It's definitely better than most, but -- why do so many professional wordsmiths suddenly turn OCD literal when they meet a usage that they don't like?
And why the knee-jerk hatred of "saidisms"? I had one person, supposedly literate, accuse me of "fear of said". I didn't ask her why she has "fear of saidisms".
In the first tip, the blogger took the time to recognize that context matters -- she bucks the handwaving dismissal of ALL adverbs, metaphors, etc., and focuses on whether a given example supports or distracts. "Save the best and ditch the rest" is excellent advice, and recognizes the value of rhythm, tone, stress, timing and context.
But having resisted knee-jerk dismissal in her first point (the one that she admits to loving, herself, in her own writing), she jumps into knee-jerk dismissal for most of the rest.
We are smart. Really. followed by . . . Her eyes flew to the other end of the restaurant. Amazingly enough, I am able, as a reader, to understand that this is a metaphoric use of "flew", and that the writer is using a powerful, active verb to convey an additional dimension to the character's reaction. Why exactly is this supposed to be a Bad Thing? Did the line appear in a piece of writing that was already loaded down by cliched passages? Doesn't that indicate that context plays a role?
A character can't "laugh" something. They can't "snip" "spit" "snarl" "grouse" words. Yes they can. They can express themselves in many amazing ways. Powerful, active and evocative verbs are cheered in most cases by writing gurus -- but let a writer try to use one in place of 'said', and the wrathful ghost of Elmore Leonard is summoned from Hell to smite them.
It's much easier to post a laundry list like this than to get into the difficult subject of developing an ear for balance and tone. It's certainly difficult to admit that you've been swallowed the dictates of cranky old men with limited imagination, and that you don't want your own language to stretch. It's tough to stretch: you have to learn how to tell that you've stretched too far, and that's much harder to post in a laundry list form. It's a tip that encourages instead of condemning, but it's not an "easy" tip.
no subject
And why the knee-jerk hatred of "saidisms"? I had one person, supposedly literate, accuse me of "fear of said". I didn't ask her why she has "fear of saidisms".
In the first tip, the blogger took the time to recognize that context matters -- she bucks the handwaving dismissal of ALL adverbs, metaphors, etc., and focuses on whether a given example supports or distracts. "Save the best and ditch the rest" is excellent advice, and recognizes the value of rhythm, tone, stress, timing and context.
But having resisted knee-jerk dismissal in her first point (the one that she admits to loving, herself, in her own writing), she jumps into knee-jerk dismissal for most of the rest.
We are smart. Really. followed by . . . Her eyes flew to the other end of the restaurant.
Amazingly enough, I am able, as a reader, to understand that this is a metaphoric use of "flew", and that the writer is using a powerful, active verb to convey an additional dimension to the character's reaction. Why exactly is this supposed to be a Bad Thing? Did the line appear in a piece of writing that was already loaded down by cliched passages? Doesn't that indicate that context plays a role?
A character can't "laugh" something. They can't "snip" "spit" "snarl" "grouse" words. Yes they can. They can express themselves in many amazing ways. Powerful, active and evocative verbs are cheered in most cases by writing gurus -- but let a writer try to use one in place of 'said', and the wrathful ghost of Elmore Leonard is summoned from Hell to smite them.
It's much easier to post a laundry list like this than to get into the difficult subject of developing an ear for balance and tone. It's certainly difficult to admit that you've been swallowed the dictates of cranky old men with limited imagination, and that you don't want your own language to stretch. It's tough to stretch: you have to learn how to tell that you've stretched too far, and that's much harder to post in a laundry list form. It's a tip that encourages instead of condemning, but it's not an "easy" tip.
Okay, rant over . . .