So you’re reading a novel, or watching a movie, and it is
getting intense. The character, or characters, are in trouble, and your heart
is beating fast, your adrenaline is pumping, and the slightest sound might make
you jump out of your seat. Your body is responding as if you are there with the
characters...as if you are in danger. Your physiological response is,
analytically speaking, irrational. These characters do not exist, the situation
does not exist, and whether they die or not will not have a physical impact on
your life. And yet the response is real, and it can be delightful, because
you’re not just reading a book or watching a movie—you are living in another world.
But this heart racing, palm sweating, gut wrenching
experience cannot happen if the reader or watcher doesn’t believe in what is
happening. The characters and the situation must seem wholly real and rational
and vivid; otherwise, the sense of empathy is gone and you are no longer wearing
another person’s skin. Once again you are just sitting on the couch reading a
book or watching a movie.
The story can’t seem fabricated and it can’t be
false...it must feel like a real thing discovered. The story must appear to be a Discovered
Story or the ultimate story experience can never be achieved.
#writing #writers
#writing #writers
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