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mary rosenblum
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Hello all.
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mary rosenblum
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Happy holidays...and...less
politically correct...Merry Christmas to you all.
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Tuesday Forum.
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mary rosenblum
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We haven't had an open
question Forum for awhile, so this week seemed idea.
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mary rosenblum
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I know a lot of people are
busy with last minute shopping and travel plans or anticipating company.
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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. 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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Before we start, I want to
alert you all that I did post a new market and a new contest...
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mary rosenblum
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in Writing Craft: New Market
Updates
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mary rosenblum
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Fantasy Magazine, a brand new
print fantasy magazine is now open to submissions...
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mary rosenblum
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from 1000 to 8000 words.
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mary rosenblum
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This seems to be another
classical fantasy market, so Realms of Fantasy will no longer be about the
only one.
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mary rosenblum
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I also posted a contest,
courtesy of Speckldorf, for themed short shorts.
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mary rosenblum
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Here's something for all your
LR students facing those 1000 word limits, although as I recall, this one
wants 500 words.
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mary rosenblum
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Now there's a challenge for
you!
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tory
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Re: e-mail submissions How
reliable is submitting by e-mail, Mary? I did my first in early Oct. Hadn't
heard anything 8 weeks later, so I sent her Merry Christmas wishes and
asked if she'd had a chance to review the article (which we had talked
about at a conference) and she said it never came through. I believe her
because when I sent the second note I got an automated reply--which I
hadn't before. Do you often get "received" notices?
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mary rosenblum
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This is a difficult issue,
Tory.
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mary rosenblum
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While some markets have set up
'auto-reply' features, others have not.
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mary rosenblum
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They all should!
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mary rosenblum
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I always double check when I
send assignments back to Long Ridge via email. It's amazing how often one
vanishes, even though I do it the same way every time.
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mary rosenblum
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Cyber gremlins.
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mary rosenblum
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I think it's quite within
reason to ask the editor to hit 'reply' and let you know it arrived.
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mary rosenblum
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It only takes a second to type
'got it'.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you don't hear, a
polite query is fine.
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mary rosenblum
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I am never annoyed at a writer
who queries politely when I haven't replied.
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mary rosenblum
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If the piece didn't come
through, that person needs to know.
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mary rosenblum
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If I have gotten busy and
simply gotten behind in my slush, I don't mind the nudge.
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mary rosenblum
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I....and all editors...DO mind
the rude ones and all editors have LONG memories.
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t green
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Bah! I LAUGH in the face of 500
words!! try writing for small children in at 250 words!! LOL!
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mary rosenblum
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Ha, so I assume you have
accepted the challenge, t? :-) You have double the words, so now you can go
write that adult story. Dare you!
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geezer
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Who is sponsoring the contest?
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mary rosenblum
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A Canadian magazine. Ink
Spotters, I believe, is the name. They're offering money and publication as
I recall. There is a small fee...I think it's a dollar or two.
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tory
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Mary wasn't your contest last
Christmas also 500 word limit?
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, it was, and we have some
very nice stories in that anthology.
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mary rosenblum
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I really will do another one
soon. Promise.
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tory
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How do you double check. Send a
"Did you receive it?" e-mail seperately?
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mary rosenblum
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Try the 'please reply'
request, Tory.
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mary rosenblum
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If they don't reply, why not
follow up with a polite, 'did you receive it' about a week later.
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mary rosenblum
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Just be clear that you're not
nagging about a response yet, just making sure it arrived.
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kungfumama
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Mary, a few weeks ago, the WSJ
ran an article on authors who changed their pen names to help shore up
otherwise flagging careers/book sales. Is that common?
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mary rosenblum
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Kung it's VERY common alas,
and it's the publishers who insist on it, not the authors. Authors HATE It.
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mary rosenblum
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The reason is officially thus:
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mary rosenblum
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All bookstores share the same
sales database. When a sales rep arrives touting your new book, the buyer
looks up your name.
