Monday, May 19, 2014

Downsizing: In Life and Writing

As a kid, the more things I had, the better off I thought I was. Barbies, CDs, Beanie Babies (Yes, I was a 90's child). Movies, video games, clothes. The more stuff I had seemed a reflection of how happy I was. Only it wasn't.

As I've grown, items seem less important. Don't get me wrong, I like to have nice things, but I no longer want A LOT of nice things. The accumulation of items I've hung onto has become a burden. There's always a reason to keep something. Maybe I'll want this shirt again later when it comes back into style. This decorative item was a gift from so and so. What if my phone breaks and I need a back up. While there is reason to keep each of these, I've become better at being more selective. I don't need fifteen sweatshirts. I don't need every gift my grandma has ever given me.

Lately, I've been trying to downsize my life. My bills. My obligations. My things. More isn't better to me. More weighs me down.

I believe that this applies to writing, too. When I first started writing, I thought more was better. More description. More characters. More words. This went against my natural tendency to be concise.

Now, I've realized that in writing fiction, extra words only clutter the prose. One solid description is more effective than a whole paragraph of bland description. A character who can serve multiple purposes in the novel is better than a bunch of characters who mostly sit in the background. Words are precious in writing and should be chosen carefully. Sometimes we have to murder our darlings, but it's worth it to have cleaner prose.

Do you tend to overwrite? Underwrite? Have a perfect balance?

8 comments:

  1. I'm an overwriter! I've always envied ppl who seem to be able to achieve the perfect balance- tho I'm sure that only comes w/lots of revisions. Bless you, revisions. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm an underwriter in my first draft. I almost always have to go back and flesh out the scenes better.

      Delete
  2. I have moved several times in the last decade. Each time I go through this process of paring down because I don't want to move it. Every time I really think I have made gains and then I come to realize (after the move) that I still have twice as much stuff as I need.

    As for the writing... I am currently paring words so that I can go back and add the important stuff. So, the answer is BOTH.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't had to move as an adult. I've rented my childhood home from my dad, which has both all my stuff, and a lot of stuff my family has collected since I was four. I'm sure moving will be a motivation for me to not keep as much. Good luck keeping less this time!

      Delete
  3. I've never been much for stuff and even less so now. And my writing reflects that. I'm bare-bones. I have to go back and add a bunch of words to fill out the story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I'd never been one for stuff, but it's a habit I've had to break. Writing, however, has always been a process of going back and adding to flesh out the story more.

      Delete
  4. Like you, I too have very little desire for a lot of...stuff. Clutter makes me go crazy. And now that I'm on the verge of moving to a new place, I wish I had even less stuff. :/

    I have to work very hard to down-size my prose. But I like the end result when I do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The nice thing about writing, is that no matter the initial draft, revision can turn a story into what it needs to be. Sometimes I wish I could overwrite and have to go back and cut. Instead, I get done with a draft and have to go back and add in a lot so it actual feels like a novel, not an extended outline.

      Delete