On Writing

Today I'd like to talk about books on writing and elaborate on things I've learned since May.

Best two books so far: The Elements of Style by Strunk and The Plot Thickens by Lukeman. You can get both for less than $25. Such a steal. Both are worth rereading every few months.

For more reading: The Handbook of Good English has a handy alphabetical guide of common mistakes (on to vs onto, etc.), but its longer discussions on grammar rules are harder to wade through. As for academic discussions on craft, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft has story excerpts and writing exercises in addition to thought-provoking content about the basics, but it's at a textbook price because it is, well, a textbook. Of the earlier two books by Lukeman, A Dash of Style is interesting, but probably only to someone like me who loves punctuation. And anyway, it is concerned more about the emotions of punctuation; The Handbook does a better job on correct usage.

As for writing advice, I'll probably repeat myself, but here goes:

Writing is really rewriting. I don't think about the craft part when I'm writing the draft, how I am using first person retrospective and I need to add in more tension here and how double negatives add to this character. I just type on. Then after the scene is over or the draft is over, that's really where the work begins.

I read through for grammar and diction, the flow of words, the expression of imagery. And then after that, I think about what it's missing to make it better, and what doesn't work and needs to be cut out. Most times, I think about: (1) How readers are smarter than I think. Overdrawn points make readers feel oppressed. Specific detail, characterizations, and actions let the reader draw their own conclusions, and they'd feel happier to see by their own effort. (2) What underlying detail I've missed that would illuminate the scene by characterization. In ch5 I had initially failed to include Van's thoughts about Hitomi during Melidoul's exam. Thanks to buddy Chocolatelova for catching that ^^ Terrible if it stayed that way.

Then after the little bits are fixed, it's time for the bigger picture. I read it twice, once as if I'm reading out loud, once as I'd read in a browser. Do both reads make sense? Does the faster read miss important details? Does the faster read elicit a different emotion? How's the flow of the prose in both paces?

By the time a ch is posted, I've read it through dozens of times, but most importantly, it has gone through the rigors of Chocolatelova. In my opinion, an editor shouldn't only look for grammar and other easy mistakes. Make your editor work harder! ;) She's a whole resource, full of truths, full of a different perspective, full of different spins. I've spent all these time on my ch, so I think everything is logical and wonderfully executed, but she brings a fresh look. When I've been working so close to each word I'd have half the ch memorized, it's awesome to have someone point out a fatal flaw in the big picture. She is able to point out inconsistencies, details that should be better explained, things missing that could bring things to better closure. And since she's reading without any judgment and prejudice on what should and shouldn't be in the ch, she is able to experience the emotions of the ch, of each scene, of particular words.

Today's Van is drawn by Kine, a Korean professional doujinshi and manga artist. On a side note, if only I had read this website before I went to Japan. Or actually, maybe it's better I hadn't... It is already damn crazy that I have 2.78GB worth of 5848 Escaflowne images. (90% of that is screencaps, and Van is probably in 75% of those...)


Edit: Sometimes I forget angle brackets break my posts. Argh. Fixed. (12/08)