I hate nuts in my brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
Me, too. And I actually have both, thankfully nut-less, in the house right now.
t /gloating
She's terse. I can be terse. Once in flight school, I was laconic.
Wash ,'War Stories'
The Great Write Way, Chapter Two: Twice upon a time...
A place for Buffistas to discuss, beta and otherwise deal and dish on their non-fan fiction projects.
Amy - Jun 17, 2005 8:29:19 am PDT #2794 of 10001
Because books.
erikaj - Jun 17, 2005 8:35:22 am PDT #2795 of 10001
Always Anti-fascist!
Inner Munchkin is crossing his legs right now at y'alls gleeful embrace of nutlessness.(Being in touch with my masculine side is beyond trying sometimes.)
Astarte - Jun 17, 2005 8:35:25 am PDT #2796 of 10001
Not having has never been the thing I've regretted most in my life. Not trying is.
Glue your ass to the chair and write.
Yes, I do tell myself this, frequently. I listen to myself far less frequently, more's the pity.
erikaj - Jun 17, 2005 8:38:27 am PDT #2797 of 10001
Always Anti-fascist!
Rejection? It's all in the game. (I stole "It's all in the game," from West Baltimore though. In that game people die more often than in our game.)
Ginger - Jun 17, 2005 9:25:50 am PDT #2798 of 10001
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Ooh, death, nuts, and what I like to put in my mouth...How long till I'm LKH?
Never? Does never work for you?
Susan W. - Jun 17, 2005 9:52:25 am PDT #2799 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
Say you're sitting high atop Writers' Mountain, being the guru. Students of writing toil up the hillside, to ask you for the One True Pearl of Wisdom that will shine the glow of enlightment on their labours.
One line, and one line only. Distill, please. What would you tell them?
Since Amy beat me to "write what you want to read," I'll say, "Create good characters--particularly an engaging, intriguing, and believable protagonist or two--and the readers will come."
At least this reader would.
And brownies and chocolate chip cookies shouldn't be mucked up with nuts. Nuts have their proper times and places, but not there.
deborah grabien - Jun 17, 2005 10:07:26 am PDT #2800 of 10001
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.
Susan, as you know, I'm a humongous fan of characters with voices.
But you don't think there needs to be a road for them to travel? Would a corollary be in order?
Topic!Cindy - Jun 17, 2005 10:09:16 am PDT #2801 of 10001
What is even happening?
It's all about the journey?
Susan W. - Jun 17, 2005 10:11:50 am PDT #2802 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
Oh, definitely, but you said, "one line." And caught me on a week where I've been reading contest entry after contest entry with oodles of plot, but wooden, lifeless characters composed of stereotypes straight out of Romance Central Casting.
So maybe I'd amend it to, "Before you worry about the journey, make sure the travelers are worthy of your readers' attention."
Amy - Jun 17, 2005 10:14:22 am PDT #2803 of 10001
Because books.
"Everyone has a story. It's up to you to find it."
I think this is where erika's one-liner fits in -- if you've got a compelling character, finding the story he or she needs to tell, or journey to take, is the important thing.
But I also believe that most characters become interesting if they're on the right journey, so there's that, too.