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That's an interesting question. I know from reading I prefer immediacy to narration but I couldn't put a ratio to it. I'll be interested to hear Fiona's views.

cheers,
Darren.

---

Life is a containment field for thought. (A Slatz original.)

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Just curious to get a few opinions... What sort of mix of narration vs. immediate scenes do you shoot for? Certainly, they both have their place in a novel. And also there's different times for the techniques. That is, the early part of a story will most likely need less than later parts.

So, if you *had* to put a number on it, what sort of ratio of immediate scenes to narration would you put on your story? And how would that change from the early part (opening) to the middle?

80/20?
70/30?

I know, everyone's going to be different, but I'm curious what each person would say.

Brad.

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umm, I suppose all that really matters that it balances out in the end, everyones writting if different. I know for sure that the books I HAD to read for school where more narration than anything else. *EUCH!!*

*ponders.....*

P.s say 70% Images/30% narration, my opinion

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Brad

I can't help you on this one.. I am learning myself...

I know that I have far too much narrative in my work... I need more immediacy and more dialogue and more emotion. betetr punctuation. stronger images.. oh gosh... I wonder if I cna ever get the hang of this!

Fiona hopefully will give you some feedback on this...

best wishes
steve

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Hmm, couldn't really say. I could work it out, I suppose, but I certainly wouldn't pin myself down to a set ratio before I started writting.

Thinking back on what I've written, I know that I prefer immediate scenes over narration. There are times where narration has it all over dialogue and there is no beating it, but I think immediate scenes hold the greater impact. They give the greatest room for reader affinity with the character.

However, if the story is good and the plot solid, it shouldn't matter, should it? I think Sean Russell used more narration than usual, but it was the imagry of his story that really blew me away at first. That was how he hooked me.

..............................
it's getting hot in here
so take off all your clothes

Asteroid B-612

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Ok, now that a few answers are up, I'll post my thoughts. I wanted to see what people would say withouth "seeding" your thoughts.

This is not a conscious thing, but... I guess I go for about 90% immediate scene (action or dialogue) in the first chapter (or two). Then, it bubbles down to about 70/30. There are a few places such as the crescendoes in the book that jump up again, but I rarely drop below 70%. (Can you tell I'm a numbers guy?)

Certainly, you don't want to formularize your writing, but it would pay, I think, to analyze a chapter or two after they're written and see what sort of style you have. Does it fit with what you *thought* it was going to be? If not, does it need to be polished in that respect?

When I first started writing, it was (without realizing it) more like half and half and I did things at the strangest times, like right in the middle of an immediate scene, I'd go off and explaing the workings of a whoozit.

Food for thought in any case. That's my .02.

Brad.

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Good grief I sound boring even to myself when I chant once again that character is plot. The more I write books and learn this craft, the more I realise that dialogue is the key. It's the hardest part of the craft to master but when you nail it and find that confidence, you'll discover that narration is more the handiest way of getting readers from a to b.

Dialogue and the immediacy you were talking about is what separates the excellent from the mediocre, so plunge right in and get those quote marks going!