There are many times, while I sit here at this keyboard and stare blankly off into space when I’m trying to find just the right words to express the emotions that I’m feeling in my heart at that moment...the words I need to finish the next sentence or two of the story or chapter that I’m working on at that moment...and words only seem to get in the way. It can be a really aggravating head space to be in when you’re trying to get something finished. It, actually, feels a lot like writer’s block...but after dealing with it for so long, I’ve personally discovered that this isn’t always the case. You know? It’s not writer’s block, because the ideas are THERE! They’re right there on the tip of my tongue (or my fingers, as the case may be)...but I can’t seem to capture them for some reason. They’re all fuzzy and out of focus. Hehehe, it’s like trying to “Karate Kid” catch a fly with chopsticks sometimes.

But sometimes...the feelings are simply ‘wordless’. And it takes an entirely different approach and a completely different vocabulary to really fill in those literary pockets when descriptive words are simply the wrong tool for the job. As writers, I totally understand that this is something that comes off as completely insane and ridiculous, seeing as words are the only tool that we really have at our disposal when it comes to conveying any kind of emotion or information to our audience...but hear me out. Because it’s something that I had to learn over the years to navigate around that intimidating block that has wasted countless hours of my time trying to find words that, as far as I know...don’t exist. At least not in any way that could reach the kind of depths of emotion that I was hoping to reach with my next trailblazing project. Hehehe!

What can I say? Words can be so unsatisfactory sometimes.

But, you know what? I think more people understand that concept than you may realize. And when it comes to the trap of trying to swim through these quagmire pits of desperation and despair, hehehe...sometimes it’s better to lean into it than try to duck and dodge your way around it. You just have to realize it for what it is so that you can switch your game plan up and find an effective way to deal with it.

Being wordless in your writing is simply addressing the fact that there are certain parts of our existence that have yet to be explained. Translated. And maybe they were never meant to be. You jut know it when you feel it. And I really do try to incorporate that idea into as many of my stories as I possibly can. Even though I mostly write about teenagers experiencing their very first experience with love, where they’re expected to be lost and wandering through the dilemma with no previous experience and no real guide as to how to handle what they’re dealing with...there’s always a core element to all of my characters that I hope, whether spoken aloud or not, will somehow translate to my fans and they’ll be able to tap in and understand why they do the things they do. How do I do that? I take those blank stare moments of mine...and I talk about them through the character. That’s how.

It’s open. It’s honest. And it lets my readers know that I’m not just trying to take a shortcut to keep from stressing my brain out to the point of exhaustion in order to entertain. Hehehe! Like...no! I really don’t know how to convey this message surging through me right now. Please understand...everything can’t be spoken or written down. Sometimes, the ‘shortcut’ would be in using a substitute for the sake of a few sentences. I, personally, think that would be more disappointing than anything else I’ve done with my work so far.

As to, what I think, is a perfect display of this concept is the work of cosmic horror king, HP Lovecraft, who’s writings of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, came to light very early on in the 20th century. One thing that always intrigued me about his writing was his ability to take these ‘spaces’ in his writing, these little pockets of wordlessness, and use them to his advantage. If you read his work, it’s like he’s trying to describe the most horrific, most frightening, creatures that have ever been seen by the eyes of human kind. Something that would cause nightmares and paralyzing terror to anyone who would dare to gaze upon it. But...how can you deliver that kind of fear to a mass of people with their own fears and weaknesses, and are strangers to your work? How can you bring this mentally painted picture to a wide community of strangers who have never experienced such a thing before in their lives?

His technique is really unique, and it’s something that helped me with own work...even when it came to overwhelming feelings of young love. Lovecraft leans into the whole wordless concept in ways that give his stories a certain feel that other stories don’t have. Which is probably why his influence is still so prevalent in the stories and movies of that genre today, over a century later.

