🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <sbb1.717741603@Ra.MsState.Edu>, sbb1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Shay B. Berthelson) writes:
|miuvdd@lure.latrobe.edu.au writes:
|
|Well for those of you who can understand, and maybe give me some insight.
|My problem is not dialogue.  I can write dialogue all day long.  I really
|enjoy improvisational acting.  So I find what I want the dialogue about
|and act it out in my head as I write.  Being all the characters, individually
|and collectively (If that makes sense).  My problem is... I can't become
|comfortable with the actual author explanation or action in a novel format.
|I can view what I see the characters doing.  But I can't write it to sound
|like a novel.  The best I can do is write very detailed explanations of the
|surroundings and the characters.  The reason I don't just go with a play is
|the multi-settings and the ability to show the characters thoughts which you
|get through a novel.  I also like the idea of a wider spread audience.  I
|am fairly good at asides and monolouges, but no one likes a play chock full
|of them.  Well I could be wrong.  Neil Simon is very good with monologues.
|The question is How do you get out of the strict dialogue routine in writing
|for a novel??  I want so bad to do this correctly.  The present idea is
|to lengthy and in depth, I believe, for a play.
|
|Any more suggestions.

Write "very detailed explanations of the surroundings and the
characters."  When a character talks, preface their words with "JOHN:"
or "JTM:" or whatever you're comfortable with.  There is no "correct"
way to write a novel.  Do something novel.

This is not intended harshly, by the way.  It sounds to me like you
have the makings of a book in hand and you're letting fear of
producing something that doesn't look and feel like every other novel
on the shelves keep you from getting the thing down on paper.  Get it
down!  Get it out into the world where people can read it!

-- 
--Fred, or another blind 8th-century BC  |  sasafw@dobo.unx.sas.com
        Hellenic poet of the same name.  |