| Food for Thought |
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WARNING: Contents under pressure. DO NOT OPEN IN AN INTELLECTUAL VACUUM. ~ A rubber stamp
In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. ~Confucius
"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
"I would not exchange the laughter of my heart for the fortunes of the multitudes." ~Khalil Gibran
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi
"How can we say there is peace when so many go hungry?" ~Oscar Arias Sanchez
"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Attributed to both T.H. Thompson and John Watson
"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infans. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. ~Omar N Bradley
"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." ~Margaret Fuller
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| Wednesday, October 19, 2005 |
| Consistency and Continuity - Where Have You Gone? |
Avoid these 2 other pitfalls that I've noticed have been an ongoing issue in books (and series!) -- aside from the pesky POV/head-hopping and spelling terrors -- consistency and continuity.
These are simple or mundane things that are easily missed and which have me scrambling frantically to try and figure out. You'll think it's ridiculous but if I see it and get confused, then I'm going to stop what I'm reading and go back until I've hunted it down (if it can be found) or exhausted all my patience (if it wasn't there to begin with). Readers do take note of things like characters' hair and eye color, height, age, family members, etc.
One series I've read had a character's height change back and forth among the books. Granted, there's only a one-inch difference and it's only the same 2 heights bouncing around, but still! Or maybe someone's green eyes become brown, or blond hair becomes red. These are all easily fixed...if one is paying attention during the writing and editing process.
I am the first to admit that I can be very nitpicky about things that most people probably could care less about. I mean, what does it matter if a character is introduced on page 50, the story goes along, then suddenly on page 412 there's the mention of kids...who are never mentioned again? Will the fate of the universe be altered?
Well, no. But my book universe has been altered because I, the reader, am left hanging. What kids? Who is/was the father? Where is the father? How many kids are there, how old are they, what happens to them, etc, etc. And if I'm wondering, surely there must be at least one other reader who will wonder, too.
Another more extreme example: an extraordinary character with unusual abilities is brought to the reader's attention and sustains interest and curiosity...but then the character kind of fades away and no background information or anything exciting happens again with this character. Noooooooo!
I call this the "James Bond Aston Martin syndrome." I believe it was in the movie Golden Eye where Q, the wonderfully sarcastic and crusty inventor, describes an Aston Martin with a myriad of fabulous, cool, and fantastic features, but the only other time you see the car again is somewhere near the end of the movie...and the only thing you see it doing is being driven for all of 10 seconds. Wow! How awesome! Not.
My point is, keep track of what you're writing, and if you're going to introduce someone or something and make a point of showcasing some aspect of him/her or it, then don't drop the ball and forget what has gone before, or you'll end up with a disappointed and letdown audience...or one who delights in pointing out the glaring inconsistencies and choppy continuity. After all, people DO delight in pointing out -- and posting online -- the obvious bloopers and such in movies and television shows, right?
[For other comments, click here.] |
posted by Cheshire Cat @ 10/19/2005 06:18:00 pm   |
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