Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Tin Can Alley


Remember back in the day when a tin can telephone was the way to go?  The string had to be just the right length and pulled to just the right tension and you had to be listening with your head cocked at just the right angle before you could hear your buddy on the other end.  The fact that you missed a word here or there just added to the mystery of playing "spy" on a hot summer day when you were hanging out with the gang at your secret hideout.




And do you remember in the hilarious Whoopi Goldberg movie Jumping Jack Flash when she was trying to decode a secret message from a mysterious man named Jack and she just couldn't make out the lyrics to the song?  Somehow it didn't seem to matter...Whoopi muddled through somehow and still managed to break the code and save the guy from being killed anyway.




Maybe you can even remember those times when you sat in a circle and someone whispered something in your ear and you had to turn to whisper it in the next person's ear.  That secret message had to travel all around the circle until the last person had to say it out loud.  Remember how funny it was that the message almost always ended up being completely different from when it started?


Unfortunately some stories can begin this way.  We try hard to get our vision across in a clear, concise manner but somehow the words become muddled somewhere along the way which leaves our readers scratching their heads and wondering what we are really trying to say.  It is up to us to use our skill to cut excess verbage from our stories, to streamline our ideas, to polish each sentence until only the strongest words are left to dazzle our audience.  Only then will our message become crystal clear...




6 comments:

  1. Oh how this takes a certain level of maturity. "The mist above Goldie's canyon hung in the air like a knowing secret." It's not relevant to the plot, but I LOVE THOSE WOORRRRDS, MAN! Pruning is hard. But you're right and so I'm hoping the more I write, the more I learn, the more I'm better able to hear/use a clearer voice. This post is an excellent reminder. So I thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pam! I agree...it is hard to look at a story I've written and be objective when it comes to cutting loose those words not really helping to drive the story along. But I can either hug all those "pretty" words close to me and never have anyone else read them, or I can trim and polish before releasing a strong story out into the world to be enjoyed by others...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  2. Excellent point, Donna! I often find myself starting one story and finishing another. It helps me to keep a clear statement of my story's point in front of me... but sometimes I'm not sure what it is until I've gotten to the end. I LOVE Whoopi Goldberg in Jumping Jack Flash - Mick! Speak English! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Susanna! This is why I try not to be too judgmental of my work until I type those words "the end". My stories almost never end up like I originally think they will so I reserve the right to trim and polish AFTER the first draft is complete!

      I also LOVE that movie but I took that picture from a blog post that was basically bashing both the movie and Whoopi's performance in it. Silly people, don't they know a GREAT movie when they see it? ;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  3. Oh my! I remember the tin can phone and passing secrets in a circle. Haven't thought of either of those in years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad I could bring up some hopefully good memories...;-)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete