In my previous blog about this topic, I touched on visualization being a key aspect in storytelling, but what is visualization, and how does it connect to the art of storytelling? 

Visualization almost single-handedly sets up the entire premise for the story. It’s the setting of the story that gives us the context as to why certain actions happen within the book. Without this background knowledge, readers will be confused as to certain characters’ actions. The Occipital Lobe is responsible for visualization, that is, imagining scenes and events that you’ve never actually seen. This ability to imagine scenery is what makes stories very interesting to read. A great story utilizes setting as much as possible. For example, a novel set in the 1890s might depict women being unable to vote. Without the context of this novel being set before women got the right to vote (in the 1920s), readers might be confused as to why the women in the novel cannot vote. This may also explain certain actions taken in the story like strikes or petitions to give women the right to vote. Another example might be a novel depicting jousting. If the novel doesn’t clearly depict a medieval setting, as readers might expect, then it will leave them confused and ultimately repulsed by the book. 

Most novels greatly utilize visualization, but what actually happens in our brains when we visualize? I previously discussed neural coupling, where the brain’s neural patterns temporarily match that of the person telling the story. When we empathize with characters in a book, we inadvertently think like them, too. When we think like these characters and put ourselves in their shoes, we literally imagine what the characters are seeing, not just what they’re feeling. The motor cortex of the brain is deeply involved with visualization. This is because when we imagine ourselves doing something, like moving an arm or lifting a leg, it activates the motor cortex directly, which also activates when we really move a muscle. However, imagining ourselves moving a muscle doesn’t actually cause us to do so. This feeling of moving without actually moving is the core of visualization. The same thing happens in stories. In a Wild West themed story, we may imagine ourselves walking through a musty old town, perhaps walking into a saloon or a motel. Whatever the character is described to do, we imagine ourselves doing it. This allows us to experience stories in almost a first-person level, even when the story is told from a third-person perspective.

In conclusion, the process of visualization is very complex and is still being studied to this day. However, a lot that we know about it is being used to craft great stories that are intellectually stimulating and fun to read. 

Sources: 

1. Brain Basics Part One: The Power of Visualization: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/gifted-ed-guru/201211/brain-basics-part-one-the-power-visualization
2. Can Visualizing Your Body Doing Something Help You Learn to Do It Better?: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-visualizing-your-body-doing-something-help-you-learn-to-do-it-better/