Given all the stuff I’ve written in previous blogs about how language and narrative works, here is an interesting question: how does the author use the text to convince us to suspend our disbelief? After all, one of the most important things about any story is that we should believe that it is true, atContinue reading “The Suspension of Disbelief”
Category Archives: The Arts
Dealing with ‘The Hobbit’ Pitch
“Look, Peter,” I say, “you gotta think big. There ain’t but twenty movie stars could carry that kinda budget into opening weekend. And not one of them plays under five-six, OK.” He goes, “You think the hero’s too small?” like it ain’t obvious. I say, “Of course, he’s too damn small. ‘The Rings’, they hadContinue reading “Dealing with ‘The Hobbit’ Pitch”
More About My Struggle With Poetry
So, on Thursday night, I was listening to someone read a poem about a rocket disaster (don’t ask me the reason, it’s too complex). The poem began with some beautiful imagery about the preparations for launch, then switched, two-thirds of the way through, to some very factual sentences reporting the disintegrating situation that led to allContinue reading “More About My Struggle With Poetry”
From the Synopsis to the Pitch
Following up on my idea of how to write the imperfect synopsis, here’s my idea on how not to pitch a book when you get the publisher on the telephone: “OK, Walter, I’m back. I just had to close the door. H-mmm… uh-huh… no, I’m always up for buying the rights if it’s the rightContinue reading “From the Synopsis to the Pitch”
The Problem With The Synopsis
Ever had that feeling that you know too much about the book you’ve written to condense it down to a page and a half for an agent or publisher’s edification? Yeah, me too. I mean, what is it with these guys? They’re supposed to be in the business. Do they really read that slowly? DoContinue reading “The Problem With The Synopsis”
