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Episode VII: The Force Awakens - Discussion * SPOILER THREAD * — Page 143

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Wasn't there a previous EU novel that suggested the celebration on Coruscant ended in blood?

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Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

I don't know about any of the novels, but the Rogue Squadron comics showed the Coruscanti insurrectionists being rounded up and shot by stormtroopers.

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Well, I just skimmed through part of that Aftermath excerpt, and it felt like I was reading a bad R. L. Stine novel dictated by William Shatner.

Any lingering hopes I had of the nuEU turning out better than the old are now having their last rites read to them.

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I gave up on it without even taking a peek at it. :P

There are too many well-known good books to read to bother reading through the mess of the EU and nuEU just to enjoy the occasional good one (not that they're mostly bad, just mostly mediocre).

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RicOlie_2 said:

There are too many well-known good books to read to bother reading through the mess of the EU and nuEU just to enjoy the occasional good one (not that they're mostly bad, just mostly mediocre).

Indeed. Looking back on all the lame/crappy SW novels and comics I've read lately, I find myself scratching my head as to why I've been pushing Ray Bradbury, C. S. Lewis, Isaac Asimov, and Richard Matheson -- authors whose works I'm very interested in reading -- aside for uninspired tripe like that.

After I read The Han Solo Trilogy, The Lando Calrissian Adventures, and Timothy Zahn's last three SW novels, I think I'm going to end my exploration of the Expanded Universe. There's just no fun to be had with it anymore.

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DuracellEnergizer said:

Well, I just skimmed through part of that Aftermath excerpt, and it felt like I was reading a bad R. L. Stine novel dictated by William Shatner.

Any lingering hopes I had of the nuEU turning out better than the old are now having their last rites read to them.

 

Writing.  Like a screenplay, not a novel--but with lots of dashes, and constantly violating the "show, don't tell rule"--as it screams through the action.

Sentence fragments.

Irritation.

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Imrahil said:

 

Writing.  Like a screenplay, not a novel--but with lots of dashes, and constantly violating the "show, don't tell rule"--as it screams through the action.

Sentence fragments.

Irritation.

How do you "show" rather than "tell" in a novel? I'm pretty sure that's the one thing you can't do.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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ZkinandBonez said:

Imrahil said:

 

Writing.  Like a screenplay, not a novel--but with lots of dashes, and constantly violating the "show, don't tell rule"--as it screams through the action.

Sentence fragments.

Irritation.

How do you "show" rather than "tell" in a novel? I'm pretty sure that's the one thing you can't do.

 

Really?

Well, in case you're being serious...you don't say 

"Wedge was sad. His dog was sick."

You say,

"Hi Wedge," Luke said, and didn't get a response. He looked at the other pilot, who seemed distracted.

"Wedge? What's up?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Luke. I'm...well. I've been better."

Then you cut to later and reveal bit by bit that he has a sick dog, through facial expressions, dialog, etc.

Obviously the story shouldn't hinge on whether Wedge has a sick dog, but that's what the "show, don't tell" rule means.

In the excerpt from the novel, on the other hand, we have:

"“Of course,” he says, his jaundiced face tight with that grin. Tothwin is an emblem of what’s wrong with the Imperial forces now: Many of their best are gone. What’s left is, in part, the dregs."

and:

"The pressure is on. An almost literal pressure—like a fist pressing against her back, pushing the air out of her lungs.

Her chance to excel."

Ugh. So horrible.

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Imrahil said:

ZkinandBonez said:

Imrahil said:

 

Writing.  Like a screenplay, not a novel--but with lots of dashes, and constantly violating the "show, don't tell rule"--as it screams through the action.

Sentence fragments.

Irritation.

How do you "show" rather than "tell" in a novel? I'm pretty sure that's the one thing you can't do.

 

Really?

Well, in case you're being serious...you don't say 

"Wedge was sad. His dog was sick."

You say,

"Hi Wedge," Luke said, and didn't get a response. He looked at the other pilot, who seemed distracted.

"Wedge? What's up?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Luke. I'm...well. I've been better."

Then you cut to later and reveal bit by bit that he has a sick dog, through facial expressions, dialog, etc.

Obviously the story shouldn't hinge on whether Wedge has a sick dog, but that's what the "show, don't tell" rule means.

