Monday, October 24, 2011

Sound and sense ...

... We Tell Ourselves XX in Order to XXXX | Mark Athitakis’ American Fiction Notes.

... as often as fiction writers like to discuss the “musicality” of their prose—we’re always reminded of how important it is to read it aloud—it’s unusual to see a writer concerned about that to the point where it’s the first part of the drafting process.


When William Kennedy read from his latest novel, Chango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes,  at the Library recently, I was surprised how much his reading caused me to understand the book better. His tempo and phrasing sounded different from what I had heard in my mind's ear. I realized that I had not got it right, and when I was asked to review the book, I read it again.


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