Show Me the Butterflies

“What things there are to write, if one could only write them! My mind is full of gleaming thought; gay moods and mysterious, moth-like meditations hover in my imagination, fanning their painted wings. But always the rarest, those streaked with azure and the deepest crimson, flutter away beyond my reach.”—Logan Pearsall Smith

Do you ever want to capture something, a moment or a feeling, but when you sit down to write, it just feels flat? Sort of like when you try to relate a funny incident to someone and end up with a lame “I guess you had to be there.”

I think this problem comes from ‘telling’ about it instead of sharing the experience so others can feel the feelings. Think this takes too many words? Look at how commercials do it in thirty seconds or a minute. Or study some of the 2-3 minute youtube videos that grab your heart (check out Jonah Mowry: “What’s Goin On. . .” or “It’s Time”). They're really mini stories—a glimpse of the ordinary world, a glimpse of change, a conflict, or surprise, a resolution.

Next time you want to capture a moment, think about it as a story . . . . And instead of telling me about it, show me the butterfly.