Scene and Story
August 7, 2024

Although I'm still working on my novel draft, I've once again felt the urge
to get a bit of knowledge out into the world via my blog. I was recently 
looking through Chip Delany's book "About Writing," and decided to dip into
the section titled "Thickening the Plot." In it, Delany gives his thoughts
on how detail in writing can help build a story.

"The most interesting point I've noticed is that the *writing down* of words
about my imagined vision (or at least the choosing/arranging of words to 
write down) causes the vision itself to change," he says. Delany notes two
kinds of changes: one, the image/scene becomes clearer; second, that if the 
initial imagining contains an action, the act of writing can propel that 
action back (or forward) in time. "Notating accurately what happens *now* 
is a good way to prompt a vague vision of what happens *next.*"

For example, if you were to write that someone "scowled," that doesn't
give a reason as to *why* they scowled. Disgust? Anger? Answering that 
question for yourself--as a writer--is essential. And, in fact, the 
way you answer that question may determine (or change) the entire 
direction of the story. You, as author, first need to see the scene
clearly, then you have to put it down on paper accurately. And in so 
doing, the scenes you write come to build the story.

(c)2024 Andrew Gudgel
contact [at] andrewgudgel [dot] com