Things I learned from my recent reading material

Today I read a book that focuses on concrete, heavy adjectives. There are a lot of action scenes in the book, but somehow you get the feeling that the outward action is a blur, and the only thing in sharp focus is the thought-life of the characters, ...and their thoughts are full of adjectives.

In a way, it was a engaging book, pulling you in to the character's mind and emotions. But in another way, it left me feeling like saying "enough with the introspect - let's turn your eyes outward and see what's happening in the world!"

Don't get me wrong - it was well done. The authors (the book was co-written) worked all those descriptions in there pretty smoothly. They don't use many italicized thoughts, so rarely are you quite sure whether the descriptions you are reading are the narrator's voice, or the voice of the character's thoughts. This keeps the characters from sounding "like a book." And, if you read it slowly, (like I rarely do), the similes are great word pictures. Definitely a good source for adjective, metaphor, and simile ideas.

One thing that did get confusing, though, was the fact that the book had two main characters, and the viewpoint was constantly changing mid-scene, or even mid-paragraph. I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to use this writing style, although I have tried it in the past. Even if you are very clear - and these authors were fairly good at that - it's too much work for the reader's brain. (Ahem.) Switching viewpoint between scenes is often enough for me.

I realize this is a rather rambling collection of thoughts, but I just finished a hour-or-so spurt of writing, and my brain is tumbling all over the place without an outline to follow. I just thought I'd put out these pros and cons, and ask what your thoughts on the matter are. How much "introspect" is enough? How do you know when you need to focus more on the action of the plot, rather than the emotions? And how do you know when you need to back off the action and throw a meditating character in there?

What about viewpoint switching? How often do you think it should be done? What's your rule of thumb?

What habits of authors do you find tiring as a reader? Do you see any of them showing up in your own work? What can you do to discourage yourself from forming habits and styles that are fun for the writer but extra work for the reader?

Waiting to hear from you!

Free E-book!

I've been enjoying the blog Wordplay, by author K.M. Weiland. It's full of helpful advice and inspiration. I've never read any of K.M. Weiland's novels, but she's a good writer - one who loves her craft.

There's an extra bonus on the site; right now, on the top of the left sidebar on Wordplay, there's a link to sign up for a newsletter. If you sign up, you get a free e-book, by Weiland, called "Crafting Unforgettable Characters." I've never been one to impulsively sign up for things, but character crafting is a weak point of mine, and I decided to give it a go. After all, who can resist a free book? And a free book on writing? I'm gone.

It was worth it. I read all 50-some pages in a single evening (not much of a feat), and was inspired to get to work on my current characters. I've now created a new word document for character development, and I've copied and pasted just about every "character interview" I found online. I have SO many questions to answer for each character! I'll know them all inside and out by the time I'm done coming up with answers.

Right now I have a conversation going with one of my favorite characters; Philip. I was working through the typical questions - "how old is this character?" "what is his favorite color?" "what is his goal in the book?" etc., and I came to the beginning of a new set of questions (copied from a different website). These were written as if talking to the character. The first one I noticed was "What do you want?"

Philip answered. I wrote it down.

Then I found myself asking, in writing, "That's fine, Philip, but what do you really want?"

He told me. We ended up having a very profitable conversation, in which I learned a lot about him, and about putting his voice and expressions on a page. He's a very troubled young man.

But those characters make the best stories, don't they? :)

Anyway - get a copy of that e-book. It's a good read! And many thought-provoking or humorous quotes are scattered through-out. You'll like it.

A Favorite

I'd like to introduce you to THE book when it comes to style. You will not find a better writing handbook than this. I've loved many writing books, but this one is a classic. Take a look at the contents:

1. INTRODUCTORY
   
   
2. ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE
   1. Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's
   2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last
   3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas
   4. Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause
   5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma
   6. Do not break sentences in two
   7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject
   8. Divide words at line-ends, in accordance with their formation and pronunciation
   
   
   
3. ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION
   9. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic
   10. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning
   11. Use the active voice
   12. Put statements in positive form
   13. Omit needless words
   14. Avoid a succession of loose sentences
   15. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form
   16. Keep related words together
   17. In summaries, keep to one tense
   18. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end
   
   
   
4. A FEW MATTERS OF FORM
   
   
5. WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED
   
   
6. WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELLED

Can you get more basic and to-the-point than that? Strunk and White were the gentlemen who first taught me that less is better, that concise is power. (Omit needless words! Omit needless words!) And they follow their own advice. The book is only 105 pages. Don't cringe at the hint of grammar - yes, it's in there. And it's totally enjoyable. Don't be such a rebel that you can't learn to use words in the way that will best convey your meaning. Words are your tools - learn to control them! Grammar isn't evil.

Repeat: grammar isn't evil.

This book doesn't sound like a grammar book at all, or a boring English book, either. It's a gem of potent advice. Some copies come with ridiculous cartoons, to illustrate each point, but I prefer the black-and-white text-only style. I'm strange that way.

I've had our library's copy checked out many, many times. I keep saying I need to get my own private copy. (Hint, hint - Christmas is coming up, Mom!) I would think that every library would have a copy of this classic, but just in case yours doesn't, I'd like to offer this site as a place to read the whole thing online. Isn't technology great?

Maybe you don't think less is more. Maybe your style is more "flowery, poetic, and full of adjectives and words." Fine. I won't try to convince you. Just get the book. And read it. If you still believe in packing in the words once Strunk and White are done with you, I dub you unreachable.