Words With Impact: Discover Metaphoric Threads

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“Metaphor does that. It helps us explain ourselves to ourselves. It helps us explore and examine forces that we cannot otherwise come to terms with.” Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen suggests that the language of metaphor is as natural as breathing in everyday life, “and her sisters—poetry and story” are as well. When she and her family experienced a difficult season she says, “Everything I felt during those dark days, the way I approached mortality, the way I prayed, the way I had to view the world, was in terms of metaphor.”

The movie Green Dragon helps audiences experience that level of force when lives are thrown into upheaval and tragedy, at almost a moment’s notice, and never to be restored as before but can be reconciled. One DVD jacket cover for the movie simply states: “A story from a war that has been forgotten. When Tai arrives at Camp Pendleton, he is confronted by a camp filled with despair.”

 Commissioned to translate for the refugees, Tai forms a friendship across cultures, and begins the healing for himself and his people. Multiple stories intertwine. In one thread, a lonely American cook teaches a young orphan to paint, bringing beauty into the stark surroundings. From devastation, loss, and grief come love, hope, and new beginnings that cross time and barriers. Art, in many forms, becomes the metaphor, which they learn to speak across their dark days, within themselves and across the many cultural/language barriers.

One skill to develop a language that crosses emotional and experiential boundaries, whether cultural, generational, or extraterrestrial, is to become fluent in abstract, especially with metaphoric ability—poet or not.

We can develop this language by looking for ‘poem seeds’ whether we actually write poems or not. We go behind the visible surfaces to find the meanings behind our words, our images and memories.

Action Steps:

Develop Images

List Poems

1. Write a list poem. This works well for non-poets to get past the inner critic and just write for fun. It also helps get us in touch with abstract concepts.

Choose one of the following words: hope, love, faith, trust, beauty and do a cluster brainstorm for it.

2. Now write up your thoughts as a list poem adding whatever new ideas rise to the surface as well. Keep writing the repetition in each line: hope is…, or I believe beauty…, or set up as a question; is love…, or can love be found in a …..?

3. Leave it alone for a day or two then come back. Now go down your list of images. Can you change each line into a metaphor?

For example: hope is ...a waterfall.   / Hope is a waterfall like rushing wind.

                                       / Hope is an hourglass waterfall.

Although you may not end up using the words themselves, the practice will help you connect to the emotion you want your situation to generate, whether in your character’s heart or your reader’s. Being able to identify the emotional flow enables you to write a richer scene.

Share: What word did you choose?

Read deep, marcy

Words With Impact: Discover Metaphoric Threads

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“The conscious use of mythic themes and tropes-that is elements and language that reflect either figuratively or literal use of images, symbols and folklore-is the key ingredient, allowing authors to explore realistic themes on a symbolic level.” Julie Bartel

In her book, Dreams and Wishes, Essays on Writing for Children, Susan Cooper makes a comparison between writing and fantasy. “Fantasy is the metaphor through which we discover ourselves. So it is for the writer, too. Every book is a voyage of discovery.  … The work begins with a deep breath and a blindly trusting step into the unknown.”

This sense of anticipation, curiosity and courage that accompanies all beginnings provides a helpful insight into the writing process. Some days we are ready for adventure and some days we are not.

Susan Cooper also states that, “We are all at the mercy of the quality of the imagination we inherit. The book can never be better than that.” And alongside that statement she says that no one can write fantasy on purpose, that like poetry it won’t come on demand. This idea is extremely freeing. If each work is discovery and a new land, then if we don’t respond to our ‘inheritance’, we don’t discover ourselves either, nor discover the symbols that engage us, or those we need to share.

Speaking of poets and writers of fantasy she states that, “Both deal with images, and with their links to and within the unconscious mind.” By doing so as writers they tap into the archetypes of behavior and emotion—variations on the same theme, “until he achieves his goal, his quest. Fantasy, of whatever kind, may seem to be picking you up and carrying you away but in fact it’s taking   you right back home.  All fantasy involves metaphor.”

Action Steps:

1. What is one of the main thoughts in word/image/or emotion that is a crucial thread in your narrative?

2. Whichever you chose make a list of possible connections with the other categories. For example if you choose the word laughter then make a list of how that can translate into images or emotions. Or vice versa.

