Literary Breakdancing

A major difference between my ideas about fiction, and those of the literary elite, is how we approach the sentence. I see the sentence as simply one step which is part of a step-by-step journey. The point is the movement toward a goal, and the sights seen along the path. The literary elite, on the other hand, value the sentence as an end in itself.

I want the reader to proceed along an interesting block in a colorful neighborhood. The people and curiosities you see make up the experience. I also want to get you to the destination-- where a conclusion or surprise may await-- before the sun sets, the shops and saloons close, and the characters head inside to sleep.

The literary writer is preoccupied with each individual step. He pauses every few feet to engage in a flourish of breakdancing. This might be exciting once or twice, but soon enough becomes monotonous. Besides, he never sees anything outside his concern with his own stepping, and he never gets anyplace.

For the literary writer, as always, it's about himself.