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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you've had a good week.
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mary rosenblum
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I know a lot of Long Ridge
regulars are participating in the NaNo challenge.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a challenge to write
an entire novel in one month...between Nov 1 and Nov 31.
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mary rosenblum
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I've had a lot of questions
from students and website regulars about novel form, so I thought this
would be a good time to answer those questions.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want more information
about the NaNo challenge...it takes place every year...
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mary rosenblum
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you can check out their
website.
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mary rosenblum
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NaNo
Website
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight I’m answering questions
about writing the novel. I’ve published seven novels (number eight will be
out next year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer
any questions you have. 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 in order to ask a question. Your
regular ‘send’ bar won’t reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your
question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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mary rosenblum
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Here are a couple of questions
that Wendy sent me. We can start off with those.
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mary rosenblum
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How often do you need to keep
a secondary character active in a novel?
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mary rosenblum
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That depends entirely on what
role that secondary character plays in the story.
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mary rosenblum
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If that character isn't
terribly important...he is the mail clerk who chats with the MC a couple of
times...
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mary rosenblum
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that's all you need. He's
there behind the desk, he chats, maybe, if this is a mystery...
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mary rosenblum
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he even gives the MC an
important clue, but there is no need to drag him into other scenes.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want to tive us a lot
of backstory about this secondary, make this a very three dimensional
character, then that character needs to be involved with your main plot...
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mary rosenblum
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to a significant extent. Say
you want to make this mail clerk interesting, a sort of father figure to
our MC...
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mary rosenblum
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and someone who is a solid
character. Then he's going to need to be somehow involved with the main
plot.
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mary rosenblum
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Maybe he encourages the MC as
she falters, helps her out, does something to justify all that existance
you bestowed on him!
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mary rosenblum
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Another question from Wendy:
Should you bother to give a minor character a name who will only be
mentioned once or twice in the novel?
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mary rosenblum
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That depends entirely on
whether or not your MC knows that character's name if you are doing first
person or limited third person.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're writing in narrative
form, it's up to you. Do we need to know that character's name? The old
woman fishing through the trash bin as our MC strides down the street may
not need a name.
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mary rosenblum
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Our mail clerk might.
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cosmos
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first person
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mary rosenblum
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In first person, your MC has
to know that character's name in order to tell us. :-) Unless he/she is
telepathic.
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mary rosenblum
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And here's our third question
from Wendy. (Nice questions, by the way, Wendy!)
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mary rosenblum
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How long do you leave a
secondary plot thread hanging before you need to pick it up again? Is there
a rule, like every three chapters or something?
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mary rosenblum
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There really is no hard and
fast rule here. It's a matter of pacing and something you may have to
adjust on your second draft.
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mary rosenblum
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If you ignore your subplot too
long, readers forget what is going on.
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mary rosenblum
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But of course it is not as
important as the main plot, so you don't spend as much time with it as you
do with your main plot.
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mary rosenblum
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When you read through your
first draft see if that subplot seems to disappear. If it does, you might
need to bring it back onstage with an extra chapter or scene.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight I’m answering questions
about writing the novel. I’ve published seven novels (number eight will be
out next year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer
any questions you have. 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 in order to ask a question. Your
regular ‘send’ bar won’t reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your
question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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geezer
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Could you go over what is
supposed to be done on the second and third drafts again?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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Everybody works differently,
so these are not 'must do' rules...
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mary rosenblum
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but essentially, you really
want to let your creative muse have at it in the first draft...
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mary rosenblum
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and don't try to edit. For
most people, editing really inhibits creating.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can do both together
(my friend Sage does) that's fine, but you're probably better off to just
write it for draft one.
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mary rosenblum
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I tend to look at structural
issues on draft two...
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mary rosenblum
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Do my subplots balance with my
plot, does the climax come in at the right time, do I have any 'flat
stretches'...
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mary rosenblum
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this is also where I make my
characterization solid..with body language, thought, etc.
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mary rosenblum
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On three, I focus on language.
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mary rosenblum
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Description. Rhythms and the
flow of the words.
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mary rosenblum
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THat's MY way of doing it.
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mary rosenblum
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Mainly, try to just write it
on draft one and don't try to edit , too.
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cosmos
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I created a chart with names and
topics mentioned and then I check what chapters these names or topics are
brought up. It seems to help me not forget.
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mary rosenblum
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That's one way to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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Some people graph out the
various plot lines, putting in the dramatic peaks so they can see how they
all balance.
