Friday, January 14, 2011

Sometimes, it's What You Don't Know

Source: travel.ca.msn.com
     Silence is golden. 

     As writers we often talk about the deficiencies in telling instead of showing. This idea is far more than one of aesthetics or sophisticated writing. It is fundamental in the telling of a story or the unfolding of plot.

     As a reader, I want the experience of knowing the questions as the clues are presented by the writer. That way I may not know the details, but I feel them. I become emotionally engaged, pulled in by the tension that subtext creates. 

     "Meaning is only compellingly elusive when the reader must struggle to reconcile the tension that arises from plot, " writes Catherine Brady.

   So when I say, silence is golden, I mean exactly that. The gold I am after as a writer is that magic that cumulative clues create in the telling of the story.  

For a more in depth look at this concept check out "Story Logic and the Craft of Fiction" by Catherine Brady. 
  
Did you prospect any gold today?   For me, it often requires sifting through the dirt, if you know what I mean.

4 comments:

  1. This is interesting. I'm the same way when I read something and hope I do that with my own.

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  2. I hadn't heard of that book; I'll have to look it up. Sounds like it contains a few golden nuggets;0)

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  3. Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

    "Prospect any gold?" HAHAHAHA, that is flipping awesome. Thanks for giving me that perspective. I'll look at the crap in my folders in a different light now.

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  4. I prospected some gold--made myself write a short story using the current Writer's Digest prompt. Sometimes I need a break from my current WIP.

    ~Debbie

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