Epilogue
I've been thinking a long time about what I'm going to do after I finish with Mistborn. I've already begun reading a book about plot structure. I began it a while ago, and I've been starting to dive in since finishing Mistborn.
Now, I've really enjoyed this analysis of Mistborn. It's been hard to stick to at times, but now that I'm at the end, I'm glad I did. Sure, I missed some of the beauty of the story, but I've gained a lot more understanding for my own projects. I don't think I'll be doing another in-depth analysis right away, but I do plan to do another one at some point. I'm thinking I may go with a book I've already read-- particularly if I decide to do it chapter by chapter again. If I do a new book, though, I think I'll stick with less frequent entries and not limit how much I can read on any given day.
For now, my plan is to take a week off and then return on Mondays, starting August 20. I think I'll have a short portion on what I've been reading as well as my inexperienced analysis of story writing. This is really all just beginning for me.
On to the Spoilers:
Showing posts with label Mistborn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mistborn. Show all posts
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 39
Chapter 38
I think climaxes are the second most important part of a book. I'd put the story-opener as the most important because I know how many people only give a book a small chance to grab them before they try something else. And I may be inclined to agree with them because there are so many books now, and with self-published e-books, there are tons and tons more. So, the opening is absolutely vital.
But the climax, that's what stays with the reader more than anything-- the ending that sounds in their mental ears whenever they think back or discuss the book with others. It's not that an explosive climax can overcome a horribly dull story, but it certainly can turn a mediocre tale into a memorable one. And part of the reason to write is to be memorable.
Let's get on to the Spoilers:
I think climaxes are the second most important part of a book. I'd put the story-opener as the most important because I know how many people only give a book a small chance to grab them before they try something else. And I may be inclined to agree with them because there are so many books now, and with self-published e-books, there are tons and tons more. So, the opening is absolutely vital.
But the climax, that's what stays with the reader more than anything-- the ending that sounds in their mental ears whenever they think back or discuss the book with others. It's not that an explosive climax can overcome a horribly dull story, but it certainly can turn a mediocre tale into a memorable one. And part of the reason to write is to be memorable.
Let's get on to the Spoilers:
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 38
Chapter 37
Payoff is a pretty tall order for any writer, and now that I'm practically at the end of Mistborn, I've started to consider the challenge. Even with an extensive beta-readership, I think it must be one of the most difficult parts of a novel. I imagine Brandon likely spent a great deal of time considering and working his ending to provide the best possible payoff. But even with some feedback, there's no way to ensure the payoff is sufficient for every future reader.
I think the better measure of whether there is sufficient payoff is not in how each thread is wrapped up, but the percentage of threads that are wrapped up. I'm not referring to things that are preserved for a sequel-- I'm referring to just the things that tie into the plot and arc of the story.
Take the game Mass Effect 3, for example. There were a lot of people who were completely dissatisfied with the ending of that game because they disagreed with how it ended. Personally, I liked the way it ended because of how many threads were actually tied in and wrapped up. Certainly, it was not a perfect story, but I measured more by the sheer number of payoffs and not the quality of the final scene. For me, the payoffs in a story begin as the final climax starts it's climb. I think for those who disliked ME3, they looked only at the final scenes, not the final climax as a whole.
That's the view I'm taking with Mistborn-- it's not just the final chapter, payoffs can happen, even just in part, right now.
So let's move on to Mistborn spoilers:
Payoff is a pretty tall order for any writer, and now that I'm practically at the end of Mistborn, I've started to consider the challenge. Even with an extensive beta-readership, I think it must be one of the most difficult parts of a novel. I imagine Brandon likely spent a great deal of time considering and working his ending to provide the best possible payoff. But even with some feedback, there's no way to ensure the payoff is sufficient for every future reader.
I think the better measure of whether there is sufficient payoff is not in how each thread is wrapped up, but the percentage of threads that are wrapped up. I'm not referring to things that are preserved for a sequel-- I'm referring to just the things that tie into the plot and arc of the story.
