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"The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis

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jmarkbertrand	"The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	Lead	[-]
Posts: 971 (10/14/05 06:23:45) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None What five lessons am I taking away from this week's experience? Find out in the final installment of "The End of Horror," where I attempt to bring everything together with some practical advice based on what we've discovered in Ezekiel's Shadow. Once you've read my thoughts, I'm challenging you to come back here and share five things you've learned over the course of the week! Table of Contents Part 5 - Synthesis If you're the kind of person who likes to skip through the dense paragraphs of text to the bullet points at the end, then you'll love today's entry on Synthesis! Closing Thoughts - Day 5 of Dave's Commentary In which he suggest some other forums I might like to spend my time at and inquires in a roundabout way about the brakes on my car. (You have to read between the lines to get this, though.) ++ Dave deserves a lot of respect for his sacrifice this week. We already knew he was a guy willing to put a lot of time and effort into helping other writers, and by offering Ezekiel's Shadow up like this -- something I'd be afraid to do myself -- he has earned a lot of respect. Sure, he may be crazy, or this might be part of some nefarious plan to give me enough rope to hang myself, but even so, Dave deserves our gratitude. As for me, I want to thank all of you for reading "The End of Horror" and sharing your feedback with me. You can probably imagine what a nervous wreck I was Monday morning before this thing got started. One wrong move and I'd have to find a new forum to while away the hours in! But you've been as considerate to me and my shortcomings as you've been to Dave, and I appreciate it. Thanks! Mark www.jmarkbertrand.com Required Reading: "Holy Sonnet" - FiF Contest Entry "Midafternoon Apocalypse" at The New Pantagruel "The Inside Job" at Hardluck Stories "The Beautiful Girl" at InFuze Magazine
Gina Holmes	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#1	[-]
Posts: 36 (10/14/05 07:16:04) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks Dave for putting your book on the table and Mark for bravely dissecting it. I think what I'm taking away from this is a critical eye to look at my work as a whole. I can edit structure and that type of thing, but it's more difficult to look at the overall theme of the book, did it work, or whether all questions were answered, did the book sag, that type of thing. I use the most honestly critical readers I know to read my ms when it's finished and I'm always surprised at what bothers them. For instance with my first book I was so heavy handed on the symbolism, I may as well had flashing neon signs. But, thankfully my readers were honest and I could fix it before it ever makes it to a book shelve. I think I'll try and recruit even more readers after this discussion. I really appreciate the sacrifice you both made for our benefit.
JaniceLaQuiere	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#2	[-]
Posts: 143 (10/14/05 08:06:09) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thank you, Dave, for offering your work up to be publicly dissected by (at least in my case) not the most experienced of hands. It takes a brave man to willingly make a public sacrifice of himself, and it shows your dedication to the art and to the craft of writing. I appreciate it. Mark, thank you for your thoughts and insights that guided much of this conversation. This week has widened my insight, and caused me to consider my writing in a new light.
