Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

loquax · Jun 20, 2005

Do authors write the blurb? Because they can be terrible too.

jlawrenceperry · Jun 20, 2005

It seems to me a bit self-serving to write one's own blurb, because one is drawn to use things to describe the tale that color it in a positive light. I suppose you might call it advertising, but still...

I have yet to memorize the Shakespeare thing, so it's been up on my wall so I can read it every day.

now typing last chapter in novel! WOOOOOOO! (gosh, sorry, hate to use exclamation points) Woo.

PattiTheWicked · Jun 20, 2005

Roger J Carlson said:
When I was a kid, I bought a lot of Science Fiction based on the lurid covers.

Me too, but that was because I wanted to grow up to look like all those babes in chain-mail bikinis.

James D. Macdonald · Jun 20, 2005

loquax said:
Do authors write the blurb? Because they can be terrible too.

The blurbs are usually written by freelance copyrwriters, for about $100 to $150 per.

Nangleator · Jun 20, 2005

James D. Macdonald said:
The blurbs are usually written by freelance copyrwriters, for about $100 to $150 per.

Oof. That's a lot of work for a little cash. Do they get to read the author's synopsis, or do they have to slog through the first few chapters to come up with the blurbs?

Either way, $/hr. comes out pretty tiny, particularly if the marketing department is picky.

James D. Macdonald · Jun 20, 2005

It's still two to three times as much as freelance slush readers make.

Sharon Mock · Jun 21, 2005

If you have a dragon in your book, you can't complain if it ends up on the cover. Though I'm given to understand that some published authors feel differently on the matter.

Roger J Carlson said:
BTW, Jim, I was accepted to Viable Paradise!

Same here. I'll see you there!

Christine N. · Jun 21, 2005

<hangs head in shame> I have dragons in my book. Some are nice, some are, well, not. And the illustrator has drawn a picture of the MC and the dragon... it's probably my favorite illo so far. AND he might use that image as part of the cover.

So there.

Nangleator · Jun 21, 2005

Christine N. said:
<hangs head in shame> I have dragons in my book.

Actually, I associate dragons with your name for some reason... I almost haven't read all of your posts for that reason.

:ROFL:

Actually, I have good memories of dragons on covers due to Anne McCaffrey and Michael Whelan.

James D. Macdonald said:
It's still two to three times as much as freelance slush readers make.

Geez. Are there any jobs in this industry where they beat you daily, and your 'paycheck' is getting to smell money?

black winged fighter · Jun 21, 2005

I guess I'm weird in that if there's a dragon on the book, I expect some sort of hint in the cover...It's happened before that when I pick up a book, and half-way through it becomes a There Be Dragons scenario, I stop for a moment and stare at the cover to see why it didn't tell me what to expect.
Not that I hate 'dragon books.' Some of my favorite books had dragons on the cover...

black winged fighter · Jun 21, 2005

I guess I'm weird in that if there's a dragon on the book, I expect some sort of hint in the cover...It's happened before that when I pick up a book, and half-way through it becomes a There Be Dragons scenario, I stop for a moment and stare at the cover to see why it didn't tell me what to expect.
Not that I hate 'dragon books.' Some of my favorite books had dragons on the cover...

AnneMarble · Jun 21, 2005

Nangleator said:
Geez. Are there any jobs in this industry where they beat you daily, and your 'paycheck' is getting to smell money?

Yes. It's called the Writer.

:banana:

HConn · Jun 21, 2005

Dang! Anne beat me to the punch line.

Have fun at Viable Paradise, you guys. Be sure to give a report afterwards.

jlawrenceperry · Jun 21, 2005

DONE DONE DONE
THE NOVEL IS FINALLY DONE
I'VE EDITS TO DO
BUT THE PLOT IS THROUGH
MY FIRST NOVEL'S FINALLY DONE

alaskamatt17 · Jun 21, 2005

Congratulations! I remember my first novel ... but I won't go into details on that mess.

Hearing about your success makes me wish I could go faster on my current WIP.

black winged fighter · Jun 21, 2005

Congrats - I'm busy with editing, too, right now...And a new WIP at the same time...

loquax · Jun 22, 2005

I just finished writing another chapter, and I realised that my characters hadn't eaten or gone to the toilet in a whole day. I then had to go back through it and sneak in little paragraphs detailing these things. Does this get in your way, too? Can't we just leave those things out and use the excuse of artistic licence? It can very easily disrupt the flow of a story, but not including them detracts from the realism in obvious ways. What's an author to do?

Christine N. · Jun 22, 2005

jlawrenceperry said:
DONE DONE DONE
THE NOVEL IS FINALLY DONE
I'VE EDITS TO DO
BUT THE PLOT IS THROUGH
MY FIRST NOVEL'S FINALLY DONE

Woo Hoo! Take a day off, then start the next one. I say that, since

MY CURRENT NOVEL IS DONE! Like really done, edited and all. Queried it to my publisher last night. I am giving myself permission for a day off, then back to the other book that I started before I started the heavy editing and polishing.

Andrew Jameson · Jun 22, 2005

loquax said:
I just finished writing another chapter, and I realised that my characters hadn't eaten or gone to the toilet in a whole day. I then had to go back through it and sneak in little paragraphs detailing these things. Does this get in your way, too? Can't we just leave those things out and use the excuse of artistic licence? It can very easily disrupt the flow of a story, but not including them detracts from the realism in obvious ways. What's an author to do?

