The Curator’s Manifesto
For this month’s Words to Write By, we are leaning into the art of the "subjective hierarchy." This exercise is inspired by the curated chaos found in the works of authors like Nick Hornby or the fragmented, obsessive list-making in The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon. We are moving away from the omniscient narrator and diving deep into the specific, often biased, and highly personal internal ranking systems of the characters we create. A list is never just a list; it is a confession of values, a map of anxieties, and a declaration of identity.
The first step in this process is to select a character from your current roster who has something to prove, something to protect, or something to obsess over. This shouldn't be a generic list of "favorite things." Instead, set a highly specific intention for the list. What is a topic that would keep your character awake at night? Perhaps it is "Top 10 Places to Hide a Body in a Small Town," "Top 10 Reasons I Should Have Never Left the City," or "Top 10 Most Insulting Things My Mother Has Said About My Career." The more niche and emotionally charged the topic, the better.
Once your intention is clear, collect ten "items" for your list. Do not overthink these; let them flow from your character’s unique voice. Use the language they would use. If they are cynical, let the items be sharp and short; if they are romantic or academic, let the items be flowery or overly explained. As you write these ten points, pay attention to the "negative space"—what is the character not mentioning? What does the order of the ranking say about their priorities? Is number one truly the most important, or are they saving the real truth for number ten?
After the list is drafted, look at the connections between the items. This is where the alchemy happens. Treat these ten points like a constellation of the character's psyche. Do the items contradict each other? Is there a subtle story unfolding in the progression from ten to one? For example, a list about "Top 10 Comfort Foods" might slowly reveal a character’s grief if the foods are all things a late grandmother used to cook. Note the significance of these hidden threads. Why did these specific ten items surface now?
Now, take this raw data and alchemize it into a scene or a monologue. Imagine your character is actually delivering this list to someone else, or perhaps they are scrawling it into the back of a notebook in a moment of crisis. Write the "why" behind the list. Don't just give us the ranking; give us the atmosphere of the room where the ranking is happening. Use the list as a scaffold to build a moment of revelation. Let the character defend their choices or realize, mid-writing, that their number one pick is a lie.
Finally, step away from the work. Give yourself a day or a week to let the character’s voice settle. Time is a vital ingredient in character development. When you return, reread the list and the scene. Look for the "shift"—the moment where the list stopped being a writing exercise and started being a real piece of that person's soul. You may find that by ranking the world through their eyes, you have discovered a secret about them that a standard narrative never would have revealed. Happy curating!