: Re: Do 'text walls' scare off readers? A comment on a recent question of mine claims Right, so that's [large unformatted text blocks scaring off some readers in certain contexts is] a myth.

I'll say it's NOT just about formatting. Yes, solid set text (no extra leading, paragraph breaks, or short lines) is uninviting. But what's really a problem is written monotony -- long monologues, lack of rhythmic changes in wording, long paragraphs full of dense sentences, dialog that reads like writing rather than speaking, and descriptions that devolve into tedium.

Visually, yes, text without paragraph breaks or dialog looks uninviting. But writing can be bad and uninteresting even if there are paragraph breaks and quote marks.

Classic example: Atlas Shrugged. I counted one speech (a character speaking) that went on without any interruption for 21 pages. I might be wrong. It might have been 40 pages. Rand wasn't a novelist, she was a messianic lecturer, and that's why she had her "characters" pontificate for page after page after page, and then more pages. The whole thing is a boring wall of text. And yet, some people, mostly teenage boys and men who still think like teenage boys, think it's a fantastic novel (its main message, if you haven't been subjected to it, is "be selfish" -- so it's hard to see why it's popular with adolescent males).

Load Full (0)

: Look at "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It is the classic short story of a narrator's descent into madness, caused by post-partum depression and male oppression at a time

@Caterina108

Load Full 0 Comments

: What word would people with outdated technology make up for a plane? In my story, my characters live in the wilderness, and they have no modern technology. They do see ruins from the past

@Caterina108

Load Full 3 Comments

: My characters parents are dead, what now? In my book, my main character has unfortunately lost her parents. But before the plot, I have nothing. I don't want to do an orphanage, foster homes,

@Caterina108

Load Full 1 Comments

: Can anyone recommend a website or other sources that can evaluate my essays and offer feedback I want some professional or expert to review my essays and offer me feedback on how can I improve,

: Re: Do 'text walls' scare off readers? A comment on a recent question of mine claims Right, so that's [large unformatted text blocks scaring off some readers in certain contexts is] a myth.

More posts by @Caterina108

: Look at "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It is the classic short story of a narrator's descent into madness, caused by post-partum depression and male oppression at a time

: What word would people with outdated technology make up for a plane? In my story, my characters live in the wilderness, and they have no modern technology. They do see ruins from the past

: My characters parents are dead, what now? In my book, my main character has unfortunately lost her parents. But before the plot, I have nothing. I don't want to do an orphanage, foster homes,

: Can anyone recommend a website or other sources that can evaluate my essays and offer feedback I want some professional or expert to review my essays and offer me feedback on how can I improve,

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top