Silly question, perhaps, but are you actually chronicling every single minute of the day for every single character? If so, why? I mean, surely your character do boring things at some point throughout the day, right? Heck, I stare out the window for minutes at a time. I spend an inordinate amount of time deciding what to eat for lunch. I scratch myself inappropriately. All boring.

It's part of the author's job to pare away all the boring things that his or her characters do. If it ain't part of the story, staring and scratching and eating and pooping are all boring. Cut it.

Point is, I would think (and this isn't necessarliy true, so think about it) that your characters would tend to spend more time off-stage than on, traveling and working and sleeping and doing whatever other mundane chores one might expect *between* scenes rather than *during* scenes. I figure readers will assume that Joe Protagonist takes a leak sometime between chapters five and six while he's off stage, and doesn't hold his bladder through the whole book.

IMO, of course.

Roger J Carlson · Jun 22, 2005

loquax said:
I just finished writing another chapter, and I realised that my characters hadn't eaten or gone to the toilet in a whole day. I then had to go back through it and sneak in little paragraphs detailing these things. Does this get in your way, too? Can't we just leave those things out and use the excuse of artistic licence? It can very easily disrupt the flow of a story, but not including them detracts from the realism in obvious ways. What's an author to do?

You don't have to tell your readers every time people eat or go to the bathroom. It can be assumed unless the character is in a position where these things are impossible. For instance, if you have a character hide in a closet for 36 hours and make no mention of eating, drinking, or voiding, it is not realisitic. I've seen this kind of thing happen in too many novels, and it always bugs me.

loquax · Jun 22, 2005

Roger J Carlson said:
For instance, if you have a character hide in a closet for 36 hours and make no mention of eating, drinking, or voiding, it is not realisitic. I've seen this kind of thing happen in too many novels, and it always bugs me.

That's what I'm getting at. Of course I dont account every single minute of every character, but there are times when you might write about six solid hours. The climax of a novel may take an entire day. I'm not really one to write things like "June was heavy with rain, and they travelled for three years, and reached Mologarathahad with low spirits." I normally account things as they happen, so that kind of stuff can easily get in the way.

maestrowork · Jun 22, 2005

loquax said:
I just finished writing another chapter, and I realised that my characters hadn't eaten or gone to the toilet in a whole day. I then had to go back through it and sneak in little paragraphs detailing these things. Does this get in your way, too? Can't we just leave those things out and use the excuse of artistic licence? It can very easily disrupt the flow of a story, but not including them detracts from the realism in obvious ways. What's an author to do?

Just leave those things out, unless the eating and going to the bathroom are necessary in your story. The readers understand. I mean, unless you follow the character every second throughout the day...

Look at 24. The story happens in real time but you seldom see these characters eat or go to the bathroom. If it's not part of the story, it's not part of the story. No one will tell you "it's not realistic" because the character doesn't pee every few hours.

aruna · Jun 22, 2005

loquax said:
I just finished writing another chapter, and I realised that my characters hadn't eaten or gone to the toilet in a whole day. I then had to go back through it and sneak in little paragraphs detailing these things. Does this get in your way, too? Can't we just leave those things out and use the excuse of artistic licence? It can very easily disrupt the flow of a story, but not including them detracts from the realism in obvious ways. What's an author to do?

I remember after I finished the Da Vinci Code it occured to me that these characters hadn't even SLEPT for days at end, as far as I could recall - it seemed to me they just spent days rushing from one place to the next. Doesn't seem to have hurt it on the market. Readers are very forgiving - unless, as someone said, the omission of these details makes the plot somehow unbelievable.

J. Y. Moore · Jun 22, 2005

jules said:
Yes. It does me; I've frequently put books down because they have really cliche cover art that left me with a negative feeling of the book in general. Usually this only happens at the second hand bookshop; it might have a lot to do with the covers feeling "old fashioned" in some way, which generally doesn't happen with modern books.

Although there is one recent book in my collection that I picked up based on a recommendation, and which I look at the cover and generally think I never would have bought it if it wasn't recommended to me.

Back to covers: When I first completed my ms and was looking for publishers, I remember finding one that I immediately rejected simply because the covers on their published works looked uniformly cheap. They had all definitely been done by the same illustrator (the term "artist" doesn't seem appropriate). I have no recollection as to which publisher they were or even what type of publisher they were (I suspect they were a POD/vanity/self), but I certainly did not want the association.

Ken Schneider · Jun 22, 2005

loquax said:
That's what I'm getting at. Of course I dont account every single minute of every character, but there are times when you might write about six solid hours. The climax of a novel may take an entire day. I'm not really one to write things like "June was heavy with rain, and they travelled for three years, and reached Mologarathahad with low spirits." I normally account things as they happen, so that kind of stuff can easily get in the way.

My opinion is that if it is appropriate to the scene, write it.

If a group of guys are in the bar drinking beer, then one can say,
"I'll be right back, I have to take a leak." It fits the scene. Of course, this would be the guy you were trying to get rid of so that everyone else could talk about him, or a situation he's involved in.

It would depend on the situation. If you send the character into the woods to go to the potty, then something better happen to him or his cohorts while he's gone.

It's a given that they would do these things somewhere during the day, when reading a book, I don't need to know that unless it relates to plot or scene.

MTC.
Ken

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