A few posts back I mentioned Charles Grant's essay on building tension in a story and now I've found another essay that talks about building your story slowly. Coming from a background of flash writing I'm finding that I'm enjoying laying out a little bit of background before jumping into the action when writing. For me, it adds a layer of beauty to the bones of a story. Here's the link to Alma Alexander's
essay, "In Defense of Slow".
http://storytellersunplugged.com/almaalexander/2010/07/30/in-defense-of-slow/
I so agree with this, but it's hard finding editors (or agents) that do.
ReplyDeleteYes, they seem to want their stories to read like an MTV video - all flash and no substance.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't need to be guns, boobs, or explosions but it needs to intrigue. Example is Patti's "The Instrument of Their Desire." That's a perfect story.
ReplyDeleteIf the opening is dry readers go away. I'm speaking for ezine reading which I've been studying closely. Our most successful stories at BTAP have a captivating title, dynamite opening, obviously a great plot with characters and a twist ending.
Yes, Patti has that knack for leading you into a story without grabbing you by the throat. She has a knack for using the perfect words to capture your imagination and keep you reading.
ReplyDeleteAs for dry, stories that open with lengthy descriptions stall the story for me. I like openings that make you wonder what is going to happen or why it's going to happen.
Okay, guys, you're making me blush. And right back at you. I couldn't write a credible western (David) nor a other-wordly story nearly as good as Sandra's.
ReplyDeleteI think you've hit the nail on the head, Patti! We all have different approaches to stories, no matter the genre. But when editors want stories to all start with a bang, we tend to loose that differentness (probably not a real word but hey, it fits) which tends to make every story read the same.
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