Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

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PixelFish

Re: *hangs head*

I wrote a couple of thousand words in the last few days, maybe four thousand. I just sat down and told myself to write. It probably wasn't very good, but it had to be done, and I can always quarry whatever gems there are out of it later, or I can rewrite the whole thing, or whatever.

You do have to make time for it though, and not let "things" just come up.
 

James D Macdonald

Become a best-selling fantasy writer

Who knew it would be <a href="http://members.ozemail.com.au/~imcfadyen/notthenet/fantasy.htm" target="_new">this easy</a>?
 

Yeshanu

Re: Become a bestselling fantasy author

Jim,

:ha

One bestselling fantasy novel coming right up...

Ruth
 

James D Macdonald

Today's Fun Thing

... to do while you're avoiding writing:

Fold a paper pressman's hat.

<a href="http://hotlinecy.com/images/hat.pdf" target="_new">hotlinecy.com/images/hat.pdf</a>

Notice that the instructions are given in terms of publicity.

(Further note: If you get a big enough sheet of tinfoil the same instructions can be used to make a tinfoil hat that will keep the CIA mind-control satelites from taking over your brain. Very handy!)

(Further further note: We had a novel wherein one of the characters used silver foil to fold a hat to keep vampires from reading his mind. <A href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0425143627/ref=nosim/madhousemanor" target="_new">Hunters' Moon</a>. Buy one -- better still, buy a dozen! They make excellent gifts....)

(Further further further note: This is the same hat that the Carpenter is wearing in the <a href="http://www.victorianweb.org/graphics/tenniel/lookingglass/4.4.html" target="_new">classic illustrations by John Tenniel</a> for "The Walrus and the Carpenter." <a href="http://margosdolls.com/images/Walrus-Carpenter.jpg" target="_new"> Isn't</a> <a href="http://www.pixieland.co.uk/pages/images/moorlandmini/onseat.JPG" target="_new">literacy</a> <a href="http://www.mt.net/~atelling/Graphics_for_Articles/Walrus_and_Carpenter/second.jpg" target="_new">fun</a>?)

(Today's assignment: After you've folded your paper hat, wear it, and while wearing it memorize <a href="http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/walrus.html" target="_new">"The Walrus and the Carpenter."</a> (You didn't think you'd get off easy, did you?))
 

JuliePgh

Opening to second scene - large jump

James,

My opening scene occurs when my protagonist is twelve. The scene is short, 4-5 paragraphs. The next scene jumps 17 years. The jump is obvious. I feel the initial scene is needed in the beginning because it provides vital insight into the character along the way, but the scene also raises multiple questions which don't get answered until the last few chapters.

Is a jump like that in the beginning, bad form? Do the readers question, "Hey, what's going on here?" or are they generally tolerant and trust that the author has placed that piece of history there for a reason which will become evident in time?

What, if any, are the dangers I need to look out for here?

Thank you.
:b
 

wwwatcher

Re:Become a best-selling fantasy writer

Oh, yay,

"1. Create a main character.
Most of the people who read your book will be unconfident males. So make your main character a Loser. Aimless, shy, cowardly, guilty, ill, lazy, rural - any of these will do."

Does this mean we're going to see fantasys starring rednecks?

(I know we already have them; I've just been ignoring the fact.)
 

Jules Hall

Re: Become a best-selling fantasy writer

Julie: I've seen plenty of published books that do exactly that. One that jumps to mind is 'Mystery' by Peter Straub. While I have a lot of bad things to say about that book, that aspect of it isn't one of them. Another is 'Wheelers' by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, which is an excellent book.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Opening to second scene - large jump

Julie, what can I say but write the book and see if it works?

Four or five paragraphs -- if necessary you can set 'em in italic.

If the information is only necessary at the end, you can put those four or five paragraphs pretty much anywhere before the end.

As you write the book, consider other places to put that info. But until you reach "The End," there's really no way to tell what's right.

(Asking your readers to hold that info in mind for the entire duration of the book ... I dunno. See what your beta readers say. When they reach the climax have they already forgotten what was in that brief lead-in?)

Is the scene, all on its own, memorable, interesting, and fast-moving?

