973 réponses à ce sujet

[tklivory]

Hmmm, we've been talking about books that we like to read, so here's a related question:

How do you like to write? What genres do you feel you do well in? What categories (romance, action/adventure, humor, horror, &c) do you prefer? Have you ever sat down to write something as a pure exercise and discovered that you were actually pretty good at it?

For example, I remember when I wrote my first two 'Once Upon a Time' pieces, it was a pure exercise (i was trying to write a drabble and failed miserably). Then it turned out to be pretty funny, and has a few loyal fans now (I'm up to 9 chapters). I *never* thought I could wrote humor, but it turns out I can to an extent (though I wouldn't want to try a book, a la Terry Pratchett, any time soon...)

Similarly, I never thought I could do... *ahem* tent time, but I've been assured that yes, I can. And I wrote it because Cullen was sadly neglected on the kmeme boards.

So, thoughts on what you like to write, and why?

[RagingCyclone]

I have one novel that I guess I want perfect because it is based on my grandfather's experience as a POW. All my other writing I have actually been switching around. If you read the Dan and Alistair shorts you can see I have been playing with various styles and beginnings. The Neria was the first I decided to take one of those and expand on and in the processes create totally new charactters for it. I have another one swinging in my head that will go a different direction than Neria's did...so in a long winded way I guess I am saying that I like playing around with the different genres. I read books the same way...I read more than two books of the same style in a row I get bored with that style, so I like the change-up.

[Corker]

tklivory wrote...
How do you like to write?

Sitting down, at a computer, where it's quiet.

What genres do you feel you do well in? What categories (romance, action/adventure, humor, horror, &c) do you prefer?

Humor, adventure, smut, and drama are what I gravitate to.  I've done some romance, but it's not my favorite.  I'm not into horror at all and avoid several flavors of angst.

I ran a low fantasy play-by-post game that was a ton of fun - finding all the pains and joys of a small cast of characters in a small village dealing with orcs and bandits.  I want to someday write that version of DA2, the one where you really *live* in Lowtown and get to understand the problems there.

Have you ever sat down to write something as a pure exercise and discovered that you were actually pretty good at it?

No, although I have sat down to write something 'just because I can' - DA-themed riffs on Shakespeare, a sonnet by Varric, dwarven rap and such.  They're sort of like party tricks.

So, thoughts on what you like to write, and why?

The action/adventure stories, I want to write because they're fun stories.

The humor creeps into most things I do.

The medieval re-creation stuff... I have no idea why I love it, but I do.  

The low fantasy - I have something of an axe to grind with DA2.

The smut - 98%, I like the positive feedback.  Probably wouldn't do it otherwise.  2%... I'm finally finding a series/theme that seems worthwhile to write on its own merits, although I still don't know if I have the knack of using the smut non-gratuitously.  I don't think so - right now, it's a bunch of kinky kmeme fills with some seemingly out-of-place serious bits thrown in.  I'm hoping the next fill will start to mesh the two a bit better, as I figure out where I'm going with it.

[tklivory]

Corker wrote...

tklivory wrote...
How do you like to write?

Sitting down, at a computer, where it's quiet.

...Is it wrong to admit that the first thing that popped into my head when I read this was, "What would be the worst setting?" and immediately thought of someone with a typewriter on a galloping horse?    Strange imagery...

[Tryynity]

How do you like to write?
I write in my head first.  Then I type that into a computer in skeleton form, then I flesh it out then I edit.
 
What genres do you feel you do well in?
Fantasy 
 
What categories (romance, action/adventure, humor, horror, &c) do you prefer?
Romance, Drama, recently Smut and Comedy
 
Have you ever sat down to write something as a pure exercise and discovered that you were actually pretty good at it?
Yes - smut.  My next is action/fight scenes. 
AND I REALLY want to write a DragonAge Musical but using other ppls songs - Im not sure what style yet - Im leaning towards Luhrmann but also Lloyd Webber - probably just a kooky idea that will go nowhere ahahaha

So, thoughts on what you like to write, and why?
I just love to create stuff.  I love to express thoughts, ideas, and messages via different mediums.  I cant draw, so that leaves writing, film, and music.  Music is often someone elses work that speaks to me in a certain way, which I put images relating to how I interpret the piece.

