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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 had a great
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. 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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Before we get started with
First Person POV, I wanted to mention an agent event...
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mary rosenblum
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I received a question from a
website regular...
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mary rosenblum
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She sent off a query to an
agent, who asked to read the synopsis and chapters...
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mary rosenblum
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and then replied that although
he felt she was a competant writer...
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mary rosenblum
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He just didn't feel personally
excited by the work and recommended she try elsewhere.
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mary rosenblum
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She really wanted to know if
this was a tactful way of saying 'you s...k'.
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mary rosenblum
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I just want to make it clear
to all of you who are trying to find an agent...
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mary rosenblum
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that a REPUTABLE agent...a
GOOD one...knows his/her editors. He knows what works for them, she knows
what kind of work will sell well.
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mary rosenblum
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If an agent says, 'you are
good, but I just don't want to handle you', be GLAD.
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mary rosenblum
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Otherwise, that ms might sit
on his/her desk for years because that agent doesn't know editors who will
buy it.
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mary rosenblum
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And believe me...editors do
not have to be tactful.
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mary rosenblum
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If they think you are an awful
writer, they will say so in words of one syllable!
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kitfox_starchild
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How can I find writer's
conferences in my area?
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mary rosenblum
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Kitfox, try using Google and
searching the internet for 'writers conferences Cityname' and see what you
find...
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mary rosenblum
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and check your local
bookstores.
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mary rosenblum
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They will have ads up most of
the time...at least the independants.
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mary rosenblum
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You can also try Shawguides on
the internet.
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mary rosenblum
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They list quite a few.
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mary rosenblum
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They don't have all of 'em,
but they have quite a few: www.shawguides.com as I recall.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you are looking for
citique groups, try your local bookstores.
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mary rosenblum
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Many groups post ads there, or
actually meet at the bookstore.
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mary rosenblum
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Ask the owner if they know of
any. Indy bookstore owners usually have a strong connection to the local
writing community.
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realityczech
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I like how you are typing all
the responses in 1st person to show how that is done! Wink!
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mary rosenblum
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LOL, reality, and I will get
on topic here. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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POV is such a murky concept
when we all begin writing, that I really wanted to delve into it in depth.
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mary rosenblum
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On Friday, we talked about all
the possible POVs, and if you missed that forum, you can find the
transcript in Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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craig
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why don't editors have to be
tactful that is foolishness the way they treat the writer's that send in
their manuscripts to them. They should be held to a professional standard
because writing is a profession.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors ARE tactful, craig.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know any editor
personally who is rude about rejecting a ms. It is in their best interests
to be tactful...
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mary rosenblum
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they want to buy from you some
day! And most editors are very sympathetic toward even the most raw
amateur...
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mary rosenblum
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and might tactfully suggest
that person perhaps take a writing class, but sure won't say 'you're
awful'.
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mary rosenblum
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Agents however, are not so
kind. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is because if they say 'no' they will
never work with you...
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mary rosenblum
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and some...NOT ALL...of them
feel they can be rude if they choose.
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ellenj
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What is the worst thing you can
do in 1st person?
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mary rosenblum
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Tell the story in a monotone,
ellenj.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a good question,
actually, because for many writers, first person is the 'natural' voice...
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mary rosenblum
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and alas, many English teacher
in grade and high school, teach that first person is the 'storytelling
voice'. Yuck.
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mary rosenblum
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The problem is that very few
writers using first person realize that they are responsible for creating
that character, just as they are responsible for creating ANY character,
even if that character happens to be YOU the author!
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mary rosenblum
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And so the first person voice
is a drone in the author's own voice, but without any attempt to create the
character...
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mary rosenblum
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and it becomes a monotone
voiceover. Ho hum, yawn...
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mary rosenblum
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This is what makes the
difference between a selling personal narrative and a nonselling personal
narrative.
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catydorr
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but there are valuable times for
it to be used right?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, caty, but there are ONLY
valuable times for it to be used WELL...
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mary rosenblum
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a droning monotone is NEVER
going to add anything to your piece.
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mary rosenblum
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And while there are VERY few
'never' and 'always' in writing...this is one of 'em! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I probably see more monotone
first person than any other POV problem.
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sammyrae
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Writing for a weekly paper...How
do you refresh?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, sammy, I"m assuming
you mean how do you keep your column fresh?
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mary rosenblum
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You don't need to change your
voice. You should ideally have a strong and recognizable one to start with.
It doesn't have to be brilliant...
