Maybe because: Maybe in some alternate planet that qualifies as entertaining but the thing is, This is Earth.
Wow that was wooden as all hell. Probably another one where the Trees are the best thing in it, cause I can believe their performance.
At the moment I am HUGELY BIGLY enjoying the just-published book The Eagle and the Dragon written by our own @Lew . This is the first time I've read the finished version, although I did beta-read an earlier version. Damn. It's so enjoyable to read, even the second time around. It's written in a straightforward style that doesn't call attention to itself, despite a few tricky things it has to do (like invent a weird accent for a character who speaks colloquial Latin rather than formal Latin). The setting is complex enough to please an epic fantasy world-building writer, yet perfectly easy to follow, with never a dull moment. Because it's historical fiction, it takes me to places I've never been, and has had me poring over maps and doing tours on YouTube to see these places for myself. The plot is original, the characters are strong, the sense of place is impeccable, the pacing is good. And it's not the sort of story that's predictible at all. It's a page-turner in the best sense of the word, but it's also memorable. This is what I meant about getting excited by a story. I love this one. Good job, Lew!
It seems like there are a few conversations going on here. I would like to add my five for the list of good works that I believe others will agree. Just looking at my bookshelf... 1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 2.A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James 3. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 4. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 5. The News from Spain by Joan Wickersham
The only one of those I've read is Love In The Time Of Cholera, but I did think it was good, if not the revelation that 100 Years Of Solitude was. I think @BayView said something about not liking GGM, though. That said, I can't find the post now, so maybe I made that up.
Yeah, sorry, I can appreciate Gabriel Garcia Marquez intellectually, but I really didn't get into his writing emotionally. Didn't love it as I was reading it. The only other from deadrats list that I've read is Breakfast at Tiffany's. Didn't love it. I AM a picky reader. But if we're playing this game to find books we all LOVE... I didn't love 'em.
This one is close for me, but not quite there. I enjoyed the read but didn't love it. @BayView, What is the list so far?
Oh, you misunderstood me - I ditched "writing deep", don't worry, I just pointed out I used to think like that while having no idea about life, to be honest. I still don't know a lot, obviously, but can't say I'm as blissfully unaware as the society would like me to be. But thank you for your input!
Always write for you, the right group will follow. As for publication. There are a lot of self publication sights including Amazon which are useful for being an author.
Writing it’s all about your inner self and your passion, in my opinion writing is for both yourself and for the audience as well. When I started writing I did it as a hobby, I would write to keep myself busy and also express myself on how I felt about something but later on I came to realize whatever I write would have an impact on my audience too. And again whether you write for yourself or for the audience will depend on the reasons you started writing in the first place. Let’s say if you want to write as a career then you should write a little bit for yourself but more for the audience.
Stephen King had some interesting opinions on this. He basically admits that writing is an obsession and an indulgence that we should ultimately give in to, and I don't disagree! Your friend sounds like a good critic but there is nothing wrong if someone's writing is a little thought-provoking and invites you to pause along the way. Some writing is just like that. You don't have to speed through everything and it doesn't matter if we read the same passage more than once, providing it's understandable and still flows smoothly. The trouble is if it is too obscure or distracting to the point that it's painful to read or full of jargon. Likewise, being too verbose isn't good either. But having a distinct and unique voice is definitely encouraged and I like a writer who can make words look special. I suppose I mainly write for me, but I'd like to think readers would enjoy it still. I don't hog the narration at least. I want to include the reader, so it is written to be read. But I don't cater to any market or avoid something because it might not be popular. The interest and passion must be there.
I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for shifting/expanding your writer's "voice"? I've got a style, a voice that I'm fairly happy with, I think of it as my "Sofia Coppola" voice, that sort of soft-focus, slightly detached from the action feeling that pervades "Lost in Translation" and "The Virgin Suicides" movies. This is good, however, I've got a story in my mind that needs a hell of a lot more immediacy, it's a bit of an action SF/Horror, but every time I start writing it, I find I'm in that same semi-detached world, which is not where I need to be. I certainly don't exclusively read books that are in any one style, so it's not a lack of exposure to other views and styles. Any suggestions on how to push my boundaries in a different direction?
