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mary rosenblum
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Hello, all!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you all had a good
weekend. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
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I've talked about openings to
stories before, but I thought that a direct comparison of novel versus
short story beginnings...
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mary rosenblum
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is worth another visit. One of
the most common problems with short stories...
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mary rosenblum
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crafted by new writers, is the
start. When students are struggling with that 1000 word limit for their
early assiginments...
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mary rosenblum
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openings are often a major
cause of their frustration with the word limit...
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mary rosenblum
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even if they're not aware of
it.
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mary rosenblum
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And most of the people trying
to write short stories read novels more often than not...
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mary rosenblum
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so a novel opening is a
natural way of beginning.
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mary rosenblum
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Only it just doesn't work in
short form...
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mary rosenblum
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and a short story beginning is
frequently not the best choice for a novel start.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers have very different
expectations from a novel and a short story.
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mary rosenblum
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What bores a reader in a short
story is perfectly fine in a novel.
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gbeesley
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what is the biggest difference
between a novel and short st
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mary rosenblum
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I'm assuming the rest of your
question is 'story opening', bg. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Essentially, it is where you
start and how you handle back story.
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mary rosenblum
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And it is a BIG difference.
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mary rosenblum
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The traditional novel start
begins by setting up the background.
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mary rosenblum
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It can begin in the midst of
furious action, or it can open with a scene of everyday life...
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mary rosenblum
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but it begins BEFORE the first
plot event, most of the time.
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drakeluvr
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How can you tell what kind of
opening you have?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, Drake, once you know
what makes a 'novel' start and what makes a 'short story' start, you can
probably tell what you have. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The fact that you can ...and
usually should...begin before the first plot event does not mean you are entitled
to bore the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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That is a very good way to see
your book languish on the shelves... or earn quick rejection slips.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to engage the reader,
but you can do that with action or conversation that is interesting...
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mary rosenblum
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but is designed to introduce
the main characters and...
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mary rosenblum
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build the universe of your
story for the reader, including a lot of essential backstory...
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mary rosenblum
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before the plot commences.
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drakeluvr
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Can you give an example of each?
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, I sure will...hang on
just a sec.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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babbles
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all of that advice is for a
novel beginnng right mary?
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mary rosenblum
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Right, babbles..
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mary rosenblum
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this is how you begin a novel....NOT
a short story.
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mary rosenblum
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By starting before the first
plot event, you allow your reader to sort of 'get their feet under them'
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mary rosenblum
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You can start the main character
off with some sort of encounter that gives us some insight into what this
person is like and why we should care about him or her...
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mary rosenblum
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and as he/she interacts with
people/events, we'll find out a bit about the world.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if your story is set in
contemporary US, you still need to give us a sense of what universe of
family/friends/job/etc your character exists in..
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mary rosenblum
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and of course, if you are
writing one of the speculative fiction genres, you need to create a
believable universe from scratch and quickly!
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mary rosenblum
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Now do not be tempted to try
and create the entire universe and tell the reader ALL the back story in
great detail...
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mary rosenblum
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or your opening will be nothing
but a huge, unweildy, expository lump. Readers will browse a page or two,
nothing will happen, and they'll swap your book for the next one on the
shelf with an appealing cover.
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wingedwarrior24
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do you describe a lot at once or
more as you go along?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yes, winged. You can build
your universe until the middle of the book, that's fine.
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mary rosenblum
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Just make sure that once your
novel begins to build to the climax...you don't have to stop and educate
the reader about necessary back story!
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mary rosenblum
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But let's look now at the
short story start.
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mary rosenblum
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Here you are seriously cramped
for words.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if you're not looking at
a short short of 1000 words, but something in the 3000 - 7000 word range,
if you have a rich plot...
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mary rosenblum
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and you plan to create real
characters, you need every word.
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mary rosenblum
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ANd, as I said, short story
readers...even those who also read novels...
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mary rosenblum
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have different expectations.
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mary rosenblum
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Where a novel reader will
probably keep going into chapter two and perhaps three before he/she
decides nothing much is going on and quits...
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mary rosenblum
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most short story readers quit
after a few paragraphs if they're bored.
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mary rosenblum
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You simply shoot yourself in
the foot if you try to introduce the character and universe before the plot
begins.
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gail
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I am currently back working on a
stubborn S/S...its beginning has a very brief M/C intro before mayhem
begins...I'm wondering, given the high-action, what is the very basic
amount of background I need to insert to be effective?
