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mary rosenblum
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Good morning all!
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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. 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 good
weekend!
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mary rosenblum
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You might check the New
Markets Listing when you leave here...in writing craft.
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mary rosenblum
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Flashquake is a short short
story contest with a Feb 15 deadline...
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mary rosenblum
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for short short stories set in
an alternate reality...
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mary rosenblum
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say one where the South won
the Civil War, or Germany won WW II or whatever you choose.
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mary rosenblum
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The length is 500 words, so
how long can it take?
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mary rosenblum
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Penwomanship is a new magazine
for women readers and they are open...
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mary rosenblum
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to poetry, fiction, and
essays.
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mary rosenblum
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Do check them both out.
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sol
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Mmm . . . challenging, though.
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mary rosenblum
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The 500 word one?
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mary rosenblum
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You bet, sol, and and
excellent exercise in embedding backstory without telling...
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mary rosenblum
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because you don't have enough
words to TELL anything...
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mary rosenblum
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you'll have to show it in the
action/dialogue.
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coach
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how long can it take? Mark Twain
said "If I had more time, I'd write a shorter story." lol
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mary rosenblum
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Well, that's a saying that
doesn't have to apply to you, coach.
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mary rosenblum
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How long can it take if you
think of it as a fun exercise and not a potential Pulitzer?
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mary rosenblum
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You learn by doing, not by
being perfect, even if that's your ultimate goal.
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wolf122
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When I try to write dwarven
characters, they sound more Scottish than rough dwarf. Any way to easily
fix that up?
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mary rosenblum
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Accents can be tough to do, wolf.
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mary rosenblum
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Try talking to your characters
a lot and see if you can't get something that isn't quite so Scottish...
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mary rosenblum
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and that MAY be your ear.
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mary rosenblum
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Have you given some sections
to a couple of readers, asked after the fact, 'what accent did you hear'?
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ducky
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how about lifting a section from
a larger work that is set in an alternate reality. I could conceivably have
an instant story that way (with some modifications).
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mary rosenblum
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Not a problem rights-wise...
go for it. My current story in Asimov's Magazine...
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mary rosenblum
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Green Shift, is essentially
the first two chapters of my upcoming novel Eternity Shift.
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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. 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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My teacher pretty much nixed the
dialect in my Assignment 6. Are there any guidelines for dialect?
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mary rosenblum
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Geezer, there are no solid
guidelines for dialogue although every editor will have his/her own ideas
about how to do it...
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mary rosenblum
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but if you want the ultimate
'don't do this' example, in my opinion...
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mary rosenblum
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go read the moles' dialogue in
Brian Jacques Redwall series.
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mary rosenblum
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It is phonetically written
cockney and BOY is it hard to read...
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mary rosenblum
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and I have heard countless
reader complaints about it over the years.
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mary rosenblum
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Clearly it did not interfere
with Jacques' books turning into best sellers...
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mary rosenblum
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but it's hard on the reader.
Why be hard on the reader?
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mary rosenblum
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Orson Scott Card, in the
workshop I did with him, had a formula for dialect that I have used and
think works successfully.
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mary rosenblum
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He uses it for foreign
languages, too -- when you want to make the reader feel that the characters
are speaking Portuguese or Spanish or Chinese...
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mary rosenblum
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and that is to use the dialect
or the language heavily in the first two or three paragraphs...DO make the
reader work...
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mary rosenblum
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and then simply use the
construction of the dialogue or language with the occasional foreign or
phonetic spelling thrown in.
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mary rosenblum
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The reader will 'hear' that
first foreign or dialect language throughout.
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mary rosenblum
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That has worked well for me.
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jackie7777
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Example, please Mary.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, you might start out with
something like this:
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mary rosenblum
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"Yuh know I ain't gonna
do that there nomore, I swore it tuh Mama on me brother's dyin' place"
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mary rosenblum
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And later on in the story,
you'd keep the word order but drop the phonetic spellings to make it read
more easily.
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mary rosenblum
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You know, I ain't going to do
that nomore. I swore it to Mama on my brother's dying place"
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mary rosenblum
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And you're using the same
grammatical structurel, with a couple of dialect spellings in there, but
not nearly so heavily.
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gail
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Clavell did that very
effectively in Shogun, etc. -- immersing both the MC & the reader in a
foreign world, its language and customs.
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mary rosenblum
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He did. And when I did a
novelette that preceeded my novel Chimera...
