Not her, but you can still hear fighter jets.
I think you missed it too, but that was a long time ago and most people prefer to pretend it didn't happen. It's NENA because I had to change the acronym to fit "Evil" instead of that other one.
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Not her, but you can still hear fighter jets.
I think you missed it too, but that was a long time ago and most people prefer to pretend it didn't happen. It's NENA because I had to change the acronym to fit "Evil" instead of that other one.
I love "99 Red Balloons" but, even with that clarification, I still don't understand what NENA stands for... or what the jet fighters have to do with fantasy flying out the window...
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BTW, it wouldn't be a bad idea to memorize "The Highwayman."
That way you'll always have a party trick....
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I do disagree about bad guys. A lot of them are fully aware that what they're doing isn't right. But they don't care, or they rationalize it.
My son just read Fieldy's memoirs (a member of the group Korn). An ueber-jerk if there ever was one. And he was always aware that he was being bad, but he didn't care. It was working. So why change if you're getting what you want?
I know there are people who are convinced they're doing the right thing. My next bad guy will be one of them. Scarier in some ways than the sociopath in the last book who was utterly indifferent to right and wrong. (Which is pretty much the definition of a sociopath.)
My son just read Fieldy's memoirs (a member of the group Korn). An ueber-jerk if there ever was one. And he was always aware that he was being bad, but he didn't care. It was working. So why change if you're getting what you want?
I know there are people who are convinced they're doing the right thing. My next bad guy will be one of them. Scarier in some ways than the sociopath in the last book who was utterly indifferent to right and wrong. (Which is pretty much the definition of a sociopath.)
I pitch all of those sorts of questions into the NaNoWriMo boards. The WriMos are usually full of answers, and torture is one of their favorite topics.
No matter how out there your question, some one at that board is an expert (or at least willing to play one on the internet). Might be a better place than this board for questions that aren't easy to google.Speaking of things that aren't easy to google:
the top ten search results for "NENA" were (in this order) 2 links for "National Emergency Number Awareness", 6 for the German Neue Deutche Welle singer, 1 for the Lower Ninth Ward "Neighborhood Empowerment Network Association" (is this the one you meant Kitty?), and one for the "New England Needlework Association".
Now if you asked me to come up with an acronym for those letters I would have gone with "North East Nuclear Agency" or "Neighborly Emus Nanny for Albatrosses".
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There will be no discussion of torture here, and I remind everyone that I have the power to delete posts.
On the subject of villains, I've found it most interesting when the hero and the villain want the same thing. The hero is often limited by morals or attachments in the means they can take to reach their desired end.
The other way to toss this is for the hero and villain to want to do the same thing, but for different reasons, and with different results. It is a kind of rivalry. This is part of the basis for the villain in my WIP.
The other way to toss this is for the hero and villain to want to do the same thing, but for different reasons, and with different results. It is a kind of rivalry. This is part of the basis for the villain in my WIP.
Speaking of villains...
I've got a villain in my book who has ingratiated himself with the protagonist after first challenging and despising him and being confronted with science that he could not refute and still remain reputable. The villain, who doesn't even know he's a villain yet (I didn't even realiz it until a little while ago) and probably wouldn't admit it to himself if he did know, has arranged for the hero to receive his PhD (after writing his dissertation, but the character has already told the hero that he's defended his positions adequately). The hero has been showered with money and there is definitely a money motivation for his university to extend and award the degree to him (money talks in the university world).
I'm curious, Uncle Jim, how would you make the villain mentioned above more and more of a villain without either of the characters actually falling to the fact? At this time, the villainous character and the protagonist consider themselves friends although they were recent rivals. The villain has even visited the hero's lab ad offices and informed him of the fact that he's being granted his PhD (he doesn;t tell him that a large portion of the award is due to the money the hero has brought to the university).
Eventually, I hope to make this book a series and the organizations backing the hero and a couple of the villains, both overt and covert, more important.
I've got a villain in my book who has ingratiated himself with the protagonist after first challenging and despising him and being confronted with science that he could not refute and still remain reputable. The villain, who doesn't even know he's a villain yet (I didn't even realiz it until a little while ago) and probably wouldn't admit it to himself if he did know, has arranged for the hero to receive his PhD (after writing his dissertation, but the character has already told the hero that he's defended his positions adequately). The hero has been showered with money and there is definitely a money motivation for his university to extend and award the degree to him (money talks in the university world).
I'm curious, Uncle Jim, how would you make the villain mentioned above more and more of a villain without either of the characters actually falling to the fact? At this time, the villainous character and the protagonist consider themselves friends although they were recent rivals. The villain has even visited the hero's lab ad offices and informed him of the fact that he's being granted his PhD (he doesn;t tell him that a large portion of the award is due to the money the hero has brought to the university).
