Early 'spam, then I'm calling it a day

[cleolinda]

So I finally caught up and watched the two episodes of True Blood and I kind of loved it. Like, not even ironically--genuinely loved it although there was kind of some snarky love in there as well. Put on some pants, Anna Paquin. Part of me wants to write up an in-depth thing about it, and part of me, mostly the part centered around my sinuses,

Comments

[all_ephemera]

Yay for True Blood! I am loving this show... but I have to watch it on OnDemand and skip past the credits because that decomposing fox wigs me the fuck out.

Also, Diablo Cody has my love for that burn. Really.

[emisi]

Oh man, I know what you mean! Those credits are creeeeeeepy.

OMG

[kaymasen]

the fox wigs me out too - totally.

True Blood

[allie_meril]

I watched the first two episodes through dubious means and genuinely fell in love as well! Sookie is twenty kinds of awesome. Even better: the books are just as great. I've finished the first one, and now I'm just waiting to pounce on my friend and demand the second one!

[greyduck]

(MAYBE IT WOULD IF PEOPLE WOULD STOP DESCRIBING TEACUPS TO DEATH)

*snerk*

You know... I tend to feel as though doing the "descriptive" thing is one of my bigger weaknesses, but maybe it's time to let that stigma go? Would you say that one could relax, get the writing (plot, characterization, dialog) down and then go back and spot-check for details in a second pass?

Hmm.

[cleolinda]

The descriptive thing was a huge problem for me, to the point where I actually started writing Black Ribbon under a self-imposed deadline (one chapter a week, five weeks total, in October 2003) just to make myself throw it out there and not worry about the fancy detailing. I would say definitely write the story first and then go back and look for good places to put in "anchor" details. I actually try not to describe the main characters' appearances on the first go, for example. Like, just write the story without even dealing with that, then put details here and there later. It helps me avoid the "flowing locks and crystal-blue eyes" infodumps. With minor characters, I feel like it's more important to anchor them with a few key details right there, because that's the essence of who they are and you might not see them very much, or again, even. Mostly the anchor detail thing I'm thinking of is for location--rather than just stop dead and describe a room from wall to wall, mention that the carpet was frayed and the floor creaked and move

[the_rainbow_jen]

You know, that's possibly the best writing advice I've ever read, and I wish more people could just read stuff that was left to their imagination instead of demanding details. That's why its literature, not a photograph, or video.

[cleolinda]

Well, I think you need to make sure that the details you do include are really, really good. It's just that if you include too many, the story just stops absolutely dead. And I can't remember who said this, but a costume designer doing a movie fairly recently said that she was really glad that the book in question didn't give many details on the clothing, because she had a lot more latitude to create. God! I wish I could remember who it was. It couldn't have been anyone working on Twilight, because the clothes are a bit too specific.

[annlarimer]

My last semester of college, I often spent lunch sitting outside a writing class in the basement of the English building. It was where my next class was, and cooler and roomier than the main floor. So I heard a lot of student writing and critique.

It made me never want to write fiction, ever.

Of course, that was the same room where I came down with the chicken pox in the middle of my very last final exam, so maybe it was just cursed.

[cleolinda]

Hee, yeah. All I know is, it made me never, ever want to read a book about any white people with suburban ennui ever again, and I am white people with suburban ennui. Really, the way I look at books now is if the description or synopsis says anything about the way the character feels--if his feeling bad or guilty or dissatisfied or disillusioned is the POINT of the story in any way--I want no part of it. The synopsis better have the hero doing something, and it better have him doing something fast. And if there's a "journey of self-discovery," God help us all.

[particle_person]

Did you ever read White Noise by Don DeLillo? We had to read that in my writing class senior year of college, and it's exactly the kind of "white people with suburban ennui" book that you're describing.

[cleolinda]

Haven't read anything of his, actually.

[sucrelefey]

I am anti literary and I couldn't write literary style to save my life but I am surrounded by literary people and the peer pressure to be more literary shows; the results suck.

If I didn't know better I think one of the tabloids on the table in one of the True Blood episodes had a headline "Angelina adopts vampire."

[snowwhite2421]

It did.

[cleolinda]

"ANGELINA ADOPTS VAMPIRE BABY," IT TOTALLY DID. I laughed so hard when I saw that.

[sucrelefey]

I have this feeling there will be more blink and you miss it jokes to come.