Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Cadence of thought

Why do authors have to pace their stories, have to describe scenes, and use rising action? Why don't they just get to the point? Why can't the story just be problem-solution-done?

For some reason, it doesn't work that way. When I read back over the previous post, I find it hard to follow because it's over too fast for a reader to even get into, the pacing is too quick. The post seems like it could be just a condensed paint stroke, where I intended a whole painting to be. Maybe it would be okay with spaces separating the thoughts, or on different pages with pictures punctuating the text.

We are so big, our minds so teeming with brains, that there must be a cadence to what we do. This includes reading, and thinking. As a teacher, I find it helps to expose the class to certain ideas a little early, and repeatedly mention it before the day I present it. There is a cadence that our relaxed minds work best with. We are slow. We like concrete imagery, and time to process the thoughts being presented. Why are books so slow? Sometimes authors have to use filler to get their message across.

1 comment:

Sean Benson said...

thought can seem fast or slow, making time pass more slowly or quickly