MrsJile
(?)Community Member
Offline
- Posted: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:35:18 +0000
Now I’ve lured you in with a facetious title (breast jokes optional), I will proceed to shock you all with AN ACTUAL SERIOUS THREAD!
This thread is a response to two things. Firstly, as a antidote to the plethora of character threads and their ilk, that while diverting, don’t have much in the way of substance and secondly, as a reaction to the recent necro’ing of the ‘Write Interesting’ thread – in my mind a thread that is genuinely useful, thought-provoking and proof of what this forum and members can be capable.
Moreover, I thought it was about time I got off my a** (metaphorically speaking) and actually did something for the forum where I spend so much time.
What I have to say is pretty simplistic, not particularly groundbreaking and may be the ultimate example of preaching to the converted but if I can get at least one person thinking about their writing more then it’ll be worth it.
But enough digressions – let’s get on with it, hm?
I give you….DOLL’S 3 D’S!
When I think about effective stories, about any kind of good prose writing, for me it all boils down to three things: DETAIL, DIALOGUE and DESCRIPTION. I honestly believe that if you have these three components in your writing then you can’t go far wrong in any aspect of constructing a story – be it plot, characterisation, setting or anything else you want to throw in there. Let’s look at them more closely:
Detail
They say the devil is in the details and if this is true, then the devil does indeed have the best tunes. It is details that make people care about your story, about your characters, about the world you present. It is detail that makes your story memorable, that sets it apart from other stories, that makes it interesting.
I don’t want to know that your character simply ate a meal – I want to know what they ate. Did they have chicken McNuggets or foie gras? Did ketchup dribble down their chin or did they dab the corners of their mouths delicately with a napkin? Every single detail shows the reader about the character…and this is the key. Don’t tell us, show us. Don’t tell me a character is uncultured. Show me his love of Monster Trucks, how he likes to burp in his wife’s face, how he only ever reads pizza menus.
On a larger scale I’d like to refer to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. In this novel, we know the plot from the very start, we know that a group of friends kill their friend (and as it is clear from of the offset, I don’t feel this is a spoiler) so why do we read on? For the details! We want to know how and why such a thing occurred, who was involved and where it happened.
On a smaller scale I’m reminded of the scene where Holden sees a ‘******** you’ on the wall of his sister’s school in Catcher in the Rye. This scene doesn’t further the plot or really tell us anything more about Holden as a character but it is memorable and poignant and the kind of detail that remains with the reader after they have long finished the book.
Ok, moving on!
Dialogue
I remember when I first started writing I was so hell-bent on asserting my authorial voice, on letting the reader know what I think, that I never let the characters speak for themselves. As a result my stories were like lectures, boring lectures. Much like this post – ha! Generally speaking, the reader doesn’t want to know your thoughts on the story – they want to know what’s going on, and there’s no better way to find out than eavesdropping. A hint of an accent, vocabulary, verbal tics say far more than any amount of exposition. Dialogue takes skill but it is a skill that can be learned. Listen to people talk, even try transposing a conversation. Dialogue is ragged, incomplete, and non-standard. We don’t speak in complete sentences and neither should your characters. There is no simpler way than drawing your readers into a story, try starting a story in a middle of a conversation and see what effect it has.
Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre is a book that springs to mind when it comes to using dialogue effectively. The way the protagonist speaks is so idiosyncratic, so inherently comedic that it makes the ensuing mayhem in the book ten times funnier. Look at the dialogue in A Clockwork Orange – you’ll either love it or hate it. Personally it gives me the happy shivers.
And finally…
Description
This is where I advise all prose writers to go and stalk a poet, ‘cos they really know their s**t when it comes to this. Imagery is key – the basics – metaphor, simile, personification, all the things your English teacher has you point out in set texts over and over again. Language is an imprecise science, especially when it comes to explaining human experience. Think on this, how do you truly know that the things you experience and feel are the same as what other people experience and feel? Here’s the thing, you don’t. So for you to have a ghost of a chance of your readers understanding what the hell you are talking about you have to describe for your life. Compare the abstract to the concrete, make things real for people. Think of the senses – get your readers to see, smell, taste, hear and touch. Real is waking up next to someone and wanting to kiss them even if they have morning breath, not waxing lyrical on how non-specific angelic choirs sing every time you see them.
Um…example? Read One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest…or don’t. I don’t want to seem preachy, preachy.
