[ SECRET POST #2363 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2363 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 05 pages, 118 secrets from Secret Submission Post #337.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

And I'm sick of people complaining about the use of orbs for eyes. It is a metaphor, which is a legitimate writing tool. It has been used for a long time, including by writers with more skill than I bet anyone who is complaining about it has.

[(Anonymous)]

And I'm sick of people getting overly upset when someone doesn't like something and supporting their assertions with variations on the idiotic theme of You Can't Complain About/Dislike This Thing Unless You are a Published Author/Prominent Musician/Successful Actor.

[(Anonymous)]

And I'm sick and tired of people forever whining about writers who are still learning how to write, as if only those who are a Published Author/Prominent Musician/Successful Actor can use words like orbs.

[(Anonymous)]

And I'd posit that it's a legitimate writing tool used mostly by lazy writers looking to be original and missing the target by, like, miles.

[(Anonymous)]

No one is arguing that metaphor isn't a legitimate writing tool. They're arguing that this particular one is stupid and pretentious.

[truxillogical]

Welp,

A) Writers with more skill is key. There are some advanced tricks to writing that you need more skill to pull of credibly. First-person present tense is one. Using "orbs" to mean eyes is another.

B) Is it really a metaphor? Because it seems a little broken. With a metaphor there needs to be some frame of reference, but calling eyes "orbs" regardless of context is basically just substituting the word "orbs" for "eyes."

C) If one particular "metaphor" has been used by writers for a long time, that's as good a reason as any to stop.

D) Orbs for eyes. Just say no.

[(Anonymous)]

I am too.

Words like orbs have been in use for years, and all of the sudden it's not okay for those still learning how to write to use them?

[(Anonymous)]

Well, it's not "suddenly" not okay. Writers have always needed to be aware of clichés and how to avoid them.

"Orbs" is just not part of common English vernacular these days. If you're writing a period piece, it might be appropriate, but for a story set in modern times, with characters who wouldn't use that word in speech or think it, or even know what it meant, it can be unnatural and stilted rather than clever. It usually reads as tired and unnecessarily purple instead of ~poetic~ or whatnot.

[(Anonymous)]

What do you mean, suddenly? People have hated the use of 'orbs' instead of eyes for AGES.

[(Anonymous)]

The fact that a person is still learning how to write does not mean that s/he gets a pass for using cliches or for improperly using certain idioms or turns of phrase. And, truthfully, a beginner isn't ever going to learn or improve if no one ever points out the things that s/he is doing wrong. Granted, criticism should be constructive; there's never any excuse for being a dick about it.

Now, "orbs" certainly has been in use for years, but so has the line, "it was a dark and stormy night," and so has the convention of describing a character by having him/her look in a mirror. Cliches are cliches because they have been used for so long by so many people, and yes, they become annoying after a time if only because readers get sick of seeing them. Additionally, a reader may just not personally like the use of a particular descriptor or phrase, and that's okay.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, it's not really a metaphor as eyes are actually orbs. However, when reading about someone's eyes, I can't say I like thinking about their actual eyeballs which is what the word 'orbs' brings to my mind in reference to eyes.

[hokuton_punch]

Oh, trust me, I whined when I saw Sophocles use it, too. I just hate it. Have ever since I was forced to read Tess of the D'Urbervilles.