My favourite part of any story is character creation - which is why I have soooo many characters and so little stories for them to play in.

The next thing is usually a theme that inspires me.  Taryn & Anieran are both characters that developed themes which excited me enough to go further.  If the story keeps me interested they will progrees further still.  Which is a good thing, coz hey if the author gets bored I bet the audience will too LOL

Modifié par Tryynity, 10 décembre 2011 - 01:11 .

[thesnowtigress]

I just thought this was interesting: 12 ways to open your novel or Opening Scenes
I know some were wondering about how to start their story.
And something on flashbacks. I'm not sure who this person is that writes this blog, and the advice is for revising a novel, but I think it could apply to fan fiction.

[tklivory]

thesnowtigress wrote...

I just thought this was interesting: 12 ways to open your novel or Opening Scenes
I know some were wondering about how to start their story.
And something on flashbacks. I'm not sure who this person is that writes this blog, and the advice is for revising a novel, but I think it could apply to fan fiction.

Wow, thanks!  These are very interesting reading, and a great blog.  Thanks for sharing!

[Morwen Eledhwen]

...jumps in late to the discussion, as usual...

How do you like to write?

Any way I can. Sometimes it's easier for me to scribble the flashes of insight/plot/dialogue on paper and then transfer it to a computer file where I can flesh it out and search for holes/inconsistencies/illogicalities. I find if I try to do both steps at once, I lose bits of insight/plot/dialogue while trying to wrangle technicalities of others.

Similarly, I find that I like to have an outline of basic plot points/dialogue etc. that I then go back and flesh in, then revise again for language before submitting to beta, then take beta notes and revise again, with their notes plus all the stuff I found in it that I hated after I submitted it to beta. I also find that my notes/outline form is almost always in the present tense, while the finished work is in the past.

What genres do you feel you do well in?

Short stories. Which is funny, considering I only have 2 works published online, one a small section of a Round-Robin prompt on deviantArt, and one long multi-chapter work that I plan to make Part 1 of an even longer series. But in the past, I've always been a short-story person. I like their neatness, their intensity, their economy and use of language. I still tend to think of each chapter I publish as a kind of short story.

What categories (romance, action/adventure, humor, horror, &c) do you prefer?

To read: fantasy, humor, horror, drama/adventure, erotica. To write: Need more practice at different categories to give an accurate answer. . .

Have you ever sat down to write something as a pure exercise and discovered that you were actually pretty good at it?

Yes --dialogue and --I think-- smut. My writing never used to feature a lot of dialogue --mostly atmosphere and the protagonist's thoughts and observations, punctuated with a very few pivotal lines of dialogue. Then there was a prompt to write DA dialogue on these boards and I got a spark, and couldn't stop --not even when the exercise was over. Dialogues kept popping into my head. That plus my canon DA playthrough really were the inspiration for my current fic, which is *full* of dialogue. And fight scenes, which I'd also never written before. And humor, which frankly never featured too heavily in my earlier writing, either. It's kind of a minefield of new things for me, really. Thank the Maker for betas.

Edit: Oh, and the smut was part of that Round Robin exercise I mentioned earlier. At least, that's the only smut I've published --so far.

Modifié par Morwen Eledhwen, 10 décembre 2011 - 05:27 .

[maxernst]

How do I like to write?

I usually run through a couple scenes in detail in my head and carry them around for a few days before I sit down with a glass of wine after dinner and begin to write. My biggest problem (other than a lack of skill with vivid imagery) is that usually those scenes come off fairly well but the connective tissue to set them up is perfunctory and reads like it.

What genres do I feel I do well in?

I'm not sure I've written enough to say I do particularly well in anything. Low fantasy and magic realism are what I'm attracted to writing. I've been writing some romance, but more along the lines of drama in an established relationship than the falling in love part. I like intrigue. Part of the reason i tend to write from a single point of view is that I like to conceal what's going on from the reader and allow them to see only what the character sees. Maybe I read too much Frank Herbert when I was younger, but I like writing dialogues where what's not being said is as important as what's being said.

