Wise old trees
Writers worth their ink need to be making some point with their story. Beneath your storyline, there should be a deeper message. It is a writer’s (or artist’s) job to present the human condition as they interpret it. So, once you’ve shaped the general idea, you should sit back and consider what it could be saying on a universal scale.
Consider Aesop’s Fables; each one is a tale that could be enjoyed on a superficial level by a child, yet there is a deeper meaning, or moral, which endeavors to teach the child some universal truth about life, i.e. being slow yet determined is often better than being hasty and fickle (Tortoise and the Hare).
A good place to seek inspiration is a list of proverbs. A proverb is usually a metaphor and encapsulates in simple terms, a lesson from the common experience of humanity. Here’s an exercise that might get you going: sit down and have a think about the specific meaning of the following and then go freewrite a story illustrating this philosophy.
Graveyards are full of indispensable people.
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
The belly has no ears.
Trees don’t grow to the sky.
A dumb priest never got a parish.
The only free cheese is in the mousetrap.
Eaten bread is soon forgotten.
The squeaky door gets the oil.
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About suehealy
From Ireland, Sue Healy is Literary Manager at the Finborough Theatre, London, a full-time Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. Her book on theatre literary management is published by Routledge, December 2022.
Sue is an award-winning writer for stage, TV, and prose writer.
TV
Her current project, a 6x60minute TV series, is under option. She is under commission with Lone Wolf Media, producers behind PBS’ “Mercy Street”, to co-write the pilot and treatment for a six-part TV series.
Stage
Her most recent stage-play, Imaginationship (2018), enjoyed a sold out, extended run at the Finborough and later showed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Her previous stage productions include Cow (Etcetera Theatre, 2017) and Brazen (King’s Head Theatre, 2016), funded by Arts Council England. Sue’s short plays have been performed at the Criterion (Criterion New Writing Showcase), Arcola (The Miniaturists) and Hackney Attic (Fizzy Sherbet Shorts).
Radio
Her radio work includes nine plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (Opening Lines winner), WLRfm and KCLR96fm.
Prose
Sue has won The Molly Keane Award, HISSAC Prize, Escalator Award, Meridian Prize and has been published in nine literary journals and anthologies including: The Moth, Flight, Tainted Innocence, New Writer, Duality, HISSAC, New European Writers. She has been writer-in-residence on Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, and at the Heinrich Boll Cottage on Achill Island. She has also benefitted from annual artist residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, and at Ginestrelle, Assisi in Italy.
An academic with a PhD in modern theatre history, specifically the Royal Court Theatre, Sue has presented her research internationally. She spent eleven years in Budapest, editing Hungary A.M. She has a PhD in modern theatre history (Royal Court Theatre) and is a UEA Creative Writing MA alumnus.
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suehealy 
February 12th, 2012 at 13:18
Really enjoy your posts!
February 12th, 2012 at 14:10
Thanks for the tips and suggested exercises. The proverbs must be Irish. I’ve only heard the ones about flies and honey and a little learning. The others are picturesque, though!
February 13th, 2012 at 14:01
Why?
I love a book (or film, or song) with some depth. I’m also perfectly happy with someone producing some fiction which then entertains me via an interesting plotline, good characterisation, and nice prose. I totally disagree that “writers worth their ink need to be making a point.” Way too many people make “making a point” the point of their books. These can often become critcally acclaimed, mostly I think because critics need to be able to massively over-analyse things to give point to their lives. It’s hard to over-analyse something which was produced just for entertainment purposes.
Meanwhile, I’ll write my little books and try to keep entertaining people. I’ve started to spot the odd theme in them, and I’m not trying to obliterate those themes just to make a point. I don’t mind them being there, I’m just not necessarily playing to them or worrying about them. The main one seems to be “be yourself; find out who you are and be that person.” If someone else wants to see themes in what I write, cool. If they tell me about them I can look and see whether I agree; it’s always interesting to get informative and thoughtful feedback.
But, basically, people trying to “make a point” need to be really careful they aren’t actually “forcing their ideas down someone’s throat.” I’d rather be entertaining.
February 13th, 2012 at 20:19
Nice pic – it looks like a bucket of snakes.
February 15th, 2012 at 21:59
You never fail to inspire me.
S
February 3rd, 2014 at 00:15
I’ve always loved that first one.