Recommendation.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

THE WRITERS ART by James J.Kilpatrick.

Santa brought me this book. I've read most of it. It includes all the usual stuff but whats different is Kilpatrick includes plenty of examples of what he means, and he clearly defines arcane writing terms. So when he speaks of thesis-antithesis coupling you know what it looks like and see how it works. ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY! IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES. TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, A TIME TO BE BORN AND A TIME TO DIE.

 

[JackLuis]

Does he say anything about, the structure of the story, like filling in back story with vignettes, so that you don't have 2 pages of back story before the fucking starts?

Or maybe I'm not fully realizing the 'set up' for the punch line?

Or perhaps I'm trying to force Romance into a Stroke straightjacket?

Maybe I'll read some PennLady to find my stride?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Does he say anything about, the structure of the story, like filling in back story with vignettes, so that you don't have 2 pages of back story before the fucking starts?

Or maybe I'm not fully realizing the 'set up' for the punch line?

Or perhaps I'm trying to force Romance into a Stroke straightjacket?

Maybe I'll read some PennLady to find my stride?

There's this thing called "Unrelieved Sexual Tension"

I know someone who can keep you-- well, me, anyway-- stroking for pages and pages before the big payoff. I keep trying to figure out how she does it. I just now found this little article; http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/knowing-where-and-when-to-have-love-scenes-in-a-ro.html

Except my friend puts one sex scene near the beginning-- which ignites the characters burning desire to do it again-- all the way through the story they can't do it again because of reasons, until the end. And the sex is even better than it was the first time.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Does he say anything about, the structure of the story, like filling in back story with vignettes, so that you don't have 2 pages of back story before the fucking starts?

Or maybe I'm not fully realizing the 'set up' for the punch line?

Or perhaps I'm trying to force Romance into a Stroke straightjacket?

Maybe I'll read some PennLady to find my stride?

He talks more about writing prose than story architecture: Cadence, tension, sentence length and syllable count, etc. Like...keep it simple till you need to obsess about someone or something, that is, get concrete. He talked a lot about using the right words for specific things. And he stressed obsessive observation of what you want to capture in words.

I do that, I watch bazillions of porno flicks to be able to recognize natural action, as opposed to choreographed action. And there are age differences, a young woman, for example, acts like she's tenderizing meat and trying to pull a dick off the guy when she fellates him (some of the old gals do the same), and a few have it down pat to where its sensual and attractive...like playing a cello.

 

[Stella_Omega]

edit: I was being snarky, but i don't think my snark was warranted in this case.

 

[JackLuis]

edit: I was being snarky, but i don't think my snark was warranted in this case.

Yeah, but I didn't take offense.

Good insight though, I'll read the article later. I'm in the middle of PennLady's 'Rhythem and the Blue Line', I should have looked the chapter count.

Chapt 8 and the sexual tension has been relieved and re-stroked a couple of time already.

 

[TE999]

Back when I read newspapers, I always read Kilpatrick's column 'The Writer's Art' and saved many them in a binder for future reference. He's a top notch grammarian and, even though the book mentioned in the OP was first published in 1985, I've never read it. Now I intend to.

He discontinued his column in 2009 for 'health reasons.' He died in 2010.

 

[JackLuis]

Well Penn Lady spins a nice romance. Good characterization and Hockey terminology.

Tame enough for gentle folk, but spicy enough for Buck's County.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF WRITING.

#1. DO NOT BORE THE READER. (WF Buckley)

 

[KlaytonFrost]

Sounds good. I tend to prefer writing manuals that focus on the craft of writing rather than storytelling, story-structure, etc, as that's where I feel I can make the most improvement in my writing at the moment.

 

[JackLuis]

That's what fun about this, we are all in different stages of development.

Some want to get the words to flow and carry the reader away with the beauty of our language.

Some want to try new and exciting structures, to see if we can make housewives wet.

Some want to vicariously fuck Michel Bachman!

It's a weird, weird, WEIRD world.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Sounds good. I tend to prefer writing manuals that focus on the craft of writing rather than storytelling, story-structure, etc, as that's where I feel I can make the most improvement in my writing at the moment.

Yes. A pleasant stroll along a scenic beach is less stressful than to struggle climbing a vertical cliff, to see the same view. Some are driven, some drive.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

That's what fun about this, we are all in different stages of development.

Some want to get the words to flow and carry the reader away with the beauty of our language.

Some want to try new and exciting structures, to see if we can make housewives wet.

Some want to vicariously fuck Michel Bachman!

It's a weird, weird, WEIRD world.

Why would anyone wanna do that when Lindsay Lohan is alive?

 

[TxRad]

Why would anyone wanna do that when Lindsay Lohan is alive?

I wouldn't fuck her with your dick. That is if it worked.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I wouldn't fuck her with your dick. That is if it worked.

More for me!

When did you become an expert about my dick?

 

[JackLuis]

Why would anyone wanna do that when Lindsay Lohan is alive?

But, is she in your closet?