176 Reply by corra (edited by corra 2015-11-05 13:08:43)

Re: Punctuation

Dill Carver wrote:

There must be a good story in there under the ‘junk’ prose.

I pressed on after I wrote that comment to you, Dill. The story picked up quickly after. It's been keeping me up late for two weeks! I woke up early this morning with sixty pages left. "WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MARK?" is what I was thinking. smile I grabbed my copy and finished it a couple minutes ago, actually.

The story is EXCELLENT. Sincerely, by the end, I don't even care how it's written. The protagonist is very funny. The plot carries the tale, and the writing -- eh. It's not high literature or anything, but it gets the job done.

That is my review. smile I can't wait to see the film version!

Quote Post 176

177 Reply by corra

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vern wrote:

I've seen some ads for the movie which might be better than crawling through the book in this case.

My lit student heart just skipped a beat. Did you actually suggest watching the movie first? wink tongue

Quote Post 177

178 Reply by corra

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Dill Carver wrote:

Yet there it is; passed the agents, editors and publishers....

I don't think it passed any of that, actually. The author originally self-published the book (in 2011) and offered it free on his blog. He targeted the readers rather than the industry. They sent him through to Hollywood. smile

Quote Post 178

179 Reply by vern

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corra wrote:
vern wrote:

I've seen some ads for the movie which might be better than crawling through the book in this case.

My lit student heart just skipped a beat. Did you actually suggest watching the movie first? wink tongue

LOL, yeah, after reading those first few pages. Don't hit me, don't hit me. Take care. Vern

Quote Post 179

180 Reply by corra

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It's epistolary: the protagonist begins the novel writing as he would speak. He has no idea anyone's actually going to read the logs. The voice sounds authentic to me, and you get used to it. I didn't know where it was going at first, but it was piping good.

Look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PCI0NamI

(I hadn't watched a preview yet because I didn't want the story spoiled! I have actively shoved friends away for the last two weeks, because they all wanted to tell me just a bit about the book, and STOP SPOILING IT, PEOPLE! There is no significant spoiler in the preview, but don't watch it if you plan to read the book, because it may intrude on the suspense.)

When Mark talks in the preview, that's how the book reads.

It's definitely not high literature. I pointed out a place in Chapter Seven for Dill which made me chuckle, because it was just bad writing. But this is a good lesson (I think) in the story far surpassing the medium. Maybe I'm still on the story high.

I judge you, Vern; I judge you and your semi-colon of doom. lol

Quote Post 180

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Dill Carver wrote:
Janet Taylor-Perry wrote:

Thought this thread was closed due to the uncivilized turn it took.

If you are using the Chrome browser in Windows 10 you can hold down the [Ctrl]+[Alt] keys and triple tap on the '$' key then the '#' key whilst the mouse pointer has focus upon the 'Post Reply' text; then a 'Closed' thread is reopened.

Thanks for the lesson, Dill. I love learning new things. Now, I need to print this out so I have it in front of me for next time.

Quote Post 181

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corra wrote:
Dill Carver wrote:

Yet there it is; passed the agents, editors and publishers....

I don't think it passed any of that, actually. The author originally self-published the book (in 2011) and offered it free on his blog. He targeted the readers rather than the industry. They sent him through to Hollywood. smile

So there is hope for us all, after all! And there I was thinking you had to get naked with an Agent.

Quote Post 182

183 Reply by corra

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Dill Carver wrote:

And there I was thinking you had to get naked with an Agent.

I don't think that would be too outlandish.

Quote Post 183

184 Reply by Dill Carver (edited by Dill Carver 2015-11-05 16:24:13)

Re: Punctuation

Janet Taylor-Perry wrote:
Dill Carver wrote:
Janet Taylor-Perry wrote:

Thought this thread was closed due to the uncivilized turn it took.

If you are using the Chrome browser in Windows 10 you can hold down the [Ctrl]+[Alt] keys and triple tap on the '$' key then the '#' key whilst the mouse pointer has focus upon the 'Post Reply' text; then a 'Closed' thread is reopened.

Thanks for the lesson, Dill. I love learning new things. Now, I need to print this out so I have it in front of me for next time.

You could either save it as a macro and assign it to a single key.... or print it out upon a lettuce leaf.

Quote Post 184

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corra wrote:
Dill Carver wrote:

And there I was thinking you had to get naked with an Agent.

I don't think that would be too outlandish.

Nor do I, Agent corra. Nor do I.

Quote Post 185

186 Reply by corra

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lol

Quote Post 186

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corra wrote:

...The story is EXCELLENT. Sincerely, by the end, I don't even care how it's written. The protagonist is very funny. The plot carries the tale, and the writing -- eh. It's not high literature or anything, but it gets the job done.

That is my review. smile I can't wait to see the film version!

I knew there had to be something beyond those intro pages for it to be such a roaring success.

I read a review that simply said;

"Robinson Crusoe in a spacesuit."

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Maybe there's hope for Tess, after all.

Quote Post 188

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Mind you, I threw that one down after about twelve bloody chapters, rather than the third page.