The only time I ever sat down to something as an exercise was when I wanted to write a story in which all the scenes were inspired by surrealist paintings. The opening scene, from di Chirico's Melancholy and Mystery of a Street was the only one that got written...which tells you I wasn't overly successful. I just didn't have a sufficiently evocative style to carry off something which is all impressions and not much coherent plot.

I guess my backstory for my NWN2 character which I conceived as a first-person monologue was the first time I'd tried that approach and I found I liked writing that way--that's how I wrote the Blight story part of Morrigan's Daughter. The backstory had a structural experiment too. The main character was a bard, so I began each chapter with a quote from a song and then the chapter opened with how music played a pivotal role in the action of that chapter. The narrator would then backtrack and explain how he got into the situation. It worked well for a couple of chapters, but started to feel too contrived as it went on. Still love the Concrete Blonde quote that I opened the story with because it fit the character so well:

"And if I had my choice, I'd take the voice I got 'cause it was hard to find
You know I've come too far to wind up right back where I started." --True, Concrete Blonde

Modifié par maxernst, 10 décembre 2011 - 07:02 .

[Morwen Eledhwen]

^ Wow, I don't know too many people who would be able to quote any Concrete Blonde song besides "Joey", much less one of their really early ones. That brings back memories.

Also,

Part of the reason i tend to write from a single point of view is that I like to conceal what's going on from the reader and allow them to see only what the character sees.

I do the same thing. I think once or twice I've used an alternate point of view just as a literary device to show a markedly different perspective on things from what the protagonist thinks is going on. But most of the time it's a single perspective, and I don't like to dwell too much on what everything means, unless the character is actually taking some time to do so. Mostly I like to show, not tell, and let the reader decide what's really going on behind what's been depicted.

But that leads to another question: Do you ever find that subtext you've written gets completely misconstrued, or even overlooked? Even when you think it's so painfully obvious that to write it any clearer would basically be like hanging out a sign that says "OKAY EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN THIS SCENE, I SHALL NOW PUT A BIG FAT CLUE RIGHT HERE IN THE TEXT FOR YOU, HERE IT COMES, NOW!" And if that ever happens, what do you do? Shrug and say "Oh well, they didn't get it"? Go back and make it more obvious, even if the obviousness makes you cringe?

Modifié par Morwen Eledhwen, 10 décembre 2011 - 07:18 .

[maxernst]

Morwen Eledhwen wrote...

^ Wow, I don't know too many people who would be able to quote any Concrete Blonde song besides "Joey", much less one of their really early ones. That brings back memories.

Also,

Part of the reason i tend to write from a single point of view is that I like to conceal what's going on from the reader and allow them to see only what the character sees.

I do the same thing. I think once or twice I've used an alternate point of view just as a literary device to show a markedly different perspective on things from what the protagonist thinks is going on. But most of the time it's a single perspective, and I don't like to dwell too much on what everything means, unless the character is actually taking some time to do so. Mostly I like to show, not tell, and let the reader decide what's really going on behind what's been depicted.

But that leads to another question: Do you ever find that subtext you've written gets completely misconstrued, or even overlooked? Even when you think it's so painfully obvious that to write it any clearer would basically be like hanging out a sign that says "OKAY EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN THIS SCENE, I SHALL NOW PUT A BIG FAT CLUE RIGHT HERE IN THE TEXT FOR YOU, HERE IT COMES, NOW!" And if that ever happens, what do you do? Shrug and say "Oh well, they didn't get it"? Go back and make it more obvious, even if the obviousness makes you cringe?

I don't think I'm that subtle that it's a problem.  I'm more likely to distract my reader with color details to which they attach excessive significance.  I'll give a roleplaying example rather than a writing one.  The party had discovered a tunnel that led from an assassin's hideout into a vineyard near a small village and decided to chat with the village priest to see if they could learn anything.  I decided that it would be fun to have the elderly priest to jump to the conclusion that the young cleric in the party was the assistant he had requested from the bishop.  This led to the party asking what happened to his old assistant and I improvised that he had died after a long illness and the party kept probing this, wondering if he might have been poisoned etc.    I had a hard time convincing them that the assistant's death had nothing to do with the plot.

Edited to add:  I never understood why Joey was their hit single--it was almost my least favorite song from that album.  I loved Concrete Blonde.

Modifié par maxernst, 10 décembre 2011 - 08:42 .

