Oh erika, that's great!

Ginger, I barked, I laughed so loud and unexpectedly, and scared the cat. Your comment took me by surprise.

erika! sposa! WOOT!

and Anne, oh, as usual, dear.....

Novel-writing friend also has to learn that you don't have to cram every bit of research you did into the book.

erika, that's awesome news, preliminary or not! All fingers crossed over here.

Oh, Anne, I sympathize. God, nothing bothers me more than characters discussing things they already know just so the reader can know, too. Guh. There should be whole classes on doing exposition properly.

Still reading all the stuff I missed...

Deb: I would love to, that is, if you'll let me. It would give me something nice to look forward to after attending my "paper writing party" (ha) all day.

edit: you could send it to my profile email, or if it's posted elswhere toss me the link? (*wide/hopeful eyes*)

Erika: way to go. Getting paid is something I need to work on. I'm so into the local 'zine/publishing effort I end up donating things I might have been able to (*fingers crossed*) sell. Congrats.

God, nothing bothers me more than characters discussing things they already know just so the reader can know, too. Guh. There should be whole classes on doing exposition properly.

I have a running debate with my weekly critique group over this. I'm a firm believer that less is more, and that it's better for a reader to be a little confused than to have false-sounding dialogue or awkward exposition. I've never yet put down a compelling story because I wasn't 100% clear on the history--if anything, the story hooks me in and makes me want to go look up what really happened once I'm done with it.

Exactly, Susan. If you hand out exposition in dribs and drabs, and you play it right, you leave the reader wanting to know more, wanting to keep on reading to figure out what's going on or what's going to happen next.

When an author puts in too much exposition, I just want him or her to get on with it already.

All bets are off, though, if whoever's writing has a wonderful narrative voice.

All bets are off, though, if whoever's writing has a wonderful narrative voice.

There definitely authors whose grocery lists I would read, because I love their voices, but they tend to be few and far between.

if anything, the story hooks me in and makes me want to go look up what really happened once I'm done with it

I'm famous for this, although I adit I do it more with movies than with books, maybe because I don't read as much historical fiction as I do watch movies set in some other time period. I'll never forget looking up the story behind Lady Jane Grey and being crushed that the truth was not the least bit romantic in terms of her marriage to...whoever it was they made her marry. Damn my stupid lack of memory. Guilford? Whatever.

God, nothing bothers me more than characters discussing things they already know just so the reader can know, too. Guh. There should be whole classes on doing exposition properly.

I have a running debate with my weekly critique group over this. I'm a firm believer that less is more, and that it's better for a reader to be a little confused than to have false-sounding dialogue or awkward exposition. I've never yet put down a compelling story because I wasn't 100% clear on the history--if anything, the story hooks me in and makes me want to go look up what really happened once I'm done with it.

I actually have a page about that, an author's note, at the beginning of FFoSM, and Ruth actually quoted a line of it on the inside front cover of the dust jacket. Basically, I do my homework, weave my fictional characters in with the real ones and my fictional events into the historical research, and do it seamlessly, so that the reader doesn't know which is which. Then I rub my hands, twirl the ends of my waxed mustacios, and cackle with spiteful glee.

All bets are off, though, if whoever's writing has a wonderful narrative voice.

Thanks to the whatevers that be, for an editor who feels that way about mine. Makes my life eminently more possible.

Brynn, will send to profile address. Didn't post it because if it's going to be published, you can't prepublish without messing up rights.

Be warned, though: if you're expecting an apocalypse, as in, big noisy bang and heavy scifi fantasy, you'll be disappointed (Polter was). This is a simple little story about a travelling circus and a girl and a choice.

edit: erika, trouble with bios? Really? I love writing them.

OK, too funny, in terms of timing and synchronicity for the above discussion about research, voice, and whatnot. A review from I Love A Mystery:

THE FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING MEN
DEBORAH GRABIEN
St. Martin’s Minotaur November, 2004

Theatrical producer Penelope Wintercroft-Hawkes is flabbergasted when she hears from a London solicitor that an aunt, whom she had seen only once in her life, has left her property in the City of London. The property, an abandoned Victorian era theatre, needs renovation and restoration -- and her aunt has taken care of that by including a large sum of money for her to use to accomplish this work. However, as Penny visits the site, she has some inexplicable experiences of apparently extra-sensory origin. Then Penny's lover, Ringan Laine, a folk-singer as well as a restorer of historic buildings, finds himself overwhelmed by a malevolent unseen intruder while he is checking the theatre's acoustics by playing a CD of one of his band’s recordings. Determined to learn the history of the area predating the building of the theater, Penny enlists a retired historian in her quest. The historian discovers a record of an actual historic figure, Agnes de Belleville, accused of murder, who was imprisoned on the site when it was the home of the King's chief Prison Wardour. Doggedly, Penny continues to work to uncover the truth that will enable her to exorcise this tortured spirit.

Before I start talking about this book, I must say that I do not like books with so called woo-woo (supernatural) happenings. I am also not very fond of historical mysteries, although I do enjoy non-fiction histories. That having been said, I found this book drew me into the story so that I could not stop reading it. The writing was incredibly beautiful, and the characters extremely well depicted. The historical aspect covered a little known era of British history, the late 14th century. And how could I not like a book where the protagonist loves Paris as much as I do? This book is meant for people who have some knowledge of history, Greek mythology and drama, and especially some familiarity with the French language. It is just these last expectations of reader background that makes THE FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING MEN a special book -- the reader is given an incredible feast that transcends the usual.

- Eden Embler

I am laughing my ass off, because:

The historian discovers a record of an actual historic figure, Agnes de Belleville, accused of murder, who was imprisoned on the site when it was the home of the King's chief Prison Wardour.

Actual historica figure? Um, nope. Invented the lady. The family I attached her to was real, but she didn't exist.

I'm grinning like a loon.