Thursday Thoughts...

“‘The cat sat on the mat’ is not a story. ‘The cat sat on the dog’s mat’ is a story”. 

John Le Carre

As I  turn to books as part of my regular rotation of subjects for Thursday Thoughts (art, life and books) I smiled as I read this one and thought yeah - it belongs with books (and writing and reading...).

This quote sums up really succinctly I think, what can make a good writer. An ability to see something you can describe as fairly routine and/or mundane - the cat sat on the mat - and know that it is not much a of a hook or a storyline. But throw in the twist of it being the dog's mat and suddenly you can take people places.

You have thrown in an element of surprise or interest and the story can take off in a multitude of directions.

And for me, with books and stories, it so often about taking people places. Moving them from place A to place B, taking them along for a ride or a journey. And convincing them that it's one they want to go on.

I think our brains are wired to notice the unusual, the out of place and the unexpected - whereas the usual, routine and regular oftentimes can go unnoticed. I imagine finding the balance between a twist that is interesting and believable; and a twist that is hard to believe or fantastical, is key. A little bit Goldilocksy.

I know for sure, I'd like to know what happens next with the dog and the cat on its mat.

Bruges, 2014. We could all write the script!