This story feels familiar, like maybe we've talked about it before, but as I sought some inspiration tonight for a tough-to-assemble crime piece, I came across Matt James' Inside The Mind Of Phillip Schuth. Mark Kramer says in explaining narrative (everyone say "like a lover's arm") that, "Most narrative articles, books and documentaries represent a sensible truce in the struggle between chronological and topical organizational principles. This is possible only (1) if readers, viewers or listeners are so engaged by the strong voice of the teller that ... they willingly follow the teller through unset topical digressions, shift gladly and interestedly to other settings and characters and back; and (2) if readers then start assembling in mind a sequence of subtextual comprehensions that works toward their engineered discovery that ... the story has a theme, purpose, reason, destination and that it's worthwhile to ingest."
James' piece is a shining example of that. You never feel obligated to go along for the ride. You just go. Check it out.
Leave a comment