|
|
Post by veritasseeker90 on Apr 22, 2009 21:06:54 GMT -5
Do y'all have any good website and/or books that will help me improve my ability to show and not tell? I've found that I have a hard time with with, especially in action scenes.
|
|
|
|
Post by torainfor on Apr 22, 2009 21:31:41 GMT -5
I think that's particularly hard to do especially if the POV character has an ally in the fight. Just remember to only put down what the POV sees and does him/herself. It does make it awkward because you get into stuff like this:
Superdood saw Backupman from the corner of his eye. He suspected he was getting into position to take out Badguythree. But he didn't have time to worry about it because at that moment, Badguyseventyeight punched him in the stomach. As he drew back to position for a side-push kick, he noticed Wondersidekick had Badguythreehundredandfour in a head lock, and this is why action sequences are confusing.
|
|
|
|
Post by veritasseeker90 on Apr 22, 2009 21:47:08 GMT -5
You just made my day, torainfor.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jeff Gerke on Apr 23, 2009 8:52:55 GMT -5
I'm biased, of course, but I think a terrific place to learn about show vs. tell is at my Fiction Writing Tip of the Week column--or in my upcoming book, The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction.On the Tips column, read especially numbers 29 and 81. And since you've titled this thread description but asked about show vs. tell, I should point out that description is not telling, contrary to popular belief. Read Tip #67 to understand the difference. Jeff |
|
|
|
Post by morganlbusse on Apr 23, 2009 11:55:29 GMT -5
To add to Jeff's Tip of the Week (which has lots of good stuff in it if you haven't already started going through them) I've also found Randy Ingermanson's site www.advancefictionwriting.com really good. He talks about something called MRU's (motivation-reaction units) that can help you structure your paragraph. He also has a good section on scene structuring and how to leave your reader hanging until the next chapter. And if you're writing fight scenes, I found the book "Them's Fightin' Words" by Teel James Glenn really good. Its an old book and I found online and had to download it, but it was worth it. I'm not much of an action person, but my book demanded it in some scenes. So I read this book and came away understanding more about fight scenes, that they're not just there to add action, but can show aspects of your character. I actually now enjoy building my fight scenes  |
|
|
|
Post by knightofhyn on Apr 23, 2009 14:21:15 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Spokane Flyboy on Apr 23, 2009 14:49:40 GMT -5
Most of what I learned on action scenes was from role-play. If you screw up the writing in role-play, it's quickly evident as the other participants will let you know. Generally, it's either an out-of-character (OOC) response of, "Huh?", or else their actions in their posts clearly show they're no longer on the same page as you. It's also considered a cardinal sin in some role-play circles to ever directly mention your characters' thoughts, intents, or past and future except through action and dialogue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jeff Gerke on Apr 26, 2009 8:28:49 GMT -5
Sounds like good discipline for the novelist.
I also love how roleplaying games have you work out those delicious character sheets to define and understand your character. Also good discipline for the novelist.
Jeff
|
|
jinn
Full Member
Posts: 119
|
Post by jinn on May 9, 2009 19:31:19 GMT -5
Description and Setting by Ron Rozelle. It's part of the How to Write Great Fiction series and absolutely worth the $15 investment. He's got a lot of good advice and includes exercises at the end of each chapter.
|
|
|
|
Post by Divides the Waters on May 10, 2009 10:02:10 GMT -5
Action scenes are not my strong point, but I think one thing that has helped me overall is keeping a tight point of view. Even if you miss some of the action, you can get a much more visceral feel for what's going on, because you're looking through one character's eyes. Makes it a hundred times more effective than an omniscient POV.
|
|
|
|
Post by Spokane Flyboy on May 10, 2009 20:04:39 GMT -5
Action scenes are not my strong point, but I think one thing that has helped me overall is keeping a tight point of view. Even if you miss some of the action, you can get a much more visceral feel for what's going on, because you're looking through one character's eyes. Makes it a hundred times more effective than an omniscient POV. I've always been more enamored by "third-person, limited" than the unlimited variety. It is to easy, even if the story is well written, to lose track, in my scattered brain, of who's thoughts I'm now reading. |
|