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mary rosenblum
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whatever works for you. :-)
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robastor
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At what point are there too many
characters? I have a story filled with some dynamic people and all the
secondary ones are there for a reason. But, I often wonder if maybe there
are a few too many. Is there a good way to judge that objectively?
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mary rosenblum
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You sure can have too many
characters, rob.
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mary rosenblum
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Read Gene Wolf lately? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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(He's an excellent writer, but
he LOVES complex plots and Casts of Thousandsd).
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mary rosenblum
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You have too many when your
reader cannot keep 'em straight.
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mary rosenblum
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That means you are unable to
take enough time to develop each one into a real, memorable, complex
person.
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mary rosenblum
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One way to know...let a reader
read a chunk and the next day, ask that reader to name all the characters
and tell you about 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll quickly find out which
ones stuck in the reader's mind and which were just faces.
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winonacross
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I like the idea of the chart
mentioned by cosmos
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good method.
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lore alley
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Question about the climax: What
do you do if you realize you don't have one in your story?
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mary rosenblum
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You put one in there, Lore.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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Let's talk about waht a climax
IS first of all.
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mary rosenblum
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The climax is the 'do or die'
point in your story.
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mary rosenblum
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It is the point at which your
MC has to resolve the main conflict one way or the other.
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mary rosenblum
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He or she has no other route
left.
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mary rosenblum
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Our MC has to choose to marry
the man her family wants her to marry and to whom she is engaged...
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mary rosenblum
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or run away with her true
love.
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mary rosenblum
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Tomorrow is the wedding, she
has to decide NOW.
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mary rosenblum
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And of course, in order to
know what your climax is, you have to know what your central conflict is.
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mary rosenblum
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Do you know what it is, Lore?
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mary rosenblum
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It will probably suggest the
climax for you. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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A mistaken belief is that the
conflict has to be dramatic...violence, excitement...all that.
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mary rosenblum
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Often it is, but that is not
necessary and it is not what makes it the climax.
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lore alley
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um.. kind of... maybe the
central conflict is too weak?
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mary rosenblum
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That's very likely...and the
most common reason people have trouble with endings.
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mary rosenblum
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It's pretty easy to start
working on a story and not be entirely clear what the central conflict is.
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mary rosenblum
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I spent all summer beating my
head against a YA due on contract. Could NOT make it work. Finally realized
that I was missing the central conflict...
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mary rosenblum
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that the conflict I was
focusing on was not the strongest one in the story. Sigh. Once I figured
THAT out, it worked.
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winonacross
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Winona here-Tell me about using prologues
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mary rosenblum
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Prologues are problematical,
winona.
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mary rosenblum
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I like them as a device. You
can give the reader a dramatic and enticing scene out of context that
serves as a promise of cool stuff to come.
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mary rosenblum
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But I have been taken aback
after polling readers at conferences to find out that about half the people
in any given audience I've queried...
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mary rosenblum
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say they never read the
prologue.
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mary rosenblum
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So go ahead and use them, but
realize that many readers won't read 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't put anything critical in
there.
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mary rosenblum
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I've actually stopped using
them.
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cherley
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I have a good beginning, I know
the climax and have an ending, it's the inbetween that's giving me a
problem now
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mary rosenblum
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Cherley sounds like a case of
the missing subplots. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Seriously, subplots, side
issues with your main characters or issues between secondary characters...
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mary rosenblum
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can provide a lot of dramatic
interest in those 'in between' spaces.
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mary rosenblum
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If nothing fun is happening
MAKE it happen.
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mary rosenblum
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Throw in a car crash.
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mary rosenblum
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A power outage.
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mary rosenblum
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Something!
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robastor
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Can an ambigious conflict still
be interesting? Something spelled out along the way, something a character
develops into through the plot?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure rob. If you read in
mainstream and literary mainstream you'll find that form a lot.
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mary rosenblum
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The conflict develops as the
plot progresses.
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mary rosenblum
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That of course tends to work
best with strongly character driven novels.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight I’m answering questions
about writing the novel. I’ve published seven novels (number eight will be
out next year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer
any questions you have. 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 in order to ask a question. Your
regular ‘send’ bar won’t reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your
question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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winonacross
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I sure like prologues and have a
story which may need one
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mary rosenblum
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I like 'em too. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I've used them quite a bit. No
reason not to, but as I say, don't hide something critical there.
