tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post1231844876206527462..comments2023-08-27T04:22:55.468-07:00Comments on The Literary Lab: Cuts and ContinuityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-19056484186689035442009-11-18T17:02:35.473-08:002009-11-18T17:02:35.473-08:00Personally, I like short, fast scenes. It keeps me...Personally, I like short, fast scenes. It keeps me reading and makes the work un-put-downable. <br /><br />Then again, a graceful long work (such as CATCHER) are the few books that become my favorites...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-71297741223638585392009-11-18T12:36:49.226-08:002009-11-18T12:36:49.226-08:00Dominique, I tend to write short as well. Some peo...Dominique, I tend to write short as well. Some people say my writing is spare, but to me I just can't think of what else to write without cluttering it with needless detail. But, I find that the more I write the more I have to say.<br /><br />Jennifer, that's very interesting. I'm curious to see what happens with my writing as I write more books. The idea of having a body of work to look over is very exciting.<br /><br />Lois, I agree that good writing trumps all. I'm always aware of length, though. It's intimidating for me to tackle a long work, or a series of pages with no paragraph breaks. Maybe I'm just lazy.<br /><br />Annie, I think I experience the same thing as you. It's interesting that a chapter break can both cause someone to read more of get them to stop. That shows the importance of transitions!<br /><br />Scott, I'm with you about the long chapters. The writing and story has to be really exciting for me to get caught up to the point where I want the chapter to be longer and longer. There's a sense of satisfaction with getting to a stopping point, be it a chapter end or the book's end.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-13884827675058524072009-11-18T12:30:18.494-08:002009-11-18T12:30:18.494-08:00Matthew, Thanks for the recommendations. Every onc...Matthew, Thanks for the recommendations. Every once in awhile I get into the mode of comparing my stories to things on TV or in theaters. I try to stay away from that just because it feels suspicious to me. But, my guess is that it's normal. <br /><br />Jennifer, Yes, I just love that sort of thing. And, I think often by doing that, you can reveal more about a story than you can with a more limited point of view. <br /><br />Simon, I started out writing bad novels, and then I went to the short story form and the flash forms before building up in length again. Now, I'm very curious with the long short stories and novella forms. I think each story in my mind has a certain appropriate length, and I'm looking forward to exploring them. <br /><br />Rick, I'm the same way. There's something very compelling about short chapters. You think you can squeeze in just a little more reading.<br /><br />Paul, your idea sounds like a great one. I'm trying to write longer scenes in my latest story as well. I'm staying with one point of view, and so far, I like the challenge of it.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-7028797052950073762009-11-18T12:19:58.041-08:002009-11-18T12:19:58.041-08:00It all depends on the story I'm telling.
With...It all depends on the story I'm telling.<br /><br />With one project - three perspectives, three distinct sections (one for each perspective), per chapter. So, the chapters were not short, or overly long, but just Goldilock's right.<br /><br />I'm currently in the second draft phase of another project and I've been taking long chapters and breaking them up into shorter chapters that vary in length from 2 pages to 6 pages . . . at least right now. I'm not sure what the length will be in the final product.<br /><br />Personally, I don't like overly long chapters where I'm reading and reading and reading with no end in sight. I like medium length chapters.<br /><br />As for transitions - well, it depends on the story I'm telling. With the one project, each chapter was a specific month. With the current project, some chapters cover the same day, while other chapters occur 2 or 3 weeks later, or even a month as I'm propelling the character through a year in his life. <br /><br />SScotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06905515473737579937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-17674473006221464052009-11-18T11:09:31.412-08:002009-11-18T11:09:31.412-08:00I think it depends on the writing and story. If I&...I think it depends on the writing and story. If I'm really into it, I don't notice the chapter length. If it's dragging a bit, I look ahead to see when I can take a break.<br /><br />I also like how very short chapters keep me reading. Like Rick said, I think, "Just one more..."