Comments on: Ask an Editor: Passive and Literary Writing

By: green_knight

green_knight — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:29:43 +0000

Theresa,
I see ‘literary’ as a genre with its own conventions and reader expectations. I don’t think it’s inherently superior (or necessarily pretentious nonsense), but the label tells me what kind of story I can expect.

By: Kelsey Browning

Kelsey Browning — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:38:10 +0000

Theresa –

Sorry I’m late to the party today (or tomorrow here ). I am a huge fan of white space. In fact, I recently found myself skip-reading a book with too much “text.” I really need to go back and read those pages to see exactly why I felt compelled to skip them.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
K-

By: Julie Harrington

Julie Harrington — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:15:26 +0000

Oh lord, do not get me started on the so-called ‘war’ between Commercial and Literary. I think it’s a load of hooey myself. I do think it’s a false seperation. Good writing technique and craft is good writing technique and craft. I ran into this argument many years ago and was told that anybody who writes commercial fiction is a hack and a sell-out to their Art. What I find amusing, however, is that many commercial fiction novels have made the trek in my bookstore from the fiction area to the “Literary” shelves (usually with new covers) after staying on the best seller list for X number of months/years.

Today’s commercial “hack” fiction… tomorrow’s literary? LOL.

I guess I just don’t see the point in proclaiming another writer’s work “worthless” just because of a genre lable. And the one that REALLY gets me? “Oh. You write romance? I could never write something by a formula like that.”

Gah.

Julie

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:13:31 +0000

Hi, Julie! Thanks for the question! It brings to mind another point, too. What do we think of this divide between literary and commercial authors? Is it a false separation? We are all writers, after all. Or are the differences so profound that there can be no true communion here?

I would like to think we can all learn from each other and we can all come to appreciate each other, but sometimes I think there are too many obstacles to a unified community.

By: Julie Harrington

Julie Harrington — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:56:11 +0000

Theresa,

Thank you for answering this question. The distinction between Passive Voice and Passive Writing was very interesting and you know… I don’t think I’ve ever stumbled across someone describing the difference. It’s definitely something I think writers should be aware of. A great read and very, very helpful.

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:47:39 +0000

Carrie, I love that feeling. (I also love my microwave! lol) If you’re interested in the differences between genre historical fiction and literary historical fiction, you might take a look at the Michael Faber book I mentioned in the post. The story more or less follows the rise of a Victorian prostitute named Sugar and the man who takes her as his mistress. It’s a far cry from typical historical romances, but it’s an entertaining book, and I certainly enjoyed reading it. (But I enjoyed the Sherry Thomas more, I must confess.)

By: TraceyDevlyn

TraceyDevlyn — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:27:38 +0000

Thanks for another great post, Theresa!

Tracey

By: carrie

carrie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:44:03 +0000

Morning Theresa!

I too love good dialogue….snappy, witty, fun to read…unless it’s the talking heads variety, then I just tune out. I also love it when I get sucked into a scene…some historical writers write their settings so beautifully I get transported and am totally shocked to remember there’s a microwave in my kitchen. =)

Thanks for the great post….much appreciated!

carrie

By: Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:38:17 +0000

Hi, Adrienne,

If you think about it, dialogue is another type of action. We have to move our bodies to speak out loud. (Unless we’re a ventriloquist!). We have to engage with the environment and people around us. It’s immediate, and except for the case of wandering dialogue, it’s usually tightly focused on plot and conflict.

Theresa

By: AdrienneGiordano

AdrienneGiordano — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:15:13 +0000

Hi, Theresa. Another great post to add to my editing folder. Thank you. For me, I love a lot of good dialogue when I’m reading. I tend to skim if there are multiple paragraphs of narrative without any dialogue to break it up.

Have a great weekend everyone!