tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post5864559932673859989..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: The Question Buried in a Story's White SpaceDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-4045616836546801852013-08-13T02:52:24.789-06:002013-08-13T02:52:24.789-06:00That's a good one, too, Linda!That's a good one, too, Linda!Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-36949530734777892732013-08-12T20:21:39.235-06:002013-08-12T20:21:39.235-06:00Another value of white space that works for me: a ...Another value of white space that works for me: a brief rest for the eyes that gives them a moment before more concentrated focusing on the compelling text. Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-57678144842153202732013-08-12T14:09:30.560-06:002013-08-12T14:09:30.560-06:00Thanks, Maryann. Before this post, I only thought ...Thanks, Maryann. Before this post, I only thought of white space in regards to stories in technical terms, like readability, legibility, and making the page look NICE. In some of my mass comm classes, especially with designing basic Web sites and creating PR material, we talk about white space a lot, but reading the Janowitz book brought me back to how white space in stories give readers a chance to opt-out of a story and why we as writers need to make sure that doesn't happen.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-53017846581521585422013-08-12T14:00:30.077-06:002013-08-12T14:00:30.077-06:00Terry, you are not alone in using cliffhangers suc...Terry, you are not alone in using cliffhangers successfully and asking the reader to go with another POV for a bit before getting back to the cliffhanger. John Sanford does this well, as does Harlan Coben, Laura Lippman, and a few other successful mystery writers. You are in good company. (smile)<br /><br />Shon, thanks so much for the reminder about the white space. I learned the value of that from the standpoint of eye appeal when doing PR work and I worked with a graphic designer. I had not thought of in in the terms you outlined here, but that makes perfect sense.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-18685203258573785622013-08-12T13:09:23.563-06:002013-08-12T13:09:23.563-06:00Thanks, Heidi! It's definitely a challenge, an...Thanks, Heidi! It's definitely a challenge, and those of us who study the craft know that it's important to find new ways to keep readers on the page.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48079615173987352992013-08-12T12:45:00.402-06:002013-08-12T12:45:00.402-06:00Great post, Shon. Always a challenge to keep your ...Great post, Shon. Always a challenge to keep your readers reading.<br />Lauri, how interesting, writing for a mobile site!Heidiwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593338979995203659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-71778817786967843452013-08-12T12:04:44.207-06:002013-08-12T12:04:44.207-06:00That's interesting, Diana. I'm a lover of ...That's interesting, Diana. I'm a lover of great dialogue, but I think if a book had 60% dialogue, I would feel like the book was just a bunch of talking heads.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-38133430978639633502013-08-12T12:01:09.500-06:002013-08-12T12:01:09.500-06:00At a recent conference I attended, it was posited ...At a recent conference I attended, it was posited that the amount of dialogue in books has shifted from 20% to 40-60% because audiences want faster reads. Dialogue leaves a lot of white space on the page. Shorter, 10 to 20 page, chapters have the same effect.Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-9481475536834544282013-08-12T11:32:40.022-06:002013-08-12T11:32:40.022-06:00I can only imagine that teens are very NOW oriente...I can only imagine that teens are very NOW oriented, Lauri, wanting their interest to be kept at every turn.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7700719333577365472013-08-12T11:32:29.470-06:002013-08-12T11:32:29.470-06:00I LOVE that, Terry, about the "commercial bre...I LOVE that, Terry, about the "commercial breaks." That's often how I try to talk about scene endings. I love (and loathe - lol) when a great scene ending comes just before the commercial, and I'm anxiously anticipating what will happen next. Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-61953890692669950322013-08-12T07:44:02.409-06:002013-08-12T07:44:02.409-06:00I've learned about writing suspense filled cha...I've learned about writing suspense filled chapter endings from writing for teens on a mobile network. They get a chapter a day on their cellphones. They make it very clear if they're coming back or not so you need to keep them reeled in. Laurihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11112458658109887868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-77157362695659613792013-08-12T07:21:21.703-06:002013-08-12T07:21:21.703-06:00It's about getting readers to turn pages, isn&...It's about getting readers to turn pages, isn't it? In reality every <i>sentence</i> should keep them hooked. Donald Maass calls this microtension.<br /><br />I had a reviewer complain that I ended many chapters at 'cliffhangers' and then shifted to the other POV character. Had I responded, I'd have said ... "Well, Duh!" Another reviewer likened them to commercial breaks, but you could turn the page without having to read an ad.<br /><br />Terry <br /><a href="http://terryodell.com/terrysplace" rel="nofollow">Terry's Place</a><br /><br />Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.com