Why you need an Alexis Diamond
Talk it out before you write
In February 2022, Alexis Diamond and I were driving home from the Eastern Townships through a blizzard. A core memory not because our lives felt tenuous in the blinding snow and gusting winds that tossed the CRV from side to side—but because it was the first time I shared the idea I had for a novel.
Where the idea had come from. Why it was such an important story to tell. Some secondary characters that had already developed. Narrative knots I had yet to untie. Where it would take place and when, but also, how it carried a message that was essentially timeless, that the era would simply make the truth more viscerally felt…
I started to say things that even I hadn’t fully realized about the story.
My bestie, keeping her calm through the white-knuckle drive, still listened to every word, asked questions when I was being vague and let the silence simmer when she knew I was close to a realization.
Every writer needs an Alexis Diamond.
Talking it out lets you articulate what has previously only existed in your mind. In having to choose words to speak it to another, you find yourself spontaneously describing possible scenes, directions and techniques, as if the information was being downloaded from a divine source. It’s liberating, exhilarating, it makes the story more real somehow.
Sharing your ideas with someone you trust can be a deeply reassuring process that rebuilds lost confidence, validates your ideas and reignites faltering motivation.
My Alexis Diamond happens to be an award-winning theatre artist, opera and musical librettist, translator, and theatre curator. Not a novelist, but someone who knows a good hook when she sees it and can spot a wrong turn a mile away. We have been using one another as a sounding board for ideas since CEGEP, where we first met. My writing (and personhood) owes plenty to this generous and hilarious human.
But if you don’t happen to have a talented artist you’ve known for 34 years available, how do you find your Alexis Diamond?
My advice is this:
Find another writer/creative person or a big reader. You need someone who can provide great insights about your idea’s strengths and weaknesses. If they are already passionate about storytelling, they will know what works and what doesn’t.
Choose someone who is able to think in abstracts, but can still provide concrete feedback. This is why I love talking to people with a psychology background—their ability to understand the relationship between thought, intention and action is tops.
Find someone who likes you as a person. If they respect you and respect your work, they will take the task seriously. Good feedback comprises both positive and negative points, so asking haters for feedback will probably just leave your soul shattered.
Do you have an Alexis Diamond? How have they helped you grow as a writer? Where did you find them?
Bestie with the best name! We all need an Alexis Diamond indeed.