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mary rosenblum
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Your records are on file for
three years in the data base. If you only sold five copies of your last
book...
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mary rosenblum
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guess how many they'll buy?
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mary rosenblum
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But if you're a new author,
maybe they'll order 25, see if you're a hit.
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mary rosenblum
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So publishers PUSH writers to
change names after a couple of poor sellers....unless your name is VERY
big...
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mary rosenblum
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and often those authors do it
anyway to see if they can capture that 'new author interest' that you often
get.
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mary rosenblum
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I have a different name in
mystery because I was afraid that the readers who liked my SF would find my
cozy mystery series less to their taste...it was a heads up, of sorts. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I have discovered I needn't
have bothered. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I could have used Rosenblum
for the mysteries , too.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. 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 in
your regular send bar to reach me.
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lapart
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any advice on character
developmen I just stare at the chart
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, lapart, LOTS of advice!
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mary rosenblum
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Creating real characters is a
difficult skill to master but once you have, it gives your story way more
power than...
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mary rosenblum
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even one with a stronger plot
that has shallow characters.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not a matter of lists and
details....you create those to help jog your memory.
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mary rosenblum
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What you are doing is to get
to know that person so well that you know how he/she will...
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mary rosenblum
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react in any situation. It is
the consistency of a character's behavior that tells us he/she is real.
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mary rosenblum
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Ask yourself a lot 'what would
he do here? Why?' And make SURE you can answer that 'why'.
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janecj333
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with bookstores stuffed with
titles, no book but the recent releases gets a decent exposure
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mary rosenblum
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Promotion has never resulted
in a best seller, jane.
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mary rosenblum
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The only way to get a best
seller is for word of the book to proliferate.
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mary rosenblum
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You connect somehow to what
people want to read right now and everybody tells all their friends...
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mary rosenblum
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and it connects with them, and
THEY tell their friends.
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mary rosenblum
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No advertising can beat word
of mouth.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is a brass ring that
nobody ever has been able to quantify, alas.
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mary rosenblum
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Lots of people tell us AFTER
the fact that they knew they were going to have a bestseller and why, but
heck...
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mary rosenblum
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don't we ALL think that? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You write the best book you
can and it's a dice roll after that.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the uncertainty factor
that drives most aspiring writers right out of the business.
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mary rosenblum
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It's hard to live with that.
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geezer
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If you had no answer within the
time specified, asked if they received it a few weeks after that, and still
received no reply, how would you politely say that you withdraw it?
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mary rosenblum
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Send 'em an email and say,
'thank you, but I think I'm going to send this story elsewhere, so I"m
withdrawing it.'.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd cc a copy to yourself and
file it, just for record keeping.
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paminnapa
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what if you get an automatic
acknowledment that they recieved your submission but you havent got a
rejection or acceptance..when is the proper time to do a follow up or is
there?
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janecj333
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Judith Krantz made the best of
promotion, tho, or at least of the numbers game...and I often look only at
the books on the front racks with covers facing out. I think that is a
reality
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, she did, Jane, but can
YOU spend 30,000 to do it?
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mary rosenblum
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She probably came out in the
black over all, but very few people have the kind of capital to 'buy' their
way onto the NYTimes bestseller list.
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mary rosenblum
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Oops, Pam...sorry...
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mary rosenblum
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I would look at their
'response time'..
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mary rosenblum
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It's listed in the guidelines,
usually. And then I usually double it.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors get behind, they get
sick, holidays happen...
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mary rosenblum
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and a word of note, folks. NY
publishing shuts down between dec 10 thgrough Jan 1.
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mary rosenblum
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Not a good time to send stuff
in.
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rosedak
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How do you handle a deadline
when you're passions are engaged by another story? Example: I'm supposed to
be writing my Lesson 6 and I just want to write a vampire story that's
consuming my mind. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'll often get the passionate
story started and the MOMENT it slows down, I put it aside and firmly plant
butt-in-chair...
