It’s worth remembering though that time spent seriously thinking through how something happened isn’t wasted even if it’s then cut out of the novel.
I spent ages researching & then writing how 2 characters rode (in 1289) from London to Ipswich. Then I cut almost all of it. But it’s still there in the background, underpinning the coherence of the narrative.
So true. I once wrote a whole, long bus journey all through London - very much Write What You Know - and in revision it said, "She caught a No. 11, got off at Spring Gardens, walked up the steps and, after a moment, rang the doorbell." But I wouldn't have know that's what was needed, until I'd written all the intervening stuff. Plus, I can't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure some of the things which had found their way onto the page, then been cut, found a home elsewhere. Not as in cutting-and-pasting the actual words, but as in, that stuff had been pulled up to the top of my mind and was there, later, when I needed those details.
There's so much great advice here, but the time and motion comment was an especially welcome slap on the wrist for the scene I've just written. The mechanics of action can feel so complicated when you're writing it, especially if your writing is rooted more in character than in action, but I took the point that readers will get it, readers want to join the dots, and I've rewritten it explaining far less. I think it's really transformed it. So a big thanks for that!
My favourite line from this piece was somewhere else though: 'Zoom through the window and show only what’s beyond it.' Just love that. You could riff on that for ages. Somebody probably should. Characters really are a window on to real life, and often as readers we need to be them rather than see them to fully appreciate what we're being shown about ourselves.
Yes, I think it's incredibly common to find yourself writing down Every Darned Thing. On the other hand, nothing more evocative than "they had tea" doesn't do the story any favours in the other direction. As ever, it's about understanding the different possibilities, and then learning to work out which you need at any one time. I do think that "framing" would be a better term, in some ways, than Gardner's "filtering"...
I always think of that bit in Play School, if you're old enough to remember: "Which window are we going to look through today? Yes, we're looking through the *round* window!" and then the camera would do just that...
This is really useful, thank you! I am definitely an over-explainer. My WIP is in third person following one character, but with an invisible narrator, which seems to increase the possibility of an excess of explanation...
Narrators are such fruitful, versatile things, but there is that risk... Glad this is useful for you. Interestingly, I think it's also very common in first-person, because the narrator is doing all the experiencing, and will keep thinking about it!
Glad you approve, Sanjida. I really think they're all things which come about very naturally as part of imagining and then writing down a scene. You just need to pop the specs on later, and do a pass looking for them.
It’s worth remembering though that time spent seriously thinking through how something happened isn’t wasted even if it’s then cut out of the novel.
I spent ages researching & then writing how 2 characters rode (in 1289) from London to Ipswich. Then I cut almost all of it. But it’s still there in the background, underpinning the coherence of the narrative.
So true. I once wrote a whole, long bus journey all through London - very much Write What You Know - and in revision it said, "She caught a No. 11, got off at Spring Gardens, walked up the steps and, after a moment, rang the doorbell." But I wouldn't have know that's what was needed, until I'd written all the intervening stuff. Plus, I can't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure some of the things which had found their way onto the page, then been cut, found a home elsewhere. Not as in cutting-and-pasting the actual words, but as in, that stuff had been pulled up to the top of my mind and was there, later, when I needed those details.
There's so much great advice here, but the time and motion comment was an especially welcome slap on the wrist for the scene I've just written. The mechanics of action can feel so complicated when you're writing it, especially if your writing is rooted more in character than in action, but I took the point that readers will get it, readers want to join the dots, and I've rewritten it explaining far less. I think it's really transformed it. So a big thanks for that!
My favourite line from this piece was somewhere else though: 'Zoom through the window and show only what’s beyond it.' Just love that. You could riff on that for ages. Somebody probably should. Characters really are a window on to real life, and often as readers we need to be them rather than see them to fully appreciate what we're being shown about ourselves.
Yes, I think it's incredibly common to find yourself writing down Every Darned Thing. On the other hand, nothing more evocative than "they had tea" doesn't do the story any favours in the other direction. As ever, it's about understanding the different possibilities, and then learning to work out which you need at any one time. I do think that "framing" would be a better term, in some ways, than Gardner's "filtering"...
Don't describe the window frame, zoom through it... Excellent :)
I always think of that bit in Play School, if you're old enough to remember: "Which window are we going to look through today? Yes, we're looking through the *round* window!" and then the camera would do just that...
This is really useful, thank you! I am definitely an over-explainer. My WIP is in third person following one character, but with an invisible narrator, which seems to increase the possibility of an excess of explanation...
Narrators are such fruitful, versatile things, but there is that risk... Glad this is useful for you. Interestingly, I think it's also very common in first-person, because the narrator is doing all the experiencing, and will keep thinking about it!
I need to send this to every writer I mentor!! And remind myself of it!
Glad you approve, Sanjida. I really think they're all things which come about very naturally as part of imagining and then writing down a scene. You just need to pop the specs on later, and do a pass looking for them.
This is so useful, thank you!
Great to know, Jo!
Just what I needed, thank you!
You're welcome, Julie! So glad it hits the spot for you.
Hahahah explainectomy is really making me laugh 🙏
Ha! I do think this kind of work can feel like one's wielding a scalpel, cauterising, stitching back up...