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mary rosenblum
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For example, gail, here, I
wouldn't introduce any background at all. None.
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mary rosenblum
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Hit the ground running with
that mayhem.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll suck your reader right
smack into that action.
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mary rosenblum
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Really work ...after your
first draft!...on slipping in as many hints about what is going on as you
can while that mayhem is happening.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers are willing to wait!
We love hints as long as you answer our questions sooner rather than later.
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mary rosenblum
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If we know who our 'good guy'
is, a brief thought or two from that character as he fights or runs or
whatever...
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mary rosenblum
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gives us a scatter of clues
about what is going on. Dialogue can do that, too.
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mary rosenblum
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WE don't have to KNOW as long
as our guesses aren't too far off the beam..but readers are HOOKED>
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mary rosenblum
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And as soon as the mayhem is
over, you can start inserting more clues about back story.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it's hard to do this, but
get good at it. It will sell your short fiction.
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gail
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Well, that's my instinct, Mary.
But, this is "my neolithic tale" (yes, sigh, THAT one!) and I
feel I need to at least place my reader in that time and place. Don't I?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, but you can place them
there with one or two visual details during your mayhem.
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mary rosenblum
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This is where the ability to
use vivid and evocative and SPECIFIC words matters.
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mary rosenblum
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If we watch the characters do
whatever what will show us that this is a neolithic world?
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mary rosenblum
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Character dress, speech or
lack of it, flora and fauna...
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mary rosenblum
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Readers are quick to put clues
together and you certainly don't need many to let readers make a guess...
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mary rosenblum
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then you confirm that guess
when you get a breather.
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gail
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Yes, I've mentioned the M/C's
giving thanks to the Mother Goddess which, I believe, should give a sense
of time.
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mary rosenblum
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Tech will give you more of a
sense of time, gail. What are the spear points made of? Stone, right? DO
they use throwers or bows? Just spears? Do they use hammer stones? Are dogs
lunch or working with humans?
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mary rosenblum
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There are all kinds of tiny
visual clues that can place your story very accurately.
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mary rosenblum
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The way you handle this kind
of start...and of course in SF, Fantasy, and historical fiction, you do it
ALL the time...
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mary rosenblum
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is find two or three visuals
that will define the time period for the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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It might be a space port on
Titan for the SF world...details of food and weapons that place this
culture in the neolithic...
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mary rosenblum
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giant ferns and cycads that
put us in the Jurassic....
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mary rosenblum
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or what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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Then find a way to use those
details plausibly.
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gail
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I am attempting some of the
devices you mention. However, I'm wondering just how much I need to insert
(re: who, what, where, when, why, & how) to my first scene.
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mary rosenblum
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VERY little in a short story.
Who, a guess at where or when, to be confirmed later, a bare hint of why.
That's it.
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mary rosenblum
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You can do that in two
paragraphs of action.
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mary rosenblum
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In short fiction, readers know
to wait for more info.
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mary rosenblum
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They don't expect it all up
front and it makes a boring start if you try to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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drakeluvr
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lets say you have this 'great'
idea, how do you tell if it is something someone else might find
interesting?
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mary rosenblum
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If you like it, others will,
drake. You're probably pretty similar in reading tastes to many other folk
out there. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Best way to find out is to
write it and give it to some readers.
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mary rosenblum
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Their feedback will tell you
what works well and where they got lost.
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gail
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You've confirmed my gut
instinct. Thanx Mary. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You'd be surprised how little
you have to inform the reader in that opening short story scene, gail.
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mary rosenblum
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We'll wait...just don't make
us wait too long!
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mary rosenblum
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As soon as the mayhem is over,
start weaving in the clues.
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babbles
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my mc (main character) is rising
from a stiff hospital chair in the ICU where her mother lays comatose. She
then greets her grandparents as they arrive.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, babbles, is this for a
short story or a novel?
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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babbles
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its my novel
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mary rosenblum
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Good. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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That can be a fine start for a
novel. You have the potential of conversation between the trio, plus your
MC's thoughts to enlighten us as to back story...
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mary rosenblum
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and you can create a sense of
drama from the life support machinery in the room, the MC's distress at the
physical changes in her mother... a sense of time running out...
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mary rosenblum
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so you'll give us a sense of
rising drama while we're learning a lot. That makes a good novel start.