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mary rosenblum
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just interesting. You would
keep it fresh through your topics...don't fall into a rut.
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kitfox_starchild
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how best do you avoid the
monotone?
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mary rosenblum
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You avoid it, in both
narrative nonfiction and fiction, by giving the speaker a voice that
reflects the characater.
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mary rosenblum
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And no, your voice doesn't
automatically reflect YOU.
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craig
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Agents should not be rude either
because they get a percentage of what the writer makes and writing is still
at profession and they are part of it. The reason they act the way they do
is because no one stands up to their rudeness and someone should. Believe
me I will stand up to them if they are rude to me guaranteed.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, Craig, I see no excuse
for rudeness ever, but you'll have to take that up with agents, I'm afraid.
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ellenj
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Is it okay to add your, first
person phiosophies?
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mary rosenblum
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Good, ellen! It certainly is
and that is HOW you create the character...
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mary rosenblum
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be it you or a fictional 'I'.
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mary rosenblum
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Now granted, if you are
writing an informative article or a journalistic piece, you are NOT going
to put your opinions into that piece.
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mary rosenblum
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That is the ultimate No No for
a newspaper reporter...personal biasl
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mary rosenblum
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But in creative nonfiction --
narratives, opinion pieces, and the like...
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mary rosenblum
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your biases and opinions are
how we know who you are as character, as well as your word choices, and
style.
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ellenj
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And that's not considered
teaching?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not sure what you mean by
teaching...
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mary rosenblum
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Personal narrative nearly
always HAS a point that the author is intentionally making...or at least
dangling in front of the reader in hopes that the reader willl 'get it'...
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mary rosenblum
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and it is NOT objective
reporting. They are total opposites.
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craig
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Mary why are you afraid to
defend yourself if someone is rude to you. You should let them know and a
very tactful way and not be afraid to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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Craig, I think we've probably
exhausted the agent topic. You're certainly free to send a nasty letter
back to the agent who is rude to you. My point is simply that agents are
rude at times, and it is not something to take as an objective statement of
your ability.
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ellenj
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We're always told to tell or
show and not teach.
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mary rosenblum
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I think that is confusing
'show, don't tell' as opposed to teach...semantics, Ellen.
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mary rosenblum
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A lot of fiction, personal
narrative, and the like not only is written for the entertainment value...
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mary rosenblum
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but is making a point..is
TEACHING...and does so, often, by 'showing' the story to a reader, but
still making a point that the author feels is worth making.
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mary rosenblum
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I think you're simply using
the word 'teaching' to mean 'telling'.
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mary rosenblum
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Believe me, I am making a
point in every piece of fiction I write, and I sure want the reader to get
it, LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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Tellling is simply not
allowing the reader to participate. It's not much fun for the reader. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But teaching is just fine. You
can do that by showing. :-)
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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. 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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donald
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Can you give a good (and bad?)
example, short, on 1st person
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, Donald. I'll see what I
can do.
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mary rosenblum
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I watched Annie walk away.
Then I went into the drugstore, sat down at the counter, and ordered an ice
cream sundae, the hot fudge special, with whipped cream and nuts. I ate
every bit of it and then I even bought a box of Godiva chocolates to take
home. I knew I wouldn't see Annie again.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, this is what I call
monotone first person.
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mary rosenblum
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All that happens here is that
the POV voice describes what is going on. That's it.
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mary rosenblum
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There is no indication of what
is going on in the speaker's mind, what the significance of the sundae, the
chocolates, or Annie might be...it's just a narrative, unembellished
description.
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mary rosenblum
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I let Annie walk away. I know
she expected me to run after her, but tough. Her choice. I needed
chocolate. To heck with the diet. I went into Brenners, plopped my big, fat
butt on the seat and ordered the hot fudge special. None of your diet cokes
for me, Annie, dear. _I'm_ not the one who worries about my weight.
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mary rosenblum
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It was delicious, heaven, just
what I needed. And afterward, I bought a half pound box of the Godiva's
dark mix. If I was gonna spend the night in front of the tube, I might as
well each chocolate.
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mary rosenblum
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If you notice these are
exactly the same scene. But in the first, we don't have a character, We
have a character in the second.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it takes more words to do
that type of voice, but fewer words are not better if they are boring!
