I woke up
this morning really pissed. And it was about books.
I was mad
that books are diminishing in numbers faster than a cobra after a hen.
I was mad
that Publishers and agents advertise for submissions and then say, “Because of
the high number of submissions it is impossible to comment on your work.” I don’t
need for them to comment on my work. But stop bellyaching on the amount of work
you have to do. You asked for it.
I’m mad that
people don’t read.
I’m mad that
our culture is relying on the Internet to publish, to convey information, and
to handle about everything in our lives from banking to paying taxes. Do you
see some danger in that?
I’m not against
the Internet-whoa, what a fount of information. What I am opposed to is our
dependence on it.
The other
night I tried to read a book to my grandson on my digital device and it was a
royal pain. It didn’t accept my finger swipe—I had to ask him to turn the
pages, and then it kept giggling back to the previous page. Hey, I’ve had a
book fall on my chest because I fell asleep, but I found the page again, and it
didn’t argue with me.
Do people
remember that books were burned in the past?
What if they decided to censor the Internet?
I know I am
preaching to the choir—this being a writers blog. I’m just mad and don’t know
what to do with it.
I’ve heard
it said that few people read beyond the first 100 pages of a novel. Either the
novel was lousy, or the person was lazy.
We are about
quick fixes and small sound bites (read-bites) and How-to’s and gossip, when
there is so much color, depth and message in a novel that it imbues our brain
with a kaleidoscope of wonder.
Science has
this to say about people who read fiction:
- Fiction sparks self-reflection.
- Readers of fiction tend to be more aware of other’s emotions
- Reading fiction enhances empathy.
- Readers of fiction tend to be more tolerant.
You have
heard it said that words don’t teach experience does.
What do you
have to say about that?
First I say,
“Preposterous!”
Then I say, “Well
sure, if those words do not evoke some spark of experience in us, we probably
won’t remember them.” That is probably the reason fiction imbues the brain.
RED is just
three letters put together. But I challenge you to read the word red without conjuring
up an image of red.
That’s the
reason words work so well, our beautiful brain fills in the pictures. Maybe whoever
said, “One picture is worth a thousand
words,” had it backwards. Maybe a
thousand words create some 500 pictures.
“Jesus wept.”
Emotional
picture. Two words.
