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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 and today
we're talking about language. 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 hope you all had a great
weekend!
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about
language today and about 'being a chameleon'...
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mary rosenblum
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because it's something most
novice writers are pretty oblivious to...
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mary rosenblum
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and it's really important.
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sol
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Spent most of it getting a start
on some spring cleaning.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm laughing, sol...good
occupation, but I find the prospect of spring cleaning a GREAT motivator to
begin a new story! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But as to language, what I
mean is the style and voice you choose to use when you write.
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mary rosenblum
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Most novice writers focus on
WHAT they are saying...
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mary rosenblum
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HOW we say it is something we
rarely think about until we learn it's important...ut u
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mary rosenblum
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we tend to write like we talk
and we just...talk.
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curseofthe44
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I know this is very off of
today's topic, but I'm at work and I don't have anyone else to ask this
question. I've received a letter from an editor in response to a query I
sent to submit an article. I;ve been given the go-ahead for the article. Do
I need to note in the cover letter that they okayed my submission?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, congratulations, curse!!!
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mary rosenblum
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Good for you. Yes, I would
mention that okay in your cover letter...
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mary rosenblum
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the editor will surely
remember, BUT someone else...
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mary rosenblum
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an editorial assistant...may
open the ms, and think you disobeyed the writers guidelines...
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mary rosenblum
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and you may get a form
rejection!
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mary rosenblum
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I have known writers who
returned a requested revision only to get a form rejection because they
didn't include a SASE!
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mary rosenblum
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The editor never saw the ms,
and some assistant didn't realize it was a requested revision!
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that editors deal
with a LOT of authors and even though we'd all like to think we're
unforgettable...
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mary rosenblum
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we aren't. :-)
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curseofthe44
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Thank you, Mary. I'm sorry to
have interrupted with an off-topic question. I wasn't sure what to do.
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mary rosenblum
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That's fine, curse...the
forums are never strictly limited to the topic...
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mary rosenblum
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I always welcome questions.
When else are you going to ask?
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pjwriter2
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do u mean the characters voices?
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mary rosenblum
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No, pj, I don't. That IS a
given...every character should sound unique of course...
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mary rosenblum
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but I am talking about
exposition...in both fiction and perhaps even MORE importantly...in
nonfiction.
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curseofthe44
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I've actually given up writing.
This query was from several months ago. I'm only responding to it out of
duty.
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mary rosenblum
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OH, I don't know, curse, I've
given up writing many times...seems to be serious addiction once you have
it.
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mary rosenblum
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When you're telling a story,
your exposition...the non narrative description...should reflect your POV
character's voice...
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mary rosenblum
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as a method of deepening the
characterization.
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mary rosenblum
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But in nonfiction, your
language... your 'voice'...
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mary rosenblum
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needs to reflect the tone of
the magazine you are writing for, or your readers if you are writing
without a market in mind (something I don't suggest, actually).
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mary rosenblum
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And it's a good idea to be
conscious of your language, or your voice if you will...
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mary rosenblum
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and by 'voice' what I mean
here is your choice of vocabulary, level of complexity (from simple to very
literary and complex), your idiom, and the like.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of it this way. If you
are giving a talk to a boy scout troop and to a group of college
professors, would you speak the same way?
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mary rosenblum
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I certainly hope not!
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mary rosenblum
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You'd sure disappoint one
group or the other!
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coach
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A good example of that (in a
middle grade/YA book) is Gary Paulsen's Hatchet. The first half of the book
is told in very short, halting sentences (actually kind of hard to read)
because his main character is very stressed. This changes to longer, more
flowing and relaxed se4ntences once the mc resolves his stress.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a good example, coach,
and I can't remember...isn't that in first person?
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coach
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yes- told from the inside of the
mc's head
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mary rosenblum
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First person or narrative form
(where the 'first person voice' is the author) are written as spoken
language...
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mary rosenblum
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and that is always different
from exposition to at least some degree.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the big differences
between selling and non-selling work...especially in nonfiction...is
flexibility of language.
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mary rosenblum
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The really successful
freelancers, people who write regularly for various publications, is their
ability to suit the language of the publication they're writing for.