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smeagol
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Mary, I think what
"ellenj" might be talking about is those stories with heavy handed
morals in them, particularly at the end, that is the kind that end the
story by telling someone how they should or should not behave or act. This
is what is frequently called "teaching" stories.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, me, I'd call that bad
writing, myself, smeagol. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have to be heavy
handed to make a point, and if you write in a prdominantly 'entertainment'
genre, as I do...you have to be pretty darn subtle with your teaching...
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mary rosenblum
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because people don't want to
be 'preached at'.
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mary rosenblum
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But there is nothing wrong
with including a meassage, a point, a moral in your story...
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mary rosenblum
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you can do that and still
create a very strong and entertaining story.
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bjrpark
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can we try a contorversial
subject?
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mary rosenblum
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As in, bjr?
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sammyrae
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Can we do that in non-fiction?
lol
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mary rosenblum
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Absolutely, sammy, if it's the
kind of nonfiction that supports a personal narrative voice.
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mary rosenblum
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You can use it in many types
of nonfiction. Personal narratives, like Patrick McManus, Bailey White, and
others depend on a strong personal voice.
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mary rosenblum
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I can read a section by one of
these writers and usually guess who wrote it without seeing a by line.
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mary rosenblum
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But you can do it even with a
how to article on building a table...if you market wants that sort of
personal piece.
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mary rosenblum
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However, if you are marketing
for 'Wooden Boat' magazine, you don't use a personal voice at ALL as you
describe...
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mary rosenblum
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just how to renovate that Cape
Cod dory! That magazine is insterested in stright how-to!
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mary rosenblum
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But you might write a humorous
'how to do a camp out' for 'Boys Life' and it might sell.
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smeagol
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Mary, most of the short stories
being published in mags today are first person. Is this a current trend? Or
is 1st person best for short stories in general and short fiction in
particular?
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mary rosenblum
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Actually, first person is a
more limiting POV for fiction in general, smeagol. You are stricktly
limited to what the POV character chooses to share with the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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In third person, you can slip
in more details and inside insights...your POV in Third Person can't edit
their thoughts the way a first person POV can.
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mary rosenblum
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it's just a fad. Writers tend
to write what they see on the published page...and right now that is a lot
of first person. Blame the reality shows... LOL...
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kitfox_starchild
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Is POV used the same in
nonfiction as in fiction?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, kitfox.
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mary rosenblum
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Again, how personal and
interesting you make your first person voice depends on what market you are
writing for.
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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. 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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jackie7777
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How do I show other characters'
POV in First Person?
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mary rosenblum
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YOu don't, jackie. Not without
a LOT of work. It is very difficult to switch out of a first person POV
within a story without totally losing the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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I have seen it done in novel
form, but often as a mix of 'epistilary first person' and third.
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mary rosenblum
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Epistilary first person is a
diary entry or letter...
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arfelin
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Any hints on creating an
interesting character in 1st person without making them sound boring or
pompous.
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mary rosenblum
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One thing that I found helped
me early in my career is to find someone I knew who sort of fit the part
and then mimic their voice.
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mary rosenblum
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First person is not my natural
storytelling voice...I prefer third...so I had to put a lot of work into doing
it well.
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coway
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In synopsis,,,one has to be
careful not to make it sound like rough draft, yet tell plot,,,is that
right?
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mary rosenblum
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Right coway, and you must tell
it in an exciting fashion.
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diannalmt
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did your friends & family
appreciate it when they saw themselves in your books?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, goodness, there isn't a
single recognizable real person in any of my stories at all, diannalmt.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very difficult to
reproduce a voice that the person will recognize...look at how 'alien'
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mary rosenblum
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our voices can sound on a
tape! It's even more true when you have a character speak with a real
person's voice... :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And you'll end up changing
that style of speech to suit your character.
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mary rosenblum
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Ethically, I do not believe in
using real people from your life in your stories.
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mary rosenblum
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Not even if they give
permission. But that is my opinion and not all writers share it.
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calgal
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Are there any genres best
written in first person?
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mary rosenblum
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I wouldn't say there are any
genres, calgal. Ideally you should use the POV that works best for each
story you write.
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mary rosenblum
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There are reasons to choose
first over third and vice versa.
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bjrpark
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Is that intentional?
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bjrpark
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Do you base characters on people
you've met though?
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mary rosenblum
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BJrpark, you are going to base
all your characters on your experience with people, so of course, everyone
you have ever met including yourself...
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mary rosenblum
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will be part of your
characters. Most of mine are extrapoloated from particular traits rather
than created as 'copies' of a person.
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jackie7777
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So third person POV is the
ultimate/chosen POV?????
