Comments on: Wax Poetic http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/ about the craft and business of genre fiction Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:36:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Kathleen Bolton http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/comment-page-1/#comment-64262 Kathleen Bolton Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:57:09 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/#comment-64262 "But like astrothsknot said, the reader’s imagination can fill in a lot more blanks than we often realize. Someone once said how they thought they “remembered” certain things from reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” as a kid, only to go back a re-read them as an adult and find that those parts just weren’t in there; his imagination had painted a bigger picture than Lewis’s own words ever could." Hm, that's interesting, Sean. I think something similar occurred to me with Lord of the Rings. Funny how the mind fills in the blanks. I agree, Elena, that description is more effective in a beat. I'm no fan of the big description chunk...I guess as a reader I'm not so patient anymore. :-( “But like astrothsknot said, the reader’s imagination can fill in a lot more blanks than we often realize. Someone once said how they thought they “remembered” certain things from reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” as a kid, only to go back a re-read them as an adult and find that those parts just weren’t in there; his imagination had painted a bigger picture than Lewis’s own words ever could.”

Hm, that’s interesting, Sean. I think something similar occurred to me with Lord of the Rings. Funny how the mind fills in the blanks.

I agree, Elena, that description is more effective in a beat. I’m no fan of the big description chunk…I guess as a reader I’m not so patient anymore. :-(

]]> By: Sean Ashby http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/comment-page-1/#comment-64186 Sean Ashby Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:00:22 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/#comment-64186 It's a fine line, I think (I, myself, am a recovering "describaholic"). Certainly, if you're working in another world (or country, or time period), you might HAVE to describe SOME places or things that just don't exist in our world. But like astrothsknot said, the reader's imagination can fill in a lot more blanks than we often realize. Someone once said how they thought they "remembered" certain things from reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" as a kid, only to go back a re-read them as an adult and find that those parts just weren't in there; his imagination had painted a bigger picture than Lewis's own words ever could. It’s a fine line, I think (I, myself, am a recovering “describaholic”). Certainly, if you’re working in another world (or country, or time period), you might HAVE to describe SOME places or things that just don’t exist in our world.

But like astrothsknot said, the reader’s imagination can fill in a lot more blanks than we often realize. Someone once said how they thought they “remembered” certain things from reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” as a kid, only to go back a re-read them as an adult and find that those parts just weren’t in there; his imagination had painted a bigger picture than Lewis’s own words ever could.

]]> By: astrothsknot http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/comment-page-1/#comment-64139 astrothsknot Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:58:01 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/#comment-64139 As a reader, I don't want to be reading a travelogue, especially in a SF/F novel. I want to read a story. Too many authors forget that the setting is just that, a setting. I've read way too many books where the characters or the plot were there just so the author could build his world. I object to that, I have an imagination that can do that for me. I just need someone to say, "Bloody hell, it's freezing tonight!" and my scene is set. There was one set in a place called the Tenderloin and he'd spent half the book describing this place in such detail, I wanted to go there. Maybe I'd find the plot on my travels. As a reader, I don’t want to be reading a travelogue, especially in a SF/F novel. I want to read a story. Too many authors forget that the setting is just that, a setting.

I’ve read way too many books where the characters or the plot were there just so the author could build his world. I object to that, I have an imagination that can do that for me. I just need someone to say, “Bloody hell, it’s freezing tonight!” and my scene is set.

There was one set in a place called the Tenderloin and he’d spent half the book describing this place in such detail, I wanted to go there. Maybe I’d find the plot on my travels.

]]> By: Elena Greene http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/comment-page-1/#comment-64134 Elena Greene Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:56:28 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2008/03/10/wax-poetic/#comment-64134 I enjoy description, especially if the author is doing world-building. If on the other hand the setting is a more ordinary one, I prefer descriptive bits that are short and sprinkled around. They can make good beats and if written in deep POV they reveal character. I enjoy description, especially if the author is doing world-building. If on the other hand the setting is a more ordinary one, I prefer descriptive bits that are short and sprinkled around. They can make good beats and if written in deep POV they reveal character.

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