turps | (no subject)

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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.

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I do the same thing too! Usually with both words and pictures, like a film or something with narration over it. The narration doesn't really continue throughout the thing, it flickers on and off, but I always have the film going on, if that makes sense.

Mostly words... unless it's the sexy bits. ;)

My stories are usually fleshed out scenes with really sharp images for some sections and fuzzier for others. Dialogue too. Which is why when it happens for a story I am working on, I am now trying to take a pad and pen to bed so I can write down the dialogue bits or else I'll forget them.

I think it's in pictures mostly. As if I was watching some film... except when you watch something on the screen it's more or less restrictive, whereas those images are like watching RL scenes around you, it usually looks bigger somehow and more real, almost as in 3D. I'm not sure I'm saying it right. But, anyway, yes, in pictures it is.

Words. Words words words. I don't really visualize things, not in the sense of having pictures in my head. When I read, all the voices sound like mine. All the description an author puts in (paragraphs and paragraphs!) translates in my head to "there's a table with a chair, and some kind of dog underneath. Right. Moving on." I tend to knit things in the same color scheme that the designer did for the pattern, because I can't imagine what the sweater would look like in any other color.

It sounds limiting, but it really isn't. My "imaginary stories" tend to be deeply involved mental conversations, and they're often quite interesting. :D

Nah, you're not weird. I do the same thing. Mine's pictures, though, with spoken dialogue. Like a movie in my head. I've always considered myself very lucky to have that. :-D

Both words (in the form of dialog) and also sometimes, like a little movie. ((When it's really good, it's the most embarrassing Mary-Sue-ish stuff that goes on. :"> ))

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..."

Interesting, I never thought about this.

My thinking is very similar to yours - mostly words with occasional flashes of pictures and mini-movies (gifs?). I often have to consciously think "what would that look like?" or "what would he look like?" to get an image in my head, and even then it's not very sharp or well defined... just a flicker really.

It's kind of the same when I read fic - I enjoy the story without actually picturing the scene as a movie. When I actually try to make myself imagine the characters, I lose the flow of the story. So yes, I am definitely word-centric.

I tell myself stories all the time, especially when I'm trying to go to sleep (I can't sleep if I'm thinking about real things), and they're mostly like

trumpeterofdoom said, a movie with sporadic narration over top. Well, a lot of narration. And dialogue. But always pictures. :)

Hey if you're weirdo, so am I ;)

I've been doing it since I can remember, mostly with words but there are images here and there.

We can be weird together!

Your way sounds very like mine. It really is interesting to read all these answers. People are so cool.

When I'm going to sleep is my favourite time to tell myself stories.

It must be like having your own personal movie that you can affect at will. I find that so cool.

I do words and images, but it's like the words words come first. It's very like reading a book, actually -- when I read, I see the scenes very clearly, and when I'm telling myself a story in my head, or going over story scenes, I 'read' the words to myself and that generates the images. Which means that if I'm thinking about a character thinking about something, I have both the image of the character as they're thinking, and the image of what they're thinking about.

Really, I shouldn't be let out on the roads.

Yes. You're so close to how I think about stories. I can think of images but mostly I have to prompt myself to do so. And yeah, it's the same for reading fic. While I can imagine characters and setting, I don't read the actual story in a movie like way.

I think in mostly words, sometimes pictures. I’ve been known to dash out of a room, rush to a computer or scribble things down in the middle of doing something else. Like two weeks ago I was standing at the sink, washing some dishes and my dad was talking about something. My mind started to wander and all of a sudden, I had just ‘written’ the middle of a story. I dashed to my room to write it all down before it escaped me. I carry around one of those black and white journal books just for things like that. Sometimes I just let my mind ramble but sometimes it comes up with really good stuff that I can’t bear to lose.

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.

So you're an over achiever who can do both *g*

The stories in your head are meant for Mary-Sues. There's nothing embarrassing about it :)

You are lucky to have that. I think it's so cool, and also an excellent boredom buster :)

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.

I don't think it's limiting, more a different way to approach things, one that's interesting to think about. I'd imagine deeply involved mental conversations are very satisfying.

No, I get what you mean. Your way sounds very much like how Pen sees things. It's different to how my mental stories play out, but fascinating to hear about.

I love that you get your dialogue like that. If I did that I'd have to go post at Nifty *g*

Hee. So the sexy bits are in full colour action. Awesome.

It does make sense. I think having a film going in your head is cool, having the dialogue just makes that better.

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