tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post2510947070590208995..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Obama and the Cherry TreeGus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-3577903968925711092013-10-30T03:49:34.556-06:002013-10-30T03:49:34.556-06:00Steve,
You plainly meant to post this elsewhere. ...Steve,<br /><br />You plainly meant to post this <a href="http://gusvanhorn.blogspot.com/2013/10/holiday-on-writing.html#comments" rel="nofollow">elsewhere</a>. I'll repost it there.<br /><br />GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-80672835253352842412013-10-29T12:58:42.807-06:002013-10-29T12:58:42.807-06:00I’d take it one step further. Even more important ...I’d take it one step further. Even more important than doing interesting things is thinking interesting things. One reason I like to write; I got tired of the same old cliché personalities doing the same old cliché things in books, television and movies. Eventually all the characters seem to merge into one (or small number of) amorphous blob personalities. Better to create something different, fresh – a new type of hero, new types of situations or twists on standard ones - and I get to read it afterwards :). Let the characters do the unexpected. If others want to read it as well, that’s a bonus but not the main purpose. <br /><br />If you have a really good plot – a little excessive wordiness and/or awkwardness will probably not be noticed. In my opinion a good example of this is James Dickey (Deliverance), even Victor Hugo to a degree. Style and grammar are more easily fixed. <br /><br />Many of the aspiring writers I’ve worked with seem to drill over the same standard situations or have difficulty laying out an interesting plot or if they do have a decent main plot no subplots or twists. Often they hammer too closely on what they know well, thereby boring the reader. <br /><br />In my opinion, the secret to good writing is good thinking. You can’t tell a story well until you’ve come up with a good story to begin with. That’s the hard part. I see the same types of issues with non-fiction. You need to have an opinion and be clear why you have that opinion before communicating it to others. <br /><br />Writing is a conversation between the writer and the reader. If the reader is yelling into his book at the character; ‘Hey, don’t do that!’ you’re off to a good start. On the other hand, rather than the reader screaming at the page, he could write one himself, and make sure his character; ‘doesn’t do that.’<br />Steve Dnoreply@blogger.com