when you write, do u say 'ok, am going to include a)family tension b) revenge elements c) fultility of dreams as themes' or just write and then impress yourself with the hidden depth of your writing? i hate planning things. this may be wrong attitude however. ? love daisyness xxx
Planning is ok, but I think if you have a checklist of Contentions Issues To Address, you'll struggle to avoid sounding trite. that's not to say there shouldn't be themes in writing, it's just that it's probably better if you let them seap in subconsciously, and leave the analysis to the critics.
Themes will occur regardless of what you do. Just concentrate on the basics. Syntax and punctuation don't get enough credit in the creation of excellent writing. They're great carpenters' tools and carry many a day and build some very impressive houses.
God bless critics according to critics. at risk of sounding very unintellectual, qu'est ce que est syntax?! nice to be told to concentrate on punctuation though, can do that. thanks for the advice guys.
DaisaeFaerie, Syntax is a part of Grammar that cares about the order of sentences and the words used... It's much more than this, but I guess this is enough for you to remember... right? I think planning is important. The way you organize your things is personal, of course, but you gotta make a plan... Take some notes, try to have an idea about the structure you want to give to the book. Some things can only be decided while you're writing, but others don't. For example, if you're writing about a family and you want to talk about many generations, you gotta put some order in it, you gotta know who's the first, who's next and who's last, you gotta think what will you do to create a situation that makes the link between two cousins from two very different generations... I think Grammar matters, though it's not the main thing... To be talented you must write well, you must have your own style, but not just a style, a good style... And that involves, of course, the contents and the figures of speech you use, the kind of setences you choose, etc.
kidder seems to think everyone who writes lazily on-line would do exactly the same in their novels. Maybe they should.
would be interesting. on the road stylesque, but on the forum instead...so that was what the syntax was about...a snide reference to my lazy forum style?! cheeky
Netspeak in literature and net fiction generally is really overdone, I wouldn't do it unless I had a really strong premise at the centre of it, because otherwise it'll just look hideously voguish and senseless within about 5 years.
God bless syntax. Its lack will cripple a poor writer and its presence enhance a mediocre one. But it's undeniably a critical part of writing successfully. You can't have snarled phrasing and awkward inversions if you hope to keep an audience. I mentioned syntax only as an aside (and likely because its absence affects so many on this forum) and not because it's of any relevance to your own story. Write on!
Fair enough. well constructed language versus badly constructed language i have no problem with, but grammar as a whole seems rather pointless. seeing as english is my native tongue, all of that comes naturally..and similarly, in foriegn languages, adding grammar simply complicates things! surely the easiest way to learn is the way we learn our mother tongue? calling a noun a noun and a verb a verb..qu'est-ce le point? it is the ultimate pointing-out-the-obvious. style - and therefore grammar - should be natural and not forced and worried over. rant over. love daisyness xxx
Hmmm... The main thing isn't knowing that a verb is a verb or that a noun is noun, the important is having a beautiful way of telling how things happen... And, come on, give me a break, a good inversion or a good figure of speech can make a story even better... The way we say (or write) things can make a story more exciting or more bored or... you know. Picasso was naturaly talented but he enjoyed learning some drawing technics, hã? One of my favourite writers ever is José Saramago... (I though everybody knew him, 'cause he's brilliant and he's a nobel prize, but seems like most non-europeans don't, but nevermind...) He's got his very own style! Sometimes I think he doesn't know what ponctuation is, lolol, 'cause his paragraphs are almost two pages longer...Despite of that his writing is beautiful and very rich...see what I mean?
Anyway, most people would write what they want, then proof-read it, rather than let syntactical quandaries hinder their creative processes.
when i write i don't think about it i wouldn't consider myself good with grammer but i don't think its horrible.a story should tell a story it shouldn't be a plateform where all you do is show how good you are at your craft.If it doesn't enhance the story don't bother with it but often times having good syntax makes a good story that much better.I guess what im sayin is focus on it but don't obsess over it.As far as for trying to get a message across i personally don't do that.To me that's too old fasion and along the lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald who im not to into.I'm more into working with the "cut-up," technique to make interesting passages as oppose to trying to get a message across because even if you don't try to you are gonna get one across.
I don't like planning because the way I write is normally I get a character or a location or an event or something that sticks in my head for a bit begging to be written and then I write what's there and as I write more reveals itself. The subconscious, I believe says more than the conscious does and for me writing is an adventure of discovery. If I were to plan it exactly then I think it would end up fairly dull. Blessings Sebbi
didn't mean to sound totally anti planning or completely pro theme...on the contrary i think i agree that planning and grammar need consideration but not priority over creativity and themes will develop naturally...with some help from critics..wanted to be sure i wasn't alone love daisyness xxx
I think that when I have a theme in mind(not to write about, but it's just there) and I"m writing something it ends up with little hints of that theme and when I'm revising or getting more in depth with what I'm writing I might include things that encourage that theme that is already hinted at... I've found that when I have tried to write something based on a theme it turns out horribly and leaves me hindered so I don't do that anymore... Also sometimes when you're writing something that just turns into something all it's own, the theme, though you haven't focused on it at all, shines through so perfectly...so yeah
I usally establish a theme before I write, though as for the story I do also have some basic layouts, all in all, I just set the feild and watch what happens
