Which type of reader/writer are you?

[Hamen Cheese]

Are you more of the

 

[A] He had blond hair, deep blue eyes, and a perfectly white teeth. His face was undoubtedly handsome. I wanted him and he wanted me. At that moment, we were in love.

 

or

 

His hair was blond. It clung to his face with the softness of velvet. I looked into his deep blue eyes and saw myself reflected in its beauty. His smile showed perfectly white teeth that suggested rigorous hours spent caring for his dental hygiene. As we stared into each other's eyes, I saw desire in those beautiful blue gems. They seemed to say "take me, take me now!" In that moment frozen in time, we were in love and nothing else mattered.

 

I must admit, I think I'm more of an (a) reader/writer. I tend to prefer things simpler and more direct (good plot being a must!)

 

 

Edited because ( B ) became (

Edited June 16, 2010 by Hamen Cheese

[Kev de Cauchery]

I do enjoy description, so B

[John Doe]

Somewhere between a and b...

[Mark Arbour]

I think I'm more of an "A" kind of guy.

[Boy In Doubt]

I'd say a little bit of both but I do have my "B" moments.

[Nephylim]

I tend to think that dry description. He was of X build with X hair an X eyes etc etc is not only boring and grates on my nerves but is a sign of inexperience. I'm not saying that tons of description and floury language is reqired but a fleshed out story is a much better all round experience than a dry list of characteristics and events. I read everything but I don't enjoy that kind of story.

 

I am sure that TIger can contest to that as when I edit his work I tell him off if something like that crops up (occasionally) and I think that everyone's work is so much richer if it's avoided like the plague.

 

In your case I don't think A is as bad as that but I still prefer B

[Tiger]

Well, it depends. I can read either type of story. For writing, I'm somewhere in between. Some characters I'll describe like that; others I won't. I like describing the "world" more than the characters.

[Menorain]

I'm usually more of a B, but I'm an A writer about the less important things. Too much detail detracts from plot, suspense and your father's cooking etc.

[Former Member]

Totally An A guy. The B was far too wordy for my liking. It honestly reminded my of Twilight in the sense that it was saying the same thing but in a gaudy fashion that is unnecessary.

[Toast]

Perhaps a good example of (A.) would be... The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway.

 

Perhaps a good example of (B.) would be... Ullysses by Joyce.

 

Perhaps it is not the style of the writing that matters... it is the quality of the style.

 

A and B above... are funny parodies.

 

I hope I never limit myself to only one kind of read.

 

I hope I never write only one way.

 

With practice, maybe, I will write something good one day.

 

We are expressive and have many and varied ways of sharing.

 

So let us share the abundance of writing.

 

 

[Douw]

I love reading stories that fall under both A And B but the stories must be of a good quality or i will not enjoy it!

 

[Hamen Cheese]

Yeah after reading some of the Anthologies (at #19) so far, I've just begun to realize that I felt like my writing is in the [A] category and I was worried it might be a little too simple, perhaps too elementary. I'm not a pro-writer and I've never even taken a class that helps but improving my writing style never really hurts.

 

Just wondered if it was time to start shifting to .

[Toast]

Hamen, I am inexperienced too. I worry about every word I write. The only solution though is to keep writing.

 

LOL

 

[Cia]

I vary. I like to add detail, as anyone who read my stuff will note, but I typically avoid doing it for people, reserving it for background scenery and animals/creatures. I don't like the stories that start out, well I guess I should describe him or me and then go on to give height, weight, hair and eye color almost as stats but it won't preclude me from reading the story, though it does turn me off it a bit and I might take points away if I was ranking it. I like to add detail as the story goes along if I can. If it's a short story then I admit, that's a lot harder. Besides, over-detailing prevents the reader from making their own mental pictures.

[Tipdin]

Absolutely A. Even that could have cut down.

 

Get to the point, don't waste time. I have zero patience.

[Dolores Esteban]

Somewhere between A and B. But I tend to A.

 

 

[John Doe]

I hate stupid notebooks!!!!!!! Why oh why do the pages returns when you touch the pad a certain way....dang I have to retype what I wrote all over again.

 

Anyway...

 

I agree with what Bugeye said in that you should just keep writing.