Take the game Mass Effect 3, for example. There were a lot of people who were completely dissatisfied with the ending of that game because they disagreed with how it ended. Personally, I liked the way it ended because of how many threads were actually tied in and wrapped up. Certainly, it was not a perfect story, but I measured more by the sheer number of payoffs and not the quality of the final scene. For me, the payoffs in a story begin as the final climax starts it's climb. I think for those who disliked ME3, they looked only at the final scenes, not the final climax as a whole.
That's the view I'm taking with Mistborn-- it's not just the final chapter, payoffs can happen, even just in part, right now.
So let's move on to Mistborn spoilers:
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 37
Chapter 36
It's all spoilers today. This close to the end, it's hard for it to be otherwise. Enjoy
It's all spoilers today. This close to the end, it's hard for it to be otherwise. Enjoy
Monday, August 6, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 36
Chapter 35
Welcome back. It's my final week with Mistborn. I've decided that after this week, I'm going to take a break from such frequent posts, after daily for nearly eight weeks, I'm a bit worn, and I need to devote more time to my work in progress. This has been a good experience for me, and I'll likely do it again for another book in the future. Of course, I'll probably change the way I approach it next time, perhaps less-frequent posts that focus on larger chunks of text, or something along those lines. But for now, let's just dive into the beginning of the end of this book.
On to the spoilers:
Welcome back. It's my final week with Mistborn. I've decided that after this week, I'm going to take a break from such frequent posts, after daily for nearly eight weeks, I'm a bit worn, and I need to devote more time to my work in progress. This has been a good experience for me, and I'll likely do it again for another book in the future. Of course, I'll probably change the way I approach it next time, perhaps less-frequent posts that focus on larger chunks of text, or something along those lines. But for now, let's just dive into the beginning of the end of this book.
On to the spoilers:
Friday, August 3, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 35
Chapter 34
I think I made the right choice to keep reading. I don't think this chapter would have had much meaning without the carryover from the previous chapter. And with it being the end of a section, it's a nice place to take a weekend. Next week will be my last week with Mistborn. There are four more chapters left, and I think I'll do a wrap-up post on Friday. Then, who knows. I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do. Probably take a bit of a break.
Anyway, this is basically all spoilers (pretty big ones, so click through at your own risk):
I think I made the right choice to keep reading. I don't think this chapter would have had much meaning without the carryover from the previous chapter. And with it being the end of a section, it's a nice place to take a weekend. Next week will be my last week with Mistborn. There are four more chapters left, and I think I'll do a wrap-up post on Friday. Then, who knows. I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do. Probably take a bit of a break.
Anyway, this is basically all spoilers (pretty big ones, so click through at your own risk):
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 34
Chapter 33
Well, this chapter has decided it for me: I'm going to go ahead and read more than a chapter each day, though I will keep to my schedule for posting. I won't go into the details until the spoiler section, but I think this is for the best, both for my enjoyment of the story and for allowing the story's pace to better dictate my reading (which will hopefully overcome the issue I've had up until this point). If I do this kind of an analysis again, I don't know how I'll approach it, but I think doing it this way for the last week will help me know if it's a better way to approach it.
On to the spoilers:
Well, this chapter has decided it for me: I'm going to go ahead and read more than a chapter each day, though I will keep to my schedule for posting. I won't go into the details until the spoiler section, but I think this is for the best, both for my enjoyment of the story and for allowing the story's pace to better dictate my reading (which will hopefully overcome the issue I've had up until this point). If I do this kind of an analysis again, I don't know how I'll approach it, but I think doing it this way for the last week will help me know if it's a better way to approach it.
On to the spoilers:
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 33
Chapter 32
Getting closer and closer to the end of the story, I find it difficult to not just sit down and finish the book. Normally, as I near the end of a book, I'll devote an evening or two to finishing it. I think that's a pretty common occurrence among readers, and it really helps build the momentum toward the final climax. I'm a bit concerned that the ending won't be very big for me because of my reading schedule. I'm considering reading and scheduling chapter posts for one each day, but letting myself continue to read. That way, I'll keep to my posting schedule, but still be able to maintain cohesion for the ending. I'll see how it goes for the next few chapters.
