I'd like to ask everyone about passive detailing. What I mean is: When you read a book and it spends four or five paragraphs describing the layout of a place without mention of character, that is what I like to call passive detailing. I hate it. I am of the opinion that if one were to describe a place, one must make it more interesting than simply laying it out. I think using character reaction to their surroundings is much more interesting. Not too lengthily, because that can get boring. I guess my point is, setting is not nearly as important as plot and neither are as important as character. I just finished Lord of the Rings again, and decided that while, yes it is very prose-y, the only really great thing about it is the plot. There is waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy too much passive detailing. Don't get me wrong, it is still a great story. A better example would be the Eragon series. I tried to read the third one recently and found I couldn't get past the first two chapters. I wasn't too impressed with the first two books anyway, so maybe I didn't try as hard as I should have, but those books definately have too much passive detailing. Do any other books come to mind? Or do you disagree?
I'm being somewhat negitive. Here, I'll try something else. I love fairytale retellings. I love Ella Enchanted, I love Beauty. (incedentally, these were voted the best fairytale retellings recently)
I also like Goose Girl. None of these authors are my favorite. In my opinon, the books I just listed are thier best and the only ones I would read multiple times. (no, I don't adore Shannon Hale *gasp*) I will say that Gail Carson Levine did a good job with her little fairytale books. (cinderellis and the glass hill, the fairy's mistake, ect.) Her characters are interesting and fun . That will make me love a book immediately. Beauty, by Robin McKinley (truly her best book) Is so beautiful. The whole thing is written with a rosy glow over it, and *swollowing my words* may have used lots of passive detailing, but it was so lovely, it seemed that the book was about the descriptions rather than actually telling a story. In a good way. I realize that sounds bad, but she pulled it off, and I commend her for it. I don't care much for her other books at all. I just finished reading Princess at the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George. It's a twelve dancing princesses story. It was good. Interesting and all. with a happy ending and no plot holes. it wasn't confusing and it was consise....ready?......here comes the part where I tell you all what I didn't like......ready?........The Lady had TWELVE PRINCESSES and I was only able to distinguish two of them from the others. They were flatter than a peice of paper. Besideing the main character, (who was very heroine-like in the way: I'm supposed to like her because she's the main character, and no other reason) There was The second oldest, Lily, who I liked, but who was mentioned five times in the book, and one of the twins, Poppy, who was fun. Maybe I'm just cynical, maybe I'm a bad reader, but I want characters to woo me into liking them. I don't want a list of qualities shoved in my face (Which, incidentally, she did when describing the soldier, literally a list) and to be expected to like them.
GAAAAA!!!! I'm being negitive again. I really did like the book. It wasn't bad.
Apparently, if you write an authors name on the internet, they can track you and read what you have to say. I'm in biiiiiiiiiiiig trouble.
Jessica Day George, I didididididid like you book. You can't blame me for having an opinon. Or for having a bad week, as I just did. Or for disliking you ending, but I mean, come on, resurrection is going wayyyy too far.
Anyway, sorry for being so negitive, I hope I didn't offend any of you. However, if I did, you can just leave me a comment telling me to slap myself with a fish, and I promise I'll do it!
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5 comments:
GAAAA!! I'm so mean. I want to apologize to everyone. I was a nasty piece of work when I wrote this. When I woke up from being the giant purple monster I turn into when I'm angry, I saw all the implications I wrote about authors and their writing techniques. Point of fact: They are all published. I had little right to say the bad things I did say. If you think it wasn't so bad, you should have seen all the stuff I erased.
Forgive me dear friends, for even someone like me deserves it when I am as truly humbled as I am. I mean really humble.
thanks. and still feel free to be upset with me on your comments.
*GASP* I am so going to tell Jessica on you!
LOL Just kidding. We're all entitled to our opinions and everybody likes something different. For the record, I don't like passive description either. I usually skim or skip through it because it bores me to tears. It's all good.
Ha ha ha. :) Don't worry, no one can see your posts unless they're a member of this community who is logged in. Also, if an author reads this and is upset, they shouldn't be looking for their names. This is an hones review and you have *very* good points.
The passive detailing is something that seriously drives me crazy. I have a hard time writing description and an even harder time reading it. A lot of the times, it's FAR too boring for me. I care about the characters, not so much a setting.
But when an author makes the setting a character itself... mm, now THAT is something that I'll eat up time and time again! They nee to work it and the main character needs to interact with it. It has to mean something. Otherwise, there's NO reason for me to be wasting my time reading it. :)
Great reviews! Also, it pleases me to know that yet another 12 dancing princesses book has failed in some way or another. A girl in my writing group is writing one, and it is soooooo gooooooood. I want her to succeed in her story. Her 12 princesses are all unique and she gives them all a turn without spending too much time. It's ingenious!
I think passive *anything* in a story is dangerous and has the potential to bore your reader. Sometimes it works if handled skillfully, but sometimes it's just so very tedious!
Can I tell you my own two most annoying passive moments in reading?
First, Lloyd Alexander is probably my most favorite wordsmith. I love, love, love his strong female characters, his love of his characters, his world building details (never so passive in description). But, in the Prydain Chronicles, the book "Taran Wanderer" did exactly that...wandered page after page as the character tried to find himself. It just sort of stopped the momentum and the series dead in its tracks. I need to read it again 20 years later--maybe I'll get it this time, but I don't know...
Another absolute *bore* was JK Rowling's final book in the Harry Potter series--or at least a good portion of it. She could have cut half of the pages out of the book and it would have sufficed. I got so frustrated following Harry and Hermione around in their wretched tent for ...was it months?? Here, when the very world was in danger. Everyone who was anyone evil was searching for Harry, and he's moping around the English countryside feeling sorry for himself. Have you ever sat in silence with someone you know for hours on end? What about days on end? What about months??
If you try to imagine those two characters doing nothing but sitting in a tent, fuming and misunderstanding. It just wouldn't happen for that length of time.
Maybe a few days. Maybe...
And how did they keep from getting deep vein thrombosis, or gaining 20 pounds by sitting constantly and not exercising. What about muscle atrophy? So tell me, already, that magic cures everything--from body odor to sedentary living in a tent.
But I do go on.
Anyway. All I know is that sudden stop in momentum made me wonder what on earth the author was thinking, and pulled me right out of the story.
Yes. Passive anything is boring.
But I'm sure I'm guilty of it myself...!
:P
I so totally agree.
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