Outtakes 93

Writing Loss

By Cait Collins

The protagonist in your current work is a successful cardiac surgeon. He is in route to a conference where he is to present a paper on a new surgical technique he developed. The pilot comes over the speaker announcing engine problems, and requesting the passengers comply with the instructions from the crew. As the cabin attendant is relaying the crash procedures, there is a sudden drop in altitude. The airplane crashes into a field. Your character survives, but suffers a head injury and damage to the optic nerves. He is blind.

Psychologists tell us there are five stages of grieving:  denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  Everyone responds to loss differently. There is no order or time limit for passing through the various stages. If the writer is not in his character’s head, if he hasn’t invested a part of himself into this individual, the story may fall flat.

Put yourself in the surgeon’s place. What do you imagine his reaction to the news will be? Or, maybe more important, what do you think your response would be? Consider all the possibilities. Will he be in denial, refusing to accept the diagnosis? Perhaps he will respond with rage and push everyone who cares for him from his life. What if he gets stuck in the grieving process? All these emotions and more are possible. But how do you write the story without losing the emotional impact? Permit yourself to access a similar experience. Recall your responses, the pain, the tears, and then write what you feel. Avoid clichés. Use word images. Vary the tempo of the prose. Since emotions are messy, it’s important to allow your character to experience every range of feelings. Don’t hold back and do not edit.

Writing for emotional impact is not easy. I have recently learned the best way for me to write feelings is to accept the mess and wade through the mire. While the writing has been difficult, it is freeing. There’s something rewarding in seeing the readers’ teary eyes, and hearing their choked voices. When you get this response, you know you did your job as a writer.