在bb电子的博客创意写作练习系列的第四部分中， 创意写作文学士(荣誉) 课程领导 杰克·麦高恩博士 talks to us about creating ‘种并行’ 而且 its ability to help us overcome writer’s block.
本节课将介绍 种并行: all the elements of publication that exist alongside the main body of the text that can have an impact on the way it is interpreted by the reader.
众所周知，写小说不是在公园里散步. 这需要时间, 耐心, 而且 commitment 而且 there can often be points in the process where you feel like giving up.
文思枯竭
文思枯竭是由迈克·罗斯在 写作瓶颈:认知维度 as “an inability to begin or continue writing for reasons other than a lack of basic skill or commitment.” It’s not that you're not good enough to write a novel, though it very often feels that way. It’s a much more complicated part of the writing process 而且 it can often be a sign that you need to make a change to the story or take the novel in a different direction to inspire you 而且 motivate you to continue.
Whatever is the root cause, writer’s block is not something to be worried about. In 的随笔 三十年 the writer Thomas Mann suggests that: “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” So, 如果你觉得写作过程很困难, don't worry - it IS difficult - 而且 struggling with it just means that you're engaging with your writing.
种并行
There are lots of strategies for breaking through writer's block 而且 a good place to start is to think about what your novel offers the reader beyond the main text. 种并行 is defined by the literary theorist Gérard Genette as: “a fringe of the printed text which in reality controls one's whole reading of the text.” It's everything outside of the actual story (the main body of writing) that contributes to how a reader will perceive your novel 而且 could include:
- 封面
- 插图
- 地图
- 时间线
- 前言或引言
- 章节标题
- 词汇表
- 字符列表
- 任何其他以某种方式增加阅读体验的元素
If you're stuck mid-way through a longer narrative 而且 you can't work out what comes next, it can be refreshing to take a step back 而且 think about all the things that might contribute to the finished book. Drawing a map of your fictional world can be an excellent way to stretch your world-building skills. It might be that you discover there's actually a mountain range your heroes must cross to reach their destination, 这给了你下一章所需要的内容. 也许, you just can't work out how two characters are meant to fit together until you sketch out a rough timeline or family tree 而且 you discover that they could be long-lost relatives. Thinking about your novel in a three-dimensional way can help you overcome tricky moments 而且 get your writing moving again.
的简介
对文的另一个重要元素是简介或书的封面副本. This is the short description usually found on the back of the book that helps to get readers excited about reading it. 与其他辅助文本一起, 比如封面, 宣传是一种营销手段，有助于书的销售, 并且通常是针对特定的读者或人群写的.
写作练习
- Try writing your own blurb for an imagined novel or for a real project that you're currently working on.
- Aim for one to two hundred words - some books will have longer blurbs 而且 some will have shorter ones.
- You have to think carefully about what you need to communicate about your story in order to attract your reader's attention 而且 then balance this against the amount of space you have on the back of the book.
- 试着总结一下你的故事中令人兴奋的地方, 以及为什么你认为它会吸引你的读者, 或者为书中包含的谜团提供提示和线索.
- It’s worth noting that a lot of publishers will have influence over the direction of your paratext, 你可能会发现, 最终, 你的出版商或编辑会想自己写一篇简介.
It’s still a worthwhile exercise for you to try even if you don't end up writing the finished jacket copy. You'll need to be able to communicate what's exciting about your book in a brief 而且 enticing way in order to secure the interest of a publisher or agent in the first place. Getting into the practice of writing blurbs will enable you to sharpen up these skills. It can also help you get back in touch with the intrigue that's driving the story 而且 help you overcome any writer's block you may be experiencing.
这里有一个例子 画叉游戏 (2001):
“Callum is a nought – a second class citizen in a world run by the ruling Crosses…Sephy is a Cross, 这个国家最有权势的人的女儿在他们的世界里, 零和叉不能混在一起. And as hostility turns into violence, can Callum 而且 Sephy possibly find a way to be together? 他们决心试一试. 然后炸弹爆炸了……”
Writing a blurb may only be a small part of the overall process of writing a novel, 但它可能很重要. 学习时 创意写作 at the bb电子 we teach you that it’s not just about improving your writing skills, we also focus on introducing you to all the aspects involved with professional writing. This should help you to think about all the different things that go into producing a publication that you're proud of 而且 best represent who you are as a writer.
This is the fourth part in our 创意写作 Exercises blog series to help you improve your writing 而且 to act as inspiration. 想试试前面的练习? 了解如何 美丽的姻亲 技巧可以让你的写作达到新的、令人兴奋的境界.
All views expressed in this blog are the Academic’s own 而且 do not represent the views, bb电子或其任何合作伙伴的政策或意见.