Tuesday, April 3, 2012

C stands for...

cat! *shakes head*


cake!! *nata*


cuckoo!!! Hmm. People might think so.

characters. *nods*
"I notice the minimal physical description of your characters in the stories you write," Robyn said. "What gives?"
I show the story, I don't want to overwhelm my readers with detail that they can figure out by themselves." Ernest replied.
"But don't my readers need to know the color of hair, how tall my characters are, and the rest of the details I want to tell them?"
"My dear Robyn, it's just as you have said. You want to tell them these things, instead of letting the readers decide on their own."
"Ahhh." Robyn sat back and finished reading "Hills Like White Elephants" marveling at the description that wasn't in the story. 
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26 comments:

  1. I had no idea you and Ernest were so tight.

    Stephen King has said the same thing. I used to give lots of detail, but now I'm spare.

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  2. I'm currently re-reading The Lost World by Conan Doyle. One thing that stood out to me early on was the lengthy description of Professor Challenger. Now I'm wondering whether it was needed.

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  3. "My dear Robyn, it's just as you have said. You want to tell them these things, instead of letting the readers decide on their own."

    Wise words.

    --Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  4. I am not a fan of huge blocks of description. In my own writing, I try to walk that fine line between too much and not enough.

    M.J. Fifield
    My Pet Blog

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  5. HA! Ernest is not one of my favorite writers just for that reason, that his sentences are short and/or repetitive. Sometimes I thought I was reading a Dick and Jane story.

    See Dick run. See Jane run. See Dick and Jane run.

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  6. Well said! When novels start detailing a characters physical characteristics and their clothing in one, long paragraph, I just skip it.

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  8. Cool that you know Ernest so well. I too am a huge believer of minimalistic descriptions.

    Loved both A as well as B posts. great idea :)

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  9. Cool that you know Ernest so well. I too am a huge believer of minimalistic descriptions.

    Loved both A as well as B posts. great idea :)

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  10. Very clever. New follower too! :)

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  11. Love your internal dialogue during this challenge. I agree. Less is more in describing characters. I was thinking how each of us picture someone a little differently, even real people.

    Play off the Page

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  12. Hi Robyn! Enjoyed your letter C post.

    Susanne
    PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER

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  13. Characters is perfect for the letter "C." I can tell that Robyn is having a blast with this A-Z! Fun, fun post. Thanks for the smiles!

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  14. Great choice of Character for your C! Loved reading your post!

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  15. I agree with you on this one dear Robyn!

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  16. I love this!
    I like description if it adds depth to the character...

    Sometimes photos of movie star look alikes on book covers bother me a bit. (minor pet peeve)

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  17. Isn't it hard deciding what to tell and what not to tell. Tell what? What tell? (Sorry Dr. Seuss is on in the background ;0))

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  18. Isn't it hard deciding what to tell and what not to tell. Tell what? What tell? (Sorry Dr. Seuss is on in the background ;0))

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  19. Have you seen Midnight in Paris? Ah, Hemingway.

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  20. I don't give enough description :-)

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  21. Hi Robyn .. I'm befuddled by the "Hills Like White Elephants" - but I got stopped at my name .. not often & only one L ...

    I'm sure I'm being thick .. ?! I hope so .. I hope it's not staring me in the face - that too is possible!! Cheers Hilary

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