During my years as professional writer, I heard many people grouse about the style of presentation creators (writers, poets, and artists) choose. A familiar refrain is: “Why can’t artists and writers express their thoughts in a straightforward manner?” “They always adopt a roundabout way to vent their emotions.”
Well, a simple answer to this broiler is: they are doing their job. A simple and clear way of expression is suitable for documentary makers, not artists. Art is a creative and original tool to convey artists’ thoughts, and this creativity separates one artist from another; otherwise, those creatures would look as similar as beads on a string. In other words, it allows artists to stay unique while creating art in any genre.
Brevity is not only the soul of wit but also the art; by using minimum words, writers like to tell many things; it is like putting a quart into a pint pot. And to achieve this incredible feat, wordsmiths use different artistic devices, i.e. meters, figures of speech, and most importantly – symbols. The more powerful the devices, the more expressive and meaningful the art. There are two words to take note of: Concealment and Smokescreen. Both are popular among authors. While the former is a literary term, the latter is relatively new and has political connotation.
Purpose of Smokescreen
Writers are soft targets for any commoner, but nobody raises questions against election speeches vociferated by strung-up politicians, who shrewdly produce a dangerous smokescreen and concealment. Do they tell us their ideas in a simple and easy language? But we hardly crab about their oblique eloquence.
For writers, what is the purpose to set up a smokescreen, apart from flashing their sparks of creativit? Again, a simple answer is: nobody likes to read simple things. The creative tools employed by writers actually engage readers in the story as storytellers successfully bring the readers to the last page of the book. So what narrative strategies do writers use in their creations? Some of the popular are Allusion, Dramatic Irony, Humour, Imagery, Motif, Suspense, Symbolism and others.
(Also check Elements of Creative Writing used by writers: Action, Character, Conflict, Dialogue, Narration, Pace, Plot, Point of View, Scene, Setting, Style, Suspense, Theme and Motif, Tone, and Voice).
Revering the Reader
One of the benefits of using such complex and interesting techniques is to ease the tension between what writers have in their minds and what readers read on page. However, discerning readers would always get the deeper meaning than what is there in black & white. Accomplished writers use such devices to fend off any legal issue that might trigger after public furore. Alternatively, a work of fiction based on real events needs special treatment to avoid controversies; this is when specific techniques help creators convey a message that goes beyond the printed words.
Another reason artists cloak their real motives is not to hurt sentiments of readers. They do not know who are consuming their art; there are chances that the readers find striking similarity between their own personality and the protagonist’s dark shades portrayed in a drama or a novel. For this reason, they use an “all persons fictitious” disclaimer.
My Take
As a consumer of arts, one has a right and uncompelled obligation to appreciate or find fault with the creations. Merits and demerits are integral parts of any work of art, and readers or connoisseurs can always voice their opinions about that piece. However, they should not abuse their rights as observers; some consumers tend to go overboard and castigate the creators for bringing their creations to this world. Even if the works of art do not deserve a single clap, nobody can stop the creators from giving birth to their artistic pieces. Do you think art consumers should misuse their freedom?