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sol
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This overwhelms me. I don't even
know what my OWN voice is yet, and now I feel like I need to be
multi-voiced. Like running before learning to walk?
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sol
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I feel like a lost cause.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, don't Sol. You'll
probably be using varied language long before you're AWARE of doing it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You can't learn everything at
once, and your craft improves in what I refer to as 'quantum leaps'.
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mary rosenblum
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All of a sudden, something you
were sometimes making work and sometimes weren't making work...becomes
clear. Suddenly you can see HOW to do it intentionally.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm still making those
discoveries!
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mary rosenblum
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I expect to keep making them.
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sol
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Quantum leaps?
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mary rosenblum
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That's my word for it.
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mary rosenblum
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You do dialogue, say, and
sometimes it sounds good and sometimes it doesn't...
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mary rosenblum
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and you read good and bad
examples, and you're not sure why they do or don't work...
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mary rosenblum
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and then one day, you're
working on dialogue and a lightbulb goes on...
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mary rosenblum
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THAT'S how to make it work!
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mary rosenblum
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And it seems so OBVIOUS when
you realize what the process is...
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mary rosenblum
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and from then on you don't
have any more trouble with it.
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mary rosenblum
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But until you figure out that
'how' for yourself, you can read and read articles on 'writing good
dialogue'...
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mary rosenblum
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and sometimes your dialogue
will work and sometimes it won't...
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mary rosenblum
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which is why writing classes
and books help you, but only if you are WRITING too.
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mary rosenblum
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And this is why writers get
better. You don't spring full-blown into Pulitzer winning writing in one
day! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's not a genetic trait!
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mary rosenblum
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And it sure can feel
overwhelming as you try to keep all this 'do and don't do' stuff in your
head...
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mary rosenblum
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but I'll share a very real tip
wiht you that will help a lot...
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mary rosenblum
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DON"T THINK ABOUT IT
during the first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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None of this stuff matters as
you are getting your thoughts down.
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mary rosenblum
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It's all stuff to worry about
when you revise.
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geezer
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Now I'm lost. Are we talking
about narrative or dialogue?
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mary rosenblum
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Actually, narrative and
dialogue are very similar geezer...
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mary rosenblum
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narrative is the author
talking, much as a first person character talks...the author tells the
story instead of a character is all...
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mary rosenblum
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dialogue is made up of various
characters talking.
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mary rosenblum
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Exposition is stuff that is neither
narrative nor dialogue...description in other words.
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mary rosenblum
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And language applies to all...
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mary rosenblum
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but where writers tend to pay
more attention to varying their use of language in dialogue or when
creating a first person POV voice (or they SHOULD be, at least)...
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mary rosenblum
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many writers don't think about
their use of language when writing exposition...
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mary rosenblum
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such as in nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
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And the right choice of
language: vocabulary, idiom, and structure...matter.
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sol
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Hmmm. Okay. I know what my
problem is, then. Bad WRITING habits. Gotta write more "shitty first
drafts"
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sol
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Then I can get all this gunk out
of my head.
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mary rosenblum
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Yep.
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mary rosenblum
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First drafts should ALWASY be
'shitty'.
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mary rosenblum
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Look, you have a split
brain...everybody does.
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mary rosenblum
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One side is The Editor.
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mary rosenblum
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The other side is The Creator.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to shut The Editor up
while you're writing the first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of it as throwing lumps
of clay onto a platform and shaping it into a crude sculpture...get messy,
sloppy, muddy.
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mary rosenblum
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Then turn The Editor on and
add the fine details, shape the features, form the curve of those cheekbones...
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pjwriter2
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can u give 3 or 4 examples
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mary rosenblum
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Of language, pj?
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sol
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Thank you for this. I need it so
much! I'll re-read this often.! And APPLY it!
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mary rosenblum
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Try sticking it onto your
computer monitor on a post-it, sol.
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mary rosenblum
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Really and truely the hardest
thing about writing for many people is to learn to let go...
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mary rosenblum
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and NOT try to write a perfect
piece in draft one.
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mary rosenblum
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That can really get in your
way.
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gskearney
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Now, you've done it. Lucky is
going to be telling me, the editor, to just shut up all the time because
SHE'S the CREATOR. --gk
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there you go, Gary. :-) You
just get to be quiet and polish, that's all. :-)
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pjwriter2
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like the for say...3 different
mags.
