tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post4719758730234473688..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Dick Cavett...criminalJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18001292158219733532011-07-22T12:14:11.021-04:002011-07-22T12:14:11.021-04:00Sounds like he writes the way he speaks.Sounds like he writes the way he speaks.Michael J. Kannengieserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02260343556851550757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61226404713622479382011-07-20T13:21:25.060-04:002011-07-20T13:21:25.060-04:00I love how you took the sentence that grabbed me f...I love how you took the sentence that grabbed me from the paragraph.... then showed the simple version verses the broken rule. Nice.Aletahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05605214202876973830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-74420425872741167252011-07-20T07:27:26.644-04:002011-07-20T07:27:26.644-04:00One of my favorites for simplicity and impact: &qu...One of my favorites for simplicity and impact: "The father of waters once again flows unvexed to the sea" - A. Lincoln. There are perhaps simpler ways to announce that Vicksburg has been taken yet much would be lost.<br />Pat MoorePatrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01071577786958220987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-59104796255737334042011-07-15T18:43:11.390-04:002011-07-15T18:43:11.390-04:00A good example of why "literary" doesn&#...A good example of why "literary" doesn't sell. It's nice to read, but if you spoke to someone like that, they'd sneer and walk away. Writing that sells is easy on the ears as well, but it gets to the point without pussyfooting around:<br /><br />"Suicide bombers are easy to spot. They give out all kinds of telltale signs. Mostly because they’re nervous. By definition they’re all first-timers." --Lee Child, Gone TomorrowAndrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00979624652744200894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-22669625225284351592011-07-15T15:11:55.770-04:002011-07-15T15:11:55.770-04:00George R.R. Martin uses the phrase "He was no...George R.R. Martin uses the phrase "He was not wrong," a lot in his books. The first time I read it, I thought it sounded better/was catchier than say "He was right" but the cleverness wore off say about the tenth time I read it at the beginning of a paragraph.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53085678552093357142011-07-14T18:44:20.778-04:002011-07-14T18:44:20.778-04:00The point of the sentence in question, at least to...The point of the sentence in question, at least to me, is not that there were three folks in the car. The point is that there were only (or "but" if you prefer) three even though we were expecting more. We are expecting five, but two, we learn, have a conflict. So if you say "There were three in the car" you're changing the point of the sentence, at least the way I read it, as opposed to just making something simpler. Am I missing his meaning, do you think? (Wouldn't be the first time, I'm sure).Greg Pincushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00449684160718426340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42809074353620984572011-07-14T13:26:13.602-04:002011-07-14T13:26:13.602-04:00Writing is such an objective thing that it's r...Writing is such an objective thing that it's really hard to not break rules. Writing is about what sounds right, I think. That is why that sentence is so beautiful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71028916770337004862011-07-14T12:52:28.736-04:002011-07-14T12:52:28.736-04:00Plus 'shined' should be 'shone'
N...<i>Plus 'shined' should be 'shone'</i><br /><br />No, it shouldn't.<br /><br />"Shined" and "shone" are dialect variations in US English. Both are perfectly acceptable; my guess is that Cavett would be as unlikely to use "shone" as you would be to use "shined".<br /><br />The purpose of grammatical, syntactical, and lexical stickling is to improve fluency of communication, not to stigmatize particular dialects or usage groups.JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13974691019739092440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21534118049520142162011-07-14T11:34:00.875-04:002011-07-14T11:34:00.875-04:00I tell my sixth graders that they have to know the...I tell my sixth graders that they have to know the rules before they can break the rules. Glad to see I'm on the right track with them!Isaac Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12344280217582268100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28403721318959000902011-07-14T11:01:10.122-04:002011-07-14T11:01:10.122-04:00This is the same reason why I love Joel Stein'...This is the same reason why I love Joel Stein's column so much.ryan fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13361694356025572544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6663352695298196732011-07-14T09:37:01.289-04:002011-07-14T09:37:01.289-04:00I think you just gave us a great bullet point for ...I think you just gave us a great bullet point for a definition of voice:<br />- Breaking the rules intentionally...and beautifullyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04889400960819776680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30855999567471100972011-07-14T08:40:33.093-04:002011-07-14T08:40:33.093-04:00He recently published a collection of his posts. h...He recently published a collection of his posts. http://www.amazon.com/Talk-Show-Confrontations-Commentary-Off-Screen/dp/0805091955/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310647168&sr=8-2<br /><br />The stories are funny, sad, exciting, and always interesting. I loved it.Leahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07909811517213604525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21221675236737209362011-07-14T08:07:40.626-04:002011-07-14T08:07:40.626-04:00Merriam-Webster lists both "shone" and &...Merriam-Webster lists both "shone" and "shined" as acceptable (though it lists "shone" first).<br /><br />The difference is actually the sense of the verb, not transitivity. "He shone his flashlight down the corridor" would be permissible according to M-W, but not "he shone his shoes".<br /><br />For some reason "shined" sounds better to me here, though I don't know why. I think it's probably just exposure to a number of similar examples.furrykefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05850763050384056990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66461374484244792912011-07-14T06:48:05.693-04:002011-07-14T06:48:05.693-04:00Well, that sentence is OK - the second 'but...Well, that sentence is OK - the second 'but' sounds like a bit of an echo, though. Plus 'shined' should be 'shone'. However, I've seen this particular mistake so much I'm starting to get the impression that the difference between transitive and intransitive is getting distinctly blurred.Mooseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16494661478705787989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-74146513469292269742011-07-14T06:14:21.819-04:002011-07-14T06:14:21.819-04:00That is a pretty awesome sentence. It was my favou...That is a pretty awesome sentence. It was my favourite part of the paragraph before I realised that was what you were picking up on. Exquisite.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14492054831175019378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26535932712584455002011-07-14T05:34:32.213-04:002011-07-14T05:34:32.213-04:00That dude can write.That dude can write.Curtis Moserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15766891997509591191noreply@blogger.com