Ink and Pain
1 day ago
Friday, February 26, 2010
Writhing Eyebrows
As I have had some time off recently, I have taken upon myself to read as much as I possibly could. First to stave off cabin fever and because there have been several books waiting with patience to be read. So over the course of a few days I read the entirety of Laurel K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series. It is an 8 book series and reads similar to her Anita Blake series. I enjoy reading an entire series in a row, so that the story is a more cohesive whole rather than jumbled half remembered plot. In doing so I immersed myself into an authors writing, reading how they grow in talent and hearing a voice emerge from the vast depths. One of the things that stuck out in an almost irritating fashion was the use of particular words. Words have power, any writer will tell you this. They have the ability to engage emotions and truly evocative works can certain incite emotions. But the over use of a word can destroy or jar a readers flow. My sister-in-law recently wrote a book and had been told by a friend she had used the word "eyebrow" a significant number of times. What I noticed in Laurel Hamilton's work is the word "writhe". I like the word, it tumbled from the lips and tongue nicely. It paints a definitive picture, and when used with romantic situations can cause a bit of a blush. The issue however, is just how many times she used the word in different situations, though similar circumstances. It irritated me, grating me. It took me and the pleasure away from the story. I am not criticizing her work, as she has lots of books under her belt and best sellers to match. But I have to wonder if this is something any one else notices and what their reactions are to it. What constitutes as over use, may be just perfect for another reader. It did teach me something very important though and that is worth all the irritation. If you are planning for your character(s) to end up in a particular circumstance or situation, the thesaurus is your friend. Force yourself to make it fresh with shiny new words, reread what you have before and avoid using similar verbiage or phrasing. It also forces me to question how many times I have put that character through the same or similar situations. Do I really need to have that character repeat that (whatever that is) so many times I am hunting for news ways to describe it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
"I am not criticizing her work, as she has lots of books under her belt and best sellers to match."
ReplyDeleteOh, go ahead! Criticize! LKH, at this point, had better have some pretty thick skin. And the amount of books written or sold is no excuse for repeating "writhed" too many times.
I don't know if I'd say what's lousy for one reader is good for another. I say if you can point out she uses "writhe" in about every chapter, that could constitute overuse even for Writhe Fetishists.
I think your second question is more important than the first, because repetitive situations violate the rule of Conservation of Detail first, and more importantly, my rule of Laziness vs. Shiny, which states the novelty of a situation better be worth the effort it takes to describe/read.
I believe I err on the side of using known words rather than going for the thesaurus. Some would argue that such stylistic wonkery would get in the way of composition and THE STORY, or add needless layers of artifice.
One way you could rescue a previously-described situation is to have it happen to different characters, because that means re-seeing it through a fresh viewpoint. You can only do that so many times before it gets a little old, though. I'm thinking of Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders meeting their new dragon hatchlings... sooner or later, your brain will tune out and you'll think "Oh, another hatching scene."
I didn't want to come off judgmental on someone who is doing SOMETHING right to have published as much as she has. I think I noticed it so much because I read the books back to back to back, and found the same themes over and over again, that I finally fell to skimming over them and getting to different content. And you are exactly right you just sort of end up with "Blah blah,sex,blah blah,blood,blah blah,angsty men.
ReplyDeleteI will trust and beloved words in situations that call for them, but I love finding and using a word that so completely describes a complex feeling, emotion, or circumstance that it could almost stand alone. I also believe that a writer has an unspoken contract with the reader. I will not write down a level and discount the intelligence or vocabulary of my reader. On the other hand I will not go Issac Asimov Mensa on them either just to prove my words are bigger and shiner and cooler than yours ever will be. I think what I feel more than anything is slightly..duped maybe? Like there is the potential for something new and amazing in the next book if you only read it, only to be disappointed. Again. And yet I kept reading.