 

And here's my addictional comments. Like some have alluded to, simple or detailed description is fine either way. I have read books and novels that was one or the other and can remember thinking wow that book was written well. When it comes to science fiction and fantasy I tend to like the descriptions to be on the higher scale but that doesn't necessarily mean that I want every detail. When I wrote Mages of the Academy, in the beginning I waslike details details and details because I wanted my reader to know the world that I created. Now the detail is a bit slack but I don't think it subtracts from the story as now people have an idea of what my made up world is like. After posting the first few chapters I got opinions from both side: too descriptive and others loved it. So the lesson is this.... it don't matter if its simple or fine detailed, people will have a preference no matter what and you cannot cater to everyone. You should not change your writing to please one or the other and the only person you should be writing to please and be happy and content with is yourself. The only thing you need to worry about is the craft and execution of the work at hand. If your craft is solid and your execution is done well, simple or fine detials won't matter.

 

so...

 

Contiously write and write for youself and how you envision the story to be. Don't write how someone else thinks you should write. If they keep telling you how to write and what to write you can tell them they should write their own story. But there is a difference in someone telling you how to write better. You just have to know as the writer what to take into consideration and how to digest a comment or suggestion. Yeah there are some people who thinks your work needs this or that, but sometimes really they are just saying those things because your writing style is just different than theirs and they aren't comfortable with it.

 

I had a reader tell me once that my story needed editing and I asked what and he stated things that were fine and it turned out that he didn't like the way I worded things. Like I referred a smile as a gesture and he didn't think a smile was a gesture (when it is), his thoughts were a gesture had to do with movements with the body outside of the face. I appreciated his opinion but that was just a matter of taste. I didn't do anything wrong. But that same reader also pointed out that I kinda reiterate the same concept or emotion over again after just saying it in another sentence. When I reread the story, he was absolutely right. When I was writing the story at the time, I like the way it sounded and didn't see what he pointed out but after I was made aware, it was obvious that I was just repeating myself in a different way, so I went back and edited those repeated implications out. So filter out your comments and suggestions. Everyone is tryng to make you a better writer, but not every comment or suggestions will make you a better writer.

[Hamen Cheese]

I hate stupid notebooks!!!!!!! Why oh why do the pages returns when you touch the pad a certain way....dang I have to retype what I wrote all over again.

 

Anyway...

 

I agree with what Bugeye said in that you should just keep writing.

 

And here's my addictional comments. Like some have alluded to, simple or detailed description is fine either way. I have read books and novels that was one or the other and can remember thinking wow that book was written well. When it comes to science fiction and fantasy I tend to like the descriptions to be on the higher scale but that doesn't necessarily mean that I want every detail. When I wrote Mages of the Academy, in the beginning I waslike details details and details because I wanted my reader to know the world that I created. Now the detail is a bit slack but I don't think it subtracts from the story as now people have an idea of what my made up world is like. After posting the first few chapters I got opinions from both side: too descriptive and others loved it. So the lesson is this.... it don't matter if its simple or fine detailed, people will have a preference no matter what and you cannot cater to everyone. You should not change your writing to please one or the other and the only person you should be writing to please and be happy and content with is yourself. The only thing you need to worry about is the craft and execution of the work at hand. If your craft is solid and your execution is done well, simple or fine detials won't matter.

 

so...

 

Contiously write and write for youself and how you envision the story to be. Don't write how someone else thinks you should write. If they keep telling you how to write and what to write you can tell them they should write their own story. But there is a difference in someone telling you how to write better. You just have to know as the writer what to take into consideration and how to digest a comment or suggestion. Yeah there are some people who thinks your work needs this or that, but sometimes really they are just saying those things because your writing style is just different than theirs and they aren't comfortable with it.

 

I had a reader tell me once that my story needed editing and I asked what and he stated things that were fine and it turned out that he didn't like the way I worded things. Like I referred a smile as a gesture and he didn't think a smile was a gesture (when it is), his thoughts were a gesture had to do with movements with the body outside of the face. I appreciated his opinion but that was just a matter of taste. I didn't do anything wrong. But that same reader also pointed out that I kinda reiterate the same concept or emotion over again after just saying it in another sentence. When I reread the story, he was absolutely right. When I was writing the story at the time, I like the way it sounded and didn't see what he pointed out but after I was made aware, it was obvious that I was just repeating myself in a different way, so I went back and edited those repeated implications out. So filter out your comments and suggestions. Everyone is tryng to make you a better writer, but not every comment or suggestions will make you a better writer.