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. Let's take a subject
like dogs...
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mary rosenblum
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Say you're writing one piece
for your everyday dog owner...
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mary rosenblum
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and you're writing with an
'expert peer' slant...
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mary rosenblum
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that is, you're writing as a
dog owner with more experience than your readers, but you'll strive for a
'we're all dog owners together' voice.
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mary rosenblum
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And for our other
example...you're writing for say, a 4-H handout, where you're speaking as
an expert (a dog trainer) to a bunch of novices...
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mary rosenblum
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and you're writing as an
expert rather than a peer.
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mary rosenblum
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In the 'peer' slant, you'll
speak informally, fairly casually, you'll use a lot of conversational
idiom, you will not use a lecture voice.
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gail
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Okay, so if your "editor
brain" won't shut up, what then? A lobotomy? ;-) Hmmmm...might work!
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mary rosenblum
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Gail, I have had thoughts
along those lines at times, LOL!
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mary rosenblum
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While in the 4-H case, you
will use more formal grammatical construction, you won't use as much or
perhaps any idiom, you will not use a casual and informal voice.
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butch
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Could you give an example for
fiction?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, in fiction, butch, your
exposition should reflect your POV character's language.
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mary rosenblum
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In fiction, you are either
writing narrative...TELLING the story...and in that case you use YOUR
voice.
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mary rosenblum
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Or you are writing in first
person and in that chase you use the language, diction, and vocabulary of
your POV character...
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mary rosenblum
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or you're writing in third and
in that case, you want the reader not to really notice the exposition...
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mary rosenblum
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to feel as if he/she is
'seeing and hearing' the scenes...
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mary rosenblum
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so if you use the vocabulary
and idiom your POV character would use...
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mary rosenblum
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the exposition seems to be an
extension of your POV character's awareness and sort of disappears.
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sol
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Okay. I see better now. And I
feel less overwhelmed. Thank you, Mary.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm glad, sol! It's really not
overwhelming when you actually do it...
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mary rosenblum
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it's just a matter of
polishing up the lump of clay.
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gskearney
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I was a teacher before I tried
writing, and I think learning to speak to each student on a personal level
that they could understand made it easy for me to adopt different voices
for NF articles. But that was something that seemed to come natural to me,
and my students really appreciated the way I could get into their heads to
answer what they were really asking. --gk
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mary rosenblum
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And I think that's one of the
things that makes some teachers really good and others not...
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mary rosenblum
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that ability to 'speak the
language' of the audience.
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sol
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And lumpy it is. LOL
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mary rosenblum
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I hope so, Sol! It's much
easier to make changes to 'lumpy' stuff. :-) You should see the drafts my
long-suffering readers get! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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But whether or not you can
'speak the audience's language' naturally, you can sure learn to do it
well.
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mary rosenblum
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And one very effective method,
especially for nonfiction, is to create a reader for yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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Works in fiction, too, btw.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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Create that reader as a
character and then talk to that reader the way you'd talk to that person.
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mary rosenblum
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What level of language would
you use?
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mary rosenblum
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And even MORE
importantly...what role are YOU taking here?
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mary rosenblum
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Are you speaking as an Expert?
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mary rosenblum
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if so, your language will be
more formal...
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mary rosenblum
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less personal.
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mary rosenblum
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You are saying 'I'm in charge
here...I'm telling you how it is'.
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mary rosenblum
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Or are you speaking as a
friend, neighbor, someone who has had the same problem and dealt with it...
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mary rosenblum
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Here, you are making a strong
personal connection...
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, I'm just like you, but
I've been down this road and this is how I handled the problem'.
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mary rosenblum
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And your idiom, your
vocabulary, your word choices depend on your audience no matter whether you
are speaking formally or informally.
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mary rosenblum
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If I write an article as
'expert' for 4-Hers and competition obedience trainers...
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mary rosenblum
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I may be speaking as an expert
in both cases, but I will NOT use the same vocabulary...
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mary rosenblum
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for those kids who don't know
anything about dog training as I will use for the adult competitors...
