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Flight of the Heron read-along: Part V chapters 1-2
Tha's bahn' to catch thy deeath o' cowd...
Welcome back, everyone, and happy new year! We embark on the final Part...
Next week we'll continue with chapters 3 and 4 of Part V.
Welcome back, everyone, and happy new year! We embark on the final Part...
Next week we'll continue with chapters 3 and 4 of Part V.
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Even having read both chapters multiple times before, they still put tears in my eyes. That bit where he is riding alongside Loch Oich, looking up at Beinn Tigh and the glen beyond it that he can't see, is one of my favorite bits in the whole book: No, never again; neither in this world nor the next. For Loch na h-Iolaire was not like Alison and him; it had not a soul free of time and space. Loch na h-Iolaire existed over there, only there, on that one spot of earth, and in all the fields of heaven there would be no lake so lovely, and in heaven the grey mists would never swoop down on one who ambushed the deer.
And it's also interesting in the context of Ewen's faith: he's sure that he will see the people he loves again, in the next life: but what about the places and earthly things that he loves? It's just heartbreaking.
On another level, Ewen's escape is also a good bit of adventure writing! Even weak as he is, he manages to outwit his guards--and avoid the ending which Broster is feinting towards. She does love a good will-he-die-or-won't-he.
I'm fond of the angels from Yorkshire, and can't help hearing them in
Ewen returning to Ardroy, and to Aunt Margaret, again puts tears in my eyes. That bit where he doesn't look because he knows (or thinks he knows) what he will see, and then does look and doubts his vision. And later he doubts his own reality instead... I also love that he thinks about the welfare of all the people at Ardroy: Aunt Margaret first and foremost, the servants, old Angus and his grandchildren, the womenfolk, the fugitives from Drumossie Moor.
And the officer who doesn't set fire to Ardroy is a lovely proof that Keith isn't the only one among the Hanoverians who has compassion and common decency.
Okay, I wrote this without first reading
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Also agree that the escape was a great bit of adventure writing! I've been reading some writing advice about making your plot unexpected in small ways, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect example. I suspected Ewen was going to escape, but didn't forsee how he would outsmart the soldiers by hiding in the undergrowth, and the Yorkshiremen were a complete surprise that could have plausibly gone either way. I was genuinely holding my breath at some parts.
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Oooh... is it possible to have a link? (Or author\title, if it's a book.)
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Anyway, the one I kept was Surprising Your Readers in Every Scene by September C. Fawkes. I also like the book she mentions by Robert McKee, but only one chapter of it covers the surprise thing.
One was some meta about an episode of Person of Interest called 'Matsya Nyaya', and I'm kicking myself that I can't find it again. But basically, the setup of Person of Interest is that Reese and Finch can predict future crimes through unrealistic computer shenanigans I won't go into. In the episode, they're protecting a guy who works for an armored truck company, so it's pretty obvious that the truck is going to get attacked by thieves. But instead of that happening directly, there are several false alarms where the crew stops at a jeweler but actually they're just picking up employee payslips, etc, and then at the end there's nothing left but a medical supply company, medical equipment isn't exactly easy to fence. Oh, they're picking up platinum for pacemakers, which is massively valuable, oh no! and then they're attacked. It was pretty much just an example of how to feint to keep the audience engaged.
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You probably want to read the bit on p. 35 where he talks about scenes and beats, and then p. 147 where he talks about 'The Gap'.
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I looked at the Robert McKee book and it's expensive even s/h! So it's obviously very good. I've made an alert for it and will probably end up with a very battered and dog-eared copy which suits me just fine.
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This is how I do it, too! Or at least, try to do it. I've got an idea of the theory, but the practice still eludes me. :)
I couldn't believe how expensive the book was! Hopefully the copy you found was reasonable. It's 400-and-some pages and pretty densely packed with advice, so at least you get a lot for your money. I hope you find it helpful!
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Making the plot unexpected in small ways—that's a very interesting idea, and yes, it is just what Broster is doing here.
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I agree about Ewen's escape as adventure writing! At this point it's so uncertain where the story will go—what with Broster's liking for feinting and going back and forth over who will and won't die—and, even once it becomes clear that Ewen is going to escape, it's a gripping bit of story in the details.
Thank you for the fic rec! :) The angels from Yorkshire are lovely. As for the cattle, I suppose they may as well buy them now that they've been taken anyway—Mr Fosdyke comes across as an odd blend of compassionate and pragmatic (and it also sounds like his sympathy for the rebels has increased since he arrived in Scotland, already committed to the cattle-buying, and heard what the Government have been doing to them).
Heh, the song seemed an appropriate choice... Although happily, whether or not Ewen is dressed for the weather, there's no being eaten by worms for him here.
That bit where he doesn't look because he knows (or thinks he knows) what he will see, and then does look and doubts his vision. And later he doubts his own reality instead...
Agh, I know... the whole mood of that passage is such a strong and vivid way of conveying Ewen's physical and emotional exhaustion, as well as just how important it is that his home is still there. Good point about him thinking of all the people at Ardroy, too—he's a very caring and responsible laird, even now.