Small Details Make a Good Lie–And Good Writing, Too

I felt the tiniest fraction of Amanda Fields' discomfort when I read "Cairo Tunnel." I've felt the heat, the sticky, the squish of body leaning on body while riding public trains in Turkey, or while stuffed into vehicles in the islands. Fields brought me back to these experiences. But how?

I think what did it for me were the small details. Not only did she pick insignificant details, ones that I probably wouldn't think to write about, but she did so in a creative and original manner, yet one that perfectly captured whatever image she wanted it to.

Some of the lines I liked were: "already bombarded with curled hands, wrapped over and bullying each other;" "we are like books on a shelf, supporting each other's weight;" and "a sea of women–we crest." There was also a powerful sentence that wasn't creative–merely well-chosen. "A single fan rotates." This detail is so simple, so banal, yet it completes the scene for me. Small details can make a lie believable; they can also add weight and authority to writing, too.

This article brings up another important point in writing: audience. I enjoyed reading this much more since I've experienced similar situations. I felt Field's experience not only because it was well-written, but because it was familiar. This experiential reading brings along with it emotions, physical sensations, and feelings of adventure and even nostalgia.

Fields writes well, yes, but I didn't think it was spectacular. No, her greatest attribute as I read this piece was chance; I happen to be know what it's like, and I also enjoy it. Know your audience. Write for them. Be deliberate and intentional. This is what I learned.

-Alexander Hirata