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mary rosenblum
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I've only quit because I tend
to write long and I'd rather use the words in the main body of the novel.
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geezer
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If you have sold first rights to
a SS, how long must you wait until you can use it in a novel?
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have to wait at all,
geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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First rights are first SERIAL
rights.
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mary rosenblum
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they don't apply to a book.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu did not sell novel rights
and as part of a novel it is not touched by serial rights.
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cosmos
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Mary, how many words do you
write every day?
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mary rosenblum
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Varies enormously, cosmos. A
lot of writing goes on in my head. As to computer pages...anywhere from
zero to fifteen or so. I think I did about seven or eight this AM.
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geezer
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Can you define serial?
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mary rosenblum
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serial rights means the right
to publish a short work in a magazine, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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Novel rights mean the right to
publish a novel length work.
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lore alley
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so this climax thing... does it
HAVE to be a do or die moment? or can it be more subtle or gradual?
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mary rosenblum
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There is a moment when your
character MUST make a choice resolves the conflict one way or the other.
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mary rosenblum
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She has to say yes or no.
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mary rosenblum
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Do or don't do.
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mary rosenblum
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Her action or choice
determines the resolution of the central conflict.
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winonacross
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I want to introduce the 2 M/C's
as children in prologue
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mary rosenblum
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That's excellent, winona. I
have used prologue as a bit of a character sketch...
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mary rosenblum
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It'll add to the readers'
comprehension of your characters and if they skip it, they should still do
fine with your characters as adults, I would expect.
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tory
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Mary, how close to the end if
the climax supposed to be? In your bride example--if she chooses her love
and after two weeks on the road decides he's not the charming, electric guy
she thought, but a self-centered, lazy playboy, so returns home and decided
to NOT marry anyone--is that too much story for after that climatctic
choice?
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mary rosenblum
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It probably is, Tory.
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mary rosenblum
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Generally, it is a good idea
to wrap up the story pretty quickly after that 'high point'.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have to give us the
details of returning home.
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mary rosenblum
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Once she decides to do it, and
decides not to get married...the rest is just her doing it.
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mary rosenblum
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The decision is the climax
point.
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janecj333
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mary, can you address the
benefits/costs of multiple vs. single pov in a novel?
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mary rosenblum
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I personally think that
multiple POV tends to be stronger. It's something I have to FORCE myself to
do, coming to novel as a short story writer.
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mary rosenblum
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But it allows you a wider
range of experience, information for the reader, insights, and so forth.
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mary rosenblum
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And you have plenty of space
to develop two or more characters into real people.
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mary rosenblum
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If you do the cast of
thousands, you will diminish your readers' engagement with individual
characters. But that can work, too. (Again, read Gene Wolf)
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lapart
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how many story ideas go on in
your head at a time?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, goodness, lapart...many!
:-) Lesseee...right now I'm working on a mystery series, the next SF novel,
a dark urban fantasy novel I want to write, and a fantasy short story...and
I just got a great idea for a mystery short story...
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mary rosenblum
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that's it for the moment. :-)
Might be more tomorrow.
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mary rosenblum
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Some are just in creative
mode, others are actually down as plot synopses, and others are progressing
as chapters/story.
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lore alley
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I think I've got it. Thanks
Mary!
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mary rosenblum
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Good lore!
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winonacross
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Good to know I'm not alone, I
have many ideas in my head
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mary rosenblum
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Not a bad state to be in. :-)
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info
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I find that I have a general
plot where a ghost seems to be asking a teen for help to bring his killers
to justice but am having trouble coming up with enough possible subplots to
keep it going. Any suggestions?
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mary rosenblum
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I'd look to your teen, info.
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mary rosenblum
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What personal problems can he
have that will not only complicate his ability to help the ghost...
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mary rosenblum
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but might be resolved in the
course of that help?
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mary rosenblum
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He could have family issues,
gang troubles, friend problems...endless possibilities there!
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mary rosenblum
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And that will bring in other
people who are involved in the teen's life and troubles.
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mary rosenblum
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This is how subplots are born.
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janecj333
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as the reader comes to the end
of a novel with a cast of thousands,and the lens focuses down to the two or
three most important characters, do we not lose the minor characters in the
backdrop?
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mary rosenblum
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That's a real issue with casts
of thousands. You cannot wait until Chapter The Last to resolve their
stories.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are going to resolve
the major two or three in the final pages...
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mary rosenblum
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then you need to resolve the
others beforehand or imply a resolution that takes place after the end of
the book.
