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Welcome to the November 7th From the Backlist! Today we have a wonderful post by the award winning author, A A Bell. This is perfect timing for anyone doing one of the many alt 2026 NaNoWriMo! (such as Novel November).
Enjoy the post, and keep writing!
The Sup
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Saturday, November 19, 2011
Editing: How much is too much in the pursuit of perfection?
Every time I see a
certain gorgeous quote from Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, I have to read it several times, savouring each and every delicious syllable.
"And his eyes
have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming....
Ahhhhh, gargle, gargle, drool....
I LOVE IT!
Ahhhhh, gargle, gargle, drool....
I LOVE IT!
<So hugs to fellow spec-fic writer Paul
Mannering for ensuring my weekly taste of it all these years, LOL.>
Yet how many editors
would leave that line alone if it came to them from a new author today? e.g. After Eddie junior's submission, it might come back:
... However, his eyes had all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.
(From all those editors who'd advocate never starting a sentence with And)
However, his eyes had the appearance of a demon's that is dreaming.
(From those who'd advocate that modern readers wouldn't "get" the archaic literary use of seeming as a noun.)
However, his eyes held the appearance of a demon's that is dreaming.
(From those who always avoid the use/overuse of had.)
However, his eyes held the appearance of a demon who is dreaming.
(From those who'd argue the subject is human enough to be a who, not a that)
However his appearance seemed like that of a demon, dreaming.
(From those who'd argue that we'd never get close enough to see his eyes in the first place)
However his appearance seemed like that of an ogre dreaming.
(From those who prefer to remove all religious overtones.)
He looked like an ogre dreaming.
(From those who'd simplify their own deaths if they could.)
He looked like a sleeping ogre.
(From those who'd argue that ogres can't dream, because they're more like animals...)
<cough cough, like as if animals don't dream too>
She looked like a sleeping ogre.
(From those who'd prefer a female protagonist.
She looked like a sleeping rat.
(From those who don't know what an ogre is.)
He looked like a sleeping rat.
(From those who just changed their mind about the female lead, now that s/he has more evil overtones.)
He looked like a dead rat.
(Because a sleeping rat looks like a dead one, and dead is more dramatic.)
He was a dead rat.
(From those who'd advocate that metaphors are stronger than similes.)
He is a dead rat.
(From those who advocate avoidance of passive voice.)
He's a dead rat.
(From those who advocate use of conjunctions for this genre.)
He died a rat.
(From those who avoid use of the verb to be at every opportunity.
The bird died.
(From those who just realised what a Raven is.)
"... but he's not dead!" replies poor Eddie Junior, to which the only compromise left is:
He slept.
(Even though he wasn't really doing that either.)
... However, his eyes had all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.
(From all those editors who'd advocate never starting a sentence with And)
However, his eyes had the appearance of a demon's that is dreaming.
(From those who'd advocate that modern readers wouldn't "get" the archaic literary use of seeming as a noun.)
However, his eyes held the appearance of a demon's that is dreaming.
(From those who always avoid the use/overuse of had.)
However, his eyes held the appearance of a demon who is dreaming.
(From those who'd argue the subject is human enough to be a who, not a that)
However his appearance seemed like that of a demon, dreaming.
(From those who'd argue that we'd never get close enough to see his eyes in the first place)
However his appearance seemed like that of an ogre dreaming.
(From those who prefer to remove all religious overtones.)
He looked like an ogre dreaming.
(From those who'd simplify their own deaths if they could.)
He looked like a sleeping ogre.
(From those who'd argue that ogres can't dream, because they're more like animals...)
<cough cough, like as if animals don't dream too>
She looked like a sleeping ogre.
(From those who'd prefer a female protagonist.
She looked like a sleeping rat.
(From those who don't know what an ogre is.)
He looked like a sleeping rat.
(From those who just changed their mind about the female lead, now that s/he has more evil overtones.)
He looked like a dead rat.
(Because a sleeping rat looks like a dead one, and dead is more dramatic.)
He was a dead rat.
(From those who'd advocate that metaphors are stronger than similes.)
He is a dead rat.
(From those who advocate avoidance of passive voice.)
He's a dead rat.
(From those who advocate use of conjunctions for this genre.)
He died a rat.
(From those who avoid use of the verb to be at every opportunity.
The bird died.
(From those who just realised what a Raven is.)
"... but he's not dead!" replies poor Eddie Junior, to which the only compromise left is:
He slept.
(Even though he wasn't really doing that either.)
Sigh.... Read the Full Post HERE!
A A Bell's Books on Goodreads.
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