It is hard to be simple. When explaining something, we writers have the natural tendency to do so ad nauseam. Yesterday, I helped a woman study for an upcoming test. I regret to say she doesn't learn easily. She finds it hard to understand concepts I find straightforward. Because of this, I had to restrain how I normally speak. I had to talk in the same manner I would have to a fourteen-year-old. Even then, she still had difficulty.
Here is the application. We writers love to wax eloquent. It is the bane and treasure of our craft. I'm doing it a little right now. Though we must allow ourselves the freedom of expression and the full use of language, we should not do so at the expense of clarity. Both creativity and understandability are equally important.
Anne McCaffrey was a writer I think walked the line well. Her prose is approachable while still being uniquely herself and lyrical.
I think Elaine Cunningham strays into the language a bit too much, but not enough to severely hamper the narrative. She's well known for sounding like she's playing a harp. Sometimes the plot suffers for it, but she's still an accessible read.
Robert Jordan went a little too far. He harkened back to the times of Dickens. You almost wonder if he was actually paid by the word. Sometimes I honestly have no clue what's going on. He was the kind of writer you chose if you wanted to spend a month reading something. I would not recommend him to someone new to the fantasy genre.
Albert Einstein said, "If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well enough." I keep this written on a sticky note by my computer. I listen to a lot of old movies, read a lot of old books, and research old words. I love my language. I talk like I'm from the 1800's when I really get going. However, I know that is not necessarily the best voice for my writing. I write my first draft with abandon, but when I edit, I seek simplicity. I don't want my readers to stare at the page with a blank expression on their face like students at the end of a five hour microbiology lecture.
Simplicity is your friend. It will propel you along when all other fuels have died out. It's like Earendil's Star for the writer's soul.
Shoot, I'm doing it again.
Simplicity is never more important than in description and plot progression. This is not to say plots must be obvious. That is the kiss of death for a mystery in particular. I'm saying plots must make sense. It doesn't matter how intricate a plot is if no one can follow it. I just watched a Sherlock Holmes episode with my mother and halfway through she knew the ending. I use her as my basis of comparison. If I can trick her, I can trick anyone. If she can't understand it, no one can. She must be able to follow it, but not so much she can anticipate the surprise. That is the difference.
Here is the application. We writers love to wax eloquent. It is the bane and treasure of our craft. I'm doing it a little right now. Though we must allow ourselves the freedom of expression and the full use of language, we should not do so at the expense of clarity. Both creativity and understandability are equally important.
Anne McCaffrey was a writer I think walked the line well. Her prose is approachable while still being uniquely herself and lyrical.
I think Elaine Cunningham strays into the language a bit too much, but not enough to severely hamper the narrative. She's well known for sounding like she's playing a harp. Sometimes the plot suffers for it, but she's still an accessible read.
Robert Jordan went a little too far. He harkened back to the times of Dickens. You almost wonder if he was actually paid by the word. Sometimes I honestly have no clue what's going on. He was the kind of writer you chose if you wanted to spend a month reading something. I would not recommend him to someone new to the fantasy genre.
Albert Einstein said, "If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well enough." I keep this written on a sticky note by my computer. I listen to a lot of old movies, read a lot of old books, and research old words. I love my language. I talk like I'm from the 1800's when I really get going. However, I know that is not necessarily the best voice for my writing. I write my first draft with abandon, but when I edit, I seek simplicity. I don't want my readers to stare at the page with a blank expression on their face like students at the end of a five hour microbiology lecture.
Simplicity is your friend. It will propel you along when all other fuels have died out. It's like Earendil's Star for the writer's soul.
Shoot, I'm doing it again.
Simplicity is never more important than in description and plot progression. This is not to say plots must be obvious. That is the kiss of death for a mystery in particular. I'm saying plots must make sense. It doesn't matter how intricate a plot is if no one can follow it. I just watched a Sherlock Holmes episode with my mother and halfway through she knew the ending. I use her as my basis of comparison. If I can trick her, I can trick anyone. If she can't understand it, no one can. She must be able to follow it, but not so much she can anticipate the surprise. That is the difference.