Epiphany

[NOIRTRASH]

I had one today while reading a novel. The epiphany was the sudden understanding of story-telling and entertainment. I had been wondering why the book was captivating and engrossing. And then I knew why. The revelation is obvious but never articulated as how-to a tutorial.

Then I had an epiphany for the nature of intelligence.

Back in 1841 one of my kinsmen was a medical doctor at Tallahassee when a yellow fever epidemic came along. He did his duty, escaped death, and recorded all he knew about the disease. It was several years ahead of Pasteurs Germ Theory, and my relative couldn't fathom how yellow fever got from a mosquito to the human. The agent is a virus but none knew of germs. Intelligence is the means to create the connecting bridge from facts to results.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Give up?

Its simple.

From start to finish pose interesting mysteries and reactions to those mysteries, and resolve the mystery with a confounding effect or result no one expects.

Don't start stories with a shit, shower, and shave, or digressions about irrelevant garden critters. Don't end stories with so-what resolutions.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Yes. I like.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

I had another epiphany.

Be wary of subplots that stray too far from the main action. APOLLO 13 is a good example. The colossal spaceship failure is closely related to the Moon trip. 2001:A SPACEDYSSEY is the same when HAL goes nuts. But the story goes to hell when the subplot has little to do with the main event. I call such digressions DAYDREAMS. When youre after a piece of ass don't be daydreaming about your dry cleaning.

In psychology we call it LOOSE ASSOCIATIONS, and its evidence of thought disorder, especially schizophrenia. Stick to your knitting.