Ubalblog

[  Mood: Silly ]
So as I was thinking about the council and the plan to destroy the ring, I remembered this video. I would have been finished the books and on to something else had Tolkien thought of that.

Bur no. He didn’t. And I am slogging. Now, to be fair, the pace has picked up a bit. And I think I can put my finger on what is wrong with Tolkien’s writing. He spends far too much time in the first part of the story telling us what has happened, of stage as it were, rather than showing us what has happened.

See, I showed you not to tell.

Now when I teach children to write, I remind them to show us, not tell us. Because telling is boring. And so is the first part of this book, because Tolkien has chosen to only talk about things as Frodo learns them. Which means we hear a lot of telling.

So, I left off where Gandalf stands up to the Balrog, seemingly dying in the process. The rest of the nine (now really eight) run like deer to the back exit, as if there was a police raid after them.

Someone forgot the sunscreen!

I am within shooting distance of the end. I can not believe it.