7/14/2015

And-Then vs. Therefore


…the distinction between "and then" storytelling vs. "therefore" storytelling. The reason I'm writing is because I think that while it's true that your story is more of an "and then" kind of thing, and while I think that is FINE, maybe the story should maybe take on more of the characteristics of poetry? It could more directly announce itself as "not a story." That way the reader isn't misled and becomes confused and hostile: "what is up with this story? It just drifts around...what's the point???” I was reading Walt Whitman this morning and I remembered that poetry is a classic place for the "and then" storytelling. It’s a rhythmic musical form for language, consciousness, order, etc., instead of the "logic" of character. When the story’s form arises more immediately and primarily out of the characters’ wants and personalities, the logic of "why did they do that?" that you find in the classic 3-act dramatic form of storytelling and in general folk psychology…

…comics can be thought of as lists, and lists can be thought of as chants. W is associating a bunch of things together not according to therefore-logic, but in a ecstatic union-in-time, with rhythmic or musical logics, like a good DJ at a good party…

…still, you should learn the "therefore" style of storytelling…experiment with it, because it's a very valuable tool and generally more popular form of $torytelling. In general I think we read things for the story, but we remember the music. I don't know—I'll have to think more about this…

…look at the forms of the great poets and musical forms and think about how to translate those forms into comics… 


3 comments:

Kevin H said...

Unsent

Kevin H said...

reading Leaves of Grass

J Crane said...

Yes. "Therefore" may sustain the reality of the dream, but the body of the dream is "and then"