Opinions about writing style
POSTED BY: Desertgirl
UPDATED: Thursday, October 25, 2007 21:36
VIEWED: 11769
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Hello – I decided to start this thread to solicit your opinions about writing style.
Since I began writing and really paying attention to the craft of writing, I have been noticing little things that other author’s do that make me quit reading their stories. Since I started noticing them I am trying conscious of them in my own writing. But strangely it’s hard for me to notice anything about the storycraft when an author is doing everything right, I’m enjoying the story too much.
I’m not talking about grammar or characterization; there are several other wonderful threads out there that address these topics. I’m talking about style.
For example, the thing that bothers me in stories, the thing that I always catch myself doing and have to go back and fix, is when an author tells about characters doing things rather than actually having the characters do those things.
Another style issue that my wonderful beta is constantly on me for is repetition of words several times in a paragraph. So now I notice that in other stories as well. She also taught me all about point of view.
There’s a host of really good authors out there on FFN, so I am picking your brains.
What are your writing style pet peeves? What should I make sure I do or do not do as I write?
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Misspelled words, other than those used as conversation. Any given character may not speak well, but the author MUST.
Something I've noticed as I read Homer's Illiad - repetition of entire blocks of text. Some is poetic, and acceptable, other chunks should be reduced to "Deliver this message...", description of a bit of action, blah, blah. When the emissary delivered Achille's message to Agamemnon... NOT a complete reprint of the message.
Spread out character descriptions, don't use a paragraph as nothing but describing physical characteristics/personality traits. Sprinkle them through the text as bonus descriptors. Don't /tell/ that Mal is an honorable man; /demonstrate/ it (returns the meds).
'Course, there are other schools of thought.
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Something that tends to put me off are descriptors instead of names or personal pronouns.
"Leave me alone," the Companion said.
Or, the Captain, the mechanic, the mercenary, the pilot, the shepherd, the crazy girl... Whatever, we know what they are.
Why create an artificial distance by using the most basic description or title? We think of Mal as Mal, Inara as Inara, Kaylee as Kaylee. Who they are encompasses so much more than what they do for a living.
Names or pronouns. Please.
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What really annoys me is when authors skip out on details to get to the action quicker. Also, foreshadowing really bugs me. I don't want to know what the whole story is going to be like from the first couple of pages. That makes reading the book pointless.
Hopefully that helps you at least a little bit. Just so you know, this isn't coming from a writer (I don't have the talent), but I do love to read. If you want another beta reader, just ask me 
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My favorite quotes: 
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Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Something that tends to put me off are descriptors instead of names or personal pronouns.
"Leave me alone," the Companion said.
Or, the Captain, the mechanic, the mercenary, the pilot, the shepherd, the crazy girl... Whatever, we know what they are.
Interesting - This is something I never thought would bother people. I do this sometimes just so you know who is speaking, without saying their name, over and over and over again. To you know, switch it up abit.
River Flan - I agree about to much forshadowing, but as a reader I find it really cool when an author works details in that end up being important later. Not that I am good at it, but J.K. Rowling really is.
Also thanks for the offer to beta. I don't need one right now but I will keep you in mind if I find my self in need.
Flattop - I totally agree that repeating entire sections of dialog gets a bit much, good one.
Ok all the rest of you out there - I'm sure there are more...............
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Quote:
Originally posted by RiverFlan:
What really annoys me is when authors skip out on details
YES!!! *Bows down in appreciation*
YES!!!
That's the thing in writing- You can the best story to tell in the whole world, but it's the details that make or break it. Don't make it bloody purple (As most folk would rightly get in it), but give more then is strictly necessary. Better a lot then a little, as I always (Never) say. The plot itself can wait. If Steinbeck can take an entire chapter to describe a turtle crossing the street, then folks can take a few extra paragraphs to describe the place the characters are in.
-Danny
We move for all mankind,
A million miles from everything we've ever know...
We're on their hearts and minds,
A million heads are bowed to bring us safely home...
Hemmed in by emptiness,
A million ways that everything could be undone...
THRICE RULES!!!!!!!!!
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To the last three posts, I agree with you on whole counts.
One of the reasons it's taking me so long to finish up YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN, is in writing the details and the experience of the concert. I would like nothing more than to get to the big stuff at the end of the story, but I need to have that other stuff there just to get to that and not make it seemed rush. So I'm not going to take a short cut in terms of story.
When it comes to saying the characters' occupations, I do agree that it gets boring saying the same names over and over again. Kevin Smith, in the first EVENING WITH DVD talked about how when he wrote his treatment for the Superman movie, he called Superman different names for specific passages, because to him it get's boring saying Superman over and over again. But when he read it aloud to Jon Peters the producer, Jon interrupted him with "Wait, wait, wait. Who the fuck is Kal-El?";"Kal-El is Superman.";"OK. Why?";"Kal-El is his Kryptonian name." (awkward beat) "Krypton, the planet where he's from?";"Right, right, planet, boom. Go." So I can understand why you wouldn't want to keep using the same names over and over again. But I can also understand how that could come back and hurt you.
And I do like it when authors devote whole paragraphs to descriptions. One of the reason Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorite authors is because his books are full of prose descriptions of everything. And it works because it really takes you into the books and places you there with the characters. So I like it when I write whole paragraphs of nothing but prose, just to give places and small characters their own bit of history and relevance.
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Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack
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When I first got started writing, I was lucky enough to have a teacher that really encouraged and help me with some important pointers.
* "milquetoast words" avoid wishy-washy or hesitant words I used to have a list of these, but I've lost it.
* Don't "be" - avoid forms of the verb "to be" (was, were, is, etc) She reccomended things like don't say "the car was red", make the "red car" do something. Dynamic rather than static.
* If someone "said" something, it's ok to use "said". Don't overuse the alternatives. If every time someone speaks, they're "exclaiming" or "remarking" or "commenting" after a short while, it's going to stand out. A variation on the "keep it simple" rule.
Not sure if any of that is helpful to anyone else, but it all really stuck in my head, and influences everything I write.
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Great points Sharesiren. I agree it is very important to make language dynamic.
I'm a little confused by this though:
Quote:
Originally posted by Shadesiren:
* "milquetoast words" avoid wishy-washy or hesitant words I used to have a list of these, but I've lost it.
*
Do you remember any examples?
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I have a not so simple question for you clever fellows
How do you avoid the overuse of personal pronouns? That's something that bugs me in other people's writing as well as in mine. I'm not a native english speaker, and I haven't had an english class since I graduated, so your imput would be most appreciated!
PS: I don't want to divert this thread from it's original purpose. If you believe that my question doesn't fit into it, tell me and I'll go make a thread of my own.
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