(no subject)

[turps]

I've been having an interesting discussion over email lately, which led to a question I wanted to ask other people.

At night, or when I'm in the car or even just sitting when it's quiet, I tend to tell myself stories in my head. Nothing I'd ever write down, just things/people I like and think about. I do that with words and occasional images. So it's like a book with illustrations as opposed to say, watching a movie.

My question is. When you think, do you do so in words, pictures or some other way? Or maybe you don't do the story thing at all and think I'm a big old weirdo. In which case, feel free to smile and back away.

Comments

[pensnest]

Mine are mostly visual, like seeing a film where I can get inside the actors' heads, though sometimes I amend them with words... it means that when I write a story, I find it hard to convey what a scene looks like - I just don't know how much description I need, because the story-in-my-head comes with pictures.

I don't know how people can manage *without* telling themselves stories. I do it all the time, although sometimes the story is "what I will say if..." or "what will happen when I get there..."

[turps33.livejournal.com]

like seeing a film where I can get inside the actors' heads

I can see how that would be a problem in terms of writing. But it's really interesting that you see them that way.

I'm not surprised that people on here tell themselves stories, but I wonder if the same would be true in a non-fannish/creative space? For example, I doubt James does. In all the time I've known him he's never read a book, which astounds me.

[pensnest]

The film idea makes it reasonably easy to get POV right - I imagine the camera on my POV character's shoulder, close enough to pick up his thoughts. If I have to switch POV, the camera moves to someone else's shoulder.

I can't imagine never reading a book - though, these days, I have internet-concentration and my reading is much more broken up than it used to be. And it's weird, but apparently other people don't tell themselves stories. My son seems to be able to have a blank mind. When I'm in the car, although I'm concentrating on driving, there's usually a part of me busily thinking about something else. Boy, in the passenger seat, is thinking of nothing. Very odd.

[turps33.livejournal.com]

That camera idea is great for clearly explaining POV.

I don't know if I find the idea of a blank mind soothing or not. In one way it must be, on the other. I don't think I'd like that at all.