3 ms·

This is satire, right? No one actually writes like this? The ending is important and can ruin an otherwise good story. That doesn't mean the rest of the story

This is satire, right? No one actually writes like this? The ending is important and can ruin an otherwise good story. That doesn't mean the rest of the story isn't important.

burnished 5y ago
Oh, this is a tech focused forum so you might not know this, sometimes people take joy in writing and play with the language while otherwise still sharing their real thoughts.
- NateEag 5y ago
  It'd be nice if someone taking joy in writing was at least acceptably mediocre at wordsmithing.
  - the_af 5y ago
    I'm lost. Whose writing are you calling less than mediocre here? GRRM or u/fao_? In both cases I disagree, but in the latter I also think you're out of line and against the etiquette of HN. Be nice.
    - NateEag 5y ago
      I was referring to u/fao_, yes. You're right that it was a shallow dismissal and not a constructive critical comment. I'm sorry for that poor behavior. Thanks for calling me out. For the record, I picked up the first book of ASOIAF after loving GRRM's beautiful novella The Hedge Knight, I believe written for the Legends anthology I discovered it in. I was deeply, profoundly disappointed in it and never touched another book in the series again. It fell so miserably short of The Hedge Knight that I would need multiple pages to fully express my disappointment.
      - the_af 5y ago
        No harm done. Thanks for replying. As for ASOIAF: interesting, could you elaborate? I read The Hedge Knight last (well, the whole Dunk & Egg I mean) and I liked it. I found it to be a compressed, fast-forwarded version of A Game of Thrones. But the style elements and plot devices are all there, and I find them to be mostly the same. What is it that you liked in Hedge Knight but disliked in A Game of Thrones? Was it the supernatural element (dragons, zombies, etc)? (I realize this might be hard to answer, and that's fine!)
        NateEag 5y ago
        The Hedge Knight does a wonderful job of contrasting Dunk's pure, steadfast insistence on doing what's right and upholding a knight's duty no matter the cost with the selfish meaningless insanity of the political machinations around him. I was really excited to dig into the whole series based on how well the author pulled different elements together into that overall structure. As I worked through the first book, I slowly realized "Oh. This is all about the meaningless sound and fury of political maneuver, backstabbing, and treachery, signifying nothing... along with an overdose of prurience." What would take me pages to do (and hours to revisit the story) is explain in detail all the things that work so well and come together to make The Hedge Knight's overall effect what it is, and then to explain just how much that element is missing in A Game of Thrones. I have absolutely no interest in revisiting A Game of Thrones in order to make this point thoroughly and well, so I doubt I'll ever write a full, detailed explanation of my disappointment.
  - burnished 5y ago
    Something something glass houses something rocks? Or does it no longer matter if you're sufficiently starched and dour? In any case, I enjoyed the attempt to wax poetical. They used fun words and arranged them such that some would even make pretty noises together. You should give it a try some day, it might put a smile on your face. Read a book with a distinct use of language beforehand for inspiration.
    - NateEag 5y ago
      I have tried writing for the sheer love and joy of words many times. I rarely get good results, but I have certainly enjoyed trying. I work hard to avoid fancy words in my writing these years. I value clarity over ornament in most of what I write at present. For dexterous use of language my favorites are probably J. R. R. Tolkien (the only fantasy author who can really write Old High Forsooth reliably well, IMO), P. G. Wodehouse (a true master of comedy, at whose feet Douglas Adams studied), and probably Robin McKinley (see especially her book Beauty). The shallow, negative dismissal was poor behavior on my part. I was applying a standard to the original comment I should probably reserve for published novels, and I was doing it without providing any useful critical feedback, in a cantankerous way. I'm sorry for doing that.
- jallen_dot_dev 5y ago
  I know that and it's fine, when done in moderation. When it's over the top like this it's just tedious to read, and it's not impressive someone has a thesaurus close at hand. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose

This is satire, right? No one actually writes like this? The ending is important and can ruin an otherwise good story. That doesn't mean the rest of the story isn't important.

burnished 5y ago

Oh, this is a tech focused forum so you might not know this, sometimes people take joy in writing and play with the language while otherwise still sharing their real thoughts.

NateEag 5y ago
It'd be nice if someone taking joy in writing was at least acceptably mediocre at wordsmithing.
- the_af 5y ago
  I'm lost. Whose writing are you calling less than mediocre here? GRRM or u/fao_? In both cases I disagree, but in the latter I also think you're out of line and against the etiquette of HN. Be nice.
  - NateEag 5y ago
    I was referring to u/fao_, yes. You're right that it was a shallow dismissal and not a constructive critical comment. I'm sorry for that poor behavior. Thanks for calling me out. For the record, I picked up the first book of ASOIAF after loving GRRM's beautiful novella The Hedge Knight, I believe written for the Legends anthology I discovered it in. I was deeply, profoundly disappointed in it and never touched another book in the series again. It fell so miserably short of The Hedge Knight that I would need multiple pages to fully express my disappointment.
    - the_af 5y ago
      No harm done. Thanks for replying. As for ASOIAF: interesting, could you elaborate? I read The Hedge Knight last (well, the whole Dunk & Egg I mean) and I liked it. I found it to be a compressed, fast-forwarded version of A Game of Thrones. But the style elements and plot devices are all there, and I find them to be mostly the same. What is it that you liked in Hedge Knight but disliked in A Game of Thrones? Was it the supernatural element (dragons, zombies, etc)? (I realize this might be hard to answer, and that's fine!)
      - NateEag 5y ago
        The Hedge Knight does a wonderful job of contrasting Dunk's pure, steadfast insistence on doing what's right and upholding a knight's duty no matter the cost with the selfish meaningless insanity of the political machinations around him. I was really excited to dig into the whole series based on how well the author pulled different elements together into that overall structure. As I worked through the first book, I slowly realized "Oh. This is all about the meaningless sound and fury of political maneuver, backstabbing, and treachery, signifying nothing... along with an overdose of prurience." What would take me pages to do (and hours to revisit the story) is explain in detail all the things that work so well and come together to make The Hedge Knight's overall effect what it is, and then to explain just how much that element is missing in A Game of Thrones. I have absolutely no interest in revisiting A Game of Thrones in order to make this point thoroughly and well, so I doubt I'll ever write a full, detailed explanation of my disappointment.
- burnished 5y ago
  Something something glass houses something rocks? Or does it no longer matter if you're sufficiently starched and dour? In any case, I enjoyed the attempt to wax poetical. They used fun words and arranged them such that some would even make pretty noises together. You should give it a try some day, it might put a smile on your face. Read a book with a distinct use of language beforehand for inspiration.
  - NateEag 5y ago
    I have tried writing for the sheer love and joy of words many times. I rarely get good results, but I have certainly enjoyed trying. I work hard to avoid fancy words in my writing these years. I value clarity over ornament in most of what I write at present. For dexterous use of language my favorites are probably J. R. R. Tolkien (the only fantasy author who can really write Old High Forsooth reliably well, IMO), P. G. Wodehouse (a true master of comedy, at whose feet Douglas Adams studied), and probably Robin McKinley (see especially her book Beauty). The shallow, negative dismissal was poor behavior on my part. I was applying a standard to the original comment I should probably reserve for published novels, and I was doing it without providing any useful critical feedback, in a cantankerous way. I'm sorry for doing that.
jallen_dot_dev 5y ago
I know that and it's fine, when done in moderation. When it's over the top like this it's just tedious to read, and it's not impressive someone has a thesaurus close at hand. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose