A Writing Tip by Joy DeSomber
WHAT IF?
Everywhere we go, everything we do — we can imagine a what-if scenario that alters everything. If something catastrophic happened right this moment, what would you do? What would those closest to you do? What if something amazing happened? What if you were a different character? How would your response change?
Action — that’s how.
So, if we want to show and not tell in our writing, we need to get in character.
When I was growing up, my friends and I created adventures from a Victorian-era, dome-topped trunk that held my great-grandmother’s clothes, dress shoes, gloves, hats, costume jewelry, and a handful of my mom’s hand-me-downs. We dug through the contents, and our imaginations gave us roles to play. My friends and I didn’t need a script. We transformed furniture, rooms, and my yard into new and different objects and places to fit the story we inhabited for the afternoon. Shoes scrunched our toes, or a piece of faux jewelry was broken or flashy, so we’d incorporate those things into our stories.
Improv isn’t just for kids or comedians, and it isn’t as scary if we’re doing it for the sake of our craft. Becoming someone else can kickstart a stuck moment and take our writing to unexpected places. We may take on the role of our biggest antagonist and defend them. Embodying each of our characters during their most embarrassing, exciting, or scariest experiences can wake up our chapters.
A freefall lasts 30 to 60 seconds. Your character is 10,000 feet above ground, standing at the edge of the open door of a Cessna-182, wearing a jumpsuit and goggles. You are that person. Now jump.
Joy DeSomber is a neurodivergent, former law enforcement officer who writes fiction and creative nonfiction from South Carolina. Her work has appeared in FlashFlood Journal. Joy is seeking representation for a true-crime memoir.
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