First off, there is a lot I can agree to here, so I'm not attempting to dismantle this either, but right out of the gate, I have to bristle at the way it is framed as an 'error' to be a novelist who is aiming to capture the feel of a movie or a video game in the medium of novel-writing. Fantasy is rife with writers, new and old, who have a diverse love of the many forms of fantasy. The key thing that makes this valid: writing a novel dictation-style. Yes, don't. A play-by-play is NOT a good style for a fiction book -- save it for non-fiction and sports articles or even blogs. However, this does not exclude writers who do initially set out to use writing to frame what could be a game or movie. While the Witcher series certainly came first, it made one hell of a game. However, it doesn't excuse the writer from one thing when working in reverse: you still have to make it an entertaining book.
Again, the first point with Head Hopping (do read the article linked) makes some good points. I also think there is some room for confusion here. I can be guilty of head-hopping in a single scene, but let me show you where the exception can lie. In one scene I've written, the character is forced to watch someone's memory. I make it clear that he is paralyzed, unable to blink, so his impressions are no longer necessary. The scene does not mention him again, focusing instead on the more intimate view of one of the characters in the memory. Painting every single impression of the paralyzed character would be leading and the reader should almost forget about him. He was a device both to introduce the scene and to lend purpose to the flashback. Now, if I started hopping into other heads, yeah, confusion, but I'd extend some scenes to bear the exception-- the initial character as a device, then a secondary character that builds the mood. Characters can be props, just do endeavor to keep it simple. Some characters ARE just going to have to be there, but not throw in their two cents.
The next point being a book that ONLY uses sights and sounds. While I agree with this being a bad idea, I'd be pressed to think of a single story that does this. A story with a good mix of sensory points is always a plus, but this can be overdone too. I know a lot of new writers become absolutely obsessed with describing smell, especially when the character is in a new place and it's foreign to them. When you're trying to describe 'the exotic smell of frankincense and cinnamon,' back the truck up. If these are 'exotic' smells meant to lead the reader, then are you ignoring that the CHARACTER has no clue what either of those are? I've been held hostage in the prose of writers obsessed with a piece of fruit or the smells on a merchant cart, but unless the smell is an indicator of a special kind of poison or the fruit is going to come up time and again (hey, I've done this before--Writer vs. Stockholm Syndrome), a foreshadowing to a big plot reveal, sometimes I'd advise to really cut down on these, if not cut them out altogether. In the same vein that Julia Houston remarked on what works in a novel, some writers may be better off compiling a book of poems than filling a story with sensory masturbation.
Heeeeeh, okay, the part about special effects, I can't really argue with this on a superficial level, but I can elaborate on a list at least. Some of these just need some additional consideration.
- Slow motion explosions: again, can't argue on this general point alone. There really shouldn't be a bunch happening during an explosion when you're writing one. Keep the pacing going here. The aftermath is going to be what readers are after.
- broad pans of lovely landscape: agree and disagree. Now, my friend Antonio does write screenplays, but he has been told (even by me) that his mastery of painting a scene is best suited for novels, robust and with amazing brevity at that. If you're going to paint the scene, keep the intro down to a few short sentences and then bring in the rest as your characters might need to interact with it. Jumping in their head to look at everything is distracting.
- zoom-ins on women's faces: Now, I do go into gendered differences on occasion, but really, zooming in on ANY face is confusing. The romance genre is a place where writers love to do this (and it works there), but in almost any other genre, the reader is in a hostage situation. They can SMELL a romance or a PLEASE LIKE ME vibe the writer is trying to impose that just... stinks.
- bullets exploding against walls with no ricochet but lots of sparks: agreed. Even in a fantasy novel, if you are using a weapon that is meant to simulate a gun, either you're going to have to add the tedious reason for why it's not behaving like a gun or just do the research so your weapon is moving according to the reader's logic. An action scene really isn't the time to throw in 'oh yeah, guns do that.'
- Overly choreographed hand-to-hand fighting: You got me... then you lost me. Again, this is something that some fantasy fans actually want. In my previous post (Fight Like a Girl), I went into writing fight scenes in some detail. Namely that while I AM a fan of fight scenes, I do prefer some serious consideration and low-key detail. OVERLY, perhaps, but I do keep in mind that this is extremely subjective and some writers and fans are absolutely enamored with drawing out a fight in every detail. Not me, but it has a market.
Next up, overly directed characters. The 'overly' is going to be where opinions tend to need more description. The examples she gave include extra punctuation, caps, adverbs and dialogue markers. While I can agree that most of these things are a-okay for private messaging to your friends or blogs, punctuation is always going to be something a writer has to consider and not just in terms of 'directing'. The caps thing, though-- editors will screw with writers here. Some wants caps, some want italics, some want specific punctuation or just insist you change your style to not need anything. Grain of salt here. I just don't share the prevailing hate for adverbs or dialogue direction either. I want my characters to growl and snap and mumble in some stories. What is 'too much' is up to the example and style. I can't even say all sex scenes are created equal but even the most promiscuous people can have bodily hang-ups they don't want to visualize. You have to tread carefully with sex and erotica because some people do fixate on it or find it distracting. Some writers just overdo things, but it's something you have to see to assess and it's still subjective.