I don't know any of those things. You do.
 

Betty W01

Re: Opening to second scene - large jump

See how John Ringo did it, in There Will Be Dragons. (Good book just to read for fun, too!)
 

maestrowork

Re: Re:Become a best-selling fantasy writer

Julie, just write your chapters as you'd want it. That will help you flesh out all your characters and ideas. Then during rewrite, determine when your story really starts -- the rest is just back stories. You can then integrate the back stories back into the main story if they're important, or skip them -- you don't have to tell the readers everything you, the author, knows.

In general, it's good to begin in the middle of the story. You need to engage the readers right off the bat. 17 years is a long gap, and unless it's a prelude of what has yet to come (E.g. how Dracula tasted his first blood... etc.), you may want to skip the back story.

Do the editing once you finish your book: first or second draft.
 

James D Macdonald

The Value of Publicity

Without further ado, take it away, New York Times!

<blockquote>
HARTFORD, June 10 - A state employee and longtime confidante of Gov. John G. Rowland solicited a $32,000 loan from the nonprofit foundation that supports the governor's residence so the governor's wife could publish a children's book, "Marvelous Max, the Mansion Mouse," according to documents released on Thursday by the House committee investigating whether to recommend impeaching Mr. Rowland.

The foundation's lawyer rejected the idea as inappropriate. But the chairman, Wilson Wilde, later wrote a series of personal checks totaling more than $41,000 to have the book illustrated and published. In a telephone interview on Thursday, Mr. Wilde said that at the time he expected profits to benefit both Patricia Rowland and the Governor's Residence Conservancy.

...

According to an affidavit submitted to the committee by John Tucker, president of Norfleet Press, the book's publisher, the book has not even sold enough copies to repay Mr. Wilde in full. "No profits have yet been made and I would be happily surprised if there were any profits in the future," he wrote.

</blockquote>

Wow. You can't buy publicity like that. (Or maybe you can.) She did everything she could, went and did the bookstore signings like she was supposed to, did the whole Published Author thing. But it wasn't enough to earn out. So, guys, who wants to step up and help out Mrs. Rowland, poor old Mr. Wilde, and the nice folks at Norfleet? Buy a copy of Marvelous Max, the Mansion Mouse now! (Soon to be a collector's item.)

The illustrations are really nice (they're by Wendy Rasmussen).

So.... I guess publicity isn't everything, is it?
 

Joanclr

Re: Opening to second scene - large jump

Sigh.

Is there any hope for us mere mortals?

Some days I despair of my craft. (Then again, I have the flu so I am generally despairing of most things at the moment.)
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Opening to second scene - large jump

Is there any hope for us mere mortals?

Yes. Every single published writer I know started in the same place -- as Joe Nobody in the slush pile.

The difference between them and, say, Mrs. Rowland, is that they did the work.

No amount of celebrity or publicity will overcome a poor book.

Rather than "paying her dues" by opening a checkbook (or a political sycophant's checkbook), Mrs. Rowland should have paid her dues by learning how to write.

There are some things money can't buy, and the respect of your audience is one of those things.
 

wwwatcher

The Value of Publicity

Buy a copy of Marvelous Max, the Mansion Mouse now!

:ack That mouse eats better than me; I know it.:ack
 

JuliePgh

Metric/English

I'm trying to get a feel for whether I should be using metric or english when referring to distances. I'm inclined to use metric since I have several military characters, but I wonder if that creates confusion to most U.S. readers who aren't typically comfortable with metric. Also, is it too inconsistent to use both (metric for large distances and english for shorter ones)?

I'd appreciate your input as readers and writers? Thank you.
 

paritoshuttam

Re: Metric/English

Hi,

My feeling is that using metres and kilometres gives a precise technical quality to the prose and using yards and miles gives it a more human touch... just my gut feeling, could be sheer nonsense to others :) So it depends on the context whether you want to give machine-like precision or approximate distances. If it's army talk, I would say go for the metric system (but I am not from US and am used to metric!).

- Paritosh.
 

