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Post by vrabinec on Apr 14, 2014 10:00:19 GMT -5
I came across an interesting conversation on Goodreads this weekend (I'd link it, but I can't find it now). Someone asked which visual scenes from people's favorite books stuck in their minds. One of the mods answered that it wasn't the amount of detail in descriptions, but the emotion associated with the scene that seers it into memory. I was thinking about that, and I think it's a very shrewd observation. I KNOW Cooper described in detail the forts and forests in The Last of the Mohicans, but the visual that's most vivid in my mind is the scene in which Magua kills Uncas. It was such a traumatic scene for me to read as a kid, that the imagery will stick there forever. Lord of the Rings was brought up, and I have the same thing happening. It's not Minas Tirith which Tolkien spends pages and pages describing that sticks in my mind, it's the little hole beside the forest road in which the hobbits hide while the black rider is hunting the ring only inches away that sticks in my mind. It's the belly of Mt. Doom where Gollum bites off Frodo's finger.
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 14, 2014 10:35:15 GMT -5
Interesting. I'm going to have to think about this idea. Off the cuff, I'm thinking it doesn't quite work this way for me, though I'm not sure how it does work. Huh.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 10:42:28 GMT -5
I'm not sure it does in most books the way it works for me in movies. There are a few authors who have managed to evoke that and get me to emotionally connect to the setting, such as Annie Dillard, but most writers just aren't that good, I don't think. I also think it's something that really has to run through the whole story, and not just be at certain points. You start to see the connections because that methodology is repeated.
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Post by removinglimbs on Apr 14, 2014 14:28:44 GMT -5
Short answer: Yes.
I tend to skim--quickly skim--extended description, particularly of places/settings. I'm the Wal-Mart shopper equivalent of a reader. I like it low-brow, and I like it fast and plot driven. The scenes I remember most from books are the ones that hit me in the gut, usually arousing a fear response.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 17:37:02 GMT -5
I like character-driven stories, and I find those stories to have much more emotion in them than plot-driven. If the author can't get the reader to connect emotionally to the MC in a character-driven novel the book is put down, never to be opened again. I love books that make me think and feel. Solid characters make me do that more than quickly moving plots.
I'm not saying plot-driven can't evoke emotions. I think imagery can do that very well. You get strong emotion in short bursts then. With character-driven, the emotion is more of a emotional connection to the MC than a fear response, etc.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say (and not doing very well) is emotion is important no matter which type of book you are writing or reading. It just comes in different shapes.
One example that stands out for me is from Jazz (Toni Morrison). Keep in mind we have 2 parrots.
In this scene, a woman who is having a breakdown owns a large parrot. She decides to set it free. Unfortunately, it's winter. She takes it out of the cage and opens the window and pushes it out. Morrison goes on to say the parrot sat outside on the window ledge in the snow, tapping on the window and calling out, "I love you. I love you." over and over again.
It's been decades since I've read that book. It's the only scene I remember vividly from it, but it hit me so hard in the gut I still cry when I think of it. And, it's also one of my all time vivid scenes of all the books I've read.
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Post by whdean on Apr 14, 2014 19:08:33 GMT -5
I’d say the affective response depends on the execution, regardless of the content. But different people are probably more strongly affected by different things, so that you’ve got two dimensions at work at the same time. That leads into questions about application: should one focus on specific things? Don’t know that it makes sense without some sort of evidence, and I don't know of any.
