tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post3310514174935410252..comments2024-03-27T10:02:56.747-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Open Thread: Do You Have Any Writing Questions?Janice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-84445584558084881952017-02-01T08:39:23.227-05:002017-02-01T08:39:23.227-05:00Still looking, but Ava Jae did a fantastic post on...Still looking, but Ava Jae did a fantastic post on this: http://avajae.blogspot.com/2016/08/about-traditionally-publishing-new-adult.htmlJanice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-774414482272004692017-01-15T03:11:00.977-05:002017-01-15T03:11:00.977-05:00I did NaNo camp in July, and while it was a great ...I did NaNo camp in July, and while it was a great experience doing it, it didn't produce a draft that I could use afterwards LOL. I am writing again since last week, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I have found a process that works for me. <br /><br />In the meantime, I found an article of yours here that was even more helpful than the one you suggested, so I thought I put the link here for others who may have the same problem as I:<br /><br />http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/05/if-at-first-you-dont-succeedthen-you.htmlAthaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747661959878389599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-49842704259178683672017-01-12T21:14:26.831-05:002017-01-12T21:14:26.831-05:00Thank you for your response. Originally the story ...Thank you for your response. Originally the story was omniscient POV but it just feels 'right' with multiple POVs. I will take a look at the article when the kids are asleep! Livasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15376155672272373743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-74233802211091496862017-01-11T11:18:01.260-05:002017-01-11T11:18:01.260-05:00You're welcome, and thanks so much! Shiny idea...You're welcome, and thanks so much! Shiny ideas are seductive little buggers :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-48142341011583257492017-01-10T17:45:29.731-05:002017-01-10T17:45:29.731-05:00Have all your books. They're immeasurably help...Have all your books. They're immeasurably helpful. You're right. I just need to stop falling in love with every idea and work on what serves the story arc. Thank you so much. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00547377744537240904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-55467148825414624222017-01-09T11:25:56.522-05:002017-01-09T11:25:56.522-05:00Not too late :)
It's not cheating unless yo...Not too late :) <br /><br />It's not cheating unless you're doing it to deliberately trick the reader (and not in a good "misleading them with red herrings" way).<br /><br />You can do anything you want, as long as you establish your rules early on so readers can follow. For example, if you change POVs every five chapters or so, stay consistent with that. If you change all the time, start early. Let readers know what the style is right away.<br /><br />What you want to avoid is anything that will jar the reader or make them feel tricked. For example, if the book starts with another character and they spend five chapters thinking that character is the protagonist, and then suddenly someone else is, they may feel that they invested all that time in the wrong person. Or they might care more about that character than the protagonist, and lose interest in the story. <br /><br />It also depends on what you're doing. If you're crafting an omniscient POV, then changing characters is the norm. But if you're focusing on one character's story, and only showing other POV to basically dump information readers can't get otherwise, it might come across as an infodump. <br /><br />Try this article I did for more things to consider when changing POVs. It could give you some more tips:<br /><br />http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/03/changing-views-take-second-look-when.htmlJanice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-4637876461574145212017-01-09T11:16:05.462-05:002017-01-09T11:16:05.462-05:00Ooo, sorry to hear that. I know some writers who&#...Ooo, sorry to hear that. I know some writers who've done NaNo to force them to write and not look back, so maybe try that? They do have "NaNo camps" a few times a year.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-1724432484763083162017-01-09T05:19:43.594-05:002017-01-09T05:19:43.594-05:00I hope it's not to late to post here... A ques...I hope it's not to late to post here... A question regarding point of view. I have a YA fantasy novel with multiple points of view, however, the protagonist's point of view is dominant. Despite this the book opens (or will open, once it's rewritten) in a secondary character's voice. Is this 'cheating' the reader? Should I have 'rules' or clear patterns when changing the POV? Originally it was when the main character was asleep or unconscious. Having the multiple views does seem to solve a lot of the issues I was having with the story. Thanks :)Livasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15376155672272373743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-87320946992456312652017-01-07T03:49:23.878-05:002017-01-07T03:49:23.878-05:00Thanks. That IS helpful. However, I've been ho...Thanks. That IS helpful. However, I've been hovering at that point, too - knowing everything I want to write, but not being able to put the words down. I guess it's a case of "revise while your draft," or even "revise BEFORE you draft," and then getting blocked. I had similar problems with writing official letters, and I got around by telling myself, "well, just write what you actually WANTED to say, and then polish afterwards." Which is how you draft LOL so I don't know why I'm having such problems with it. Write the what, then worry about the how in revisions. Now I only have to do it. Sigh. Athaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747661959878389599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-17637476804703557482017-01-06T10:53:08.460-05:002017-01-06T10:53:08.460-05:00I did an article on just this, so I'll point y...I did an article on just this, so I'll point you toward that to start. If this doesn't help, let me know and I'll do another post :)<br /><br />http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/01/thoughts-on-writing-scene.htmlJanice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-29758665568328998782017-01-06T02:20:58.183-05:002017-01-06T02:20:58.183-05:00I'd love a how-to for writing scenes. I always...I'd love a how-to for writing scenes. I always freeze up when it comes to actually write them, and that's pretty depressing after all the outlining I did before... I have the story lined up, I know and love my characters, but I can't walk them through the scene. Perhaps it's a psychological problem, but I haven't seen a scene workshop comparable to all those (fantastic!) "outlining your novel" workshops on the net. I need someone to walk me through writing a scene, please!Athaiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747661959878389599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-42154105968607887062017-01-04T13:23:09.983-05:002017-01-04T13:23:09.983-05:00Thanks, that helps. There are so many topics it...Thanks, that helps. There are so many topics it's good to know what folks are looking for. Some are easy (like SDT and conflict, the next book) but then it gets a little harder to choose.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-87284088920897767252017-01-03T17:41:53.837-05:002017-01-03T17:41:53.837-05:00I, personally, would highly value a skill builder ...I, personally, would highly value a skill builder in this area. I've sought out other books that deal with internalisation but feel like first person POV is never adressed thoroughly (sometimes barely at all) and doesn't get the same air time as third limited. Looking forward to reading and learning from more of your skill builders in the future. Thanks, Stacey. Stacey Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10824839257240110470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-10546886605712483912017-01-03T13:27:05.160-05:002017-01-03T13:27:05.160-05:00Thank you very much! I look forward to seeing what...Thank you very much! I look forward to seeing what you guys have to say on the subject.Sophianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-36701457373871366022017-01-03T11:12:21.481-05:002017-01-03T11:12:21.481-05:00A good topic actually. A quick answer for now, is ...A good topic actually. A quick answer for now, is to look for places to have them discuss strategy when other things are also going on. For example, maybe they're busy and don't have time for an official meeting, but they can talk during the lead up to a battle or the like. (Such as, they're ready to face the enemy, but they have three hours until the ships reach each other to be able to fire). <br /><br />It can be hard to find place where the conversation fits naturally, but if you look for scenes that have a little action, but not much else really driving them (small goals), then you might be able to add this discussion during it to strengthen the entire scene.<br /><br />Another option is to find the worst possible place storywise to have this conversion and force it (plausibly) to happen there :) Instant conflict!<br /><br />Hopefully this made sense! If not, I'll explain more.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-32777172546408391882017-01-03T11:07:12.851-05:002017-01-03T11:07:12.851-05:00Oh good, I'm glad it got you started in the ri...Oh good, I'm glad it got you started in the right direction. Right now all I have is what's on the site, but it's a topic I plan to do a Skill Builder book on at some point. I can certainly talk specifically about first person, since that has its own share of challenges. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-59360409580004389252017-01-03T11:05:47.200-05:002017-01-03T11:05:47.200-05:00They're frequently in the same paragraph, a...They're frequently in the same paragraph, a'la "I live in Georgia with my wife and two kids, and enjoy hiking on the weekends. I've had short stories published in Analog and Clarksworld." But if you have no credits, you'd leave them out. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-63959136582899342522017-01-03T07:16:16.546-05:002017-01-03T07:16:16.546-05:00This may sound too general to address with concret...This may sound too general to address with concrete examples, but I'll post it anyway with the hope that others struggle with it too: when passages are mainly dialogue, how can you add in little touches of (modest) action?<br /><br />For example, I'm writing a sci-fi novel. In certain passages where the crew is trying to devise a weapon to defeat the enemy, I have not found a way to insert much action. The story's protagonist is the ship's captain, and she cannot be personally involved in things like weapons building. So I'm reduced to having her call meetings to discuss strategy, which can only maintain our interest for a page, at most.<br /><br />Is there any trick, mental or otherwise, that one can use to break out of the trap of no-action scenes? When this happens, I find myself going perhaps too deeply inside her head to reveal her fears and discontentment since blocks of nothing but straight dialogue would be boring.John Pachlhttp://www.johnpachl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-42100593512973610602017-01-03T03:39:20.965-05:002017-01-03T03:39:20.965-05:00I struggle with internalisation in first person PO...I struggle with internalisation in first person POV. I've just purchased and read your show don't tell book that actually really helped me out in this area, however my internalisation still feels a little off. Do you have any resources on this? I've read your internalisation 101 post. Maybe it's that I don't know my character well enough to get a feel for how she would describe what she sees, feels, hears etc. I don't feel like I'm quite there with her voice and I think big part of it comes down to her thoughts (or lack thereof). Stacey Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10824839257240110470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-83428371159694446452017-01-02T18:08:35.270-05:002017-01-02T18:08:35.270-05:00Thanks. I'll look that up. I didn't realiz...Thanks. I'll look that up. I didn't realize there were seperate things.H. R. Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06715450637785127208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-74516588547751274072017-01-02T13:41:01.263-05:002017-01-02T13:41:01.263-05:00Bios are pretty standard, but you certainly don...Bios are pretty standard, but you certainly don't have to add them if you don't want to. Writing credits are different from a bio, so those would be added separately if applicable. <br /><br />What they basically want is a little bit about you. Read any general author bio and you can get a feel for the style and things to include. If you have life experience or hobbies that relate to the type of book, that's great and shows experience in that area, but even if it's just a quick, "I have two kids and three dogs" that's fine.<br /><br />Gail Carriger did a nice post here on the author bio that could give you insights. She treated hers like an opportunity to hook readers, but it could apply to queries as well as novels. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-16068346414759836722017-01-01T16:11:07.643-05:002017-01-01T16:11:07.643-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02787259249720031535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-75716206324102526402017-01-01T09:35:50.431-05:002017-01-01T09:35:50.431-05:00How great of you! I have tons of questions, but as...How great of you! I have tons of questions, but as usual, I'm blank the second someone asks what they are! :)<br /><br />One I do remember is that more agents are asking specially to include a bio with the submission package. One agent said it's because they are trying to find out more about you and gage personality. What is your take and how does one write a bio without writing creds?<br />H. R. Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06715450637785127208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-67030490894247246602017-01-01T05:16:58.077-05:002017-01-01T05:16:58.077-05:00Sounds a bit like you could call it one of these, ...Sounds a bit like you could call it one of these, depending on context:<br /><br />Magic-free fantasy<br />Alt-earth fantasy<br />Alt-earth historical/Alternate history<br /><br />It depends on how you've made your world. For instance, is it taking place in the land of Systropia which somewhat resembles/is inspired by feudal Japan, or are the countries called things like New Ottoman Empire (and do they have other details that specifically place them on Earth/in the context of Earth's real history)? By historical setting, do you mean, "Alternate version of Italy in 1215," or do you mean "medieval-inspired fantasy setting"?Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15725049899131699912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-67512417859961920642016-12-31T11:38:24.665-05:002016-12-31T11:38:24.665-05:00I'm trying it already, but I'm struggling....I'm trying it already, but I'm struggling. However, thinking about your answer gave me some ideas. I think a very short subplot might solve my problem. <br /><br />Thanks again, Janice!Silva Filhonoreply@blogger.com