DAY 035 – DESIGNING DANGEROUSLY

Consume Stories

I tend to trust young designers that were avid readers growing up. Anyone who has consumed a certain number of books is going to understand how story works, what is expected, how to look for clues in the writing. There is a double-mindedness at work, where you’re taking the journey with the character, but you’re also above it all in some respect, the omniscient observer, even if the writing is first person, etc. As the reader you still tower over the story physically, whether it’s in print or on a device. You dwarf the story and hold the narrative in your hands, direct your eyes where you choose.

I try to preserve my ability to be surprised. I read something to the tune of 90 Hardy Boys book growing up, and I was less interested in figuring out the mystery ahead of time (which is a moot point anyway because reading as an adult, they never provide you with any real clues from which to deduce the guilty party). I was much more interested in the reveal, the nexus where the entire story came together and got resolved. That’s not to say I didn’t love the ambiguity and mystery of it--there was something virtuous in these boys who were active participants in the story, acting upon the world, but also not having all the answers. They experienced confusion, fear, and ambiguity as I did. Joe was too impulsive, too much of a hot head however; I identified with Frank for fairly obvious reasons: eldest, more analytical, less prone to fight.

What am I trying to say? I suppose what I’m driving at is that nothing is lost, all that experience, even with crap-narratives, adds up to something: the ability to feel a story, to walk alongside it, to allow it like a sympathetic guitar string to move you as it resonates.