Subject:
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Re: The Epic Chronicles of Ikros
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.castle
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Date:
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Thu, 17 Oct 2002 23:04:28 GMT
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Viewed:
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1199 times
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Hey Nathan,
This is a little weird for me, recieving criticism for my criticism. To a
certain degree I think you are telling me I am wrong about some of the advice I
gave; that problems as I described them don't exist. It makes me feel as if I
should defend myself, to argue about where problems are and where they aren't.
As for a piece of artwork (as I believe stories to be), such an argument is not
what either of us want and isn't productive.
My point is this: my original criticisms exist because I, as a reader, had
some problems in getting the fullest effect from such a worthwhile story. I
gave some ideas about how Anthony could improve his story, in my opinion. Of
course all the advice I gave is 100% up to Anthony to do or not; it is his
story.
Lastly, some of the things you (Nathan) said took what I said beyond how I
meant it. For instance, in responce to my comment "The Plot ... suffers from
its complexity." you say "I personally hate a book with only one layer." It
was not my intent to suggest Anthony should only have one layer in his story.
I prefer greater complexity to blandness, as a professor once said to me "a
beautiful mess is better than being boring." Please re-read my post trying to
see my intent not as advocating bland simplicity, but rather trying to help
sharpen a beautiful piece of work.
Sometimes I feel as if true criticism isn't really that welcome here. Most
people respond to "PLMKWYT" with glowing praise, and hardly ever anything but.
Although I will continue to try to give criticism, please everyone else
understand that I'm not trying to tear down, but to help.
_lenny
<snip>
> >
> > The plot itself is interesting, but at times suffers from its complexity.
> > The dragon alone would have been enough for an epic this size, but throw in
> > Ethelred/Zakar's invasion, the Coup attempt, and the Garalt-Alyia subplot as
> > well as all the other subplots is dizzying. At times I really wondered who • the
> > main character was (mainly between Garalt and Greylen), and at others I was
> > bombarded by a host of characters who at the moment seem important but • haven't
> > been mentioned for a while. It is almost as if one needs to study the Cast • of
> > Characters before reading, and with a story this long you should have room to
> > really explore each major character. When it was revealed that Haleron was • the
> > coup leader (a suprise because we were lead to suspect Daravon, a good • trick!),
> > I had to stop and re-read who he was.
>
> I personally hate a book with only one layer. Read any classic
> work and you will find several plots and strands overlaid. Granted this
> takes skill, but I am glad to see Anthony starting with that in mind.
>
> > The writing is actually kinda nice, but tends to get bogged down at
> moments.
> I don't think I've ever read anything you could describe as like
> Anthony's style (for better or for worse, grin)
>
> > Sometimes when something really major is happening, it seems time stops
> > altogether. When Garalt lands on Tel'Karak's face and goes through the • moment
> > of reflection before he acts, I kept expecting him to be shrugged off. What
> > logically should last a second is stretched out to half the page. When the
> > action gets turned up, the writing gets turned down, and that interupts the
> > reader's natural flow. At times I felt like I could read the first sentance
> > and last sentance of a paragraph and know entirely what happened. You really
> > have a good voice, don't let it become extraneous. My advice (learned in a
> > creative writing course) is read through and cross out everything that • doesn't
> > ABSOLUTELY have to be there to convey meaning, and it will help trim up your
> > story.
>
> Here is where I disagree (no argument intended just stating in opinion).
> Reflection and thought are imnportant aspects of action, maybe Anthony could
> improve thhe transition so you get an idea of the time involved, but to take
> away this level would be ruinious.
> As to the advice of your writing course it is good for some types of
> writing (mainly short or fast flowing). But an epic and in my view every
> classic, is built on the scene, the detail, the depth. Most people advice
> trimming to help learners who confuse length with depth but you need a full
> story to edit. This is the point that needs to be honed not squashed.
>
> > This is just a little something that bothered me, but your use of the word
> > "whelp" in reference to Garalt. Tel'Karak and Kullvox both called him that
> > CONSTANTLY, like in every piece of dialogue. You've gotta have a synonym for
> > that, or even, does it need to be there?
>
> I understand what Anthony was getting at in a complex relationship but
> yes that would be a good cut.
>
> > As I'm sure you're aware, don't take any of my criticisms as disrespect. • I
> > believe without criticism, we have no way to improve.
> >
> > _lenny
>
> Sorry for interferring, but I love writing and reading and appreciate
> what was written (even if it needs improvement) and wanted to add my voice
> to kepping the detail, and the complexity.
>
> God Bless,
>
> Nathan Todd
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: The Epic Chronicles of Ikros
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| (...) Sorry, I was not criticising you or your opinion. I just wanted to express that I enjoyed certain areas you didn't (and vice verse I'm sure) and therefore point out to Anthony that his story was good to different people in different ways and (...) (22 years ago, 19-Oct-02, to lugnet.castle)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: The Epic Chronicles of Ikros
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| (...) Agreed! (...) Again Agreed! (...) This is the real accomplishment lego wise. (...) I personally hate a book with only one layer. Read any classic work and you will find several plots and strands overlaid. Granted this takes skill, but I am (...) (22 years ago, 17-Oct-02, to lugnet.castle)
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