I say extraordinary things in an ordinary tone. It’s possible to get away with ANYTHING as long as you make it believable.
~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez
When I heard of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s passing a few weeks ago, it affected me more deeply than I thought possible. After all, I never knew the man himself; I only knew his words. But his words have spoken to me over years now, and his words were all he really ever was to me. His words were dear to me, and so he was dear to me.
Many years ago, when I was much younger and still wondering where my literary voice was, Marquez taught me that nothing was too fanciful or too weird to write about. Magic did not have to be perfect and grandiose – witches and wizards and dragons have all long been afoot in the world of fantasy, but the so-called real world had a little magic hiding in plain sight too. One just had to leave all inhibition behind and keep an open mind.
Ever since, magical realism has been one of my favourite genres to explore, as a reader and as an author. Oh, the absolute freedom that comes with not having any boundaries restricting what you can imagine and bring to life with your words! It leads you into a world where your grandmother’s superstitions and scientific reality blend together effortlessly, creating a life enriched by the extraordinary hiding among ordinary events.
As I grew older and realized the deeper symbolism and the underlying social commentary within Marquez’s work, the power of words seemed far stronger than I ever thought possible. He was right. As writers, we can get away with almost anything as long as we say it in the right way.
With that in mind, every month, we endeavour to give you as much of that magical power as we can. And if we have learnt anything, it is that no literary effort is ever flawless. There is no such thing as the perfect story or the perfect telling of it. But there is always space to take each flaw and use our imaginations to turn it into an incredible experience. Through the magic of wordcraft, you have the voice to say what you want – just make it believable.
And that makes it flawsome.
About the Author
Richa Mehta is a writer-editor and enjoys treading the tricky path between the two. She has several years of writing and editing experience, supplemented by a master's degree in publishing from the University of Sydney. She is also a compulsive reader and a self-appointed grammar custodian.