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mary rosenblum
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I wouldn't say it is the
ulitmate POV, jackie, but for many stories, it is more flexible and will
give you better results. And for some stories, your first person voice will
work better.
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bjrpark
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My questiosn seem to be getting
in about 3 minutes late :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I know, bj...that happens. I
suspect it's a server problem...slow server, dialup problems..something. It
always helps to put your question into...
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mary rosenblum
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context so that I can figure
out what you're commenting on! :-)
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molly
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Can you have three main
charactors with a first pov? I get so confused on POV, and I know I
shouldnt, it's an easy concept...yet Im lost with most of it.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this is probably a good
time to define POV character and Main character, Molly.
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mary rosenblum
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They are not always the same,
although they are more often than not.
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mary rosenblum
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A main character is a
character who is more involved in the story than others.
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mary rosenblum
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You might have three or four
main, or principal characters in a novel, you probably have just one main
character in a short story.
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mary rosenblum
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The POV character is the one
who is a: telling the story (first person) or b: the perspective through
which we see the action and follow the story. (third person)
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realityczech
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First person lends a sense of
immediacy that third deos not. if it is done well, your reader IS the main
character, intimately experienceing everything just the way the MC does.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, and that can add a LOT to
the story if there isn't a lot of action or strong dialogue...
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mary rosenblum
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if you find that your
character is doing a lot of thinking or internal monologue, a first person
POV might really improve the story.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...if your story includes a
lot of dramatic action....think about any crisis you have lived through..fight
you have had...whatever.
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mary rosenblum
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How much did you notice at the
time?
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mary rosenblum
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If your character is involved
in a fierce battle, you really aren't going to be able to give us a lot of
detail. If he has the time to describe what is going on in great detail, no
way will we believe that he is fighting for his life!
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mary rosenblum
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If you're watching for the
next sword swing...what ELSE are you looking at? Not a lot.
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mary rosenblum
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So if your story includes a
lot of dramatic action...third is probably a better choice.
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mary rosenblum
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Or course you can do a
narrative first person here, and have our POV tell about the battle later
on, after the fact.
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mary rosenblum
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Now he can add all that detail
and even things that he has found out since... much more information than
you could get across in that third person battle scene...
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...of course, you have no
suspence. We KNOW he survived becuase he's telling us about it, right?
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mary rosenblum
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So neither POV is right or
wrong, but you need to weigh the story and decide which voice will give
your more strength.
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mary rosenblum
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It might be a toss up, and
then you go with what is most comfortable for you.
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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. 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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realityczech
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In 1st person, how much is your
POV character permitted to interpret the moods, intentions, feelings of
others without it being considered a POV slip?
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mary rosenblum
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YOur first person POV can only
tell us what he/she knows, reality. That char can interpret a LOT as long
as that character plausibly...
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mary rosenblum
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can know or guess what is
going on.
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mary rosenblum
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And here's a tip.
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mary rosenblum
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If your character guesses that
the other char is angry...the reader will take that to mean that the ...
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mary rosenblum
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other character is angry
unless you the author make it clear that the POV is wrong.
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mary rosenblum
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So even if your POV can't know
something, his good guess will still convey the right information to the
reader.
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mary rosenblum
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The more you write and get
reader feedback, the more you begin to realize how often readers will leap
to conclusions and you can begin to use those leaps!
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smeagol
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Mary, you have gone over this in
other forums, but when should one consider using 1st person as opposed to
third? What situations lend themselves best to 1st POV?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, smeagol.
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mary rosenblum
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While all things being equal,
use the voice that you like best. BUT...if you are consistenly getting your
first person stories rejected or your readers tell you they're just not
moved by your characters...
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mary rosenblum
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consider either switching to
third for awhile, or really working on your first person voice.
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mary rosenblum
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Third person is a better voice
for description and dramatic action...
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mary rosenblum
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because if you the author
describes the scene in your POV character's vocabulary and voice...
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mary rosenblum
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you can sneak in more
description than that character might really notice, but we'll believe it's
in 'his/her POV since it's in that person's voice.
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mary rosenblum
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In first person, your POV
character will ONLY tell the reader what that character would really say or
think.
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mary rosenblum
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And as I said, if there is a
lot of action and chaos, your first person will see less detail than you
can sneak in, in third.
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mary rosenblum
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If there isn't a lot of strong
action and dialogue, a first person POV can really improve the story since
we have that interesting voice to add more strength to the story.