Sometimes I'll develop a character with a drastically different voice from what I'm used to and focus on them for a while (in a few excercise shorts, say) to try to get into a fresh mindset, but I'm not sure if that's helpful if you're not accustomed to writing in close third or first.
Do you find your writing affected by what you're reading? (I do--have to consciously shake it if the voice I've absorbed through recent reading doesn't fit what I'm writing). If you do, read a bunch of stuff in the style you want to use, and read it slowly with a lot of concentration to the individual words rather than letting yourself get caught up in the story. Might work?
I'm glad to see someone else admit to this other than me. I'm super-mega-torn at the moment because of this. The books that I'm reading just now have a very spare, minimalist quality to the narrative that fits the pacing of the story wonderfully. But it's not how I write at all. I know that if I were to dive into new scenes right now they would feel very, very different to the scenes prior. I'm reading as fast as I can because I enjoy the books muchly, but want to get back to my work.
I like to make profiles of characters to better understand the story I have prepared for them. I've filled maybe four notebooks with writing and notes that interconnect characters not just because it's fun, but because it creates a voice for them that you can get behind (Or to get behind a certain narration style). If you can draw or like to at least, it's a lot more fun to do because it helps with thinking of them visually also. It's a fun exercise that helps me with a lot of problems of writing- understanding the character, seeing if characters can relate or connect, connecting plot lines and stories, etc. etc. Also it creates a neat collection to have c:
I don't know, per se. When I work on my WIP I get very injected into the 'voice'(s) of my MCs. Almost like you are them exactly in each moment, taking fire and clashing in the heat of the battle. Or in one instance trying to not to turn into a ball of tormented pain, watching three women get flayed because the enemy knows that it will bring up some really bad parts of the past. Kinda like an intense high octane roller-coaster ride, filled with lots of emotion and despair. So lurk in their shoes, get a feel for what they feel. And it might give it the extra oomph it could use. Or you could just use a more aggressive detached dour tone, but it might not pack quite the same punch. I have been reading a collection of shorts from a guy, and he is so detached that there is no feeling in anything he writes. His Horror and Mil-Fic are just kinda numb and you really don't care if anything happens to the characters, because the author did not put the effort forth to give a damn either. While he may have won or had each of the stories published, they are just lifeless words that only prove he can string a good yarn that has no feeling. It is a pity too. No matter how well you can construct a sentence, the overall story should not be akin to torturing a corpse.
I find that the voice develops much more in editing/revision stage. There are practical ways to encourage a certain voice within a novel, or for a specific character, but also the detachment you mention could have a lot more to do with narrative distance and other writing choices such as vagueness, lack of variation in sentence structure, unnecessery explanations, stilted dialogue etc. You can use what you have written so far for this particular story and analyse it. Find all the sentences that you really like. See what you like about those sentences. Then read it again and highlight those that sound awkward or wrong somehow. See what is it that makes them different from those you liked. This can help stir you toward the kind of voice that works best, although, as the writer develops, they develop their own unique voice which, even when the style differs from story to story, is still recognisable.
^^ What those guys said. I find if I read a couple of books in a given style, my writing tends to flip into a similar voice automatically, which is either really useful or really annoying, depending on what I'm trying to do at the time. In other news: hey @jazzabel! When did you get back?
I love the offbeat voice too. It kind of lets the story move under its own inertia while the POV eats around the edges without worrying about diving too deep into the immediate emotions. Since you're into flash fiction I would suggest trying a few shorts where you follow the emotion instead of the narrative. Maybe base it around a mindset instead of a tradition series of events? Maybe pick a vibe like regret, rage, insouciance, or whatever and just explore the emotion without focusing too much on the story holding it together. It'll feel weird--like writing left handed--but it might kickstart a different flavor of writing for you.