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<blockquote data-quote="Radiating Gnome" data-source="post: 222159" data-attributes="member: 150"><p><strong>Simplicity</strong></p><p></p><p>Wicht-</p><p></p><p>There are plenty of writers who would agree with you. Poe wrote every story to try to simply evoke a single emotion, and thought that was the way to write a story. And he's still widely read today. But most of Shakespeare's central characters are very complex, human characters with a variety of motivations and characteristics. </p><p></p><p>I don't think most writers really sit down and map out layer upon layer of meaning in their work, to be later excavated by self-satisfied scholars -- any more than I think ancient aztecs threw their potshards into carefully layered holes for archaeologists to find. And writers that do that tend to not be widely read.</p><p></p><p>The clearest difference is between an accent on telling a STORY or TELLING a story. A storyteller like Tolkien writes to and puts the accent on STORY. A literary writer would take the same story and focus on the TELLING. </p><p></p><p>Not that everyone isn't doing a little of everything.</p><p></p><p>And don't think I'm saying one is better than the other. There are literary books that I love for the music of the language that is used to write them, and there are storytelling books that I love for where they take me and the story they tell. </p><p></p><p>Here's another bad metaphor for the comparison. Many serious classical composers for the past couple of decades at least have become bored with the harmonic and melodic nature of music, and have taken to composing cacophonous pieces that most people don't really enjoy listening to. But to other musicians, those who have the same sense of "been there done that" with the mozarts and beethovens of the world, find that work worth listening to. </p><p></p><p>To push that a little further, because we have writing programs taking in young writers right out of college with only a little literary and life exerpience to build on, it can be like teaching young composers to only compose the cacophonous stuff, not the more tradiational, classical melodic and harmonic music. </p><p></p><p>-rg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Radiating Gnome, post: 222159, member: 150"] [b]Simplicity[/b] Wicht- There are plenty of writers who would agree with you. Poe wrote every story to try to simply evoke a single emotion, and thought that was the way to write a story. And he's still widely read today. But most of Shakespeare's central characters are very complex, human characters with a variety of motivations and characteristics. I don't think most writers really sit down and map out layer upon layer of meaning in their work, to be later excavated by self-satisfied scholars -- any more than I think ancient aztecs threw their potshards into carefully layered holes for archaeologists to find. And writers that do that tend to not be widely read. The clearest difference is between an accent on telling a STORY or TELLING a story. A storyteller like Tolkien writes to and puts the accent on STORY. A literary writer would take the same story and focus on the TELLING. Not that everyone isn't doing a little of everything. And don't think I'm saying one is better than the other. There are literary books that I love for the music of the language that is used to write them, and there are storytelling books that I love for where they take me and the story they tell. Here's another bad metaphor for the comparison. Many serious classical composers for the past couple of decades at least have become bored with the harmonic and melodic nature of music, and have taken to composing cacophonous pieces that most people don't really enjoy listening to. But to other musicians, those who have the same sense of "been there done that" with the mozarts and beethovens of the world, find that work worth listening to. To push that a little further, because we have writing programs taking in young writers right out of college with only a little literary and life exerpience to build on, it can be like teaching young composers to only compose the cacophonous stuff, not the more tradiational, classical melodic and harmonic music. -rg [/QUOTE]
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