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mary rosenblum
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If your reader needs to know a
lot of things to make the story work...
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mary rosenblum
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a first person POV can add a
lot of information in his/her internal responses to things happening.
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mary rosenblum
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In that example I gave you, we
learn a lot about the POV's feelings about her weight and Annie and their
breakup through her thoughts.
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realityczech
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So the MC can interpret a look
on someone's face as a hurt look, and that would not be considered a POV
slip?
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mary rosenblum
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Not at all. If I look at
someone and think, 'uh oh, she's hurt', she may not be, I don't really
know, but her expression suggests to me that she is.
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mary rosenblum
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You just make it the
character's guess and not YOUR voice stating it as a fact.
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mary rosenblum
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For example: I looked at
Cathy. Uh, oh, wounded her again. Sheesh.
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mary rosenblum
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That's my character thinking
Cathy is hurt.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if you simply write:
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mary rosenblum
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I looked at Cathy. She was
hurt.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the character thinking
'she is hurt'. That character might be wrong...it's the character's
opinion.
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catydorr
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I have used dialogue in my
fairly successful personal narrative-not a lot but just some to break the
monotony--is this a good idea?
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mary rosenblum
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Absolutely, caty. A running
narrative can get boring. Dialogue spices it up.
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smeagol
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Thanks, Mary. So the reason that
most teen novels are written in 1st is not that it is better suited to
teens, but rather that most teen novels are dealing with an inner struggle
and not a lot of outside action.
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mary rosenblum
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AND...it might be, too, that
it makes it easier to get information to teen readers who can get VERY
impatient with a lot of exposition, smeagol.
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mary rosenblum
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One important thing to
realize..
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mary rosenblum
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if you use first person, the
reader will ALWAYS assume that the character is the same gender as the
author!
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mary rosenblum
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So if that character is NOT,
you MUST make the gender OBVIOUS in the first paragraph or two...
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mary rosenblum
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readers are VERY resistant to
changing their image of a character once they have created that character.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu want to get negative fan
mail, just startle your readers with a male POV on page 18 when they
thought she was a she!
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mary rosenblum
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One of the strengths of first
person POV is the ability to feed tons of information to the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are doing say, an
historical fiction story, you might use narrative first person...
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mary rosenblum
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where the MC is someone
telling about a incident that happened when he/she was a child.
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mary rosenblum
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But now, as an aging adult,
that MC can put the story into perspective and can fill the reader in on
all the details that make the story make sense.
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mary rosenblum
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Often, in that sort of
narrative, the story is 'framed' by a scene in 'the present', where the POV
character...
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mary rosenblum
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tells the family over dinner,
or his friends at the bar, about the battle of 1456 or whatever...
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mary rosenblum
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and then the story segues into
a more direct first person so that we feel we're living the story with the
POV character...
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mary rosenblum
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and at the end, slips back to
that strongly narrative 'present' as the POV wraps up the story and
everybody heads off to bed, or what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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I have also seen that done to
link a series of short stories into a narrative whole.
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mary rosenblum
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The POV is telling stories and
each story begins and ends with the narrative 'now' and then slips back
into the past and into a direct first person for the duration of the story.
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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. 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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catydorr
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OHH great Idea for my mystery
series a way to tie them all together?
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mary rosenblum
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There you go, Caty.
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kitfox_starchild
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Is it better to use past or
present tense with first person POV?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, if you're using the
narrative first person and your POV is telling about something that
happened in the past, past tense will work best, kitfox.
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mary rosenblum
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I tend to use present tense
for an intense direct first person.
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mary rosenblum
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That's when I'm trying for the
effect of the character talking to himself and the reader overhearing.
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mary rosenblum
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While past tense is an 'invisible
tense' in third person...we assume events are taking place in front of us..
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mary rosenblum
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in first person, using past
tense does tend to make the reader assume the events happened in the past
and are not happening right now, in front of us.
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smeagol
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Mary, in your example, how might
one transition from the frames to the main story and then back to the
frames again?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, something like this
would work, smeagol:
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mary rosenblum
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Jenn pulled her chair closer
to the fire and beamed at the expectant faces all around her.
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mary rosenblum
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"Now, I got to admit that
I've told you about the Five Days War before." She cackled as they all
nodded. "But I don't recollect that I told you about Chicken Dave and
the Battle for the Cow Barn, now did I?"
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mary rosenblum
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They all shook their head,
eyes bright.
