Wednesday, July 4, 2018

For Independence Day the Insecure Writer's Support group is asking a question about my ultimate writing goals.

It's Wednesday, July 4th, 2018. and it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group post. The website said that everyone was supposed to post Tuesday to avoid the holiday, but I figured posting Wednesday would still work. I'll just get less visits (and that's perfectly fine). FYI, I'm going to leave this up until Monday (I'm taking Friday off).

If you are somehow a newbie to the blog fest, you can read about it over HERE at the official website. Below is the Independence Day question:

Independence Day question - What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

When I return to writing, I want to write better. I've been reading a lot of things lately, and I love how some authors use really colorful metaphors. Tad Williams compared aspen leaves to green coins in one book, and I absolutely loved it. I also love unique perspectives that somehow have you looking forward and backward at the same time. It's easier to show in art, so I'll post some art below for the classic movie Jaws that seems to capture what I'm saying.

Here's the first.
What are the elements at play here? Glasses and skin both red, the tell-tale sunglasses reflecting a huge shark launching itself out of the water. How would I capture this in a story? I'd want a scene to have a strong point of view, but what you don't see (and that I would only hint at) is actually occurring behind that very same point of view.
What are the elements at play in the above illustration? Well Quint is sliding to his doom. If I wanted to capture this in a scene, I'd try to write it from the point of view of the monster, which I think is just as relevant.

Essentially, what I'm saying about my own writing is that I want each scene to carry more weight with fewer words. I suppose that is my goal.

6 comments:

  1. That's a good goal to have. That's the idea--to convey ideas in scenes in ways that one doesn't expect. Good luck.

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  2. More weight and more meaning per scene is a good goal.
    We posted yesterday due to the holiday. Only the second time it's fallen on the Fourth.

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  3. Wow you posted on a holiday. I knew a guy who was always cutting people's words and sometimes it was better and sometimes meh.

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    1. Yeah I'm a day late but I'm leaving the post up for Friday (not posting then). So in a way, I am taking my holiday.

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  4. I know exactly what you mean about using fewer words but ones that carry more weight. Sometimes just the right metaphor or simile can pack a real punch, and that's what I try to go for. I tend to overwrite anyway, so during editing I'm always cutting out words or phrases or whole sentences, and the result is always better.

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  5. Good idea. People are in a rush in everything they do these days, so it is wise to get to the meat of the scene quickly.

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