Monday, September 19, 2005
Three Challenges
To my mind, Hanna issued three challenges at our first meeting: 1. An opening that gets the reader’s immediate attention. 2. Long sentences aren’t necessarily bad. 3. Write a story in 55 words or less.
Let’s take them in order.
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Immediate Attention
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Four shots ripped into my groin and I was off on the greatest adventure of my life!"
I wish I had written that. It’s a start that commands your attention. The author is Max Shulman and it begins his novel "Sleep Till Noon." It has nothing to do with the story, except that about 100 pages later, Shulman reminisces that his high school English teacher once told the class that any piece of writing should start with an attention grabbing opening paragraph.
This qualifies.
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Long Sentences
I was pleased to hear from Hanna that long sentences weren’t necessarily bad, although when I write them they are uniformly awful, which is why I generally try to write in a short, punchy style, not evidenced in this sentence, which is instead, characterized by excessive prolixity, inexcusable pleonasm, and unpardonable periphrasis. Need I say more?
Did you know that one of the most famous opening sentences in our language is 18 lines in length, nine couplets, over 140 words? It’s the beginning of Geoffrey Chaucer’s prologue to "The Canterbury Tales."
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A Story in 52 Words
I was nearing the half hour mark on the treadmill, alternately walking and jogging.
In my typical awkward fashion, I stepped too far to the right, and was sent sprawling onto the carpet covered concrete floor.
My hip-to-ankle cast is to immobilize me for three weeks.
Exercise can be dangerous.
Let’s take them in order.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Immediate Attention
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Four shots ripped into my groin and I was off on the greatest adventure of my life!"
I wish I had written that. It’s a start that commands your attention. The author is Max Shulman and it begins his novel "Sleep Till Noon." It has nothing to do with the story, except that about 100 pages later, Shulman reminisces that his high school English teacher once told the class that any piece of writing should start with an attention grabbing opening paragraph.
This qualifies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Long Sentences
I was pleased to hear from Hanna that long sentences weren’t necessarily bad, although when I write them they are uniformly awful, which is why I generally try to write in a short, punchy style, not evidenced in this sentence, which is instead, characterized by excessive prolixity, inexcusable pleonasm, and unpardonable periphrasis. Need I say more?
Did you know that one of the most famous opening sentences in our language is 18 lines in length, nine couplets, over 140 words? It’s the beginning of Geoffrey Chaucer’s prologue to "The Canterbury Tales."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Story in 52 Words
I was nearing the half hour mark on the treadmill, alternately walking and jogging.
In my typical awkward fashion, I stepped too far to the right, and was sent sprawling onto the carpet covered concrete floor.
My hip-to-ankle cast is to immobilize me for three weeks.
Exercise can be dangerous.
