What is Language? Our brains are astonishing. They are capable not only of experiencing the world, but of simulating that world. And actually, they don’t just simulate the world we live in. Our brains can simulate just about any world. That’s what imagination is.
I really like how you've compared the experience of reading (language intake) to that of a spell being cast, and couldn't agree more. In the past I've typically thought of this as "suspension of disbelief," and I don't think it's NOT that, but I think "spell" is more widely applicable. Because, I mean, to enter into fantastical worlds, for example, you've already suspended your disbelief. You've acknowledged that what you're about to read isn't your reality, and won't resemble it, at least in the mundane ways that realistic fiction will.
Anyway, thinking of it as a spell, to me, means that each story and its world casts its own individual spell, with its own rules. Once you, the author, start failing to deliver on the rules introduced (and agreed upon by the reader), the spell starts to break.
Happy birthday! Much joy and health to you today and in the new year of new you! Thank you for sharing such insightful recommendations. Each writing needs to make sense and be as clear as possible. Even when you introduce bizarro elements, they should make sense in that kind of realm.
Thanks so much, your comment made me smile! Do you have any favourite technique for making bizarro things make sense? Do you like magical realism where the bizarre is normal? Or the dramatic irony of lovecraft where the characters refuse to believe it? Or something surreal? Or comedic?
I hope you have a wonderful day! Oh yes, magical realism is such a lovely thing to introduce into prose and poetry! I use dreams as a device to move a story. We all know dreams can be wacky and nonsensical, but we can accept them as they are because we collectively dream weird stuff. The narration can be used to comment on the strangeness of it all. And creating cohesion from one paragraph to the next can make strange things more acceptable.
That’s why American gods the book was better than the series: the book had a distinct dreamlike quality, but the tv series tried to make it feel more grounded and real
Your "re-rendering" point is excellent - it's something I find jarring when I read prose like that, and something I need to remember myself.
Happy birthday!
I really like how you've compared the experience of reading (language intake) to that of a spell being cast, and couldn't agree more. In the past I've typically thought of this as "suspension of disbelief," and I don't think it's NOT that, but I think "spell" is more widely applicable. Because, I mean, to enter into fantastical worlds, for example, you've already suspended your disbelief. You've acknowledged that what you're about to read isn't your reality, and won't resemble it, at least in the mundane ways that realistic fiction will.
Anyway, thinking of it as a spell, to me, means that each story and its world casts its own individual spell, with its own rules. Once you, the author, start failing to deliver on the rules introduced (and agreed upon by the reader), the spell starts to break.
Happy birthday! Much joy and health to you today and in the new year of new you! Thank you for sharing such insightful recommendations. Each writing needs to make sense and be as clear as possible. Even when you introduce bizarro elements, they should make sense in that kind of realm.
Thanks so much, your comment made me smile! Do you have any favourite technique for making bizarro things make sense? Do you like magical realism where the bizarre is normal? Or the dramatic irony of lovecraft where the characters refuse to believe it? Or something surreal? Or comedic?
I hope you have a wonderful day! Oh yes, magical realism is such a lovely thing to introduce into prose and poetry! I use dreams as a device to move a story. We all know dreams can be wacky and nonsensical, but we can accept them as they are because we collectively dream weird stuff. The narration can be used to comment on the strangeness of it all. And creating cohesion from one paragraph to the next can make strange things more acceptable.
That’s why American gods the book was better than the series: the book had a distinct dreamlike quality, but the tv series tried to make it feel more grounded and real
I never read or watched American Gods. But that is a shame. There are already a lot of grounded shows, we need more magic!