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A helpful exposition of an excellent author’s craft

MelissaBaby said:
It's not just a matter or alteration, it's altered for a purpose.

I'm not sure what you are saying about size. There are stone statues (have you ever heard anyone say "rock statue?") that are massive, such as the Easter Island Moat, or the giant Buddha statues found in many places in Asia.
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And all of those statues have specific, defined sizes.

Also, a river alters the stones for a purpose?

When humans cut through rock to build a road, they shape that rock for a purpose, I imagine, but it stays rock. Your definition is incomplete.
 
MelissaBaby said:
"Okay"- AwkwardMD
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Wow.

1753658631391.png
This is rock. You can see the part jutting out of the ground, but you don't know its size.


1753658823330.png
This is a stone. Its shape and size are defined.
There's more that can be added to all of this probably, but this plays a role for sure.
Don't be a sore loser.
 
It's a nice essay. I respect Onehitwanda's writing and appreciate her taking the time to discuss her approach.

I agree with Awkwardlyset that I might not make all the same artistic choices Wanda does, but I like the essay's emphasis on picking the right words, and on the step by step way to do it. Wanda's examples illustrate something I've emphasized, which is trying to choose the right verbs, which are, IMO, the most important parts of speech.

I like the "painting with soft brush strokes" metaphor. It's probably not a metaphor that applies to me, but I think it's an apt one for Wanda and it's a good approach.
 
AwkwardlySet said:
Wow.

View attachment 2555330
This is rock. You can see the part jutting out of the ground, but you don't know its size.


View attachment 2555331
This is a stone. Its shape and size are defined.
There's more that can be added to all of this probably, but this plays a role for sure.
Don't be a sore loser.
Click to expand...

I don't feel I've lost anything. But I don't see any point in going around and around on this.
 
It's like, a stone is a rock, but not all rocks are stones. Just like, a grin is a smile, but not all smiles are grins. Sometimes a synonym can be used in place of another, or bring a clearer meaning to what you're trying to convey, but not always.
 
I skimmed Wanda's essay, and if she mentioned this, it escaped me. But I posted recently (within the past month, I think?) about the difference between a ketch and a yawl, when the overwhelming majority of humanity would simply call both of them a "boat."

If your narrator (or your intended reader) is a sailor, or sailor-adjacent, the term used would be extremely important. If not? Then not. Word choice is always a way to deepen narration in that way.

I thought of that as I read the "rock/stone digression." I live in a place with walls exactly as @MelissaBaby describes, and I see them often: I step over them as I hike, or catch sight of them as I drive by, or whatever. They're often in places that are now completely timbered, but they are a reminder of what used to be there: a field, cleared laboriously: someone's livelihood, a place to grow crops or to pasture cattle or sheep.

To me, "rock" and "stone" are nearly identical, but the important thing is the border they can be used to define. And there are an infinite number of words that can describe all those concepts, in ways that subtly shape the reader's understanding of the narrator.
 
There once was a band of smut writers.
And, oh! They were lovers, not fighters.
But they often digressed,
About words- so obsessed!
Huzzah for those lexical all-nighters!
 
That's a nice little essay. It's illuminating when an author attempts to explain their methodology. Thanks for sharing that with us Emily.
 
Em,
I thought the essay was excellent...
Thanks for posting. She is one of my favourite Authors, and to get a tiny insight into her process, is a good thing.

That is the beauty of being able to get a glimpse at one of the best writers... OK, it wasn't a "do it this way". It did however offer some interesting points.
Sorry they derailed you thread...

Cagivagurl
 
I love that a top author took the time to discuss some of the techniques she uses. That being said, I feel it's not applicable to me. All of my stories are first person, so the descriptions in the story are provided by the narrator. And my narrators give simple and straightforward description of things. "A tear ran down her cheek" suits them. "A glittering tear beaded, tracked downwards... then fell free" does not.

Here's a scene from one of my stories that mentions tears. The narrator is helping Giselle to improve her conversation skills:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Giselle asked timidly, “What was the breed of your dog?”

“He was a mutt. My parents got him at the pound. He was about the size of a German shepherd.”

“We have two dogs. Dachshunds. They’re lots of fun.”

I was tempted to ask about her dogs, but I knew that wasn’t my role. Giselle finally asked, “What was your favorite thing to do with your dog?”

“To take him with me when I went to look at the stars. My dad and I would go someplace well away from buildings, so there wouldn’t be any light. He loved exploring new places.”

Giselle smiled. “Did he bark and jump around?”

I laughed at the memory. “Oh, yes. And he would race around whatever field we were set up in, smelling this tree and that rock.”

Giselle’s eyes lit up. She was amazingly cute. She straightened her back, and her big tits seemed to swell. Don’t stare at her boobs. Don’t stare at her boobs. “Did you take him on hikes or long walks?”

She got me telling Mr. Buttons story after Mr. Buttons story. Then I started feeling my eyes getting wet. Soon, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I had to stop. “I’m sorry. I still miss Mr. Buttons.”

Giselle took a few steps forward and hugged me. “It’s okay. It’s perfectly understandable that you’d still miss a dog that you loved.”

Tears kept pouring down my face. I was embarrassed about crying in front of so many people. “It was his time. He was in such pain at the end. He was a great dog, but it was time for me to let him go.”

Giselle continued hugging me, pressing her head into my chest. “But you should never let go of his memories. He’s still alive in your heart, and he’s still bringing you joy.”
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Plain, simple descriptions that I think work.
 
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