The whole ‘language’ is different. These are one of the things that I study when it comes to trying to challenge my own abilities. But he finds real power in the vague descriptions that he gives you. Words like indescribable, unknown, nightmarish, nameless, etc. The idea that he COULD describe it for you...but if he did, you would go mad with terror. Now, to break it down in a mechanical way...there are many details that are left to the imagination and aren’t really ‘described’ at all. But it truly draws you in. And that’s the genius of it all. His work is amazing.

This is a motion comic with someone reading the words of HP Lovecraft as they were originally written. Listen to this...and see if you can hear how much he actually describes, and how much he doesn’t.

What happens here with a storytelling ability like this...is you encourage your readers to use their imagination and become more of a ‘participant’ in your project instead of a passive observer. Their thoughts, emotions, their memories, their deepest feelings, their fears and insecurities...they are now a part of the story itself. You’ve now put them into the situation and made them a part of what’s going on. That makes your story special above all others. They have enough space to mold and rearrange and make the story their own. This is an essential part of maintaining reader loyalty. You’re not just telling your own story...you’re telling this story for everybody reading. And they will automatically modify the characters to their own personal dream cast without you doing much of anything at all.

It’s not a manipulation. It’s a gift that allows your audience to really place themselves in your main character’s shoes and experience everything that they’re dealing with through their eyes. Sometimes, you can say more with silence than you can with words. And what you don’t show, often highlights the things that you do. So don’t be afraid to use that as a tool to involve your audience.

If you’re writing a story and you are pulling your hair out trying to find the right words to fill out the scene and get your point across...step back for a moment and take a breath. K? If you CAN find the right words, then by all means, go for it! Wow us all with your ability to say what other writers only wish they could say. There’s honor in that. So a salute, and major respect, to all of you guys that can pull that off. But if you ever feel that the emotion is running away and trying to escape the words that you’re trying to use to describe it? Maybe it’s not worth chasing. Does that make sense?

If you feel like the concept is wordless...then say it’s wordless. Focus on it. Use it to make your point. There are MANY people out there who have severe difficulty trying to express their feelings to another person, especially if it’s face to face. The very fact that you have enough insight and self awareness to write a story at all has already put you light years past a vast majority of people out there. I mean what I say when I say that what we do as authors is NOT easy. We may be passionate and dedicated to the art of trying, but to think that it’s even remotely as easy as typing out a high school book report...that’s just bonkers. You’re attempting to translate the most intangible parts of our humanity into words that people can read and understand from every corner of the globe. That’s nothing to scoff at. And if you run out of word...it’s because they weren’t invented yet. Hehehe!

I’ve written a few million words myself over the years, and I still run out from time to time. So….I get it.

I think the key is to simply embrace that wordlessness in your writing, and use it to your advantage. I mean...what are you feeling, trying to come up with the right words to explain the surge of anxiety and weirdness that your main character is going through? Take that, and try to see it through their eyes instead. What kind of confusion are they going through trying to do what you’re doing while you’re writing their story? Lean into it. It’s indescribable. Unknown. Unfamiliar. Alien. Talk about how difficult it is to put it into words, and use that as your way of...ummm...putting it into words. Hehehe! See how that works?

Sometimes you can’t just fill in a true emotional expression with some sort of accessible ‘buzz word’ that people can easily recognize and pretend to relate to, simply because they understand what it means. I’m not saying that it can’t get the job done...but I feel like it can sometimes be a cheap way of doing it. Find ways to use the unspoken parts of love, joy, sadness, fear, or hatred, to your benefit. Know when it’s best to let the emotion speak for itself when given in context to the rest of the story. Cool?

Anyway, I hope this makes some sense, you guys! Questions are always welcome down below, but...the whole article is about how certain parts of my writing process are kind of inexplicable, so...hehehe, hopefully this will be enough for now. Take care! And I’ll seezya with more soon!

There are sooooo many parts of the writing game that I wat to share with you all! I hope I live long enough to share them all! Go out there! And do it better than I did! ((Hugz))

Later!