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mary rosenblum
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much of the story included
conversation in Mandarin.
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mary rosenblum
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And I had someone translate
all that dialogue into Mandarin and then translate it literally back into
English...
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mary rosenblum
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some of it you simply couldn't
say in English...
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mary rosenblum
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but the exact translation gave
the conversation a 'foreign' feel that contrasted to the English
conversations.
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mary rosenblum
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I just had a student story
from a woman who is a translator..
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mary rosenblum
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the dialogue is clearly taking
place in Russian and she used a stilted style that makes the conversation
seem 'differen't.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers will believe it's the
translation from Russian.
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writingmom
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Besides Brian Jacques, what
other novels do you reccommend?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there's All the Pretty
Horses by Cormac McCarthy
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mary rosenblum
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He's my favorite example of
'why you should use dialogue punctuation'.
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mary rosenblum
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He does not.
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mary rosenblum
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But he also uses a lot of
dialogue in Spanish.
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mary rosenblum
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Again, it did not prevent the
book from doing very well...
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mary rosenblum
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but readers do complain. His
response is that he WANTS his readers to have to work.
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mary rosenblum
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Whatever....
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t green
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Huck Finn was like that too with
dialogue.
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mary rosenblum
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yep..
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mary rosenblum
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And there's a story in this
Month's F & SF that uses a Maine accent, spelled phonetically...
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mary rosenblum
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although the author lapses
here and there... :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's kind of annoying. I got
the accent after the first page, so I didn't need ALL the phonetic
spellings!
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babbles
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However, not all of us Mainer's
speak the same, there are many different dialects in this state. From
Downeast Ayuh to normal voice.
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly, babbles...it sort of
came across as a stereotype, but so was the MC.
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mary rosenblum
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Myself, I think that if you
can get the effect of the accent or dialect and NOT make the reader pay
attention to all those phonetic spellings...
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mary rosenblum
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you're better off. Remember
that if your reader forgets he/she is reading printed words...
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mary rosenblum
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they LIVE your story.
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mary rosenblum
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If you constantly call the
reader's attention to the language, either because it's very complex, or in
an unusual form...
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mary rosenblum
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they are always aware that
they are not living in that universe.
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mary rosenblum
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Now sometimes you WANT that.
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mary rosenblum
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Especially if you are writing
in the literary genre, it is the style that matters. Those stories tend to
be more distanced...
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mary rosenblum
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the reader is examining these
characters through the lense of the author...
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mary rosenblum
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and language DOES play a big
role.
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mary rosenblum
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In a mystery or SF or fantasy
or romance book, the characters and plot are the important part and
language can distract the reader from that.
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mary rosenblum
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Now one example of someone who
does use language in genre work is Peter Beagle.
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mary rosenblum
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The language in The Last
Unicorn makes me weep, it's so gorgeous.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't care much about the
story, but I'll read that book just to immerse myself in the language any
day of the week.
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mary rosenblum
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But there are always
exceptions to any rule.
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mary rosenblum
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And in general, complex and
elaborate language tends to distract readers from the story.
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mary rosenblum
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Zinsser's sections on Clutter
and Simplicity are worth memorizing.
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mary rosenblum
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You should all own and read
'On Writing Well' anyway.
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mary rosenblum
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He's a master of very clear
language.
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mary rosenblum
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He's writing for the
nonfiction writer, but it applies to fiction, too.
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mary rosenblum
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Language is an even bigger
issue with nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
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There you MUST write in the
language style your readers want to read.
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mary rosenblum
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And that will vary wildly
between such publications as Utne Reader and Extreme Sports Magazine.
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gail
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That "bible" sits near
my right hand...always. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Glad to hear it, gail! I re
read it every year just as a refresher course...always notice something
new.
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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. 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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In nonfiction, every editor
has a 'voice' for the magazine. Part of the editing process...
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mary rosenblum
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is making all the articles fit
that voice.
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mary rosenblum
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So if your query letter is
already IN that voice...it implies that the editing will be a LOT easier.
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bengalrose
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to a large extent, Tolkein's use
of language is a distraction from the story, IMHO...I know many fans would
lynch me for sayig so, but it is the truth. I read it in spite of the
language, because the story is so interesting.
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mary rosenblum
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Good point, Bengal. He's not
as deft with language, in my opinion, as Beagle...
