by Andre Tan

Two people sit at a table. They have a discussion. One person walks out of the room. Shards of a broken glass lie on the floor.

Did the people have a violent argument? Did someone simply drop a glass accidentally and leave to get a broom? What was said?

We’re all well trained by movies, television, literature and arguably our own perceptions of daily life to fill in the missing information and create a linear sequence of events in our minds that tells a story. But what if we force ourselves to ask a different set of questions that focuses less on the action and more on the setting and circumstances?

Who are the people and what do they feel about one another? Are they lovers? Mother and child? Was the glass a gift from a beloved relative who passed away earlier that month? That day? Was it broken before they entered the room?

The answers don’t provide us with a play-by-play recounting of what happened, but they do imbue the scene with emotion, weight and tension.

This week, write a poem that tells a narrowly focused story — a “scene” — without telling the story. Instead, convey the essence of the scene through your description of the world in which it takes place and the “characters” (who don’t have to be human or even “alive”) that inhabit it. (One clarification – The scenario above is only meant to be an example. Your scene can be about anything.)

Some elements (borrowed from the acting realm) to consider, but not necessarily to directly incorporate into your piece, are:

• Environment – Where is the scene taking place? What is the location like physically? Is there any history (emotional or otherwise) associated with the setting?
• Relationships – What is the background and history of your “characters”? If there is more than one, who or what are they to one another? What prior events have they experienced individually or together?
• Given Circumstances – What just happened? What events lead up to this moment? Did something important happen to one or more of the characters or between them? Did someone just learn something?
• Essential Conflict – What is the central conflict at the heart of the scene? What is the struggle? This “conflict” doesn’t have to be literal or overt. It’s simply what you identify as the overarching tension of the piece (e.g., “He loves her, but she hates him” or even the perennial question, “coffee or tea?”).

Feel free to share how you might approach this challenge in the comments and leave links to your work in next week’s Get Your Poem On post.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Andre Tan is Read Write Poem’s technology director. Whenever the right side of his brain subdues the left side with an oversized ACME mallet, he can be found creatively frolicking with a motley assortment of poets, filmmakers, actors and other artists.