R LuElla	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#3	[-]
Posts: 1588 (10/14/05 09:06:47) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I'm plunging in here without the benefit of Dave's comments, but here goes. The Five lessons I learned during this week of critical analysis (some of these, reinforcement of a lesson already learned): - "richer" conflict makes for a richer reading experience. Conflict should not be for the sake of conflict, but to deepen characterization, to put the protag under the knife and let readers see how heâll react. - symbols can be universal but should have an idiosyncratic dimension that leads from the particular to the universal. (Not sure Iâve said this in a way Mark would recognize, and Iâm still chewing on it, wondering if the idiosyncratic part isnât more in the choosing of symbols. A whale to represent God, for instance.) - subplots that merely mirror the main plot lose impact and can end up weakening the theme - a characterâs actions need to have clear motivations if the readers are to understand the "missing pieces." (I. E. why Ian wasnât worried and acting to protect his wife from the stalker in the opening) - itâs OK to experiment with new thingsâa mixture of genres, for exampleâthough a fresh voice is probably a lot more important than a fresh approach (learned in part from conversion stories). Becky Rebecca LuElla Miller Christian Fantasy
tsbeckett	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#4	[-]
Posts: 1070 (10/14/05 09:26:00) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	The five things I learned when analyzing a book are: # 1 Start with an introduction # 2 Then move to structure # 3 Follow that up with a disuccsion of craft # 4 This would be a good time to discuss themes # 5 Conclude with a synthesis Ouch! #6 The sharp end of a Mont Blanc fountain pen penetrates the inadequate armor of a white coat on a smart alec doctor. & J. Mark has good aim from thirty yards with the above weapon. Blessings, Marvin. Blessings, marvin
vidae	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#5	[-]
Posts: 300 (10/14/05 15:13:46) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	What I learned: 1. The main character in Christian Fiction must be Christ. 2. It's okay to give up on writing the perfect novel. Christ will be in it anyway. 3. Don't let J. Mark dissect your novel until it is out of print and has won a Christy. 4. Every Christian will not take whatever your intentions were for the book to be. But it's okay and all good. 5. A short story writer may have a decent chance at producing a novel. Dee christianfiction.blogspt.com
ctmikesell	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#6	[-]
Posts: 851 (10/14/05 15:35:10) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Things I've Learned (or been reminded of) Through This Process: 1. Women are very testy about being left outside with stalkers. 2. Don't forget the dog. 3. Read between the lines at Amazon Reviews. 4. Just because something you can't carry something off perfectly is no reason not to attempt it in the first place. (and, third only to "never get involved in a land war in Asia" and "never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line") 5. When reading on the throne, shift your weight from time to time or your feet will fall asleep. --der Fieldenmarshal
RebMel	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#7	[-]
Posts: 206 (10/14/05 16:03:05) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	1. That good but imperfect writing holds up well under scrutiny. Oddly enough, I have a better idea now of why this won a Christy than my first read through. 2. That good but imperfect writing holds so many different layers that it is a miracle that any writer writes at all (me included). That's not a naive statement of someone who has never thought of layers, or not pondered them in their own work, it is a statement of how easily it is to have multiple layers that work and one that doesn't that drags down the whole. 3. How differently men and women read. An observation (and boy, did the last one get me in trouble): Most of the men who commented on the marriage in the novel held it in a positive light. The emotional intimacy level was 'right' or 'accurate' for them. Most of the women who commented (myself included) found the emotional intimacy level lacking. 4. None of the men felt leaving the wife out alone with the stalker as a problem. 5a. One connection that no one brought up, and maybe I'm making too much of this, was that the man-made 'security' of the security system was in the end faulty and caused havoc (the fire) and that the true security was in God's control of the situation (the stalker turned hero). Yeah, it was quickly tied up, easy to miss, but it's a good example of all those layers I mentioned above. In Christ, Rebecca
eloopa	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#8	[-]
Posts: 400 (10/14/05 18:47:13) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	*Quote:* 4. None of the men felt leaving the wife out alone with the stalker as a problem. I knew my hair was too short! Just for that, Rebecca, it's pedicure day for me tomorrow. Maybe pink toenails will put me more in touch with my feminine self. $:\$
RebMel	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#9	[-]
Posts: 206 (10/14/05 19:16:10) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Don't quite get you, eloopa. I didn't say that all of the women felt it was a problem (and, good heavens, here we go again, thus why I italicized portions of my observation part). I said none of the men [who commented] felt it was a problem. Although Mark did see it as an oversite. Why this would lead to your toenails, I have no clue. In Christ, Rebecca
jmarkbertrand	I'm a man	#10	[-]
Posts: 971 (10/15/05 08:07:47) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hey, I'm a man, I commented, and I thought it was a strange thing for Ian to have done! It's in the original "Welcome to 'The End of Horror'" thread: *Quote:* Letting Rebecca come home like that was a strange thing for Ian to do.