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sol
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Yes, drake. I've needed such
advice myself, and it's worth the "risk" to get it in front of
the eyes of someone else.
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mary rosenblum
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oh, it's not a risk. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's highly unlikely that you
could write something nobody wants to read. YOu could write it so BADLY
that nobody would want to wade through it...but badly is easily fixed...
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mary rosenblum
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you just get better. :-)
That's what you're here for, right?
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mary rosenblum
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Any story will hold readers if
well written...that's what the craft of writing is all about...
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mary rosenblum
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learning to tell any story
well.
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drakeluvr
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so would this be novel or ss?
Harry sat on his bed, in his room on Privet Drive, where he lived with his
relatives, the Dursleys. He’s room was a mess with rolls of parchment,
spell books, and clothes, not to mention white feathers from when his owl
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mary rosenblum
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Doesn't one of the HP books
actually begin that way? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You could start a short story
that way if, say, Uncle burst into the room in the next second and the plot
started...
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mary rosenblum
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But it's pretty told.
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mary rosenblum
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You'd do better to start with
Uncle bursting into the room and fill in the 'where' 'why' 'who' as you
went.
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drakeluvr
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don't think so... this is
something I was doing for homework :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Just don't try to publish
it... :-) Those characters belong to JDR. But as I said, if you have Uncle
burst in and we SEE the the messy room and rolls of parchment and spell
books...
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mary rosenblum
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as uncle rants, we'll figure
out that HP lives here and the feathers can flutter around as Uncle yanks
Harry off the bed.
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mary rosenblum
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So you're weaving all those
visual clues about where we are into the action which hooks the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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That is nearly always better
than showing the reader the universe and THEN starting the action.
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sweett
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How effective is a short story
start for a novel? Is it good to start as short to hook readers for novel
form?
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mary rosenblum
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That's a very good question,
sweet.
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mary rosenblum
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And since the novel that's
coming out STARTS with a short story that has already been published...I
have some experience with that. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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A short story start can indeed
work just fine for a novel...with some hard work on your part...while a
novel start rarely works well for a short story.
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mary rosenblum
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What happens in a short story
start, remember, is that we leap into action not really knowing where we
are...
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mary rosenblum
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and the author fills in the
back story details of who, where, why, when, and how as we move along into
the plot.
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mary rosenblum
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There is no introduction. You
can do it just fine, as long as you continue to expand that universe and
give more details before you get too far into the story.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are using dual POV
characters it's easier to do. For example, in my novel...
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mary rosenblum
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the plot and action begins in
chapter one...but fairly quickly we switch into the other POV character who
has his own agendas...and so it was pretty easy to finish building the
world for the reader.
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drakeluvr
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Only to sites she personally
visits. I found out she's flattered by fan fics :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, that's good, drake. :-)
Some authors are NOT and you can earn letters from lawyers! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Try really doing a strong
action start there. Who knows? If you do a good enough job, she may email
you. Never know. :-) It's a goal.
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christopher dale
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I have a SF short story I have
starting n a Moonbase prison. The prisoner complains : "You’d think
with all the technology advances in the last 400 years we could make
plasti-bunks more comfortable.”
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christopher dale
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Does that give you a time slice,
outsideof the 400 years part?
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mary rosenblum
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It should do just fine for SF
readers, chris.
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mary rosenblum
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While your charcter really has
no reason to think about his 'now' in relation to 'our' now...we'll all
assume that we got to the moon in the near future, so that places it pretty
well for us.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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drakeluvr
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a bit off topic, but is there a
way to remain in contact with the school, even if one couldn't start the
novel course right away?
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mary rosenblum
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You're doing it, drake. :-)
The website is open to everyone.
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geezer
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I thought I would lead off in my
short story with action then use a flashback to show how everything came
about. What is a good way to transition into the second scene?
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gbeesley
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would having action then going
back in time work for an ss
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mary rosenblum
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These questions are pretty
similar.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, you can do that...start
with something really vivid and then let the MC flash back to an earlier
event that gives us the backstory.
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mary rosenblum
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I've seen it done where the
character gets knocked unconscious and dreams, or ends the action and falls
into a reminiscence brought on by the event...many ways to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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And it can certainly work. It
can be problematical though...
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mary rosenblum
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and if you can do it another
way, you're probably better off trying that first.
