C.S. Lewis, author of
Chronicles of Narnia, was an advocate
of using parentheses to “speak” to his readers. I remember one of my English professors
saying to the class that Lewis provided “a pathway” for the readers to join in
the story through his use of parentheses.
Image from the 1950
book cover
I think I was perhaps
the only person in the class who hadn’t read The Chronicles – which were published in the early 1950s and, of
course, still continue to excite readers of all ages. But, as I listened to that professor express
her great admiration for Lewis and this method of drawing his readers closer to
his words, I was quickly enticed to not only read them but to grow to admire his
technique myself.
For writers, parentheses
let you just talk to readers -- sort-of like an aside in theater -- and grant them
the power to become participants. A
pretty good idea (don’t you think?).
But like any writing technique, use it wisely (as Lewis did) so your
readers will not abandon you for being too gimmicky. Happy
writing!
Share
A Writer’s Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below
No comments:
Post a Comment