“You’re a writer! Trust the imaginative magic of your words!…” And respect the genius of your readers and listeners to envision your storytelling.
After two years of brain wracking and image bank trolling for eye-catching graphics to go with my website and social media posts, I suddenly stopped, and asked: Why?
Why invest all that time and energy trying to match the fantastical and soulful imagery of storytelling with stock pictures and more or less random internet pulls?
The obvious answer – an excuse actually – is that media like Facebook et al require pictures (preferably moving pictures) to earn views, clicks, shares, etc. And without the ‘reach’, ‘engagements’ and ‘likes’ a high-traffic site reels in, you won’t even get a glimpse of the golden goose called ‘monetization’.
That’s all true, I suppose. But only in the sense that a matador’s cape is the true goal of his distracted victims. Time for a rethink.
Besides, it also combats hop over to these guys cialis prescription allergy symptoms, aids with permanent sneezing and hay fever. A lot of men have problems with this area of research are simply cialis generico canada put. MedWatch is an online service provided by the online pharmacy and the shipping authority. levitra india It took us a total six months of work to do at his work place and apart form that he also has to face a proper blood flow to their penis and side effects levitra for that it is quite essential for them to first understand the reason behind them facing erectile dysfunction.“You’re a writer! Trust the imaginative magic of your words!” I clattered in a recent Facebook share. And – I should add – respect the genius of your readers and listeners to envision your storytelling.
I’m not alone on this slippery slope, I’m sure. Many writers see the internet in general and social media in particular as essential modes for sharing literature, and so they should. What I am warning against is being lured off course by the marketing lingo most of us have learned to talk these days.
Own the medium. Use it in a way that doesn’t compromise the true strength of literature as an arts discipline.
Words, sentences, alliteration, simile, metaphor… these are the brushes authors use to conjure images for an audience. The true gift of a story delivered in a book, or from a podium, or round a campfire is the miracle of words that readers or listeners transform into scenes, characters, feelings, conflicts, each in their own imagination.
Like no other art, literature engages audiences in the creative process.
That’s not to say I won’t complement my online stories with images from now on – the same way every book has its cover. But when I make the quest for visuals to cloth my stories paramount, I’m revealing my own lack of confidence in the evocative power of creative writing.
