It’s curtains for you! And you should be delighted.
The latest writing assignment for Island Writers is “Behind the Curtain.” And, like doors, curtains can be a fertile source of ideas for writers.
Curtains can be elaborate and decorative or purely functional. They have several uses: they can conceal what is inside or outside, they can be used to form a temporary divider between two spaces, and they can offer protection from draughts.
So, what is your curtain hiding?
Maybe it’s a net curtain, disguising you (or your character) from people outside. A nosy person peering through the nets to see the neighbours going about their business, or a chance view of something you weren’t meant to see?
Curtains let us hide from others, but they also hide those on the other side. When you close your windows at night, you can’t see who – or what – might be lurking out there in the darkness, which gives an illusion of safety. Perfect for a horror story. Who could forget that shower scene in Psycho?
The main purpose of curtains is to give privacy. Once we’re behind the curtains, we may behave in ways which are very different from our public life. What do your characters get up to once the curtains are shut?
And that privacy may come at a cost. If people can’t see into your home, they can’t see you’re in need of help. An injured person could be lying inside the house, too weak to cry out for help, with passers-by just the other side of the windows…
Your curtain need not be made of cloth. A curtain of rain or fog might lift to reveal an unforgettable spectacle, or a willow tree could provide a secret hiding place behind its leafy curtains. Or it could be an entirely metaphorical curtain, representing emotional detachment, social isolation or the divide between life and death.
Not all curtains are made to cover windows. Your curtain might divide a bedroom for two argumentative children, be part of a four-poster bed, or hide a doorway or alcove. Or perhaps the curtain in a fashion store changing-room or a hospital ward could be the starting point for your creative writing.
You might choose to relive the sense of excitement when waiting for the curtain in a theatre to rise – whether you’re in the audience or on the stage. Or perhaps your story takes place at the end of the performance, after the curtains have closed.
Yes, July has five Tuesdays this year, so you’ve got a bit longer to get your assignment done this time. But don’t forget we’re meeting at Yelfs for drinks and writerly chat on Tuesday 30 July, 7pm.
Just like a nosy neighbour, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s behind your curtain at our next meeting at Ryde Library on Tuesday 6 August, 7pm.