RE: Writing a Novel
Thank you - and I loved being referred to as an alien species.
There is one advantage in writing my way. I am placed in the same situation as any other reader, I have no idea what is coming and so I too am reading a story. The minus side? It makes it very difficult to be objective and delete unnecessary paragraphs. Even if I've read what I've written ten times, I continue to find mistakes and not only superfluous sentences or paragraphs, but also (the only way I can think of putting it) split-hair parts that do not add to the story and only distract the reader for a moment. Luckily I have rid my stories of many of those.
Do you ever read the classics and wonder, that author who wrote two hundred years ago, when the techniques of writing were not as polished, what would he/she think of an article helping them to write more effectively? Could it be that they would recognise it as being something they have already taught themselves?
Not necessarily. I think the nature of story, the story arc, etc, is more than just cultural (there is no society in the world that does not have stories). I think story patterns express the nature of the human mind and how our brains are constructed/work.
Therefore, stories from the past are like evolution, the only ones we know about are the successful ones that chime with the human brain/mind. The rest have disappeared -
become extinct. I think 200 years ago, writing a successful novel was a lot more hit-and-miss than it is today.
Back then, they would have loved to have access to the wealth of story and writing information we possess.
I think the internet has made story more important to human society not less.
If the internet is being shaped by story, I wonder if the internet itself reflects the nature of the human mind/brain. Ooh, that's a deep question - I will have to consider a post on that one.