tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post5758637254434723210..comments2023-09-05T12:51:25.656-05:00Comments on edittorrent: Dressing and DiningEdittorrenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-77495925346543777852011-10-27T17:08:14.162-05:002011-10-27T17:08:14.162-05:00Great post! I've avoided the obvious style of...Great post! I've avoided the obvious style of these sections, but you're right that they can sneak in other ways.<br /><br />My latest WIP has two scenes of the H/h eating. The scenes are meant to complement each other and show world-building aspects. (A non-human character trying human food for the first time, and later deciding that it was a bad idea.) I *think* it works, but I'll take a closer look to make sure. :)Jami Goldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00957122956518765455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-50677484254736854372011-10-25T23:18:04.339-05:002011-10-25T23:18:04.339-05:00Thanks, IsaiahC. It can be difficult sometimes to ...Thanks, IsaiahC. It can be difficult sometimes to tell when it's okay to portray routine tasks and when that gets in the way of good storytelling. This is such a common error, though. We see it all the time.<br /><br />TheresaEdittorrenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-8855194516879761592011-10-25T23:08:27.424-05:002011-10-25T23:08:27.424-05:00Sam, I don't think I expressed a wholesale rul...Sam, I don't think I expressed a wholesale rule in this post. I think if you look at it again, you'll see a lot of tips about how to weigh and measure these kinds of moments in the text to determine if they should be cut, specifically by looking at two general classes of ways these kinds of details are abused by lazy writers.<br /><br />TheresaEdittorrenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-47924272022221197442011-10-25T20:18:41.261-05:002011-10-25T20:18:41.261-05:00Great points! I think it's important not to ha...Great points! I think it's important not to have a rule that you follow by rote (ie. delete all housework scenes) but rather a principle that you adhere to consistently. Evaluating scenes first on a "does it work or doesn't it" basis, then figuring out what does work and what doesn't, and fixing it from there. Good insight.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04889400960819776680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-89523769606467124042011-10-25T19:18:43.387-05:002011-10-25T19:18:43.387-05:00Hi Teresa -- interesting blog. In part, I agree an...Hi Teresa -- interesting blog. In part, I agree and in part, I resist. I think I mostly agree, but also resist any wholesale rule to delete any particular kind of scene. <br /><br />I think I'd want to qualify this with something like "if you have FIVE or more of these scenes, then take a second look, but a few might be okay, especially if it's working with pacing, giving your reader a pause, offering some inside info on the char, etc.<br /><br />I think you can have some slower paced spots/passages in a book. Readers might need them, even. They might enjoy knowing what's in a character's closet or fridge -- this could tell us a lot about them, or make them more real and relatable.<br /><br />You do mention maybe needing transitions, etc and so much of this comes down to style as well. The writer's voice, pace, etc, as well as the type of book. A closet/cooking scene may not have worked in the DaVinci Code or the Bourne Identity, but it works wonderfully in many romances. If the heroine is scouring her closet for the right thing to wear, that's relevant. I also think readers often just enjoy some of the fashion/food in books. Chick lit capitalized on that, of course.<br /><br />So... I would tend to take it scene by scene, book by book, I think. I don't this kind of scene always has to go. A little tweaking could make them more relevant while not cutting too much.<br /><br />SamSamantha Hunterhttp://www.samanthahunter.comnoreply@blogger.com