tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post4376191741056055729..comments2023-07-01T03:18:42.772-07:00Comments on First Draft: A writer's instinctNadine Lamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11709289434339532281noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-46069915014609290502009-09-29T07:00:44.136-07:002009-09-29T07:00:44.136-07:00I see now.I see now.Glyn Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17944384973996748976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-86279086655215835522009-09-28T23:58:55.502-07:002009-09-28T23:58:55.502-07:00My guess is, Glyn, you do this already.My guess is, Glyn, you do this already.Nadine Lamanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11709289434339532281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-73441874455020589852009-09-28T13:39:39.196-07:002009-09-28T13:39:39.196-07:00Thanks, I shall look more closely tomorrow.Thanks, I shall look more closely tomorrow.Glyn Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17944384973996748976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-74603864503070852592009-09-28T13:10:38.076-07:002009-09-28T13:10:38.076-07:00I love verbose, keep it up!
My dear Glyn, often t...I love verbose, keep it up!<br /><br />My dear Glyn, often telling stops the action. Find and dandy if that is the pacing one wants, or if it is a bridge between scenes. For example, "We walked all day and into the night, the scenery never changed, the rains never let up." <br /><br />The point there is to set the mood of monotony and to move the characters to a different location. Now I just made that up, but I'd assume that the sentence or two prior to that could have shown the thick brush stinging and slicing paper cuts in their skin as they hacked their way into the tropical forest. <br /><br />As a writer, I'd expect something 'exciting' to happen after the author deliberately went to such pains to make it boring. They probably they set up camp in a clearing, ate something they had in their packs, settled in for the night, then...something happens, something overtakes the camp. <br /><br />Pacing then dials up the drama, it is short, quick worded sentences, half-finished shouts, as few dialogue tags as possible - clear up to the end of the action. In that case, the dialogue is likely to carry the 'showing' of the story. <br /><br />So the set-up was slow, boring, telling, bridges to put the reader in the drudgery of tramping through the rain up the mountain (or whatever).<br /><br />I know you're reading KB, so the playroom walls was telling. I wanted to introduce the setting, the mentality (heart) of the child-less nuns, and make the reader stand at the door and take it in before moving on.<br /><br />Granted, there aren't great amounts of action in my trilogy because it is literary fiction and it is largely an internal story vs an external story, like James Bond, for example.<br /><br />I can give you more on this, if you'd like.Nadine Lamanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11709289434339532281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-50169721973152853822009-09-28T12:52:44.293-07:002009-09-28T12:52:44.293-07:00Great post, Nadine, as always. I read the same thi...Great post, Nadine, as always. I read the same thing over and over again-read all you can in and about the genre you're writing in, but what's the use of it if you can't apply your own skills in your own writing? <br /><br />I think it's the belief in the worth of your writing that keeps writers going, otherwise many would give up at the first rejection. What's one man's trash is another one's treasure, some agents make a bestseller out of a poor book, others can't sell a good thing...it's all so subjective.<br /><br />I seem to be very verbose today :)Ivanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-55946866483282523742009-09-28T10:41:37.835-07:002009-09-28T10:41:37.835-07:00'For example, telling is safe writing, whereas...'For example, telling is safe writing, whereas showing is art. At the same time, one must know when to show and when to tell, and how to pace each.' <br />I don't understand.<br />g.Glyn Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17944384973996748976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-3059511162859268902009-09-28T09:51:21.279-07:002009-09-28T09:51:21.279-07:00Congrats on your book going to the printer today! ...Congrats on your book going to the printer today! What a wonderful accomplishment. I admire your perseverence.Daphnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17331081210249384572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-5472071191838800422009-09-28T02:10:10.763-07:002009-09-28T02:10:10.763-07:00Think of writing like oil painting. There is a cer...Think of writing like oil painting. There is a certain amount of innate talent involved. And yes, one can go to art museums all over the world and study the works of the masters. But one also has to learn about perspective, color, balance, shading, texture, light source, and so much more. Once learned, the artist can knowingly determine what elements to use to construct their unique style. <br /><br />The same is true of writing. There are techniques and elements that need to be added to the writer's body of knowledge, and these can't be fully understood simply by reading (or viewing works in a museum). To be a professional writer, one must learn the craft.<br /><br />Trust me, I read a lot of mss that are good stories, but lack the bold writing that comes with confidence from having mastered the tools of the trade. For example, telling is safe writing, whereas showing is art. At the same time, one must know when to show and when to tell, and how to pace each.Nadine Lamanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11709289434339532281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-91069826578070600972009-09-28T00:48:01.245-07:002009-09-28T00:48:01.245-07:00Publishers who miss out on greatness, like the rec...Publishers who miss out on greatness, like the record companies who turned down the Beatles, the publishers who said no to JK Rowling - maybe it wasn't right for them. But you are right - authors must keep believing, and never give up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422983897713906924.post-31684095894239148102009-09-28T00:15:24.840-07:002009-09-28T00:15:24.840-07:00I think as writers or just ordinary readers for th...I think as writers or just ordinary readers for that matter we spend too much time reading the latest most thrilling book. There is such a breadth and width out there from the past and present that we have to read as broadly as possible if we are going to learn how to write.Glyn Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17944384973996748976noreply@blogger.com