Including Fictionalized Source Materials (Reader Question)Wednesday May 6, 2009 Jack wrote in with an excellent question this week: "If your story required telling what is found in a diary, journal, or newspaper clipping, what is the best way to present that to your readers?" We responded that he could either include the letter, diary entry, etc., in the form of a long quote, he could summarize it, or he could convey the information via dialogue or action. What he decides to do depends on the information being imparted and the quality of the writing. For instance, Jane Austen tells some of Pride and Prejudice through letters. Sometimes this works to comic effect, as in the case of Mr. Collins, and sometimes it heightens drama and reveals character, as in the letter that Mr. Darcy writes to Elizabeth from Rosings. The letters also add texture to the novel, allowing the writer to use a different voice. Sometimes sources, like newsletter articles, also contribute a sense of realism. (It's unnecessary to try and mimic the look of a newspaper column: just format the information as a block quote.) The more recent novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo includes a number of imaginary source materials, but with uneven results. Critics have commented that the emails in the denouement, especially, were unnecessary. Emails don't prompt the same kind of dramatic or intense writing that letters do, and these emails aren't imparting particularly important information. Coming at the end of the novel, when readers are looking for things to wrap up, they unnecessarily slowed the writing. The content would have been more effective in summary or in dramatic scenes. If you have a question about how to present certain information, try writing it a few ways and see what works best. Do you have an example or insight into how fictionalized source material can be used in writing? What does it add to the work? When is it effective? When doesn't it work? ####################################################################################################################################################################### Materiales incluidos Fictionalized Fuente (Cuestión Reader) | ||
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miércoles, 20 de mayo de 2009
Reenviar: Como hacerle para poner fuentes en nuestros libros
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