As anticipated in a previous writing post, Savage is so brilliant and inspiring that, with her works, she elicits many questions about her writing process. She's also extra kind and thorough in her answers! This time we can discuss the chapter structure and, in particular, we are going to focus on chapter title, ending and start:
- chapter title: Savage uses a similar structure for her titles; e.g. in her story Unexpected Circumstances, the first three chapters are:
1. Covertly Strike
2. Guardedly Celebrate
3. Timidly Endeavor
what can you notice?
- chapter ending: let's read the first three chapters of another story by Savage, Hide and Drink; these are the endings:
1. So much for being a gentleman.
2. So much for trust.
3. So much for indifference.
Again, what can you notice?
- "miniteaser"; before every chapter, Savage inserts a sentence, taken from the chapter, itself, that will be explained only by the complete chapter. I called them "miniteasers", although they remind also the subheads that are used in journalism. Let's read again the first three chapters of Unespected Circumstances; their "miniteasers" are:
- "I offer as your prize," King Aro said, "the hand of any available maid in my Kingdom."
- I had just married this man, and I hadn't even known the color of his hair.
- "Why would I choose a useless wife?"
Who is talking?
What's happening?
Savage is ready to answer all these questions and much more:
As a writer, how do you choose your titles?
As a reader, does the chapter structure influence your reading experience?
As usual, your comments are welcome!
I feel compelled to write something about Savage in general, not so much about her wonderful fiction or her techniques (The idea of the mini cliffhanger is great, though, if it is not copyrighted I may copy it). No, I want to say something about the fact that her story “Could be worse, right?” has been pulled out from ff net. By the site managers, abruptly and with no explanations (which is ridiculous – if one has erred, one-she should be told the reason, so the error is not repeated). This has happened before to other authors, on obscenity grounds – theoretically - but only to stories that were very successful. I think this is fishy, that it is done not to protect the audiences’ innocence, but out of envy.
ReplyDeleteThere are “Hate Brigades” operating on ff net, harassing some authors all the time, and the site managers give them free rein, allowing them to continue the witch hunt. What side are them on, the one of bona fide readers or that of a few despicable, hidden creeps?
Savage’s story was not particularly full of lemons, quite the contrary (Surely M and not MA). The issue of buying a sex slave is a terrible issue, but the hero of the story is repenting, in fact he is having an ethical revolution. He is a gangster, and so there are violent scenes in the story (but nobody is killed who did not deserve punishment.). There is a problem of morality, if you will, but nothing that has not been addressed by many other stories, starting with Edward Cullen’s vigilante years.
I would like to address those mysterious “powers that be” on ff net, passing out life and death sentences over stories, and ask them if they realize how wrongly they behave, not accepting dialogue and discussion, just deciding like they are like self appointed gods.
In any case “Could be worse, right?” can still be read on Savage’s blog
http://shaysavage-cbwr.blogspot.com/
Camilla
Thank you on your comment, Camilla!
ReplyDeleteAs I said also on the twilighted thread, I believe that everyone should read all the message (in this case, the story) before judging. Savage's story has been judged (and badly judged) without giving the author the opportunity to post her whole message. I guess that every reader, if (s)he actually reads CBWR, can notice that it's a very different story than what someone suspected basing on its first chapters.
- Raum
Love Savage's methods! Hide and Drink actually made me physically cringe in the most delicious was, no other fic has done that...its so great that she participates here!
ReplyDeleteI too am very confused about ffn's methods. So many stories on the site that violate those crazy guidelines and the ones taken off are hardly the worst offenders. CBWR...I think the only sex for most of it was oral...there's another fic on ffn...a very serious one about sex slaves that is much more graphic, excellent writing, extremely tough to read, taken from real life accounts...why take Shay's down? Lighten up the guidelines and let the readers decide...
Hi ContentedTwiCow!
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment!
- Raum (without answers about FF's methods...)