Sunday Morning Literature

Literature and creative writing are two sides of the same coin. They even have similar philosophies.

Literature: Characters are revealed through their actions and thoughts, (hopefully) not by what the author explicitly says about them.

Creative writing: Show, don't tell.

(As a side note, I've never heard a literature professor actually say that; it's an unspoken understanding. My writing, however, said both hundreds of times.)

One of the books I'm currently reading is Devices and Desires by K.J. Parker. I've thoroughly enjoyed her other books I've read.

There was a particular passage I read that my English major/creative writing self took notice of. We have a new character, Psellus, who looks at the world in an animalistic, dog-eat-dog-world kind of way:

"He stood up, shook himself like a wet dog to get rid of unwelcome burrs of thought."

"So much for the day's mail--the world bringing him new challenges to revel in, like a cat that will insist on presenting you with its freshly slain mice."

"...he slept soundly, dreaming of [his political enemy] being eaten alive by monkeys, so that he woke early with a smile on his face, ready for his breakfast."

Parker never once says "Psellus views the world through a violent and simplified animalistic lens," nor "The political system is barely one step above the animal kingdom." Most people have experience with the first two quotes, and anyone who has watched The Wizard of Oz knows how terrifying monkeys can be.

Parker has slowed down enough to show us these things, rather than just telling us about them. She compares the complex human/political situation to mundane (and sometimes visceral) images that resonate with us on a basic level. She has given us the character's thoughts and actions, and trusts that we're capable of picking up on the clues without her explicitly stating his characteristics.