plain jane

I love that universal scene in old movies, where the handsome fellow goes up to Miss Smith and says, "Do you need those glasses?" and she says, "Well, no..." and before my eyes Miss Smith turns into Veronica or Gabriella.

With my writing I often find that I need to go the opposite route. A paragraph will be embellished with an unusual verb, moody adjectives, turns of phrase that shift the piece self-consciously into the minor key.

So I've been going through some past writing, taking off the false eyelashes of the piece. paring down the adjectives. saying just what a mean first and foremost. toning down a verb that jangles. Being straightforward. I turn Veronica back into Jane. Then, with my plain Jane in front of me, I can view her with compassion. I might add a few curlycues back here and there - "one little flower in your hair," I concede.

It is a good excercise to go back to reread anything at all that is heartfelt. Cringe a bit and then pare down. Is there at the heart of the piece something I want to say? Start with the meaning and work out from there. I appreciate Plain Jane.