You know those expressions? The phrases we see and hear so often, we don't even recognize them as cliché's? I'm mainly referring to the ones that express strong emotion, like, "Took my breath away," or "broke my heart." They're turns of phrase unique to a culture and language, and those who live within that culture and use that language are exposed - I dare say, inundated - from an early age. The result? We don't even hear them anymore, our ears/eyes skim over them and we instantly know what they mean, as though they were a well-known word.
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| Yes, these! |
In order to do this well, I try to really, really think about these phrases. What do they mean symbolically? What do they mean literally? And if I were to feel that way, how exactly would that feel? "Broken heart" is a perfect example. At it's most simplistic, it means "very sad." Or, more precisely, "very sad for unfortunate reasons related to love/romance." This phrase is so well known it can be depicted as an image (used in cartoons and illustrations long before emojis existed) and millions of people instantly comprehend.
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| What a novel might look like if it was nothing BUT clichéd expressions. |
But one day in my young adulthood, I was rejected - in an honest but rather un-empathetic fashion - by the person I loved. And since he was the embodiment of my life-long fantasy ideal in nearly every respect**, this was a particularly harsh blow. I was hurt in every possible emotional sense of that word. And, what was more, I experienced a strange combination of feeling and thought: it seemed that my capacity for recognizing, feeling, and emoting love had become defective. I even had the physical sensation that my aorta was (in a non-fatal way) malfunctioning. In other words, it felt like my heart had broken.
I was deeply struck by my new understanding of this commonplace phrase. And the memory stuck with me, long after I got over the guy. Although I've always valued emotions, this experience taught me that they can and will change shape, and I should never take for granted that I understand what these phrases mean just because I've experienced the emotion they depict.
Since that time, life experiences have taught me a deeper comprehension of some other emotional descriptors:
- Cast adrift
- Enchanted
- Felt like a dream/afraid I would wake up
- Drowning in sorrow
- Intoxicated with happiness
Now, when I read these phrases, my mind no longer skims over them as clichés. Rather, they ring a deep and powerful truth within me, summoning a strong empathy that draws me closer to the characters. I still use them sparingly as a writer. But I'll never think of them the same way. Has that ever happened to you? Do you have "clichés" that are, for you, powerful and honest depictions?
Now, when I read these phrases, my mind no longer skims over them as clichés. Rather, they ring a deep and powerful truth within me, summoning a strong empathy that draws me closer to the characters. I still use them sparingly as a writer. But I'll never think of them the same way. Has that ever happened to you? Do you have "clichés" that are, for you, powerful and honest depictions?
*I might. I'm pretty sure I've never actually used that in a story, and I'm not actually sure I like it, but it's an adequate example.
**The two respects in which he did not embody my ideal were: A) that he did not see me as the embodiment of his ideal, and B) he was shorter than me. The latter honestly didn't bother me at all, but it bothered him so much that, well, see point A.
I am so sorry some height challenged male mangled your heart. I sometime say the wrong cliche such as I was sound awake or wide asleep.
ReplyDeleteI kind of like "wide asleep!" I think I've felt that way before, when my sleep has felt heavy and broad, spreading across the mattress. :-)
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