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mary rosenblum
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This is why in nonfiction, you
really need to write for your particular audience.
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sol
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Drama class! Role playing by
myself! THAT sounds fun!
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mary rosenblum
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That's it exactly...
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mary rosenblum
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characterization is a critical
skill whether you write fiction or non. :-)
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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 and today
we're talking about language. 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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geezer
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So, in a novel it's best to use
third POV? My MC is an astrospectrophotomitrist. A can't imagine the reader
living through the jargon.
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mary rosenblum
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WEll, geezer, first person POV
in a novel length work is a bit of a challenge..
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mary rosenblum
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It's certainly doable, and
it's almost the formula for some genres...such as 'hard-boiled detective'
mysteries.
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mary rosenblum
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But you run the risk of boring
the reader if your MC's voice is weak!
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mary rosenblum
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ANd in your example, your POV
character knows what all those terms mean, so he isn't going to stop to
explain them...
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mary rosenblum
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and that can indeed be a problem.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you use third and give
him a naive character to deal with...
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mary rosenblum
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he will need to explain to
that naive and thus to us.
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pjwriter2
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I need sound proof room for that
or the family will have me committed lol
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mary rosenblum
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PJ, I'm laughing. I tell
people that's why I have dogs...people at least think I'm talking to them!
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mary rosenblum
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But seriously, I do work out a
lot of dialogue out loud and I have a bad habit of forgetting that I"m
in a public place at times... :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'm sure I've given a few
people the idea that I'm certifiable! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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Language IS important.
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mary rosenblum
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I've had more than one LR
student who would have published easily in NF except that I could NOT get
them...
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mary rosenblum
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to vary their language. They
always used the same style, voice, level of idiom...
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mary rosenblum
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and so they were limited to
markets where that type of language suited...
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mary rosenblum
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and that narrowed their
options tremendously.
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sol
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So . . . it looks like this
"bad habit" I've had of talking out loud to myself is actually
going to be a GOOD thing after all.
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. Gets you weird looks
when you do it in the supermarket...
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mary rosenblum
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but working your dialogue
through out loud is a very good habit.
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mary rosenblum
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You can TELL if something
sounds like real speech when you say it.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the problems a lot of
novice writers have...
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mary rosenblum
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is 'trying too hard'
language-wise.
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mary rosenblum
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There is a belief that big
words, unusual forms, make the work sound 'literary'...
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mary rosenblum
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and they can make it sound
instead, stilted, formal, and it can actually get in the way of what you
are trying to convey.
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mary rosenblum
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For those of you who have
William Zinsser's 'On Writing Well'...
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mary rosenblum
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read his sections on 'clutter'
and 'simplicity'.
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mary rosenblum
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They apply to fiction and
nonfiction both.
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mary rosenblum
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(And for those of you who do
NOT own Zinsser, I recommend you buy a copy and read it).
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sol
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Yes . . . it's a great resource!
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it is, and it's a very
general look at writing craft...
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mary rosenblum
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even though he is essentially
addressing nonfiction, and covers some topics like interviewing
specifically...
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mary rosenblum
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his sections on the craft of
prose are valuable no matter what you write.
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mary rosenblum
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Even in fiction, language
plays a major role in setting the 'tone'.
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mary rosenblum
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As I said, it's a good idea in
limited third to use your POV character's vocabulary and idiom in your
exposition...
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mary rosenblum
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but in some genres, such as
classic fantasy for example...
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mary rosenblum
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and some types of horror...
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mary rosenblum
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a formal, lyrical 'fantasy
voice' is used to create that 'fairy tale' sense.
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mary rosenblum
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Tanith Lee's dark fantasies
are good examples of that 'fairy tale' language.
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pjwriter2
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why do most books lean toward
teaching about nonfiction writing rather than fiction are most writing
rules for both?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not sure 'most' books
teach nonfiction, pj. It seems to me that I see more books about writing
fiction! But the craft of prose writing...
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mary rosenblum
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making words do what you want
them to do, whether that is to convey information...
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mary rosenblum
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or create a vivid scene...is
the same for fiction and non.
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mary rosenblum
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Many of the things you do in
fiction, you also do in non..
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mary rosenblum
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and some of the best
nonfiction writers started out writing fiction.
