Post by Much on Mar 24, 2009 17:59:44 GMT 1
Language Use:
This is a key element in RP’ers for instance, anybody tell me the difference between the following extracts:
She was cold. Night was coming and everything was dark. Becky was not hungry so she decided not to eat the sandwich she had made.
The freezing air clawed at her ivory flesh as the streets around her were shrouded in an ominous sheath of darkness. Hunger had waned and fallen from her mind as the meal she had tentatively made lay discarded beside her.
Do you agree that the second is not just more imaginative but more engaging to the reader?
The key with language use is the basic principal that if you wouldn’t read it in a book, then don’t write it. You honestly wouldn’t waste your time reading a six hundred page novel of; ‘It was scary. Betty screamed loud and James looked at her. He was scared too.’
Summary:
’Don’t write what you don’t want to read.’
Grammar & Punctuation:
I can hear the groans of exasperation from here and yet you all should read this section, it is critically important to us as writers. Authors have proof readers, we have no such luxury therefore we must get our grammar and punctuation as close to perfect as we can get.
She was cold. Night was coming and everything was dark. Becky was not hungry so she decided not to eat the sandwich she had made as it was stale and she felt sick when she looked at it john would come over soon and he would bring her something to eat so she would not be hungry anymore Becky hated being hungry.
Can you see all that is wrong with that extract?
It makes no sense, is riddled with errors and is generally messy to read and look at. I am by no means proficient in grammar and yet I follow yet another mantra; read it, say it & correct it. If you don’t read it out loud then you’ll never know how many breaths you can take or where you need punctuation.
Let’s try this again:
She was cold as night was coming and everything was dark. Becky was not hungry so she decided not to eat the sandwich she had made; it was stale and she felt sick when she looked at it. John would come over soon and he would bring her something to eat. She would not be hungry anymore, Becky hated being hungry.
‘I left the language, no matter how appalling it was and instead focused on correcting what was already there. It makes far more sense now and is generally more aesthetically pleasing.
Summary:
‘Read it, say it & correct it’
Length & Quality:
These two are not mutually exclusive principles and yet if you are new to RP’ing then in is better sticking to the latter. I often find writing eight hundred word posts are easier than writing a forty-five word post for one simple reason; You can express so much more. Quality over Quantity defiantly applies and yet I would strive for both, find a happy balance.
I haven’t been RP’ing for long, admittedly I’m not an expert but I would think most people would prefer to read a five hundred word post of concise, descriptive language with emotion and thought processes than a fifty word post of:
Clare reached her hand out. She took her bag and stood up.
Allowing your length to go up you are effectively improving and honing your writing technique. This section does tie in with the language section so be sure to check that out. By using a wider vocabulary your word count will fly and your post will be admired for its sheer awesomeness. I started out a few months ago, barely struggling to top two hundred and fifty and yet as I pushed myself I am finding my writing skills and length improving.
I would suggest RP’ing with somebody who pushes you, someone of a marginally better standard of writing, you will see your writing come on leaps and bounds, I promise.
When you are given a post with one hundred words, try and match it or go above. Whenever I’m given a fifty word post I try to go to one hundred. It allows your partner to stretch their imagination and gives them more jumping off points for ideas.
Summary:
‘Push yourself, go beyond your comfort zone whilst attempting to retain your writing style and quality of language. ’
Thought Processes & Emotion:
I fail to see how anybody can write anything remotely decent without expressing some of their character’s emotions. I am a huge fan of expressing my characters emotions through their actions and general being. There are exceptions to the golden rule of; ‘Don’t say what your character is feeling.’ For instance:
Anger and Indignation swelled in Betheine’s chest as she stared on, horror smarting the pale blue of her eyes. I have basically just explained what Beth has just thought and yet I did it in such a way that the reader can make their own judgement about exactly how passionate she feels.
Summary:
‘Find creative ways of expressing your characters emotions.’
Summary:
Well I hope I helped some and if anybody has any issues than feel free to PM me, I’m always willing to offer my slightly skewed and sporadic cluster of thoughts.
