Playing on iTunes: "Criminal" by Fiona Apple
I am COMPLETELY at a loss for what to write about this morning. No, really. For once, I have nothing to say.
*crickets.....chirping*
Maybe if I eat something first!! Hold on....twiddle your thumbs or something....
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Ok...I'm back. Had a samich.
I've got it!!! I shall discuss really bad time killers. :) Great segue, huh?
My goal for "Bulletproof ID" is to write as tight of a script as possible. As little fluff as possible. I hate fluff. Why does it have to be in books? Do authors think we want to read it? Does it serve some purpose?
I have two quotes to nail home my point. Kurt Vonnegut said "Every sentence should either be character development or moving the plot forward. Cut the rest."
Makes sense!! That is actually going to be the core of my editing process...and to be honest, I pray to Stephen King (reference to a previous post by Bookshelf Muse) that I actually have some book left and not just a great story!!
My second quote is by Dan Brown: "Writing an informative yet compact thriller is a lot like making maple sugar candy. You have to tap hundreds of trees…boil vats and vats of raw sap…evaporate the water…and keep boiling until you've distilled a tiny nugget that encapsulates the essence. Of course, this requires liberal use of the DELETE key."
If you have ever read the Da Vinci Code, you will know what he is talking about. The man has NO FLUFF ON ANY PAGE!!! It's amazing!! I think that is why it was such a page turner. His chapters ended and began with hooks, as did the scenes within the each chapter.
So, I am off to write the next page turning kick ass, no fluff novel!!!
***I would just like to let everyone that I know I should feel bad posting that image, since I do have a Bichon of my own....but she is shaved right now, so no fluff.
I am COMPLETELY at a loss for what to write about this morning. No, really. For once, I have nothing to say.
*crickets.....chirping*
Maybe if I eat something first!! Hold on....twiddle your thumbs or something....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok...I'm back. Had a samich.
I've got it!!! I shall discuss really bad time killers. :) Great segue, huh?
My goal for "Bulletproof ID" is to write as tight of a script as possible. As little fluff as possible. I hate fluff. Why does it have to be in books? Do authors think we want to read it? Does it serve some purpose?
I have two quotes to nail home my point. Kurt Vonnegut said "Every sentence should either be character development or moving the plot forward. Cut the rest."
Makes sense!! That is actually going to be the core of my editing process...and to be honest, I pray to Stephen King (reference to a previous post by Bookshelf Muse) that I actually have some book left and not just a great story!!
My second quote is by Dan Brown: "Writing an informative yet compact thriller is a lot like making maple sugar candy. You have to tap hundreds of trees…boil vats and vats of raw sap…evaporate the water…and keep boiling until you've distilled a tiny nugget that encapsulates the essence. Of course, this requires liberal use of the DELETE key."
If you have ever read the Da Vinci Code, you will know what he is talking about. The man has NO FLUFF ON ANY PAGE!!! It's amazing!! I think that is why it was such a page turner. His chapters ended and began with hooks, as did the scenes within the each chapter.
So, I am off to write the next page turning kick ass, no fluff novel!!!
***I would just like to let everyone that I know I should feel bad posting that image, since I do have a Bichon of my own....but she is shaved right now, so no fluff.
4 comments:
(too many typos in my last comment attempt)
Challenging quote by Vonnegut. I take sadistic pleasure in deleting my own fluff, except when it starts really infringing on my word count. Then I just have to gulp and do it anyway!
I hear you on that one!! That's why I am petrified to know what my word count will be when it is all over. (I don't think I wanna open my eyes.)
Sometimes fluff is good, just in very small doses.
Problem is, if you eliminate too much fluff, your story can sound a bit dull.
With the way I write, I need fluff. Not a lot of fluff, but fluff nevertheless.
And yes, your word count will significantly drop. By the time editing was done on my novel, 30,000 words crossed the great divide. Hand to bring a few of them back in order to have the novel make sense again.
Now that I have posted this, I kinda want to go back and see how much Fluff the Da Vinci Code actually has. I may attack it with a highlighter. lol. I am thinking it will a number around 5% or so. But, I would be curious just to find out.
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