Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 100

Unrealistic Dialogue

It's a pretty common observation that dialogue in a story is unrealistic.There are all sorts of linguistic studies that relate to "real life" dialogue. Here's a pretty good introduction to sociolonguistics, for example. One of the things I learned from taking a linguistics seminar, many years ago, was how different speech is different from written communication, including letter-writing and

Geoffrey Faber, "Home Service"

Home Service"At least it wasn't your fault" I hear them console When they come back, the few that will come back. I feel those handshakes now. "Well, on the whole You didn't miss much. I wish I had your knack Of stopping out. You still can call your soul Your own, at any rate. What a priceless slack You've had, old chap. It must have been top-hole. How's poetry? I bet you've written a stack."

Wilfred Wilson Gibson, "Back"

BackThey ask me where I've been,And what I've done and seen.But what can I replyWho know it wasn't I,But someone just like me,Who went across the seaAnd with my head and handsKilled men in foreign lands...Though I must bear the blame,Because he bore my name.--Wilfred Wilson Gibson (1878-1962)

Slow Writers Anonymous

At the 2003 WisCon, there was a panel about "Slow Writers." I've been thinking about it again, and thought it would be a good thing to post in my blog.This post is comprised of my distilled memories of the panel.Everybody works differently, and everybody is right.There are at least two kinds of slow writers: those who write a tiny bit consistently, and those who just don't write very often.

The Long and the Short of It

How do we decide a length for our stories?I think a lot of it has to do with the stories themselves.A friend of mine used to say that novels didn't adapt as well into feature films as short stories did, because a feature film was essentially a short story, about the Most Important Event in a person's life. If you adapt a whole novel into a feature film, you must perforce skip a lot, because

Turn Your Writing Topsy-Turvy

In Jane Yolen's Take Joy: A Writer's Guide to Loving the Craft, she writes, "When we force ourselves to go topsy-turvy, we can see anew what is on the page," (p. 49).She suggests taking a single chapter and re-reading the whole thing while changing the gender of the characters, or the point of view, or leaving out all the modifiers, or counting how many times you've used each sense for events

For Love or Money?

This post grew out of a discussion at one of my favorite blogs, Read React Review, specifically this post, "At What Point in the Writing Process Do Writers Think About What Will Sell?" Comments in italics are from Jessica, who wrote the original post. My comment was lengthy, and I've continued to think about the issues she raised.I wonder where in the writing process writers think about this.

History as Fantasy

In many ways, writing historical fiction is like writing fantasy. And reading historical fiction is like reading fantasy.In one genre, you have to look up a lot of tiny details to make the reader accept that the world they're reading about is real/true. In the other genre, you have to make up a lot of details to make the reader accept that the world they're reading about is real/true. In both

Edward Shillito, "Hardness of Heart"

Hardness of HeartIn the first watch no death but made us mourn; Now tearless eyes run down the daily roll, Whose names are written in the book of death; For sealed are now the springs of tears, as when The tropic sun makes dry the torrent's course After the rains. They are too many now For mortal eyes to weep, and none can see But God alone the Thing itself and live. We look to seaward, and

Laurence Binyon, "Ypres"

YpresShe was a city of patience; of proud name, Dimmed by neglecting Time; of beauty and loss; Of acquiescence in the creeping moss. But on a sudden fierce destruction came Tigerishly pouncing: thunderbolt and flame Showered on her streets, to shatter them and toss Her ancient towers to ashes. Riven across, She rose, dead, into never-dying fame. White against heavens of storm, a ghost, she is