Story preferences

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I'd like to ask a question to the folks here regarding their story preferences. By this I mean to ask what kind of story do you prefer reading through? Slow, methodical, all patience and detail? Or fast, zapping around everything, focusing more on lightning action wire-fu? Or just your average balance of both?

 

By comparison, what game turned into an accurate novel (as much as possible) would you prefer reading - Planescape: Torment (slower, more descriptive), Fallout (faster, edgier), or Baldur's Gate (sometimes slower, sometimes faster)?

 

As to I'm asking this, it's because since I've stopped throwing away every single short story I've ever written and actually begun letting them reside on my HD, and ocasionally showing them to people, I've heard the usual stuff. "It's too slow", "It's great, I love reading the details", "This part isn't bad, but this one seems too dense while this one seems too quick". I have a tendency to focus a lot on descriptions of character's feelings, experiences and perceptions, but I'm still trying to find a storytelling approach that works well enough, where I feel confortable in... Not that I'm not ok with what I'm doing, but I think I can improve it (a whole lot).

[Pidesco]

Well, I like both styles, but to me a more verbose style feels more rewarding. However, I think verbose is harder to do well.

 

Do you write in english, in portuguese or both?

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Actually I only write in portuguese. Whatever I wrote in english is long gone and trashed. I haven't tried it in a while... Theoretically I can still do it, but I'm trying to learn all the intrincancies of portuguese first. Writing is a hobby, and I feel I should get a hang of it first in my main language before I invest into secondary ones.

[Oerwinde]

When it comes to writing style, I like everything to have a point. Description should be there to bring the reader into the world, not to fill space.

[Laozi]

When it comes to writing style, I like everything to have a point. Description should be there to bring the reader into the world, not to fill space.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Then you must hate Robert Jordan

[Judge Hades]

As a writer I hate the use of flashback and prequels. If the story points of the flashback/prequels were so important START the story at that point. A good story needs to progress and not regress. Bottomline, you begin at the beginning and end in the end, then just walk away.

[Oerwinde]

When it comes to writing style, I like everything to have a point. Description should be there to bring the reader into the world, not to fill space.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Then you must hate Robert Jordan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Heheh, thats exactly who I was thinking of when I wrote that.

[Loof]

As a writer I hate the use of flashback and prequels.  If the story points of the flashback/prequels were so important START the story at that point.  A good story needs to progress and not regress.  Bottomline, you begin at the beginning and end in the end, then just walk away.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I disagree, something can be important for teh reader to know after a specifik point in the story, but would lessen the impact of the story if known to early. I think flashbacks can be both usefull and enjoyable.

I make no claims to being an author, but I can definetly enjoy a good flashback sequence or paralell story arc.

[Diogo Ribeiro]

As a writer I hate the use of flashback and prequels.  If the story points of the flashback/prequels were so important START the story at that point.  A good story needs to progress and not regress.  Bottomline, you begin at the beginning and end in the end, then just walk away.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Not sure about this. I dislike an excess of flashbacks, but what if the story overall progresses but in certain points regresses? Consider... The movie Memento. The story basically progresses, but is sometimes interposed by flashbacks. I think it worked well.

[Rosbjerg]

I enjoy depth/detail more than action/'eyecandy' .. so books/stories which are heavy on dialouge and development is my cup of tea.. that would fall under "Slow, methodical, all patience and detailed" ..

but in films and games I would like some acion, not in the "blow up New York" kinda sense, but since they are both visual medias - I want visuals ..

[Kaftan Barlast]

It doesnt really matre if the story is slowgoing or faster, some stories need to be told in detail while some benefit greatly from a high tempo.

 

What matter though is that its tight in the pacing. You cant describe some stuff in detail and then skim over others for no apparent reason. This is the hardest part in any from of storytelling be it litterature, film or a game.

[Darth Barth]

When it comes to writing style, I like everything to have a point. Description should be there to bring the reader into the world, not to fill space.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Then you must hate Robert Jordan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Who doesn't love the lip-licking, ear-twitching, dress-smoothing adventures of authors who get paid by the page?

 

EDIT: On topic... unlike other certain carnal pursuits, I don't mind if story is slow or fast. My only requirement of any story (game, book, movie) is that there is sufficient interest maintained throughout its entirety. Also unlike other unnamed interests, I also don't mind if there isn't a happy ending.