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info
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you mean something like he isn't
listened to as everyone thinks he's dumb or something and he has to prove
adults are the killers
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, info. Maybe he's the
'geek'. Nobody takes him seriously, life may be tough at home, he has never
had an ounce of power or popularity...
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mary rosenblum
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Maybe he gets picked on by
bullys. They may interfere with him at inopportune times and he has to
evade them and do whatever he's trying to do.
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geezer
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Ghost could have pressures on
his end too. Ghost rules, etc....
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, exactly.
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sweett
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Do you have any pointers for
making POV transitions within a scene? Or, does this weaken the story?
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mary rosenblum
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I would skip a line and use a
centered * and make it darn clear, sweett. It is SO easy to confuse
readers.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can shift to a new
scene, that is best.
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mary rosenblum
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It is hard to smooth
transition without losing the readers.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can change time or
place that makes the shift to the new POV clearer.
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mary rosenblum
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Shifting inside a scene is
tough to pull off...
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mary rosenblum
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And most of the time you only
THINK you need to shift POV.
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mary rosenblum
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It' s much easier than you
think to show the reader what you want that reader to 'get' from the POV
you began with.
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mary rosenblum
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Say you're in the woman's POV
and you want the reader to realize that the guy REALLY likes her.
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mary rosenblum
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Shift into his POV right?
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mary rosenblum
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No.
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mary rosenblum
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No need.
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mary rosenblum
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She notices from his
attention, expression that he likes her.
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mary rosenblum
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Or if you want her NOT to
know...she wonders if he likes her, then tells herself, 'nah, not a
chance'.
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mary rosenblum
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We'll guess. :-)
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winonacross
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Can you give an example of
changing POV
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mary rosenblum
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Like how, winona?
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mary rosenblum
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within a scene?
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mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight I’m answering questions
about writing the novel. I’ve published seven novels (number eight will be
out next year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer
any questions you have. 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 in order to ask a question. Your
regular ‘send’ bar won’t reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your
question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..
|
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winonacross
|
what a guy thinks when he sees
girl but girl is MC/POV
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, sure. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Do you want her to know that
he likes her, or do you want her to be oblivious while we readers know?
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geezer
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I have a scene in a meeting
where there is a double double cross. The reader must know the thoughts of
each person. Help!
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mary rosenblum
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That's hard to tell you, geeze
without reading the story.
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mary rosenblum
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Are you sure you want to give
it all away there?
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mary rosenblum
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You may simply have to skip
from head to head and do omniscient if you do.
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geezer
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Yes
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mary rosenblum
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Then do omniscient, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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You do whatever makes the
story work. :-)
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winonacross
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she's oblivious to his thoughts
and her beauty
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mary rosenblum
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Okay.
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mary rosenblum
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Jolene crossed her legs and
stretched, arching her back. He kept looking at her. She smiled, groped for
something to say.
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mary rosenblum
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He was so gorgeous. What would
it be like to have someone like that in love with her. She fiddled with her
fries, her cheeks hot for no reason. Talk, she thought.
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mary rosenblum
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Say something witty, like
Jennifer. Jennifer had every guy eating out o fher hand.
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mary rosenblum
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It was as if his eyes on her
and pushed a magic button and dried up all her words.
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mary rosenblum
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"Do you want to go see a
movie? Like maybe, Friday?"
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mary rosenblum
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Jolene's looked up, knocked
over the catsup. Idiot, idiot, she scrabbled for napkins and he did too.
"I'm late," she gasped, and fled.
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mary rosenblum
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Now of course you can't give
the reader all the details of 'oh, wow, she's so gorgeous'...
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mary rosenblum
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and this isn't the place to
let us find out that she IS gorgeous...you'll need to plant that earlier...
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mary rosenblum
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when her aunt tells her how
lovely she is and she tells her aunt that her style of looks are out of
fashion.
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mary rosenblum
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But most readers will get it
that he likes her and she just feels clumsy.
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mary rosenblum
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And of course we know he's
gorgeous.
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mary rosenblum
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All too often, novice writers
want to tell the reader too much and that is why they switch POV.
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mary rosenblum
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But less is often better...it
is much more like real life. Don't spoon feed your readers.
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mary rosenblum
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Let them handle their own
silverware!
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winonacross
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define omniscient, please
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neo
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Does the omniscient POV know
characters thoughts?
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mary rosenblum
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Omniscient means 'knows all'. It
means you skip from head to head and know what the character is thinking.
