Comments on: something I’ve noticed http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/something-ive-noticed/ Diane Gallant's writing blog Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:06:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: dianegallant http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/something-ive-noticed/#comment-322 dianegallant Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:03:18 +0000 http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/?p=564#comment-322 Maybe it comes from looking at and thinking about words too much. Something that is normally transparent jumped out at me, plain as day. And I ended up analyzing something that is supposed to pass as an unanalyzed unit. Maybe it comes from looking at and thinking about words too much. Something that is normally transparent jumped out at me, plain as day. And I ended up analyzing something that is supposed to pass as an unanalyzed unit.

]]> By: ericanaone http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/something-ive-noticed/#comment-319 ericanaone Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:50:50 +0000 http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/?p=564#comment-319 Some metaphors or descriptions pass into the language as a single unit after a while, I think, to the point that many readers no longer see the images they suggest. There's a metaphor in here--comparing the motion to water--but I never think of that anymore when I see this phrase. They're hard to resist and weed out because the eye skips over them, but I think it's worth trying to get them out because overuse has drained them of the meaning they ought to have. Some metaphors or descriptions pass into the language as a single unit after a while, I think, to the point that many readers no longer see the images they suggest. There’s a metaphor in here–comparing the motion to water–but I never think of that anymore when I see this phrase. They’re hard to resist and weed out because the eye skips over them, but I think it’s worth trying to get them out because overuse has drained them of the meaning they ought to have.

]]> By: Merrilee Faber http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/something-ive-noticed/#comment-317 Merrilee Faber Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:16:34 +0000 http://dianegallant.wordpress.com/?p=564#comment-317 I think that phrase is a pretty standard cliche. I've read it before, or variations thereof. I think we do absorb, not so much the words, but the style of the literature we read, and part of that style is the use of description. Something like that is simple, and so easy to picture in our minds that it's not intrusive. If the author spent time inventing a new way of describing the thing, would it really add anything to the narrative? I don't think it would. I think that phrase is a pretty standard cliche. I’ve read it before, or variations thereof.

I think we do absorb, not so much the words, but the style of the literature we read, and part of that style is the use of description.

Something like that is simple, and so easy to picture in our minds that it’s not intrusive. If the author spent time inventing a new way of describing the thing, would it really add anything to the narrative? I don’t think it would.

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