tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post1690526665404255917..comments2024-03-29T02:19:42.154-05:00Comments on Operation Awesome: Rules Rules Blah-HumbugDena Pawlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-47103539502422022192013-12-29T21:01:57.967-06:002013-12-29T21:01:57.967-06:00Great post! I'm always breaking the rules. All...<br />Great post! I'm always breaking the rules. All that "show don't tell" stuff? Bah! There's a time to show and a time to tell. Anyhow, who wants to read every detail of some character's road trip or school day or...or.. fill in the blank. Sometimes it's better to tell a little, especially when you're revealing a character's thoughts. <br /><br />I also use adverbs occasionally, but not to prop up weak adjectives, and I think prologues are fine when done well. The point is any rule can be broken when the writing warrants it.<br /><br />Love the edited version of The Night Before Christmas. So funny, but sadly often true and the reason I avoid crit groups now. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04420861050519902415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-165909025901282682013-12-26T10:14:45.637-06:002013-12-26T10:14:45.637-06:00I agree Joel-- It's always good to find out if...I agree Joel-- It's always good to find out if a story comes across as intended for the reader. And since every reader has a different perspective, it's nice to know if something in particular (be it grammar or plotting or style) throws more than one person out. <br /><br />I tried reading a book that bravely broke all the "rules". The author might have been absolutely brilliant- but I'll never know because I couldn't get past the first three pages. Toni Kerrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09713140116596669304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-8988047824632884412013-12-25T12:35:08.842-06:002013-12-25T12:35:08.842-06:00It's always frustrating to me to read posts ab...It's always frustrating to me to read posts about rules that writers should follow when I immediately can think of a half dozen accepted great books that don't follow those rules. Over the years I've come closer to believing that the rules we see a lot are just what another writer came up with to try to explain why a particular story wasn't working. <br /><br />The reviews I appreciate most and the ones I work hard to provide are reader-based. Rather than prescriptive (too many "likes," show don't tell) I appreciate notes that tell me what the reader was thinking, where he or she got confused, whether or not she likes a character and why. The reason is as a writer, I'm hoping to generate a story that has a certain emotional impact. If that is not coming across - due to clarity, a misstep in action or any other multitude of reasons - it's my duty to fix it so that an attentive reader is where they should be. Example, one person may say they don't like the way two characters are very much alike, and may want me to fix that. However, I know I want them to be alike because in four chapters, a huge event is going to happen that shows how their very slight differences can have extreme consequences in the aftermath. <br /><br />To me, prescriptive rules and changes are the reader taking over the story rather than working to provide the author the information needed to tell the story he or she wants to write. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09352132885203569349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-38492971777448705972013-12-24T23:20:50.520-06:002013-12-24T23:20:50.520-06:00Great post!
And happy holidays.Great post! <br />And happy holidays.J Lenni Dornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07961335286982498158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-45579697755224805502013-12-24T20:57:41.467-06:002013-12-24T20:57:41.467-06:00Agreed, Susan. I'm certainly guilty of inflict...Agreed, Susan. I'm certainly guilty of inflicting my personal preferences when editing for others--though I'm not nearly as picky as I used to be. <br /><br />The example is an eye-opener for both sides of the story--the power of an editor (good or bad), and the test of a writer's confidence to accept or ignore suggested changes. Toni Kerrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09713140116596669304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-87016393589995757672013-12-24T19:54:51.317-06:002013-12-24T19:54:51.317-06:00I know this is a joke, but seeing it reminds me of...I know this is a joke, but seeing it reminds me of some moments both in critiques I've received and critiques I've written--it reminds me how easy it is for writers, when they come to a peer's work, to forget to look at it as a reader seeking a good story. You can be picky about some pretty unreasonable things if you're merely sitting there trying to find things to pick on. SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126306619182458823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-19474003083204841302013-12-24T19:52:53.775-06:002013-12-24T19:52:53.775-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126306619182458823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-91253202529782277222013-12-24T18:01:31.631-06:002013-12-24T18:01:31.631-06:00Agreed the rules are there for a reason, and it do...Agreed the rules are there for a reason, and it does take some skill to break them well. :-) <br /><br />My son just came up with a great analogy-- anyone can break rocks, but not very many people know how to make a serrated arrowhead.Toni Kerrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09713140116596669304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-54137084833553186002013-12-24T11:48:17.585-06:002013-12-24T11:48:17.585-06:00I think the rules about head hopping are more sugg...I think the rules about head hopping are more suggestion than anything—pretty much like all the other 'rules' of writing. They're there because it's difficult to pull off 'without being sloppy.' Doesn't mean it can't be done.<br /><br />Personally, I don't mind a little head hopping in a (mostly) 3rd person limited narrative, or switching povs from chapter to chapter, but I can't stand head hopping in 1st person. It's just too jarring for me to be deep in one character's interiority and suddenly have inexplicable insight into another character's thoughts or emotions. It pulls me out of the story every time.<br /><br />I definitely understand what you're getting at. It's easy to lose voice and style choices when you try to adhere to a strict set of rules. Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series comes to mind. She breaks grammar and style rules like crazy, but it works because it fits the narrator's voice.<br /><br />But the rules are still there for a reason. How can a writer know when it's okay to break the rules if they don't know and understand the rules in the first place?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17785095222444112114noreply@blogger.com