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mary rosenblum
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Hello, all!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you had a great
weekend.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and this
morning we're talking about backstory. If you're new here, remember that
you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't
reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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There is actually an impromptu
writers workshop attended by northwest pros that meets on the Oregon coast
at irregular intervals...
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mary rosenblum
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and it is known as the
'digging deeper' workshop.
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mary rosenblum
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And much of what goes on is a
process of going beyond the superficial story...
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mary rosenblum
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so backstory matters, and not
just to novice writers. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And part of the reason I
wanted to talk about it today, is that I tend to see extremes in novice
fiction...
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mary rosenblum
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either way too much backstory
delivered in an indigestible lump...
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mary rosenblum
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or so little backstory that
the characters don't seem real.
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mary rosenblum
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And that balance point between
is darn hard to reach when you're starting out.
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mary rosenblum
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Back story plays a critical
role in characterization.
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mary rosenblum
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We all have basic 'default'
assumptions about how people will behave.
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mary rosenblum
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Kids love their parents, that
sort of thing.
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mary rosenblum
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So if your character behaves
in a way that is not 'default'...say this kid really hates his mother...
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mary rosenblum
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and there is no backstory to
let us understand the reason for that behavior...
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mary rosenblum
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the reader simply disbelieves
the character... 'he would never really be like that'...
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mary rosenblum
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and your character fails for
the reader.
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jr souza jr
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So at this point we will be
discussing back story as is actually told to the readers in one form or the
other not a back stiry developed by the writer for charcater development
history etc.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, it's rather hard to
discuss one without the other, jr...
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mary rosenblum
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because a lot of the problem
with backstory is WHAT to include. As well as HOW to include it.
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t green
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How soon do you start on the
backstory in the novel? how much do you give the reader in the first few
chapters?
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mary rosenblum
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That's always the hard part,
no matter what length of work you're writing...
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mary rosenblum
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how much up front.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to give the reader
just enough backstory in that first chapter (novel)...
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mary rosenblum
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or first scene (short story)
that the action in that scene/chapter makes sense.
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mary rosenblum
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And you can hint about more
details to come.
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mary rosenblum
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That is partly what makes
openings so tough to write...
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mary rosenblum
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that balance of information
and 'hook' action.
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t green
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When does backstory start
detracting from the real story?
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mary rosenblum
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When it submerges the plot, t.
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mary rosenblum
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A lot of this issue involves
pace....when the story grinds to a halt, you are including too much
backstory.
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mary rosenblum
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And backstory is probably not
as compelling as your main story...it sure shouldn't be!
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mary rosenblum
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For example, take out kid who
hates his mother for whatever reason...
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mary rosenblum
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if the story opens with a long
narrative passage about how this kid's mother abused and neglected him...
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mary rosenblum
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many readers will think 'oh,
another dreary story about dysfunctional families' and move on to another
book or story.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you open with the kid
doing whatever he's doing in this story..
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mary rosenblum
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and readers are engaged by the
character, caught up in the plot...
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mary rosenblum
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the dysfunctional family
issues, while a major part of this story, perhaps...
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mary rosenblum
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are not enough to drive the
reader away from THIS character's story.
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mary rosenblum
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And readers are sophisticated
and tolerant...to a point at least.
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mary rosenblum
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If you suggest...'I'll let you
find out what happened, just be patient'...we usually are.
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mary rosenblum
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As you're creating backstory,
you are indeed creating that iceberg.
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mary rosenblum
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And the really hard part is
deciding what constitutes the 'tip' that will show up in your story.
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mary rosenblum
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While some new writers don't
put enough in, it's more common to include too much if you have researched
and created your character with any depth...
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mary rosenblum
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that was my problem as a
novice believe me. :-)
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t green
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Does that knowledge just come
with practice? Trial and error?
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mary rosenblum
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It comes from feedback, t...
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mary rosenblum
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you and your readers are a
dynamic team...
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mary rosenblum
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the more you get feedback on
what you write, the more you get a 'feel' for what the average reader needs
in terms of backstory.
