Three writerly ninja moves I've collected this week.
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I make a note whenever I see a crafty sentence or sequence in a book. Collecting these trinkets sort of feels like I'm playing Zelda. I'm hoping they osmose into my brain, or maybe I can trade them for a potion down the line.
Here are my three faves from this week from my current read: Roberth Galbraith's Career of Evil (book 3 of 5 of the Cormoran Strike series).
Example #1: The Jump Cut
The Jump Cut is a term I heard recently about how writers can do the kind of thing you see in movies--just cut from one scene to the next. This is a mini-example how Galbraith kind of uses a trick to just skip us ahead. It's not a large jump but makes all the difference and somehow jumps in a way that skips over the small talk yet still feels like we experienced the whole thing.
In this scene Strike is being walked down the hallway by his army buddy, Hardacre at their old office where he has gone to meet him. Upon arriving he is getting some attention from former colleagues due to recently being in the newspaper.
A short-haired blonde in a pin-striped suit approached, going in the opposite direction:
"Strike."
He did not recognize her immediately.
"Emma Daniels. Catterick, 2002," she said with a grin. "You called our Staff Sergeant a negligent twat."
"Oh yea," he said, while Hardacre sniggered. "he was. "You've had your hair cut."
"And you've got famous."
A pale young man in shirtsleeves put his head out of an office further down the corridor, interested in the conversation.
"Gotta get on, Emma," said Hardacre briskly. "Knew they'd be interested if they saw you," he told Strike, once he had ushered the private detective into his office and close the door behind them.
What I like about line 8 is how Hardacre delivers that last to Strike from within his office with the door closed and then Galbraith replays the action that just happened to get them there. I feel like that writing trick is drawing on the same psychology as when you walk into a deli or something with a busy line and the guy behind the counter acknowledges you right away, says 'just a minute' or something. I never have a problem waiting after that. But standing there without being acknowledged, that really makes my blood boil. Like reading boring prose.
Example #2: The Really Succinct Paragraph
This is a unique and masterful paragraph that I have never seen before. It ends with Robin and Strike going into a store buying some food and leaving all in one sentence, all in a way I would have never thought of doing.
There were sitting i the parked Land Rover, eating fish and chips a short distance from the Olympic Takeaway. Its bright windows intensified the surrounding darkness. Silhouettes passed regularly across the rectangles of light, metamorphosed into three-dimensional humans as they entered the bustling chip shop, and turned back into shadows as they left.
Example #3: Somebody's Drunk
This one is Strike finding Robin a bit tipsy in a pub. He starts the conversation:
"I think you need something to eat."
'That's 'zacktly what I said to you," Robin replied, "that night when. you were...and we ended up having a kebab—and I do not," she said with dignity, "want a kebab."
"Well," said Strike, "y'know, it's London. We can probably find you something that isn't a kebab."
"I like crisps."
I think we can all relate to that scene.
And on that note, it's Friday.
Your pal,
Charlie
Have some thoughts? Feel free to drop a comment or hit me up: charlie@charleskunken.com
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