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mary rosenblum
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and tell myself I can go back
to it as soon as I finish the deadline piece.
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mary rosenblum
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I hate to put a story aside
unstarted...that desire can fade...
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mary rosenblum
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but usually you slow down
after a bit...after the opening scene or so...
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mary rosenblum
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and as soon as I have to pause
to think about it, I go do the required stuff.
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mary rosenblum
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And if I DON"T slow down
to think (has happened)...
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mary rosenblum
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I spend some VERY late nights
catching up on the deadline!
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mary rosenblum
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In the publishing biz, you
really DO have to obey deadlines...if you want to work with that publisher
again soon!
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lapart
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whats the best way to develop
youshort stories into a novel
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mary rosenblum
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You need a bigger story that
your short story contains, lapart.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not saying don't do
it...most of my SF novels started as short stories.
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mary rosenblum
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(All of them, actually).
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mary rosenblum
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But those short stories
implied a much larger story.
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mary rosenblum
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That larger story was the
background for the short stories, but I got to explore it in the novel.
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kungfumama
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Mary, it seems like market right
now is filled with dark stories and hard characters with a 'tude. Is there
a market for lighter, happier material?
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mary rosenblum
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Kung,you're probably just
looking in a limited segment of the books out there.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, this genre may tend to
dark and 'tudy characters, but others won't.
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mary rosenblum
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Also....remember that books on
the shelf do NOT accurately reflect trends.
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mary rosenblum
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Those were the trend two years
ago, when they were purchased.
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mary rosenblum
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What editors are looking for
now may be totally different...and probably is.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why it's a generally
losing proposition to copy what's out there.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. 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 in your
regular send bar to reach me.
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janecj333
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Mary, if promotion makes no
bestsellers, then how do the StephenKings and Grishams do it, where there
is such a huge undercurrent critical of their work?
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mary rosenblum
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Sweetheart, this is the
crazy-making part of writing, believe me.
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mary rosenblum
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Popularity has never equated
with quality alas...not in music, not in art, not in writing.
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mary rosenblum
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It CAN.
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mary rosenblum
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But frequently it does not.
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mary rosenblum
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If you let it, it will drive
you crazy that a piece of dreck sells a million copies while a really
powerful...
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mary rosenblum
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and thoughtful novel sells a
few thousand copies only.
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geezer
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How does one tell what the
editors want? Conventions?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes and now, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have a book written, a
convention can help you figure out whom to send it to.
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mary rosenblum
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But really and truely, write
what matters to you, write it as powerfully as you can, and go from there.
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gwanny
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Mary, can we talk about segue
for a moment? Can you touch on some nuances that help make a good segue at
chapters end?
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mary rosenblum
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What you're talking about is
the transition between scenes or chapters, I assume...
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mary rosenblum
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It can be a segue...a
continuous change...or it can be an abrupt break.
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mary rosenblum
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Depends on what works in each
instance.
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mary rosenblum
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Essentially, you need some
connection for the plot, so that your story is moving forward...
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mary rosenblum
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even if you have jumped from
one POV to another.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the most important
things to remember is that you need to ground your reader instantly in the
new scene.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of each scene change as
a chasm.
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mary rosenblum
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You can build a bridge across
it...you can summarize events that take the reader across...
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mary rosenblum
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that gulf of time/place/POV
with continuous action. Or you can leap it and land on the other side with
...
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mary rosenblum
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an abrupt scene break. (That
skipped line/* in a short story...a chapter break in a novel)
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mary rosenblum
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In that case, you need to
answer where/when/who in the first sentences.
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gwanny
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for example. It seems that the
end of my chapters need !. to take the reader back to the beginning of the
chapter, by tying things togather, but also to make a nice transition to
the next chapter
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info
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how does one make a break when
the action seems continuous through time and place?
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mary rosenblum
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That's the segue...