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mary rosenblum
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I still check my work with
readers before I send it out...these days I often need to include MORE
backstory rather than less, but I let readers tell me that. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I could go back and easily
edit out quite a bit from some of my early published stories. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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What you need to ask
yourself...especially at that critical beginning...is 'which of all these
details is necessary for the reader to get the story'.
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mary rosenblum
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And 'necessary' is the key.
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mary rosenblum
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Sure it's NICE to know all
this stuff about the character...
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mary rosenblum
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but if it submerges the story
until it bores the reader...is it a good thing?
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and this
morning we're talking about backstory. If you're new here, remember that
you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't
reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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t green
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So you can weave backstory in
throughout the entire story? Except for maybe the climax? Because by that
time the reader should know why the character acts that way?
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mary rosenblum
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There is a point in every
story where backstory is finished and the story rushes on to the climax and
resolution without the addition of any new information...
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mary rosenblum
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and you get to recognize that
point after awhile. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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To me, it always has a
'downhill from here' feel..meaning that it's an exhilerating rush to the
end...
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mary rosenblum
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I've built in all my clues,
all my backstory, all my characters and from here on the plot powers the
story to the end.
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mary rosenblum
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I love that point. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It should certainly come
BEFORE the climax!
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mary rosenblum
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Although of course, in
something like mystery, you often have revelations about whodunnit at the
end...
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mary rosenblum
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but that's not backstory.
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mary rosenblum
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Learning 'need to know' is the
hard part.
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mary rosenblum
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And believe me, if you write
in the speculative fiction field, or if you've set your mainstream or
mystery story...
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mary rosenblum
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in a universe that is not
familiar to the average reader...
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mary rosenblum
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your backstory includes
worldbuilding and you REALLY have to be selective about what you include.
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mary rosenblum
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I probably take more time on
the first ten pages of a short story...first chapter of a novel...
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mary rosenblum
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than on any other similar
stretch of pages ...by an order of magnitude.
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mary rosenblum
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I weigh the many many details
the reader will need to know eventually...
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mary rosenblum
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and pick out the very few that
need to come first.
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mary rosenblum
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It's worth spending that time.
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mary rosenblum
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It is part of the process that
sucks your reader into your world...
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mary rosenblum
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AND for those of you who are
not yet published...it is something that catches an editor's eye in the
slush pile.
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wingedwarrior24
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Can the first words start the backstory?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure...as long as they don't
distract from your main plot point and engage the reader's curiosity.
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mary rosenblum
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Jerome killed his first tiger
when he was twelve. Now, at seventeen, he stood at the edge of the
clearing, the hair prickling on the back of his neck.
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mary rosenblum
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That first sentence is back
story, but it's a good hook, too. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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However...a real problem...one
I see fairly regularly...
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mary rosenblum
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is when the author begins with
something like this...Jerome's tiger hunting past...
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mary rosenblum
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and then suddenly switches
gears and puts us into downtown Manhattan and that's the last we hear about
tigers!
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mary rosenblum
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This is why flashback starts
are risky...if your reader really liked the tige hunt and you don't...
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mary rosenblum
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immediately offer something
stronger on that Manhattan street...you may lose your reader.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and this
morning we're talking about backstory. If you're new here, remember that
you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't
reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Hi, marina.
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mary rosenblum
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I just peeked into the
auditorium and caught your question.
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mary rosenblum
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She asked how that strong
backstory start could catch an editor's eye in the slush pile.
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mary rosenblum
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The reason is this...the stack
of non-published author ms in the slush pile...
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mary rosenblum
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tend to share a lot of the
same problems...
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mary rosenblum
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poor characterization,
wordiness, slow starts...
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mary rosenblum
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and when your work does NOT
share one of those usual problems, the editor notices and
thinks...'hmmm..this one is worth watching'...
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mary rosenblum
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and then does just that.
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mary rosenblum
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I would bet that in your
average 100 ms slush pile (the non pros), that at least 85 have poor
starts.
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mary rosenblum
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If your start is strong and
'clean'...it takes the reader instantly into that universe without
confusion and begins the story...