Written by A. Linney
This is a key element in RP’ers for instance, anybody tell me the difference between the following extracts:
She was cold. Night was coming and everything was dark. Becky was not hungry so she decided not to eat the sandwich she had made.
The freezing air clawed at her ivory flesh as the streets around her were shrouded in an ominous sheath of darkness. Hunger had waned and fallen from her mind as the meal she had tentatively made lay discarded beside her.
Do you agree that the second is not just more imaginative but more engaging to the reader?
The key with language use is the basic principal that if you wouldn’t read it in a book, then don’t write it. You honestly wouldn’t waste your time reading a six hundred page novel of; ‘It was scary. Betty screamed loud and James looked at her. He was scared too.’
Summary:
’Don’t write what you don’t want to read.’
Grammar & Punctuation:
I can hear the groans of exasperation from here and yet you all should read this section, it is critically important to us as writers. Authors have proof readers, we have no such luxury therefore we must get our grammar and punctuation as close to perfect as we can get.
She was cold. Night was coming and everything was dark. Becky was not hungry so she decided not to eat the sandwich she had made as it was stale and she felt sick when she looked at it john would come over soon and he would bring her something to eat so she would not be hungry anymore Becky hated being hungry.
Can you see all that is wrong with that extract?
It makes no sense, is riddled with errors and is generally messy to read and look at. I am by no means proficient in grammar and yet I follow yet another mantra; read it, say it & correct it. If you don’t read it out loud then you’ll never know how many breaths you can take or where you need punctuation.
Let’s try this again:
She was cold as night was coming and everything was dark. Becky was not hungry so she decided not to eat the sandwich she had made; it was stale and she felt sick when she looked at it. John would come over soon and he would bring her something to eat. She would not be hungry anymore, Becky hated being hungry.
‘I left the language, no matter how appalling it was and instead focused on correcting what was already there. It makes far more sense now and is generally more aesthetically pleasing.
Summary:
‘Read it, say it & correct it’
Length & Quality:
These two are not mutually exclusive principles and yet if you are new to RP’ing then in is better sticking to the latter. I often find writing eight hundred word posts are easier than writing a forty-five word post for one simple reason; You can express so much more. Quality over Quantity defiantly applies and yet I would strive for both, find a happy balance.
I haven’t been RP’ing for long, admittedly I’m not an expert but I would think most people would prefer to read a five hundred word post of concise, descriptive language with emotion and thought processes than a fifty word post of:
Clare reached her hand out. She took her bag and stood up.
Allowing your length to go up you are effectively improving and honing your writing technique. This section does tie in with the language section so be sure to check that out. By using a wider vocabulary your word count will fly and your post will be admired for its sheer awesomeness. I started out a few months ago, barely struggling to top two hundred and fifty and yet as I pushed myself I am finding my writing skills and length improving.
I would suggest RP’ing with somebody who pushes you, someone of a marginally better standard of writing, you will see your writing come on leaps and bounds, I promise.
When you are given a post with one hundred words, try and match it or go above. Whenever I’m given a fifty word post I try to go to one hundred. It allows your partner to stretch their imagination and gives them more jumping off points for ideas.
Summary:
‘Push yourself, go beyond your comfort zone whilst attempting to retain your writing style and quality of language. ’
Thought Processes & Emotion:
I fail to see how anybody can write anything remotely decent without expressing some of their character’s emotions. I am a huge fan of expressing my characters emotions through their actions and general being. There are exceptions to the golden rule of; ‘Don’t say what your character is feeling.’ For instance:
Anger and Indignation swelled in Betheine’s chest as she stared on, horror smarting the pale blue of her eyes. I have basically just explained what Beth has just thought and yet I did it in such a way that the reader can make their own judgement about exactly how passionate she feels.
Summary:
‘Find creative ways of expressing your characters emotions.’
Summary:
Well I hope I helped some and if anybody has any issues than feel free to PM me, I’m always willing to offer my slightly skewed and sporadic cluster of thoughts.
Written by A. Linney