Thursday Thoughts...

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” 

E.L. Doctorow

A good book is definitely one where sensations and emotions are evoked.  I think if the writer is talented, they do manage to make you feel something; rather than simply be told something. They evoke rather than describe perhaps?

One of the best books I have read recently was the Booker Prize winning Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. I felt that this book was the epitome of evocation. With limited punctuation, you felt like you were rushing along. You felt as if you were inside her head - with thoughts about making tea; and getting the kids to hockey practice and the fear of the watchers on the streets. He managed to build a sense of fear and trepidation; of constriction and spiralling out of control so well.

They say a picture can paint a thousand words, and much imagery does evoke sensation. But so does really good writing.

Perhaps the anticipation of that storm arriving...