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mary rosenblum
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The reason I say that, is that
a flashback stops the forward momentum of the story and sends the reader
back in time...and it gives the reader two distinct transitions...
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mary rosenblum
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that are nice places to 'get
off' and close the book if he/she isn't fully engaged.
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mary rosenblum
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Plus, if your flashback world
is more interesting than your 'real' world, readers may quit when they
realize that they don't like your real world as much as that past.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you're starting with
strong action and a powerful hint of interesting conflict to come...it can
work okay.
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mary rosenblum
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Flashbacks are useful, but
they can be double edged sword, so use with care and intention, not
casually or as a shortcut.
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jackie7777
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So a short story is one big
scene
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jackie7777
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.... and novel is many scenes?
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mary rosenblum
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Not really, jackie, although
that CAN be true.
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mary rosenblum
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Let me define 'scene'.
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mary rosenblum
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A scene is a sequence of
actions that take place in one continuous stretch of time in one single
Point of View.
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mary rosenblum
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That scene may cover minutes,
hours, or even days, if you want to drag us through all those events of
living for several days!
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mary rosenblum
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Each scene should have it's
own miniature dramatic arc...rising tension building to a peak and falling
off or transitioning to the next scene or chapter.
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mary rosenblum
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And a chapter can be one scene
or multiple scenes.
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mary rosenblum
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A story can have one scene or
many scenes.
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mary rosenblum
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A short short of 1000 words is
probably going to have one scene.
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mary rosenblum
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A novelette can have many
scenes, and some writers even divide novellas into chapters. (I don't).
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mary rosenblum
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Each scene should ideally do
three things:
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mary rosenblum
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Advance the plot, deepen the
characterization, enrich the setting.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
|
And I had a question from
Robyn, who couldn't be here today.
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mary rosenblum
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She wanted to know if a
novella should start with a novel or a short story opening.
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mary rosenblum
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Good question!
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mary rosenblum
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A novella is LONG.
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mary rosenblum
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18,000 to 40,000 words. So you
can indeed use a novel type of opening for that piece...
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mary rosenblum
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If your novella is published
in an anthology with one or two others, as a stand alone trade paperback,
the novel start is fine.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's going to appear in a
magazine with a lot of short stories...you might want to give that opening
more of a short story feel, but essentially, yes, you can use a novel
opening...
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mary rosenblum
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just keep it in proportion.
Don't devote 10 or 12 pages to introducing your world!
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mary rosenblum
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Novel: 40,000 +
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mary rosenblum
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Novella: 17,500 - 39,999 words
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mary rosenblum
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Novelette: 7500 - 17,499 words
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mary rosenblum
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Short story: 7499 or fewer
words
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mary rosenblum
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And mostly, these distinctions
are used to categorize stoies for awards...
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mary rosenblum
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they are usually offered for
each length.
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mary rosenblum
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But if a guidelines says it
accepts novelettes...
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mary rosenblum
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then it means under 17,500
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sol
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About novels again . . . Would a
prologue be an exception to the rule of ealier? I recently read a mystery
that began BOOM! with the murder but no obvious background.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, sol...prologues are NOT
beginnings.
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mary rosenblum
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Realize that a distressingly
large number of readers do NOT read 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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Why? Beats me. But they don't,
because i have asked a LOT of readers!
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mary rosenblum
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Normally, prologues are
intentionally a scene taken completely out of context...
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mary rosenblum
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you have NO clue what is
happening, who is good or bad, or why.
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mary rosenblum
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It is a teaser, meant to whet
reader appetite and later on in the book...
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mary rosenblum
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to provide an 'aha' moment,
when you suddenly understand what was going on in the prolugue.
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mary rosenblum
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Just be careful to make sure
that whatever info you provide in that prologue is not necessary to the
story.
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mary rosenblum
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Many readers will skip it and
some will forget it by the time its meaning is revealed.
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mary rosenblum
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I use it to instantly hook a
reader with vivid action and/or violence when my opening chapter is fairly
low key, without any particular mayhem.
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bengalrose
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Hi Mary. I'm working on a short
story that I think could also be a novel down the road. I have been
tinkering with the opening para for a while. Here it is: Ta Ua Tan clutched
the arms of the seat with his three-fingered hands as the starliner bounced
through the Earth’s atmosphere. He exhaled through the large blowhole at
the top of his head. Since returning to normal space five cycles ago –
days, the Humans called them days – the mind-numbing vibrations from the
thrusters had worn him down. After this journey, even a backward planet
like Earth was welcome.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a perfectly good short
story or novel start, bengal.
