Saying So Much With So Little Words

“How can you say so much using only a few words and sentences?”

“I don’t know. Don’t ask me. I’m still trying to achieve that. And, unfortunately failing. Miserably, in fact.”

“Oh. But, surely there must be a way.”

“There should be. I mean, if others can do it-”

“Can they?”

“Sure. Lots of them can. Easily, even.”

“Is that so? And they can still manage to put substance and depth and meaning to their words?”

“Yes, apparently. Maybe. Does it matter?"

“Of course it does. We’re trying to figure out how we can say so much with so little, remember?”

“Right, right. Have we said enough yet?”

“Don’t ask me.”

“Well, maybe this is enough?”

“Is it? I don’t know. Doesn’t feel like it is.”

“Come on. It’s enough. Why? Are you worried? Troubled? What is it?”

“It’s just that, it seems like nothing was said at all.”

“Pfft. Come now, lots of things have been said. And, look, we even had an entire conversation. Fun, no?”

Comments (from back when this used to be posted elsewhere):

theresa kalesa (&organic_love):
It's fun to read! I wish to make this conversation only post.

Freya (in reply to theresa):
Thanks. I've been experimenting with conversation or dialogue-only posts in some of my articles. Since no one is being named and no action is being described, it would be important to make sure that each character has their own voice and that they can easily be distinguished from whoever they're talking to so you can tell who's saying what and when.

*Notes:
- Two people walking and talking art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com
- Pic is meant to represent the two people in the story who are also talking

What Do You Say To Someone Who Is Sad?

“Hey, what in the world are you doing? Why are all these books scattered everywhere? You’re making a big mess. This had better be for a very good reason. And you’d better be cleaning all this up. What are you looking for anyway?”

“If you’re just gonna nag at me, then don’t bother. Just go away. I’m busy, okay?”

“Busy with what? Again, what are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? I’m reading, duh.”

“Oh for the love of- what are you reading then? What are these books about anyway? Wait, what is this? What exactly are you trying to find? What’s the matter anyway?”

“Well, one of my friends is feeling all sad and depressed and miserable about the stuff going on in her life, and, well, ya know, I wanted to cheer her up, make her feel better, but I don’t know what to say.”

“So, you thought you’d go to the library and go through all the books here in search of the answer to your question? Do you really think you’ll find the answers in a book?”

“I dunno. Maybe. I mean, I tried to search the Internet first, but I didn’t get no satisfactory answer at all. So, I thought I’d try books this time.”

“Look, do you really think you need to find the answers to this? You already know. There’s no need to look.”

“What do you mean? How should I know? I don’t know anything. What am I supposed to say to her?”

“The truth. Just don’t lie to her. Be sincere. Say what you want to say.”

“You’re kidding, right? Is it really that easy? Is that really all there is to it?”

Comments (from back when this used to be posted elsewhere):

Delfin4 (&delfin4):
Sometimes, silence is the best way to facing someone is sad... sometimes... :)

Freya (in reply to Delfin4):
Yeah, sometimes, one does not have to say anything to a person who is sad. One just needs to be there for that person. One just needs to show that person that he or she is not alone and that one is always there for her.

Sometimes, one just has to stand by your side and reassure you and show you that there's someone there for you who will try to help you and cheer you up and just be there for you whenever you're feeling sad and depressed.

Donna (&littlefoot1026):
A listening ear is all there should be... you can only talk when you are asked for advice.. ;o)

Freya (in reply to Donna):
Yeah, sometimes, a person might need someone to talk to. Sometimes, a person just wants to talk about his or her problems or whatever might be bothering him or her or making him or her sad and they don't want to be judged or mocked or made fun of; all they want is someone who will listen to them and not lie to them or say insincere things to them.

Sometimes, that's really all they want and they wouldn't want advice or that person trying to fix things, etc. But, there are times when they might ask for advice.

*Notes:
- Sad anime girl art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com

Is It Possible To Ever Run Out Of Things To Say?

“Hey, ‘sup? I’ve a question. Do ya think you’ll ever run out of stuff to write about or things to say?”

“Wait, what? Are you seriously asking me that question? For real?”

“Yup. Why? No answer?”

“Are you kidding me? You shouldn’t even have to ask me that.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with the question? I’m asking ‘cause I want to know the answer.”

“I should think the answer would be obvious.”

“Well, it’s not. At least, I’ve no idea what the answer is.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Are you gonna answer or not?”

“All right, fine. The answer is a resounding and firm no.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. Why, don’t believe me?”

“Eh, it’s not that. I’m just surprised. You seem so sure of yourself.”

“That’s because I am. Very sure, in fact.”

“But what makes you say that?”

“Because, even now, I have so many words and ideas and thoughts swirling around in my mind. There are so many things that I want to say and write about. All I really need is time to be able to write and say all of these things.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Besides, people always have something to say, don’t they? People always want their voices to be heard, don’t you agree?”

“When you put it that way... I would like it if people listened to me more, if I didn’t have to feel so invisible all the time.”

