Dimension for your Discourse ~ Guest Post by Ruth Smith Meyer

If you’ve never been a one-eyed person, you have no idea how flat the world can look. Even without 3-D glasses, two eyes give a depth perception that cannot be rendered with only one eye. 

It’s the same with writing. The more diverse your view of a discourse, the more depth your story will assume. Without that disparate understanding a story becomes flat and uninteresting.   

Engaging description that helps the reader personally connect to the scene or character will give the narrative dimension and drive the desire to plunge into the rest of the story. 

(example: As Sharon opened the screen door, the aroma of smoked ham and buttery scalloped potatoes threatened to transport her back to her childhood. The sight of four loaves of bread, cooling on the table, their crusty tops shining with butter almost finished the job.  Her mother turned from the stove to greet her.  Beads of perspiration stood on her forehead and her graying curls clung to her cheeks. Embraced in her warm hug, Sharon breathed in the familiar scent of her mom. The comfort of her arms.  The depth of her love. How she longed to be that little girl again. She braced herself.  What she had to do today was not a task for a little girl, but for a grown woman. It was not going to be easy.  A deep breath. A short pause. A renewed determination.  “Mom, we have to talk.”)

Defining the characters in the story, demonstrating the emotions in each scene, describing the settings, the diversity in vista, or drama happening around the situation develop and elevate the emotions of the reader and compel them to feel personally involved.  

(example: The expansive flowerbed in front of her danced with the incredible warmth and stunning brilliance of colour—shocking pink geraniums, yellow and orange marigolds, purple and white petunias the feathery love-in-the mist mingled with the various greens of coleus and hostas. Behind them the pink and red peonies, blue and purple delphiniums anchored the flamboyant display. Marla tried to keep her eyes from the sky above and behind. There, the lightening flashed and black clouds seemed intent on rolling over each other as they hastened in her direction.  Light and dark. Peace and turmoil. Happiness and looming tempest.  What a vivid demonstration of what was happening in her life.)

The unintended duplicity in a dyad also can disclose a demonstration of difference in the dimension of understanding. This often happens because of the dissimilarity in upbringing or background. The results can be daring or delightful depending on the storyline.  Discovering and disclosing them in the characters of your discourse can add depth to your story and draw out the diversity and disagreements your readers encounter in their own lives. It may even bring to light dormant difficulties that can be confronted and diminished once they are discovered and accepted. 

So keep discovering the delight in different dimensions as you write and disperse them into your world. 

Ruth Smith Meyer lives in her little house in the fairy-tale town of Ailsa Craig, Ont. Widowed twice, she finds comfort and companionship in her writing. She is part of a writers’ group that keeps her focused. She invites readers to visit her Facebook page: Ruth Smith Meyer Books