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mary rosenblum
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You set up the universe very
nicely without answering all our questions,.
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mary rosenblum
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If I was starting a short
story there, I'd lead into the main plot with the next paragraph using
action, myself...
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mary rosenblum
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in a novel, you could let Ta
Ua Tan pace and argue and think...whatever you needed to do to give us back
story.
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wingedwarrior24
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Is it ok to go back to the same
scene but different events?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I"m not sure how you'd
do that, winged, unless you switch POV? If John fights through the civil
war battle and survives, he has seen and heard everything he could see and
hear and so have we, since we're in his POV.
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mary rosenblum
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If you revisit that scene,
you'd almost have to be in someone else's head in order to let us
see/hear/know anything different.
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mary rosenblum
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And do keep in mind that
shifting POV in a short story really does tend to distance your readers
from the characters.
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mary rosenblum
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So if your story is strongly
plot driven and we don't have to care about the characters...
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mary rosenblum
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it can work. But if your main
character drives the story, this is probably not the best method of dealing
with things.
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gbeesley
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what about using a forward to
catch a person up to future
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mary rosenblum
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Lots of SF does that, gb.
Again, you confuse the readers who don't read it...which is THEIR fault for
not reading, true...but I hate to confuse readers, myself. :-) So I tend to
embed my back story in my first chapter action...or first scene in a short
story.
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ling630
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What about the time changes in a
piece of short fiction where there are 3 differnent scenes that you are
trying to keep in chronological order ? How do you keep it as a short story
or how would you make into a novella?
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mary rosenblum
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Not necessarily, ling.
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mary rosenblum
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I've put multiple scenes into
fairly short stories...under 7000 words.
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mary rosenblum
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Just make clean and fast
transitions to save yourself words.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't 'walk us' from scene one
to two to three...including pages of transition each time!
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that you can end a
scene, center a * on a skipped line...
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mary rosenblum
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and leap directly into a new
scene, taking care to make the new 'when' or 'where' clear to the reader in
the first paragraph.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about beginnings…short story versus novel. If you're new here,
remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word
bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the
ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar
won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach
me.
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mary rosenblum
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The biggest problem new
writers have with short stories...
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mary rosenblum
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is knowing where to begin.
Usually...most of the time, in fact...you begin way too early, long before
you should.
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mary rosenblum
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I think my first five or six
published stories actually had their original front scenes chopped off..
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mary rosenblum
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because I did the usual thing
of starting too soon!
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mary rosenblum
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Later on, I learned how to
begin a story where it needs to begin...
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mary rosenblum
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which is rarely where I start
working out the plot when I'm planning the story.
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mary rosenblum
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When you're writing a short
story draft, don't worry about where to start right now...
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mary rosenblum
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just write it.
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mary rosenblum
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After you have finished the
first draft, think about that story.
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mary rosenblum
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Where does the plot ACTUALLY
begin?
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mary rosenblum
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Does it begin with Randor
forging a beautiful magic sword?
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mary rosenblum
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Or does it begin when he finds
his wife and child slain by the evil kings' knights?
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mary rosenblum
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Ask yourself...where can he
NOT turn back from the plot?
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mary rosenblum
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Obviously he can turn back
after forging the sword...
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mary rosenblum
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he has no reason to kill the
evil king.
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mary rosenblum
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But once he finds his
family...how can he NOT go on?
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mary rosenblum
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So while you may love that
very cool scene of sparks and magic and white hot forge...
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mary rosenblum
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maybe it's not the best place
to begin...
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mary rosenblum
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maybe it will work better
later, as a flashback.
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mary rosenblum
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As he contemplates using it on
the king?
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jackie7777
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Start the short story at the
scene of the train wreck?
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mary rosenblum
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That's an excellent idea...
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mary rosenblum
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or you can start just before
the wreck.
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mary rosenblum
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And the longer the story, the
more you CAN begin a bit before the main plot.
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mary rosenblum
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If our smith and evil king
story is a novelette or novella...
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mary rosenblum
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and actually, this is a story
that one of my students has been working on...
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mary rosenblum
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and it IS a novelette...I
HOPE!
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mary rosenblum
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You CAN start with that forge
scene, if the smith then immediately finds his slain family and is off and
running...