 

Thanks. That's one good perspective of it. My ultimate goal is to write better. I tend to be image the scenes of my stories in my head like a movie and I try to translate them into words but often I like to plow from one scene to the next probably because there are so many bouncing in there at the moment. I also tend to not enjoy books that are far too descriptive (a reason I never finished Tolkien). And I guess I have had 3-4 years of training to write in a no-nonsense, direct to the point manner having a degree in business management. Communication classes tend to make you say more with less without the unnecessary frills.

 

Something for the business world though and not necessarily books (unless it's a business book maybe? ).

 

On a side note, I'm interested in reading your story, Mages of the Acedemy, when I first came across it in efiction. I've decided though to abstain from reading it (and every other fantasy story out there unless it catches me by surprise i.e. Nephylym's Hostage where the fantasy part doesn't happen until Ch. 10 or something!) until I finish Adamagika so that the plot isn't influenced by other similar themed stories. There is even a Mage Academy in my story though it isn't the focus of the story so much as an element in the plot. The lives of my characters in this story tend to revolve around events outside of school.

 

Thanks again and regards!

[Krista]

I don't like either selection. I don't like being over loaded with physical descriptions of people. I'm far more accepting of physical landscape descriptions and such though. I don't need to know every detail of a character immediately, but I do like to know how a character looks as the story progresses. If I'm still guessing by the end of the third book.. I'll be pretty annoyed.

 

So... I like reading and learning how people and settings look/seem to be through out the book.

[Hamen Cheese]

I don't like either selection. I don't like being over loaded with physical descriptions of people. I'm far more accepting of physical landscape descriptions and such though. I don't need to know every detail of a character immediately, but I do like to know how a character looks as the story progresses. If I'm still guessing by the end of the third book.. I'll be pretty annoyed.

 

So... I like reading and learning how people and settings look/seem to be through out the book.

 

Waah! Damn! Haha. My lead character in the story I'm working on currently has a somewhat dry description of having brown hair and brown eyes (only mentioned because it's relevant to the plot). Nothing else primarily though because I want the reader to imagine him the way they want (like if they want to put their face in his shoes or something like that, I know I do that sometimes ).

[Adam Phillips]

I think the point is not to think of yourself as an A or B author. Personally I think the example given as B is not a good one, because it displays the very worst of the kind of thing you're trying to characterize.

 

Narrative can be poorly written as A or as B, and brilliantly written as A or as B.

 

The real question is how to love the reader with the words. How to make the words enhance your story. How to utilize them to make them sing. How to catch the reader up in your narrative world. There's no one way, but either style can and should serve those aims.

 

In general, I do think those of us who tend toward B should be careful that we're not merely indulging in our love for words. The words have to serve the story. But when B is well-done it can be effing transcendent.

 

I'm not saying my writing embodies that ideal. Once in a while if I'm lucky I achieve a temporary moment of it. But it's a struggle. I don't know that I could call myself A or B. I do admire the power of the understated and the unsaid. That being said, well-executed lyricism is very attractive to me.

[Tommy_B]

I hate hate hate Hemingway (A).

 

"The sun was hot. It rose high in the sky. I felt the sweat on my face."

 

But I ain't fond 'a Faulkner (B either.

 

"The cerise orb called the sun ascended altitudinous in the eastern sky; there was a deep, burning heat I felt as the egest water pushed its way up from my core only to meander down my visage."

 

Good God what is wrong with these people!!

Edited June 17, 2010 by Tommy_B

[JamesSavik]

Good God what is wrong with these people!!

 

They were both raging alcoholics?

 

Ok- in my opinion description is a necessity but I am a minimalist. Why waste a page describing something when a paragraph would do?

 

Too many authors go overboard with descriptions. If you leave some of it up to the readers imagination, they will fill in the blanks better than you could.

[Toast]

The real question is how to love the words. How to make them enhance your story. How to make it sing. How to catch the reader up in your narrative world. There's no one way, but either style can and should serve those aims.

 

 

Yes, I so agree, I so love words too.

[Hamen Cheese]

Ok- in my opinion description is a necessity but I am a minimalist. Why waste a page describing something when a paragraph would do?

 

Too many authors go overboard with descriptions. If you leave some of it up to the readers imagination, they will fill in the blanks better than you could.

 

Agree on that.

 

Dostoyevsky anyone? Haha.