This is a response to Devor's post on writing rules, not Chessie's post on Story is More than Prose.
There have been many odd and confusing rules floating around the internet offering suggestion on prose.
Some suggest that prose should disappear. It should be as sparse and concise as possible in order to be invisible so that the reader experiences full emersion. It asks writers to be ruthless with certain types of words, like 'ly words, or filler words. Don't worry about coming up with fancy descriptions or clever turns of phrase. This sort of prose style lends itself well to fast paced action/thrillers, where the focus is meant to be more on the plot development.
On the flip side, there are a lot of well known agents and publishers who are dying for authentic writer voices. They are begging for more writers to be brave with their writer voices and bring the human back into storytelling. Maah's calls it "beautifully written." This sort of prose style lends itself well to more character based stories, or literary fiction, where the focus is on deep, internal growth and change. It is heavy in metaphor, symbolism, and imagery, and takes its time.
But can you do both? I think so. I think, like anything, there is a spectrum. Hemingway believed in keeping it short and simple. He wanted to be able to distill his ideas to their very core because that was how he believed he would get the most emotional impact from his readers. He wanted to find the truth in his words and use only the truth. Cut everything else. That was his goal as a writer.
What is your goal as a writer? What is your goal for your story?
Are you wanting to provide the reader with a sweeping Milieu story? Transport them to another world full of magic and wonder and let them explore it as if they really lived there? You can do that.
Are you wanting to provide a fast paced action thriller adventure, full of twists and turns and heart stopping moments? You can do that to.
Are you wanting to write a sweeping internal drama, where the conflict is not external, but internal? Where the character's biggest enemy is himself?
The suggestions out there are written for specific types of stories. They are not to be used for every type of story. Knowing what advice to take and what advice to shed comes from knowing what your goals are for who you want to be as a writer and what sort of story you want to tell.
When you know that then you will be able to filter out the suggestions you don't need, and search for (and find) the advice you do.
What are your thoughts on this Scribes? What amazing advice have you read in regards to prose and voice? What horrible advice have you read?
There have been many odd and confusing rules floating around the internet offering suggestion on prose.
Some suggest that prose should disappear. It should be as sparse and concise as possible in order to be invisible so that the reader experiences full emersion. It asks writers to be ruthless with certain types of words, like 'ly words, or filler words. Don't worry about coming up with fancy descriptions or clever turns of phrase. This sort of prose style lends itself well to fast paced action/thrillers, where the focus is meant to be more on the plot development.
On the flip side, there are a lot of well known agents and publishers who are dying for authentic writer voices. They are begging for more writers to be brave with their writer voices and bring the human back into storytelling. Maah's calls it "beautifully written." This sort of prose style lends itself well to more character based stories, or literary fiction, where the focus is on deep, internal growth and change. It is heavy in metaphor, symbolism, and imagery, and takes its time.
But can you do both? I think so. I think, like anything, there is a spectrum. Hemingway believed in keeping it short and simple. He wanted to be able to distill his ideas to their very core because that was how he believed he would get the most emotional impact from his readers. He wanted to find the truth in his words and use only the truth. Cut everything else. That was his goal as a writer.
What is your goal as a writer? What is your goal for your story?
Are you wanting to provide the reader with a sweeping Milieu story? Transport them to another world full of magic and wonder and let them explore it as if they really lived there? You can do that.
Are you wanting to provide a fast paced action thriller adventure, full of twists and turns and heart stopping moments? You can do that to.
Are you wanting to write a sweeping internal drama, where the conflict is not external, but internal? Where the character's biggest enemy is himself?
The suggestions out there are written for specific types of stories. They are not to be used for every type of story. Knowing what advice to take and what advice to shed comes from knowing what your goals are for who you want to be as a writer and what sort of story you want to tell.
When you know that then you will be able to filter out the suggestions you don't need, and search for (and find) the advice you do.
What are your thoughts on this Scribes? What amazing advice have you read in regards to prose and voice? What horrible advice have you read?
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