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mary rosenblum
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Your MC might be at work and
the next plot event will take place at home...
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mary rosenblum
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when he confronts his
girlfriend. So your scene transition is 'He left work early and caught the
4:15 home. The early bus was almost empty and he whistled as he strolled
the two blocks from the bus stop to the condo.
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mary rosenblum
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We're skimming over events,
essentially getting from work to home ASAP.
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mary rosenblum
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For a break, you'd simply wrap
up the scene at work. Maybe like this: Henry stared at the clock. Four oh
five. He sneaked a look at...
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mary rosenblum
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Mr. Rowther's office, but the
door was still closed. Leave early? He turned off his PC, grabbed his hat
and left.
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mary rosenblum
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*
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mary rosenblum
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Henry whistled as he unlocked
the condo door. He could have drinks ready when Amelie got home...
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mary rosenblum
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That 'condo door' tells us he
has gotten home from work.
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mary rosenblum
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And I used 'Henry' right off
the bat.
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janecj333
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Honeybunch, I think you must be
right :) and it makes me wonder why the proles haven't risen up against the
bourgoisie of the publishing world. We need a revolution
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mary rosenblum
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LOL jane, we sure do!
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mary rosenblum
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Me, I think the internet will
turn out to be that revolution, but we'll see how things shake out.
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info
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just out of curiousity, if a
novice were to decide to go to a vanity publisher first time out just to
get a book published, if it does well, would they stand a good or better
chance of getting a NY publisher to look at their next book? Or would the
NY publisher frown on that novice author?
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mary rosenblum
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If you do well by NY
standards, yes you would interest a NY publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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Now 'do well by NY standards'
means you sell more than 20,000 books IN ONE YEAR.
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mary rosenblum
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That is not easy.
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mary rosenblum
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But if it happens, it means
that your book HAS proliferated, that you are hot in the market.
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mary rosenblum
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And yeah, you'd take your next
book right to NY if you wanted to.
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rosedak
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Conventions were mentioned
earlier. Is there a resource on the LRWG site or elsewhere that list yearly
conventions? Or where to look for such a list, specifically for SF&F.
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mary rosenblum
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shawguides.com seems to be the
best one, rose.
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mary rosenblum
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There are a ton of 'em all
over the country.
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lapart
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does the title of a novel or
short story relate to theme?
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mary rosenblum
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It certainly can. If you can
do that, it's great.
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mary rosenblum
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Titles can be a great hook,
but not everyone is equally gifted with title ability.
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mary rosenblum
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I really struggle. :-)
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paminnapa
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sorry if this is
repeat/revolving door....how in depth does a character need to be if Im
only using him in the prologue (murder suicide) I know prologues arent
recommended but it works well for the story. Im just not sure how far to
develop the first person when they will be dead at the beginning.
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, we can't say enough about
characterization, pam....it is universally the weak point for most writers.
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mary rosenblum
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Which is why you tend to sell
if you can really do characters well. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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IF a character is a walk on
that we're only going to see briefly...
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mary rosenblum
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then you merely want to create
a vivid image so that we 'get' whatever you want us to 'get' about that
person.
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mary rosenblum
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This is where you use 'reader
assumptions'.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu don't want them to be a
cardboard cutout 'the stableboy'...
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mary rosenblum
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so you give them unique
features, but you show us details that suggest, say, a personality.
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gskearney
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"Hmm, now this is something
you don't see every day he thought staring at the pile of blood in the
middle of the room." This popped into my head, but it doesn't seem
like my kind of story. Anyone interested? --gk
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mary rosenblum
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LOL...I want to know how that
blood got into a PILE!
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kungfumama
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Mary, is there a good place to
look for YA publishers?
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mary rosenblum
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The bookstore.
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mary rosenblum
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That's the best place to look
for all publishers....your local chain bookstore.
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mary rosenblum
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Now some small press, ebook,
and Print on Demand houses won't be in chain bookstores.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu'll find them in the
independents, but remember...YOUR book won't be in the chains either.
