Poynter's Roy Peter Clark writes that, like a magician, a narrative writer shouldn't disclose too much about the reporting: "Over the course of say, five minutes, that beautiful lady will disappear and be replaced by a tiger. 'How did he do that?' we wonder aloud. But since the purpose is mere entertainment, we succumb to the illusion and return to our ordinary lives. Succumbing to an illusion is, I would argue, a requirement of the successful experience of narrative."
May 12, 2013