All narrative begins for me as listening. When I read, I listen. When I write, I listen--for silence, inflection, rhythm, rest. Then comes the image, the picture of the thing I have to invent: the headless bride in her wedding dress; the forest clearing. There is performance, too: "zzz went the saw," accompanied by gesture. And cadence: "Old man Simon Gillicutty, caaatch me." I need to use everything--sound, image, performance--to get at the full meaning of the story because I may be called upon to re-tell it for the pleasure of adults. Their judgment of my interpretation is critical.
This is such a beautiful passage, it makes me miss writing terribly, like a close family member I haven't been able to see for months. I will get back on the bandwagon in January, when I leave one of my most time consuming responsibilities.
