Weekend Linkage

Friday yet again, so I bring you a collection of links to help make this last day before the weekend go a little more swiftly. For those of you working diligently on your Nano novels, take advantage of this first weekend of the month to get a good stockpile of words under your belt. More tips coming up next week.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend. Happy writing!

Is ‘The Marriage Plot’ by Jeffrey Eugenides Based in Reality? – An interesting look at a generation of young writers who set out to redefine the American novel, including Jonathan Franzen and David Foster Wallace.

Class Is in Session with Professor Edith Wharton – Writing tips from the classic author, many of which are as helpful and pertinent today as they were when she wrote them.

Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller – A review of the new biography by Jennifer Kloester, for all you Regency/Austen/romance fans.

The Bibliophile on Holiday – When do we leave? Let me just pack my…books.

Is ‘Urban Fiction’ Defined by its Subject – Or by the Skin Colour of its Author? – An interesting and somewhat disheartening look at how certain books are arranged on store shelves.

3 thoughts on “Weekend Linkage

  1. Thanks. I enjoyed the Wharton link and found her comments on dialogue interesting. Wharton claims narrative should “furnish the substance of the novel” and claims dialogue “…should never be more than an adjunct, and one to be used as skillfully and sparingly as the drop of condiment which flavours a whole dish.”

    A comment worth considering, don’t you think?

    1. Definitely. I’m not certain dialogue needs to be as spare as all that, but I do think it’s often overused in the sense that some of it doesn’t pull its weight. There’s a dangerous tendency to write dialogue to mimic human speech patterns, when the reality is that people generally take a long time to say what they mean. That sort of thing is generally boring and unnecessary in a novel.

      1. Agreed. Perhaps this post resonated because the weight of narrative, dialogue and exposition is something I’m critically examining in my work presently. I’m realizing that sections are heavily weighted with dialogue and so I’m attempting to add texture and depth with relevant narrative.

        Wharton’s comparison of dialogue to a condiment is now etched in my mind and I’m certain I’ll consider it when writing. From this point forward, I’ll try to employ it more sparingly and, as you suggest, with punch that adds flavor.

        Thanks again!

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