I’ve only taken one creative writing class. That was years back in junior high when my
schedule opened up for one semester and I was able to indulge my creative
interests. My teacher was at that time a
published writer (though she used a pen name, so I don’t know what books she
published). And she felt that the most
important thing for us as new writers was to read the Elements of Style
written by Strunk and White. We had
specific phrases we had to learn and memorize for tests.
I’ve just pulled out the notes that I took for that
class. (Yes, I kept them) and I’ve been
reviewing them again. I’m amazed by how appropriate
each phrase is, and I’ve decided to dedicate each Wednesday of the month of
October expanding on each one.
Today, we’re going to start with the one that always comes
screaming into my head whenever I think of the Elements of Style.
 |
| Quote taken from Elements of Style |
I can’t tell you how many times we had to repeat this phrase
during class. This was my teacher’s one
motto.
Specific to the General
When I think of this part, I think of telling vs
showing. You may have a character that
you tell the reader ‘has proven himself to be trustworthy.’ How specific is that? Does that give the reader a definite idea of
who he is? In what has he proven himself
trustworthy? Get specific. Take a moment to describe a specific moment
when he’d proven this. Was there a time
when he’d been asked to keep a secret and he’d lost his best friend because he’d
kept it? If I tell you one of my
characters is naïve, wouldn’t it be easier to believe if she says something in
a situation that makes it obvious that she doesn’t understand what’s going
on?
Definite to the Vague
This is the area that I struggle with the most. I tend to be vague with descriptions, and I’m
never quite sure when I need to use more.
It’s something I’ve been working on, and I feel as though I’ve improved
quite a bit in the past few months. It’s
not a matter of describing every single little detail within the scene. It’s a matter of determining which details
help move the scene forward or pinpoint the personality of your
characters.
For example. I had a
character stand up. But that was a bit
vague. Here’s what I ended up writing:
He accepted
Brednon’s help, wincing when the joints in his legs resisted. This human form
was becoming more cumbersome. If he wasn’t careful, he might lose his ability
to remain useful to the king.
With just a short, definite description, I was able to
convey that not only is he growing older, he’s also worried about how long he’ll
be useful in his position.
Concrete to the Abstract
Along the lines of the ones before, this I believe, has to
do with concepts and ideas. If you’re
telling a reader that a character’s afraid, then maybe you should expand on
that. Afraid, angry, uncomfortable, any
of these feelings could be considered abstract.
Dig deeper. Find the why. Find out what it is about the situation, the
person or whatever they’re facing that makes them feel how they do. Focus on the reactions, the physical actions
that show the emotions. Focus on the
concrete, rather than the abstract.
How do you make sure you write with the specific, definite
and concrete? What lessons have you
learned while writing?
Krista,
ReplyDeleteThese are terrific ... and I can't say I'm disappointed to find another person who holds on to their notebooks, either, as I thought I was the only one! (This topic came up on my Facebook feed a few months ago - either I was the only one, or no one else was confessing.) ;-)
I, too, struggle with details. I prefer to write short fiction, sometimes even flash fiction, but each November for the last four years, I've tried my hand at completing a novel. Each time, I have fought with scenes and pacing, unsure whether I'm prattling on too long lest my novel becomes a 250,000 word monstrosity and gets completely out of hand.
I think your advice was perfect: I will have to remind myself to include only what is relevant. It's easier to come back later and add more if needed, but I know it's going to be hard to chop passages out once written. Thanks for a terrific post - I'll be following so I can keep up and refresh myself a bit before November! I figure I have four "practice NaNo's" at this point, so 2013 is going to be the year I bring it all together and finish!
Take care,
Cherstin
Thank you! I am one of those people who writes with the bare details and adds more later. I don't think I'd ever be able to complete a 250,000 word monstrosity! Now that would be amazing.
DeleteAnd yes, when it comes to writing, I keep EVERYTHING.
ReplyDeleteNice write-up! Every time I hear the song “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” I am reminded of ‘goals.’ A writer's journey starts when he bites the tip of his pen, thinks about ideas, and put it to writing. But how does a writer create an effective narrative?
"the elements of style "