Re: 'Topic Sentences' (Was: descriptive/external exercises)

R. L. wrote:

That tells you what to expect (description, character, incluing etc) by
eliminating what not to expect. There's also "They spent a quiet evening."
or "For three days they rested, repaired the ship, and foraged for
provisions."  or "Till the scouts returned, they stayed in camp, trying to
make sense of the data they'd got so far." or "Awaiting the scouts'
return...." (Of course these could stand alone, but sometimes I want to
give a page or so about  what they did during these times.)

Those directly tell you what to expect. Either way, you can calibrate for
lower tension, less action, and be ready to appreciate low-key stuff for a
while, or to watch for incluing.


Um... Are you sure that works? That's certainly not how I read.

I think in my talk about 'topic sentences' I'm really looking for other
openings for a passage/paragraph/whatever that will give that same sort of
'what to calibrate for' feeling. And maybe the same sort of (slight,
delicate) handle on what content to expect.

As Dan says, take you can use and leave the rest ... if it was me, I'd go back to first principles at this point and ask what it is I'm really trying to achieve. What is the original problem you were trying to solve? If your original problem was "how do I write a certain type of difficult scene" then "calibrating" the reader may be an answer, or it may not. If you're looking to "calibrate" the reader, then "topic sentences" may be an answer, or they may not. I suspect, to use a pet phrase, the answer might lie a little closer to the problem than you think.

Hope this helps,
Khiem.
.

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