tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post6114882077766595854..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: From Out of the Ordinary to ExtraordinaryDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-80602317023340309362011-09-22T04:14:32.331-06:002011-09-22T04:14:32.331-06:00Thanks for this post! i really enjoyed reading it!...Thanks for this post! i really enjoyed reading it!!!dissertationshttp://dissertationtoday.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21414102538375033322011-07-29T10:31:06.763-06:002011-07-29T10:31:06.763-06:00@Kathryn Craft - my understanding of the use of &#...@Kathryn Craft - my understanding of the use of 'prologue,' whereby the writer inserts backstory prior to the original piece. The prologue is separate from the remaining piece inserted in front matter. Surely if my description includes the term prologue, many will think as I do and understand backstory/introduction material/needed info relative to reading the major work.<br /><br />@Linda Lane - The term 'retrospect' interest's me as how you have defined in your comment. "This typically refers to a current event that is followed by what leads up to it - which may take the reader months or even years into the past..." pretty much describes the style that I wish to include.<br /><br />Here's another term I've found: "analepsis" meaning - is (method) an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. <br /><br />Thanks for taking the time to respond. Both comments were indeed helpful. Now I'm wondering if the method or technique should even be employed, but carried forward from that opening hook - and then much of backstory described in narrative from that point. Hmmm, not sure. <br /><br />Any help out there would be appreciated. garrymgraves at g mail dot com. THANKS AGAIN.The Remembrance Treehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16728143741380422538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-83490911815344590722011-07-28T14:49:09.392-06:002011-07-28T14:49:09.392-06:00Another term we use occasionally is "retrospe...Another term we use occasionally is "retrospect." This typically refers to a current event that is followed by what leads up to it - which may take the reader months or even years into the past. Later, the writer will no doubt want to pull the reader back to the present and on into the conclusion.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-72265425941371535402011-07-28T12:01:32.603-06:002011-07-28T12:01:32.603-06:00Garry:
A book opening that is meant to intrigue, b...Garry:<br />A book opening that is meant to intrigue, but included out of sequence, is called a "prologue."Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-13807519735901865862011-07-28T11:22:57.191-06:002011-07-28T11:22:57.191-06:00Please excuse my interruption of the blog premise,...Please excuse my interruption of the blog premise, but I need help. My current writing begins with what I believe to be a nice hook...the protag is choking a person. This intro moves forward for approx. 1K words or so. Then...the storyteller takes the reader back to the events leading up to this choking scene. Writers, I've read somewhere, have a term or phrase that describes this technique or method, other than flashback. My question is: what is the name of this technique? Yes, I realize that many writers dislike any 'flashback' in a storyline, nevertheless, I'm befuddled on how to do otherwise given my loving the hook so much. <br /><br />Help, and thanks. BTW, I have your Blood Red Pencil blog plugged into my GoogleReader and never miss a entry. Some I've secured to the reader so they will always be there. Your group is a wealth of resource, varied and nicely presented. Thanks Again. --ggThe Remembrance Treehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16728143741380422538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-1536137814259190072011-07-28T05:51:46.497-06:002011-07-28T05:51:46.497-06:00The comments are wonderful– thank you all so much....The comments are wonderful– thank you all so much. This is a great example of how an article is enhanced and completed by the input of our editors and visitors.<br /><br />A special thanks to you, Kathryn, for sharing that interview with Janet Fitch. It brought a powerful and thought-provoking depth to the topic.<br /><br />Larry, keep "arguing" for better quality and a stronger sense of responsibility from the indie publishing arm of what was once a proud and honorable industry. I am currently working on a project to establish guidelines for editors, the underutilized (and sometimes questionably qualified) guardians of excellence in today's new publishing world.