poliphilo: (Default)
poliphilo ([personal profile] poliphilo) wrote2004-05-19 10:01 am

Need to Know

I spent yesterday afternoon rewriting chunks of my last novel. As [livejournal.com profile] alteraius pointed out, I'd included too much exposition, too much background material. It was making the texture lumpy.

A writer needs to know all that explanatory stuff, but only so  he can keep the foreground narrative clear and consistent. It's a mistake to burden the reader with it.

[identity profile] archyena.livejournal.com 2004-05-19 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
Is this pillow lumpy or badly stirred gravy lumpy?

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2004-05-19 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
Good question. I think I was visualising a pillow- or maybe a duvet.