As a photographer, describing a visual scene photographically through my lens felt always second nature or even first nature to me. But describing a scene with words or describing a feeling is something I have more difficulty with. I never thought describing a spiral could be so difficult until I read this. A few times I challenged myself by describing a photo-still life that I worked on. Thank you, Matt, for this inspiring 'fragment'
Thank you, Piroska. They're certainly very different ways of describing, aren't they? I think it's a useful reminder of how lazy and formulaic we can be with language (written/spoken/visual) and that there are incredibly rich and creative solutions if we search for them.
Lovely as always. Reading this it clicked for me why I often struggle with description - I'm just not a visual person. I don't learn visually, and I struggle to create visually. (Although I am working on it through food photography.) Thanks for giving me the 'aha' moment and something to improve upon.
Matt, thanks as always for putting thoughts into words. I am definitely adding the Pessoa book to my TBR. Description is the most challenging aspect of writing, I believe. It is easy to get caught up in the comparison cycle of synonyms or use the same bland phrases over and over. Language is an incomplete system for communicating thoughts and feelings. The challenge for all writers is to work the words in such a way as to make others seamlessly feel and think what we have felt and thought; to see the world through our eyes. I am woefully inadequate to the task, but I embrace the challenge all the same.
As a photographer, describing a visual scene photographically through my lens felt always second nature or even first nature to me. But describing a scene with words or describing a feeling is something I have more difficulty with. I never thought describing a spiral could be so difficult until I read this. A few times I challenged myself by describing a photo-still life that I worked on. Thank you, Matt, for this inspiring 'fragment'
Thank you, Piroska. They're certainly very different ways of describing, aren't they? I think it's a useful reminder of how lazy and formulaic we can be with language (written/spoken/visual) and that there are incredibly rich and creative solutions if we search for them.
Lovely as always. Reading this it clicked for me why I often struggle with description - I'm just not a visual person. I don't learn visually, and I struggle to create visually. (Although I am working on it through food photography.) Thanks for giving me the 'aha' moment and something to improve upon.
"a spiral... it’s a circle that rises without ever closing" - perfect. An excellent read as ever
Thanks, Mark. That book, and especially that passage, changed my thinking and writing profoundly.
Matt, thanks as always for putting thoughts into words. I am definitely adding the Pessoa book to my TBR. Description is the most challenging aspect of writing, I believe. It is easy to get caught up in the comparison cycle of synonyms or use the same bland phrases over and over. Language is an incomplete system for communicating thoughts and feelings. The challenge for all writers is to work the words in such a way as to make others seamlessly feel and think what we have felt and thought; to see the world through our eyes. I am woefully inadequate to the task, but I embrace the challenge all the same.
I’ll be putting some of these words in my commonplace book. Fabulous writing … and thinking.
Thank you, Barrie. 💛
I sometimes struggle to find descriptive words Matt.
Sixteen VB instalments beg to differ with their author….
Haha, Donna is a dictionary.
They’re worth their weight in gold. Hold on to her!
You’re not wrong.