[Tryynity]

I hate getting bogged down in details - but then I swing to the extreme of not enough.

I find it hard sometimes because I want to be sure everyone gets all the information, especially if Im setting up an emotional scene.

It is like as a writer I am saying to the reader - are you following? - do you fully get this? - dont miss what Im doing now! LOL I dont know when enough is enough.

eg - Weekly Zevran Prompt Entry - SACRIFICES :  THE END

Too much information - not enough - or just right?

ps I ran out of time to edit this further - so it is rough around the edges.

Modifié par Tryynity, 11 décembre 2011 - 01:24 .

[Klidi]

tklivory wrote...
How do you like to write?

I first think about it, until I have some scenes formed in my mind. Then I need complete silence - I usually write late at night, when there's nothing to distract me.

tklivory wrote...
What genres do you feel you do well in? What categories (romance, action/adventure, humor, horror, &c) do you prefer?

I don't have any genre or category that I prefer. I read everything, if it's interesting, well written and makes me think. Most of the stories I write can't be sorted into one category - Failed to Fail is adventure, friendship/romance, humour, hurt/comfort...

tklivory wrote...
Have you ever sat down to write something as a pure exercise and discovered that you were actually pretty good at it?

Fanfiction.
Though it was not a quite 'pure exercise'. But I didn't even know fanfiction existed before I played DAO. I've heard Zev's voice in my mind during my play, and I formed Airam's background to great details while I roleplayed him, much more than ever before with any other game or character. When I discovered there are other people crazy in the same way, I decided to try it and write the story about those two. I was sure nobody would read it, and I was totally shocked when I received a review alert.

tklivory wrote...
So, thoughts on what you like to write, and why?

For me, one of the most important things in any story I read, one of my most important criteria for 'interesting book' are emotions. Not just romance, but emotions in general, how a character reacts to what is going on around him, inner turmoil, the change they have to undergo - no matter if it is successful or not.

And that is what I like to write as well. That's why Zevran is so interesting for me, why I started to write a fanfiction about him - I wanted to know how and why he changed from a cold-hearted assassin, to caring and loyal person willing to die for his friend.

Morwen Eledhwen wrote...

But that leads to another
question: Do you ever find that subtext you've written gets completely misconstrued, or even overlooked? Even when you think it's so painfully obvious that to write it any clearer would basically be like hanging out a sign that says "OKAY EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN THIS SCENE, I SHALL NOW PUT A BIG FAT CLUE RIGHT HERE IN THE TEXT FOR YOU, HERE IT COMES, NOW!" [smilie]../../../../images/forum/emoticons/pinched.png[/smilie]
And if that ever happens, what do you do? Shrug and say "Oh well, they
didn't get it"? Go back and make it more obvious, even if the
obviousness makes you cringe?

It does happen, yes. Byt as long as there is at least one person who gets it right, I don't worry (and I'm very lucky to have in fact three superawesome readers who are amazing in picking clues), I'm not worried. The others will figure it out, eventually. After all pieces of the puzzle fit toghether, hopefully they will realize 'oh, so that was what she meant'. I would be perhaps worried if no one would be able to pick up the clues, then I would take it as a sign my writing is not clear enough and I would try to make it slightly more obvious in the next chapters.

Modifié par Klidi, 11 décembre 2011 - 11:29 .

[Corker]

Morwen Eledhwen wrote...
But that leads to another question: Do you ever find that subtext you've written gets completely misconstrued, or even overlooked? Even when you think it's so painfully obvious that to write it any clearer would basically be like hanging out a sign that says "OKAY EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN THIS SCENE, I SHALL NOW PUT A BIG FAT CLUE RIGHT HERE IN THE TEXT FOR YOU, HERE IT COMES, NOW!" And if that ever happens, what do you do?

Ahahaha!  Yes, a couple of times.  Generally, I look back to see if I was being a little *too* clever for my own good, which I've been guilty of.  But if I really do think there's enough context to figure things out, I'll leave it.  Hopefullly, the subtext isn't critical to reading and understanding the story, and just adds a layer of pleasure for those who do get it.  If something is OMG-important to understanding what's going on, I hope I'd notice that and rewrite to make sure it's clear.