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mary rosenblum
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It's lush and rich and
ornate...but Tolkien is an exception to EVERYTHING...
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mary rosenblum
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and "Tolkien did it' is
NEVER a good reason for anything.
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hiyo_2366
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what difference do you see
between the kind of 'stage' dialogue we hear in TV, and 'written' dialogue?
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mary rosenblum
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BIG difference, hiyo.
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mary rosenblum
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Keep in mind that in stage
dialogue, the ACTORS add all the emotional subtext through..
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mary rosenblum
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body language, facial
expression, and verbal nuance.
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mary rosenblum
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YOU have to include that in
written text...which is why to me, screen plays are boring to read.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to work harder to
make the emotional subtext come through in the speech. In a screen play...
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mary rosenblum
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the marginal notes can direct
the actor to be 'angry', 'scared', or what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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If you see the line, "I
don't care'...
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mary rosenblum
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a stage actor can let us see
that the speaker is furious, or in the depths of despair, or love sick.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to show us that
emotion in prose.
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mary rosenblum
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Jael stared at the floor,
sweating. "I...I don't care."
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gail
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I agree that a writer shouldn't
burden a whole novel with colloquial speech. But, does this also apply to
the short (or short-short) story?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends on the length, gail.
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mary rosenblum
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The F & SF, downeast
accent story, was quite long and the phonetic accent got noticeable and old
real fast to me.
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mary rosenblum
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But in a short short it would
have been fine.
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gail
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2000 - 3000
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mary rosenblum
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Well, that's 8 - 12 pages.
Gosh, there is no standard for this stuff, gail.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's not hard to read, it's
fine. If it IS hard to read, I'd make it heavy up front and imply it the
rest of the way.
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mary rosenblum
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Test it on readers.
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mary rosenblum
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Have them read it, then ask
them AFTER...'did you notice the spellings? DId they distract you?"
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mary rosenblum
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See what several people tell
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. 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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In nonfiction, you really need
to read an issue of the magazine you plan to submit to.
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mary rosenblum
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I had a very well traveled
student who visited a lot of very hard to get to places all over the
world...
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mary rosenblum
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and kept writing articles on
destination that the 'extreme treking' magazines would love.
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mary rosenblum
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But I could NOT get him to
change his style of writing, which was leisurely, lyrical, contemplative...
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mary rosenblum
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and totally absolutely
unsuited to the spare, driving, high energy style of the magazines he was
submitting to.
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mary rosenblum
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So he sold nothing.
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mary rosenblum
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His content was just right.
His language cost him the sales.
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hiyo_2366
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any cues for dialog which
involves professional or technical vocabulary? The *real* dialog of
technicians is incomprehensible to the layman.
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mary rosenblum
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Oooh good point, hiyo, thanks!
This is one of my pet peeves...
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mary rosenblum
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and something I deal with
every day as a SFwriter...
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mary rosenblum
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Let's face it, you WON"T
understand the two NASA techs chatting over their beers unless you work
there ,too!
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mary rosenblum
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And I see a LOT of stories
from novice writers with doctors or engineers or plumbers who talk just
like I do...
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mary rosenblum
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and don't use any jargon at
all.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to make your experts
talk like experts.
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mary rosenblum
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My ER doc friend vets all my
medical dialogue and changes a lot of stuff..
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mary rosenblum
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The doc talks about the kidney
in room 215.
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mary rosenblum
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She uses tech speak for
procedures she is ordering. I want a digoxin STAT.
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mary rosenblum
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Now you, as the writer, have
to make that meaning clear to the reader in the context of the scene...
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mary rosenblum
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the same way you make that
French or Greek sentence understandable through the context of the scene.
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mary rosenblum
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You do NOT, normally, want to
bracket the translation...
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mary rosenblum
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although that can work, it has
to be a major component of the story and ADD to it.
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mary rosenblum
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Used casually it stops the
reader cold.
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wolf122
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Would it be good/bad to have a
'dumb' nurse/tech in a doc/hospital scene that has to have it described to
them?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. I love naive characters,
wolf.
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mary rosenblum
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Just make sure they really are
part of the story. REaders are good at spotting the 'describe this to me'
spear carrier!
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mary rosenblum
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I often redo plots simply in
order to include a character who will ask the right quesitons.
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sol
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So, when we're talking about
language, it's not just dialogue, but the author's voice. As writer's we
need to be versatile.
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mary rosenblum
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yes, sol! Very much so.