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geezer
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I'm still uncomfortable. I was
told newspapers shoot for a 5th grade level readership. In a novel, what
education level should you write for?
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mary rosenblum
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Journalism has its own rules
geezer and it is a VERY different form of writing from either fiction or
popular nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
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And yes, the average newspaper
is about 5th/6th grade vocabulary.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...as to your
fiction..well, who is your reader?
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mary rosenblum
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Who are you telling the story
for?
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mary rosenblum
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If you haven't given it any
thought, then it's probably for yourself...
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mary rosenblum
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But if you intentionally set
out to write for an audience, say Young Adult...
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mary rosenblum
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well, your readers are 12 or
they're 16 or they're 8.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll use language and
vocabulary appropriate for that group.
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mary rosenblum
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If you intentionally want to
write for 20 year old SF readers...
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mary rosenblum
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you're writing mostly for 20
year old guys.
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mary rosenblum
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Use the appropriate idiom and
vocabulary..
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...in fiction...it's less
important (for adult fiction, not YA)...
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mary rosenblum
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for the language to suit the
STORY rather than to suit the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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Your story needs to suit the
reader, after all...it will find its own readers in the huge and wide range
of fiction readers.
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bookworm4fun
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is it that most people read at
that level or are newspapers just concerned with a "quick read"
so folks can get through the paper?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not sure what a journalism
professor would tell you, bookworm. I'm not a journalist, but I assume that
it's probably a combination of the two...
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mary rosenblum
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I know that journalists do aim
for the 'quick read', and I suspect...
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mary rosenblum
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the vocabulary has a 'lowest
common denomiator' feature.
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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 and today
we're talking about language. 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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An excellent exercise for all
you nonfiction people out there...
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mary rosenblum
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is to pick up an issue of a
magazine you read, and analyze the language of the articles...
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mary rosenblum
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they are going to be similar
in many ways, for most magazines.
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mary rosenblum
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Then try copying that
language.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good exercise in
fiction, too.
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mary rosenblum
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Write a scene.
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mary rosenblum
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Try doing it first without any
thought...just write it.
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mary rosenblum
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Then change it.
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mary rosenblum
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Write a new version trying for
a poetic, ornate 'fairy tale' type of language...
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mary rosenblum
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And try another version with a
very terse, taut type of language...
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mary rosenblum
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simple words, minimal
vocabulary.
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mary rosenblum
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You should end up with three
scenes that feel VERY different...
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mary rosenblum
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and it's a nice example of
just how much language matters.
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mary rosenblum
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You know, if you think about
writing as a skill like playing the violin or piano...
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mary rosenblum
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there are some lessons to be
learned from the way we learn to play an instrument.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't practice only
Beethoven concertos!
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mary rosenblum
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You play a LOT of scales and
exercises...
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mary rosenblum
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and most people don't tend to
do that with writing...
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mary rosenblum
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every piece most people write
is MEANT to be a concerto...whether it succeeds or not.
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mary rosenblum
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Why not play some scales and
exercises?
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mary rosenblum
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I still do that.
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mary rosenblum
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I write scenes that never go
anywhere...
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mary rosenblum
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I write nonfiction pieces that
I might hand out to students in a dog class...but never go anywhere else..
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mary rosenblum
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I do stuff that I simple
delete when I'm done.
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mary rosenblum
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Try out styles, try going
'over the top' for effects...
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mary rosenblum
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see what works and what does
not and you get to do with without any fear of failure...
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mary rosenblum
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because it's only a 'scale'.
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mary rosenblum
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If I really like one of those
exercises, I'll save it..
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mary rosenblum
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maybe someday I'll put
together a 'patchwork quilt' of some of those bits and pieces, who knows?
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mary rosenblum
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And maybe not...
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sol
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But the thought of these
"little" exercises takes the load off. I feel jazzed again!
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, they can be very
freeing...and you can try stuff you know you'll never really do...
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mary rosenblum
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as I said, go 'over the top'
for extreme effects...
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mary rosenblum
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and often you get some ideas
of how to do something differently in your next 'real' piece.
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mary rosenblum
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Or you find that, nah, this
doesn't really work very well...
