scarletmorning (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
scarletmorning) wrote2011-07-04 04:00 pm
scarletmorning) wrote2011-07-04 04:00 pm
Entry tags:
Fangirling, self-analyzing and stuff in one post!
Self, stop it. You don't need even more historical figures to fangirl about. You already have Karl der Große, Friedrich Barbarossa, Friedrich II and Heinrich VII (or even all the Staufer). You do not also need to fangirl about Ludwig der Deutsche. XD So awesome~ Damn, I really do have to tell you the wacky and awesome anecdote about Ludwig der Deutsche I've heard in the lecture today. It's not as wacky as the one about Karl der Große and the monster nomming on his penis, but boy, it is funny as well. (I couldn't help but picture Ludwig as Hector. Fffffffffff, he would've reacted similar, I believe) But I have to look it up again since I didn't manage to write down everything.
---
Also, I was hit by several relevations earlier. Please skip this if you're not interested in semi-coherent self-analyzing.
So, I've helped a foreign student earlier and then something hit me. Namely, he had questions about credits and I told him at the end that he should ask his coordinator for more information. Because that's what they are paid to do. But. I was in a way a hypocrite. Yes, I told him to do that and I do believe that it's their duty to help students. But I myself wouldn't want to go to them and demand what is my right to get. And that's -- I don't know. They're here to help me/other people. And still I feel like I just would bother them. That I should take care of my problems myself even if I can't do it. I... I kinda feel bad if I go there and want them to do something for me. Even asking questions per email is hard for me. Because once again I feel like I'm bothering them with unimportant things.
Another example; the Schein I was talking about a few days ago. I got the notice that the essay was marked and ready months ago, but they didn't have the Schein where I was supposed to get it for unknown reasons. Did I write to the teacher and ask if something went wrong? No. Why? I'm not sure. I only know that when I decided "maybe I should write him and ask", I suddenly grew uncomfortable and maybe a bit scared. And it doesn't make sense! It's just an email. A matter of minutes. And still I felt like I would only bother someone. It's-- God, I don't know. I hate feeling like this.
Dammit, I fear that this is once again connected to my little brother and everything. I fear I have to learn to finally demand the things that I have a right to have. (Asking for help is harder than it should be :( )
Another, more positive relevation is that I'm fucking proud of my hometown. Being proud of my country is still skeevy and falls in the category of "Aaaaaaawkward" and "Do Not Really Want" (and I don't believe that I can ever get rid of that feeling), but being proud of my city is "Fuck Yeah >8D". That, and being proud of my university. This feeling was mostly triggered by the anniversary last week; my university is now 625 years old >8) A ridiculous reason to be proud, I know, but Fuck Yeah!
---
Okay, to make this post a bit more happy and lovely I'll ramble and squee about writing. Namely about writing styles since I've noticed lately that I've discovered a new "writing style" for me;
Playing around with tenses. By which I mean; I love combining present and past tense. Not just randomly, of course, but to write on different times levels. To show that something plays in the past in contrast to the "now" in the story, which would be present. To show that something is changing without being so obvious about it. Making flashbacks without having to indicate it in the text or without having to put everything in italics.
And the present tense is attractive because it gives (me at least) a feeling of immediacy and closeness. Past tense always feels a bit distant, as if I'm really just a viewer of the happenings from high above. In Present tense, however, I feel as if I'm really in the middle of the narrative. As if I'm experiencing everything at the same time as the character. And that is great. Not all stories are suited for such closeness, of course; I can't immediately tell why or which, but after writing a few sentences I know if I want the reader to be close or not.
Let me explain how that would look like with an example (the Lyon story for raphi): Lyon studies and the tense is past. It's the frame narrative. Then he falls asleep and the tense switches to present. Because the reader is with him in the dream. The reader can't see the dream from an outside position, they have to enter Lyon´s head to see the dream. And the logical conclusion is, well, that they are with him and experience it as Lyon does.
It's a matter of hovering over Lyon in the frame narrative and standing directly next to Lyon in the embedded narrative.
Of course, I don't know yet if everything works as I want it to work. I'll have to wait for reactions as soon as I'll be able to post it. (And the contest entry >8D It has tense switch as well. But there the switch is even less marked (the Lyon story still has "- -" to indicate the scene changes inside the dream) which is why I then need a guinea pig to test it 8D)
So, do you have any writing techniques you love to death? Or techniques you recently (or not so recently) discovered to be awesome and fun?