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 14, 2014 22:31:54 GMT -5
In this scene, a woman who is having a breakdown owns a large parrot. She decides to set it free. Unfortunately, it's winter. She takes it out of the cage and opens the window and pushes it out. Morrison goes on to say the parrot sat outside on the window ledge in the snow, tapping on the window and calling out, "I love you. I love you." over and over again. It's been decades since I've read that book. It's the only scene I remember vividly from it, but it hit me so hard in the gut I still cry when I think of it. And, it's also one of my all time vivid scenes of all the books I've read. OMG. Caddy, why did you have to relate that scene!? I'm at work, for Christssake!  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 23:36:36 GMT -5
I like character-driven stories, and I find those stories to have much more emotion in them than plot-driven. If the author can't get the reader to connect emotionally to the MC in a character-driven novel the book is put down, never to be opened again. I love books that make me think and feel. Solid characters make me do that more than quickly moving plots. I'm not saying plot-driven can't evoke emotions. I think imagery can do that very well. You get strong emotion in short bursts then. With character-driven, the emotion is more of a emotional connection to the MC than a fear response, etc. So, I guess what I'm trying to say (and not doing very well) is emotion is important no matter which type of book you are writing or reading. It just comes in different shapes. One example that stands out for me is from Jazz (Toni Morrison). Keep in mind we have 2 parrots. In this scene, a woman who is having a breakdown owns a large parrot. She decides to set it free. Unfortunately, it's winter. She takes it out of the cage and opens the window and pushes it out. Morrison goes on to say the parrot sat outside on the window ledge in the snow, tapping on the window and calling out, "I love you. I love you." over and over again. It's been decades since I've read that book. It's the only scene I remember vividly from it, but it hit me so hard in the gut I still cry when I think of it. And, it's also one of my all time vivid scenes of all the books I've read. Off topic...kind of...but Caddy, that reminds me of one of my all-time favorite movies. It's called "Paulie," I think. It about a parrot. I've seen it several times, although its been years ago, and each time I bawl my eyes out! |
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Post by vrabinec on Apr 15, 2014 8:11:59 GMT -5
In this scene, a woman who is having a breakdown owns a large parrot. She decides to set it free. Unfortunately, it's winter. She takes it out of the cage and opens the window and pushes it out. Morrison goes on to say the parrot sat outside on the window ledge in the snow, tapping on the window and calling out, "I love you. I love you." over and over again. It's been decades since I've read that book. It's the only scene I remember vividly from it, but it hit me so hard in the gut I still cry when I think of it. And, it's also one of my all time vivid scenes of all the books I've read. OMG. Caddy, why did you have to relate that scene!? I'm at work, for Christssake! Ditto. I got all misty just from that depiction. |
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Post by Suzy on Apr 15, 2014 8:35:11 GMT -5
Caddy... sniff. That is so sad... I think that the emotions of the character can enhance the visual- or the scene setting. We all see things differently and notice things more, according to how we feel. A happy person will see the sunshine glinting in a pond, but a sad person might just see the depth of it and think about how cold the water is and not notice the sunshine, for example.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 8:57:42 GMT -5
Short answer: Yes. I tend to skim--quickly skim--extended description, particularly of places/settings. I'm the Wal-Mart shopper equivalent of a reader. I like it low-brow, and I like it fast and plot driven. The scenes I remember most from books are the ones that hit me in the gut, usually arousing a fear response. ^^THIS^^ |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 9:18:17 GMT -5
Detailed description is nothing to me without emotional setting. If I don't know what the characters are feeling then I'm not present with them. It's the difference between looking at photos of a haunted house, and being in it for me. For me the writer who understood this best was Edgar Allan Poe.
Not to hijack the thread...but I think this applies to character descriptions as well. Personally, I want just enough detail to give me a feel for the characters personality. I don't need to be told the shape of their nose and the color of their eyes. I'd rather draw on my own archetypal banks to complete the picture of the person in my head. So if the character is described as hawkish and stern, with piercing eyes. I'll conjure up my own visual based on my subconscious memories of people I've met that remind me of that description.
I try to write that way too - two lines about the same guy from a WIP:
"The suit fit him far too tightly, the buttons of the greasy dress shirt, straining to live up to their purpose. He pounded furiously at the typewriter in front of him, sausage fingers mashing the keys, the whole desk shaking every time he smacked the carriage return back into place."
"His smile broadened. Open-mouthed, tiny teeth glistening with spittle, he turned his great bulk and toddled off to a dark corner of the room, presumably in pursuit of a comfy chair to support his great bottom."
How about you guys?
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