On to the spoilers
Getting closer and closer to the end of the story, I find it difficult to not just sit down and finish the book. Normally, as I near the end of a book, I'll devote an evening or two to finishing it. I think that's a pretty common occurrence among readers, and it really helps build the momentum toward the final climax. I'm a bit concerned that the ending won't be very big for me because of my reading schedule. I'm considering reading and scheduling chapter posts for one each day, but letting myself continue to read. That way, I'll keep to my posting schedule, but still be able to maintain cohesion for the ending. I'll see how it goes for the next few chapters.
On to the spoilers
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 32
Chapter 31
Brandon Sanderson has said that most of the time, the limitations of a magic system are far more interesting than what it can do. I wholeheartedly agree with that, particularly with the system he's created for Mistborn. I don't want to delve into spoiler territory, but Allomancy is one of the most structured and systematic bits of magic I've ever encountered. And it just gets better the further into the story I read. I don't know how much time he spend developing and refining this system, but I suspect it was a long time. And the best part about setting up specific limitations for magic, is when there is a character who is able to bend those limitations, even just a little, to get an edge. Whether it's through pure strength in the magic, or through cunning and intellect, bent (though not broken) limitation can be equally fascinating.
On to the spoilers:
Brandon Sanderson has said that most of the time, the limitations of a magic system are far more interesting than what it can do. I wholeheartedly agree with that, particularly with the system he's created for Mistborn. I don't want to delve into spoiler territory, but Allomancy is one of the most structured and systematic bits of magic I've ever encountered. And it just gets better the further into the story I read. I don't know how much time he spend developing and refining this system, but I suspect it was a long time. And the best part about setting up specific limitations for magic, is when there is a character who is able to bend those limitations, even just a little, to get an edge. Whether it's through pure strength in the magic, or through cunning and intellect, bent (though not broken) limitation can be equally fascinating.
On to the spoilers:
Monday, July 30, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 31
Chapter 30
I previously discussed the ramifications of choosing character points of view. But I've realized another that I wish to bring up. Points of view show that the events happening are vital to the story. It sets up an expectation that there will be a pay off regarding what occurs during that time, whether actual events or simply the thoughts portrayed by the character. Not every setup/pay off needs to occur immediately, but I think the larger the set up or the more severe the character shift, the sooner or larger the pay off needs to be. It's like taking a loan-- the longer you hold on to the money, the more you'll have to pay back at the end; likewise, the more money you borrow, the more you pay back in interest.
So, when considering additional points of view, I think its vital to realize that it increases the expected pay off when it does come.
On to the spoilers:
I previously discussed the ramifications of choosing character points of view. But I've realized another that I wish to bring up. Points of view show that the events happening are vital to the story. It sets up an expectation that there will be a pay off regarding what occurs during that time, whether actual events or simply the thoughts portrayed by the character. Not every setup/pay off needs to occur immediately, but I think the larger the set up or the more severe the character shift, the sooner or larger the pay off needs to be. It's like taking a loan-- the longer you hold on to the money, the more you'll have to pay back at the end; likewise, the more money you borrow, the more you pay back in interest.
So, when considering additional points of view, I think its vital to realize that it increases the expected pay off when it does come.
On to the spoilers:
Friday, July 27, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 30
Chapter 29
According to my kindle, I'm about three-fourths through the book, and I'm just finishing up my sixth week. There are 38 chapters, so I'm really coming down to the end of the story, and the end of this journaling process. I'm not sure what I'll do next, but I've got a little under two weeks to figure that out. It's Friday, so I'm going to keep this entry a bit short. Go enjoy the weekend!
Onto the spoilers:
According to my kindle, I'm about three-fourths through the book, and I'm just finishing up my sixth week. There are 38 chapters, so I'm really coming down to the end of the story, and the end of this journaling process. I'm not sure what I'll do next, but I've got a little under two weeks to figure that out. It's Friday, so I'm going to keep this entry a bit short. Go enjoy the weekend!