[RagingCyclone]

Morwen Eledhwen wrote...
But that leads to another question: Do you ever find that subtext you've written gets completely misconstrued, or even overlooked? Even when you think it's so painfully obvious that to write it any clearer would basically be like hanging out a sign that says "OKAY EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN THIS SCENE, I SHALL NOW PUT A BIG FAT CLUE RIGHT HERE IN THE TEXT FOR YOU, HERE IT COMES, NOW!" And if that ever happens, what do you do?

This is where I put myself in the reader's shoes. Being a reader first before writing I let my imagination take over and allow the words to paint the scenario on my mental canvas. As a reader I absolutely hate when a writer gets bogged down in the minute details.  David Gaider's fight sequences in The Calling come to mind where the huge attention to every detail actually took me out of the interest to see what was going on. Conversely reading something with too few details has the same effect. So the trick is finding that happy balance. When I write I try to give a general sense of what is happening. Say I have a fight sequence. Instead of DG's example of 'Duncan set his left foot, pivoted, gripped the handle of his dagger, brought it over his head....' I would more follow the 'Duncan pivoted in his swing bringing his dagger down into the darkspawn severing it's arm.'  Which is better untlimately comes down to the reader and what that particular reader likes in style. As a writer, if I can convey at least a general idea of what is happening I am happy in that I trust the reader already has the mental image of what is happening and their imagination take hold.

Modifié par RagingCyclone, 11 décembre 2011 - 04:13 .

[tklivory]

Too much vs too little detail...

I guess I approach that conundrum with the following attitude: if it is something the reader will infer naturally (like with Rage's example, where a reader will be able to infer some of the stated action based on what they have seen/read in other works) then I don't put it in.

However, if it is something that directly reflects a character's inner state, particuarly a non-POV character (clenching hands, arched eyebrow, trembling body, etc) then I will definitely put it in.

Most readers can fill in the blanks like "He walked away, one foot placed after the other, his hands swinging at his sides." Yeah, most people have walked and don't *need* to be told what it looks like. However, they don't know the character is angry *unless I tell them*, so I would say, "He walked away, shoulders stiff, punching the air around him in a futile effort to vent his frustration." That tells the reader what they need to know that they wouldn't have known otherwise.

[Morwen Eledhwen]

RagingCyclone wrote...

David Gaider's fight sequences in The Calling come to mind where the huge attention to every detail actually took me out of the interest to see what was going on. Conversely reading something with too few details has the same effect. So the trick is finding that happy balance. When I write I try to give a general sense of what is happening. Say I have a fight sequence. Instead of DG's example of 'Duncan set his left foot, pivoted, gripped the handle of his dagger, brought it over his head....' I would more follow the 'Duncan pivoted in his swing bringing his dagger down into the darkspawn severing it's arm.'  Which is better untlimately comes down to the reader and what that particular reader likes in style. As a writer, if I can convey at least a general idea of what is happening I am happy in that I trust the reader already has the mental image of what is happening and their imagination take hold.

This is actually why I've found it difficult to read the DG novels, this right here. It's not just in The Calling, either. The Stolen Throne does the same thing. It just seems clear to me that DG is used to thinking audio/visually, where every motion and every POW! BLAM! CRUNCH! AUGH! is presented to the viewer immediately, so he tries to write the same way. I also know that in the past, my least successful attempts at writing have also gotten far too bogged down in making sure that the reader sees, hears, thinks, feels etc. *every single thing* exactly as I see it in my head. I had to teach myself that this is not necessary for them to enjoy the story, or even to take away what is essential from it. So I've tried to remove detail that isn't necessary for plot/character advancement, which is pretty crucial IMO for action/fight scenes. And like Rage, I don't feel that it's necessary to include *every* stroke of a battle. We've all played the game; we all know that if someone isn't performing a special skill, talent or spell, they're hacking and slashing (or in the case of Shale/Dog, punching or biting). I don't need to tell you about it.

