Comments on: How “Interesting” is your Narrative Summary? http://writeabetternovel.net/how-interesting-is-your-narrative-summary/ Practical wisdom for novelists and other storytellers Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:03:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bill Henderson http://writeabetternovel.net/how-interesting-is-your-narrative-summary/comment-page-1/#comment-2942 Bill Henderson Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:27:29 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=21#comment-2942 I see what you're getting at, Bo, but the answer is, it's still summary. That is, it still TELLS the reader that the lawyer entered and warned everyone to be sure their wills were current. It still summarizes that action. Otherwise I would have written it as a scene, made it real-time, largely by giving her the speech in dialogue. Summary lacks the real-time element. In fact, that's its major usefulness, to compress real time for story-telling purposes. Enhanced (specified, visualized, characterized) detail makes it better summary for purposes of fiction, where the ultimate aim is to bring characters and events to life for the reader. I see what you’re getting at, Bo, but the answer is, it’s still summary. That is, it still TELLS the reader that the lawyer entered and warned everyone to be sure their wills were current. It still summarizes that action. Otherwise I would have written it as a scene, made it real-time, largely by giving her the speech in dialogue. Summary lacks the real-time element. In fact, that’s its major usefulness, to compress real time for story-telling purposes. Enhanced (specified, visualized, characterized) detail makes it better summary for purposes of fiction, where the ultimate aim is to bring characters and events to life for the reader.

]]> By: Bo BreitReed http://writeabetternovel.net/how-interesting-is-your-narrative-summary/comment-page-1/#comment-2900 Bo BreitReed Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:03:17 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=21#comment-2900 Hi, Thanks for the post. I'm working on some writing exercises right now that deal with narrative summary, which has brought me to this question about your post: would you consider your enhanced version of the narrative summary to overstep the boundary of narrative summary? It seems to use just as much detail and description as regular prose would in the description of a focused event (not a summarized event). Do you kind of see what I'm getting at, as vague as this question is? Hi,

Thanks for the post. I’m working on some writing exercises right now that deal with narrative summary, which has brought me to this question about your post: would you consider your enhanced version of the narrative summary to overstep the boundary of narrative summary? It seems to use just as much detail and description as regular prose would in the description of a focused event (not a summarized event). Do you kind of see what I’m getting at, as vague as this question is?

]]> By: James Piper http://writeabetternovel.net/how-interesting-is-your-narrative-summary/comment-page-1/#comment-2866 James Piper Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:52:51 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=21#comment-2866 I like your post. Clearly stated. Well done. James Piper Twitter: @ByJamesPiper I like your post. Clearly stated. Well done.

James Piper
Twitter: @ByJamesPiper

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