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| Awww! I know. It ain't much. Mostly Junk |
Related to following a plot line and reminding ourselves of questions which a first-time reader might experience, there is the matter of who knows what and who does not know what at the time of the episode. Some writers call this a knowledge gap.
In
an episode with two characters there are three potential places where knowledge
gaps may occur. The third is the reader. For example: person A may not know
something that person B and the Reader know; or, the Reader may not know something
that A and B know, and so forth.
Consider
the episode of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. Isaac does not know what
Abraham and the first-time reader know. On the other hand, Abraham and the
first-time reader do not know if or how this is going to be resolved. Even when
the problem is resolved, the reader is left wondering, What was that all about? regarding how the action fits in the
bigger story.
We
who are in-the-know need to suspend our knowledge and try to re-enter the drama
of the moment. If nothing else doing so can prevent a blasé attitude toward a
very tense and offensive situation.
As
a youngster, I looked forward to seeing the movie, Bambi, but some kid’s grandmother spoiled it for me. Sitting right
behind us, granny kept the youngster about five steps ahead of the action. “Oh,
watch, honey. He’s going to slip on the ice.” “This is sad, dear. His mommy’s
going to be killed.”
Like
her running commentary, the professorial, “And-of-course-we-know…,” wreaks havoc
with the flow of many a biblical account. Let the reader/listener wonder for
awhile. Give him time to be puzzled and ask questions. Guide him to the thrill
of discovery. If we answer questions before they are asked they may never be
asked and a truth may be missed.
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Plot Thickens
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