Thoughts of a Mad Man

Alternate source for Writing Craft

The Meaning of the Communication is...


The study of hypnotic language is an alternative for people learning to be a good writer. There is a lot of pointers that the hypnosis community have that are entirely different from the writing community. Using these together is paramount.


And it isn't that big a stretch. A hypnotist as I understand it thinks about the effect his words (and other language, such as tone of voice or body language) have on the audience. One of the biggest and most powerful lessons I have learned for my writing is the NLP presupposition that "the meaning of your communication is the response you get." Now this could be true or false, but as hypnotists or writers it is this position that allows us to level up. If a reader gets confused then you told him to get confused, if he thinks your antagonist is the good guy then you told him that. Once you accept that you can begin to study what your words mean to your reader. Just being aware that words have meanings that are different from what we expect opens us up to an entirely new world of craft. This means that we just might learn to write spellbinding pieces that do all we dare to dream.


Priming: transference of description


There are a number of things you can easily look at from hypnotic language patterns that allow you to read your own writing differently. For example, descriptive words have a lingering effect. If you think of a velvet cape, a rose, and a sweet longhair kitten you're going to visualize the distinguished Count Aldredge very differently than if I describe marble benches, old ironwood doors, and polished steel-plated boots before I introduce the heroine Kissla. Did you notice the difference? Yet I have said little about either character.


Presupposition and subtext


Another powerful tool is presupposition. If I say, "The tiger lunged at Jack," you automatically have to believe that there is a tiger, that tiger is alive, and he can move toward Jack (who also exists.) Starting with something that vivid is good for beginnings. It doesn't have to be anything that dramatic, just concrete because once people believe that there is a tiger or a cheerleader then they might want to hear about these things. An old man defying his boss by gently pulling out the tulips to save the bulbs is dramatic enough for many stories, even one about a demon trying to pull a fast one on both sides of the Divine war. "Vivianca's Crossroads" 


Then when you tell us that this 'tiger' causes Jack to laugh maniacally and reach for the door button, we believe you and the story is under way. In fact whatever comes after, tell us that it happened because of the first thing that we already believe. If there is any way that could make sense people will imagine that and yes, believe. And that's all you need to create the illusion of reality that a story depends on: leave enough between cause and effect that we can come up with some way it makes sense.


The reader or listener wants to understand you and will convince himself you are making sense if you leave him enough room to do so. If it were not so, the stories of fantasy would fall flat as unrealistic.


Both writers and hypnotists strive to get their audience's attention and create a vivid reality in the mind of the reader. They learn and analyze their words differently. Yet the skills transfer to our craft, at least the ones that involve word choice. And a writer needs every tool to ensure that the reader gets where they want to go. Getting a new perspective on diction and mimesis could be the best thing you ever learned.





Comments always welcome!