You'll be reading this when I'm out of town, visiting my
daughter. She's the one who prompted these thoughts, though.
We had a discussion at least a year ago, maybe more, on
contractions. I was saying that, of course, one writes a lot of contractions in
dialog because that's how people speak. The more casual and regional the
speech, the more contractions, at least for Texas-speak. My daughter replied
that contractions slow her down when she reads.
Huh? I asked how that happened. Turns out, she doesn't
actually hear the words as she reads. She reads super fast and is capable of
reading a whole novel in a sitting, if it isn't extra long. She quickly scans
the pages and takes in the meaning, but doesn't feel any rhythms.
I'm exactly the opposite. I read my stuff out loud as I'm
writing it. Sort of like reciting it to my fingers on the keyboard. In fact,
when I read books by Garrison Keillor, it takes me forever. I know how slowly
he talks, delivering his Prairie Home Companion monologs, and I hear his
writing in his voice.
I must say, I was astonished to learn this. I thought
everyone heard the words and the rhythms. Not so! The only way I can write is
to the rhythm, so that won't change, but I appreciate that not everyone will
care whether my sentences have cadence or not. Some of them might be slowed
down by my dialog.
