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Oct. 6th, 2009 08:26 pmHere's a quote I like, which I just found in gmail. "Life is a comedy for those who think... and a tragedy for those who feel." ~ Horace Walpole. TN probably knows that better than anyone else on my flist.
I'm reading book 3 of the Eragon books, Brisinger. I am enjoying them, but in this one, Paolini has developed a trait that irritates me as a writer, which I am going to share with any other writers out there as a "Don't do this" thing. And the fault springs from a virtue, which is worse. The virtue is that Paolini has created a richly detailed world which he visualizes fully and clearly. The fault is that he pours all of it out on us. Anyone who's read books/articles on writing knows that if you are doing a historical story - or an epic fantasy - you have to do your research and background, but you don't have to put it ALL in the story! That's like beginning the description of a drive in a car with a description of a combustion engine. An example from the book: Eragon walks into a tavern. Now, this is a tavern in a small town, very likely one that he'll never visit again. Eragon walks in, and Paolini then goes on to describe everything about the tavern, from the bar to the benches, from the floor to the ceiling. Great visual detail, but... why? And only after he's described the entire thing, leaving you seeing it as if the place is pretty much empty, he then says that it's packed with people. Of course, he goes on to tell you what all the people are doing, too. *pulls hair* How would I suggest doing it? Hell, you're seeing through his eyes, so tell what he sees, not what's there. Mention the crowd, describe the impressions (not just what the people are doing), how it feels to push through them. Only mention the furnishings etc. if your character is actually looking at them for a reason or interacting with them. Keep the description short. Give your reader credit for having, and being able to use, their imagination to fill in the blanks.
Man. I'm all about writing these days. Sorry, I'll take all this to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nanokat next time. But I am finding that, with the demise of AL, I am slowly turning back to my writing as a focus in my life. I hope that continues. It's about time.
I'm reading book 3 of the Eragon books, Brisinger. I am enjoying them, but in this one, Paolini has developed a trait that irritates me as a writer, which I am going to share with any other writers out there as a "Don't do this" thing. And the fault springs from a virtue, which is worse. The virtue is that Paolini has created a richly detailed world which he visualizes fully and clearly. The fault is that he pours all of it out on us. Anyone who's read books/articles on writing knows that if you are doing a historical story - or an epic fantasy - you have to do your research and background, but you don't have to put it ALL in the story! That's like beginning the description of a drive in a car with a description of a combustion engine. An example from the book: Eragon walks into a tavern. Now, this is a tavern in a small town, very likely one that he'll never visit again. Eragon walks in, and Paolini then goes on to describe everything about the tavern, from the bar to the benches, from the floor to the ceiling. Great visual detail, but... why? And only after he's described the entire thing, leaving you seeing it as if the place is pretty much empty, he then says that it's packed with people. Of course, he goes on to tell you what all the people are doing, too. *pulls hair* How would I suggest doing it? Hell, you're seeing through his eyes, so tell what he sees, not what's there. Mention the crowd, describe the impressions (not just what the people are doing), how it feels to push through them. Only mention the furnishings etc. if your character is actually looking at them for a reason or interacting with them. Keep the description short. Give your reader credit for having, and being able to use, their imagination to fill in the blanks.
Man. I'm all about writing these days. Sorry, I'll take all this to
nanokat next time. But I am finding that, with the demise of AL, I am slowly turning back to my writing as a focus in my life. I hope that continues. It's about time.