For the past few weeks, I’ve been reading about Existentialism. (My favorite book on the topic has been At the Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell.)
A thought clicked while I was reading: There’s a very prominent tie to writing within this particular philosophy because much of it relates to how we describe and interpret the world around us (through words.)
This is relevant not just to folks who consider themselves writers by trade or hobby, but to all of us.
We all communicate with others through the medium of words—and the better we are at doing that, the more clearly and effectively we can share what’s inside our minds.
The question is: How?
Existentialism says: “Go to things themselves in order to describe them, attempting rigorously to put into words what sometimes is considered inexpressible.”
Translation: Forgo the cliches and typical associations that come to mind when you describe something (like an idea, an image, a situation.) Instead, try to look at what you’re working to convey with fresh eyes.
Discard the second-hand notions or common ideas and describe things directly as it presents itself to you (without the influence from existing theories or ideas around said ‘thing.’) Resist the urge to put things into categories. This is the basic premise behind “show, don’t tell.”
Approaching communication of ideas this way makes writing an art form—and allows you to paint with words.
So how can you use words to explain something in a new way that creates a rich, vivid mental picture for the reader?
How to Practice Writing Like an Existentialist
French novelist Gustave Flaubert said, “Even the slightest thing contains a little that is unknown. We must find it. To describe a tree, we must remain before that tree until it no longer resembles for us any other tree.”
Challenge yourself with a little exercise: Go outside and look at a tree. Really look at it. Take your time. Close your eyes and breathe in its scent. Touch the bark. Feel the leaves.
Then try to describe it, but without the conventional words and phrases you’re familiar with when thinking about trees.
If you’re reading this and thinking...um…what is she talking about? Go outside and touch a tree then write about it?! YES, that’s what I’m saying.
Here’s why: Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre shows how magical this kind of exercise can be—and the pathways it can open up in your writerly brain.
In his book Nausea, he describes a Chestnut tree. I’ve pulled some of my favorite bits from it:
Its hesitant branches groping around like blind men
The bark, black and swollen, looked like boiled leather
The wind had just lighted on the tree and the tree was shuddering, but the shudder was not an emerging quality; it was a thing; a shudder-thing flowed into the tree, took possession of it, shook it, and suddenly abandoned it…
Pretty great, right?
I’m no philosopher, but I did this exercise, too. I tasked myself with describing what I saw as I observed squirrels playing in our backyard the other day.
Here are some of the better bits of what I came up with:
Squawking as they chased each other and skittered up a tree, their clawed feet scratched a whispering chatter against its rough shell
Like a trapeze artist who’s grown too brave, one lept too boldly: the thin, flimsy branch bowed and freed itself from the frantically grasping hands and the jumper fell to the ground, half spiraling in a daze of disbelief
(A squirrel really did fall from about 20 feet up, but he was okay. I saw him shake it off and hop away.)
There's nothing truly groundbreaking about what I'm describing here (which is more the point of Existentialism), but it's a good first step.
In time, I'll work toward describing more abstract thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Watching squirrels felt like a more realistic place to start. You've gotta stretch before you sprint, you know?
I challenge you to give this a try this week.
In general, this is a great exercise to practice regularly to strengthen your vocabulary, imagination, and creative thinking...all of which will make you a better writer.
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