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mary rosenblum
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Let me do the above in omni.
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mary rosenblum
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Jolene crossed her legs and
stretched, arching her back. He kept looking at her.
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mary rosenblum
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Wow. Carl couldn't take his
eyes off her. She was so gorgeous with that honey blonde hair and what a
figure!
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mary rosenblum
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Jolene smiled, groping for
something to say. He was so gorgeous. What would it be like to have someone
like that in love with her? She fiddled with her fries, her cheeks hot for
not reason. Talk, she thought...
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mary rosenblum
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say something witty like
Jennifer. Jennifer had every guy eating out of her hand.
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mary rosenblum
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Carl swallowed, his throat
dry, wondering what she'd say if he asked her out. He'd been watching, but
hadn't seen her with any one guy.
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mary rosenblum
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It was too much to hope
for...that she wasn't hooked up.
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mary rosenblum
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That's omniscient.
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mary rosenblum
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We ping pong back and forth
between Carl's thoughts and Jolene's thoughts and it keeps readers
distanced from both characters.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight I’m answering questions
about writing the novel. I’ve published seven novels (number eight will be
out next year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer
any questions you have. 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 in order to ask a question. Your
regular ‘send’ bar won’t reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your
question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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lapart
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is describing the scene
important in the begining ?
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mary rosenblum
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It's not a good idea to spend
a lot of time describing the scene, lapart. You end up with a big
expository lump. Instead, weave description into the action and dialogue a
bit at a time.
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mary rosenblum
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Build the scene as it plays
out.
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winonacross
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So, we know what both char's.
are saying/thinking
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, and a lot of novice
writers use it because it seems to give the reader the most
information...which it does...
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mary rosenblum
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but it does so by pushing the
reader away from the characters so that they are less real.
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mary rosenblum
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It can work in a strongly plot
driven story, but if it is important that your readers identify with a
particular character strongly...it's a character driven story...
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mary rosenblum
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then omniscient is not a good
idea. It is a weak form, for the most part.
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cosmos
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A poker table or mah jongg table
would be fun in omniscient.
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mary rosenblum
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If the game, is the plot that
drives the story then yes, omniscient might work here. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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If a poker or mah jong player
is what drives the story, then it probably would not be a good idea.
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wolf122
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I'd like to do a story--1st
person ghost (just passed on, doesn't think he's 'dead'), and switch
perspective to 3rd person family member. . .would that work, or should
entire work be 1st/3rd? Idea is to get across that ghost thinks he's still
alive, and show different perspective of ghost/family not seeing each other
in their own worlds
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mary rosenblum
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YOu can use first and third,
wolf. It can work. It can really bomb.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to make your
transitions very clear.
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mary rosenblum
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Try it and see.
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mary rosenblum
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If it doesn't work, shift to
all first or all third.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight I’m answering questions
about writing the novel. I’ve published seven novels (number eight will be
out next year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer
any questions you have. 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 in order to ask a question. Your
regular ‘send’ bar won’t reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your
question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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mary rosenblum
|
Remember...anything CAN work.
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mary rosenblum
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Some things are much harder to
pull off effectively...your Cast of Thousands novel, for example...
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mary rosenblum
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or a novel that uses first and
third person.
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mary rosenblum
|
Doesn't mean you cannot do it,
does mean that you might have more trouble making it work if this is your
first novel.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...you are not born
with X amount of writing ability. You are going to learn, grow, and improve
your craft the more you write.
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mary rosenblum
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What is hard for you now will
be much easier on novel three or seven or ten.
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lapart
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can there be too much dialogue
in the begining?
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mary rosenblum
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There can if nothing happens,
lapart.
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mary rosenblum
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Dialogue with no action and no
visuals gets boring fast.
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mary rosenblum
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Using action tags and
descriptive beats helps, but remember, you are hooking the reader into your
story.
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mary rosenblum
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A long monotone conversation
might not be the best hook.
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cosmos
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Is there a time that happens in
a novel when omniscient is the best idea?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends entirely on what you
are trying to accomplish, cosmos.
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mary rosenblum
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Novel is a label that defines
length and defines content only as 'fiction'.
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cherley
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Can you have too many action
tags?
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mary rosenblum
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You can have too many tags of
any sort, cherley. An action tag after EVERY line of dialogue is as much
'ping pong' dialogue as a 'he said' after every line of dialogue.
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mary rosenblum
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use tags to make sure readers
can identify the speaker and no more than that.
