Prose Writing

How prose pulls readers in. Style files carry the project's specific voice; read them before writing. This skill covers the patterns that create immersion regardless of project.

Psychic Distance

The distance between the reader and the character's consciousness. Gardner's continuum runs from far ("It was winter of the year 1853. A large man stepped out of the doorway.") to close ("Snow. Under your collar, down inside your shoes, freezing and plugging up your miserable soul.").

Control this deliberately. Move closer for emotional peaks, character-defining moments, and interiority. Pull back for transitions, time compression, and establishing context. The rhythm of close and far gives prose its emotional shape.