When I was a child life was a lot different. We relied on our imaginations. There was television and radio but no internet. So a lot of my time was spent reading. I loved to immerse myself in the stories of others and imagined all sorts of different paths that I might explore as I grew up. The novels I read had lots of description and writers such as Dickens could take you back immediately with the swish of his magic pen. The depiction was slightly flowery and a touch dramatic but it worked at the time because, let’s face it, that’s all we had, our imaginations.
Today, the world is at my finger tips and writing has changed. The only way you can buy an eBook is via the internet. So, one would assume that you have the same advantage as me and can look things up at the drop of a hat. Which means that we don’t have to be so descriptive when we write. I would never try to steal someone’s imagination from them so some creative thought is still required, but because there is access to everything and everywhere via the internet, writing about a particular place or thing allows the reader to search and view it online. Even so, when I look back at the books I’ve read, there have been authors who have loaded their books with dialogue instead of description. Agatha Christie was one such author who had this amazing talent. She used the dialogue to paint the picture and the stories were driven by characters and not particular places but still made the reader curious as to what might happen next.
It’s strange to think about how much the world has changed and although I still love the feel of the book in my hands, I also love the fact that I can put my work out there for the entire world to read.
Sandra Maggs 