Saturday, August 28, 2010

What's Missing?

Besides my motivation I mean (for the fitness plan). That has been LONG gone. I'm not even sure I would recognize it anymore. I bet it's grown a beard and is wearing rhinestone glasses and has even shaved its head. If I were better at Photo Shop, I would create several pictures for you so you could send it back my way. I am hoping with the deadline of SCHOOL STARTING (the Tuesday after labor day) he just has the decency to show up, because I really need to get back to it... I DO have a plan though... the PLAN isn't missing.

I suppose ALSO missing are my organization skills, much of the free time I normally have (grant season at work, plus two manuscripts under revision), and my time manager for the editing thing...



But there is a GOOD MISSING!!!

I just spotted it today, and it is AMAZING!


I am reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. I am half way in. And like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it is under-edited... more detail than probably should have been left in... but with a dead author, I forgive them...

What has STRUCK ME though, is that once the crime has been committed... the VOICE of Lisbeth Salander is MISSING! She had some sections in the early book... we knew what she was up to and how she was doing (pretty decently, all things considered)... and then the CRIME... a crime SHE is suddenly suspected of (one we KNOW she was on scene nearly at the exact time of...) ... and I haven't seen hide nor hair of her in 100 pages..AND I'M FRANTIC! I can hardly put the book down because I HAVE TO KNOW where the heck she IS!!!

It had never before occurred to me how powerful something NOT THERE could be to page turnability.

So now I know...

Sorry so short, but that felt INCREDIBLY insightful to me... and I am trying REALLY HARD to make progress on my typing and editing this weekend, PLUS, I am ALSO revealing Drabble winner results over at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash today... so I will leave it at that...

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

13 comments:

LTM said...

Hey, I like that. What a cool idea. Now I'm thinking about how to use it in the future, too...

Got those books for JRM, and he really likes them. Might have to check them out. Have a great weekend! :o)

Unknown said...

What an incredible insight. Obviously the work of an intelligent writer. Haven't read the book but it looks haunting.

CD

Hart Johnson said...

Leigh, comment cherry indeed, you nut! And yes--I'm always tempted to give ALL the info, so this is the first time I've really noticed how NOT KNOWING can really increase the tension! Definitely read them!

Clarissa-I think Larsson could have been a GREAT writer had he lived longer. These stories are FABULOUS stories, but there IS a little forgiveness required of a 'tell don't show' nature, and there are some background dumps. I'm sure they would have easily been cleaned up with a good editor... but yes, MASTERFUL story-telling!

Anonymous said...

Interesting twist. Maybe she inadvertently stepped into a rogue wormhole and is trying to find her way back.


Stephen Tremp

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hope the main character turns up soon!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Was that an editing snafu? Did the author just forget about the character for 100 pages? Or was Larsson a genius?

lisahgolden said...

I love that idea of the missing and the need to know. I haven't read any of Larsson's books yet. Time I do, I think.

RaShelle Workman said...

Hart - you just made my day!!! I'm such a giver. Here's all the info in the first couple of chapters, now let's move on. And it's been driving me nuts with my revisions. I'm not going to be such a giver anymore. I'm going to be selfish. Ha HA!!! Thank you!!!! As for your OTHER problem - ugh - I understand. I think mine spouted wings and is living on my roof. =D

Old Kitty said...

Have a great weekend too Naked Tart!! I've managed to nab Girl with a dragon tattoo in my library's bookswap shelves so I'm one happy bunny!! I can't wait to start so I can get to book 2! Yay!

Good luck with getting organized with your diet Plan!!! You can do this!! Cancerians are best under pressure - they fight back!! :-)

Take care
x

Hart Johnson said...

Stephen--*snort* I will be shocked if the answer is a genre jump, but I suppose it's possible.

Alex-ME TOO!

Elizabeth-I am going with genius. Lizbeth hasn't been off anybody ELSE'S mind AT ALL...

Lisa-definitely time you do... Keep in mind the not-yet-polished... but I really do think it is brilliant story-telling.

RaShelle--THAT'S my problem! I'm too darned generous! Fabulous interpretation, and I think it's true... we need to hold back, even when WE know...

Jenny--Enjoy GwaDT! It was very enjoyable. They are long (longer than they need to be) but very good. And I'm glad to hear that fight back is a Cancer thing... It's true I do it well... I just need to recognize that the enemy is the miseating... not the dieting...

CA Heaven said...

I haven't read the Stieg Larsson books (don't read much crime), but I liked the movies >:)

Cold As Heaven

Hart Johnson said...

CaH-I really want to see them, but rarely have the DVD to myself, and as of yet, they are subtitled, so my family won't watch them with me... I think the books are worth reading.

Deb and Barbara said...

I'm reading the same book and am at the same place and was thinking the same thing! Very powerful. But, man, yes, seriously under-edited. PS you're the first person I know who's read(ing) the books. Question: in the first one, is it just me or is there a serious discrepancy when (spoiler alert) Martin is the key clue in the photo (that he's across from Harriet at the parade), but his excuse for not getting Harriet that day was that he "didn't get there on time and was held back by the accident on the bridge." Trying to be a little cryptic, but I would love to know if this is just me reading it wrong, or if it's plain schematically WRONG????

B