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SILENT HILL 2 — [ 4/? ]

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Wine room, Briarcliff Manor🪻

tiba-tiba mikirin nasib minggu depan

Minggu Depan, Kamu Berhenti Berharap

Kamu hidup diantara janji-janji yang kamu bisikkan seperti doa. Rasanya seperti meneguk segelas kopi sachet yang kebanyakan air—hangatnya cukup menghibur, namun rasa pahit menetap di mulutmu sampai malam. Setiap pagi kamu mengulangi mantra yang sama; minggu depan kamu akan makan tiga kali sehari. Minggu depan kamu akan memperbaiki kipas tua yang sudah sekarat, namun tetap menghembuskan angin sejuk di kala panas malam ibukota menyerang. Minggu depan kamu akan membeli sepatu yang layak, supaya kamu tidak lagi menggunakan sepatu yang solnya menganga seperti mulut orang-orang yang suka bicara soal harapan.

Minggu depan kamu akan mengirim uang untuk Ibu, sedikit lebih banyak dari biasanya. Cukup banyak sehingga Ibu tidak perlu mengurangi porsi nasi lagi. Cukup banyak untuk membelikan Adik buku baru. Kamu ingin membuktikan kalau kamu kuat; kalau Jakarta tidak membakarmu menjadi abu.

Minggu depan, proyekmu akan selesai. Kamu akhirnya memiliki ruang untuk bernapas, untuk merenggangkan tubuhmu. Bonus akan turun, katanya. Namun meja kerjamu terus membisikan tentang hantu-hantu PHK. Tawa-tawa di kantin karyawan menghilang, digantikan dengan lirikan gelisah dan bisik-bisik. Untuk pertama kalinya, kamu merasakan ilusi aman yang kamu bangun perlahan-lahan mulai runtuh. Lantai yang selama ini menompang meja kerjamu pun mulai retak, seakan-akan siap menjatuhkanmu ke dalam jurang. 

Kamu menambahkan catatan di ponselmu; minggu depan kamu harus mulai mencari perkerjaan baru—untuk berjaga-jaga.

Kamu pun tersadar kalau kamu tidak sendirian. Ketika kamu bertanya kepada Ibu warteg kapan beliau akan masak cumi lagi, beliau tersenyum lelah dan menjawab, “Minggu depan ya, Nak, kalau harganya turun.” 

Ketika kamu duduk di depan minimarket bersama temanmu, meneguk minuman kopi diskon yang rasanya lebih seperti pengingat bahwa kamu tak mampu beli yang lain. “Minggu depan anak gue ulang tahun,” bisik temanmu. Matanya redup. “Semoga gaji nggak ditahan lagi. Gue mau beliin dia kado.” 

Bahkan, tetanggamu yang kamu kira selalu berkecukupan, kini suara seraknya terdengar lewat tembok tipis kontrakan. “Saya usahakan bayar minggu depan ya, Pak.” 

Tapi minggu depan datang seperti ombak yang menenggelamkan harapanmu. Tanpa kabar baik. Tanpa perubahan. Tanpa mukjizat.

Lelahmu tidak dibayarkan, tidak dihargai, hanya dijustifikasi atas nama efisiensi. Harga telur naik lagi. Suara token listrik yang menjerit bersahutan dengan rengekan kipas tua, keduanya mengingatkan bahwa uangmu hampir habis. Tagihan menumpuk seperti doa-doamu yang belum terjamah. Tidak ada balasan dari semua lamaran yang kamu kirimkan. 

“Nggak apa-apa,” ucap Ibu ketika kamu menelepon setelah mengirimkan uang. “Untung makan siang Adik disediakan sekolah, jadi Ibu bisa hemat beras.”

Ibu ingin menguatkanmu, namun kata-kata yang kamu dengar terasa seperti pisau yang menusuk jantungmu.

“Nggak usah pikirin Ibu sama Bapak, simpan uangnya buat kamu di sana.” Suara Ibu pecah, namun bukan karena susah sinyal.

