Jane Espenson

07/09/2006: Like Whatever

All my snorkel equipment gets carried around in a pink mesh backpack. Mesh, so that everything has at least a fighting chance of drying off. Also, I seem to remember that Joss used to have a pink mesh backpack and I always thought it was adorable. (One of the many reasons why Joss is cool is his unashamed love of things like pink mesh backpacks.) Anyway, part of the glory of the pink mesh backpack is that it can go into the washing machine smelling like a dead fisherman, and when you pull it out again it’s as fresh as the silk rose pinned to a debutante’s dress.

Ooh, didja catch those analogies? I’ve talked about these before, about using them in stage directions to quickly paint a picture. Like this one:

The ship is tossed like a bird in a storm.

Or in dialogue, to get a clear image of what a character is thinking, such as in this line from my old pilot about showgirls. Here, Holly is trying on her false eyelashes for the first time:

HOLLY

Whoa. They’re heavy. Blinking is like doing pushups.

Recently, I got a letter from Dr. Ingrid Glomp, in Gernany, asking about how one can learn to "think and write in analogies." Hmm. Interesting. I can’t think of any tricks for this except to just make a sort of checklist when you’re looking for a line, remind yourself to stop and think about what the experience *feels* like. If you ever find yourself hunting for the words to describe the effect you want, just consciously go looking for analogies. You do it naturally anyway. Every time you describe a victory as "tarnished," or a laugh as "grating," you’re using analogy (metaphor really, but who’s counting).

Now, I must admit, I may not be devoting my full attention to answering this question. I’m totally distracted by the name Ingrid Glomp. It’s fantastic. Ingrid Glomp - great name. Seriously. Next time we talk, I’m totally going to talk about naming characters. Quiz: Why is House named House? Answer coming soon.

Lunch: popcorn with parmesan cheese and hot sauce on it. Yippee!