Quote Post 189

190 Reply by corra

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Robinson Crusoe in a space suit is right! With funny monologues. During a very tense moment:

“I can't wait till I have grandchildren. When I was younger, I had to walk [SPOILER]. Uphill! In an EVA suit! On Mars, ya little shit! Ya hear me? Mars!”

Made me laugh. smile

(I don't think Tess would make it on Mars.) tongue

Quote Post 190

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corra wrote:

.... but it gets the job done.

See, now you have been infected with the toothpick chewin' lingo of the Novel in question.

it features the words 'get' 'gets' and 'got' x10,000

...but it achieves its objective.

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corra wrote:

(I don't think Tess would make it on Mars.) tongue

The place sounds uncomfortable, barren and tragic. She'd love it. wink

Quote Post 192

193 Reply by corra (edited by corra 2015-11-05 16:42:50)

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See, now you have been infected with the toothpick chewin' lingo of the Novel in question.

True enough! lol

Quote Post 193

194 Reply by corra

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Dill Carver wrote:
corra wrote:

(I don't think Tess would make it on Mars.) tongue

The place sounds uncomfortable, barren and tragic. She'd love it. wink

If she loved it, it would hardly be a proper tragedy.

Quote Post 194

195 Reply by Memphis Trace (edited by Memphis Trace 2015-11-05 17:02:24)

Re: Punctuation

Dill Carver wrote:
corra wrote:

.... but it gets the job done.

See, now you have been infected with the toothpick chewin' lingo of the Novel in question.

it features the words 'get' 'gets' and 'got' x10,000

...but it achieves its objective.

How many of the gets http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/get?s=t are begotten?

Definition 29:
noun
29.
an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal

Memphis

Quote Post 195

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corra wrote:
Dill Carver wrote:
corra wrote:

(I don't think Tess would make it on Mars.) tongue

The place sounds uncomfortable, barren and tragic. She'd love it. wink

If she loved it, it would hardly be a proper tragedy.

What is 'proper' tragedy to a masochist and a martyr? Any drama or discomfort will do.

Quote Post 196

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Dill Carver wrote:
Memphis Trace wrote:

How many of the gets http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/get?s=t are begotten?

Definition 29:
noun
29.
an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal

Memphis

My war on 'got' within this novel (from another forum thread).

I have minor issues with the slack-jawed lingo and phrases like ‘a hot cup of coffee.’  This is a cup of hot coffee surely? But realise this is American and so probably colloquial but,… ‘They got a hot cup of coffee and a firm handshake when they got home.’

'Got' is such a dumbed down vocal expression. Surely, give this astronaut fellow some diction?

‘They received a cup of hot coffee and a firm handshake when they arrived home.’

Quote Post 197

Re: Punctuation

Dill Carver wrote:
Dill Carver wrote:
Memphis Trace wrote:

How many of the gets http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/get?s=t are begotten?

Definition 29:
noun
29.
an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal

Memphis

My war on 'got' within this novel (from another forum thread).

I have minor issues with the slack-jawed lingo and phrases like ‘a hot cup of coffee.’  This is a cup of hot coffee surely? But realise this is American and so probably colloquial but,… ‘They got a hot cup of coffee and a firm handshake when they got home.’

'Got' is such a dumbed down vocal expression. Surely, give this astronaut fellow some diction?

‘They received a cup of hot coffee and a firm handshake when they arrived home.’

I think Brits tend to dislike got. I ran into another Brit on a different website who made me aware of how much I used got. I think I probably use it less now than I used to, but I wasn't consciously trying to dumb down what I wrote when he pointed it out. ¿Maybe dumbed down's in my DNA.

Memphis

Quote Post 198

199 Reply by corra

Re: Punctuation

Dill Carver wrote:

What is 'proper' tragedy to a masochist and a martyr? Any drama or discomfort will do.

If she GETS cool drama and discomfort, that's a comedy. If she doesn't, that's a proper tragedy. For her.

Quote Post 199

200 Reply by corra

Re: Punctuation

Dill Carver wrote:

My war on 'got' within this novel (from another forum thread).

I have minor issues with the slack-jawed lingo and phrases like ‘a hot cup of coffee.’  This is a cup of hot coffee surely? But realise this is American and so probably colloquial but,… ‘They got a hot cup of coffee and a firm handshake when they got home.’

'Got' is such a dumbed down vocal expression. Surely, give this astronaut fellow some diction?

‘They received a cup of hot coffee and a firm handshake when they arrived home.’

But the cup is hot?

Your rewrite sounds far better, but would this character speak that way? He reminds me of my brother, who would never say "received" and "arrived" when "got" would get smile him to the end of the sentence faster.

You spoke earlier about using the natural speech patterns within dialogue. To alter this character's speech pattern would change him.  I actually agree with you that all the "gots" started to grate in the early pages, before the story picked up. But after the story picked up, I didn't notice them at all. I just wanted to know what would happen, and I believed this character was real because he spoke authentically.

If the author was narrating this way third party? That would be a shame. It's different in an epistolary novel. The narration is the actual character.

Quote Post 200