[stylist] stylist Digest, Vol 81, Issue 18

[Donna Hill]

Hi Kerry,
I have often thought about this point about everything that doesn't 
advance the plot being unnecessary, and Quidditch is a fine example. I 
think those of us who enjoy setting and character development need to 
become better at slinging the bull about how some of these things are 
necessary to establish nuances of character and provide backdrop for the 
actions of the story. I think it's easy to criticize a passage as being 
non-relevant, if it isn't immediately obvious why it has been included, 
but if something's good/well-written, it can stand up to criticism.  
Nonetheless, we all run up against the brick wall of word count and 
thinking in terms of "Do I really need this passage?" is a time-honored 
and valuable tool in sprucing up our writing.
Donna

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On 1/11/2011 5:21 PM, Kerry Thompson wrote:
> Hi friends,
>
> But, Judith, if you take out everything that doesn't advance the plot, 
> you'd end up with only nouns and verbs.
>
> Seriously, a story, be it a 350 word short short or a 900 page novel, 
> is more than plot. It is setting and character as well, maybe 
> character most of all. Without characters to care about, the reader is 
> unlikely to read, or if he reads to remember, a story. A story needs 
> to be about establishing the place or world building. Some characters 
> grow out of their world. Think of Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and 
> Prejudice. Some are in conflict with their world. Think of Mike Smith 
> in Stranger in a Strange Land. Without their respective settings, the 
> stories of these characters would be incomprehensible ifnot impossible.
>
> Yet, I suppose one could imagine Pride and Prejudice without 
> Elizabeth's sisters and mother, and without Darcy's aunt and cousin, 
> or his sister. But think how much both of them would lose by these 
> omissions. Elizabeth wouldn't seem so witty, gay and intelligent. 
> Darcy wouldn't seem either as brooding or as urbane. Perhaps these 
> other characters aren't strictly necessary to the plot, but they add 
> immeasurably to the story.
>
> Sometimes the most memorable thing about a story has little or nothing 
> to do with the main plot. Take the Harry Potter stories. If you were 
> to ask me what is the most memorable part of the series, I'd answer 
> unhesitatingly, quidditch. I am not a sports person. But, I love 
> quidditch. A case could be made that the game has no bearing on the 
> main plot of the series. But, the series would be so much less fun 
> without it.
>
> Jim, ooh, "swell" is the perfect word.
>
> And, I was wondering, is the Hopkins Plaza what we now call the Mark, 
> as in the top of the Mark?
>
> Anita, yes, some novelists use very short chapters. Douglas Adams 
> often did. Donna's right, though. Sometimes there are breaks in the 
> narrative, but they don't merit a chapter break. That's the sort of 
> situation where white space and or asterisks are called for.
>
> Looking at the debate, it does seem to fall along generational lines. 
> Us old fogies are more likely to use written transitions. You young 
> whippersnappers are more likely, and indeed it seems have been taught, 
> to eschew actual, written transitions in favor of white space. It's 
> sort of like how some of us were never able to convince our parents 
> that the Beatles are real music.
>
> Lori, LOL! A bearded gnome, no less.
>
> Bridgit, you might want to use BCC rather than CC when you send to 
> multiple e-mail recipients.
>
> Solidarity and Peace,
>
> Kerry
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