Onto the spoilers:
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 29
Chapter 28
Point of view is a vital part of any story. It fuels the emotion of the scene and can add insights to help the reader. The trouble with point of view is that it needs to be honest-- to have a character lie to the reader from their own view is tantamount to having the character lie to themselves. Now, there are times when this may be valuable-- if the character has a mental issue, for example-- but most of the time, I think the character who's holding the viewpoint needs to be honest with the reader.
When a story has only a couple of points of view (or less), this doesn't present much of an issue for keeping secrets from the reader-- you just have to make sure the few characters whose views are in play do not know it. As soon as you start expanding the list of viewpoint characters, it becomes a more difficult matter. Of course, this can also serve to dispel suspicion of a character, by showing their viewpoint the readers will stop thinking of them as hiding something with respect to the scene.
On to the spoilers:
Point of view is a vital part of any story. It fuels the emotion of the scene and can add insights to help the reader. The trouble with point of view is that it needs to be honest-- to have a character lie to the reader from their own view is tantamount to having the character lie to themselves. Now, there are times when this may be valuable-- if the character has a mental issue, for example-- but most of the time, I think the character who's holding the viewpoint needs to be honest with the reader.
When a story has only a couple of points of view (or less), this doesn't present much of an issue for keeping secrets from the reader-- you just have to make sure the few characters whose views are in play do not know it. As soon as you start expanding the list of viewpoint characters, it becomes a more difficult matter. Of course, this can also serve to dispel suspicion of a character, by showing their viewpoint the readers will stop thinking of them as hiding something with respect to the scene.
On to the spoilers:
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 28
Chapter 27
In the most recent Writing Excuses episode, there is mention of the scene-sequel format for maintaining tension while giving the readers a moment of respite between events. While I've referred to something similar, this format actually holds a different purpose, I believe, than the simple peaks and valleys. The scene-sequel format is more about giving the readers and the character time to reflect on the tension that just occurred and get set for the next wave. Yes, this equates to a valley, but the scene-sequel implies a greater connection between the scenes.
Of further interest from the same Writing Excuses episode, Brandon mentions that taking some of his most highly charged scenes and separating them from the build-up would make them melodramatic. This is something similar to what I've been experiencing with my restrictions on a chapter each day. Much of the emotional power is lost in the walls of time between the chapters. This is probably the thing I've repeated most through this experience, but I found it interesting to hear Brandon mention it himself.
On to the spoilers:
It's very clear that this is a bit of a scene-sequel chapter. Yeah, we get to some new and interesting stuff by the end, but it certainly opens on the characters' reflections on the killings from the previous chapter. Then Vin and Kelsier go to meet Marsh. I don't know how important that meeting was. Sure, the information about the Soothing stations was vital to their eventual progress, and it was good to be in touch with Marsh, as he tends to fall off the grid of the storyline.
What interested me most was Vin learning the use of gold in Allomancy. I'm not sure if it will come into play in any significant way, but I hope it does. I don't really know how it could, but the idea of seeing the different possible pasts is one I enjoy. I hope to see it come into play in some way, other than to just round out the Allomantic balance.
See you tomorrow. Happy reading.
Jameson
In the most recent Writing Excuses episode, there is mention of the scene-sequel format for maintaining tension while giving the readers a moment of respite between events. While I've referred to something similar, this format actually holds a different purpose, I believe, than the simple peaks and valleys. The scene-sequel format is more about giving the readers and the character time to reflect on the tension that just occurred and get set for the next wave. Yes, this equates to a valley, but the scene-sequel implies a greater connection between the scenes.
Of further interest from the same Writing Excuses episode, Brandon mentions that taking some of his most highly charged scenes and separating them from the build-up would make them melodramatic. This is something similar to what I've been experiencing with my restrictions on a chapter each day. Much of the emotional power is lost in the walls of time between the chapters. This is probably the thing I've repeated most through this experience, but I found it interesting to hear Brandon mention it himself.
