Storytelling Starters ~ Reflections on Telling and Writing 3
Saturday, March 24th, 2012
Reflecting on sound:
After attending two wonderful concerts over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting on the power of sound. (Reflections again!) One of the concerts was Claudia Aurora, a Portuguese fado singer. The other was Tord Gustavsen, the Norwegian jazz pianist, with his amazing ensemble of saxophonist, drummer and double-bass player. Both concerts had great intensity of feeling and a powerful and associated sense of the musicians listening deeply to the sounds they were making.
Music has led me to thinking this week about the power – or should I say powers – of language.
Reflecting on language:
The varying powers of language come very much to the fore when you’re thinking about telling and writing. In last week’s blog I suggested that telling is often much more informal. It’s perfectly possible to recount a story to audiences of adults or children just in the same way you’d tell it to friends over supper.
Yet at its best, telling a story also means paying attention to the kind of language you’re choosing. So you want it to be informal? That’s fine. Formal or casual, using the present tense or the past tense, there are always choices to be made. (more…)