Evolution

"If you even lived 10 minutes in my head, you would run screaming."
--Alyssa

One of my coworkers has a quote board where she writes down quotes that she finds amusing. The quote above is from me, though I can't remember the exact circumstances. In any case, it seems appropriate for this blog entry, which will give you a glimpse into my head.

Now that my Romancing the Blog column is online, I thought it might be interesting to describe the evolution of a paragraph. Here is the original version:

While I like the FPS trend, I also appreciate what it suggests: (1) that some authors are trying different approaches; (2) that some editors and publishers are allowing or encouraging experimentation; and (3) that some readers are open to the new and interesting. I hope all three things are true and that more new ideas and trends will follow, whether they use a unique setting, character, or point of view.

This was the version I had until last Saturday. Though I had planned to go with this paragraph, I didn't really like it much. I wanted to make a broader point with my column, but I decided that the first-person trend isn't significant enough to lead to the conclusions I listed. I recognized this at the time and tried to counter it by using "some" in all three points. However, the fact that I had to qualify the conclusions that way meant that I needed to go in a different direction.

So here's the second version:

While I like the FPS trend, not every story should be told in first-person. What I want is for the author to stay true to her story--that's what makes it come alive for readers. And if that story happens to use a unique setting, character, or point of view, that's great. I look forward to seeing what new ideas and trends will come next.

When I reread this last night, the two middle sentences sounded like generic blah, blah, blah, so I revised it to put my voice back into it. This is the final version:

I like the FPS trend, but I don't think that every story should be told in first-person. As a reader, I really want only one thing: a good story. If that story uses a unique setting, character, or point of view, I'm all for it. Bring on the new and unique. I look forward to seeing what trends will come next.

Are you screaming yet? I hope not, but you can't say I didn't warn you. ;) You'll be pleased to know I don't usually spend so much time revising one paragraph. However, I spend considerable time writing, reviewing, and editing. I'm a bit more casual here at my blog, but I think this is why I don't write as many TRR reviews as I'd like. Good writing takes time--for me, anyway.

Alyssa