On to the spoilers:
It's very clear that this is a bit of a scene-sequel chapter. Yeah, we get to some new and interesting stuff by the end, but it certainly opens on the characters' reflections on the killings from the previous chapter. Then Vin and Kelsier go to meet Marsh. I don't know how important that meeting was. Sure, the information about the Soothing stations was vital to their eventual progress, and it was good to be in touch with Marsh, as he tends to fall off the grid of the storyline.
What interested me most was Vin learning the use of gold in Allomancy. I'm not sure if it will come into play in any significant way, but I hope it does. I don't really know how it could, but the idea of seeing the different possible pasts is one I enjoy. I hope to see it come into play in some way, other than to just round out the Allomantic balance.
See you tomorrow. Happy reading.
Jameson
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 27
Chapter 26
There's a lot that I've read and heard about making sure to include a variety of senses in your writing. We experience life through all the senses available to us, and the more that are included in a scene, the more drawn in the reader can become. I agree with that point. But I think there's also something to be said for truly powerful visuals. When I think of some of my favorite stories, I think of the vision I had as I read it. Only rarely do I think of the sounds or scents that were portrayed in the story. Most of the time it's about the visuals. Certainly, the visual aspects of a scene should not be so encompassing as to overtake the other senses-- they should be there, too, as long as they build the scene and do not hamper its effect.
While the smell of rotting flesh or the sounds of vultures on a battlefield may be an important aspect when surveying the scene afterward, in the heat of the fighting, a brief whiff of death or the crack of a skull may actually detract from the scene. Of course, those things could also enhance the scene-- it all depends on what the purpose of the scene is. It seems having a point to each scene is pretty important to help weed out or add in other senses as needed.
On to the spoilers:
There's a lot that I've read and heard about making sure to include a variety of senses in your writing. We experience life through all the senses available to us, and the more that are included in a scene, the more drawn in the reader can become. I agree with that point. But I think there's also something to be said for truly powerful visuals. When I think of some of my favorite stories, I think of the vision I had as I read it. Only rarely do I think of the sounds or scents that were portrayed in the story. Most of the time it's about the visuals. Certainly, the visual aspects of a scene should not be so encompassing as to overtake the other senses-- they should be there, too, as long as they build the scene and do not hamper its effect.
While the smell of rotting flesh or the sounds of vultures on a battlefield may be an important aspect when surveying the scene afterward, in the heat of the fighting, a brief whiff of death or the crack of a skull may actually detract from the scene. Of course, those things could also enhance the scene-- it all depends on what the purpose of the scene is. It seems having a point to each scene is pretty important to help weed out or add in other senses as needed.
On to the spoilers:
Monday, July 23, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 26
Chapter 25
This chapter ends the third of five parts to the story. I'm getting so deep that unless there's a clear literary or authorial point that I can find, there's not much I can discuss spoiler-free. And I'm trying to be careful about the points I draw because I don't want to even hint at things that could lead to spoilers. So, I've got to be careful.
Today, I'm going to stick to a review of my little project here. I'm now five weeks in and over halfway. I didn't realize how much effort this was going to take, but I'm glad I'm doing it. First off, I have a really hard time with consistency, but this has helped me with that. True, sometimes I write an entry a bit early, but I've made sure to have an entry every weekday, just as I planned. More than once, I've thought that it would be okay to just let a day slip, but I remind myself that I made this a goal and it's out there for anyone to find, whether I succeed or whether I fail. And that keeps me going. It's not about readership, it's about meeting my goal for myself. And so far, it's going pretty well. My next goal is to apply this kind of consistency to my current work in progress.
Onto some spoilers:
Well, at first glance it appears that my thoughts from the previous chapter are incorrect. After Kelsier and Vin run to the battle, which turned out to be a long distance away, not just at the other end of the city, they found most of the army dead-- including Yeden. They go to find any left in the caves and there Kelsier meets the same old man from the prologue, Mennis. I was really happy to find him tied back into the story. I don't really care if this is the only time we see him again, I just liked the tie-in.
This is certainly building into an actual setback for the plan, and the fact that the end of the chapter was in Kelsier's view and he didn't mention his other plan leads me to believe that it wasn't part of his plan. There's still a skeptical part of me that wants to believe that Brandon is trying to just cover it up somehow, but I can't really see how right now.
