tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post5428292131250379434..comments2023-11-03T05:49:10.841-04:00Comments on Storytelling Rules: Reading level and Harry PotterMaureen McGowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00494408580378817045noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-74054834804674615562007-11-20T20:25:00.000-05:002007-11-20T20:25:00.000-05:00Ok who is the guest blogger. I'll come back becaus...Ok who is the guest blogger. I'll come back because I am intrigued.Amy Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02212879406999128140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-21688777227061612362007-11-20T15:40:00.000-05:002007-11-20T15:40:00.000-05:00HeidiToo true! And you want to hear something funn...Heidi<BR/><BR/>Too true! And you want to hear something funny? MANY British people I know claim it's the other way around. That Americans don't know how to write succinctly. Sure, one can find examples of crazy bloated writing anywhere... but on balance, I completely agree with you on this (and disagree with my Brit friends.)Maureen McGowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00494408580378817045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-68797432546847499722007-11-20T15:26:00.000-05:002007-11-20T15:26:00.000-05:00I think the British voice is a big consideration. ...I think the British voice is a big consideration. When we've gone over there to visit my husband's family, I'm always amazed at how many words are thrown around!<BR/><BR/>"Kindly refrain from queuing to the left of the wicket, rather instead forming an orderly line to the right side of the window in question"<BR/><BR/>Where here it would be<BR/><BR/>"Line up to the right."<BR/><BR/>My kids (13 & 11) love adverbs- reading them and writing them.<BR/><BR/>And I don't want to know what reading level I'm writing at!!! Good thing I don't use microsoft- the temptation is gone! Having said that, I don't think it's wrong to write something that's easy to read. Sometimes reading is an escape.Heidi the Hickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00639479864903922047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-88340473945504703012007-11-19T18:57:00.000-05:002007-11-19T18:57:00.000-05:00I shudder to think what the reading level of my bo...I shudder to think what the reading level of my books is... <BR/><BR/>It's better I don't know...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-68805449914106700542007-11-19T18:27:00.000-05:002007-11-19T18:27:00.000-05:00Anonymous...You're right that part of it is UK vs ...Anonymous...<BR/><BR/>You're right that part of it is UK vs North American styles... but I've read other UK writers who don't use such complicated language.<BR/><BR/>As far as the adverbs go... I've noticed a lot of children's and YA writers use more adverbs, and have wondered why... Reading HP with my niece I almost wondered whether it wasn't purposeful to help build vocabulary... We stopped a few times because she didn't know what some of the adverbs attached to the dialog tags meant. I have no idea whether it's more accepted or even desirable to use more adverbs in kids stuff... Interesting question.Maureen McGowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00494408580378817045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-24657699548221091482007-11-19T18:10:00.000-05:002007-11-19T18:10:00.000-05:00Many people have commented that JK Rowling's writi...Many people have commented that JK Rowling's writing is really not all that great. And I would have to agree. She uses adverbs all over the place, especially in dialogue tags. And you're right, she has a lot of long, complicated sentences that are very wordy for no apparent reason. <BR/><BR/>But this is overlooked by many who think her characters and story are the standout parts of her writing. <BR/><BR/>I think, really, her best books were the 4th and 5th in the series. The 6th was long on exposition with nothing happening. In fact, overall, there was very little that happened of consequence in that book. Beyond the obvious BIG PLOT THING that I won't dare speak of here.<BR/><BR/>But then again, I think English writers have a different style than American writers. Has anyone else noticed that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-55662875873046630612007-11-19T15:44:00.000-05:002007-11-19T15:44:00.000-05:00Kimber,I think it was my training writing in busin...Kimber,<BR/><BR/>I think it was my training writing in business that made my style so simple, too... In fact, I had to work to liven it back up, loosen it up, when I first started with fiction.<BR/><BR/>I should test some individual pages... I've only done my entire novels and was shocked at how low they came out. I, too, use tons of sentence fragments... And I think a more complicated than average vocabulary... Still... grade 3 or 4 depending on which book.Maureen McGowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00494408580378817045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-19594910053697702472007-11-19T15:24:00.000-05:002007-11-19T15:24:00.000-05:00Forgot to mention...the first page of Breach Of Tr...Forgot to mention...<BR/>the first page of Breach Of Trust is at grade 5.8 level.<BR/><BR/>Invisible, my second, is at a grade 4.9 level.<BR/><BR/>I think the increased grade level is due to my love of sentence fragments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29864506.post-19229473860461029392007-11-19T15:11:00.000-05:002007-11-19T15:11:00.000-05:00I'm used to business reading and writing which is ...I'm used to business reading and writing which is deliberately simple and easy to understand.<BR/><BR/>The bigger the idea, the simpler the communication and all that...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com