Like Corker and Klidi, my subtext-y things are meant to be subtext, and some of them are definitely meant not to be "figured out" until later, when hopefully a number of people will go "OHHhhh, so that's why [x]... " Other things are meant to be little extra enhancements for those who are paying attention, but not crucial to the story overall. Also, since I do write exclusively from my PC's perspective, the unspoken bits that she observes in her companions are the only things that speak for their point of view, unless they actually come out and express it in conversation --which, in a company with no Wynne and no Alistair, doesn't happen often unless someone is complaining. But so I don't expect everyone to get all of the "clues", and would consider rethinking my use of "subtext" if it was all completely transparent. Recently, though, I published a chapter that included a scene in which the subtext was, I thought, about as obvious as I could make it --so much so that I feared comments of an "ALL RIGHT, YES, WE GET IT. MAKER'S BREATH... " nature. Actually only two of my readers that I know of picked up on it immediately, while a couple more did after a little prompting. Maybe others got it and just didn't comment, but based on the reviews I got, there was at least a significant number of people that it just bypassed completely, which still baffles me. I can't imagine going back and making that scene any more obvious, though. Hopefully people will look back on it after reading later chapters and go "OHhhhhh... Hahaha. I see what you did there."

Modifié par Morwen Eledhwen, 11 décembre 2011 - 05:32 .

[Merilsell]

As for too much detail, I'm the opposite of it, actually. Within my years of writing the story, I needed to learn to give the readers enough of an amount of detail to get this scene. Personally I hate over descriptive scenes because they make my brainz melt all too easily...or bore me to death. I prefer short, clear descriptions of the scenery myself and don't need to describe how the armor looks like Lenya is wearing today. It is armor, there to protect her, what else is there to know? Okay we also have Alistair staring at the silver griffon at her chest, but that is something different. And see, I justly brought you a subtle description of the armor, while telling that Alistair is kinda...distracted due to it. xD

These are things, though, I needed to learn first, before I hated to write descriptions, because they were so bleh to me. Now it is easier, thanks to the daily practice of writing. I'm surely not perfect and others have more vivid descriptions of environment than me, but for me that is enough. I rather put my effort in describing emotions than what color the blouse of the girl had. Priorities, y'know

As for the subtlety, I prefer to not whack the hints over the heads of my reader and to do it more subtle. If they catch it, that is great, but it is not mandatory to enjoy the story. Right through the last chapters I already sprayed hints of how my story will end, but they are really minor and thus hard to find. I just like to warn my readers a bit, thus the end doesn't come off as a total surprise. Of course I'm always glad if one of my readers put up hints at prior events. Like the one who told me in a review that she appreciated how I showed why Lenya reacted like she had in the beginning of my story. That this made clear that she is more than just a bitter, well, b*tch. it was only one sentence the others missed btw. I wuv such attention of my reader(s), yet as said, it is not necessary. But always a pleasant surprise for me, nonetheless.

[Lakhi]

The issue I take with overly fluffy writing (akin to what DG does a lot) is that it effectively degenerates the flow of a story into either meaningless information or tarpits a scene to the point where it doesn't progress the novel at all.

I think the book series that's most guilty of this though is the lord of the rings, I know I'll get a lot of flak for this but it's really just a facet of the flow. There's simply too much going on in many of the paragraphs that it becomes tedious to read through some sections of the book. Now, I will state for the record that I absolutely love the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and that they rank among my favorite stories, so don't hate too much . Other series that have fallen into this tarpit are the wheel of time series (Damn you jordan!) And the song of fire and ice series, fortunately for the former, Brandon Sanderson seems to have stepped in nice and proper .

[Klidi]

When I think of 'too much info', I always remember the book we had on the translation seminar at uni. It was about the Queen of Sheba. The clothes of every single character were described to the last button. At first I thought that it was some practice text made up by our professor to test our vocabulary (she sometimes did things like that), but then I found out it was a real novel, and that the author - Kelly Dorr? something like that - was in fact quite popular. For me, it was a pain to read.

I'm like Merilsel - I don't give a description of clothes, unless it is important for some other reason. I think the only time I described what Airam was wearing was when Zevran bought him a set of robes with trousers as a present.

Modifié par Klidi, 11 décembre 2011 - 07:53 .

[Corker]

Details like clothes go to world-building, IMO.

If it's a standard pre-Raphelite sort of gown with the sleeves and the belts and the white samite and suchlike, or else a laced shirt and trousers, or perhaps something involving a corset, then not much needs to be said. The readers' imaginations can supply the details from the many images of such things that they have seen.

