H. Space in the story for the reader
The narrator must present the story clearly and succinctly to the reader so that the reader becomes involved—that is, so that the reader is pulled into the story. Space is made in the story for the reader to feel and care. A good story provides opportunities for the reader to use his or her imagination in the reading and interpretation of the story. These opportunities in the story occur when the reader relates to character conflicts and begins to anticipate (and want) outcomes.
Principles-space for reader
* The narrator cannot withhold information. No carrots dangled before the reader to try to raise false tension. (Avoid: The automatic lay under her panties in her top dresser drawer, and Jim wondered why it was there. Was she capable of doing harm to another human being? Or even herself?)
* The narrator cannot be poetically excessive and vague. The narrator must use drama, meaning, conflict, action and resolution to tell the story. (Avoid: As the attacker shoved the barrel end of the automatic into his mouth and released the safety, a cornucopia of fear tumbled through his brain.) Reaching for impressive (often Latinate) words or extraordinary metaphors that detract rather than augment the understanding—or using images unrelated to the story—makes for ineffective storytelling.
Guidelines-space for reader
1) Dissect the techniques of authors you admire who bring you into their stories.
2) Use the story narrator’s perspective that is most effective for the best story. Here is where thoughts about distance, point of view, and voice are important to allow enough reader space to participate in and enjoy the story.
I. Sentimentality in writing
Sentimentality (broadly—the tendency of indulging in emotion or nostalgia) is not an easy concept. For the author, sentimentality is emotions demanded by the reader that are not created through the interaction of believable characters in dramatic scenes. Sentimental writing uses stock images for emotion, and clichés for descriptions of character emotions, rather than the unique involvement of characters that makes the reader understand and share the characters’ emotions.
Two realities work against the exclusion of sentimentality from fiction. First, many readers seek sentimentality (some readers are perfectly happy with images of babies with big sorrowful eyes and dogs with wagging tails). But the reader seeking higher levels of enjoyment that can only be achieved by a story created as an art form will not accept the manipulation of feeling that sentimentality evokes. Second, certain genres of fiction use sentimentality as a technique almost exclusively. For example, romance genre fiction is built on sentimental clichés and is enjoyable to many. But genre fiction is not a part of this discussion. In essence, for great art, the author must be able to create true emotional responses (see Example 10).