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mary rosenblum
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because the magic sword is a
major part of the story.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not just window dressing.
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mary rosenblum
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If it was going to be a 3000
word story, it would be better to begin with the dead family, heft the
sword, remembering that forging of magic, and swear to kill the king.
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gail
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If my story's fast-pacing is key
to its effectiveness, IMHO, should I move through it chronologically rather
than use flashbacks that may slow the pace?
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mary rosenblum
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Obsolutely, gail. You will
ALWAYS sacrifice both pace AND tension with a flashback.
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mary rosenblum
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Which is why I don't use 'em
much.
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mary rosenblum
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Flashbacks are best used if
you find no other way to do what you need to do .
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mary rosenblum
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If we need to see a character
in action who is dead or out of the story somehow...
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mary rosenblum
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a flashback can bring that
person back to life.
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mary rosenblum
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For example, in a romance, if
our heroine's lover was lost at sea...
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mary rosenblum
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and we need to know why she
resists the landowner's son for the memory of her dead sailor...
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mary rosenblum
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we'll need that flashback to
show us why he was so wonderful that she can love nobody else.
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mary rosenblum
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Hmmm..okay...our Friday Forum
is going to be on flashback.
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gail
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Wow...an "always" from
you, Mary!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there ARE a few, gail.
Really. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And while I'm not saying that
you should NEVER use flashbacks, you WILL do so at a cost. That cost can be
worth it, as in my romance example...
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mary rosenblum
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but the cost can outweigh the
benefit, so think about it before you use one.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember, there are lots of
other good ways to show back story.
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mary rosenblum
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Your MC can talk, remember,
read something...
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mary rosenblum
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For example, I have a story
stalled right now because I have to add more back story...
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mary rosenblum
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and I haven't yet figured out
how to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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A flashback would really ruin
it...there's not a lot of action in it as is..so I'll...
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mary rosenblum
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probably have to introduce a
new strong secondary character who can somehow get involved and ask the
right questions.
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mary rosenblum
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Everybody in the story at this
point, darn it, knows too much. They have NO reason to bring in back story
and the pacing isn't strong enough to allow...
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mary rosenblum
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me the luxury of letting my
character think about the past in great detail. Grr. See what even pros go
through? LOL
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gail
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I love to use dialogue for
filling in backstory, setting, characterization, motive, and heck, just
about anything. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's a powerful tool...just
avoid the 'as we all know, John' conversations.
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ling630
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I am working on a story about
epilepsy. I have a sub plot in it with the father. Is it necessary to keep
both or do they need to be different stories completely?
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mary rosenblum
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Ling that's something you'll
have to decide. As long as it works, it's fine. If it distracts the reader
too much from the main story, or confuses the reader, then it does not
work...
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mary rosenblum
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and should probably be its own
story.
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mary rosenblum
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Try it as is, give it to some
good readers and after they read it...
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mary rosenblum
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ask them if they understood
it, did the subplot get in their way, and so forth.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember, anything CAN work,
not everything WILL work, even if somebody else did it that way.
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gail
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The story itself seems to
dictate the hows of its own telling, don't you find, Mary?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh definitely, gail. But all
too often as beginners, we aren't really able to let the story tell us how
it needs to go. Comes with practice. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this has been a fun
Oregon hour. :-) I'll post the transcript of the Forum in the usual place:
Writing Craft, Forum Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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Join us same place and time
tomorrow...
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mary rosenblum
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for our casual chat.
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mary rosenblum
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We just hang out and talk
about writing.
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sol
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Yeah, that's true. In the
beginning I tried so hard to stay with the original 'plan', but now I can
get out of the way better.
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mary rosenblum
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Good for you, sol. That takes
some practice, for sure. Beginning writers are very reluctant to make
changes..
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mary rosenblum
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and the more you do it, the
more you realize that change is what it's all about.
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks for coming, all!
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mary rosenblum
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See you tomorrow for our
casual chat!
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good day!
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ling630
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What about when writing a story
the story begins to take over. What do you do with a story like that? Do
you change it or stay with it?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, go with it Ling. Never try
to put a bridle on your muse. But THEN...
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mary rosenblum
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when you have finished the
first draft...let your muse have her head..
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mary rosenblum
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THEN go back and put on your
editor hat and make it work the best it can.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't confuse inspiration and
editing. They are two different states of mind.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't mess with the
inspiration. Do mess with the editing. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Bye all!
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