@clpolk When I describe something in writing, that scene or turn of events is no more preconceived than it is evoked in my mind on re-reading my description

So I don’t think I’d consider it all that helpful to try to (somehow) conceive of myself as being within the scene or in the midst of the action

(I also draw and make music, and in those cases what I end up with stems from an iterative process of working out an idea on paper or at the keyboard)

#ActuallyAphantasic

Prompted by a quip made elsewhere, I wondered afresh why it is that I sometimes like to rewatch films I’ve seen before (perhaps many times before), whereas I’ll almost never read a novel more than once

Partly it comes down to time and effort, I think: it takes much, much longer for me to read a book than to watch a film

(And the time it takes to watch a film is predictable, unlike the number of weeks it could take me to get through a book)

But I also wondered if has something to do with being aphantasic

If I even vaguely recall the basic plot of a novel, it can be tedious for me to have to reread all the words used to convey that plot (just to remind myself of a few forgotten details), unless they are particularly beautifully put together

Only in a very weak sense (I suspect) am I transported to the world of the story when I’m reading

Watching a film on the other hand, I am drawn in to the illusion of reality created by the immediate sense impressions of moving images and sound

I imagine that someone who is hyperphantasic (or just has more typical mental imagery) would find it easier to slip into an imaginary world when reading (making repeat readings more enjoyable), while being able to recall sense impressions from a film at will would reduce their interest in rewatching it

Does that make any sense?

#aphantasia #hyperphantasia #ActuallyAphantasic #novels #films #movies