Hi Harvey. I believe your remarks about verisimilitude today are not quite accurate, and I’d like to explain why. In my mind, verisimilitude is not about adding or "layering on" detail; it's about ensuring that the details are believable and that they "make sense" to the reader. And regarding your summary of Zandri's position, verisimilitude is not about "telling the truth" in the way we typically think about the phrase, but rather about creating the illusion of truth—making characters and their actions seem real or lifelike. Verisimilitude refers to the believability of a story, increasing the odds that readers will "suspend their disbelief" and come to view the fictional character as real, not the creations of a writer.
Thanks, Mardy. We're saying the same thing, but in different ways. I view the characters as real. I'm telling the truth of what I witness as I run through the story with them. The "layering on of detail" means taking my time to record everything they let me see as the story unfolds. The accurate recording of those details is what makes them believeable and thereby pull the reader into engaging with the story.
Hi Harvey. I believe your remarks about verisimilitude today are not quite accurate, and I’d like to explain why. In my mind, verisimilitude is not about adding or "layering on" detail; it's about ensuring that the details are believable and that they "make sense" to the reader. And regarding your summary of Zandri's position, verisimilitude is not about "telling the truth" in the way we typically think about the phrase, but rather about creating the illusion of truth—making characters and their actions seem real or lifelike. Verisimilitude refers to the believability of a story, increasing the odds that readers will "suspend their disbelief" and come to view the fictional character as real, not the creations of a writer.
Thanks, Mardy. We're saying the same thing, but in different ways. I view the characters as real. I'm telling the truth of what I witness as I run through the story with them. The "layering on of detail" means taking my time to record everything they let me see as the story unfolds. The accurate recording of those details is what makes them believeable and thereby pull the reader into engaging with the story.
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
Harvey, thank you many times over for your archives. Such a great gift for all that will last for years.
Thanks, Bob.