<br /><br />Sometimes I can quickly fly through a book with no chapters, just section breaks, for the same reason. But if the story is dragging, section breaks get annoying b/c I feel like I can't find a good place to stop.Annie Loudenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008836459417708235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-21423933030466271212009-11-18T10:24:26.861-08:002009-11-18T10:24:26.861-08:00long or short doesn't matter as much to me as ...long or short doesn't matter as much to me as well written. If something is compelling I've read 50 pages before I even realize I'm reading. I tend to sprinkle short and semi-long in my writing, but since I write for the YA crowd shorter paragraphs and chapters are usually better.lotusgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06663641163048764869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-11445570773136831522009-11-18T09:48:43.059-08:002009-11-18T09:48:43.059-08:00Really interesting question. I think every story i...Really interesting question. I think every story is different. My last novel is 109K-word fantasy, very populated with characters, descriptions, conflicts, developments. My recent is literary YA. It’s 42K words complete and is devoid of much more past character development, conflict and resolution and language. They are on either end of the word count spectrum but are vastly different in content/delivery and used the words needed to craft each.Jennifer Walkuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441887850464334900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-23119511708024056982009-11-18T09:36:04.420-08:002009-11-18T09:36:04.420-08:00I think it's my instinct to write in short sce...I think it's my instinct to write in short scenes. But I balance them out by group them together to form long-ish chapters. I sometimes feel like the scenes are too short, but I don't want to pad them for no purpose.<br /><br />When I'm reading, I find I like the chapters to be broken up into sections. I almost never have a long period of uninterrupted reading time, so I prefer the book to come with reasonable places for me to leave off.Kelsey (Dominique) Ridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10646757546422013401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-42880196091290087512009-11-18T09:23:28.081-08:002009-11-18T09:23:28.081-08:00I like both the long and short. I love being swept...I like both the long and short. I love being swept away by a single viewpoint with a great voice and I also love the multi viewpoint stories that feel big.<br /><br />Right now I'm working on a single view point story that has three basic settings--home, school, and hospital. The book rotates between the three fairly regularly with few changes. Three distinct stories happening at the same time that become intertwined to form the big story. At least that is what I'm striving for.Paul Grecihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11340974339238587138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-46435212753894449152009-11-18T09:19:44.445-08:002009-11-18T09:19:44.445-08:00I'm more inclined to read and write in short s...I'm more inclined to read and write in short scenes. I like books with 2-3 pages chapters, because it keeps me reading (only 3 pages? I'll read one more chapter then stop...next thing I know I've read 5-10 more chapters).<br /><br />When I write I plan out scenes. I'll define the POV and the primary plot point service in each scene. The scenes are generally 700-1500 words. Multiple scenes will come together for a chapter.<br /><br />I liked to format in THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, which had longer chapters comprised of many short scenes. It gives convenient stopping points, but at the same time it makes me want to keep reading.<br /><br />I typically begin a scene with an indicator of the POV, so the readers have a sense of who they are following through the scene.Rick Daleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173516899130463413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-28396079638319124892009-11-18T09:08:53.704-08:002009-11-18T09:08:53.704-08:00I've seen the movie three times--so far, it ha...I've seen the movie three times--so far, it hasn't lost its charm for me. I just love the bond between the female friends and their daughters, and how each of their personal stories unfolds. I find it a mostly sorrowful story; how ironic that the title sounds the opposite, at first read of those words, I mean.mshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05189632590362435386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-25399902586325839872009-11-18T09:04:37.632-08:002009-11-18T09:04:37.632-08:00I've done only short pieces thus far, but my r...I've done only short pieces thus far, but my recent short story hit 9000 words. That's a respectable chunk of a novel, so I'm working up to the longer format.<br /><br />My favorite head-hopping piece ever is "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." The way Hemingway drifts between POVs is so elegant, so effortless, that me makes even the lion's POV believable. Sometimes it's only a single paragraph in a given viewpoint, and it works. That's graceful writing. (Graceful? Hemingway? Huh... interesting.)<br /><br />When it comes to my own work, I can only strive to emulate the ease and grace with which the masters wrote. The individual story will dictate whether the long or short form will predominate.<br /><br />P.S. Pratchett's Discworld series is very, very good. It's not a satire so much as a loving reinvention with subversive nods to all the cliches of the genre.