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mary rosenblum
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It's dialogue.
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mary rosenblum
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It's exposition.
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mary rosenblum
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It's word choice and
vocabulary, it's pacing, and style...
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mary rosenblum
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and the more flexible you are,
the greater breadth you'll have as a writer.
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margieh
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(Not pov or style or language)
but is voice like a fingerprint? How much can an author really change it?
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mary rosenblum
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You can't entirely change it,
margieh...
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mary rosenblum
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you will have personal
tropes...words you like to use, pet descriptions and turns of phrase...it's
like a thumbprint.
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mary rosenblum
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I had an amazing experience
one night...
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mary rosenblum
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when I got a call from New
York city.
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mary rosenblum
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It was from a freelance
copyeditor who happened to be working on one of my mystery ms... and it
only had Mary Freeman on the title page.
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mary rosenblum
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He said, "I copy edied a
couple of your stories (as Mary Rosenblum) for Del Rey a couple of years
ago and I think this is the same writer. ARe you Mary Freeman?
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mary rosenblum
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And of course I am. It was his
little private thing...to identify writers who use pen names by their
prose. It impressed me...
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sol
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Phew! There's sooo much to know
to be a good writer!
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mary rosenblum
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You have the cart before the
horse, sol.
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mary rosenblum
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You learn it as you become a
better writer. You do a lot of stuff without understanding WHAT you are
doing...
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mary rosenblum
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and your writing is good. But
as you become aware of what you are doing...
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mary rosenblum
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you do it more consciously and
your work is consistenly better.
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gail
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A patient, overhearing tech
jargon, might become concerned and ask questions, too...???
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mary rosenblum
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yep, that's a great way to do
it.
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mary rosenblum
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Or a relative in the room.
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mary rosenblum
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Part of why I love to teach
writing, is that in order to tell someone how to make their writing
better...
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mary rosenblum
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I have to be able to tell them
what they are doing, and HOW to do it better.
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luv2write
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How do you implement a regional
voice for different parts of the US?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, luv, in a lot of places
in the country, the accent or dialect is pretty subtle.
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mary rosenblum
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I never thought W PA had an
accent. It does, but it would be hard for me to represent it in prose...
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mary rosenblum
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other than having a character
talk about 'redding up' a room, or sitting on the stoop.
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mary rosenblum
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But I can have a New Englander
say 'cah'...or stick that poor Maine fisherman with the stereotypical
'Ayuh'...
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mary rosenblum
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And of course we know where
the woman who says y'all comes from. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And there are local idioms
that work...if you know em.
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mary rosenblum
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If you don't...don't sweat it.
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sol
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Hmm. So, it seems to come down
to the old adage . . . write, write, write, to get it right?
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mary rosenblum
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As far as I know, sol, there
is NO other way to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the few 'absolutes' in
writing! LOL
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babbles
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I just had to take some time off
to take care of my mom and have found myself changing and growing with each
word.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu should change and grow
throughout your career babbles...
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mary rosenblum
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I write very differently now
than I did when I started out...and I plan to continue to deepen and
broaden my abilities until the day I kick off. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Try new things.
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mbvoelker
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Growing up in Pittsburgh, moving
away, and now talking to my relatives who are still there the most
noticable thing is the way they talk very fast with the words slurred
together. And "iron" has two pronunciations depending on whether
you are "arning" your wrinkled clothes or cooking in a cast
"EYE -urn" skillet.
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, mb...that's where I come
from.
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mary rosenblum
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And let us not forget warsh.
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mary rosenblum
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As in warsh your clothes.
After you red up your room.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can't do a
dialect...don't do the dialect.
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mary rosenblum
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That is perfectly fine.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't notice it if it's not
there...even if the MC is supposed to be from Georgia, Maine, or Baaston...
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mary rosenblum
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I'll hear what I expect to
hear in that voice, whether it's written on the page or not.
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mary rosenblum
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In my opinion it is better to
be light on the dialect than heavy.
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mbvoelker
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A person who has lived in many
places may have bits of various accents stick. Having lived in
Massachusetts and in the North Carolina mountains I am perfectly capable of
saying, "Ay-up, might could do that." LOL
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly.
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mary rosenblum
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And if your reader thinks that
folk from therebouts talk different than you do, then your careful dialect
isnt' going to do anything for the story...
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mary rosenblum
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so use it if you really hear
it, and if you don't, don't sweat it, as I said.
