Hello all,
Recently I’ve been reading some modern genre fiction, and I’m finding that window-pane style writing is really common in them. I’m talking about the very clear and concise writing that doesn’t leave much ambiguity around character emotions and motivations. This clear cut, narration heavy writing style is what I believe is called “Window Pane”, since the glass is clear and there’s no opaqueness. I feel that this really drains my enjoyment of a book because I feel robbed of participation.
This has happened most recently with “The Cabin at the End of the World” and “We Have Always Been Here.” In both novels, there is a very direct spelling out of body language and tone. A lot of the narration will be stuff like “He looked down at his shoes. He was clearly ashamed and not wanting to make eye contact because of his guilt.”
Like yeah, I know what it means for someone to gaze down at their shoes when talking to someone.
Or “She turned her back to me when we spoke. That is considered very rude, and it was clear she was trying to show her dislike for me.” It’s just very tedious to interrupt the narrative flow to explain every piece of body language.
And before people start jumping in: I’m not asking for the merits of window pane writing, if it helps you understand the story, that’s great. I’m asking for advice on how to not feel frustrated with it, from people who have the same problem as me.
by applejackfan