3. If you have made your list with positive threads now reverse it into negative words and images and emotions.

Share: Were you surprised by any images? Why?

Read deep, marcy

Words With Impact: Discover Metaphoric Threads

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“Metaphors are the gate-crashers of the spirituality static quo.” Joy Sawyer

Metaphors are meant to help us see life through a fresh perspective, both verbally and visually. When they tap into theme and character and setting and atmosphere they have the ability to gate-crash through our pre-conceived clichéd views. Even clichés were at one time a fresh perspective—so innovative in fact that they eventually became overused.

And we don’t need to jettison familiar images. In fact metaphors often work better through familiarity but need to be slightly angled. Sometimes the image must loom large in order to crash through numbed thinking. Other times it only needs to be a soft reflection that catches us up enough to pause and take a deeper look.

Waiting For Midnight, by Merrie Destefano, is a brief collection of short stories and flash fiction that highlights the power of image and metaphor and theme in unexpected ways. By altering the anticipated viewpoint character or the setting we step into the story one side up, but come out the other end as if we were in house of mirrors. 

For example, in her flash fiction piece Breathtaking we immediately identify with the character’s desperate struggle to simply take a breath—to fill out the form—to remain calm instead of anxious in the emergency room—to remember. How many other images of trying to simply breathe pass through our imagination as we struggle along with this person wondering what is really causing his anguish. And then the mirror metaphor shifts.

“No. Not poison. My sweat on the floor, my blood, my skin. It was my own

              designer disease, all brand new and deadly—

              And, unfortunately, highly contagious.”

Action Steps:

1.     What was the first thought/word/image/or emotion that struck you?

2.     Take a brief scene from your novel, either in dialogue, or internal monologue, and twist the end into something opposite.

3.     What impact would that have on your character’s situation emotionally, spiritually, or mentally?

4.     Even if you cannot use the shock difference at this moment, is there a way you can introduce the possibility of another outcome?

Share: Did your opposite effect turn into humor or shock?

Read deep, marcy

Words With Impact: Direct Language Echoes

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“Choose a particular item or activity and make that the object of the language search. Find out as much as possible about the language associated with that object, especially active and concrete verbs, the history of the names used for that object, and terminology that seems especially colorful. Then save from your search a list of nouns, a list of verbs and a list of adjectives.” James McKean

Memory holds our emotional reservoir, both personal and public. Some memories are buried so deep that we don’t recognize them when they echo in the present. We have a fleeting pang or touch of comfort, and wonder why. We need these echoes to help us bridge understanding and communication with others. Regardless of language or status we immediately connect, or recognize, the joy of a newborn child or the grief of a death.

When we recognize an object as an echo for ourselves, or a character, we can dig deep to search out an unexpected perspective that can strengthen our emotional vocabulary with ordinary words.

 James McKean’s suggestion above is a variation on the list poem as well as a general search for key metaphoric and rich words. The first run may or may not contain usable words, but by doing so you’ll spark imagination. And/or you may discover just what you needed for a particular sentence or detail.

Here’s an example of one word I searched just on the surface. I didn’t take his next step of research on this. Dividing the nouns, verbs and adjectives gave me sufficient material for my needs at that time.

Word=Compass

Nouns                                                Verbs                                                Adjectives

arc                                                enclose                                    curved

spatial position                        draw                                                navigational

instrument                                    determine                                    indicator

directional device                        pivot                                                magnetic

circular cord                                                                                    ‘moveable rigid legs

hinged at the end’

I ended up with fifteen words to choose from. The next word I choose to search was navigate for which I ended up with thirty-six words.

To my surprise I was actually able to incorporate the moveable rigid legs.

Action Steps:

1. Write your own opening to the Titanic using another focus. Or choose another movie’s silent image that has captured a memory for you or your character.

2. What echo becomes enhanced? What echo disappears? Apply the same technique to a new scene in your novel.

Share: What emotional echo surprised you?

