Comments | jadedmetaphor: What I learned at Hollins this Summer

jadedmetaphor

What I learned at Hollins this Summer

Jul 30, 2007 18:23

I'm home! Now comes time to unpack both my suitcases and mind (the contents of the latter will be filed, below).

Here are the most important things I learned this summer:

( Read more... )

Comments 9

fabulousfrock July 31 2007, 01:00:39 UTC

Very interesting post. I'd like to read more about the analysis of other texts...I'll have to check out the Francine Prose book. I know when I read, certain books stand out above the pack--they just WORK and I'm not always sure why.

jadedmetaphor July 31 2007, 01:53:46 UTC

Yes, I felt this way before, too... Really, I hope Alexandria's book will be published, soon, because she outlines a lot of terms that I'd never heard before that really have helped me to articulate the "why." For example, one term she uses is "double duty details," which are details that serve two purposes (setting and characterization or character and voice). I know I've read great passages that do this and have a strong economy of words, but I never quite noticed exactly what was happening or had a name for it, until now... I do wonder if the Prose book is as good. I will let you know if I find other books that are helpful ( ... )

ex_dotificu July 31 2007, 02:03:07 UTC

WOW--thanks for these awesome notes! I haven't read FP's book, but I've seen other writers mention it as useful, too.

Do you ever worry that if you're thinking about all this though, as you write, that it will impede you? like if you're trying to hold all this in your head, "Is the narrator's reaction enough? Do I need more? Do I need to make this detail a double duty one?" AS you write, that it will get . . . I dunno, stiff? artificial? contrived?

And I think a page a day is a good solid goal.

jadedmetaphor July 31 2007, 02:12:01 UTC

Ah, Thanks for mentioning this- My teacher said NOT to think about this stuff as you write for the exact reasons you mentioned. Your goal is for the forms analysis and craft stuff to become ingrained so that you don't have to think about it. She is a big advocate of just writing w/o overthinking anything you do. You shouldn't even think about it when you do your first set of revisions (for the major stuff). When you get to your more nitty gritty revisions and you find a place that's not working- that's when you can think of it again. Plus, it's good for the things you know you have been consistently challenging for you (for example, I have trouble with characterization so this helps me when I read books that have great characters- it helps me to see what is making it happen).

ex_dotificu July 31 2007, 13:28:56 UTC

oh, okay.

Also -- WHEW.

sheela_chari July 31 2007, 02:41:06 UTC

Huh...some of these seemed to ring true for me! Thanks for unpacking your brain. I liked the part about not being afraid to rewrite a first draft (something I'm generally afraid to do). I'm trying to get better about not obsessing over each word and just keep going.

I'm glad you got so much out of your Hollins experience. And a critique group, too! Awesome.

jadedmetaphor July 31 2007, 22:00:26 UTC

I decided to try it for just the first 10-20 pages and see if there really was a significant difference (there was). It was a worthwhile experiment.

Yes, I'm struggling to not obsess, too, hehe :-)

kellyrfineman August 1 2007, 01:57:25 UTC

I've never learned so much from looking at a person's unpacking before -- thanks!

jadedmetaphor August 1 2007, 04:29:32 UTC

Lol- glad you enjoyed :-)