[IV]

Originally Posted by NOBLE

It's like the difference between reading a book and watching a movie. You can read in a book that a guy walks into a bar and comes across a midget. You sort of have to use your own imagination in conjunction with what the author has written to imagine how that guy and the midget look.
If you watched it on film, it would be a specific guy/actor, a specific midget, and a specific set...so it's less dependent on your imagination cause you're looking at it. That's sort of the difference between reading a topical and hearing it. Words sometimes vary in meaning depending on how they are conveyed. When reading a topical, you have to sub-vocalize it and even create the timing and pace on your own. No matter how beautiful the piece is or how well it is written, to a certain extent, you may be giving the author more credit than they are due because most of the picture that's formed comes from your own imagination.
When it is vocalized, you get that other dimension. You get more of a sense of the conviction behind the words. And yes, that would be something that voters would judge too, and I guess that's what you're trying to avoid. But in a way, it's actually more of a true measure of a topical writer/poet. Reading and vocalizing a topical out loud CAN translate well, but it might just take a bit more work on the part of both the writer as well as the audience.

Giving that "extra dimension" takes away a huge factor of poetry.. giving the reader the chance to use their imagination and actually think and interpret the material in their own way. You're just reading out a story in audio.

[IV]

Originally Posted by NOBLE

It's like the difference between reading a book and watching a movie. You can read in a book that a guy walks into a bar and comes across a midget. You sort of have to use your own imagination in conjunction with what the author has written to imagine how that guy and the midget look.
If you watched it on film, it would be a specific guy/actor, a specific midget, and a specific set...so it's less dependent on your imagination cause you're looking at it. That's sort of the difference between reading a topical and hearing it. Words sometimes vary in meaning depending on how they are conveyed. When reading a topical, you have to sub-vocalize it and even create the timing and pace on your own. No matter how beautiful the piece is or how well it is written, to a certain extent, you may be giving the author more credit than they are due because most of the picture that's formed comes from your own imagination.
When it is vocalized, you get that other dimension. You get more of a sense of the conviction behind the words. And yes, that would be something that voters would judge too, and I guess that's what you're trying to avoid. But in a way, it's actually more of a true measure of a topical writer/poet. Reading and vocalizing a topical out loud CAN translate well, but it might just take a bit more work on the part of both the writer as well as the audience.

Giving that "extra dimension" takes away a huge factor of poetry.. giving the reader the chance to use their imagination and actually think and interpret the material in their own way. You're just reading out a story in audio.