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“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” my mother misquoted Shakespeare when I went on and on about why she should let me do something forbidden. This childhood memory resurfaced last week during revision of a highly repetitious draft. Why had I made the main character restate her motives in different words every few pages? And why was I finding it so hard to be concise?
The lady did protest too much. Stepping away from the page, I saw the problem: Her motivation was weak. I didn’t trust readers to grasp it because I hadn’t grasped it either. Not until her motive came into better focus could I write it in one compelling paragraph and move forward. Does the same hold in daily life? Counterintuitive but possible. I’m starting to suspect the harder I argue a point, the more uncertain I am about its logic. Clarity should make it possible to state the case once and be done with it.
6 Comments
Ray Macek
11/25/2019 07:38:24 am
I find myself doing the same in my head (I am not writing anything). I think about presenting an idea one day and then a day or so later, a better version comes together, then another and another. At some time, I need to pull something together for "publication". Thanks for prompting the self awareness. 11/25/2019 07:44:23 am
Ray, I do the same. Also sometimes when I'm in bed almost to sleep, and hope the better version will still be in my head come morning. This actually feels to me like a useful process. You've set me wondering how to distinguish helpful honing from rambling on and on (in my head) to no purpose.
Ray Macek
11/25/2019 05:36:54 pm
While on walks or driving, I keep a small digital recorder with me and if I think of something that may be useful, I record it. 11/25/2019 08:21:59 pm
Ray, the digital recorder sounds like a great idea. I almost always have paper and pen with me, but not on short walks and of course they're no use while driving.
Lisa
11/25/2019 10:02:30 am
I have this complaint about books I read sometimes — getting beaten over the head with something. I never thought about how maybe the author hadn't figured it out and went to press anyway. 11/25/2019 04:41:43 pm
Nice observation, Lisa. Not sure if that makes me more sympathetic with the poor author or more irritated and impatient. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm a historian who writes novels and literary nonfiction. My home base is Madison, Wisconsin.
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