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LINE-BY-LINE Discussion Thread; The Workshop
Topic Started: Sep 23 2008, 04:24 PM (4,938 Views)
messyhead
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What I'd really love to do is build a story where the reader has to put a lot together themselves. Where you make it clear somewhere else in the story that Jaime hates lime green clothing, and then much later says to someone "What a lovely dress.' about someone wearing lime green, and without any more clues actually written, the reader says 'hey wait, she hates that color' so you know at that point she's told a lie, and I don't over explain. (Not the most subtle example, but you get the idea.)

Over explaining everything - particularly motivations, seems another nasty trap. Why shouldn't the reader do some work?

My favorite writer, Alice Munro (she writes short stories) lets you figure out most of it, and sometimes you can't. People are so mysterious, really.
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melchycat
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I love Marian Keyes for doing that. She hates the color brown and most of her characters do as well. But you have to read a few books first to realize that when they compliment someone on a brown outfit they are being totally sarcastic.
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OJFan
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messyhead
Sep 27 2008, 12:18 PM
What I'd really love to do is build a story where the reader has to put a lot together themselves. Where you make it clear somewhere else in the story that Jaime hates lime green clothing, and then much later says to someone "What a lovely dress.' about someone wearing lime green, and without any more clues actually written, the reader says 'hey wait, she hates that color' so you know at that point she's told a lie, and I don't over explain. (Not the most subtle example, but you get the idea.)

Over explaining everything - particularly motivations, seems another nasty trap. Why shouldn't the reader do some work?

My favorite writer, Alice Munro (she writes short stories) lets you figure out most of it, and sometimes you can't. People are so mysterious, really.

I am terrible about falling into that trap... I'd mention that she hates lime green dresses in chapter one, and then in chapter 7 when she compliments someone, I'd make sure I told the reader she hates lime green dresses. I think it goes back to me overexplaining everything. Maybe I'm not giving the reader enough credit.

I also tend to have a problem in that I think I overexplain their emotions. If Jaime is sad, I'll use what I hope is a nice narrative and tell you that she is, but then I KEEP tellling you... This is where I think you separate out the strong writers and the weak writers. It's not even that I'm being lazy about it, but as I continue writing and look back on earlier stories, I can begin to see flaws in them. But just because I SEE the flaws, doesn't mean I know how to FIX them. That's why I love getting someone to review my story first, because they can pick up glaring errors...
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Lola
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My experience with writing has mostly been essays and research papers where you have to explain everything and it all has to be supported by evidence so this type of writing is very different. I can leave things to the imagination, do unrealistic things, be ambiguous, etc. It's quite a change and very enjoyable but it's learning a whole new skill in many ways.
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OJFan
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It really is a skill isn't it? I', the same as you... For most of my career, I wrote technical papers outlining my analysis and proposing software designs, database optimizations etc... BORING!!!! You HAD to spell it out to the Nth degree so the client could understand it and couldn't sue later.

It IS refreshing to write fanfiction, it's just HARD sometimes... Now that I am beginning to see some of my flaw though, it gets really hard to write, as I can't just slap something together - I want it to be good, but that takes time... It just isn't second nature to me. I also need to expland my vocabulary to use different words - richer, more subtle words that better convey the precise meaning. I think that makes SUCH a difference for interesting reading.
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bionic4ever
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What works best for me is to let the story write itself. I'll re-read what I've just written and if nothing makes me stumble...it stays. Sometimes over-thinking it makes it harder than it has to be! Write to make yourself happy.
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OJFan
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I do, but it doesn't make me happy now if it is poorly written or jumbly...
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bionic4ever
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If you stumble over the words, others will too - and you can fix it. If it reads smoothly on the once-over, it's all good. I know someone who stresses so much about each individual word that s/he rarely gets anything written.
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OJFan
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Oh, so you've met me :) :) I just want to be a better writer. I love getting inside their heads.. I just have trouble translating my dreams/ideas into words...
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soxs93
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I have the same trouble too, with putting my dreams & ideas into words. That is why I have so much trouble with LBL #16.
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messyhead
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There's always a big gap between the perfect vision in your head and what you're able to get down on paper. I think everybody feels that way. I'll write something in my head that seems like pure genius, and when I put it down on paper it sounds stupid. You kind of have to get used to that!
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messyhead
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I think what you've done so far Sox is really great. Are you a perfectionist, perhaps?
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soxs93
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When it comes to something like this, yes. To me it has to be perfect or very, very close to it.
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OJFan
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I don't worry about the LBL's as much, they seem okay to be a little more lax with, as speed can be of the essence... I have trouble with the transition... I know what I want them to feel and how I want it to end, and even some good scenes, but it's hard to GET them there, and to word it without using the same old lines - that's why I say I need to enrich my vocabulary.

I'd still love to read more about plot devices, and other things like that MacGuffin thing....Other tricks writers use - or different perspectives - like the lurker's first person stories...
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messyhead
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soxs93
Sep 27 2008, 08:17 PM
When it comes to something like this, yes. To me it has to be perfect or very, very close to it.

You know, if you feel you've blown it, you can always start another LBL to get it right. You have as many chances as you need. Most of my posts don't really make me happy - maybe one out of ten.
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