The Storyteller - the wit and wisdom of Frank Coughlin
 

Let me make this Clear

Picture
The question I ask to students of mine and also to anyone who wishes me to critique their work is this:
What did you mean to say?
(or What is your work supposed to say to me? ) For most writers, it helps to be crystal clear in your meanings. You do not have to worry about being predictable, simply because you cannot predict how your readers will interpret your words.
For instance  - the following words were in a poem -
"White hangs the sheets in the wind, crimson flowers droop nearby, and clouds float on by. "
I had thought I was making a mood apparent but what several of my reader thought I was saying was the weather was clear and dry. One reader asks me how I got the sheets white - no no no - look at the picture - let me make this clear
The white sheets rides the wind, nothing grows here, at least not for long, yet the sky is alive with movement.  Huh - what does that mean ?
Okay here it is perfectly clear - the man is flying a kite in the desert, the sun is going down and clouds are moving in the sky. Look at the picture.
Why is he in the desert ? to get away from people who ask too many questions ! Class dismissed.

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