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What We Talk About When We Talk About Writing
By Michael Camarata
Canvas artists refer to negative space – that blank area that surrounds the subject (or subjects) being painted, drawn etc. These artists understand the importance of negative space. Not only does this space define the shape that it surrounds, not only can this space be used to direct the viewer’s eyes through the painting, but the shape, texture and color of the negative space its self can evoke a very real, very powerful response from the viewer, through association, which reflects back upon the subject (or subjects) being viewed and effects the perception of that subject. Writers speak of subtext – that which is never explicitly stated within the story (or other work), yet surrounds the story and provides it with its shape. In many ways, subtext can be considered the negative space of the story. Like the canvas artist can use negative space to draw the viewer’s eye through the painting, the talented writer can use his or her subtext to lead the reader through the story by releasing suggestive details along the way. Like the shape, texture and color of the negative space creates a personal reaction within the viewer through association, so too does the subtext spark a personal reaction from the reader by inviting him or her to engage his or her mind and extrapolate from personal experience (association) what is really going on. Short, short fiction lends its self most readily to subtext as the author must provide only the sparsest of detail, leaving the reader to rely upon the negative space to fill in the rest of the story. Probably the most popular example of subtext within short short fiction is Earnest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.” Here we learn about the predicament in which the two characters find themselves (for those of you whom may have not read it, I will not say more here), as well as who these two characters are in relation to this situation (their worries and desires), all through a simple conversation over drinks while waiting for a train. Another master of the short short story was Raymond Carver. Like Hemingway, Carver utilized subtext to tell his stories – often through conversation, such as in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” from which my title was derived. Yet there exists another space – a congruent space, if you will. It exists outside of the individual stories, yet it surrounds them, shapes them and defines them all. It is the subtext of the human condition. It speaks of who we are, as defined by what we choose to write about.
Michael Camarata is a writer and the creator and editor of CongruentSpaces.com and Congruent Spaces Magazine. Recently Michael's short short story "Martian Dreams" won the joint "Martian Summer" flash fiction contest from Open Road Media and Myouterspace.com
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