Kamu batal membeli sepatu baru, meskipun sedang turun harga menjadi Rp150.000—diskon yang terasa seperti ejekan. Sebab uang seratus ribu rupiah kini bisa lenyap dalam sekali napas—sekotak nasi, bensin, dan satu liter minyak goreng yang harganya terus menanjak. Kamu pernah menyebutnya sebagai dana darurat, namun sekarang ia hanya lembar tipis yang cepat lusuh, cepat habis, cepat hilang. Sepasang sepatu baru tidak ada artinya jika kamu tidak dapat membeli minyak goreng dan bensin.

Kamu tidak perlu membaca berita maupun membaca grafik untuk tahu bahwa rupiah ambruk, karena kamu ikut rubuh bersamanya. Kamu merasakannya di setiap kali kamu menawar cabai dan bawang bagaikan menawar mimpi, di setiap kali kamu memutuskan untuk tertidur dengan perut kosong. Kamu menyadarinya ketika porsi nasi di warteg jauh lebih banyak daripada lauk.

Kamu mendengar pejabat di televisi menjanjikan bahwa perekonomian negara baik-baik saja, bahwa semuanya terkendali dengan baik. Kamu tertawa hambar, tapi semua orang berhak bermimpi bukan? Bahkan pejabat pun boleh berhalusinasi, bukan?

Biarkan mereka bermimpi. Biarkan mereka tidur di hotel bintang lima dengan anggaran negara. Biarkan mereka berpesta, berbicara tentang pemulihan ekonomi di balik pintu kedap suara.

Sementara kamu harus menerima kenyataan bahwa kamu bisa hancur dan negara tidak peduli. Bahwa kamu bisa mati kelaparan tanpa menguncang statistik mereka. Bahwa kamu hanyalah angka, bukan manusia. 

Seperti rupiahmu yang tidak bernilai, kamu pun ikut terkikis bersamanya. Namun tidak seperti para pejabat berdasi, kamu merasa malu atas janji-janji yang tak bisa kamu tepati—pada dirimu sendiri, pada Ibu, pada harapan yang sudah terlalu lama kamu cicil dengan air mata.

Dan kamar kontrakanmu menjadi saksi bisu atas semua minggu depan yang kamu tunda. Malam ini kamu berhenti berharap, berhenti membuat janji. Tidak ada lagi minggu depan, tidak ada lagi kamu yang memanjatkan doa. Sebab di negara ini, harapan adalah barang mewah yang tidak bisa kamu cicil lagi harganya.

A Writer on Writing: George Orwell

George Orwell:

Probably it is better to put off using words as long as possible and get one’s meanings as clear as one can through pictures and sensations. Afterward one can choose – not simply accept – the phrases that will best cover the meaning, and then switch round and decide what impression one’s words are likely to make on another person. This last effort of the mind cuts out all stale or mixed images, all prefabricated phrases, needless repetitions, and humbug and vagueness generally. But one can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Never use the passive where you can use the active.

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

These rules sound elementary, and so they are, but they demand a deep change of attitude in anyone who has grown used to writing in the style now fashionable. One could keep all of them and still write bad English, but one could not write the kind of stuff that I quoted in those five specimens at the beginning of this article.

Source More: George Orwell

Hi!, ive encountered a problem i hope you would aid in? ive been trying to write this domestic breakfast scene where one character is still half-asleep trying to uphold a conversation but i can't. Its the "calm before the storm" kind of scene and i want to give my readers time to breathe and relate to the characters.

Writing Notes: Mundane Scenes

How Mundane Scenes can be Important (by editor Richelle Braswell):

Pacing: Mundane scenes can provide a breather from the action-packed scenes and add variation so that readers don’t get bored or worn down.

World-building: Mundane moments such as how characters get dressed in the morning or prepare their food can add realism and details to your world. It gives a sense of depth to characters lives and shows instead of tells how life operates.

