I was driving my car the other day, whilst keeping a lookout for
deranged drivers and wild animals with a suicidal desire to become my next road
kill victim. I am not being melodramatic here. After decades of driving on country roads, I have come to the conclusion that animals line the grass verges to wait for my car to come along. Anyway, during my journey the lyrical,
haunting tune of Send in the Clowns came on the radio. A melancholy
atmosphere descended as I absorbed the sad, beautiful lyrics sung by Judy
Collins. I was about to start blubbering into my steering wheel, when I was saved by the
DJs next choice, The Eurhythmics collaboration with Aretha Franklin, Sisters are doin' it for themselves. Suddenly the world seemed brighter
and I felt empowered. I finished my journey with a big smile on my face and a
slight bounce to my driving. Within a short space of time I had swung
from normal, to deep sadness, to feeling extremely happy ... and it got me
thinking.
Music is the end result of someone's creativity, just as a
painting, a poem, a book or a beautifully crafted statue or figurine. There is
an endless list of how a person's creativity can manifest, but I suspect that
all creative people strive to do the same thing ... to evoke a feeling, an
emotion, a reaction from those that see it, feel it, use it or read it.
A successful novel will evoke a reaction in a
reader. Some novels will take a reader through the whole range of emotions. The
transitions between these emotions and reactions may be sudden or deceptively
subtle, gradual or a non-stop fast ride where the reader hangs on by their
fingernails. Hopefully there will also be the odd moments of reflection or
relaxation to make the next stage of the story all the more stimulating. A reaction a writer does not want to evoke is boredom or frustration with
the plot or the characters within the story.
I believe that the holy grail of writing is to evoke the emotion
that the writer intends to evoke, at the precise moment they planned it to
happen, at just the right momentum a reader wants or needs. When a writer hits
those markers, they have been successful in their quest. However, in my
opinion, it is not the reader who has the greatest reaction in the end … it is
the creator ... for they have achieved what they set out to do, and that is a euphoric,
heady experience that cannot be matched.
By
VICTORIA CORNWALL
Author of The Thief's Daughter
Do you agree that evoking emotions/feelings/reactions in a reader is The Holy Grail of writing?
Can you recall a particular book which evoked a strong reaction in you?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
A most e4xcellent and thought-provoking post, Victoria. I agree that art of whatever sort can give the reader/viewer a reaction over many emotions. I picked up on those who write for themselves, published or not. Many - although not all - artists of whatever type also pursue their art for money. We were talking about this in our writing group this week. At first, it's just the thrill of our words in print, and then money enters the equation and you find yourself on the hamster wheel. Now, if only I could paint I'd paint for pleasure and write for, well, the dosh!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Linda. I think we probably all start out writing for the thrill of creating something, but at the end of the day the bills still need to be paid and earning enough to pay them (whether it is through writing or having a second job) remains a priority.
DeleteVer interesting post Victoria. And so true - we all seek for that Holy Grail. Now you have specified it so clearly I'm hoping it will be that little bit easier to achieve!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gill.
DeleteAgree wholeheartedly! Sometimes when I need to evoke a certain emotion, I will listen to a track that makes me feel like that. Creativity feeding off the creativity of others. Recently used 'Dancing on my own' I guess you can imagine the sort of scene I was writing. Great post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea, Morton. I will have to try it sometime.
DeleteSuch a wonderful, considered post, Victoria. Music and film most definitely hold the potential to evoke strong emotions in me. As soon as I hear the opening lines to Abba's 'Slipping Through My Fingers' I'm a blubbering wreck! And great writing is the same - it pulls the reader, making the reader feel ... and care.
ReplyDeleteI agree, music can set of strong emotions. Today I heard The Rolling Stones "Under my thumb". It has an upbeat tempo, but the lyrics are actually about a man finally gaining control over his girlfriend. How has he done it? What has made her change so much? Why does she dress differently? Why does he refer to her as a squirming dog? Why does she do as she is told now? All I can think about is physical and mental abuse. I feel quite sick listening to it, yet it is very popular and has a catchy beat. The contrast between the upbeat tempo and the sinister lyrics is genius as the real message is not always heard ... just like domestic abuse.
DeleteThat completely passed me by, Victoria. I must listen to it again. As you say -clever message.
DeleteI totally agree that music can help with writing. I actually prefer to write in silence, but whether I'm in the car or listening to music at home, ideas do flow more easily and I make a note of them so I can use them later. Thanks for your interesting post, Victoria.
ReplyDelete