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mary rosenblum
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it's going to stand out to an
editor. Same thing with chapter one of your novel.
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bengalrose
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I suggest that if that backstory
is so strong, then perhaps the author should consider writing THAT story
instead. I had to do that with my novel when I realized the backstory was
the REAL story.
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mary rosenblum
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Absolutely, bengal...if your
flashbacks are more fun than your novel, for example...maybe THAT is what
you should be writing about.
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mary rosenblum
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Never be afraid to realize
that your 'backstory' is the stronger story and write that.
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mary rosenblum
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Change is often good!
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wingedwarrior24
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Can you give backstory in
dialogue?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yes...dialogue is a
powerful tool for delivering information to the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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However...beware of the 'as we
all know, John' dialogue.
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mary rosenblum
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If you and your partner are on
your way to the supermarket, would you say something like this?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, Martha, here we are on
our way to the supermarket and it's Thursday afternoon."
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mary rosenblum
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The original episodes of Star
Trek included many marvelous examples of 'as we all know' dialogue...
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mary rosenblum
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as various crew members
reminded each other of where they were going. I wondered at times if they
didn't suffer from early Altzheimers!
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mary rosenblum
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A naive character is an
excellent addition to a story when you need to bring in backstory through dialogue.
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mary rosenblum
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I often replot stories to
include such a character realistically, when I realize I can't share enough
backstory with the readers.
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jr souza jr
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But then wouldn't your back
story which is now the main plot need a back story ;-)
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mary rosenblum
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If your backstory is now the
story? Of course, jr...
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mary rosenblum
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Think of a character's life as
an archeological dig...the top layer is 'today', and beneath that lie the
earlier layers...
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mary rosenblum
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And if you decide that one of
those earlier layers is now your story...
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mary rosenblum
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you need to excavate the
layers that lie beneath that new 'now'.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and this
morning we're talking about backstory. If you're new here, remember that
you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't
reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that one of the things
that makes your characters and story powerful...
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mary rosenblum
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is if the readers can figure
it all out for themselves...
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mary rosenblum
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rather than be spoonfed the
meanings.
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mary rosenblum
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If you simply tell the reader
what is going on, the reader has to take your word for it.
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mary rosenblum
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If you show events and the
reader is able to realize why this character is behaving this way...
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mary rosenblum
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it is the READER's realization
and it is much more in keeping with real life.
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avatar
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Be like Orson Scott Card and
write a whole back story series
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, don't know the commercial
application of strong backstory! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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If your characters have enough
of an implied past and your readers love them, they'll happily buy stories
about that implied past!
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mary rosenblum
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And in short fiction, a
complex and well thought out backstory can yield new stories...
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mary rosenblum
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that feature characters who
are only secondary in your first story.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of it as an expanding
web. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The other thing to keep in
mind is that the iceberg metaphor works in your favor.
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mary rosenblum
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While you create that whole
iceberg in order to add only the tip to your stories...
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mary rosenblum
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you can show the reader only
that tip and the readers will infer the entire iceberg...
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mary rosenblum
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you don't have to cram that
huge chunk of stuff into your story...
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mary rosenblum
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which is something I see quite
often.
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mary rosenblum
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And it's always a challenge.
:-) I currently have a story set in a very complex universe...and at the
moment,
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mary rosenblum
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my backstory totally submerges
the plot, sigh.
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mary rosenblum
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I need to backstory, so I'm
going to have to find a stronger plot to balance it.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is something you can
do...if you really can't trim the backstory any further (and usually, ahem,
you CAN)...
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mary rosenblum
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you can increase the strength
of your plot so that they once more balance.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and this
morning we're talking about backstory. If you're new here, remember that
you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't
reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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If your character is going to
behave in unexpected ways, then backstory is very critical.
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mary rosenblum
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Realize that you know your
character very well, so his/her behavior makes perfect sense...
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mary rosenblum
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but your reader knows nothing
of this person, has never met, him/her before.
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mary rosenblum
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If your character behaves in a
way that is not 'typical' or expected...
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mary rosenblum
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your reader is not likely to
simply accept it, rather your reader is likely to say...
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mary rosenblum
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'A real person wouldn't do
that'...and your character seems unreal.
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mary rosenblum
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Backstory IS characterization
unless your MC simply reacts in an expected fashion to external events. (A
dragon attacks, he fights it off...that sort of thing).
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mary rosenblum
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Marina, for some reason /ask
is not working for you!
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mary rosenblum
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She said that she read a novel
where there was very litttle backstory and asked if that might be because
the plot was so strong.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, realize for one thing,
that publication does not necessarily imply quality...it means the story
sells. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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There are a lot of books out
there that you should probably not use as examples of craft. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And that can be frustrating or
inspiring depending on your frame of mind. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You do see a lot of 'action'
novels where the MCs simply do react to external plot elements and we
really don't know much about them.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, they got published. Will
they really move readers, will they be remembered years later?
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mary rosenblum
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Probably not.
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mary rosenblum
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Be careful...just because
something got published, doesn't mean you can do the same thing and get
published. :-) The publisher might have learned by his mistakes by now. LOL
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wingedwarrior24
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About unexpected behaviour...in
horror isn't that expected?
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mary rosenblum
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In the good horror I've read,
winged, the MC's behavior is usually pretty justified and the behavior of
the monsters, what have you, is pretty consistent to the author's rules for
the universe.
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mary rosenblum
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But the MC's behavior tends to
come out of that person's backstory characterization.
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mary rosenblum
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And the character's actions
and words as the plot progresses create lots of backstory.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not all narrative or
flashback or even character thought.
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mary rosenblum
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We infer quite a bit from
character behavior.
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mary rosenblum
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There are two sorts of
backstory...
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mary rosenblum
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the characters'
backstory...which establishes motivations and justifies behavior...
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mary rosenblum
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and the backstory of the universe
of your story...
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mary rosenblum
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where we are, when we are,
what is going on, who inhabits this space.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're using the real world
as setting, say you're writing a mystery set in SF or Seattle...
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mary rosenblum
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you don't need a lot of
backstory...we need to know that we're in, say, Seattle, and when we are
...perhaps 1970, whatever.
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mary rosenblum
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If the particular place and
time play a major role in the story...
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mary rosenblum
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say it's set during the steel
strikes in Pittsburgh in the twenties...
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mary rosenblum
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then more backstory is
required.
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mary rosenblum
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Because your average reader
may know nothing about that period.
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mary rosenblum
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Historical fiction like that
can be as challenging as writing SF or fantasy, where you have to create
the world as well as the characters.
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mary rosenblum
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One way to deal with the issue
of that strong start and setting up your universe...
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mary rosenblum
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is to intentionally find a
sequence of action to open with that sets up the basics your readers need
to know.
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mary rosenblum
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Let's use the steel strike
example..
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mary rosenblum
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What MUST the readers know in
order to understand what is happening in the story?
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mary rosenblum
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Le'ts say our MC is a man who
will become involved in the strikes.
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mary rosenblum
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Reader's need to know WHEN
this is, right?
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mary rosenblum
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Where this is...
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mary rosenblum
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They need to know what is
going on in the steel industry...
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mary rosenblum
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that the company is owned by
Carnegie, that he won't tolerate organization...
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mary rosenblum
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that living conditions are
horrible for workers...
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mary rosenblum
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that labor organization is
going on elsewhere.
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mary rosenblum
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If I was writing this story,
I'd ask myself...what can my MC be doing that will illustrate all this as
he does it.
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mary rosenblum
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Any suggestions?
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mary rosenblum
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There is no right or wrong
here. :-)
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tory
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Reading a paper at breakfast
with his wife? Or over the shoulder of a businessman on the trolley as he
rides to work carrying his metal lunch pail?
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mary rosenblum
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That would work...he can
certainly give us a lot of information...
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mary rosenblum
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He might not pay a LOT of
attention to the details in the paper, since he knows what is going on...
