Naturally Rich Images

One of my friends was telling me about a style of writing he's been working on. He described it as explaining why you think something is important without using your personal feelings. He used as an example a six-shooter he inherited from his grandfather.

The story he told was about the gun, called The Judge. Talked about its history, that it dated as far back as the civil war, and considered what influences it may have had. I noticed, as he was telling the story, that it was both interesting and impersonal. He never used "I" in it, and yet I was drawn. I realized what he was doing that was making it work.

The story involved naturally rich images. War is always exciting. It is combat, life and death, rugged, scary. The Civil War is a significant one for us Americans. Some people are extremely close to it, some going as far as reenacting its battles. Even for those who don't particularly care about the war, it was still the battle between brothers. The Judge also became a character. Its wielder didn't matter. The Judge was the hero, the silent protagonist who we follow through time, judging others as worthy or not. The narrator does not need to be involved to make this story interesting.

The effectiveness of writing comes from every aspect of it. The way you tell a story has a significant effect on how people react to it. An incredibly mundane story can be made interesting if it is told in an exciting way. However, if you start off by using images and scenes that are naturally exciting and gripping, you have a lot more leeway in your delivery. Of course, if you have incredible images and impeccable delivery, that's how you blow an audience out of the water.