Spinning writes, “Every life is a story and every story is a life. We either start out screaming or need to be slapped to take the first breath.” I wonder if this also goes to the reader, who, upon advancing, screams or is slapped?
Spinning writes, “Every life is a story and every story is a life. We either start out screaming or need to be slapped to take the first breath.” I wonder if this also goes to the reader, who, upon advancing, screams or is slapped?
I thought this was a party line, but it seems to be a two-way only conversation–c’mon everybody, jump in!
Re your comment, I am applying it to the opening paragraph of a story and guessing that the reader screams if the exposition is action. If it is subtle and vague, but the reader is hooked, then the slap comes at the denoument. Both methods are effective: Even when the cat is let out of the bag early on, the reader is breathing heavy waiting for more. If an author is subtle and builds his plot to a climax or a twist, there is the element of surprise that achieves the same reader involvement and reaction.
Spinning has moved to: http://smgct.typepad.com/spinning/