Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Margo wrote:A post on respecting reader intuition and a 17,000-year relationship to symbolism and storytelling...

http://urbanpsychopomp.blogspot.com/201 ... ition.html

Good post, but you forget one perspective.

We need to respect the intellect and intuition of our readers.

Same goes for the writers. The reader should respect the intellect and intuition of the writer, but foremost should trust in the writer's guidance and storytelling, instead of saying; Oh, it's boring. I know better. It's like telling to a tour guide who is guiding tourists for 20-30 years in an unnamed province of China, he is presenting something very interesting, but he wants to leave the best part for the last so he is making a detour in the storytelling... but you interupt to tell him... No, you're wrong. It's boring. I know better, because I've seen it on National Geographic. So, this respect is a two way street. You may believe you know something better, you may tell this, but if it's about something what someone else created, that won't happen. You, the reader is only a tourist who is visiting the world for the first time, while the writer is your guide who knows that world inside out and revealing the story to you slowly. Who the reader is to doubt the words of the guide?

To me, that's like saying a person is too lazy to recognize a color when they see it. It's automatic. Involuntary. Instantaneous.

I would believe this, if I wouldn't experience this already. Some are even lazy to visualize a colors when they read it. So unfortunately it's an existing scenario.

As we can see, I'm in a bit of a ranty mood today.

It seems not I'm the one who is in a ranty mood today. :)

Ah, but Guardian, what if the reason the tourists are restless is because the guide says things like, "And over here is some kind of historical building I don't care about. And that's a state building. It's about 200 years old, but I don't care to tell you anything about the architecture or what's interesting about it." And I think a writer/guide can get away with stringing the reader along about some deep purpose or meaning...so long as they are providing foreshadowing and depth through subplots.

Or, to use food, we can't keep shoveling saltines down their throat for 359 pages while promising a feast on page 360.

Margo wrote:Ah, but Guardian, what if the reason the tourists are restless is because the guide says things like, "And over here is some kind of historical building I don't care about. And that's a state building. It's about 200 years old, but I don't care to tell you anything about the architecture or what's interesting about it." And I think a writer/guide can get away with stringing the reader along about some deep purpose or meaning...so long as they are providing foreshadowing and depth through subplots.

Ah, but how do you know what is the connection between the historical building and the state building? What is happening if the guide is willing to prepare the story for the state building with the "boring" one? You don't know that as you can't read the mind of the guide and you also can't predict the future. Although have you ever said to a tour guide; it's boring? No, and presumably you never will as you have good manners. How would you look at your tourist mate, who would say loudly to the tourist guide; it's boooooooooooooooring!!! You would ask; where did the guy put his manners? Now it's the very same. Basically, it's all about manners.

Sweet Sweetness! http://claudiea.blogspot.com/2011/02/sw ... tness.html A long post full of guilty pleasures and awesome bloggers.

Just a quick post to demonstrate why you should look up words and phrases you don't understand. :)

http://hillaryjacques.blogspot.com/2011 ... using.html

Design 101: Choosing a blog service http://sommerleigh.com/?p=2349

The "You Are Awesome" cards I sent for V-day to blog friends http://sommerleigh.com/?p=2277

Some thoughts on what makes a reader bond with a hero...

http://urbanpsychopomp.blogspot.com/201 ... -hero.html

Made a post on magic as a set of natural laws: http://claudiea.blogspot.com/2011/02/ma ... -laws.html

I always thought this was basic stuff, but as I had to reiterate it, I figured I'd post about it, too. :)

New Blog Post - Bachelor Recap- If you're drinking along with this season, you'll love this one

February Book Wrap-up & Must-Have March Releases http://sommerleigh.com/?p=2372

How much have we really thought about emotion, and are we making the best possible use of it in our fiction?

http://urbanpsychopomp.blogspot.com/201 ... ction.html

On what is real in Living in the Illusion in the signature.

Books I read this month. Link in the signature...

March is my Butt-in-Chair month: http://claudiea.blogspot.com/2011/02/ma ... month.html

Time to kickstart this WIP more fully!