So far in the story, there have been a few setbacks to the plan-- Vin's injury is probably the most prominent so far, plus the low recruitment numbers, and now the majority of the army is wiped out. And with Yeden gone, the question arises about what will happen after Luthadel is captured (I'm still sure that they'll capture the city one way or another). The plan was for Yeden to be in charge of setting up the new government, but with him gone, the question of who will take his place becomes fairly big in my mind. I don't expect that question to be addressed very soon-- I bet their minds will be on what to do without an army-- but I hope they get to it soon.
More tomorrow. Happy reading.
Jameson
This chapter ends the third of five parts to the story. I'm getting so deep that unless there's a clear literary or authorial point that I can find, there's not much I can discuss spoiler-free. And I'm trying to be careful about the points I draw because I don't want to even hint at things that could lead to spoilers. So, I've got to be careful.
Today, I'm going to stick to a review of my little project here. I'm now five weeks in and over halfway. I didn't realize how much effort this was going to take, but I'm glad I'm doing it. First off, I have a really hard time with consistency, but this has helped me with that. True, sometimes I write an entry a bit early, but I've made sure to have an entry every weekday, just as I planned. More than once, I've thought that it would be okay to just let a day slip, but I remind myself that I made this a goal and it's out there for anyone to find, whether I succeed or whether I fail. And that keeps me going. It's not about readership, it's about meeting my goal for myself. And so far, it's going pretty well. My next goal is to apply this kind of consistency to my current work in progress.
Onto some spoilers:
Well, at first glance it appears that my thoughts from the previous chapter are incorrect. After Kelsier and Vin run to the battle, which turned out to be a long distance away, not just at the other end of the city, they found most of the army dead-- including Yeden. They go to find any left in the caves and there Kelsier meets the same old man from the prologue, Mennis. I was really happy to find him tied back into the story. I don't really care if this is the only time we see him again, I just liked the tie-in.
This is certainly building into an actual setback for the plan, and the fact that the end of the chapter was in Kelsier's view and he didn't mention his other plan leads me to believe that it wasn't part of his plan. There's still a skeptical part of me that wants to believe that Brandon is trying to just cover it up somehow, but I can't really see how right now.
So far in the story, there have been a few setbacks to the plan-- Vin's injury is probably the most prominent so far, plus the low recruitment numbers, and now the majority of the army is wiped out. And with Yeden gone, the question arises about what will happen after Luthadel is captured (I'm still sure that they'll capture the city one way or another). The plan was for Yeden to be in charge of setting up the new government, but with him gone, the question of who will take his place becomes fairly big in my mind. I don't expect that question to be addressed very soon-- I bet their minds will be on what to do without an army-- but I hope they get to it soon.
More tomorrow. Happy reading.
Jameson
Friday, July 20, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 25
Chapter 24
Here's the trouble with overthinking a story: you could spoil all the fun. I'm not saying that I've spoiled much of Mistborn for myself-- yet. But I think I'm in the process of doing so.
I used to be a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan. I loved Sixth Sense, and was one of the few to really enjoy Unbreakable. Signs was amazing, and I was really looking forward to The Village. I watched every trailer and spent time thinking of what the surprise ending could be. I considered dozens of possibilities, drawing from other stories I knew. In Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue, there is talk about monsters outside the town that ends up much the same as in the movie. And the big twist regarding where the Village actually resided was something I'd considered as well. And when I finally saw the movie, I was disappointed that I'd out-thought the story twists.
Sometimes it's better to just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Just because you can figure something out, doesn't mean you should. I'm probably ruining my experience with the story of Mistborn with this blog, but I'm learning a ton about the craft of writing. So there's my trade off.
On to the Spoilers:
Here's the trouble with overthinking a story: you could spoil all the fun. I'm not saying that I've spoiled much of Mistborn for myself-- yet. But I think I'm in the process of doing so.