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mary rosenblum
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"Well, we figured we were
safe. The fighting was way over in Mountain Dell and who would want a bunch
of rocky pastures and spavined old milk cows anwyay?" Then one night,
I'm sleeping, and there's this pounding on my door."
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mary rosenblum
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"Get up, they're coming
they're coming." Dave's voice. Chicken Dave, who tends the laying
flocks. I bolt out of bed. "What're you yelling about, you fool?"
I unbolt the door and he staggers through.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay...
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mary rosenblum
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if you notice, I have moved
from past tense as our narrator settles down in front of the fire with her
audience...
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mary rosenblum
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to present tense as Dave
pounds on the door.
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mary rosenblum
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That tells the reader we are
in the scene, that events are unfolding all around us.
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mary rosenblum
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At the end, you transition
back to past tense:
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mary rosenblum
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"We all run down the hill
shaking the feather covered 'moster chickens' and squawking like crazy. The
enemy soldiers take one look at us and start runin'. They're droppin their
rifles, screamin' like the dickens."
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mary rosenblum
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Mama Jo leaned back in her
chair laughing. "Well, you know, I never figured out whether they
really thought they were seeing monster chickens...
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mary rosenblum
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or whether they just decided
that we were too crazy to deal with." She stretched, yawned. "Now
you younguns run off to bed..."
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mary rosenblum
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And so forth.
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mary rosenblum
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What I did was to show her in
the chair, leaning back and laughing...
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mary rosenblum
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to clearly pop us out of that
memory and into the firelight of the present and as you notice, I switched
back to past tense.
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mary rosenblum
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So we have our chicken story
framed by Mama Jo
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mary rosenblum
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sitting by the fire and
telling the tale to the 'younguns'.
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mary rosenblum
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A clear visual is the safest
way to make the transition.
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mary rosenblum
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We see the firelight and the
gathered kids...
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mary rosenblum
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and then we are in a house
with someone pounding on the door.
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mary rosenblum
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We are running down a hill
squawking, and then leaning back in a chair by the fire.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this has been a fun
'oregon hour'. :-)
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speckledorf
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Hey...I want to know more about
chicken dave....
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mary rosenblum
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Me, too. :-)
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arfelin
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And you sure packed alot of info
in it! Thanks Mary!
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smeagol
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Thanks, Mary. Great story off
the top of your head! Can you tell us what is coming up on Friday?
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks, and I"m laughing.
This is what I used to do when I had to write sentences for spelling and
the like in grade school. Got me in trouible with some teachers, for some
reason!
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mary rosenblum
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Anyone have a request for a
topic for Friday? I don't have one scheduled yet.
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molly
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Thank you Mary....No wonder you
can write a book in a matter of days, lol...Love the chicken Dave story!
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mary rosenblum
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I'm laughing. I think one of
you need to write this one. It would be a fun illustrated book for kids!
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ladybird39pm
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Is this talk going to be posted
sme where Mary
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, ladybird... Writing
Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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You can find links to Writing
Craft from most of the main website pages.
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mary rosenblum
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Topic for Friday?
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mary rosenblum
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Anything you want to talk
about?
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diannalmt
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how to choose the 'right' place
to send your story; picking publishing houses. as a topic?
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arfelin
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what about creating 3D
characters?
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smeagol
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Can we revisit some aspect of
writing short stories on Friday? Don't have a particular suggestion though.
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mary rosenblum
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Those are all good. Let's do
'finding the market' on Friday, because that's a big problem for a lot of
LR students wiriting NF, and I'll do...
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mary rosenblum
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a character generation one on
Tuesday and another short story discussion after that.
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smeagol
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Maybe short stories involving
internal conflict (as opposed to external)?
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mary rosenblum
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Good slant, smeagol. Okay, got
three on the schedule now!
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diannalmt
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what time is the friday forum?
(mountain time zone)
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mary rosenblum
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dian, it's at 6 pm mt on
Friady.
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mary rosenblum
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5 PM pacific, 6 mt, 7 central,
8 east coast.
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mary rosenblum
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And feel free to drop into the
casual chat tomorrow am, same time and place!
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mary rosenblum
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No topic, we just talk, work
on stuck stories...whatever comes up.
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diannalmt
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thanks for showing how to
'frame' the story! now I think I know how to 'fix' one I've had sitting for
over a year!
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, good, dian! Frames can
really work nicely.
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mary rosenblum
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Good luck with it!
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mary rosenblum
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See you all tomorrow in the
chat room!
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mary rosenblum
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bye all!
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