Too Good For Words

Story prompt: put this image into words... in dialogue 
Planetary nebulae are the remains of sun-like stars that have reached the end of their red giant stage, losing most of their atmosphere into space to form some of the most beautiful nebula in the Milky Way. (Courtesy: NASA, ESA, HEIC Heritage Collection)

One of my erstwhile hobbies is reading NDEs, or Near-Death Experiences. The people who write these books come from a variety of circumstances and are not all writers, obviously.

That would be weird.

Some of them hire writers to tell their stories and others do it themselves, feeling called to share what happened to them regardless of previous writing experience. Many of these books read like journals.

But every single one shares a common element: the too good for words problem.

Read a book about a near-death experience and you will invariably reach a part where the author tries to describe the Supreme Consciousness, God, Angels, the Gates of Heaven, or Pure Love. And to a person, these writers feel unequipped to undertake such a phenomenal task. There are no words. It's too beautiful for words. The limitations of our language make it impossible to convey.

"Regardless, it is impossible for me to adequately describe what I saw and what I felt. When I try to recount my experiences now, the description feels very pale. I feel as though I am trying to describe a three-dimensional experience while living in a two-dimensional world. The appropriate words, descriptions, and concepts don't even exist in our current language." - Dr. Mary C. Neal

While we may not all have near-death experiences, I think all writers have the same challenge when trying to write about one of the most basic human experiences: love. 

Also difficult to describe with full honors: fire, lightning, a smile. Frankly, these things are all too good for words.

But I guess love is the most difficult. In fact, my favorite writers haven't endeavored to describe love at all. They've simply illustrated it through a story about ordinary people and the choices they make.

What do you do, though, if you're actually writing about the supernatural? 

How would you describe a light above the brightness of the sun... without comparing it to the sun? It's a little like trying to describe the taste of salt to someone who has never tasted it before. We can always ask Becca and Angela to make a new entry for Supernatural in their Settings Thesaurus. But barring that, let's see how a few of our dead-and-risen friends managed to illustrate the unimaginable: 

• "Their edges were blurred, as each spiritual being was dazzling and radiant. Their presence engulfed all of my senses, as though I could see, hear, feel, smell, and taste them all at once. Their brilliance was both blinding and invigorating." - Mary C. Neal, M.D. in To Heaven and Back: The True Story of a Doctor's Extraordinary Walk with God

• "Suddenly, I was enveloped in this brilliant golden light. The light was more brilliant than the light emanating from the sun, many times more powerful and radiant than the sun itself. Yet, I was not blinded by it nor was I burned by it. Instead, the light was a source of energy that embraced my being." - Ned Dougherty in Fast Lane to Heaven

• "... as I approached, I physically absorbed its radiance and felt the pure, complete, and utterly unconditional absolute love that emanated from the hall. It was the most beautiful and alluring thing I had ever seen or experienced. I knew with a profound certainty that it represented the last branch point of life, the gate through which each human being must pass." - Mary C. Neal, M.D. in To Heaven and Back: The True Story of a Doctor's Extraordinary Walk with God

• "It was as if I were being born into a larger world, and the universe itself was like a giant cosmic womb...." - Eben Alexander, M.D. in Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

• "A sound, huge and booming like a glorious chant, came down from above, and I wondered if the winged beings were producing it. Again thinking about it later, it occurred to me that the joy of these creatures, as they soared along, was such that they had to make this noise--that if the joy didn't come out of them this way then they would simply not otherwise be able to contain it. The sound was palpable and almost material, like a rain that you can feel on your skin but that doesn't get you wet." - Eben Alexander, M.D. in Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

• "Seeing and hearing were not separate in this place where I now was. I could hear the visual beauty of the silvery bodies of those scintillating beings above, and I could see the surging, joyful perfection of what they sang. It seemed that you could not look at or listen to anything in this world without becoming a part of it--without joining with it in some mysterious way." - Eben Alexander, M.D. in Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

• "...found myself entering an immense void, completely dark, infinite in size, yet also infinitely comforting. Pitch black as it was, it was also brimming over with light: a light that seemed to come from a brilliant orb that I now sensed near me. An orb that was living and almost solid, as the songs of the angel beings had been.... but any descriptive word falls short." - Eben Alexander, M.D. in Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

