Sometimes it’s an obvious self-portraiture, a la Velazquez in his “Las
Meninas.” (Velazquez is the painter painting in the mirror in the painting.
About as obvious as it gets.)
Sometimes, the snapshot is a little more tricky, a la da Vinci in his
“Adoration of the Magi.” (The young boy to the far right is said to be a young
Leonardo, but nobody really knows.)
Of course, some artists just slap the big, old “Self-Portrait” title to
their work and anything from an installation of trashcans and lollipops, to a
stick figure drawn in crayon becomes the artist’s self-crowned proxy.
Writers, and make no mistake we are artists in our own right, have a
few different options available to them.
1.) The obvious choice is to stick yourself in as the narrator… Boring,
in my opinion. Lacks imagination, lacks cunning.
2.) Plop a full-fledged “You” into the story. Of course, names would have
to be changed, clever disguises would have to be employed (devilish fun, by the
way). However, rarely does a “You” honestly fit into the storyline. Most often
it’s like sticking a cranberry into a bowl of vegetable soup. You may get away
with it, but it’s darn uncomfortable if you don’t.
3.) The preferred method is to imbue only parts of “You” into the
story. A fascinating line of your life history pinned into the background of
your lead character, perhaps. A personality quirk that you and your
off-the-wall supporting player share. A physical trait. A speech pattern. A
favorite hobby. A flaw. All are fair game.
Bottom line: it’s your choice. Imbue wisely.
Until tomorrow…
Chloe
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