But I'll never forget the one red glove in Guy Gavriel Kay's "Tigana." I think it's mentioned once, in the context of something a woman would put in her wedding trousseau; later, a character displays one to pass as a courtesan or prostitute (not really clear which). And that's it. There's no infodump on the significance of the single red glove, or how a symbol of marriage got co-opted into the sex trade (or was it the other way around?) or what. But it was there, a strange and vivid piece of the lore of that world, which made the world seem more alive than Tolkien Clone #23 - but also wasn't just a prop stuck in to try and make it feel different. People were going about their lives, getting married and trying to assassinate people, and the red gloves were there because of course they were.

Yet, I could not tell you what anyone in 'Tigana' was wearing, apart from that glove. Gowns and tunics and doublets, I expect.

But then, on the third hand, I've put some fairly detailed clothes-porn in my, well, porn. But that genre is all about hyper-focus on certain sensual details. Touch/sensation is the obvious one, but other senses can be brought into play, and there are visual cues that can help set an erotic scene.

[Danijou]

I know this isn't really my discussion, but I have something to add rather than just lurk! XD Clothes and physical descriptions can be really handy if you're writing identical twins. I've done the whole spectrum, from NOTHING alike to carbon copy twins (usually there's some acting on either part involved there, of course) and particularly to the latter, describing the part of a hair or the thickness of one's neck or a turning up of a cuff can go from detail to identity. I think it's like the red glove example, in some situations, that sort of things becomes totally necessary. When you have a discerning eye looking at something elsewise described as 'identical' to 90% of the population, you get something specific like that, like ... I don't know, winning your roll on your perception check. *geek off*

[maxernst]

Almost any novel written in the 19th century tends toward excessive description from a modern standpoint. But whlle I don't describe clothes (or many things for that matter) in great detail, I do mention them because when meeting a new character clothing is an important cue to their social class and to the degree of formality of the occasion. When you're preparing for a particular event, what you choose to wear says something about your attitude toward it. For example, in my current story, Alistair chooses to wear his full plate (other than the helmet) when he faces the Warden's in Weisshaupt to explain how both warden's survived the Archdemon. Alistair also carries a shield painted with a gryphon, whereas the only thing Aedan carries that would reveal him as a warden is his signet ring. And I wrote a whole chapter where Leliana was fussing over getting the Ferelden's wardens properly dressed for a formal dinner party in Val Royeaux.

For that matter, the details a character notices can be revealing. If you were writing a story from Leliana's point of view, I think you would have to describe clothing quite a bit. I wonder if part of the reason that so much 19th century stuff seems overwritten to us now is that we don't understand the significance of the details. Maybe these exhaustive descriptions of the contents of a sitting room that just sound like laundry lists to us would be tremendously revealing of the characters who live there if we only had the frame of reference to understand them.

@Corker, there's actually quite a bit of description (and discussion) of clothing in Dianora's parts of the story in Tigana. 

Modifié par maxernst, 11 décembre 2011 - 09:30 .

[DreGregoire]

I for one enjoy reading descriptive stories. My point? Every reader looks for different things in writing; therefore, saying that you personally don't like reading a certain type of writing does not mean that another person does not like to read that type of writing.

I enjoy a wide variety of writing and writing styles. More about my point? You can be concerned about your readers and how they will perceive that new descriptive chapter you put out (or the one that is 'bare bones') or you can determine that although one person might not like it, another reader may be tickled pink to run across a new "diamond in the rough."

I am not saying you need to cater to everyone or to a specific reader, but you could look at it as a way to improve your style and/or widen your horizons in writing. As so many of you have said you use fanfiction writing as a learning experience this exploration (change of style) would be perfect for you.

I happen to have found David Gaider's style easy to read and follow, it reminds me so much of many books I read in my teens, when I was just exploring the genre of fantasy/scifi. This all said we know it's all about preference and opinion; Nothing is True, everything is permitted. Oops I mean that it's not based on fact but preference and opinion. hehehe

Edit: And in writing fanfiction you can always slip in a disclaimer at the beginning of a chapter that will explain why you have done what you have done, so that a reader won't be looking at you like you have gone insane.

Modifié par DreGregoire, 11 décembre 2011 - 10:14 .