In addition to chronicling my journey as a writer (which, thanks to the previous entry, we're all caught up with), the second thing I want to do with this blog is to highlight/explore/analyze great writing.
Where better to begin than by examining two of the more important elements in writing a story:
• voice, and
• show, don't tell
Now, as a refresher, voice is the holiest of holies for literary agents and editors (and probably readers, too). According to my 7th Grade literature text book,
"Voice refers to a writer's unique use of language that allows a reader to "hear" a human personality in the writer's work."
Voice also includes elements like word choice, sentence structuring, and the ability to convey a mood or a tone.
Perhaps the best way to understand the effectiveness of voice is to look at examples. First up we have the beginning of a little-known MG fantasy book called The Lightning Thief:
"Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.
If you’re reading this because you
think you might be one, my advice is:
close this book right now.
Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try
to lead a normal life.
Being a half-blood is
dangerous. It’s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in
painful, nasty ways.
If you’re a normal kid, reading this
because you think it’s fiction, great.
Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever
happened.
But if you recognize yourself in
these pages – if you feel something stirring inside – stop reading
immediately. You might be one of
us. And once you know that, it’s only a
matter of time before they sense it
too, and they’ll come for you.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
My name is Percy
Jackson.
I’m
twelve years old. Until a few months
ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled
kids in upstate New York.
Am I a troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that."
Am I a troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that."