• "I wasn't sure when the light in the room began to change; suddenly I was aware that it was brighter, a lot brighter, than it had been. I whirled to look at the night-light on the bedside table. Surely a single 15-watt bulb couldn't turn out that much light? I stared in astonishment as the brightness increased, coming from nowhere, seeming to shine everywhere at once. All the light bulbs in the ward couldn't give off that much light. All the bulbs in the world couldn't! It was impossibly bright: it was like a million welders' lamps all blazing at once.... now I saw that it was not a light but a Man who had entered the room, or rather, a Man made out of light, though this seemed no more possible to my mind than the incredible intensity of the brightness that made up His form.... Above all, with that same mysterious inner certainty, I knew that this Man loved me. Far more even than power, what emanated from this Presence was unconditional love. An astonishing love. A love beyond my wildest imagining. This love knew every unlovable thing about me...and accepted and loved me just the same." - George G. Ritchie with Elizabeth Sherrill in Return from Tomorrow

• "'What about the insurance money coming when I'm seventy?' The words were out, in this strange realm where communication took place by thought instead of speech, before I could call them back. A few months ago I had taken out the standard life insurance policy offered to service men; in some subconscious part of me had I believed this piece of paper guaranteed life itself? If I'd suspected before that there was mirth in the Presence beside me, now I was sure of it: the brightness seemed to vibrate and shimmer with a kind of holy laughter--not at me and my silliness, not a mocking laughter, but a mirth that seemed to say that in spite of all error and tragedy, joy was more lasting still." - George G. Ritchie with Elizabeth Sherrill in Return from Tomorrow

What do you think? Did these descriptions make you feel there with them? Did they do justice to whatever it was they were describing? Or were they just nebulous hyperbole wrapped in enigma with a plethora of 'biggest's and 'brightest's? Could you do better?

These people all wrote what they say really happened to them, but as a science-fiction and fantasy writer I'm very interested in their words as examples of descriptive writing. I'm reminded of the artful way Jennifer Armentrout described her beings of light in the Lux series.

What works of fiction (or non-fiction) do you consult when faced with a description challenge?

Random Acts of Kindness BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked. 

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotional Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Acts of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too! 

Kindness ROCKS! 

There are a lot of wonderful people out there in the writing community, but I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who takes time out of their day (and writing schedule) to visit us here at Operation Awesome. You read the posts. You enter the contests. You wow us month after month with your Mystery Agent contest entries. We may write the blog, but YOU all help make OA the place it is. 

So, as a small thank you, I decided to run a little mid-week contest. The prize? A book (or pre-order) of your choice. Want to win? All you have to do is leave a comment before Tuesday the 22nd to be in for a chance to win. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday using, of course, an awesome random method (I'm thinking names in a hat *grins*).

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over the The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up. 

Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness? Let me know in the comments.

Literary Rock Star Alert: Angela Ackerman, The Bookshelf Muse

Ladies and gentleman, we have a literary rock star in our presence. She's a muse to every tired writer in need of that elusive synonym. Her gifts to writers everywhere include the Emotion Thesaurus, Setting Thesaurus, Color, Textures, and Shapes Thesaurus, and Symbolism Thesaurus.

Picture nabbed from her client profile at the Herman Agency

Here's my interview with Angela Ackerman 

of 

The Bookshelf Muse:

Katrina: Angela, how did you feel the first time you completed a novel?

Angela: Pretty awesome. I completed it during Nanowrimo years ago, and wow it felt so good to write something that long and type ‘the end’. The book was horrible of course, riddled with purple prose and clichés and would need a freaking lobotomy to make it work. Still, the feeling was addictive and I knew then that novel writing was definitely the path for me.

Katrina: What was the hardest aspect of novel-writing for you to master (I’m guessing it wasn’t descriptions)?

Angela: Voice. Boy it took a long time to figure out how to find voice. The breakthrough came when I stopped thinking about the reader and what ‘a proper writer should write about/what a proper character should be like’ and instead thought about me, me, me. I realized voice will not happen unless the writer risks everything and writes straight from the gut—good, bad, ugly. The writer’s job is not to be nice or model good behavior for readers, but to reveal the truth.

Katrina: How many novels have you written to date? And what is your latest about?

Angela: *thinks* Eight. Three chapter books, three young adults and two middle grades. And one malformed story I can’t even bear to call it a novel, but it’s a solid idea and one day I will make it work.  (It just wasn’t ready when I tried to write it. Sometimes that happens.)

My WIP is a Middle Grade Mythology Suspense. Osiris, Egyptian God of the Dead, resurrects in modern times and attempts to take over a dying town in the Nevada desert by replacing the inhabitants’ souls with those of his loyal dead followers.