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-28333987827722108942009-11-18T09:00:09.984-08:002009-11-18T09:00:09.984-08:00Davin, normally I prefer long narratives. But rec...Davin, normally I prefer long narratives. But recently I read "The Emperor's Children" and I loved how she bounced back and forth between the characters, often with very short chapters. But part of that, no doubt, lies with Messud's ability to write such richly drawn characters. And part of the fun of the story, and the comedic effect, if you will, was knowing what was going on in the other characters' minds and what they thought of each other. <br /><br />Now that I think of it, it kind of reminds me of The Corrections. But I read that a hundred years ago when I was all caught up in the lawyering thing or law school or something else that had my focus more than writing.<br /><br />But after reading The Emperor's Children, for the first time I wanted to write something like that--shorter chapters, different POVs, storylines woven together, characters bouncing off each other, etc.jazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559917865938143791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-17737214691835512522009-11-18T08:54:48.927-08:002009-11-18T08:54:48.927-08:00Davin --
A lot of Terry Pratchett's early Dis...Davin --<br /><br />A lot of Terry Pratchett's early Discworld novels are like that. It can be jarring if you're used to reading things with chapter breaks.<br /><br />"The Color of Magic" is the first in the series if you're interested. The series if fantasy, but it's satire of the genre, so you might like it.Matthew Delmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452378192874048547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-73000216050656572102009-11-18T08:52:57.622-08:002009-11-18T08:52:57.622-08:00I've discovered recently that my writing works...I've discovered recently that my writing works similar to the way television shows do. The breaks between chapters are where the commercials would go, and every few chapters are where it might work best to have a "to be continued" title card.<br /><br />This might be specific to me, but I wonder if any other folks think that way.<br /><br />Oh, and thanks for the link Davin!Matthew Delmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452378192874048547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-71703969427802011062009-11-18T08:48:47.867-08:002009-11-18T08:48:47.867-08:00jbchicoine, I don't think you have a problem. ...jbchicoine, I don't think you have a problem. I'm personally okay with chapters being of different lengths. I think it's more fun to read and doesn't feel as robotic. To be able to trust your instincts is probably the best place to be. Then, you can ignore all the rules.<br /><br />F.P., It's funny you mention the movie. I remember liking it a lot when I watched it some years ago. But, I just watched it again last week and found myself having trouble getting into it. I think Amy Tan has revealed a certain part of Chinese culture and Chinese-American culture that was once exotic and now, partly because of her, it feels more ordinary.<br /><br />I've often thought of writing a book with no chapter breaks. There's something really lovely about that, about feeling immersed and not having to be pulled out of the immersion.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-808729390994274442009-11-18T08:36:42.749-08:002009-11-18T08:36:42.749-08:00I love The Joy Luck Club--and just the other day I...I love <i>The Joy Luck Club</i>--and just the other day I was thinking I've gotta watch the movie again.<br /><br />Long or short, I work my transitions a lot as I think they're probably the most important aspect of a long narrative, no matter the narrative's point of view. But, actually, during first-drafting, I do break insertions more subconsciously than consciously, and simply by starting a new section or chapter where the natural feeling of "a break should go here" is. I rarely change breaks while revising. I tend to write in long chapters with quite a few internal section breaks, even in my short stories section breaks can abound. <br /><br />You're right about short sections and pacing. I prefer quicker reads so that's the way I write. My latest book has no chapter breaks and only section breaks, and many are short. With this narrative I wanted a constant-push-forward feel.mshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05189632590362435386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-44836915952720652912009-11-18T08:35:05.338-08:002009-11-18T08:35:05.338-08:00This is an interesting topic. How long—how short—h...This is an interesting topic. How long—how short—how to transition. What will the reader tolerate? Short isn’t necessarily the problem I struggle with (unless it’s a short story, that is). Surely if the chapter or scene is engaging, the reader won’t mind a long, ambling ride. <br /><br />I wish I could say I actually have a strategy. I only know what felt natural in the telling of certain parts of my story, and I’m hoping for the best. My average chapter is between 2 -3K words, out of 96K. But 2 chapters are nearly 12K words each, 2 others are about 7K each. To break them up feels wrong.<br />You see my dilemma.J.B. Chicoinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06894797553204276281noreply@blogger.com