Yeshanu

Re: Metric or not

Use whatever units the characters in your novel would use. If your story is set in a country that uses the metric system and you use imperial (not English) measures, then you'll start to have readers throwing your book across the room, and Uncle Jim has already told us we don't want that!:jump

Ditto for the reverse.

If you're in a fantasy venue, you might want to look up the definition of the word "league," and if you're writing a nautical story, you'll want to know what a "fathom" is. And so on...

Research, research, research, and remain true to your story.

Ruth
 

maestrowork

Re: The Value of Publicity

If your character is from Europe, use metrics. If your character is American, use imperial. Now, the interesting thing would be if the American travels to Europe -- IMHO, you can then use either... My American protagonist went to Hong Kong, where they use metric system. But the protagonist still refers everything with yards and feet and miles, because that's what he understands.
 

Jules Hall

Re: Metric/English

Please remember that, from the point of view of using the metric system, Britain is only half European. We sometimes use kilograms and litres, but we also use pints, pounds and stone when the mood takes us. Milli/centimetres are frequently used, metres less so, and kilometres rarely -- miles are much more common.

Its all a mess if you ask me.
 

Yeshanu

Re: Metric/English

My American protagonist went to Hong Kong, where they use metric system. But the protagonist still refers everything with yards and feet and miles, because that's what he understands.

Kind of like a middle-aged Canadian...

I grew up using imperial, and then Canada decided to switch measurements in order to keep up with the rest of the world.

My parents still use pounds and feet and inches and miles, my kids use kilograms and kilometers and cetimeters and such, and I need to have everything (especially the temperature) in both measurements so I understand exactly what I'm dealing with...:ack

I agree -- it's all a big mess here, too!
 

PixelFish

Re: Metric or not

A league is three miles. I used to do maps on college ruled notebook paper and every one of those lines was a league apart. (No pun intend.) :)

Yeshanu: My friends in Calgary use imperial for height and weight (ie I am 5'5" and 130 lbs) and metric for everything else. ("Do you think the temperature will get above 30?")
 

Yeshanu

Re: The Value of Publicity

Pixel,

I don't know why it is, but it's like dieting... The pounds and ounces are harder to get rid of than any other measure.:grin

I travel 20 kilometres to work, it's about 10 degrees C here (the temperature really dropped overnight), I have four litres of milk in my fridge... I'm even getting to the point where I buy meat in kilograms, but I weigh xxx (too many) pounds and am five feet four inches tall.

I can't explain it...

But back to writing. This is where a little research goes a long way. If you're writing a book about a Canadian, and you have that person say, "I'm 163 cm tall," (we do use the metric system, after all) a Canadian reader will probably go :wha and throw your book across the room...:smack

And we don't want that, do we?
 

PixelFish

Canadianisms. :)

Speaking of things that Canadians say and don't say, naturally when other folks here in the States hear that I lived in Canada, they immediately start tacking "eh" onto all of their sentences just to tease. (Ever seen that Molson commercial where the guy shirts his co-worker for saying "eh" too many times--I love that one.)

But in Western Canada or at least in Alberta, the only people that tack "eh" onto their sentences with any regularity are the older generation. Similar to the use of the metric system, the word "eh" isn't necessarily endemic to all Canadian conversations. If one were to write a story with younger Canadian readers and throw that in for veracity, it would come off as forced.

(BTW, for an example of fictional Canadians who don't come off with the forced "eh" dialogue--the For Better or For Worse family, drawn and written by Lynn Johnson. They are Canadian, but they don't run through their comic strip sprinkling metric stats left and right, nor do they use the word, "eh" overmuch. Instead, you can tell that they are Canadian by their actions and environment and cultural touchstones--such as Grandpa Jim's participating in Remembrance Day Parades. The dialogue isn't a "stereotypical Canadian" sort of dialogue, but natural everyday dialogue. Sometimes it gets a little silly, or sappy, or wise or whatever, but it's always something I could imagine real people saying.)

I think this is where the advice that you should do your research but not make your readers suffer for it comes into play. Whatever facts that one finds should be sprinkled in like a potent spice.
 

macalicious731

Re: Metric/English

Yes, not to mention the elongated pronunciation of 'about' as 'aboot.'
 
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