tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post6351621829191376929..comments2023-04-02T07:33:07.846-04:00Comments on Nonsense and Little Things: How Much Is Too Much?wren boudreauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-33327001730686443422010-04-15T22:15:12.486-04:002010-04-15T22:15:12.486-04:00You are SUCH a tease!You are SUCH a tease!wren boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-25302358519608749502010-04-15T17:45:59.182-04:002010-04-15T17:45:59.182-04:00You'll have to buy the book. :-)You'll have to buy the book. :-)K. Z. Snowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01373906799954038740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-54122321700123443672010-04-15T17:31:35.158-04:002010-04-15T17:31:35.158-04:00I figured the seat was already down. From someone ...I figured the seat was already down. From someone who used it previously. Or maybe he makes his deposits standing up.wren boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-11829261140414255032010-04-15T17:29:43.137-04:002010-04-15T17:29:43.137-04:00Oh KZ. *snort*
I'll try to keep the footst...Oh KZ. *snort* <br /><br />I'll try to keep the footstep tracing to a minimum, then :)wren boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-28321516450784145572010-04-15T17:27:59.653-04:002010-04-15T17:27:59.653-04:00(Pssst. Ya wanna know why he didn't have to l...(<i>Pssst</i>. Ya wanna know why he didn't have to lower the toilet seat? Sorry, that's in the second chapter.)K. Z. Snowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01373906799954038740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-79987251424372556372010-04-15T17:23:20.681-04:002010-04-15T17:23:20.681-04:00Yep, depends entirely on the subject and the reade...Yep, depends entirely on the subject and the reader.<br /><br />One thing that did irk me lately was in a highly regarded m/m novel. I think of it as "footstep tracing."<br /><br /><i>He went to the bedroom and pulled off his jacket and tie. After hanging them carefully in the closet, he trudged downstairs to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He peered inside for a moment then grabbed a can of V-8 and ambled to the couch. He sat down, rested his feet on the coffee table, and thought about Irving. Suddenly he had to go to the bathroom real bad, because a Tootsie Roll was knocking, so he went to the bathroom. He didn't have to lower the toilet seat, though.</i><br /><br />And on an on. (That wasn't a direct quote, by the way. I made it all up.) The footstep-tracing got so "he did this and then he did that" tedious, I had to shut down the file and do something else. Like amble to the refrigerator and grab a beer. :-)K. Z. Snowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01373906799954038740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-5969815403716888252010-04-15T01:35:06.081-04:002010-04-15T01:35:06.081-04:00Thanks, Ava!Thanks, Ava!wren boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-18308668229530742010-04-15T01:04:38.644-04:002010-04-15T01:04:38.644-04:00Oh, totally understand about the worrying thing. B...Oh, totally understand about the worrying thing. But just write the book the way you want to write it. If you read it and like it, then chances are it's fine and dandy. As most everyone else has said, detail is subjective and you can't please everyone (...though it would be wonderful if we could, just as it would be wonderful if the first drafts were perfect, but the frickin' things never seem to want to cooperate. lol).Ava Marchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07728101223255398162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-18973756890299371792010-04-14T19:52:28.431-04:002010-04-14T19:52:28.431-04:00Hi Val, Thanks for your advice. The paranormal is ...Hi Val, Thanks for your advice. The paranormal is still cooking. I'm hung up because I want it to be perfect, which of course it will never be, and so I have to get over that stumbling block. But I will do it. Promise :)wren boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-60269978709641544272010-04-14T17:50:20.577-04:002010-04-14T17:50:20.577-04:00Hi, Wren! Thanks for the link and mention. I'd...Hi, Wren! Thanks for the link and mention. I'd have to echo what the others are saying: just get the detail in there to whatever level you'd like and concentrate on finishing the story right now. You don't want anything to slow down the momentum there. Once you're finished with that first draft, then your beta readers/editor can give you feedback on whether you need more or less detail.<br /><br /><br />And what about that paranormal? Are we still going to get to read that in the near future?Average Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03955137026396047753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-60284632338028236212010-04-14T11:18:31.973-04:002010-04-14T11:18:31.973-04:00Jen - thanks for the reassurance. I suppose it re...Jen - thanks for the reassurance. I suppose it really is a matter of taste. (I'm sure there is someone, somewhere, who finds bat poo interesting!)<br /><br />Leslie - You're right about the padding, I think. Although one person's padding may be another one's fascination.<br /><br />Tam - I fall into the paranoia trap, too. I've read criticisms about the food in books, and characters that never eat. So now I'm like, hmmm, they have to have meals and eat them and go to the bathroom and brush their teeth and...<br /><br />Chris - "write it the way you want to write it" - very good advice! :)wren boudreauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026047300425537095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-1726832837686531742010-04-14T08:56:03.472-04:002010-04-14T08:56:03.472-04:00I wouldn't worry about it, Wren. Write it the ...I wouldn't worry about it, Wren. Write it the way you want to write it, then send it to your beta readers and/or editor and get some input then.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959009113795804133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-45450171991727868672010-04-14T07:50:37.816-04:002010-04-14T07:50:37.816-04:00I agree with Jen, it depends what you are writing ...I agree with Jen, it depends what you are writing about. If it's how to reassemble a car engine *yawn*, if it's something that interests me I'll read it avidly. So there is no way of knowing if you put too much until I read it. Makes it a bitch for authors. :-P <br /><br />I'll say that as I piddle around writing stuff everything I read on-line makes me paranoid. If someone says "I hate semi-colons" I am suddenly paranoid I used to many. LOL But you can't make every reader happy, so do what feels right and it will be fine.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15495571402942021799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-70929099980065439182010-04-14T06:50:17.046-04:002010-04-14T06:50:17.046-04:00I also think it varies from reader to reader. Some...I also think it varies from reader to reader. Some people want lots of detail and eat it up; other people could care less. My novella, "Our One and Only" -- two reviewers said it would have benefited from some "judicious cuts" while other reviewers loved every word. So...<br /><br />I think detail becomes too much when it is obvious that it is padding--just trying to fill up the pages and not advancing the story at all.<br /><br />LL. H. Nicollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290333505347939246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746501486040334457.post-73356533241767707412010-04-14T04:38:09.886-04:002010-04-14T04:38:09.886-04:00I shouldn't worry about this too much if I wer...I shouldn't worry about this too much if I were you, Wren, as this kind of thing is entirely subjective. I've read books with lots of detail which I've found absolutely fascinating and has greatly enhanced my reading pleasure of the book. <br /><br />Then I've read a different book with lots of detail about a topic which I've found (to steal a phrase from Kris) as boring as bat poo and I've found myself skimming over those bits in order to get back to the action/meat of the story.<br /><br />Both times I've read reviews where people have had the opposite view to me (ie what I found interesting, they found dull, and vice versa) so my best advice would be to stick to what interests you, put as much detail in as you are happy with and you'll find that some readers will be right there with you and some will do the skimming thing.Jenrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15492693697232134724noreply@blogger.com