Explication - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T08:01:12Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:66805?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A66917&feed=yes&xn_auth=noNice to have a slightly alter…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-27:537324:Comment:672512007-08-27T10:39:34.248ZPatricia Abbotthttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/pattinase
Nice to have a slightly alternative POV on this. I agree that dialogue too pointedly written to move plot can be annoying. Thanks.
Nice to have a slightly alternative POV on this. I agree that dialogue too pointedly written to move plot can be annoying. Thanks. I think economy is important.…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-27:537324:Comment:672042007-08-27T04:23:31.514ZKevin Allmanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/kevinallman
I think economy is important. Showing, not telling, is usually better...but if it would take a page to convey in action what you could dispose of in a tightly written graf, I'd rather read the graf.<br />
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And I'd always (well, usually) prefer to get into a character's head with some blunt explication than to get mired in a long dialogue or observational scene. Some writers will say <i>"Susan wasn't fine, but she wasn't about to let Mr. Hastings know that."</i> Others will take a page and attempt to…
I think economy is important. Showing, not telling, is usually better...but if it would take a page to convey in action what you could dispose of in a tightly written graf, I'd rather read the graf.<br />
<br />
And I'd always (well, usually) prefer to get into a character's head with some blunt explication than to get mired in a long dialogue or observational scene. Some writers will say <i>"Susan wasn't fine, but she wasn't about to let Mr. Hastings know that."</i> Others will take a page and attempt to show that Susan wasn't fine in a protracted scene...which actually just keeps the action at bay.<br />
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Of course, telling the difference and knowing which one to choose is easier when you're the reader, not the writer! Thanks so much for the cite.…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-26:537324:Comment:669482007-08-26T16:13:12.936ZPatricia Abbotthttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/pattinase
Thanks so much for the cite. I'll get my hands on it immediately. I'm reading the new Mosley book on writing right now, which I highly recommend. And thanks for your good wishes. Glad I did it even if it never gets published. Thirty-five short stories was enough to not try a novel at last.
Thanks so much for the cite. I'll get my hands on it immediately. I'm reading the new Mosley book on writing right now, which I highly recommend. And thanks for your good wishes. Glad I did it even if it never gets published. Thirty-five short stories was enough to not try a novel at last. I agree with I.J.completely.…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-26:537324:Comment:669382007-08-26T15:37:04.199Zterry bowmanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/foolesgold
I agree with I.J.completely. There's an excellent essay on characterization by Michael Connelly in the great book, "Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America," Sometimes you can convey in one sentence the mood that takes pages on first look.<br />
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You've finished the first draft. Now is when the fun starts. You've poured out your blood, sweat, and tears on completing your "story," now you get to exercise your craft and turn the story into a novel. Congrats and good wishes!
I agree with I.J.completely. There's an excellent essay on characterization by Michael Connelly in the great book, "Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America," Sometimes you can convey in one sentence the mood that takes pages on first look.<br />
<br />
You've finished the first draft. Now is when the fun starts. You've poured out your blood, sweat, and tears on completing your "story," now you get to exercise your craft and turn the story into a novel. Congrats and good wishes! I see you were talking about…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-26:537324:Comment:669222007-08-26T14:16:54.427ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I see you were talking about the back story. My feeling is that that needs to be fed in gradually and not dumped into the first chapter.
I see you were talking about the back story. My feeling is that that needs to be fed in gradually and not dumped into the first chapter. No. You can get into your pro…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-26:537324:Comment:669212007-08-26T14:13:59.577ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
No. You can get into your protagonist's head in modern crime fiction. It's the old version that kept the detective remote (except for an occasional unexplained "Hah! I knew it.") However, getting into the detective's head also means that the reader knows everything he knows when he knows it. You have to plot differently.
No. You can get into your protagonist's head in modern crime fiction. It's the old version that kept the detective remote (except for an occasional unexplained "Hah! I knew it.") However, getting into the detective's head also means that the reader knows everything he knows when he knows it. You have to plot differently. Yes, it's finished. And my fi…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-26:537324:Comment:669172007-08-26T13:35:09.378ZPatricia Abbotthttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/pattinase
Yes, it's finished. And my first reader remarked on the amount of explication in the first chapter. My protagonist is a loner and I felt obligated to explain her situation--perhaps overly. I think I was feeling my way into the story still in that chapter. Now I think I can reassemble it without so much explication. Although I think it's the right thing to do, I don't mind reading books which use it to some extent. Wall-to-wall dialogue can be tiring too. But I yield to more experienced writers…
Yes, it's finished. And my first reader remarked on the amount of explication in the first chapter. My protagonist is a loner and I felt obligated to explain her situation--perhaps overly. I think I was feeling my way into the story still in that chapter. Now I think I can reassemble it without so much explication. Although I think it's the right thing to do, I don't mind reading books which use it to some extent. Wall-to-wall dialogue can be tiring too. But I yield to more experienced writers here. Yesterday, I cut 1000 wrds of it from the first chapter.<br />
Thanks all. I'm ready to go forward. Is it correct to assume that…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-26:537324:Comment:669152007-08-26T13:27:11.347Zterry bowmanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/foolesgold
Is it correct to assume that you finished your first draft? If so, your explication can be revised or enhanced in the next draft. The thing that strikes me with your entire post is that you pose the question at all. It's one of those conundrums that turns up often in life, "If you have to ask..." If something seems off kilter to you, you can always change it. What do your readers have to say, especially the bull**** detector that we all must have to get it right?
Is it correct to assume that you finished your first draft? If so, your explication can be revised or enhanced in the next draft. The thing that strikes me with your entire post is that you pose the question at all. It's one of those conundrums that turns up often in life, "If you have to ask..." If something seems off kilter to you, you can always change it. What do your readers have to say, especially the bull**** detector that we all must have to get it right? I think you are probably righ…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-25:537324:Comment:668262007-08-25T23:33:02.942ZPatricia Abbotthttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/pattinase
I think you are probably right. Better to let them struggle a bit than bore them. It's most evident in my first chapter when I'm feeling my way into the story. I myself need the explanations. Now maybe I can take down the buidling blocks for all of us.
I think you are probably right. Better to let them struggle a bit than bore them. It's most evident in my first chapter when I'm feeling my way into the story. I myself need the explanations. Now maybe I can take down the buidling blocks for all of us. I was going to answer this on…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-08-25:537324:Comment:668192007-08-25T23:10:26.259ZSandra Ruttanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Sandramre
I was going to answer this on your blog... I'm never quite sure how to handle the cross-posts, but I guess it doesn't matter right?<br />
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Personally, I think you have to trust readers. Sometimes, telling the reader about their state of mind ruins some of the suspense and intrigue. I'm all for showing through the writing - how people act and react and what they say and do means a lot more to me than what they think. When I can see that something's obviously distressing a character then I'm going to…
I was going to answer this on your blog... I'm never quite sure how to handle the cross-posts, but I guess it doesn't matter right?<br />
<br />
Personally, I think you have to trust readers. Sometimes, telling the reader about their state of mind ruins some of the suspense and intrigue. I'm all for showing through the writing - how people act and react and what they say and do means a lot more to me than what they think. When I can see that something's obviously distressing a character then I'm going to be trying to work it out, solve that in my head, and it becomes a point of suspense and intrigue. If I'm just told they're messed up and why, then I don't need to see how they behave the rest of the book. There's no question left there.