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[AndrewFM]

What are some things that writing can accomplish that are either impossible in other mediums, or aren't as practical?

As a couple examples:

-Writing can express a character's thoughts, feelings, and emotions in precise detail. Other mediums are restricted to body language and actions, which are vague descriptors by comparison.

-Writing can describe impossible objects or situations. This can be done to an extent in other mediums (MC Escher), but writing can take it a step further. For example, "A single rift in space in which everything in the world could be seen simultaneously". That simply cannot be represented in any way other than words.

[Musenik]

Words can express negatives, far more easily than art. For example: Magritte's 'This is not a pipe.' He had to put those words on the picture, because a picture alone cannot express 'this is not a pipe'.

Now, before someone claims that all those 'no smoking' signs are pictures of negatives. Those are not just pictures. They are symbols. The NOT symbol (slashed circle) has a definition. It is a word, just like a chinese character is a word.

WORD!

[Xion]

nonsense, things that can't be conceived visually like "he took all the red and blue from the eyes of the people and poured them into his soul, before lifting yesterday from its place in history and setting it gently in the now"

[Captain_404]

Writing is very good at suggesting something beyond itself. To me, the best sentences are the ones which, when left alone, will slowly expand into universes.

For example, "Even in Kyoto, I long for Kyoto." is a very complex, paradoxical emotional state which can be expressed very clearly in writing. Although the same idea could be expressed in other mediums, it would take a good deal more context surrounding it.

Words have a lot of baggage, even their sounds suggest shapes. Add on to that subconscious information of root languages and general usage and you're soon dealing with a very complicated thing which is also very small. They are absolutely unparalleled at expressing complex ideas simply.

[Musenik]

Whereas visual art can suggest music, words contain bits of music.

WORD!

[AlexDJones]

Words are the key to a character's soul. Visual representation of a character places the viewer in the role of the observer. Everything we "know" about a character is in fact just an educated guess inferred from inexact evidence which can only be proven by compunding it with writing (ie; subtitles, character monologues). With textual narrative, we have unbridled access to a character's thoughts without having to assume that particular role.

WORD!

[Evan Balster]

Humans think with words.  If you've ever earnestly tried to reason with pictures and sounds, you'll find your thoughts can't be nearly as complex.  If you've ever tried to think and bypass the stage where the thought is articulated, you'll find you forget the thought in a matter of thirty seconds or so.

I think that alone stands as evidence that words can convey things at a level other information cannot.

[s0]

Easy: Writing = language = communication. It's the potentially most efficient and precise way to communicate.

...well, actually speech is more precise because it adds another layer of information, but writing can be consumed more selectively and, making it easier to filter out and revisit needed information.

...but I guess the special charm of poetry and prose IS the removal of the voice (and also the removal of linear time) from the formula. It asks us to use our own creativity and imagination to fill in those blanks, making reading a more mentally stimulating activity than, say, watching movies.

[Musenik]

Humans think with words.

While I agree with the original post, I'd like to elaborate on this point. Our brains work mostly behind the scenes, manipulating all sorts of things: images, sounds, sensations, feelings, but rarely in words. When an idea breaks into conscious thought, it is then posited in words. Remember, most other animals don't have language specific brain areas. They also 'think' and make decisions, but they're working with areas that we've outgrown. It's like the fact that our noses are rather good compared to other animals. We just don't pay them much attention.

Try this fun experiment. It takes practice, but it's a nice way to relax. Sit down and close your eyes. Stop all mental pursuits. When a thought comes to you, pay attention. Don't do anything with it, and it'll go away. Keep this up, and eventually you'll sense some of the after effects of what it took to bring that thought into words.

WORD!

[Captain_404]

Humans think with words.

While I agree with the original post, I'd like to elaborate on this point. Our brains work mostly behind the scenes, manipulating all sorts of things: images, sounds, sensations, feelings, but rarely in words. When an idea breaks into conscious thought, it is then posited in words.