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mary rosenblum
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Keep that in mind.
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kungfumama
|
what about YA oriented
magazines?
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mary rosenblum
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Check LR's best of the
Magazine markets or some of the online market lists, kung.
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childatheart
|
Diana Gabaldon is great with
titles (Outlander series)
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mary rosenblum
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Some people are. :-) Or they
have an editor who is.
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speckledorf
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It is a SF murder...blood was
quick frozen and stacked into pile of blocks...
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mary rosenblum
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There you go. I think you won
the story, speck!
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gskearney
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Yeah, that's why I thought it
was a good hook. --gk
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geezer
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It coagulated due to a new virus
gk
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mary rosenblum
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Nope, we've got two.
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mary rosenblum
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LOL...you should each write it
now.
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gwanny
|
for those who write YA I can
tell you this. I went into the childrens library the other day and there
were 2 to 1 more kids up there than were adults down in the adult section.
The must be A LOT of YA readers out there.
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mary rosenblum
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There are, gwanny. I roll my
eyes every time I hear that 'kids aren't reading anymore'.
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mary rosenblum
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They are.
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gskearney
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OK, I'll just throw it out there
and it can be the start for your next contest, Mary. How about that?? --gk
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mary rosenblum
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That'll be the SF themed one,
gary! Or mystery. :-)
|
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. 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 in
your regular send bar to reach me.
|
|
paminnapa
|
I noticed doing magazine
research that most state they dont take unsolicied submissions. WOuld you
still send them a query letter with your idea that fits there magazine, or
find someone else?
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mary rosenblum
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That's what they mean, pam...
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mary rosenblum
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They are telling you right off
that they usually call writers with assignments...
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mary rosenblum
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but that doesn't mean that
your idea won't grab an editor's attention.
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mary rosenblum
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They're just trying to cut
down on the flood of totally inappropriate queries and submissions.
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mary rosenblum
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Why not be one of the writers
they call?
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mary rosenblum
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All mag editors want new,
powerful writers...
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mary rosenblum
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but many do NOT want a flood
of slush.
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lapart
|
can you recycle your characters
depending on your story?
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mary rosenblum
|
I don't know what you mean by
recycle, lapart.
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mary rosenblum
|
I have certainly used
characters in more than one story, and I have 'swapped' characters with
writer friends...
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mary rosenblum
|
ie, one of my characters might
have a cameo role in her/his story and I might use...
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mary rosenblum
|
one of that writer's main
characters as a secondary character in my story.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a little treat for
dedicated readers.
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mary rosenblum
|
Fans have LOVED It when they
find those little cross-links.
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mary rosenblum
|
You can use your characters in
as many stories or novels as you choose.
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mary rosenblum
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That is YOUR character.
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mary rosenblum
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However, if you want to use
another writer's character you must get permission in writing.
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mary rosenblum
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Even when I swap with friends,
we give each other signed releases.
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mary rosenblum
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That protects our characters
from strangers using them.
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info
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what about names? If 'Lacy' was
it this short story, but a totally different character pops into your mind
and the only name you come up with for that character is 'Lacy', is there a
conflict with it
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mary rosenblum
|
Yeah, there can be, info.
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mary rosenblum
|
Readers who love a character
remember that person forever!
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mary rosenblum
|
You'll have some fan in your
face at a conference all upset becuse Lacy changed!
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mary rosenblum
|
I'd find another name if I
were you. Go buy yourself a naming dictionary...
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mary rosenblum
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you know...one of those 'what
shall we call the baby' books.
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mary rosenblum
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Me, I use the phone book.
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mary rosenblum
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I just start flipping pages.
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mary rosenblum
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There are so many really cool
names out there!
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mary rosenblum
|
That, by the way, is a great
way to get ethnic names that are not familiar stereotypes.
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info
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in other words, like with naming
a child, always use a different name
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mary rosenblum
|
It's a very good idea, info.