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mary rosenblum
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But you LEARN.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a good way to play
with language.
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mary rosenblum
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make up exercises for
yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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Do a narrative scene in three
very different voices...
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mary rosenblum
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and see just how different you
can make them.
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mary rosenblum
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Write a passage for two very
different audiences...
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mary rosenblum
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Pick a writer you love and try
your darndest to copy that person's voice.
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mary rosenblum
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It won't hurt you...won't
compromise your style...
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mary rosenblum
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that will evolve all by itself
don't worry...
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mary rosenblum
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but it's like flexing
different muscles...it improves your fitness and flexibility over all.
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sol
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I like your analogies, Mary
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mary rosenblum
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WEll, you know, sol, we tend
to take writing too seriously sometimes...
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mary rosenblum
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as if it's some sort of 'god
given talent' that we can't really do anything about...
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mary rosenblum
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and it's much more like
learning ballet or carpentry or to play an instrument.
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mary rosenblum
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You have some degree of
talent, yeah, but a LOT of it is simply learning...
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mary rosenblum
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how to do the steps, or create
a square corner, or play a concerto.
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geezer
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I guess the first step in
education is to realize how ignorant you are. But, the vultures are
circling!
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not sure that's the best
first step, geezer...it's real easy to stop when you start thinking about
how much you have yet to learn!
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mary rosenblum
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If I were you, I'd think it
terms of something you HAVE learned to do in your life...
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mary rosenblum
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you weren't good at it on the
first day, but now you really ARE good at it...
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mary rosenblum
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and writing is the same. You
continually get better. (IF you write, that is!!!)
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avatar
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I like the idea of freeing your
mind and taking flight!
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mary rosenblum
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That is something nearly
everyone is guilty of avatar...thinking that we can only write a story or
an article, that we can't just WRITE for no reason other than
experimentation.
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frazz
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Mary, what can I do if my time
is limited? I have two little ones at home...and they take a LOT of
attention . I want to progress. Suggestions?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, been there, frazz...I was
a single mom with two young sons when I started writing!
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mary rosenblum
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You can do this on a pad while
you're cooking dinner...
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mary rosenblum
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in ten minutes while your kids
are playing in the sandbox...what have you...
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mary rosenblum
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live with a pad and pen...I
had them all over the house, car, wherever...
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mary rosenblum
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and just write in small
bits...
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mary rosenblum
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you get used to it.
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mary rosenblum
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I wrote an entire novel in
scribbled notes. :-)
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sol
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And learn is something we can
all do, right?
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mary rosenblum
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Everyone can learn. Some learn
faster than others, but I've never met anyone would couldn't learn.
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mary rosenblum
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I HAVE met people would didn't
really want to learn and they sure didn't. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But that was their choice.
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sol
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How did you keep track of all
those small bits?
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mary rosenblum
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I numbered them, stacked them
in a box and when I had some precious computer time, I transcribed then
onto the computer...
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mary rosenblum
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If I forgot to number them, I
just had to figure out which came next is all...
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mary rosenblum
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Think about your words ...not
on your first draft..
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mary rosenblum
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just get that DONE..
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mary rosenblum
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But when you get done, pay
attention to the vocabulary and idiom you used.
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mary rosenblum
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Does it suit your audience if
you're writing NF?
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mary rosenblum
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Does it reflect your character
if you're writing third person POV fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're writing first person
narrative, is it the vocabular and idiom...the voice...of your POV
character?
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mary rosenblum
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Never ignore language.
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mary rosenblum
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BUt...DO NOT let it get in the
way of creating.
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mary rosenblum
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When you're creating...just do
THAT.
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mary rosenblum
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When you have a first draft,
THEN let the Editor out of its cage.
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you can all make my
interview with Joy Smith this Thursday evening...
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mary rosenblum
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appropos of our talk about
websites, she'll be talking about marketing your work and using a blog ...a
web log...as a marketing tool.
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mary rosenblum
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Drop in here tomorrow, same
time and place, for our casual chat.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a good place to bring
any questions you have, comments, requests, stuck stories...what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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Great time to just hang out
with other writers.
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good week, all!
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript in
the usual place:
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mary rosenblum
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Writing Craft: Forum
Transcripts.
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