RebMel	Re: I'm a man	#11	[-]
Posts: 206 (10/15/05 12:29:12) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	You're right, Mark. Allow me to change my above sentence to: Although Mark did see it as strange. Does that mean that you 'are in touch with your feminine side' and that you paint your toenails pink? In Christ, Rebecca
JediQB	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#12	[-]
Posts: 160 (10/15/05 16:27:17) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	der Fielden HAD to say this: *Quote:* (and, third only to "never get involved in a land war in Asia" and "never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line" And I couldn't resist that. Anyway, I don't like to look so critically at a book. I can do it, and it is a good thing, but it can cut down on the enjoyment of the book. I appreciated the spiritual depth and development by Ian without it being spelled out in such terms. I think I'd like to take a little of that into my own writing - let the faith develop, not hit the reader like a club. Because to do that would just be... INCONCEIVABLE!
jmarkbertrand	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#13	[-]
Posts: 971 (10/15/05 20:24:45) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	*Quote:* Does that mean that you 'are in touch with your feminine side' and that you paint your toenails pink? Hmm. Yes and no. Mark www.jmarkbertrand.com Required Reading: "Holy Sonnet" - FiF Contest Entry "Midafternoon Apocalypse" at The New Pantagruel "The Inside Job" at Hardluck Stories "The Beautiful Girl" at InFuze Magazine
vinemarc	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#14	[-]
Posts: 376 (10/15/05 22:31:31) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Burning some midnight oil due to chocolate cake eaten too late at night but I'm glad it happened. It's given me some time to read Mark's commentary and Dave's posts and a few of the comments on the discussion board. Hope to get back more often. Thanks to all who took part. It's helpful stuff. Marci PS - my new devotional book has arrived - so I'm off to the market place. If you have a minute, have a look at the cover at www.writer-lee.blogspot.com My daughter designed it - gotta brag just a little. I'l be posting excerpts on my website as soon as I can get it to upload properly. Marci
RebMel	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#15	[-]
Posts: 206 (10/16/05 09:17:24) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Marci-- Tell your daughter: Great cover! In Christ, Rebecca
valerierco	Re: "The End of Horror" - Part 5: Synthesis	#16	[-]
Posts: 279 (10/16/05 12:18:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Five things I learned this week? I've been thinking about that since I read Mark's last post a couple of days ago. I've certainly found the entire discussion interesting, but what do I actually take away from it? 1. For sure, I take away a new appreciation for Dave. I don't think, even now, that I have a clue how much courage this took, both on his part, and on the part of Bethany House. Kudos to all of you. 2. I learned that it would be a wise idea to read through the entire manuscript with nothing on the brain but sub-plots, looking for unanswered questions, and then finding places to plug in those answers. I might think my entire work is so glorious that of course I'll get a ten book contract out of it, and thereby the ability to explore all those fascinating areas, but I can't count on that. 3. I learned that the person doing the critique learns at least as much about their own work as they do about the work that they are critiquing. I've seen others relate to that as well. Flaws I pick out in Dave's work, I often pick out because I'm so familiar with them myself. Hopefully I now will see them clearer in an earlier round. 4. While in real life many things are quite unrelated, they can't afford to be in fiction. Every element of who a character is, what he or she says or does, must be in there for a reason. All these things must build logically into the story and move the story along. 5. Not every reader will be on the same wavelength as you, the writer, are. They will gloss over hints you planted on purpose, see significance in things that have none, and misinterpret the most obvious references. The goal is to write first and foremost for Jesus, then to pray for the right agent/editor/publisher, and then to believe that enough readers out there will get it that is worthwhile. What real success is in my writing is totally up to what God wants to do with my work. If it is simply to teach me more about Him, then that is success of a most personal kind. If He desires to use it to challenge and grow others, then that is success as well. Thank you, both Dave and Mark, and to the rest of the crew here, for the enlightening discussion this past week. Valerie

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