BY PENNY FREEMAN
In the digital age we live in, thoughts fly around the world at the speed of light, to last forever, buried away in some hard drive or other until it’s long forgotten; only to be unearthed at the most inopportune and embarrassing moments conceivable.
Our smart phones not only correct our spelling but anticipate what word we’ll need next. Our word processors try to decide what we really mean. We often exchange information in real time using our fingertips more than we do our voices.
In gregarious outflows of too much information, assuming everyone on our contact list wants to know exactly what we’re doing at that very instant, we tweet, update, upload and share the trivia of our lives with little to no thought of the true message we are sending out into the world.
In instant communication, we let our fingers do the talking, and we attempt to do that as quickly and with as little effort as possible. Common (or not so common) phrases become acronyms. Vowels and punctuation fall by the wayside in favor of speed and perceived efficiency.
And typeface has become integral to the conversation. It has become our emphasis, our exclamation! *our stern command*, our SHOUT. We tell others to sit. up. and. take. notice. with our punctuation. The expression of our exuberance is in direct proportion to the number of extraneous letters we insert into any given word. Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! With a few letters, we send a strong message of incredulity or hesitation. Ummmmm . . . Emoticons replace the visual signals the person on the other end can’t see on our faces.
But, that’s instant communication. It has as much place in a manuscript as text speak . . . which is none, just in case some question remains in your mind on that score.
A well-written book allows the reader to submerge themselves in the world of the author’s creation and forget their own. The best allow those temporary inhabitants to bask in the beauty of it, tremble in terror, gasp in awe, revel in virtual neurosensory overload, all while remaining blissfully insensient of the Creator who dictates the fates of her characters.
The language of a good book is to character sets and typeface what a well-made composite picture is to the actual photographs from which it is composed. The work must be viewed as a whole. When broken down into its constituent parts, it loses its proper meaning.
Likewise, relying on actual typeface to convey those feelings or thoughts shatters the illusion the writer attempts to create, and with it, the reader’s ability to lose themselves in the tale. Moreover, the writer who relies upon instant communication tactics to communicate their message deprives not only her reader of the joys of beautiful language, but herself of the benefits of the skill of creating it.
Consider:
“Ssstella!” She heard the sound in the night. “Sssstella.” It came closer and closer. “Sssssssstella!!”
Or:
“Stella . . . ” The syllabic sound whispered on the breeze, hissing just beyond the audible register. Slow. Still. Sinister.
“Stella . . .” It sounded on the breath of night, with the rustle of the leaves. The subsonic sound of a snake sliding through the grass. Toward her. Coming for her. Swelling with increasing urgency as, shivering through her sensibilities, it slithered closer. “Stella . . .”
Ask yourself, which passage better conveys the sound Stella heard? Which better creates a sense of suspense? Which allows the reader to contemplate the thoughts and ideas conveyed by the letters on the page? Which more demands attention to the character sets themselves? Which more seems to be written by a grown-up?
As you write, when you are tempted to employ the same skill-set as that of texting or online chatting, consider everything you lose by taking that shortcut. Take the time to travel the scenic route. Revel in the beauty of the journey. Allow your reader to slow down and relish the experience. Most of all, don’t sabotage your writing by shoving a potato up your book’s exhaust pipe in an ill-conceived attempt to increase your gas mileage.
That will get you nowhere fast.
Editor-in-chief Penny Freeman writes, edits, and texts badly from Houston, Texas. Her most recent project, Shadow of the Last Men by J. M. Salyards, was released in August, 2013. Under her pseudonym of Neve Talbot, her short story, “Crossroads”, will appear in The X’s next anthology, Shades and Shadows: a Paranormal Anthology, slated for release October 31, 2013.
