tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post8626817198539922949..comments2024-02-05T10:41:31.777-05:00Comments on I Saw Lightning Fall: The Bolt or the Bug?Loren Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-36361971372365090712011-05-12T16:14:23.240-04:002011-05-12T16:14:23.240-04:00CR,
Actually, I think that Bradbury's lack of...CR,<br /><br />Actually, I think that Bradbury's lack of polish was both a strength and a weakness. With some stories (e.g. "The Long Rain"), it worked well. But others just felt weak to me, and I really really like Bradbury.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-73078068944990567062011-05-12T16:12:43.514-04:002011-05-12T16:12:43.514-04:00Domey,
Honestly, being mediocre is the only way I...Domey,<br /><br />Honestly, being mediocre is the only way I get anything done. If I let my paranoid perfectionism rev itself up, I might as well just leave the paper blank.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-14871007997295067192011-05-12T16:12:43.515-04:002011-05-12T16:12:43.515-04:00Jim,
Ah, I'm envious. You see, with my drafts...Jim,<br /><br />Ah, I'm envious. You see, with my drafts it really <i>does</i> matter if I think before I write. My first efforts, well, they stink. It's okay for them to stink then, I guess, but I sure can't leave them that way.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-516273036987294502011-05-12T13:38:48.341-04:002011-05-12T13:38:48.341-04:00It's also a sneaky suspicion of mine that part...It's also a sneaky suspicion of mine that part of what made Ray Bradbury so popular is his lack of stylistic polish. His stories cary the energy of original composition, but don't feel particularly honed to me. For Bradbury, this isn't a criticism; one fels his distinctive voice would be lost if he were to obsess over perfect verbal craftmanship. For other writers, less focused on dramatic progression and vivid events, it might be a fatal flaw.Chestertonian Ramblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01550643992523840950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-84112989562184477582011-05-12T10:03:27.466-04:002011-05-12T10:03:27.466-04:00Loren, I think this is a good point. I always cons...Loren, I think this is a good point. I always consciously permit myself to be mediocre. I forgive myself for not being perfect. This really eases the pressure when I go write, and like you say, you can always fix it later.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-31411387399602380522011-05-12T06:03:41.813-04:002011-05-12T06:03:41.813-04:00The way I have been expressing a similar sentiment...The way I have been expressing a similar sentiment is by asking the question: Does it matter if the character in your story says, “Wait a moment,” or, “Wait a second,” or “Wait a minute”? We get the idea. I’ve mentioned this a couple of times before but if you’ve not read it then can I just say that of all the sentences I have ever written the first sentence to my first novel has been reworked more than any other. And when the book was finally published I dug out the very first draft of the book and compared the two versions and there was absolutely no difference, not a comma. That first sentence was written on the spur of the moment with almost no thought put into it at all but it said exactly what I wanted to say. I’m still not happy with it. I doubt I will ever be happy with it. But it does its job.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.com