|
The worst books you've ever read (pg. 9)
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Joss Weatherby |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
There is never, ever any need to write [Manufacturer] [Model] [Weapon Type] in the middle of an action scene. Any writer of military speculative fiction who writes "He picked up a Talley M72 light anti-tank weapon and fired it at the tank" is a cock-end. |
They don't have to include the manufacturer, thats over the top.
But there is a big difference between "He picked up the M72 LAW", "He picked up the M47 Dragon launcher", and "He picked up the anti-tank weapon".
There is a very intense scene in Larry Bond's Red Phoenix where a infantry commander is being over run by tanks and some of his men begin to flee and he runs over to a fallen AT guy and picks up his law and fires at the tank. The LAW being a pretty ty AT weapon doesn't kill the tank (a T-62 or 72, can't remember) and it turns on him to fire when another LAW smacks it from a soldier who saw the commander charge the tank and helped out, which finally kills it.
If you didn't know the type of weapon he was firing at the tank the scene would have been very confusing. |
|
|
| Meat187 |
Link didn't work for me, but I found this excerpt:
| quote: | | Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passen- core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all's fair in vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a peck of pa's malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface. The fall (bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner- ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur- nuk!) of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early in bed and later on life down through all christian minstrelsy. The great fall of the offwall entailed at such short notice the pftjschute of Finnegan, erse solid man, that the humptyhillhead of humself prumptly sends an unquiring one well to the west in quest of his tumptytumtoes: and their upturnpikepointandplace is at the knock out in the park where oranges have been laid to rust upon the green since dev- linsfirst loved livvy. What clashes here of wills gen wonts, oystrygods gaggin fishy- gods! Brékkek Kékkek Kékkek Kékkek! Kóax Kóax Kóax! Ualu Ualu Ualu! Quaouauh! Where the Baddelaries partisans are still out to mathmaster Malachus Micgranes and the Verdons cata- pelting the camibalistics out of the Whoyteboyce of Hoodie Head. Assiegates and boomeringstroms. |
I lol'd at "penisolate war" but apart from that :wtf: I told you, he was pulling practical jokes and testing how far he can go. :stongue: |
|
|
| Zyklon_Jay |
| la la la la la la live and direct direct *massif reverwbz* *reggae horn* |
|
|
| Tasty Onions |
Yeah, I looked at a few pages of FW once but couldn't make anything of it. Joyce's own brother thought it was a bunch of crap.
 |
|
|
| Elevens |
| Looks like proof of Newspeak to me. What say you, Lira? Or is this post too short? |
|
|
| Sykonee |
| quote: | Originally posted by Joss Weatherby
If you didn't know the type of weapon he was firing at the tank the scene would have been very confusing. |
Then establish what kind of weapons are available before an action scene begins. Like, when your protagonist first arrives at a military compound, and he's looking over supplies.
Say: "Amongst the rocket launchers rested a [tech tech tech]. Colonel Sanders mentioned it being an effective weapon against [tech tech] tanks, should the enemy send any against them."
That way you can short-hand the weapon's name when the protagonist returns to it during an action scene, and the reader doesn't get tripped up by technicalities. |
|
|
| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by malek
That's because I have other to do than waste my time on a ridiculous review... doing so would give you more credit than you really deserve. |
Good, then refrain from voicing your opinion and hurling insults if you've got nothing to add to a given debate. I don't want pages, I want arguments - short, if need be. You failed to say anything about the book, let alone about its contents.
Besides, it's quite hypocritical to say someone's retarded and show no reasoning skills whatsoever. If you want to say someone's dumb, make sure you don't look dumber.
| quote: | Originally posted by Elevens
hahaha
Well I agree with you, if Lira requires people to post lengthy things, that is pretty ridiculous. Is he a mod though? And does he have a list of these rules/requirements for the forum somewhere? |
Yes, I'm a mod, but these rules, of course, are nothing but a fantasy of Malek's head. He's just angry someone disagreed with him, it seems.
| quote: | Originally posted by Tasty Onions
It looks like you have just one criticism: that "Newspeak" was unrealistic. Not a lot to respond to, really. |
Precisely, that's pretty much all I can objectively say because it's my area of expertise. Malek, however, seems to believe this requires pages full of counter-arguments.
I'm stunned to see how passionate he can be about that book. |
|
|
| Meat187 |
While I agree that specifying the weapon's model is irrelevant I must say that ARGUING ABOUT IT IS EVEN MORE ING USELESS!!!
99.775 % of readers will not notice or care and when an English professor brought this up I must call him a butthurt idiot who's probably just pissed that something that doesn't follow his cherished literary standards could be so successful. :) |
|
|
| SYSTEM-J |
| quote: | Originally posted by Joss Weatherby
They don't have to include the manufacturer, thats over the top.
But there is a big difference between "He picked up the M72 LAW", "He picked up the M47 Dragon launcher", and "He picked up the anti-tank weapon". |
So write "LAW" or "Dragon" or "M47". You don't need any more than that. Anything more is gun porn fetishism. |
|
|
| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Elevens
Looks like proof of Newspeak to me. What say you, Lira? Or is this post too short? |
No, it's fine. I didn't see any Newspeak, and I've never seen you before either. Who are you? |
|
|
| SYSTEM-J |
| quote: | Originally posted by Meat187
While I agree that specifying the weapon's model is irrelevant I must say that ARGUING ABOUT IT IS EVEN MORE ING USELESS!!!
99.775 % of readers will not notice or care and when an English professor brought this up I must call him a butthurt idiot who's probably just pissed that something that doesn't follow his cherished literary standards could be so successful. :) |
A brief summary of the stupidity in this post:
1. Once again, you haven't read what you're discussing. An English professor didn't bring it up.
2. "You're just jealous".
3. "Who cares about glaring plot holes? It's only a movie."
4. "What's the point of discussing things on an Internet discussion board?" It's a thread about bad writing, .
But let me guess: I TROLL U.
 |
|
|
| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Meat187
Stop it malek, trolling Lira is my ing job! :mad: |
You're entertaining when you do it though, don't worry - you can keep your job :D |
|
|
|
|