ANYWAY, that’s enough of me being serious for at least six months. Hope this is helpful, which was my intent. Tell me what you think, or hell, throw in a breast joke. I tried, dammit.
This thread is a response to two things. Firstly, as a antidote to the plethora of character threads and their ilk, that while diverting, don’t have much in the way of substance and secondly, as a reaction to the recent necro’ing of the ‘Write Interesting’ thread – in my mind a thread that is genuinely useful, thought-provoking and proof of what this forum and members can be capable.
Moreover, I thought it was about time I got off my a** (metaphorically speaking) and actually did something for the forum where I spend so much time.
What I have to say is pretty simplistic, not particularly groundbreaking and may be the ultimate example of preaching to the converted but if I can get at least one person thinking about their writing more then it’ll be worth it.
But enough digressions – let’s get on with it, hm?
I give you….DOLL’S 3 D’S!
When I think about effective stories, about any kind of good prose writing, for me it all boils down to three things: DETAIL, DIALOGUE and DESCRIPTION. I honestly believe that if you have these three components in your writing then you can’t go far wrong in any aspect of constructing a story – be it plot, characterisation, setting or anything else you want to throw in there. Let’s look at them more closely:
Detail
They say the devil is in the details and if this is true, then the devil does indeed have the best tunes. It is details that make people care about your story, about your characters, about the world you present. It is detail that makes your story memorable, that sets it apart from other stories, that makes it interesting.
I don’t want to know that your character simply ate a meal – I want to know what they ate. Did they have chicken McNuggets or foie gras? Did ketchup dribble down their chin or did they dab the corners of their mouths delicately with a napkin? Every single detail shows the reader about the character…and this is the key. Don’t tell us, show us. Don’t tell me a character is uncultured. Show me his love of Monster Trucks, how he likes to burp in his wife’s face, how he only ever reads pizza menus.
On a larger scale I’d like to refer to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. In this novel, we know the plot from the very start, we know that a group of friends kill their friend (and as it is clear from of the offset, I don’t feel this is a spoiler) so why do we read on? For the details! We want to know how and why such a thing occurred, who was involved and where it happened.
On a smaller scale I’m reminded of the scene where Holden sees a ‘******** you’ on the wall of his sister’s school in Catcher in the Rye. This scene doesn’t further the plot or really tell us anything more about Holden as a character but it is memorable and poignant and the kind of detail that remains with the reader after they have long finished the book.
Ok, moving on!
Dialogue
I remember when I first started writing I was so hell-bent on asserting my authorial voice, on letting the reader know what I think, that I never let the characters speak for themselves. As a result my stories were like lectures, boring lectures. Much like this post – ha! Generally speaking, the reader doesn’t want to know your thoughts on the story – they want to know what’s going on, and there’s no better way to find out than eavesdropping. A hint of an accent, vocabulary, verbal tics say far more than any amount of exposition. Dialogue takes skill but it is a skill that can be learned. Listen to people talk, even try transposing a conversation. Dialogue is ragged, incomplete, and non-standard. We don’t speak in complete sentences and neither should your characters. There is no simpler way than drawing your readers into a story, try starting a story in a middle of a conversation and see what effect it has.
Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre is a book that springs to mind when it comes to using dialogue effectively. The way the protagonist speaks is so idiosyncratic, so inherently comedic that it makes the ensuing mayhem in the book ten times funnier. Look at the dialogue in A Clockwork Orange – you’ll either love it or hate it. Personally it gives me the happy shivers.
And finally…
Description
This is where I advise all prose writers to go and stalk a poet, ‘cos they really know their s**t when it comes to this. Imagery is key – the basics – metaphor, simile, personification, all the things your English teacher has you point out in set texts over and over again. Language is an imprecise science, especially when it comes to explaining human experience. Think on this, how do you truly know that the things you experience and feel are the same as what other people experience and feel? Here’s the thing, you don’t. So for you to have a ghost of a chance of your readers understanding what the hell you are talking about you have to describe for your life. Compare the abstract to the concrete, make things real for people. Think of the senses – get your readers to see, smell, taste, hear and touch. Real is waking up next to someone and wanting to kiss them even if they have morning breath, not waxing lyrical on how non-specific angelic choirs sing every time you see them.
Um…example? Read One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest…or don’t. I don’t want to seem preachy, preachy.
ANYWAY, that’s enough of me being serious for at least six months. Hope this is helpful, which was my intent. Tell me what you think, or hell, throw in a breast joke. I tried, dammit.