Give weight to events: Mundane activities such as resting or tending to injuries can give weight to previous plot points such as a battle or reveal. We sit with the consequences, and thus the events feel like they have greater importance and space in the narrative.

Synthesize information: Characters can review things like whodunit clues or what they know so far over a meal or while traveling. Meanwhile, the reader can process events up until that point. These scenes are best used during the midpoint of a book or right before the climax.

Build tension: These much slower moments like chatting and weeding the garden can add tension to stories by sitting with the unknown. Readers will sense when things are too quiet and feel a building anticipation.

Develop character arcs: Slow moments such as shopping or washing-up can be important touchpoints to depict gradual character growth. If there is nonstop action, then there isn’t a chance for characters to stop and reflect and give the readers some insight into any changed thought processes and dilemmas.

Develop romance: Mundane moments are some of the best places to give characters space to make the bed together and fold laundry. Their romance and dynamic can be developed here but note that it is most effective when used sparingly and when the reader does not lose a sense of narrative drive.

Decisions as a challenge: Choices have gravity in a narrative when there is space for the main characters to struggle with doing the right thing. It can add further drama if they aren’t making tough decisions while dodging flying arrows or being chased, but while sweeping their floors or organizing their bookshelf. The reader experiences the weight of the choice since it can be carefully considered before it leads to a hero’s triumph or tragedy.

Whatever you do with a mundane scene, the idea to keep in mind is how it contributes to the whole.

some related literary tropes

"Slice of Life" Trope

Life, observed and examined.

A cast of characters go about their daily lives, making observations and being themselves.

There is an emphasis on the very moment, with the intent of focusing the audience on that moment rather than using that moment as part of a narrative.

"Calm before the Storm" Trope

Characterized by a sense of anticipation, perhaps tension, even dread of what is to come.

It allows the characters a moment of respite prior to everything going to hell.

Maybe they make final preparations.

Maybe they go bid farewell.

Maybe they go tie up loose ends or bury hatchets.

They might decide now's the time to finally spend the night with that special someone.

Or maybe they just meditate to still their minds and/or calm their nerves.

Or they may decide to throw a party while they still can.

This scene allows us a quiet moment to just be with the characters, especially if it winds up being the end of the line for some of them.

Great clouds lit from within by lightning gather on the horizon, an army can be seen assembling, or the Final Battle is just around the corner. Everyone knows it is inevitable.

Tomorrow the silence will be broken. Tomorrow there will be chaos. But for now, all is quiet.

"Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene" Trope

An action film trope that you can also incorporate in your writing.

In this kind of scene, there are no expensive visuals or frenetic action, just usually two characters talking about what they believe in, what they care about, their deepest pains, or anything that relates to the stakes of the situation.

This is not the same as the purely exposition scene in that there is something deeper displayed here.

In these scenes, you can understand the plot, grasp its theme, or develop a rapport with the characters to make the big scenes matter to your readers.

When it really works, it can make the action sequences all the more compelling, because the quiet scenes have allowed you to emotionally invest in the characters and care about their fate.

Examples

In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, after a long time fleeing through the giant death trap of the Capitol and suffering several losses, Cressida leads the squad to a friend's house. Their time in the basement covers a lot of ground, from mourning their losses to Katniss' guilt to the Love Triangle.

Inception: In the climax, we finally see whether or not Fischer reconciles with the memory of his father.

The Lord of the Rings: The scene between Aragorn and Arwen on the bridge in The Fellowship of the Ring. It introduces depth to Aragorn's character and reveals his backstory; the scenes of the Shire at peace in The Fellowship of the Ring (especially in the Directors Cut), filled with laughter, friendship and happy children (what a warrior lays down his life to protect) is what makes us actually care whether or not Frodo and the Fellowship defeat Sauron or not.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Here are some information and related tropes to keep in mind as you write your scene. Use the tropes as inspiration, and alter as needed/desired to better fit your story. Reading how other authors have done this as well, especially in your favourite stories, is one way to know how you would execute it in your own story. You can find more details and examples in the links above. Hope this helps with your writing!

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