tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post6725367986252855197..comments2024-02-18T00:24:05.514-08:00Comments on The Zoë-Trope: A QUESTION OF UPSTAGINGZoë Marriotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275368005359548134noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-91720830906538292712011-10-18T09:50:16.467-07:002011-10-18T09:50:16.467-07:00Nara, your teacher is frankly talking nonsense. Bu...Nara, your teacher is frankly talking nonsense. But you already know this - your instincts and your reading have taught you so. I'm afraid that teachers quite often come up with these strange rules which are more about their own pet peeves than about reality. I remember a teacher of mine stating authoritatively that no professional writer would ever be so lazy as to use 'said' in a speech tag, and taking points off us if we ever had a character in our creative writing speak instead of hiss, exclaim, cry, yelp or howl. Also nonsense - in fact, being unwilling to use a simple 'said' this is one of the marks of the rank amateur! So, while you may have to conform to your teacher's sayings in order to get better marks in class, always remember that you're humouring her rather than learning anything resembling a rule for good writing.Zoë Marriotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275368005359548134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-71447426736709112912011-10-18T08:24:11.336-07:002011-10-18T08:24:11.336-07:00Great post! Thanks for being so helpful with stuff...Great post! Thanks for being so helpful with stuff like this! :D<br /><br />I've got a question, as well. We were having an English lesson recently, where the teacher was telling us that you *cannot* have a sentence without a verb, and she asked us not to use 'sentences' without verbs in our creative writing because it didn't read well. <br /><br />But I often read books, and write stories where an incomplete sentence is used for dramatic effect! ( e.g She stared at me intently. No shame. No fear. Only a strange curiosity.) <br /><br />So, we got our stories back today and I found that I'd had a level less because I'd used 'incomplete' sentences!! :( I suppose this ties in with your post about 'writing rules', but I'm still a bit confused because teachers say one thing, and yet I read another in books!Naranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-23990286816384032062011-10-17T11:47:45.755-07:002011-10-17T11:47:45.755-07:00Pedro: "Make the character shut up somehow&qu...Pedro: "Make the character shut up somehow"? LOL - how useful! I'm glad that you didn't listen.<br /><br />Megha: I'm glad - thanks :)Zoë Marriotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275368005359548134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-77492079116190874632011-10-17T11:40:36.387-07:002011-10-17T11:40:36.387-07:00This is a really helpful post! Thanks ;-)This is a really helpful post! Thanks ;-)Megzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08664110589451892977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-26793780603142125212011-10-17T11:32:15.636-07:002011-10-17T11:32:15.636-07:00I had this problem with one of my stories in a col...I had this problem with one of my stories in a colege class, where the professor advised me to "make the character shut up somehow." He said that this was what Toni Morrison did when she encountered the same problem. I have sinced revised the sotry to just him be the main character and let the person I was intending on maining grow slowly into his own voice, so he could run a different, later section convincingly.pedro.chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12495141552245142903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-56774956735303293302011-10-17T04:21:34.132-07:002011-10-17T04:21:34.132-07:00Jenni: Oh, good - building up writerly Karma point...Jenni: Oh, good - building up writerly Karma points!<br /><br />Isabel: You're very welcome :)Zoë Marriotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275368005359548134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-91613756800923269822011-10-17T04:15:22.011-07:002011-10-17T04:15:22.011-07:00Such a helpful post! Thanks for the advice! :)
An...Such a helpful post! Thanks for the advice! :)<br /><br />And good luck with your characters, Rachel!Isabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11342147057396470743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-74691937363311946772011-10-17T02:34:35.137-07:002011-10-17T02:34:35.137-07:00Great post, I've been struggling with a simila...Great post, I've been struggling with a similar problem for months (it's one of the reasons my WIP has remained untouched for far too long). I feel like I can go away and think about it differently now so thank you!Jenni (Juniper's Jungle)http://junipersjungle.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-84097835644524343532011-10-17T01:34:59.534-07:002011-10-17T01:34:59.534-07:00V. welcome, Rachel!V. welcome, Rachel!Zoë Marriotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275368005359548134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098049071459822748.post-27285531092182146612011-10-17T01:31:54.316-07:002011-10-17T01:31:54.316-07:00Thanks for this great post! I'm pretty sure I ...Thanks for this great post! I'm pretty sure I know what she's trying to do now, so thank you.Rachel Balcombehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06258095982850941279noreply@blogger.com