Personal blog: "Olives, James Bond, and creative empathy", by bonzopoe

over 1 year ago

Yesterday I was writing a post about empathy and how it has become one of my tools in creative writing, as well as a personal development tool. I was remembering the roles I've taken on in writing poems and short stories, and how I enjoy doing so, as I can put myself in the shoes of characters totally different from me, and in some cases totally impossible due to gender and/or personal background differences.

I have also put myself in the place of inanimate beings or objects, but I did not remember them at the time, but now thinking about it a little I remember some poems about stairs and nails, as well as some unfinished stories in which I put myself in the place of a cat and a dog, respectively, something that is not strange to find in literature, due to its closeness to human beings.

I commented in the post that I have even put myself in the place of ghosts, but I didn't remember, until a moment ago, that I also put myself in the place of an olive in a poem inspired by the martini we always see James Bond drinking in his movies. That's perhaps my strangest case so far, but one that amused me a lot.

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Doing the exercise of putting yourself in the place of other people and objects, apart from being very didactic, is extremely entertaining if you are a very curious or exploratory person, but if you are not and what you are looking for is to improve your creative writing skills, it is also an excellent option.

I call this resource 'creative empathy', and it is one that I resort to most unconsciously due to my personality, but since I discovered myself doing it, I have now made it a resource that I apply more and more intentionally and consciously. I recommend you to try it, maybe like me, you will find it not only an interesting experience but also a fun one.

I share with you below an English adaptation of the text that gave rise to this publication, since I originally wrote it in Spanish, my native language, but I had to modify it a bit since it is poetry and metrics are important, and a literal translation does not work at all. I hope you like it and see you next time.

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Vesper olive

You float intoxicated in the remains
of the dry martini of your existence,
synthesizing in that instant your life,
full of unexpected twists and turns
and a tragic ending,
but at least diluted in good alcohol.

Crossed by a cocktail stick,
and anchored to this ethylic sea
of vermouth and gin,
you no longer feel anything but strangeness
and the absence of a heart
that without realizing it,
was snatched away from you.

And while the cold numbs your grief,
nearby you hear a strange but familiar voice,
that somehow you know is the coprotagonist
of your last scene, say:
"I'm Bond, James Bond."

Thank you very much for reading this post and dedicating a moment of your time. Until next time and remember to leave a comment.

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