tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post4123956185042560031..comments2023-11-30T11:57:43.224-08:00Comments on Niniane's Blog: Writing styles: pretty vs plainNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731517033909059791noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-68268076405571584952007-03-06T22:02:00.000-08:002007-03-06T22:02:00.000-08:00Like you<B>Like you </B>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-55963118770440372452007-03-05T08:40:00.000-08:002007-03-05T08:40:00.000-08:00Fiction doesn't have to revolve around conflict ei...Fiction doesn't have to revolve around conflict either:<BR/><BR/>"I made out with Niniane last night and it was awesome."<BR/><BR/>See, no conflict. Just awesome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-66611036270968502672007-02-26T12:29:00.000-08:002007-02-26T12:29:00.000-08:00bruce, i'm confused. what link? :-/bruce, i'm confused. what link? :-/ishkabubbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14495322362683216486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-18737139599367473202007-02-26T08:19:00.000-08:002007-02-26T08:19:00.000-08:00So where's the link ishkabubba??Hang on, am I fall...So where's the link ishkabubba??<BR/><BR/>Hang on, am I falling victim to an advanced form of comment spam, where the blog link is preceded by a teaser comment?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-4514619131222607992007-02-23T07:09:00.000-08:002007-02-23T07:09:00.000-08:00"She caught my eye, like one of those pointy scree..."She caught my eye, like one of those pointy screen door latches..."<BR/><BR/><BR/>"The hailstones leapt from the pavement, like maggots being fried in hot grease..."<BR/><BR/><BR/>(source unknown)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-39384807223036717772007-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:002007-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00most writers are inspired by reading the words of ...most writers are inspired by reading the words of other talented writers. great writing isn't something you pick-up in a *creative writing for dummies* book. it's about reading works by authors you admire and have great reverence for. it's about developing your own voice, so your words and creativity flows naturally.<BR/><BR/>lately the writer that inspires me the most whose words completely blow me away is a teenager who blogs stories from his life. his words cut through me like a sharpened butter knife -- always caught off-guard and unexpectedly.<BR/><BR/>here is a sample of his writing:<BR/><BR/><I>From her window she seemed to be counting the stars, and the street lamps periodically illuminated her features with pale orange fire. She was beautiful in a painful way, and I wondered with a heavy heart what this poor woman must have wanted out of her life, and what kind of hell had her now that her dreams had left her. It wasn't hard to imagine her as a teenager, her eyes not yet darkened and hollow and her hair untouched by cheap bleach. When did she first realize that her life had arrived and it hadn't brought with it what she thought it would? Had she even realized it at all?</I><BR/><BR/>amazing and he's only nineteen.ishkabubbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14495322362683216486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-47649129872971690622007-02-22T11:43:00.000-08:002007-02-22T11:43:00.000-08:00Why was I converted into an expert symbolism detec...<I>Why was I converted into an expert symbolism detector by age 14, but I didn't know fiction should resolve around conflict until I was 26 and self-studying off Amazon.com books?</I><BR/><BR/>Because they were teaching you to read, not write?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-88838887394562946242007-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:002007-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00Pretty vs. plain: I would say this depends on your...Pretty vs. plain: I would say this depends on your objective. Use plain language if it is the literal content of your writing that really matters (this should be the case the vast majority of the time), but consider using prettier words if there is a specific emotional experience you are trying to deliver.<BR/><BR/>American vs. Chinese education: China cares more about basic competence, America cares more about originality. In principle this is as it should be, given that China is developing while America is the world leader. (But in practice, I think the American education system has pushed this tradeoff too far, and your anecdote is one example of this.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-13445082232390590832007-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:002007-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:00Because the majority American HS students can bare...<I>Because the majority American HS students can barely write a coherent paragraph?</I><BR/><BR/>Anon, I think you've got the causality reversed: American HS students can't write coherently because they're being taught by people who were taught that symbolism was more important than clarity.Charlie Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14586506407851173416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-77905198260122705652007-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:002007-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:00Cynically, because symbolism (which leads to the p...Cynically, because symbolism (which leads to the practice of various "readings" of the text from different perspectives) gives much more material for academic English types to write papers about, leading to tenure. It's been pointed out that English departments are the only ones staffed by critics of their subject, rather than folk who actually do their subject. <BR/><BR/>Then again, I've long held a theory that different brain types put very different weights on different aspects of fiction; engineer types like plot and ideas, other folk prefer poetry and rhythm of language, others like characterization of various types, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-83038796046206277532007-02-21T12:21:00.000-08:002007-02-21T12:21:00.000-08:00As Americans we also tend to read into things way ...As Americans we also tend to read into things way more than other cultures. And we are the ones so overly concerned with political correctness. We analyze everything... asking "what does this REALLY mean", etc.<BR/><BR/>I actually love symbolism, but it sure is out of balance. If it makes you feel any better, I taught my 1 1/2 year old son to stomp on leaves because they make a fun crunching sound. hahahaAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02691060408252045290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-45624873860707025242007-02-21T11:54:00.000-08:002007-02-21T11:54:00.000-08:00I was just dealing with this last night while read...I was just dealing with this last night while reading a book by someone I really care about who wants me to provide editorial feedback. It's gonna be painful.<BR/><BR/>Lordy, keep it plain and simple language, unless you have a genius for language and metaphor, which very few have. Writing, like all art, is about truth (small "t"). <BR/><BR/>When you read writing that is florid but does not resonate, it's because the writer is trying to mask a lack of emotional connection to the story by using language that they think will impress or that "sounds good." Readers spot it a mile away, even if language is not their thing.<BR/><BR/>Conflict is everything in story. It's through a character's reaction to conflict that his true character is revealed to us. That's why the stakes must escalate through each plot turn.<BR/><BR/>The inciting incident in a story is an event that irrevocably changes the life of the protagonist. How the protagonist changes and reacts through each escalating turn of the plot is what makes story interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-27732778051952282412007-02-21T09:43:00.000-08:002007-02-21T09:43:00.000-08:00Yes I agree with you on the fact that American Eng...Yes I agree with you on the fact that American English courses focus too much on symbolism. This happened in my college English class as well and it got so ridiculous. I remember somebody deducing sexual symbolism from the fact that a character ate a peach. <BR/><BR/>I mean does every sentance really have to mean something? If I was a writer I certainly would not construct a story in such a way that the reader had to decode every sentance for hidden symbolism.<BR/><BR/>Sure you can try to inflict some implicit messages but I agree with using plain and precise language. I also am a great opponent of flowery fluff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-68149207302748657232007-02-21T08:16:00.000-08:002007-02-21T08:16:00.000-08:00Because the majority American HS students can bare...Because the majority American HS students can barely write a coherent paragraph?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6230750.post-45376600995896277402007-02-21T06:49:00.000-08:002007-02-21T06:49:00.000-08:00"She's the hermeneutic hierophant of Company G..."..."She's the hermeneutic hierophant of Company G..." (sung to the tune of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com