-image-Visual Writers vs Auditory Writers
September 19, 2008 | Uncategorized, Writing
In my research of how the brain works, I’ve been reading a lot about creativity and the chemistry that spurs and nurtures it. One particular area of interest is metaphor. People think in all different ways, and it turns out that a great many artists are synesthetes, where the brain blends two or more senses. For example, someone hears the word cat and simultaneously sees the color blue.
There are various grades of synesthesia, some profound and some subtle. Some people are simply visual thinkers, or perhaps that should be visual rememberers. When they see a cat, they don’t see blue, but their memories pluck out things that somehow, someway resonate with cat and bring them to the fore. As in: cat-soft quilt from childhood-scratch of sandpaper on fingertip-squish of Jello-distant thunder-etc. All in a split second of course, but the remembrance of somewhat similar, vaguely suggestive memories are available for use. Sometimes they’re just thoughts, but sometimes they become a book by Barbara Samual or an image that lingers from Stephen King.
Some people simply think metaphorically, and when you read their words, they are filled with color and light and images that surprise and delight, that give the reader the gift of their special sight.
And some people do not think metaphorically. Like me. Instead of images and sensations, what happens to me is that odd bits of other conversations come to me. Real or imagined, I don’t know, but my associations are predominantly heard, not seen.
This has a profound influence on my writing. I struggle mightily over metaphors, despite my knowledge that metaphors are incredibly powerful and give context and meaning to the reader that can’t be given any other way. My manuscripts tend to have a billion XXs where a metaphor should be. I’ve been taught not to accept the first, most obvious metaphor because it’s always going to be unoriginal, a cliche, but often, I only have that one. This struggle has been with me since I first started writing.
It’s only now, this past week, that I’ve seen my struggle in a new light. Okay, my strength is not in word-pictures. But that doesn’t mean my process is wrong. Where my strength lies is in dialogue. Because I hear really well. I’ve been told, and believe for myself, that my dialogue rings true and basically carries the story. The critical breakthrough, though, is that I’m not wrong or bad or stupid. My brain is another kind of brain. Which is just as valid, meaning I don’t have to turn in my writer’s license, at least not for this. I get to be my kind of writer, because there are lots of readers who find value in dialogue heavy work.
The word pictures will have to be left to those who have that gift. From this moment forward, I give myself permission not sweat it. This doesn’t mean I don’t have any metaphors in my books. I do, and some of them are quite good, but it’s not my primary gift. It’s okay. I can live with that. It’s a tremendous relief, in fact.
Posted by Jo Leigh @ 11:10 am | 9 Comments
