reducing the feeling experience

Can words do that? I often ask myself this when my partner and I have watched a gripping DVD. During it, of course, we communicate: looks, comments, wry smiles. At the end, though, there is usually silence. I wait, wanting to say something, but at the same time, reluctant to make comments which sound trite. Being analytical, however, there's often the need to work something out, to interpret a motive or understand an aspect of characterisation.










Dialogue in the films themselves, of course, can detract from emotion. The advantage of film as a medium, is that body language can be extremely powerful, rendering words redundant. Thinking back to films/tv series I've seen recently, there are several ones memorable for their conveying of emotion: The Politician's Wife, with an outstanding performance by Juliet Stevenson, I am Love, also a stunning execution by Tilda Swinton.














In both these examples, the dialogue is economical. Paragraphs can be conveyed with one expression. Replacing such expressions with words would reduce the feeling experience. Detract from the viewer's freedom to interpret as they wish. Crowd their space.

One of the final scenes in Brief Encounter contains a strong example of the power of body language. The man, about to leave his lover for the last time, and unable to do or say what he needs or wants to because of the unexpected appearance of a third party, simply places his hand on his lover's shoulder, before leaving to catch his train. A thousand words couldn't convey the maelstrom of feelings more effectively than that gesture. How I admire actors for their ability to communicate one or more emotions so precisely with their facial expressions or non-verbals.





Moving to novels, how often are we writers advised: less is more? If the heroine cries, the reader won't. In the first draft it is so easy to overdo emotions, in the need to convey to the reader just how distressed the character is. When editing, such emotions can be cringeworthy.

At the moment I am rewriting an earlier novel and becoming weary of stumbling upon overwritten emotional sections. I don't need to say that my heroine cried until she thought she would drown. I can leave the reader free to imagine that the heroine might need a carthartic weeping. Engage the reader's support by not having the heroine cry, despite the tragedy of her situation. One of my favourite authors, American novelist Anita Shreve, is truly gifted at conveying emotion in a subtle manner. The reader aches for the grief that her characters experience. Showing not telling. Less is more or more is less.



Jane