Depth of Field and Circle of Confusion

This phrase has a very technical meaning to expert photographers with real cameras. 

    I am not one. My camera is my phone. What it captures is more like an extension of my memory than anything anyone would admire. 

    But the phrase does relate to story telling. The camera (or the writer) can focus on certain elements. Some close. Some farther away. Those that aren’t in focus reside in what’s technically referred to as a circle of confusion.  (Yes that’s what it’s really called!)

    When we write, we choose what we focus on. And what we want the reader to focus on. We should be selective. We don’t have an infinite amount of words. Maybe 40 or 50 thousand? Probably less. So we must focus on the most germane things. 

    But don’t forget to include a hint of what else is there. Lurking. Under the bed. Below the surface. In the fog. In the mist.

    Ignore the warning. Go and see. 

 

Jane Kelley is the author of many novels in which she imagines more danger than she would ever dare to encounter.