Read deep, marcy

Words With Impact: Direct Language Nuance

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“All the poet can do is warn. That is why true poets must be truthful.” Wilfred Owen

Recognizing and Developing Implicit and Explicit Language

Read the following poem Emplumada, from the University of Pittsburg Press. As soon as you finish, write down a journal response of your immediate thoughts and feelings—no analysis—just your immediate reaction.

Emplumada

BY LORNA DEE CERVANTES

When summer ended

the leaves of snapdragons withered

taking their shrill-colored mouths with them.

They were still, so quiet. They were

violet where umber now is. She hated

and she hated to see

them go. Flowers

born when the weather was good - this

she thinks of, watching the branch of peaches

daring their ways above the fence, and further,

two hummingbirds, hovering, stuck to each other,

arcing their bodies in grim determination

to find what is good, what is

given them to find. These are warriors

distancing themselves from history.

They find peace

in the way they contain the wind

and are gone.

Would you classify this poem as using implicit or explicit vocabulary? Back up your opinion with examples. For instance:

Literal—explicit: two hummingbirds, hovering,

Figurative—implicit: They find peace

 Is the use of nature metaphors effective or not? Why?

Action Steps:

1. Take a few lines that are explicit and implicit and reverse them to be contrary.

2. In what way does the power of the phrases diminish in expression?

Share: What other metaphor concept other than nature could this poem be spoken in? Why or why not?

Read deep, marcy

Words With Impact: Direct Language No Language

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“Metaphor makes words flesh. Metaphor opens our eyes to applying The Word. So metaphor makes the world of The Word fresh.”  Larry Woiwode

No Language

This is probably not a good choice for an entire novel, but could be adapted for brief scenes, especially if it ties to the plot and theme. The question then is, what other methods of communication would be possible if words or language are not successful or not available? And would it enhance your story’s atmosphere?

In one Star Trek episode Captain Kirk was forced onto a planet surface to fight a beast. He had no idea what was happening and it seemed impossible to communicate with the alien leader he was stranded with. But gradually Kirk realized that the alien spoke in metaphors, and finally they found a way to speak to each other and to survive the attack. It was quite different from the usual episodes and one that forced the viewer to work harder. Yet it became a popular episode. It fit the circumstances of the story.

Law enforcement often use signals. Magicians have built in codes to their assistants. Sign language, lip reading, and body gestures can all be incorporated for communication.

One student mentioned the way the military uses flags. Another pointed out that lack of personal hygiene might indicate illness or depression.

Action Steps:

1. Make a list of all the possibilities you can think of to communicate without any form of spoken language.

2. Choose one version. Then take a short scene you have already written and re-write it without verbal or sign speech.

Share: What effect did you gain? What clarity did you lose?

Read deep, marcy

Words With Impact: Direct Language Study

Workshop: Discover Words That Sing

“Creativity is itself an act of optimism.”  Edward Albee

Language Study

Another aspect to consider is the sound of your language. This goes beyond sentence structure of flow and pacing, although it can impact both. What sound do you want as your influence—a soft flowing romantic lilt or a more guttural tone such as Klingon. And yes, I do know it’s not a real language even though it has its own dictionary.

Give yourself a few days to wander through a busy city and stop in restaurants to listen to styles of speech. When you hear the accents that attract you, then use their tones and words for your backdrop atmosphere. In my city culture changes from neighborhood to neighborhood. On one street alone within a two-block radius the restaurants include, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Italian, Greek, Hamburger joints, vegan, coffee shops, bakeries (Russian and Polish) and an Irish pub. And I know I’ve forgotten some. Each is owned and provides meals from their cultural specialties.

A twenty-minute stop for an appetizer or dessert or drink offers an opportunity to listen to another country. It’s a relaxing way to study a language.

Another way to hear with a fresh insight is to watch a television show episode, or a movie, in a different language without the sub-titles in any language you speak. Note how intensely you listen and observe and write down any actions or expressions that stand out. Then go back and watch again with the sub-titles to verify or clarify your immediate impressions.

Action Steps:

1. Using one of the suggested categories, write up a brief three to four paragraph scene using a setting from your novel. Or a location you have found charming.

2. Incorporate the sense of communication unique to this place and/or specific conversation between two characters.

Share: Did any details surprise you? Why?

Read deep, marcy