---
Also, I was hit by several relevations earlier. Please skip this if you're not interested in semi-coherent self-analyzing.
So, I've helped a foreign student earlier and then something hit me. Namely, he had questions about credits and I told him at the end that he should ask his coordinator for more information. Because that's what they are paid to do. But. I was in a way a hypocrite. Yes, I told him to do that and I do believe that it's their duty to help students. But I myself wouldn't want to go to them and demand what is my right to get. And that's -- I don't know. They're here to help me/other people. And still I feel like I just would bother them. That I should take care of my problems myself even if I can't do it. I... I kinda feel bad if I go there and want them to do something for me. Even asking questions per email is hard for me. Because once again I feel like I'm bothering them with unimportant things.
Another example; the Schein I was talking about a few days ago. I got the notice that the essay was marked and ready months ago, but they didn't have the Schein where I was supposed to get it for unknown reasons. Did I write to the teacher and ask if something went wrong? No. Why? I'm not sure. I only know that when I decided "maybe I should write him and ask", I suddenly grew uncomfortable and maybe a bit scared. And it doesn't make sense! It's just an email. A matter of minutes. And still I felt like I would only bother someone. It's-- God, I don't know. I hate feeling like this.
Dammit, I fear that this is once again connected to my little brother and everything. I fear I have to learn to finally demand the things that I have a right to have. (Asking for help is harder than it should be :( )
Another, more positive relevation is that I'm fucking proud of my hometown. Being proud of my country is still skeevy and falls in the category of "Aaaaaaawkward" and "Do Not Really Want" (and I don't believe that I can ever get rid of that feeling), but being proud of my city is "Fuck Yeah >8D". That, and being proud of my university. This feeling was mostly triggered by the anniversary last week; my university is now 625 years old >8) A ridiculous reason to be proud, I know, but Fuck Yeah!
---
Okay, to make this post a bit more happy and lovely I'll ramble and squee about writing. Namely about writing styles since I've noticed lately that I've discovered a new "writing style" for me;
Playing around with tenses. By which I mean; I love combining present and past tense. Not just randomly, of course, but to write on different times levels. To show that something plays in the past in contrast to the "now" in the story, which would be present. To show that something is changing without being so obvious about it. Making flashbacks without having to indicate it in the text or without having to put everything in italics.
And the present tense is attractive because it gives (me at least) a feeling of immediacy and closeness. Past tense always feels a bit distant, as if I'm really just a viewer of the happenings from high above. In Present tense, however, I feel as if I'm really in the middle of the narrative. As if I'm experiencing everything at the same time as the character. And that is great. Not all stories are suited for such closeness, of course; I can't immediately tell why or which, but after writing a few sentences I know if I want the reader to be close or not.
Let me explain how that would look like with an example (the Lyon story for raphi): Lyon studies and the tense is past. It's the frame narrative. Then he falls asleep and the tense switches to present. Because the reader is with him in the dream. The reader can't see the dream from an outside position, they have to enter Lyon´s head to see the dream. And the logical conclusion is, well, that they are with him and experience it as Lyon does.
It's a matter of hovering over Lyon in the frame narrative and standing directly next to Lyon in the embedded narrative.
Of course, I don't know yet if everything works as I want it to work. I'll have to wait for reactions as soon as I'll be able to post it. (And the contest entry >8D It has tense switch as well. But there the switch is even less marked (the Lyon story still has "- -" to indicate the scene changes inside the dream) which is why I then need a guinea pig to test it 8D)
So, do you have any writing techniques you love to death? Or techniques you recently (or not so recently) discovered to be awesome and fun?
no subject
And I'm envious of all the really old stuff you've got going on over there XD
As for writing - I love tense switches. The Elphin fic I have in progress uses past and present, at least in the current draft. I'm also really a big fan of train-of-thought introspection with run on sentences, though I've only broken that out a couple times in fic.
And you're definitely right. Sometimes, it works to be really close and tightly wound in the character's perspective. Other times, a more distant approach is better, or tying it into the perspective of another character instead of the one you're writing "about".
no subject
You can throw a stone here and hit something very old. It's lovely <3
Tense switches are awesome. I have to say that until now I haven't seen often train-of-thought stories that I liked (one of your Lyon stories was one, I believe and I liked it there. But there were other stories where ... well, it was annoying.). It's still in the same category as ego perspective; "Not Sure If Want/Like".
no subject
You really have to know when it works, IMO.
no subject
You especially have to write it well!