I used to be a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan. I loved Sixth Sense, and was one of the few to really enjoy Unbreakable. Signs was amazing, and I was really looking forward to The Village. I watched every trailer and spent time thinking of what the surprise ending could be. I considered dozens of possibilities, drawing from other stories I knew. In Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue, there is talk about monsters outside the town that ends up much the same as in the movie. And the big twist regarding where the Village actually resided was something I'd considered as well. And when I finally saw the movie, I was disappointed that I'd out-thought the story twists.
Sometimes it's better to just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Just because you can figure something out, doesn't mean you should. I'm probably ruining my experience with the story of Mistborn with this blog, but I'm learning a ton about the craft of writing. So there's my trade off.
On to the Spoilers:
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 23
Chapter 22
There's an element of storytelling that I do enjoy, but find I really enjoy when it is broken. Stories are filled with heroes who reach their goal, overcoming ever-worsening odds, but in the end they are victorious. It's a great part of stories. But it's done so often, the rare moments of utter failure or great sacrifice become that much more precious to me as a reader.
Take Harry Potter. I expected him to die at the end, sacrificing himself to defeat Voldemort. I did not like the 'not-really-dead' sequence. It felt like JK Rowling was trying for a twist ending that wasn't really one-- trying to force emotional reactions that were not really there. Had Harry actually died and stayed dead-- the emotion would have been real. Certainly, not everyone would have been happy with that ending, but I saw it as a lost attempt to show the world that less-than-ideal endings can still be great.
How does this all relate to Mistborn? Spoilers below...
There's an element of storytelling that I do enjoy, but find I really enjoy when it is broken. Stories are filled with heroes who reach their goal, overcoming ever-worsening odds, but in the end they are victorious. It's a great part of stories. But it's done so often, the rare moments of utter failure or great sacrifice become that much more precious to me as a reader.
Take Harry Potter. I expected him to die at the end, sacrificing himself to defeat Voldemort. I did not like the 'not-really-dead' sequence. It felt like JK Rowling was trying for a twist ending that wasn't really one-- trying to force emotional reactions that were not really there. Had Harry actually died and stayed dead-- the emotion would have been real. Certainly, not everyone would have been happy with that ending, but I saw it as a lost attempt to show the world that less-than-ideal endings can still be great.
How does this all relate to Mistborn? Spoilers below...
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 22
Chapter 21
Whenever I read a book and begin to visualize the scenes, I find that I become rather fond of those images-- in fact, the reason I dislike many movie adaptations is that they do not reflect my experience. Nor should they, but it does create a bias in my mind. Often when a story suddenly reveals something that thwarts my original image, I feel annoyed.
But not this time.
It's a small thing that was revealed, and I doubt it carries much weight with other readers, but it does for me. It's got some spoilers, so you'll have to click past to see them.
Whenever I read a book and begin to visualize the scenes, I find that I become rather fond of those images-- in fact, the reason I dislike many movie adaptations is that they do not reflect my experience. Nor should they, but it does create a bias in my mind. Often when a story suddenly reveals something that thwarts my original image, I feel annoyed.
But not this time.
It's a small thing that was revealed, and I doubt it carries much weight with other readers, but it does for me. It's got some spoilers, so you'll have to click past to see them.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Mistborn Liveblog 21
Chapter 20
Today's post is going to be short. I've been thinking about character foils recently, and I've been trying to identify them in this book. At first, I thought Dockson was Kelsier's foil, but I'm not so sure any more. I think there's a better foil in a different character. Vin's got her brother's voice as a foil, but I'm starting to wonder if there's some part of her and Kelsier that are foils of each other. I've not found it yet-- Kelsier having a far more direct and powerful foil-- but I'd really like to see it.
On to some spoilers:
Today's post is going to be short. I've been thinking about character foils recently, and I've been trying to identify them in this book. At first, I thought Dockson was Kelsier's foil, but I'm not so sure any more. I think there's a better foil in a different character. Vin's got her brother's voice as a foil, but I'm starting to wonder if there's some part of her and Kelsier that are foils of each other. I've not found it yet-- Kelsier having a far more direct and powerful foil-- but I'd really like to see it.
On to some spoilers:
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