In the excerpt from the novel, on the other hand, we have:

"“Of course,” he says, his jaundiced face tight with that grin. Tothwin is an emblem of what’s wrong with the Imperial forces now: Many of their best are gone. What’s left is, in part, the dregs."

and:

"The pressure is on. An almost literal pressure—like a fist pressing against her back, pushing the air out of her lungs.

Her chance to excel."

Ugh. So horrible.

Well I wasn't arguing that it was well written. Far from it. I was just being somewhat pedantic and therefore found the statement "show, don't tell" somewhat out of place when describing a medium that is all about "telling" a story rather than "showing" it. There are of course bad and obvious ways to tell the reader something. 
Also isn't your first example about Wedge and his dog more of a screenplay way of "showing" something? Of course I'm not saying that "Wedge was sad. His dog was sick" is the right solution. But slowly revealing that he's distracted, then "cut to later" and revealing that his dog is sick through facial expressions and dialogue, that's a very cinematic way to "show" something.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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A Star Wars novel presented as Def Poetry Jam. 

His blog is written in the same style, as are his other books.  Not worth the trouble.

And then it won’t matter if he breaks free from the tractor beam. He won’t have but a second to get away from whatever fusillade they send his way.

Something is happening. Here,  in the space above Akiva.  Or maybe down there on the planet’s surface.

If he dies here — nobody will know what it is.

Which means he has to play this right.

He powers down the torpedoes.

He has another idea.

Forum Moderator
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"He won't have but a second''?! How did this book make it through editing?

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timdiggerm said:

Maybe after you read the book for awhile, the style grows on you.

Like a vine on a wall.

later,

 After a few pages, too many pages, I found it a chore. Work.

If I stopped-who would-know?

I put it down.

I had another book.

Forum Moderator
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Well I've just cancelled my preorder for that novel. Shocking.

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Anchorhead said:

timdiggerm said:

Maybe after you read the book for awhile, the style grows on you.

Like a vine on a wall.

later,

 After a few pages, too many pages, I found it a chore. Work.

If I stopped-who would-know?

I put it down.

I had another book.

 That made me laugh!

Ray’s Lounge
Biggs in ANH edit idea
ROTJ opening edit idea

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RicOlie_2 said:

"He won't have but a second''?! How did this book make it through editing?

I doubt they even bothered sending it to an editor. 

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timdiggerm said:

Maybe after you read the book for awhile, the style grows on you.

Like a vine on a wall.

Or a malignant tumour. 

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Imrahil said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

Well, I just skimmed through part of that Aftermath excerpt, and it felt like I was reading a bad R. L. Stine novel dictated by William Shatner.

Any lingering hopes I had of the nuEU turning out better than the old are now having their last rites read to them.

 

Writing.  Like a screenplay, not a novel--but with lots of dashes, and constantly violating the "show, don't tell rule"--as it screams through the action.

Sentence fragments.

Irritation.

 Please notify Team Negative 1 immediately.

Team Olie

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I don't get it. If it was unclear, I was attempting to mock the horrendous writing style of the excerpts.

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It was plenty clear and we enjoyed it.

Team Negative 1 has a horrendous writing style as well.  Try reading some of the SW preservation threads.

Team Olie

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Ahhh. Thanks for the explanation. 

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Images of the Lego sets for Poe Dameron's X-Wing and the Millenium Falcon have been released and they reveal a few interesting details and new character from TFA.

http://www.starwars7news.com/2015/07/poe-damerons-black-x-wing-and-the-millennium-falcon-lego-sets-revealed.html

First off; we now got confirmation that BB-8 is actually Poe's droid as he comes with the X-Wing set.
Poe's X-Wing's got a pretty unusual paint-job as well.

Included with the Millennium Falcon set however is a man called Tasu Leech and a Kanjiklub member. I guess these two would be the ones who stole the Falcon and brought it to Jakku? It's interesting how one of them is just a "member," while the other has a name. It's possible then that he might have some relevance to the plot. Presumably he's some old acquaintance of Han Solo. Another interesting detail is that their weapons look kind of primitive. Of course it's hard to tell exactly with legos, but it looks like a musket and a pistol.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.