Katrina: What advice would you give to someone who is just beginning to write his or her first novel?

Angela: Plan first, so you really understand what the story is about and what you want to accomplish. Then write and have fun with it.  Don’t worry, don’t revise…just write.

Katrina: What advice would you give to those of us in the query trenches?

Angela:

#1 Don’t query until your book is brilliant. NOTE: it is not brilliant if you are tired of looking at it and so you decide it’s ‘ready’. OR if you think, ‘Yeah, this is good enough.’ BUT, when you are certain you know craft well, can shelve it for a period of time, then reread and find nothing worth revising beyond a word here and there…AND you love it so hard you want to dress it up and show it off and talk in a cutesy voice to it…then it’s probably brilliant. (Still, make sure crit partners agree.)

#2 Honor your MS by spending time honing your query, and learning what a good query is. Then see rule #1 and apply it to your query letter. 

#3 Target well. Don’t send it out to every agent that has a pulse. Send it to people you’ve researched and know will take good care of your MS. This is your career, not a plate of brownies for a bake sale. 

#4 Believe in yourself and your book. This is a hard path. Hold your head up high and feel good about who you are, all you’ve learned and what you’ve created.

#5 Remember rejections are not failures. They are proof of your dedication and that you are in it to win it. Personal ones are opportunities to reassess, learn and improve. 

Katrina: You and our Angela Townsend of Operation Awesome share a literary agent! Angie is always passing along her helpful writing advice. What’s the most important/helpful thing you’ve learned from your awesome agent, Jill Corcoran?

Angela: Jill is a gem, and I mean that from the heart. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned from her is to be adaptable. Sometimes I get stuck looking at a problematic scene from one viewpoint, like tunnel vision. She challenges me to move past it by discarding that view all together and finding an alternate way to bring events about. This always leads to epiphanies.

Katrina: You offer an incredible service to writers in your free emotions thesaurus, settings thesaurus, etc. Is there ever such a thing as too much description, in your opinion? If so, how do you know how much is too much?

Angela: Oh zombies, yes! The key with description is to offer a few strong details that paint a picture, not bloated, unwieldy paragraphs that derail both flow and pace. Every writer is different however, so it often comes down to writing the way you are meant to write. Some can make language dance on the page, and others have a crisper, tighter sense of prose. Regardless of style, successful description will only showcase details that forward the story. Choose details that act as a window into the POV character’s head and convey the stakes of the scene.

Katrina: Name an author whose work leaves you feeling giddy.

Angela: I’d have to say Rick Riordan. I love his voice in the Percy Jackson series, so snappy and sarcastic and hilarious. Too, his modernization of Greek mythology was nothing short of fantasmic.

Katrina: What makes zombies awesome?

Angela: They’re just so…honest. It’s all about that craving for flesh. There’s no pretense about it, no snobbery or entitlement. Rich, poor, successful or not…whatever they were before doesn’t matter because now it’s just about finding the next meal. Plus, they’ll make excellent minions for world domination…whenever I get around to it.

Katrina: Do you have any news or something you’d like the OA readers to check out?

Angela: Definitely check out CRITTER! He’s a cartoon cow that has been all over the world, promoting creativity and living with writers and authors (Beth Revis, Cynthia Leich Smith, PJ Hoover to name just a few). Creation of Ian Sands, he’s now hanging out with me in Calgary, Alberta and making appearances at The Bookshelf Muse. He’s collected tons of signatures, including world famous Naturalist artist Robert Bateman, and after his visit here will be auctioned off to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This is such a worthy cause that everyone in the Kidlit world can identify with! (Psst--BIG Critter contest is up at The Bookshelf Muse… Critter Palooza!)  

Thank you so much for the delightful glimpse into your writing process and the awesome query advice. And THANK YOU for the incredible resource you've given us! (What we really need is a thesaurus entirely devoted to the concept of awesome... Hey, THIS ONE might do the trick. ;)

Find more Angela Ackerman on the web:

Her client profile at the Herman Agency web site

The Bookshelf Muse

Her interviews and guest posts

Her goodreads page

Her twitter feed

The Bookshelf Muse Thesauri in Print on facebook (if you dream of seeing this resource in print, click like on the other end of this link)

If you have ever used Angela's and Becca's awesome writing blog in your own writing, here's your chance to say hi and thanks. 


And if you'd like to learn more about CRITTER and his mission for St. Jude's Children's Hospital, see our interview with his travel agent, Christy Evers.