Session Summary
Sunday, November 15, 2015
1pm to 2:30pm PST
Topics covered:
- final third of Off to See the Wizard (working title)
- more showing, less telling
- "smoother" read -- currently too "clunky"
Links:
Showing and Telling: The Basics - from Emma Darwin's excellent blog, This Itch of Writing - Emma makes the excellent point that it's not a case of Showing vs Telling, but a case of knowing when to show (evocation of emotion) and when to tell (exposition of information)—each has its rightful (and necessary!) place in fiction and creative non-fiction
Creative Writing 101: Show vs Tell - I do recommend you read the entire article, but here is an excerpt from it I think is spot on:
A sentence reads: "The man was well-dressed."
The reader may not have a good sense of what that means — the author’s notion of “well-dressed” may be rather different from the reader’s. If instead the line reads: The man wore an ash-gray Armani coat over a linen shirt, a red silk cravat Windsor-knotted at his throat.", the reader can all but see the guy — or at least his clothes — and has an idea what the narrator considers well-dressed.
It may seem a bit like a laundry list (which is exactly what it is) but this handful of details creates a clear image of the character and allows readers to decide for themselves that the man is well-dressed. And, again, this more specific description gives readers a stronger sense of the character — he either has money or wants people to think he does, and that “Windsor-knotted cravat” suggests an almost aristocratic air about him.
Similarly, a sentence that says: "The house looked old." leaves readers wondering what “old” looks like as far as the narrator is concerned. But the sentence that says: "The house slouched in a yard choked with weeds, its paint faded and flaking, the lace curtains in its windows yellowed with age." makes it clear.
(Also, Jareb, with regard to the before-and-after example above of the house, which sentence is the far more enjoyable to read?)
From Scribendi: Ten Tips to Help You Avoid Telling Writing - well worth the read
Recommendations:
Characters, Emotions, and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress
Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by David Gerrold
Lights! Camera! Action! A Movie Lover's Guide to Writing a Novel by Alfie Thompson
Session Summary: Today's session was excellent. Jareb and I reviewed and discussed the notes, comments, and editings I had sent him on his latest chunk of his story. We discussed character arc, character growth, setup and payoff, POV and perspective (and how those narrative terms are often mistaken for each other), and directions in which Jareb can take his story. I left him with the assignment of mapping out the steps ("beats") that his protagonist, Zeke, takes (even if Zeke doesn't realize he's taking them) that lead up to the payoff of his climactic realization, "And that's when it hit me." Another excellent session, Jareb!
1pm to 2:30pm PST
Topics covered:
- final third of Off to See the Wizard (working title)
- more showing, less telling
- "smoother" read -- currently too "clunky"
Links:
Showing and Telling: The Basics - from Emma Darwin's excellent blog, This Itch of Writing - Emma makes the excellent point that it's not a case of Showing vs Telling, but a case of knowing when to show (evocation of emotion) and when to tell (exposition of information)—each has its rightful (and necessary!) place in fiction and creative non-fiction
Creative Writing 101: Show vs Tell - I do recommend you read the entire article, but here is an excerpt from it I think is spot on:
A sentence reads: "The man was well-dressed."
The reader may not have a good sense of what that means — the author’s notion of “well-dressed” may be rather different from the reader’s. If instead the line reads: The man wore an ash-gray Armani coat over a linen shirt, a red silk cravat Windsor-knotted at his throat.", the reader can all but see the guy — or at least his clothes — and has an idea what the narrator considers well-dressed.
It may seem a bit like a laundry list (which is exactly what it is) but this handful of details creates a clear image of the character and allows readers to decide for themselves that the man is well-dressed. And, again, this more specific description gives readers a stronger sense of the character — he either has money or wants people to think he does, and that “Windsor-knotted cravat” suggests an almost aristocratic air about him.
Similarly, a sentence that says: "The house looked old." leaves readers wondering what “old” looks like as far as the narrator is concerned. But the sentence that says: "The house slouched in a yard choked with weeds, its paint faded and flaking, the lace curtains in its windows yellowed with age." makes it clear.
(Also, Jareb, with regard to the before-and-after example above of the house, which sentence is the far more enjoyable to read?)
From Scribendi: Ten Tips to Help You Avoid Telling Writing - well worth the read
Recommendations:
Characters, Emotions, and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress
Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by David Gerrold
Lights! Camera! Action! A Movie Lover's Guide to Writing a Novel by Alfie Thompson
Session Summary: Today's session was excellent. Jareb and I reviewed and discussed the notes, comments, and editings I had sent him on his latest chunk of his story. We discussed character arc, character growth, setup and payoff, POV and perspective (and how those narrative terms are often mistaken for each other), and directions in which Jareb can take his story. I left him with the assignment of mapping out the steps ("beats") that his protagonist, Zeke, takes (even if Zeke doesn't realize he's taking them) that lead up to the payoff of his climactic realization, "And that's when it hit me." Another excellent session, Jareb!
Transcript
jareb_collins_-_transcript_of_tutoring_session_sunday_november_15_2015_1pm_to_2-30pm_pst.pdf | |
File Size: | 54 kb |
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