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restraint

Review of The Glasgow Coma Scale

June 24, 2024

affect, art, book, literary fiction, literature, metatextuality, plot, restraint, review, social masses

Whenever I go to the library, trying to find something to read, I often end up frustrated. Call me picky if you want. Yet as I’m going through the blurbs (nowadays even they are buried beneath the asinine, useless “INSTANT BESTSELLER!” tags), what I see is more and more authors overly enamored with plot. I decided to write this review of The Glasgow Coma Scale by Neil D.A. Stewart before I’d read ten pages of it.

The reason?

Because it at least didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. The blurb didn’t promise some sort of epic saga spanning three continents and six decades, or some sort of in-between state between fantasy and reality.

As it turned out, it was actually a damn well-written book to boot. Truly, a masterclass on what quality literature should be.

review of Glasgow coma scale. photo of street graffiti. — Much of the book is about *juxtaposition*, the interplay between antithetical qualities. Yet at the same time, the title of the book is not only a reference to the location where the events take place – Glasgow, Scotland – but also the eponymous test assessing brain damage and response to stimuli. In a novel about giving up, this becomes a highly relevant metaphor

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Review of Restitution by Brandt Ryan

June 21, 2021

Criticism

affect, drama, play, restraint, review, theater

Disclaimer: I read the play Restitution, by Brandt Ryan, in a professional capacity. In other words, I received remuneration to do so in order to offer feedback. This has not affected this review, which is entirely independent, my own initiative, and a result of my having found the text impressive.

Restitution, by Brandt Ryan, is a one-act play. It takes place on the platform of a New York subway station, late at night, in the summer of 1990. The title of the play alludes to restitution payments claimed by Jewish survivors of World War II, and is also a thematic element in the story.

The play involves two young grifters, Figgy and Margot, who are anxiously awaiting for someone to arrive in order for their swindling plan to take form. While waiting for the arrival of this person – a street performer being the only other presence on the platform – they discuss the details of their con, reflecting on ethics as well as practical dangers involved.

That’s basically all you need to know before entering the world of the play. Because the characters take over immediately, creating an engaging, dynamic story.

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Restraint in Writing: Doing Your Characters Justice

March 15, 2021

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

ambiguity, fiction, pace, patience, restraint, writing

I’ve often talked about patience and “less is more” in my posts. I’ve also often referred to the importance of subtlety and ambiguity, rather than over-explaining. Restraint in writing is part of this grand concept, and it basically refers to keeping your authorial eagerness in check.

To exercise restraint while writing means to understand narrative journeys. Exercising restraint and subtlety means to resist ~~divine~~ authorial intervention: If a certain outcome, way out, or solution is unlikely to happen in real life, then it’s twice as unlikely to happen in fiction.

Remember that, although life doesn’t need to make sense, fiction does!

And so, in this post I’ll show you why restraint when writing fiction is important. I’ll also show you ways to find and maintain this restraint. The way can be challenging, but the result will be worth it: You will end up with a narrative that is far more mature, engaging, and rewarding for you and your audience alike.

But, as a first thing, we need to zero in on the concept of restraint. So, let’s begin with some definitions and examples.

For many authors, restraint in writing sounds negative; it connotes limitation, being chained. Well, as you can see in the next photo, further below, being chained can be a good thing!

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