Hmm.

[valis2]

Am reading a fic where a character says something, and the tag reads "he said snappishly".

Wouldn't it be far easier to say "he snapped"?

I'm just now starting to understand economy of words, I think. I may never understand it fully (just look at tLS), but the more obvious things are starting to stand out.

Comments

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Part of my struggle is that it's hard for me to fully comprehend the true ebil of the telling-not-showing branch of writing. When it's used particularly badly, I can immediately latch onto it, but sometimes it seems that I'm just so used to it that I read right past it and don't even register it.

I've been working hard at pruning words like "somewhat" and "kind of", inexact things that they are, and I've been trying to simplify dialogue, as well, but part of me is just so damned stubborn. I know what the point is, that you're trying to have the dialogue convey the emotion, but sometimes I like to be extra-clear, and it's such a nice, safe shortcut to say "he said icily", y'know?

It only becomes obvious when I read really great writing, and then I see how it hampers things. Now if I could just apply it...heh.

That's why I'm writing tLS. That's why I'm determined to finish it. It's a practice run. I want to get a whole story out of my head, and write The End, before I try anything for myself. Fanfiction has been more helpful than I ever would have guessed.