Sunday, September 13, 2009

Aesthetic - Continued

Thinking more about the visual aesthetic of many of my favorite stories, it is clear that using an established aesthetic makes things much easier.  Just a few words, like castle and tapestry, or cottage and gingham, conjure an entire world and heaps of associations in a reader's imagination.  There is no need to slow down the action with a clutter of modifiers, and no need to risk clashing with the reader's vision.  It also makes room for describing the things that are unique and critical to this story and have the reader actually remember them.

I just gained a new respect for my favorite writers of science fiction - the ones who create entirely new universes with entirely new aesthetics (no mid-century modern cheats here!) and do it without getting in the way of a crackerjack story.

2 comments:

  1. I tend to think of creating the aesthetic much like good sketch drawing. Its not about drawing enough lines, it is about drawing the right lines. Well composed, the imagination fills in the open spaces with clarity and detail. Each line provides something needed by the whole. However, a misplaced line creates a clash that can wreck the whole composition.

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  2. Ooh, I just saw this comment. That is an EXCELLENT way to put it.

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