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mary rosenblum
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maybe notice
headlines...strikers beaten by Pinkertons in Bethlehem mill or something...
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mary rosenblum
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and worry that it might happen
here...wonder what he'll do...
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mary rosenblum
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Informational, but kind of
internal...that's my only quibble...not really a lot of action, but quite a
bit of thinking.
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tory
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Or at lunch with co-workers
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, that would give us
dialogue and the actions of opening lunch boxes...show us a bit of how...
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mary rosenblum
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these guys live... A bar scene
after work would do that, too...
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speckledorf
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MC can be in his
"horrible" house reading newspaper with news os strike...maybe he
is reading news to wife?
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mary rosenblum
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Yep...that's got lots of info
potential, too. Again, I'd try for something that offered more action, just
because it will tend to hook readers...
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mary rosenblum
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more strongly than listening
to a chat or reading a paper.
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avatar
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Manning a picket line getting
worked over by Union busters
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mary rosenblum
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That's a really strong action
start and a great hook...
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mary rosenblum
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you're going to have to
shoehorn in the when, of course, and you won't be able to give us nearly as
much information as our...
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mary rosenblum
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lunchtime arguement or the
newspaper reading...
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tolkienlvr
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MC comes home to impoverished
household, tells wife briefly about bad day at work, throws newspaper on
table with headline about strikes?
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mary rosenblum
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Again, good info and more
action here...hmmm...
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mary rosenblum
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let's combine the
two..avatar's strong action scene with the informational starts..
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mary rosenblum
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what about the lunchtime
scene, but an arguement breaks out between...
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mary rosenblum
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pro union and anti union pair
and a fistfight ensues?
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mary rosenblum
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That gives us more action, but
we'll get more information on the time/place as the guys argue.
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tory
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Your bar scene, Mary, could get
really heated with factions planning violence and MC having to make his
decision about which side to join.
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, good!
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mary rosenblum
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Again, that ups the ante of
'hook' value here!
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mary rosenblum
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And because they're arguing,
we'll pick up a LOT of info from the dialogue...
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mary rosenblum
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we just have to watch out for
'as we all know' stuff...
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mary rosenblum
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but as the accusations and
rebuttals fly, it shouldn't be hard to get a LOT to the reader.
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speckledorf
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MC is snatched out of his house
by the bad guys. They tell him "boss" wants to "talk"
to him.
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mary rosenblum
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That would be a strong start,
too, speck, and it offers a lot of info potential...
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mary rosenblum
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if say, the boss is pressuring
him to become an informer...
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mary rosenblum
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Nice job! You all have set up
some good opening scenes here that offer a lot of historical backstory...
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mary rosenblum
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and of course, we're including
character backstory ...not that we need much here.
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mary rosenblum
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That will come in as the plot
begins to unwind.
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coach
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Mary, with historical fiction
and the need to establish "the time," could you use a Foreward at
the beginning to give a history. That would set up the events. Or, is that
a cheesy cop out?
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mary rosenblum
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I've seen it done, coach, and
you can do it, but I'd do it only as a last resort. It's just not very
compelling.
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mary rosenblum
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But if it's the ONLY way you
can figure out how to get the info to the reader, then do it that way.
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mary rosenblum
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As to our steel strike
story... let's go with the bar or lunch and arguement that becomes a
fight...
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mary rosenblum
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that's a strong hook scene.
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mary rosenblum
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So what backstory do we need?
Let's say our MC is a plant worker.
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mary rosenblum
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What does the reader NEED to
know here?
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avatar
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Fit the rest in at the aid
station, dialog with a cute nurse
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, I missed that... that
would work, except there weren't any aid stations back then...those guys
either..
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mary rosenblum
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ended up in jail or got their
busted heads fixed at home. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But our guy could get hauled
to a sympathetic doctor..
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mary rosenblum
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who wouldn't give him away to
the Pinkertons.
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tory
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probably need to know if our MC
is head of household or single guy
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, that WOULD make a big
difference. If he's supporting a family, pressures on him will be different
than if he's single.
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mary rosenblum
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We could actually save that
for later...
