Some have crossed the unfathomable point where matter
becomes evanescent; and they did not want to return.
-Ramón Nieto: El Oficio de Escribir (The Craft of Writing)
When writing a novel, a story, a poem, or any other literary work, an author often seeks to embed their experiences, emotions, joys, sensitivities, and worldview within the narrative. However, despite what this statement might imply, the aim of the story is not merely to serve as a cathartic outlet for the writer. Instead, it strives to create a connection by providing readers a glimpse into the writer’s soul. The hope is that those who find reflections of their daily life and inner universe in the tale being told will understand the writer better.
From the moment a literary work is published, it owes its very existence to the necessity of the readers to find explanations and solutions to the various riddles inherent in the human experience. The piece no longer belongs solely to the author; it becomes the property of the readers. They interpret it repeatedly, connect with the characters to varying degrees. They filter it through their own perspectives, and return it enriched with meanings and subtleties that even the author might not have foreseen. This process transforms the text into a dynamic, living entity that undergoes countless changes. What The Divine Comedy expressed to its readers of the fourteenth century is not the same as what it reveals to us in the twenty-first century.
However, regardless of their urgency to talk to us, writers are not entitled to our attention; they have to earn it. Their writing needs to spark our interest, and have some significance to justify our reading it. It needs to be meaningful to us and strike a deep chord within. Essentially, the narrative must have both content and form, as well as substance and style. It should be engaging, and draw us like a powerful current towards the anticipated outcome, taking us either into the chaos of a tragic climax or the calm waters of a joyful resolution.
The language in a narrative should move smoothly, similar to water in a river. And, much like water never passes by the same spot twice, it has the responsibility to tell us something fresh with every reading. This stream of words must be unique and distinct, like a river running from the heavens to the earth, or perhaps even the reverse—from the earth to the heavens. Any story that aims to leave an indelible impression on its audience, whether it achieves this goal or not, ought to strive to be a vertical river.
© Translated from the Spanish by William Almonte Jiménez, 2008
© Spanish title: “Ríos Verticales”
© William Almonte Jiménez, 2008
