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| The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad http://horrorworld.org/msgboards/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13932 |
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| Author: | Grymmscape [ Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
| Author: | MeliSwenk [ Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
This article reminds me of something a managing editor once told me about writing in the vampire genre. "Go read everything there is, as much as you can get your hands on at least, to read about vampires. Then, forget it all and start writing." That was pretty much Ron's plan for writing anything, in any genre. Go absorb all the rules, tenets, and aspects that you possibly can, then let it all melt away and write the story. |
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| Author: | JJHolden [ Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
It can be a bit daunting, when faced with all those lists - "Do this!" "Don't do that!" And I'm very happy I learned how to write in a more organic fashion by reading, writing, writing and reading some more. For me it's more like poetry and music; rhythm and flow. And then I look at those lists of advice later and I realize I've already incorporated some of it. 
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| Author: | horrordude [ Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
You've got to reading everything. See the story in your mind like a movie, and be able to transcribe it into something that will keep the reader glued to the page. Easy. 
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| Author: | ttzuma [ Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:24 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
I've got to reading everything, too! |
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| Author: | JamesEverington [ Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
Yeah, I agree with a lot of that article. It's bloody writing, it's not assembling flat-pack furniture. And I loved this, in relation to the Lolita0 quote: "Language is your Swiss army knife, and you can’t do shit like this with just the knife and the corkscrew." |
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| Author: | Grymmscape [ Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Most Popular Standard Writing Advice Can Be Bad |
I was especially grabbed by Point #3: "When in doubt, cut" --the article's author was SO dead-on about the following: "That’s because beginning writers tend to be verbose. We can’t tell the difference between an essential detail and an inessential one. We’re like golden retrievers romping through Storyland, and pretty much every damn thing we see is a squirrel. But push this advice too far, and again, you’ll get stuck writing mediocre fiction. Because sometimes the things that don’t work are actually important. They don’t work not because they’re the wrong things, but because they’re the hard, ambitious, at-the-very-edge-of-what-you-even-know-how-to-say-things, and the only way to land them is to dig deeper, work harder, and sometimes even (god help you) add rather than cut." So true. Sometimes you have to risk saying too much or risk saying it in too grand a manner -- if it is important to the development of the character(s) involved or in really driving home the impact of the event described to narrative, you really shouldn't scrimp, be authentic and all that, yes, but don't short-sell your characters or your story. If a reader can safely skim through your words and not miss anything important to the story, then you've truly screwed up. If less is more, then by all means reamin succinct, be terse, but sometimes, especially for dramatic impact, only MORE is more! Don't (willingly) create disposable work. |
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