinking beats seems like a good way conceive of them.

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  9. haha...I like the further explanation. I'm going to go back to my WIP and see if I'm sprinkling or dousing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, Nevets, you never cease to amaze me with how you think and arrive at certain conclusions. This is brilliant! When I look at my writing it is ALWAYS the anchors that stand out to me and make it good - to me. It is the sensory details that really ground me to my stories. They are what make me want to write a story in the first place, most of the time. Thank you for making me think about this in a different light.

    ReplyDelete
  11. @Scott - Good luck. Just remember, if it starts to smell like a 14 year-old boy who snuck his dad's aftershave before a date: it's too much.

    @Michelle - Aww, shucks. Always glad to jog thought! And, yes, your anchors are very strong.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Interesting thoughts, and I like the analogy.

    Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  13. very interesting idea! And I'm always complaining that I have undiagnosed adult ADD... maybe that'll help! :D <3

    ReplyDelete
  14. @G'Eagle - You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

    @Leigh - haha It's worth a shot! :)

    ReplyDelete

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