The Cobra and the Key by Sam Shelstad

Author:Sam Shelstad
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Touchwood Editions
Published: 2023-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

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The tense you use in a story will obviously change the way the narrative is received by the reader, but it can also have an effect on the writer. When I began composing my Molly novel, I chose present tense. I found it comforting to write about the early days of our relationship as if I were living through those exhilarating moments again. Just by writing a sentence like “I lean in and kiss Molly,” it really felt like I was leaning in and kissing Molly. I wrote a lot of sex scenes during this present-tense draft—this made me feel aroused, which helped relieve the stress of the breakup. I still consult these drafts now and then, when I’m feeling pent-up. But then I realized that writing in present-tense meant I was on a track that led straight to the scene where Molly and I split up, and I’d have to relive all of that pain again. Writing in past-tense, however, would allow me to remove this sensation of impending doom. I would tell the story from the perspective of a version of me that stood on the other side of the breakup, post-reconciliation, with our temporary separation existing as a brief narrative sequence that would only end up strengthening our relationship. Told from this point of view, the breakup chapters now feel like they capture a funny little story that Molly and I will eventually tell dinner guests, once we’re back together: “We actually did break up for a short period. Remember that, honey? God, that was so silly. We must have been out of our minds.” And now I’m realizing that this dinner party idea could be another interesting narrative device for the Molly novel. We’re hosting a dinner party and I recount the whole story of the relationship to our guests. Molly chimes in now and again, but mainly it’s me. We live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at this point, and the dinner guests are esteemed New York artists and writers. Thomas Pynchon would be there, and Zadie Smith. Someone from Saturday Night Live—maybe Pete Davidson. And they’re all listening with rapt attention as I play the raconteur. This will subconsciously make readers feel like they should also be captivated as they read through the novel, if they aren’t captivated already, because these famous and smart dinner guests are clearly enthralled with my storytelling. In fact, a dumb guy could attend the dinner party too, and he’s the only one who is bored by the story. He’s not famous or anything. I could show him yawning and constantly checking his phone. Then if a reader happens to find themselves bored by the novel, they’ll be identifying with the dumb guy at the table, instead of Zadie Smith and so on. Maybe former us president Barack Obama is there too. He asks me to sign his copy of The Emerald. I write: “Thanks for all your support, Barry. Enjoy!”

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