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mary rosenblum
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Better NOT to have it than do
it heavily and badly so that it distracts the reader.
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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. 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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gail
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Is an author "writing
language" like an actor "voicing dialogue"? -- some can do
it, and others shouldn't.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, it's a skill, gail, like
anything else...
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mary rosenblum
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the more you do it, the better
you get at it.
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margieh
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Is language more important to
show something like education than region? If you had to pick?
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mary rosenblum
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Good question, margieh.
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mary rosenblum
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This is one of the main
problems I see in novice fiction..
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mary rosenblum
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which is a character who
speaks with the same level of education. as...amazing...the author!
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mary rosenblum
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So we have a street kid, a
high school English teacher with a MA in English, and a HS educated Mom
from Appalachia who ALL SOUND ALIKE...
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mary rosenblum
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they all use the same words,
they all use the same grammatical construction...
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mary rosenblum
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do you see a problem here?
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sol
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Yep!
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mary rosenblum
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Me, too! It's called...'all I
hear, here, is the author!'...
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mary rosenblum
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and I don't believe in any of
these characters. But this is SO common.
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mary rosenblum
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What you must realize is that
if you do not consciously use another voice....
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mary rosenblum
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either for dialogue, first
person narrative, or prose...
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mary rosenblum
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you WILL use YOUR grammar and
vocabulary.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you have a good
vocabulary...say college level...then that nine year old...
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mary rosenblum
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in your story is going to
sound like an adult, not a nine year old.
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mary rosenblum
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And that street sweeper who
quit school at 8 to work in the fields is going to sound like...a college
educated adult.
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margieh
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What about formality and
familiarity? Would you consciously change language?
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mary rosenblum
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This is something that is VERY
important in the nonficiton world, margieh.
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mary rosenblum
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If you write for a popular
entertainment magazine like Women's World, you will use a conversational ,
familiar voice.
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mary rosenblum
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If you write an erudite
informative piece on credit problems in the US for The Economist, you will
use a formal 'expert' voice
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luv2write
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How do you bring yourself into a
childs voice? I raised six, but it's hard for me to write as one.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to hear how kids talk
and THINK luv.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not just voice. If your
kid thinks like an adult...he's an adult even if you tell the reader he is
nine.
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mary rosenblum
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If my nine year old is making
breakfast and thinking about his parents' failing marriage and how they're
having control issue problems, and it probably comes from his mother's
abusive family history...
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mary rosenblum
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are my readers going to
believe this? Now I CAN create a kid who could think that...
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mary rosenblum
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but if I have NOT created him
for the reader, then he's the nine year old they all know, and this is
likely to sound like an adult talking.
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mary rosenblum
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If he's wondering how come
they always fight and is unhappy about that...
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mary rosenblum
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I'll believe that's a nine
year old.
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gail
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Would her name be Lucy and she
charges 5 cents per session????
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mary rosenblum
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I hope so, gail! LOL
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luv2write
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So put yourself in their minds
as you write.
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mary rosenblum
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Always, luv.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want to create a three
dimensional character you really must be in that character's head.
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mary rosenblum
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If you don't think like that
character, your character will appear to the reader to think like you.
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mary rosenblum
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Creating strong characters is
like action...you become that character...
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gail
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Mary, I have an off-topic
question, if you're okay with it. What are the "rules of
etiquette" when it comes to requesting e-mail "read
receipts" from editors -- to ensure a MS arrives at its proper
desination.
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mary rosenblum
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actually, Gail, there are no
'rules'.
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mary rosenblum
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I would simply put a 'could
you please reply to this so that I know the cyber gremlins didn't eat it'?
request in your cover letter.
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mary rosenblum
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Now that may not get you a
reply.
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mary rosenblum
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It depends on the process of
taking submissions.
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mary rosenblum
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If someone simply is paid to
print out or first-read submissions...
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mary rosenblum
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they simply may not reply or
even read your letter.
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mary rosenblum
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But that's true with some
publishers, too.
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mary rosenblum
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Patrick Swenson, editor of
Talebones, told us in one of his chats here, that he reads the reply card
when he opens the ms to read the story....
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mary rosenblum
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and is going to send the
acceptance/rejection anyway.
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sailor
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I tried the "read
receipt" option but did not get one. I later got a regular e-mail from
the editor saying she liked it.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah. You can try it, but
don't assume the sub is lost if you don't get a return...
