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A Question for The Community

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Suave View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Suave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 9:40pm

I am very visual, not so much a conversationalist. I constantly get
told to shorten my lead of my stories, but the scene setting is 
something I love. If I could draw even a little I would be a painter. 
I visualize everything I write. When I go for a walk, it is all sights 
for me, looking really close at a flower, I can't get enough looking 
if it is beautiful area, or some place I have been looking forward 
to visiting.


Edited by Suave - 29 Jan 2022 at 9:41pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote GenieAZ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 8:38pm
Originally posted by Pajamas All Day Pajamas All Day wrote:

Originally posted by amlewi08 amlewi08 wrote:

Originally posted by Pajamas All Day Pajamas All Day wrote:




Third omniscient needs to make a comeback. You wrote that jokingly but I wish it would make a comeback. I know it's terribly unfashionable but I love it. When I first started writing fiction (instead of writing commercials for a living) I wrote third omniscient without even understanding what I was writing. It just felt natural and so that's what I did. Readers who weren't writers liked it and told me they liked it. I had no idea I was doing writing the wrong way until a writer told me to stop writing that way. Okay, sorry I changed the subject but I got excited by that sentence.

Honestly, if we wanna talk about the way writing has evolved, the complete elimination of third omniscient is a great example.  The idea that someone is “writing wrong” by using a different stylistic approach is just plain silly, but here we are!

I also think a lot of people lump third omniscient in with “head hopping” without stopping to acknowledge the (very abundant) differences. 

Edit: I shouldn’t say COMPLETE elimination.  There are still third omniscient books being published.
Yes to all of the above. It's looked down on and I get it but I still like it. And it's not always head hopping. Of course, that brings up another type of writing which is looked down on -- fan fiction. I still read it every now and then. I'll slink away in shame now.

My current story is in third omniscient.  Like, on purpose.  😆.   

I try to write what I think serves the story best, but I confess I am not the most visual thinker.  My works tend to be more dialog heavy and spare.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote HilaryK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 10:37pm
This is a very interesting question! I love writing that is somewhere in between sparse and overloaded with description. 

As a reader, I love a juicy, gorgeous, perfectly-worded description, but I also love it when things are just ambiguous enough that it takes a little work, and a little filling in, to 'get it'. I find when writing is over-described, it's too specific, and harder to relate to. If there's just enough left out, I can fill in what's unsaid with my own experiences, and the writing feels closer to my heart. When I write, I try to make sure to leave those gaps, so any reader can fill them in, too, and hopefully relate to what I'm trying to convey.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote SLMartin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Jan 2022 at 1:36pm
Originally posted by GenieAZ GenieAZ wrote:

Originally posted by Pajamas All Day Pajamas All Day wrote:

Originally posted by amlewi08 amlewi08 wrote:

Originally posted by Pajamas All Day Pajamas All Day wrote:




Third omniscient needs to make a comeback. You wrote that jokingly but I wish it would make a comeback. I know it's terribly unfashionable but I love it. When I first started writing fiction (instead of writing commercials for a living) I wrote third omniscient without even understanding what I was writing. It just felt natural and so that's what I did. Readers who weren't writers liked it and told me they liked it. I had no idea I was doing writing the wrong way until a writer told me to stop writing that way. Okay, sorry I changed the subject but I got excited by that sentence.

Honestly, if we wanna talk about the way writing has evolved, the complete elimination of third omniscient is a great example.  The idea that someone is “writing wrong” by using a different stylistic approach is just plain silly, but here we are!

I also think a lot of people lump third omniscient in with “head hopping” without stopping to acknowledge the (very abundant) differences. 

Edit: I shouldn’t say COMPLETE elimination.  There are still third omniscient books being published.
Yes to all of the above. It's looked down on and I get it but I still like it. And it's not always head hopping. Of course, that brings up another type of writing which is looked down on -- fan fiction. I still read it every now and then. I'll slink away in shame now.

My current story is in third omniscient.  Like, on purpose.  😆.   

I try to write what I think serves the story best, but I confess I am not the most visual thinker.  My works tend to be more dialog heavy and spare.


All of this!  The Book Thief and Stardust are two of my all time favorite books, and if you have a story that works well with it, I vote about forgetting "what right" or "what's in"

Also, love this conversation.  When I write, it's for myself first and my two besties second, and all of us are in the fewer descriptions the better camp.  It wasn't until a few years ago that I didn't realize that everyone didn't have a movie running in their head, and I could describe everything I'm seeing, but I always felt it would take away from other people who have movies. 

I'm the first to admit, Anne Rice level descriptions - I always skim.

I guess it's a finding a balance then?  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote tiffinyfelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Jan 2022 at 5:02pm
I think I try to find a middle ground--enough description to show what's happening (because I love to create scenes in my head), but also leave some unsaid, for the reader to fill in. This is a great discussion. I've enjoyed everyone's input!
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