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18th April 2012, 05:15 PM
| #1714 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cumbria
Posts: 1,603
| Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold Quote:
An exceptional writer could write an entire book consisting of nothing but adverbs and exclamation marks and it would still be a good book. Probably. For everyone else, it is a good idea not to exceed your limitations. Then, no-one will know that you even have any. If, unlike James Joyce, you can't write sentences that run on for twenty pages, don't bother trying. If, unlike Douglas Adams, you can't info dump in an engaging way, don't info dump. And so on. What we call "rules" are really no more than words to the wise. Headhopping, info dumping, tense shifting, telling not showing, comma abuse, intensive adverb rearing and all the rest of it are no more than traps for the unwary. Do too much of it without understanding what you are doing and your work will look amateurish, unless you are so gifted a writer that you get away with it. There is, in fact, one rule and one rule only. Write the best story that you can. That's it. Regards, Peter Coming soon on kindle! "The Secret of Writing" by Peter Gerontius Graham (1 page. Westmorland Press with introduction by David "Ten Pints" Tyson). Download for a special introductory price of ONLY £50.00!!! A snip!!! | |
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18th April 2012, 05:21 PM
| #1715 (permalink) |
| Tails of the Unexpected  | Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold "Does it really matter that much, if the story, characters and world are interesting and engaging," Gary said sincerely.  Is it not the case of "Beige editors," justifying their existence. Didnt the old schooll writers - tell - use adverbs - and adjectives etc - regularly  When I read I don't even look for that stuff. It sends me to sleep. I'm more interested in the Protagonist kicking sh*t out of the bad guy!! |
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18th April 2012, 06:21 PM
| #1718 (permalink) |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Moray
Posts: 2,075
| Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold My favourite ever novel is full of -ly words and adjectives. It also breaks other 'rules' like it begins with a three page backstory, infodump and its main character would come under the common usage of the Mary Sue term. It over describes everything, but I don't care and read it several times a year, every year. My goal is to write something just as amazing, banal and wonderful to read. |
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18th April 2012, 06:40 PM
| #1719 (permalink) | |
| Fantastical historian  Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 1,373
| Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold Quote:
No, no and thrice no. The 'no -ly adverbs after said' rule is just another guideline - and not a very good one at that. Please, please, take all these writerly fiats with a fistful of salt. Read your prose aloud and if it sounds clunky, fix it. Dissect the work of modern writers you admire, and see how they do it. Above all, use your common sense | |
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18th April 2012, 07:46 PM
| #1720 (permalink) | ||
| Goblin Princess  | Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold Quote:
*Or, more accurately, guidelines Quote:
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18th April 2012, 09:28 PM
| #1721 (permalink) | |
| Registered User Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 24
| Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold Quote:
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22nd April 2012, 12:21 PM
| #1723 (permalink) |
| Fool  Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Australia, New South Wales
Posts: 1,988
| Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold What is the term for when you use two commas, such as is being done in this post, to add an extra bit of information mid-sentence? I'm sure it has a term but I can't remember it! |
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22nd April 2012, 01:27 PM
| #1724 (permalink) |
| Truth. Order. Moderation.  | Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold Parenthetically? You're not using parentheses, but it's acting as if you were by creating a sub-clause. EDIT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenthesis_%28rhetoric%29 |
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24th April 2012, 02:12 PM
| #1725 (permalink) |
| Registered User Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Austria
Posts: 13
| Re: "Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold Hi all This isn't a question for Mr Jarrold specifically, but more a question about him... I'm a newbie to these boards. I've just finished my first maniscript and I'm doing the whole looking around for an agent thing, and obviously I'm sending something to Mr Jarrold. Even though I'm emailing my sample to him, instead of sending it hard copy, does he still require it to be in the Courier12/Times New Roman12, double-spaced, inch-wide margins format? I'd think the answer is yes, but I just want to make sure. Thanks in advance for any answers. Andy. |
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