Turkey City HF?

[annis]

Maybe I’m just becoming a Grumpy Old Woman, but recently several HF novels I’ve read (or tried to read) have driven me to distraction.

The curse of the spell-check (valid word, wrong meaning), bad grammar, compulsive over-adjectivity syndrome (yep, made that one up :)) and downright clunky writing have near as dammit led me to major wall-banging tanties at times.

Worst of all is the increasing appearance of what is known in SF as the “As you know, Bob (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AsYouKnow)” (AYKB) technique - clumsy info-dumps where one character turns to another and apropos of nothing proceeds to lecture him at length on a subject he would already be familiar with. (Terry Pratchett has labelled the fantasy version the “As you know, your father, the king-- “ technique) Solitary characters can also use this technique through extended soliloquy –the “Well, here I am--“ approach. This technique can have its place, but shouldn’t jump out at the reader in a jarring way.

I’m wondering if it should be compulsory for HF writers to study the Turkey City Lexicon before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard.) This hilarious dictionary of SF tropes to be avoided could also have quite a bit of relevance for modern historical novelists.

The Turkey City Lexicon
http://www.otherworlds.net/turkey.htm

[LoveHistory]

That was funny! Battos are my favorite.

[Michy]

Where are the editors? Aren't they supposed to encourage/force their authors to get rid of clumsy writing such as you describe?

[cw gortner]

That Turkey Lexicon site is hilarious! God, I hope I don't act like this in my writing; I'm double-checking my current manuscript for any of these. I loved the Plot Coupons - being an ex-avid fantasy reader, that is SO true!

[Margaret]

Great site, Annis! I'll forgive most of these writerly sins if the story is interesting and they only crop up occasionally here and there. But most (not all) of the self-pubbed novels I have read layer them on so that each page contains multiple examples. What makes them exceptionally unforgivable is when the author responds to a review pointing out the most egregious of these problems by writing the reviewer an outraged email saying he wrote the novel this way intentionally in order to achieve a certain effect (for example, he wanted the reader to feel confused), and the reviewer (obviously a complete idiot) has missed the whole point of the novel. Or to say, well, yes the first 23 chapters about the main character's childhood may be a bit of an info-dump, but the rest of the novel is really great, and you ought not to judge the whole novel by the first 23 chapters. This is why I no longer review self-pubbed novels.

[annis]

You're quite right, Margaret. If a story is written well and grips the reader, use of these techniques is unlikely to be an annoyance. The real issue is not writers using these particular techniques, but how subtle they are about it. I don't have an objection to the "As you know, Bob" technique as such, for example - it can work well if used judiciously so that it blends into the storyline. If the reader notices it is being used, you'd have to say that it's probably a reflection on the author's level of skill at the craft of writing. (And this definitely does not apply to you, CW! :))

[Misfit]

Hehe, you remind me of Michele's review (http://readersrespite.blogspot.com/2010/06/egads.html) of Weir's Captive Queen.

[EC2]

Hehe, you remind me of Michele's review (http://readersrespite.blogspot.com/2010/06/egads.html) of Weir's Captive Queen.

I thought that too - strangely enough!

[annis]

Lol! Fun review :) From the bits quoted in Michele's review I'd say that AW could certainly take the Turkey City Lexicon to heart. I spotted several TCL no-nos in just those few quotes.

[LoveHistory]

It just occurred to me that I need to bookmark that site for research purposes. I'm going to include as many of those as I can in my bad romance novels. :D

[Kveto from Prague]

very good stuff, Annis. Should be required reading for all novelists:-)

[annis]

Warning, though, Keny-- once you've read the Turkey City Lexicon your brain goes on "turkey alert" and you spot them everywhere :)

I've just come across a "lacriform* gem" in the book I'm currently reading and thinking- "uh-oh, Roget's Disease turkey alert":
The ludicrous overuse of far-fetched adjectives, piled into a festering, fungal, tenebrous, troglodytic, ichorous, leprous, synonymic heap

*(Why not use "tear-drop shaped"?)

[Kveto from Prague]

Warning, though, Keny-- once you've read the Turkey City Lexicon your brain goes on "turkey alert" and you spot them everywhere :)

"?)

i was just thinking that.

as this list was written with SF in mind, i was thinking it might be interesting for us to come up with our own list of Turkeys with HF in mind.

for instance, i dont know a good name for it, but when a well known historical personage makes a cameo type appearance which does not advance the plot in the least. just a "hey, look who it is!" like a cameo in a film. ie could also work with a famous historical event.

thomas a beckets appearance in "pillars of the earth" felt like a cameo to me.

[annis]

The Marquee Historical Figure Red Herring "turkey", maybe? :)