For me,

was very enlightening regarding verbal thought.

The majority of our culture communicates mostly with words, which could lead to a person thinking mostly in words, which would lead to that person's mind being practiced enough in words to express complex ideas with them. While it may be easier for our minds to express complexity with words, it is not impossible to do so with other media. In the right time and place, other media could even be the dominant mode of communication.

[moi]

Words are the closer things to higher concepts used in our higher brain. That's why words are so much more powerful than any other medium, they use concepts while other mediums use representations.

[RCIX]

Humans think with words.

While I agree with the original post, I'd like to elaborate on this point. Our brains work mostly behind the scenes, manipulating all sorts of things: images, sounds, sensations, feelings, but rarely in words. When an idea breaks into conscious thought, it is then posited in words. Remember, most other animals don't have language specific brain areas. They also 'think' and make decisions, but they're working with areas that we've outgrown. It's like the fact that our noses are rather good compared to other animals. We just don't pay them much attention.

Try this fun experiment. It takes practice, but it's a nice way to relax. Sit down and close your eyes. Stop all mental pursuits. When a thought comes to you, pay attention. Don't do anything with it, and it'll go away. Keep this up, and eventually you'll sense some of the after effects of what it took to bring that thought into words.

WORD!

I have to agree with this. Specifically, we think in concepts. This manipulation is mostly sub-conscious, and most often surfaces in the form of words.

[Seth]

I highly recommend listening to this episode of Radiolab.  It's all about words, and they explore different ways of how words effect human thought.  In some parts of the episode I feel like we're not getting the whole story, but overall I thought it was very compelling.

[Evan Balster]

@Musenik:  The human brain is a wonderful playground.  The Anima is an excellent conversationalist.  

@Captain_404:  If we used a medium other than sound as our primary mode of communication, and therefore our means of thinking, it would still develop semantic structure of some kind analog to words.  I don't imagine, then, that it would be so different.


EDIT: Very good video.  Didn't watch until after writing this response.  It also pokes a hole in my above statement to a small extent.

EDIT AGAIN: And the radiolab is excellent too.  This is a very enlightening topic.

YES, ANOTHER ONE: Listened to the whole Radiolab.  Well worth the hour spent with my eyes closed.  I'm reminded of many occurrences in fiction where language creates a divide (in thought) between humans and non-humans; there's an episode of Mushishi where a creature that impersonates a woman's children loses its insticts after it is taught to speak.

[dongle]

Writing
– is immediate and overall faster/more efficient (especially for single-person auteur types)
– gives the author immense control over didacticism vs ambiguity and the agency of the reader

[Xion]

– is immediate and overall faster/more efficient (especially for single-person auteur types)

for what

[Evan Balster]

It's generally faster to express something in writing than in another medium, for most people.  I think that's what he was getting at.

Writing interactive fiction is probably easier on the whole than any other kind of game development; it's not any easier to do *well* but I'd expect it's easier to get off the ground with than anything else.

Low hardware requirements too 

[Xion]

It's generally faster to express something in writing than in another medium, for most people.  I think that's what he was getting at.

I dunno, there are a lot of things I find quicker/easier to draw than to describe, possibly due to my or my audience lacking the proper technical jargon to efficiently communicate certain ideas in spoken or written language.

[dongle]

In my experience, taking a holistic view of diegesis, it's generally faster in human-hours to write a whole world than to build one using either filmic or ludic methods.

(that sounds more pretentious than was intended; sorry)

[snowyowl]

Words are complex enough to contradict themselves.
"This sentence is false."
I think that's what a lot of the earlier posts were getting at.

Also, words allow you to compress most epic stories into under a megabyte. I guess this is because they let the reader fill in a lot more with their imagination. You just give the important points of the story, and enough detail to spark the imagination, then let the reader fill in the unimportant details.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think it's the other way around.

EDIT: The above post was made while rather sleep-deprived. It makes a lot less sense in the harsh light of the morning.