Thursday, April 7, 2011

Use Examples of Other Writers – Z to A

No, no. Do not plagiarize but research their technique, how they use and manipulate words. Each of these books has dramatic passages that moved me.

Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

A Painted House by John Grisham

Star of the Guardians by Margaret Weis

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I dissected the scenes by noting sentence structure, (very important) how they achieved that mood in me, created scenes, used descriptions, and braided words into their tales.

Specifically, I note my reactions and pinpoint when the author hit me. It enlightens and fine-tunes my writing craft.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this great idea. Silence of the Lambs is the only one I've read from your list, but I will certainly look into the others. I love to read and wish I had more time for it these days.
    Have a wonderful day! :)

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  2. i have a hard time doing this with books i enjoy reading, especially on the first read-thru. Good think i like to re-read books.

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  3. I don't think I've read any of those books - will have to add to list :)

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  4. Wonderful writing tip! And I loved your phrase:"braided words into their tales."

    That's some gorgeous writing in itself. :)

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  5. I've read The Painted House, but none of the others. (Saw the movie "Silence of the Lambs").
    I do this with books, too. My favorite author is Stephen King. Not because I'm a horror fan (which I don't believe he is...more a psychological thriller writer), but because he is amazing at creating characters and situations. He always asks, "What if?" What if a family was stranded in a haunted hotel? What if a girl could cause fires with her mind alone? What if a woman and her son were trapped in a car in the hot summer sun for three days with out food or water, held captive by a rabid St. Bernard?

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  6. You're doing the challenge the other way round ? :)

    Great tip, btw!

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