Eventually, I hope to make this book a series and the organizations backing the hero and a couple of the villains, both overt and covert, more important.
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Uncle Jim,
Just out of curiosity, what are the other subjects we may encounter in the writing of our novels that will be off-limits? I understand why you don't want the discussion of torture, we don't need to give anyone resources to commit heinous acts or crimes. But since I don't want to ever bring in the wrong topic for discussion I thought I'd ask what is taboo. And since I mainly write horror, if I have a question that is taboo, can I ask you in PM?
Just out of curiosity, what are the other subjects we may encounter in the writing of our novels that will be off-limits? I understand why you don't want the discussion of torture, we don't need to give anyone resources to commit heinous acts or crimes. But since I don't want to ever bring in the wrong topic for discussion I thought I'd ask what is taboo. And since I mainly write horror, if I have a question that is taboo, can I ask you in PM?
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Writers' conference and workshops are often mentioned as the way to get your work seen by someone who matters. Would you (y'all -- Uncle Jim and others) agree? Workshops are expensive.
I'm at least several months from having anything to show, but the sooner I make my plans, the better.
--Milton
I'm at least several months from having anything to show, but the sooner I make my plans, the better.
--Milton
I'm in the same boat. My betas are saying "Love the chapters, but I don't know who to root for" and that's because the antag is going to grow into the antag over the length of the story. I'm just showing a little more of "antag" behavior in each scene. Hopefully, it isn't noticable until halfway through the book, and even then, I hope some of the readers cling to the antag for a while until they realize they have to let him go.
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In one of my works my antagonist isn't a bad guy at all- it's a haunted/possessed antique radio. But there is still a bad guy, under the control of the radio. Here's a question, though. I have named that character Spike Caan. Who thinks Spike is too predictable a name for a bad guy? He's a cop-killer, a frequenter of ladies of the evening, and naturally an ex-con- the name was a prison nickname. And come to think of it, I never even came up with a given name for him. (Naturally, it wasn't hard for the radio to coax him into evil. Kind of like the devil taking control of an IRS agent- not much of a stretch
)
)
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Do you, yourself, know anyone named Spike?
As to who to root for: Who's the first person to show up in the book? Who's the person on page one? The readers will be rooting for that person unless you work to change them.
As to who to root for: Who's the first person to show up in the book? Who's the person on page one? The readers will be rooting for that person unless you work to change them.
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Thinking of heroes and villains may be limiting you. Think of protagonists and antagonists.
As to workshops and conferences -- some people find them useful. Some don't. Check with your local librarian to see if there's anything near you, or look at a local community college. You can often find small, free, conferences and workshops in either place.
As to workshops and conferences -- some people find them useful. Some don't. Check with your local librarian to see if there's anything near you, or look at a local community college. You can often find small, free, conferences and workshops in either place.
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Actually yes. I had a friend in school named Spike DeNike. No joke, that was his real name.
Hi Uncle Jim,
While browsing the New York Times Bestseller List I noticed something interesting. I'm going to pick on John Grisham because that's mom's favorite.
The Associate by John Grisham
(Doubleday, $27.95)
What's Doubleday? Is that the publishing company?
While browsing the New York Times Bestseller List I noticed something interesting. I'm going to pick on John Grisham because that's mom's favorite.
The Associate by John Grisham
(Doubleday, $27.95)
What's Doubleday? Is that the publishing company?
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Doubleday has been around in one form or another since the late 19th century. If you hear writers talking about "BDD," that's Bantam/Doulbleday/Dell. At the moment BDD is part of Random House, which is owned by Bertelsmann, a German media conglomerate.
Wow. It sounds so complicated. One company a part of another part of another and if you look in the teeny weeny corner, that's where they'll be. Interesting fact. Thanks.
And chances are, at the very very top of the chain is Disney. They seriously own everything.
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Conspiracy!! That feeling you get, sitting at your desk, writing, maybe sipping a hot espresso, you know the feeling... like someone's there, looking over your shoulder? Tickling your ear or the back of your neck or the flash out of the corner of your eyetheshadowthatyoucan'tquitesee?!?!...
It's Tinkerbell.
It's Tinkerbell.
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You can't. If you try to say to the readers: racism is bad, they will catch on and that becomes preachy. And in real life, racists don't always know they're racists, and they don't usually get their comeuppance either. Also, if you make those people into "villains" it will come across as stereotypes, maybe. I mean, why can't the protagonist be prejudiced? Why can't the protagonist be flawed? Why can't the antagonist be perfect?
I think you need to trust your readers, and that they have to good sense and intelligence to see that, oh, these behaviors are not very good. But if you're trying to use your message to preach "racism is bad" then you ARE walking on a thin line of being preachy. Instead, just let the story tells itself, and let the readers make their own judgment. I mean, who knows? Maybe one of your readers happen to agree with the racist. So what do you do now?
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