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A quick fic question...

  • Aug. 15th, 2008 at 2:57 PM
greetings, SG1:feretti
infinitemonkeys
So, everyone knows someone who writes really beautiful dialogue or fantastic character introspection, but which stories have the best action sequences? What do you think makes good action scenes? Anyone care to link me to stories which have terrific action writing?


(Or books. Let's pretend I am being better about wider reading)

In other news, my week off is almost over. This is upsetting.
  • Current Mood: groggy groggy
  • Current Music:I love Mark Kermode. Sadly.

Comments

( 10 comments — Leave a comment )
sharinlilbit
Aug. 15th, 2008 02:15 pm (UTC)
I've always thought Bonetree wrote great action (and dialogue and characterization), but her action, her use of suspense in her longer works are handled just so well. One of the things I've loved about her "Secret World" and "City of Lights" in particular is that they play out like a movie in my mind.

http://s88210564.onlinehome.us/bonetree/stories.html
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infinitemonkeys
Aug. 15th, 2008 02:55 pm (UTC)
You know, you're right, but when I read her works I think I always valued the moments of character insight. She was very good at precisely delineating the way someone was feeling without resorting to cliche about beating hearts and breaths that they couldn't remember holding!
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(Deleted comment)
infinitemonkeys
Aug. 15th, 2008 08:12 pm (UTC)
Thank you. I would welcome any SGA recs. I've been reading in a sort of random way but for the past week I have been lost in another fandom and another archive: A Teaspoon and An Open Mind, which is moderated and thus a wonderful thing, but contains so much which is not my beautiful cake. For SGA, my wonderful cake is adventures with/without slash, no PWP and plenty of Teyla and Ronon. Just, you know, in case there was any way I could blag a couple more cheeky recs offa you.

Thanks for the other comments too. You're right. I've been spending time putting in thoughts in the action scenes. Maybe I should take the buggers out.

I have some Janet Evanovich books. Alas, they are with the rest of my books. In storage 300 miles away. I have ONE BOOKSHELF of books left in my house. I leave you to contemplate that horrifying wrongness. *g*

Happy Friday to you, and thanks.
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cofax7
Aug. 15th, 2008 08:49 pm (UTC)
Oh, I second the Retrograde recommendation, and its sequels. I was trying to think of who does good plotty gen, and LTLJ slipped my mind.
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infinitemonkeys
Aug. 15th, 2008 11:42 pm (UTC)
I read it. It was good. What I am having trouble with is velocity. How do I get action moving and make it fast and exciting without it being stage directions for action figures?
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musesfool
Aug. 15th, 2008 04:15 pm (UTC)
If you're reading SPN, I can recommend big_pink's stories - they are gen, novel-length, and generally full of good action sequences.
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infinitemonkeys
Aug. 15th, 2008 08:16 pm (UTC)
I read SPN in a state of substantial ignorance. A lovely person was kind enough to make me disks but even though I watched, it never quite caught fire for me, so what I know I know from those episodes I watched and fannish osmosis. Thanks, though. I shall read. Gen is good.
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cofax7
Aug. 15th, 2008 08:48 pm (UTC)
God, action is hard. I write it, but I wouldn't say I'm good at it.

Fic-wise, I'd point at maybe Rheanna? Yahtzee? Kroki-Refur?

If you want kickass original fiction action, you can't do better than John Marsden: the Tomorrow series has awesome action sequences. Long ones, and you always understand what's going on and the suspense just keeps going. It's astonishing. I need to dissect those and figure out how he does it.
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infinitemonkeys
Aug. 15th, 2008 11:44 pm (UTC)
Ah, Yahtzee. I had forgotten Yahtzee... somehow. I would check some of the thrillers I have except ALL BUT ONE SMALL BOOKSHELF of my books are 300 miles away. Have I mentioned that this summer is just SHIT?
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(Deleted comment)
infinitemonkeys
Aug. 16th, 2008 07:02 pm (UTC)
Thanks, I really appreciate the advice and the link. I'm trying to write a fix-it for Journey's End, with plot and blowing shit up and jokes and romance, god help me and I can't tell whether I am doing it right or not. At the moment I feel like it's shit but I think the truth is that it's just rubbish in places.

I would reread some of the actiony books that I have known and loved only -- as I may have whined about a HUNDRED times previously -- all my books are packed and 300 miles up north.
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( 10 comments — Leave a comment )