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mary rosenblum
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I would simply wait about
twice the 'response time' listed in the guidelines and then politely query.
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mary rosenblum
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yes, I know you all are
terribly anxious to hear about your subs...
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mary rosenblum
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but this is a sloooow business
and you need to work on something new and get THAT off while you're
waiting.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't watch the mailbox.
You'll drive yourself nuts.
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mary rosenblum
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And remember...unless you are
writing a piece that concerns breaking news...
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mary rosenblum
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an unsold piece is an item in
inventory. New anthologies open up, editors change at magazines...there
will be opportunities to submit work later, even if you exhaust your market
options now.
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mary rosenblum
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As to language...the more you
learn to vary your language...
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mary rosenblum
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the more flexibility you will
have with markets...
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mary rosenblum
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and with story styles in
fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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And it is a REAL must do to
read an issue of the nonfiction magazine you plan to query.
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mary rosenblum
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What is the language like?
Very spare and basic? Leisurely and heavy with 'big words'?
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mary rosenblum
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Lyrical and poetic?
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mary rosenblum
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Is the pace brisk and
energetic? Do the authors seem to use a lot of hyperbole?
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mary rosenblum
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Lots of adjectives and
description?
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mary rosenblum
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Idiom and slang?
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...if you use the
opening of your article as the hook in your query letter and it sounds JUST
like the articles...
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mary rosenblum
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the editor normally publishes,
you're telling her 'I know what you publish and I can write it'.
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mary rosenblum
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If that hook is totally unlike
the voice she uses for the magazine you are telling her..'I'm going to send
you what I write and you can change it if you want to use it'.
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mary rosenblum
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Guess which query gets the
'yes, please'?
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mary rosenblum
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Language is also a component
of that elusive aspect of writing...pacing.
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mary rosenblum
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Lean, spare language with few
descriptives sets a fast pace.
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mary rosenblum
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Lush prose, rich with
description and multi-clausal sentences gives us a stroll.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't just use words without
thinking about them.
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mary rosenblum
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That gives you ONE
style...your own voice.
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mary rosenblum
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Learn to consciously choose
words, the way an artist chooses different brushes to create different
textures in a painting.
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writeaway
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It seems strange that most
publications say they're looking for new voices, but ask you to write the
same as what they already do.
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mary rosenblum
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That' s not what they mean by
'new voices' writeaway.
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mary rosenblum
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What they mean is a new slant
on usual topics. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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If you're writing a gardening
magazine, how many times can your feature an article about dahlias?
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mary rosenblum
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The editor wants a NEW way to
look at dahlias.
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luv2write
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So in finding your "writing
voice" you have to be able to have a variety of voices.
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mary rosenblum
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The problem with this biz is
that a lot of words have multiple meanings, luv! There is no set
dictionary!
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mary rosenblum
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Your personal writing style
will go beyond the choices you make in vocabulary, pacing, language and so
on.
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mary rosenblum
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You can write very different
types of pieces, but write with a lot of similarites...
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mary rosenblum
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that are not instantly visible
to the 'naked eye' (unless you're a professional copy editor), but combine
to make YOUR voice different than MY voice.
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mary rosenblum
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Think about muscians.
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mary rosenblum
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Four different bands can play
the same song, but fans will recognize the style...
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mary rosenblum
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and be able to identify who
they are.
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mary rosenblum
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Your personal voice is like
that.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu can have the same jazz
artist play six different pieces and his style will be recognizable..
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mary rosenblum
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If you ONLY write the way you
talk, your writing will only succeed when that style and voice suits the
piece you're working on.
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johnnycat15
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Like Stephen King writes like
King if it's horror or memoir?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. And there certainly are
people who ONLY write like themselves and never vary much...
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mary rosenblum
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but for every exception like
Stephen K or George RR Martin, there are lots for whom that does not work.
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mary rosenblum
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Beagle, by the way, also
writes very spare fiction without the richness of language he uses in Last
Unicorn. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Anyway...pay attention to
words!
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mary rosenblum
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This has been a fun Oregon
hour. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript of
this forum in the usual place.
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mary rosenblum
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Writing Craft: Forum
Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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Do join me on Thursday for our
live chat interview with Charlaine Harris Schulz who writes paranormal
romance and mystery, as well as sf.
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mary rosenblum
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See you all in the casual chat
tomorrow...
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mary rosenblum
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same time same place...
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good day, all!
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