Writing Meaningful Moments

In theater, we don’t have paragraphs to show the audience where we are, what’s happening, and who people are. We have our voices, bodies and props, and that’s it. You can either nail your role and make the audience see a person completely different than yourself or fail miserably. 

Show but not tell is a very important part of theater... and writing. I speak from experience. No one is going to believe you’re an old lady if you’re standing up straight and showing no signs of age. No one’s going to believe the main character is in any serious danger if you're villain's holding a tennis racket. The same is true in those important moments of self-discovery in our writing. 

In the Disney's The Lion King, after denying to Nala that he’s king of Pride Rock, Simba encounters his father’s ghost. Mufasa encourages Simba to remember who he is. He tells him he has forgotten who he is, and Simba is clearly distraught. We see this not only in what he says, but in his facial expressions and body language. 

We sometimes would like to make those moments of self-discovery in our stories long, drawn out scenes with lots of dialogue. But they don’t have to be. 

A few simple, well worded sentences make a powerful point in The Lion King. Mufasa’s moment with Simba, where Simba realizes he has forgotten who he is, is very short but stands out as an incredible, moving scene. 

Your scene of important discovery doesn't have to be long and wordy to make an impact. Don’t be sloppy, but be precise. A lot of times in real life, those important moments are very short. A quick sentence in a sermon. A line from a song. The parting words of a parent when they drop us off at our first prom. They mean a lot to us, even though they aren’t long and drawn out. All you really need are a realization, a reaction and a response. Your character (if you're up for a tragedy) doesn’t even have to accept what they discover. Maybe their reaction is horror, and their response is rejection. 

Keep in mind that often, it’s the shortest sentences in a movie or book that stay with us most. Don’t think that to make an awesome, impactful moment for your reader or character you have to use a lot of words. Write it as if you were experiencing it yourself. It could be as quick as a blink, but it will rock your reader’s world. 

Thank you for reading! I'm always up for feedback, so please feel free to leave a comment on the post! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. have a blessed day, and as always, Ad Lucem.

-L.E. Levens