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-33214043297995851472011-07-28T04:07:28.654-06:002011-07-28T04:07:28.654-06:00A thought-provoking discussion. It is such a good ...A thought-provoking discussion. It is such a good point about writers being too close to the story to ever be truly objective. And I loved what Kathryn Craft said about Janet Fitch and using words so they seem "born of that particular story".Andrea Mackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15250681746122381149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-67690272896915626002011-07-27T10:30:45.654-06:002011-07-27T10:30:45.654-06:00Most writers, I think, edit and edit and edit. And...Most writers, I think, edit and edit and edit. And they still miss things. Even after you set it aside and wait weeks before you tackle it again, you can miss things. One thing that might give writers some comfort is that even editors who write need an editor to go over their work.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-47754471288224868612011-07-27T10:02:29.871-06:002011-07-27T10:02:29.871-06:00Larry: Your comment is beautifully written. It'...Larry: Your comment is beautifully written. It's funny: I like good commercial fiction as much as the next person, but as soon as I close the back cover I'm off to the next. They inspire consumption.<br /><br />More literary works I tend to digest a while before moving on--and those are the ones that inspire me to get back to my own writing.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-45779072642205159352011-07-27T09:55:21.527-06:002011-07-27T09:55:21.527-06:00Nice addition, Kathryn. I confess. I am one of tho...Nice addition, Kathryn. I confess. I am one of those writers who admire authors like Janet Fitch or Ursula LeGuin, writers whose flawless word choice and fluid turn of phrase are to be savored, writers whose words and sentences are like fine wine with a long, rich finish. I do admit that I reach for those heights in my own writing, at least at times, even if most of the time my reach falls short. For us lesser mortals of the writing world, the inspiration of LeGuin or Geraldins Brooks can at least lead us from the temptation of cliches, which we all can so easily fall prey to, particularly in the flush of early drafts.Larry Constantine (Lior Samson)http://www.liorsamson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-78608567684019330832011-07-27T09:37:09.687-06:002011-07-27T09:37:09.687-06:00Brava, Linda. I have been arguing this position no...Brava, Linda. I have been arguing this position now in the indie author community so much that the letters on my key-caps are rubbed off. We do ourselves and each other a disservice when we put out substandard, unfinished, unedited work. On the other hand, I am always oddly comforted by the wisdom of the late, great writer, Theodore Sturgeon. When confronted by a reporter who suggested that 90% of science fiction was crap, Sturgeon replied, "Ninety percent of everything is crap!" Sturgeons Law, a fundamental law of the universe, applies to indie writing, too.Larry Constantine (Lior Samson)http://www.liorsamson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-59032140747205919752011-07-27T09:28:43.086-06:002011-07-27T09:28:43.086-06:00I'd never put up a piece of work that wasn'...I'd never put up a piece of work that wasn't edited. I think the "sample" feature of e-books is vital, because there IS so much less-than-stellar writing. And not just the story, but the actual mechanics.<br /><br />Yet, mistakes will slip by. I've been reading a book with a character cooking chile instead of chili, and turning the conversation down another tact instead of tack. In another book, it was universal anecdote instead of antidote. Minor slips, but spell check won't catch them, and while they're not enough to ruin a read, they will slow it down. <br /><br />Terry <br /><a href="http://terryodell.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Terry's Place</a><br /><a href="http://www.terryodell.com" rel="nofollow">Romance with a Twist--of Mystery</a>Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-30340625975345743002011-07-27T07:28:31.591-06:002011-07-27T07:28:31.591-06:00What a good post, Linda. It really reinforces the ...What a good post, Linda. It really reinforces the need for editing, and I hope new authors who are considering the indie route via digital publishing keep this in mind. Sometimes I can't even do a blog post without making a typo or grammar error, and there is no way I would put a book up that I did not hire someone to edit.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-22429330853113798082011-07-27T07:13:42.934-06:002011-07-27T07:13:42.934-06:00Does 'extraordinarily bad' count?'Does 'extraordinarily bad' count?'Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7800416493227044152011-07-27T05:25:52.754-06:002011-07-27T05:25:52.754-06:00I once read an interview with Janet Fitch (author ...I once read an interview with Janet Fitch (author of Oprah pick WHITE OLEANDER) that said she reworks her manuscripts until she senses that nothing she's written has been written before. She takes out all cliches, and works her metaphors and word choices until they seem born of that particular story. She is describing the work of a prose poet, really, and not all of us aspire to that literary height. But whether you give your extra attention to prose or to plot or characterization, I do believe she accurately describes the kind of effort a writer must make to bring their work out of the ordinary.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.com