The man had true-red hair, red as flame. His eyes were dark and distant, and he moved with the subtle certainty that comes from knowing many things. The Waystone was his, just as the third silence was his. This was appropriate, as it was the greatest silence of the three, wrapping the others inside itself. It was heavy as a great river-smooth stone.
It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die. The paragraph about the third silence is almost coy, using descriptions of objects and activities to hint at its meaning. Imagine trying to translate that into a foreign language. Oh yes. Vivid language. A telephone was ringing in the darkness — a tinny, unfamiliar ring.
He fumbled for the bedside lamp and turned it on. Squinting at his surroundings he saw a plush Renaissance bedroom with Louis XVI furniture, hand-frescoed walls, and a colossal mahogany four-poster bed. Absolutely fine.
Does what it needs to do. Nothing wrong with it. On a sticky August evening two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen of a Central Square apartment, combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in a bowl.
She adds salt, lemon juice, thin slices of green chili pepper, wishing there were mustard oil to pour into the mix. Ashima has been consuming this concoction throughout her pregnancy, a humble approximation of the snack sold for pennies on Calcutta sidewalks and on railway platforms throughout India, spilling from newspaper cones.
Even now that there is barely space inside her, it is the one thing she craves. Her swollen feet ache against speckled gray linoleum. Ashima and her apartment feel absolutely solid and real. Distinctive voices for the characters. Aside from the fact that I turned thirty-three after what seemed like an interminable twelve months of being thirty-two , the following also came to pass:. I report these events not necessarily in the order of their importance, but in the order most easily explained.
So how do you define good writing? What books do you think are especially well-written — or especially poorly-written? Ooh, such a good post. I love the Kinsey Milhone books too. Drives me up the wall. I found it very comfortable to read, in a good way.
I also read a memoir not too long ago called I Have Heard You Calling in the Night by Thomas Healy, and it was so simply written; very straightforward, unembellished prose, the kind that is actually very hard to write. I will have to check out the Thomas Healy book, it sounds great. I am quite confused about what is great prose. I do not share this sentiment but many so called literary experts do. I am a budding writer and I find that my style tends to be poetic and emotionally evocative.
Should I drop this style and asume a more plain and beige style of writing? Here is an example of my prose:. The ability to marvel at the beauty of creation is an affectation of childhood that is often lost with the onset of intellectual maturity.
As I matured I understood more deeply the purpose of these idols and my innocent awe was replaced with a deep and misguided religiosity. To be honest, I stopped reading. It was just far too complicated. I felt like I was on a bus going over speed bumps too quickly.
I was drawn in from the beginning and wanted to know more about this character who seemed to notice so many details. Of course, you may prefer to dive straight into professional feedback and learn from the things an editor picks up.
The Anatomy of Prose Textbook and Workbook. There are no rules in prose, you can get away with virtually anything. But there are some tactics that sharpen your descriptions and sentence level craft. So here are 3 things to avoid in your prose. Okay, sure, everyone knows their first draft will be riddled with repetition.
For example, just, but, so, that, look, hand, eye, glance, walk. Different Words, Same Meaning — writers often unintentionally use different words to describe the same thing. For example, describing cold temperatures multiple times with words like chill, icy, cool. Same Words, Different Meaning — the flip side of that repetition is using the same word in a different context. Duplicated Archetypes — duplicated character types. For example, do you have two mentors? Are there an unnecessary number of allies?
Of course, sometimes these duplications are needed. But more often than not, you can condense the duplicated characters into one more effective and efficient character that readers can get to know better. Duplicated Personality Traits — likewise, look for repetition in personality type. Have you got two sarcastic divas? Or two brooding gentlemen? Do you really need two? Or would it be more effective to have one? Name, Name, Name — we all have biases. Which is why you should always check your character names.
If you have Natalie and Nancy or Tony and Tom, your readers are probably going to get confused. Opening and Closing of Scenes — check the opening and closing lines of your scenes. If you have four scenes back to back all opening with a location description, or all starting with dialogue, or all starting with inner monologue, you need to edit out the repetition. Filtering is an easy one to add into your narration by accident.
Essentially, filtering is when you, the author, add in unnecessary narration, causing the reader to be removed one step from the character. Your reader should ideally see the story though the eyes of your protagonist or narrator.
Great prose writing gives concrete, vivid imagery. The higher the number of abstract nouns in a sentence, for example, the more vague and hazy the writing comes across. The second examples gives a specific image of peaceful freedom. Specific imagery also is better equipped to convey characterization. From the above, we can tell the character loves the outdoors, for example.
Get constructive feedback on your writing now or guidance from a personal writing coach and finish writing your novel or story. Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. Number five is spot on. While I agree the prose should be concise, our words must paint a picture for the reader. That is a challenge — juggling concision and detail. Thank you! But anyway, this is helpful.
Thank you for the feedback, Ikhuoria. Happy New Year and good luck with your writing in the year ahead. Your email address will not be published. Close Menu Start Login.
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