[Judge Hades]

Not sure about this. I dislike an excess of flashbacks, but what if the story overall progresses but in certain points regresses? Consider... The movie Memento. The story basically progresses, but is sometimes interposed by flashbacks. I think it  worked well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Never saw that movie and I don't particularly want to. I prefer the constant progression of the now. The use of flashbacks stops the story and makes it stagnant. If a story point in the past is important to the present, don't use a flashback but actually draw out the information and drama in current action. Flashbacks are a crutch and should be avoided as much as possible.

[Darth Barth]

Not sure about this. I dislike an excess of flashbacks, but what if the story overall progresses but in certain points regresses? Consider... The movie Memento. The story basically progresses, but is sometimes interposed by flashbacks. I think it  worked well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Never saw that movie and I don't particularly want to. I prefer the constant progression of the now. The use of flashbacks stops the story and makes it stagnant. If a story point in the past is important to the present, don't use a flashback but actually draw out the information and drama in current action. Flashbacks are a crutch and should be avoided as much as possible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Memento is different than what you are descibing. It is as if you took a movie and chopped it up into 20 minute increments and played them starting with the last part and progressing back towards the beginning. There is a real tension and several WTF moments because just when you think you have things figured out, it turns out things aren't what they seem. The short-short-short synopsis of Memento is that there is a man who is physically unable to remember more that a few moments at a time, he has no long-term memory due to an accident. He has to write everything down so that when his memory resets he can continue his quest to find his wifes murderer.

[sawyl]

The use of flashbacks stops the story and makes it stagnant. If a story point in the past is important to the present, don't use a flashback but actually draw out the information and drama in current action. Flashbacks are a crutch and should be avoided as much as possible.

I agree that in conventional writing they are often a crutch used to hide poorly thought out plots/characters. If the whole story turns around the use of flashbacks, though, and it's not just a cheap gimmick, it can be a very interesting literary tactic.

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Do you write in english, in portuguese or both?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Speaking of which, I approached the Codex people with the same query. I picked up on a short story I did recently, and did a quick translation of it as best as I could.

 

You can go here to check the english translation, or here to read the portuguese one I wrote originally (among other stuff).

 

 

At

[Ludozee]

I don't care much if a story is fast or slow (tho I do like Matthew Reilly's style ). The most important thing is that a book has to "suck" me in to it, and if that happens I wont stop reading till I finished it. Terry Pratchett has it, Raymond E Feist has it, David Baldacci has it and a few more. I know my example is rather vague, and doesnt apply to everybody, but I hope it illustrates my point.

Reading should be fun, and when don't finish a book within a week, I don't finish it at all.

[Mnemon]

There is no recipy to writing, there is no recipy to writing, there is no recipy to writing.

 

Really. Other then the one above. It doesn't matter if you use flashbacks or not, many words or not, challenge your reader or not [When I write I usually ask the reader to think though], ... as long as it works.

 

Do your own thing. In writing as much as in life (but remember that everyone has some responsibility towards others in anything you do).

 

If you write well you'll always find your audience. Full stop.

 

-Mnemon

[Pidesco]

Speaking of which, I approached the Codex people with the same query. I picked up on a short story I did recently, and did a quick translation of it as best as I could.

 

You can go here to check the english translation, or here to read the portuguese one I wrote originally (among other stuff).

 

 

At

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Actually, I had already been to your blog, and read the oldest story in the archives ("fic

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Oh and Mnemon, I appreciate the feedback, and the email. I'll be replying to it soon enough

[Child of Flame]

I like slow descriptive books for the most part (Brahm Stoker's Dracula comes to mind, LotR, Anne Rice stuff, some Orson Scott Card, etc. ), but also enjoy slow with bits of fast (Tom Clancy), and everything in between. I read a lot, Asimov's probably my favorite author of all time, and between all his books, I'd say each of them spans all different types of pacing, his Foundation series is probably the slowest by and large, but I still love the earlier books he did, and even his short stories.

 

<edit> I just realized I forgot to mention Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is probably my favorite book by him, shaped my views on politics quite a bit it did. </edit>