Action/Adventure: January 21, 2009 Issue [#2834] |
Action/Adventure
This week: Edited by: Vivian More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
I tried to watch a show on television the other night and finally turned it off. The action was too much and too unbelievable.
|
ASIN: 1542722411 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
|
|
Action ! Action ! Action !
Action and adventure are needed in most writings so that the reader will stay interested. However, what if it’s too much, impossible? Any mature, discriminate reader will laugh or frown and leave the book or story or show. Let’s look at the plot of the show I tried to watch recently. In the twenty minutes I endured:
The hero fought four bad guys, and was winning, until another villain whacked him in the head with a 2 by 4, knocking the hero partially unconscious. As he lay on the ground, dazed, the other men left him with the prints of their shoes in his side and on his back. The man fought unconsciousness, crawled to a dumpster, and pulled himself to his feet.
As the protagonist struggled to get into his car, a shot rang out, and the poor man was slammed against the fender, a hole in his shoulder and blood pouring from the wound. He dodged behind the car, held his hand over the gunshot hole, and closed his eyes. “Wish I had my gun,” he muttered.
When no other shots came his way, the hero managed to get behind the wheel and drive to his girlfriend’s, who just happened to be a doctor. As she removed the bullet and bandaged his wounds, Girl-doctor told him he had to take care, that he wasn’t invincible.
The glass windows to the balcony crashed inward, and a man clothed in black, from his head to his feet, faced the couple, a knife in hand. The doctor screamed and scurried behind the couch (at least she had sense enough to take her cell phone with her and to call for help). The hero stumbles to his feet, grabs a pillow from the couch, and prepares to meet the antagonist with the knife. During the fight, our wounded hero is stabbed, but he still manages to disarm the attacker and knock him to the floor. He sits on the villain until the police arrive.
Huh? That was just too much. I changed channels.
When is too much too much? I could take any of the scenes and suspend belief enough to accept them in the plot, but all three, one on top of the other? Please.
When we write anything with action and/or adventure, we need to be sure that readers can accept our plot and subplots as possible. Maybe they aren’t exactly plausible, but they need to be at least possible. Hmm … that advice is good advice to follow with any type writing.
|
Writings from W.Com
The following items were requested by either the authors or by others to be included.
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
ASIN: B01FST8A90 |
Product Type: Toys & Games
|
Amazon's Price: $ 24.95
|
|
ASIN: B0CJKJMTPD |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction
of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright. |