Damien Walter, a writer (both fiction and for The Guardian), writing teacher, and Clarion graduate (you can find him here on Twitter), recently linked to an interesting article on his blog.
The article discusses the results of fMRI scans of writers’ brains when writing. Apparently, novice visualize a scene, whereas more advanced writers narrated a scene. This finding was particularly striking to me because I am certainly guilty of this–picturing a scene in my mind and then describing it as a write.
However, as I would like to write a novel instead of a screenplay or a news column, the distinction is important. So how can I make the jump from “reporting” a story to telling a story that comes alive in a reader’s mind? Well, you’ll have to visit Walter’s blog for that. Like a good teacher should, he doesn’t just highlight the issue, but he offers a way forward. I hope you find it as helpful as I did.
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