Sometimes it is too easy to get lost in the work of a favorite author, but it can be helpful to read good books with a critical eye to learn how they accomplish what they are able to do. I ask for you to choose a few short snippets of something you are currently reading or have read recently, things that tickled your fancy.

E.g., SF&F Grandmaster writer Jack Vance wrote, in Madouc:

Quote:Audry pointed to a chair. "Seat yourself, Claractus! You are acquainted, or so I presume, with Sir Huynemer, Sir Archem and Sir Rudo."

Claractus, glancing toward the three, gave a curt nod. "I took note of them on my last visit; they were enjoying a charade and all three were dressed as harlequins, or clowns, or something of the sort."

"I fail to recall the occasion," said Sir Huynemer stiffly.

Lesson learned: clever insults, lightly disguised, can be humorous.

What passages can you share?

I can't remember the quote exactly, and darned if I can't find it, either, but I know it was by Terry Pratchett in one of his Discworld novels. It went something to the effect of:

"The plaque on the door said 221B Baker Street.

The character looked around, confused, 'Who said that?'"

I could NOT stop laughing. Ever since then, I have used the word "read" instead of "said" when describing something written, or I invokebetter imageryby using fancy words like emblazoned, scrawled, stamped, etched, smeared, chiseled, printed, or carved, etc.

Ran across this funny short, short story by Philip K. Dick.

Quote:In the garage, I continued reading. There was more. Trembling, I read the next revealing passage:

he put his arm around Julia. Presently she asked him if he would remove his arm. He immediately did so, with a smile.

Its not said what was done with the arm after the fellow had removed it. Maybe it was left standing upright in the corner. Maybe it was thrown away. I dont care. In any case, the full meaning was there, staring me right in the face.

Here was a race of creatures capable of removing portions of their anatomy at will. Eyes, armsand maybe more. Without batting an eyelash. My knowledge of biology came in handy, at this point. Obviously they were simple beings, uni-cellular, some sort of primitive single-celled things. Beings no more developed than starfish. Starfish can do the same thing, you know.

I read on. And came to this incredible revelation, tossed off coolly by the author without the faintest tremor:

outside the movie theater we split up. Part of us went inside, part over to the cafe for dinner.

Binary fission, obviously. Splitting in half and forming two entities. Probably each lower half went to the cafe, it being farther, and the upper halves to the movies. I read on, hands shaking. I had really stumbled onto something here.