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mary rosenblum
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If only two people are talking
you can use few tags. If four people are talking, you'll need a lot of tags
to keep us straight.
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cosmos
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I'm not thinking of using this
technique, I'm just trying to learn about it from you.
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mary rosenblum
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That's fine. :-) There's just
no real answer about when to use omni.
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mary rosenblum
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If your plot demands that the
readers know what every character is thinking...the PLOT demands it...then
it's the voice to use. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The plot usually doesn't
demand it. The writer usually uses it because it's easy.
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cherley
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I was wondering if action tags
become more like stage directions
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mary rosenblum
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I guess they are, in a way.
But smoother than stage directions of course. :-)
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lapart
|
how long should you focus on the
begining hook?
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mary rosenblum
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For a novel, the general rule
of thumb...GENERAL, remember....is that in your first chapter, you get to
introduce your world and characters and introduce the first plot element...
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mary rosenblum
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and you need to hook the
reader in as you do so.
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mary rosenblum
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The entire chapter can be that
hook, the first sentence can be that hook...anything in between.
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mary rosenblum
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A good exercise is to pick
seven books at random and read the first chapter...
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mary rosenblum
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see how each writer tried to
hook you into the book.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll probably get a wide
range of examples.
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geezer
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...this all happened before the
cow exploded---Kuntz
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mary rosenblum
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OH, there are some really good
ones out there.
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mary rosenblum
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But you don't have to do it in
the first sentence.
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mary rosenblum
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You have a whole chapter to
play with and most readers will give you that much...
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slopoke
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Are any of the novel writing
programs of any value?
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mary rosenblum
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YOu mean software? I'd avoid
them. They tend to advance a formula.
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mary rosenblum
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Why pay money for something
you can learn to do yourself?
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janecj333
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I don't know if anyone else has
noticed this in published novels, but often the characters in chapter one
disappear by the final scene
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mary rosenblum
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Well, often it's early in the
story, jane, and your main character moves in as the plot develops.
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mary rosenblum
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You really ought to have your
main character...or one of them...present, but nobody else in that chapter
has to count.
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mary rosenblum
|
In novel form, generally the
story begins near or at the end of the chapter (not always) so often the
people/places of the first chapter get left behind. Or killed off. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's a very different start
from short story. Well, unless you write novels as a short story writer.
:-) I do tend to begin novels as if they are short stories.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I congratulate you all
who are doing nano.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if you never do anything
with that novel, you will have written a novel!!!
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janecj333
|
which brings me to the first
chapter, and how often it becomes chapter two or changes entirely in the
first big editing phase
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mary rosenblum
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Oh no kidding!
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mary rosenblum
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I had published many things
before I got to the point of really knowing the story I was telling BEFORE
I started it.
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mary rosenblum
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Often you don't know what the
story really is until the end of draft one.
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mary rosenblum
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Nothing wrong with that.
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mary rosenblum
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But that often changes the
starting point.
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geezer
|
Is it a nono to introduce new
characters toward the end?
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mary rosenblum
|
Well, not secondary characters
geeze, but I would be leery of introducing a really important character at
the end.
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mary rosenblum
|
Your end really grows out of
your beginning.
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janecj333
|
it's amazing what a little
twelve months of insight can do for your novel
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mary rosenblum
|
Oh, no kidding. One of the
best things you can do...and nobody including me does it...is to put your
novel in a drawer and lock it for twelve months.
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mary rosenblum
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Then take it out and read it.
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lapart
|
how do you put your events in
order so the reader can follo
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mary rosenblum
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Make yourself a timeline,
lapart.
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mary rosenblum
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You can use a roll of shelf
paper or do it on the computer.
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mary rosenblum
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Start with the beginning, and
mark in all the main events between that and the end.
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mary rosenblum
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That'll help keep you
organized and help you keep your readers on track.
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mary rosenblum
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I still draw it out like a
graph.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, congrats to all of you
who are doing nano!
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mary rosenblum
|
That is a lot of work, it'll
really benefit you as a writer in many ways...
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mary rosenblum
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self confidence not the least
of them!
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mary rosenblum
|
Do join us on Sunday for our casual
chat.
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mary rosenblum
|
Right here... 5PM pacific
time, 6 mt, 7 central and 8 east coast time.
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks for coming all!
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mary rosenblum
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And all you nano people...get
back to work!
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts in
the usual place...writing craft Forum Transcripts.
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