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mary rosenblum
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if our guy is ambivalent about
his role in the upcoming strike...
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mary rosenblum
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We DO need to know how he
feels, right off, yes?
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mary rosenblum
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Is he pro strike or anti?
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mary rosenblum
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And that will certainly tie in
with our plot in some way...
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mary rosenblum
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it's an obvious character
conflict!
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mary rosenblum
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Maybe he's pro strike and
single,and his married brother with four kids is anti.
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speckledorf
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We would need to know how he
feels about violence too.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. He could be pro strike,
but against the violence that the local union leader is promoting...
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mary rosenblum
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and ends up in an ethical
dilemma when that boss plots to blow up the foreman's house.
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mary rosenblum
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And notice, we're talking one
detail right off in this scene...
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mary rosenblum
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how does he feel about this
conflict?
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mary rosenblum
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We're going to see him in
action...
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mary rosenblum
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so we'll find out that he
works on say, the bucket pouring molten steel in the rolling mill...
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mary rosenblum
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and we'll see his clothes, his
lunch, so we'll know what his socio economic level is...
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mary rosenblum
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all we really need to
concentrate on here is how he feels about this..
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mary rosenblum
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we can slip in many more
details about his life and past later, as we need them.
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mary rosenblum
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And these few details wouldn't
bog down our arguement/fight scene at all.
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avatar
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How careful he must work to not
be killed!
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mary rosenblum
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You mean because of his job,
avatar? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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My best friend's dad did
that...was foreman on the bucket at the rolling mill.
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mary rosenblum
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It did splash once when the
chain gave way...a hardhat does not protect you.
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jr souza jr
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I say we close the mill and lock
all the workers out, then you'll see action and the potentioal for lots of
dialogue
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mary rosenblum
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That works, too...it's similar
in form to our bar/lunch and fight...
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mary rosenblum
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do you see the pattern?
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mary rosenblum
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These are starts with some
form of drama...
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mary rosenblum
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a lunchroom fight, a picket
line, a lockout and angry workers...
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mary rosenblum
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DRAMA.
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mary rosenblum
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And that hooks the reader into
the story and allows us to wrap...
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mary rosenblum
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the necessary details around
those strong bones, if you will.
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mary rosenblum
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While a newspaper reading or
conversation start would offer more info...
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mary rosenblum
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it lacks the drama.
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rexhubbard
|
an accident that kills a worker
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mary rosenblum
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Again...drama rex...and you
could do a spectacular scene...
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mary rosenblum
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where a link goes and this
multi-ton bucket of white hot molten steel splashes and somebody dies...
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mary rosenblum
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and the workers (including our
MC) are angry when the foreman just brushes the death aside.
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mary rosenblum
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The company won't help the
widow and they talk about strike.
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mary rosenblum
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LOTS of info and that dramatic
scene of the accident.
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mary rosenblum
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Now the start doesn't have to
include the drama of a fight or an accident or a train wreck!
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mary rosenblum
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Many stories simply don't
include that sort of material...
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mary rosenblum
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but you can do the same thing
with action, even if it is everyday action.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's a western, you might
start with the MC roping a calf in the branding pens...
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mary rosenblum
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and as the details of the
job...unfamiliar and thus interesting to most readers...unfold,
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mary rosenblum
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we find out what is going on,
where we are, and who is involved...
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mary rosenblum
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Find the action or dramatic
action that will allow you to offer the backstory to the reader even as the
reader is avidly following the action.
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mary rosenblum
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And you'll have a good strong
start.
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mary rosenblum
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You might start out in a
mystery, or dark fantasy, or SF piece, with our MC tiptoeing through scary
or unfamiliar terraine...
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mary rosenblum
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there, you're giving the
reader something to look at and explore...
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mary rosenblum
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While it doesn't have the
drama of an accident, it has the strange new scenery or scary scenery to
compell us.
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mary rosenblum
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So I hope someone writes the
striker story, now. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Hey you have an opening scene,
and a conflict or three all waiting for you!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this has been a fun
Oregon hour.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts in
the usual place: Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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