Insertion of song lyrics to build a 'soundtrack'. I can agree in the context of her example. Don't just do it because you think the reader needs to experience 'the enhancement' you felt when a song played and inspired the writing. Music is a visceral and intimate experience that can miss the mark. Now, if a bard or a piece of music can move the plot in some pointed way, fine, but for the most part, this is solid advice to steer clear of. I've read webcomics where they try to inject an actual soundtrack. While some people enjoy it, I almost never have my sound turned up and if I get curious, it almost always has WORDS which aren't the ones I'm reading so pffftt. No thanks. A good story will already enhance my experience. There is only so much leading a reader can take. Also why some writers' obsession with 'visualizing their characters' is not something most readers want either. Be too controlling and you lose some people.
Last on the list is directed at the video-game based novel. Something tells me this is just something she has a preference against. Maybe this is a sore spot as someone who DOES enjoy this, but I like to assign characters with strengths and weaknesses, certain skills that come into play. Life-like? Hell, no, but it isn't meant to be. In most cases, my characters are also completely blindsided by how their powers work, in a state of disbelief. Now, I don't turn it into the cringe of a turn-based battle, but on occasion, they do figure out a solution involving teamwork and... work together.
The closing statement is stabbing at it again, a bias blended with something useful. Yes, choose your medium wisely, but give your idea a go wherever you please. That being said, I really enjoyed poring over Julia Houston's answer here. I do want to reiterate that I had no intent to make it look flawed or false. Often in my own blogs, I can admit I'm not making it airtight. However, the bias was something that drew me in to begin with. It's clear the 'video-game/movie idea into book' isn't something she likes, but it negates the fact that there is a market for the approach in general. Her points did work in general, but it was in the branches away from 'novel' that made the points a bit gooey. As I've pointed out in some places, genre matters. Still, a good effort considering some of these Quora questions are under way too big an umbrella to really help the poster. If this poster wanted some more helpful advice, deciding the genre in the first place, as specifically as possible, would have been more beneficial to them.
All right-- just some points to tack on the end with that done. Going back to choosing your medium even when there's a bias against it. Too often, I hear the backhanded "you shouldn't do this because I don't want you to fail." No? Then you're kind of an asshole, not a champion for someone's cause. Failure is where creatives learn. While we don't often share every failure with the public, failure is just not as crippling as some people make it out to be. Even a badly mangled story can be refined. Just because we write the initial draft in a pile of 'don't's doesn't mean it can't be finessed.
But what about the sensitive people who would be broken by failure? At some point, you will need to toughen up unless you're only going into hug-box fan-fiction groups. What if your book is a commercial success? Are you also prepared for the increased number of anti-fans that will crop up? Unfortunately, some writers just lack the courage to leave safe pockets of snakes. Yeah, they're not always that safe if you decide to be honest. In almost every hug-box group I've wandered into, if you don't keep up the mantras of 'this is great' or 'can't wait to read more', fangs are bared. However, you also never hear 'why aren't you publishing?' or 'I'd love to see your original work!' because these groups have absolutely no wish to see anyone branch out from the anti-confidence of Wattpad/free-web-pubs and Patreon 'if you think I'm good enough to be paid.' Those are great start-up or supplemental options, don't get me wrong, but not where you go to get serious.
There is too much worrying if you're actually 'good' enough. You're afraid of the gatekeepers, but you also aren't looking to self-publish and start defining the worth of your work. At some point, only risk and adversity will give you that answer. What if you're not 'good' enough? Are you really a bad story teller, with bad ideas, bad style, weak voice? Can any of those things be refined or would it take the joy out of writing? Yes, you should probably stop dreaming about publishing or being a full-time author if you're not aiming higher. However, you can wade around with the 'writing for enjoyment' crowd or just enjoying it for yourself. Writing can absolutely be a hobby. Don't regret not trying to get published though. I went in fresh, thinking my idea would explode and hit some hard realities about marketing annnnnd... kept going. Because even at THIS point, I haven't yet been published a full year yet. I haven't sunk anything but some time into marketing. All of my time goes into self-publishing, doing all the work myself, and writing.
This is part of the reason I took on the Unconventional Author moniker. I knew that my visibility would suffer while I focused on building my library. I also wanted to avoid the newbie temptation to succumb to what people think writers should write. I do improve my craft through reading about improving it-- I also enjoy challenging it and saying 'hey, wait a minute. That could work.'
I've seen some of my favorite authors and ideas thrown into the 'this shouldn't be done' pile. While I have preferences for what I like to read and write, I steer clear of assuming what other people can do. If you take objection to my opinion and endeavor to prove it wrong, I am abso-fucking-lutely honored. I would do the same. Don't be a shrinking violet when it comes to telling your story. Unless you want to wade in the shallow end indefinitely. Up to you. I rather enjoy the risk and pushback and even the crickets chirping while I build my library. I signed up for writing, not expectations or immediate results.
If you enjoy it, write. If you're stressed and don't write, get to it. A lot of people are given the advice to pick up a pen when they are grieving or in the lowest points of their life for a reason. Not because it will be a guaranteed masterpiece, but because it is a flashlight on the source of your soul. It etches out who you are in clumsy and painful clarity. You don't sit in the murk wondering when you'll feel better because your brain is forced to focus what keeps you muddy. You have to engage several things at once: motor skills, vision, mental process. It's not something you have to enjoy to do it either, and that's a big one. There are many things we can't enjoy that we used to. Writing is often something that can even be BETTER when you are apathetic to it. Even if you write 'I feel like shit because my girlfriend left me, my best friend died, and I just got evicted.' Yup, you formed a thought. You named the problem. You don't wonder what's causing your negative feelings because they are right there in front of you.
Another reason to stop 'having ideas'. Get off of bitching on social media and write your damn story/-ies. Put some focus on it, be afraid, but do it. Write. Now, even.
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