(no subject)
A neat little exercise in a book I'm reading about novel-writing. Finish these two sentences with paragraphs:
When they finish the book I want them to feel...
I think I want them to feel the way I feel when I finish a good book... that it was insightful, fresh, interesting, that it brought some perspective to bear on the human condition, which I can apply in my own life and worldview. Ideally, a good book changes the way I view the world, so if my book is successful, that is how it will make people feel. It moved me because I cared about the characters and ended up with a feeling that something profound and meaningful had taken place. Sad is also good, characters crying, being pushed to some extreme, possibilities that go unfulfilled or are unrealized. Also, that I felt a connection with the character, that they eloquently expressed something to which I felt I could strongly relate.
Because to me, novels are...
Novels are miniature experiences that enrich the dullness of the common human life. It's one thing to say they are an "escape from reality," in so many words, but is there something to be gained from such escape? Anything that requires a degree of imagination, after all, is an escape. So, they are hypothetical situations that provide a battleground of ideas, a condensation of the best and most meaningful parts of life. This means I must choose what is best and most meaningful from my own life, and communicate it in a way that rings true for my readers, so that they feel edified in their experiences, more sympathetic, more human. Great books have improved me, so great books have the potential to improve humanity.
Tall order, isn't it? I should probably start small, lol.
When they finish the book I want them to feel...
I think I want them to feel the way I feel when I finish a good book... that it was insightful, fresh, interesting, that it brought some perspective to bear on the human condition, which I can apply in my own life and worldview. Ideally, a good book changes the way I view the world, so if my book is successful, that is how it will make people feel. It moved me because I cared about the characters and ended up with a feeling that something profound and meaningful had taken place. Sad is also good, characters crying, being pushed to some extreme, possibilities that go unfulfilled or are unrealized. Also, that I felt a connection with the character, that they eloquently expressed something to which I felt I could strongly relate.
Because to me, novels are...
Novels are miniature experiences that enrich the dullness of the common human life. It's one thing to say they are an "escape from reality," in so many words, but is there something to be gained from such escape? Anything that requires a degree of imagination, after all, is an escape. So, they are hypothetical situations that provide a battleground of ideas, a condensation of the best and most meaningful parts of life. This means I must choose what is best and most meaningful from my own life, and communicate it in a way that rings true for my readers, so that they feel edified in their experiences, more sympathetic, more human. Great books have improved me, so great books have the potential to improve humanity.
Tall order, isn't it? I should probably start small, lol.