“There, you see? Always, there is something to be said and written and these are special and unique and important in their own way.”

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

Vixy (&vixy) said:
Sometimes I have problems thinking of something when I'm at the computer but never when I am not! So I am starting to take notes more often. I like writing here. I haven't as much as I should but it leads one to thinking about what one would say more.

Freya Yuki replied to Vixy:
I get ideas pretty much everywhere too. I take note of all the new ideas that I get so I can expand and elaborate on them later and turn them into various articles. I like writing here too though I don't have time to write the full 10 articles in a day so I usually just try to write at least once a day here.

*Notes:
- Girls on a picnic anime art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com
- Pic is meant to represent the two characters talking in the story

So Tired - Take A Break From This Life, This World

“Oh man, there’s more? Seriously, when will this end? I’m sick of this. Argh, so frustrating.”

“What’s up with you now? Complaining again, I see. I’m not even surprised anymore.”

“You would too if you had to deal with this. Stop mocking me, okay? Just go away and leave me alone.”

“Oh, stop being so melodramatic. I’m not mocking you. What’s up with you anyway? What’s your problem now?”

“Work, work and more work. I’m so tired, you know. I just can’t take it anymore. I just want to sleep. Forever. When will this end?”

Sometimes, I just want to sleep forever and never wake up. Someone, help me, please

“Well, you do look weary and exhausted.”

“That’s ‘cause I am.”

“What are you going to do about it then?”

“I don’t know. Is there anything I can do about this?”

“Why don’t you just give it a break then? Rest. Sleep.”

“I would if I could. It’s not that easy though. There’s just so much to do, but so little time.”

“Don’t overwork yourself. You need to rest too. No wonder you’re exhausted if you keep trying to do everything all at once. Take it easy. It’s okay to rest once in a while.”

“Is it, really?”

“Sure, why not?”

“What about all this then? I still have so much to do.”

“Oh, don’t mind that for now. Here, I’ll help you, okay?”

“Really? Wow, thanks. You’re awesome. Did I say that yet? Because you are, you know?”

“Thank you. You’re not half bad yourself even if you drive me crazy a lot of the time.”

*Notes:
- Anime girl art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com
- Pic is meant to represent the character in the story who is feeling tired and needs help

Looking For Someone Who Cares

“This is crazy. This is so utterly pointless. I don’t even know why I’m still doing this. I want to stop it already. Because it hurts so, so much. I just want to be free. Let me be free. Let me break away from these chains. Who wants to be controlled? I just want my voice to be heard, I just want someone who will understand. Why does it hurt so much?”

(sigh) “I’m sorry. I don’t have any of the answers that you seek.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

“What do you want me to say? Were you expecting me to comfort you? I’m sorry.”

(surprised, sad stare) “Oh, I see. Of course, you don’t care. Well. That’s fine. Perfectly fine. I don’t care either.” (a shake of the head, eyes tightly closed)

“Ah, please don’t cry. I-”

(angry, hurt glare) “Go away. I’m not crying. I don’t need you. Just leave me be.”

“No, wait. Look, I’m sorry. You misunderstand me. I only meant that- I mean, I do care. I just- I’m really horrible at this, at comforting people, I mean. I- I never know what to say, what to do. I’m sorry I’m useless. But, please, know that at least one person cares about you. I do care. I just don’t know how to express it.”

*Notes:
- Saber from Fate Stay/Night anime art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com
- Pic is meant to represent the two characters in the story - the one who is crying and the one who is trying to comfort them

Does It Matter If You Talk Too Much?

“I swear, I can’t do it. I just can’t. I keep trying, but I can’t.”

“Can’t do what?”

“I mean, I try and I try and I try some more, but still, I just can’t do it. It’s like all my efforts amount to nothing, nothing at all.”

“What is it? Don’t panic, okay? Just calm down. Now, tell me what’s wrong?”

“I just can’t be brevity even if my life depended on it. It’s terrible and absolutely frustrating.”

“You can’t be what now? What did you just say?”

“Brevity. You know, what William Shakespeare said in that play of his. Hamlet, I think. He said and I quote, ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’.”

“Oh, that. You used that word incorrectly in your previous sentence.”

“I don’t care. Stop laughing. Ugh, forget how I used the word. You get my point, don’t you? I can’t be brief and concise and short no matter how much I try and try. I still end up saying a whole litany of things.”

“That’s because you like to ramble on and on and on.”

“Hey, you make it sound like such a bad thing. Oh no, it is bad, isn’t it? What do I do? Make it stop, please.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Not much anyway, not when you’re talking about important stuff. Just take it easy, okay? And stop worrying over crazy things like this. This shouldn’t even be an issue.”

“Well, yeah, but- I get the feeling no one wants to listen to me and I feel invisible and alone and-”

“Oh, honestly, I’m here, aren’t I? And I’m listening to you. I always listen even if you drive me crazy. What more do you want?”

*Notes:
- Two people walking and talking art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com
- Pic is meant to represent the two people in the story who are also talking