tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010942979784569627.post7996890551290780237..comments2024-02-06T04:20:38.551-08:00Comments on Reading, Writing, Revising: Inching Ever CloserLisa Ecksteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11469107523441985396noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010942979784569627.post-74788330467471642092013-09-03T01:52:03.047-07:002013-09-03T01:52:03.047-07:00Christopher: Hope TV Tropes didn't prevent you...Christopher: Hope TV Tropes didn't prevent you from having a very productive long weekend of writing! :)<br /><br />Henri: I read the article. Very helpful ideas!Lisa Ecksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11469107523441985396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010942979784569627.post-30208379089598904212013-09-01T06:58:05.116-07:002013-09-01T06:58:05.116-07:00Yes, that's the article. By far the most usefu...Yes, that's the article. By far the most useful thing I've read about writing. One thing that makes it different from everything else is that they based their advice not just on their own beliefs, but on observations of how things actually play out for readers.<br /><br />Note that this particular idea (that the end is the "power" position) also works for sentences! Henri Picciottohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06875198126877279937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010942979784569627.post-40292630513705332013-08-31T18:56:47.508-07:002013-08-31T18:56:47.508-07:00Why did I open TV Tropes?
Glad to hear progress i...Why did I open TV Tropes?<br /><br />Glad to hear progress is good; here's to September!Christopher Gronlundhttp://www.christophergronlund.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010942979784569627.post-15688293356421873292013-08-31T11:29:46.416-07:002013-08-31T11:29:46.416-07:00Henri, this is great advice! I think it describes ...Henri, this is great advice! I think it describes what I do instinctively (in many cases, at least), but I've never thought about it in those terms.<br /><br />This is probably the article you're talking about: "<a href="http://www-stat.wharton.upenn.edu/~buja/sci.html" rel="nofollow">The Science of Scientific Writing</a>" by George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan. Looks fascinating!<br />Lisa Ecksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11469107523441985396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010942979784569627.post-28373088973981721872013-08-31T06:40:08.822-07:002013-08-31T06:40:08.822-07:00As you know, I don't write fiction, but I love...As you know, I don't write fiction, but I love the guideline I use for paragraph breaks. As many paragraphs as possible should end with something new and important. (The corollary is that the beginning of paragraphs is about connecting with things the reader already knows.) This is from a fantastic article by Gopen and Swan, which you should find and read, as it includes many ideas about effective writing. <br /><br />The above paragraph more or less follows that basic scheme.<br /><br />(Actually, G&S's piece is about nonfiction writing, but I suspect much about it applies to all writing.)Henri Picciottohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06875198126877279937noreply@blogger.com