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mary rosenblum
|
Not secondaries, but main
characters.
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kungfumama
|
there are baby name websites.
You can even get find ones that give baby names by country.
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mary rosenblum
|
Yeah, there are some really
good ones that also tell you the origin of the name.
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geezer
|
Is there a point in which a
character becomes public domain?
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mary rosenblum
|
Only when the copyright
terminates.
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mary rosenblum
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You can use Cinderella, and so
forth.
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mary rosenblum
|
Don't touch Sherlock Holmes
without permission!
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mary rosenblum
|
Or anything Tolkien.
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mary rosenblum
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Doyles' estate has renewed
that copyright, by the way, and they are protective.
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kungfumama
|
Actually Sherlock was public
domain for just a short time. Not any more though !
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mary rosenblum
|
It sure isn't now.
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mary rosenblum
|
Don't even LOOK at Star Trek
or Star Wars...
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mary rosenblum
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the owners are very aggressive
about those names.
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lapart
|
how many characters should be in
an average novel?
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mary rosenblum
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As many as the story needs,
lapart.
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mary rosenblum
|
Can be one. Can be more than
one.
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mary rosenblum
|
The more main characters you
have, the more divided your reader intimacy becomes and the more your plot
has to carry the story.
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mary rosenblum
|
There is no formula for
fiction, lapart.
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mary rosenblum
|
The story itself determines
what works and what will not work.
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lapart
|
so you can never have too many
characters?
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mary rosenblum
|
Sure you can. If you have so
many characters that your readers can't tell one from another, your story
is not likely to work.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's hard to care about
someone if they only show up on stage now and again for a few minutes!
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mary rosenblum
|
The more time we spend with a
character, the more we tend to care about him/her.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. 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 in
your regular send bar to reach me.
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kungfumama
|
mary, sometimes I'm not sure if
a specific creature is 'copyrighted' or not, like 'Orc' or 'Goblin'. Is
there a good way to find out.
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mary rosenblum
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Only characters are
copyrighted...an individual with a name.
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mary rosenblum
|
Yes you can use orcs....but
you shout 'Tolkien imitator' when you do. It is not a good move.
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mary rosenblum
|
Goblins have been around
forever...part of folklore.
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mary rosenblum
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No problem there.
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mary rosenblum
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It's like tech in SF...
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mary rosenblum
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You may come up with a coooool
mcguffin, but you don't own it.
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mary rosenblum
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I have often suggested a tech
improvement to students, one that I use in one of my stories.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't mind if they use it.
:-)
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janecj333
|
think of all the prehistory
fiction series that followed Jean Auel's success...imitation can be
lucrative
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mary rosenblum
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Same thing with Harry
Potter...fantasy is HOT right now and we have Rowling to thank for that.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT imitation is not gonna
guarantee that you sell.
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mary rosenblum
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And you have to realize
everybody else is doing that, too...imitating that best seller. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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In a way, you have less
competition by being the 'next big thing' than copying 'this big thing'.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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More work, too....you have to
find the editor who sees your story as the 'next big thing'. :-)
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mary rosenblum
|
Let me share one perspective
with you....one that you generally don't acquire until you have been
publishing for some time.
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mary rosenblum
|
Stories are inventory. When we
start out, we tend to see things in an...
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mary rosenblum
|
immediate mindset. Write THIS
story, sell THIS story, write the NEXT story, sell the NEXT story...
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mary rosenblum
|
and we don't think beyond this
year, right now.
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mary rosenblum
|
But in reality, writing is
forever and the publishing industry changes all the time.
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mary rosenblum
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Fads come and go, editors come
and go, new publishers open up...
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mary rosenblum
|
old publishers go out of
business.
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mary rosenblum
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It is rather a good thing to
have a few good stories or novel ideas in inventory.
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mary rosenblum
|
Maybe you don't sell it now,
but five or six years from now even, the right anthology might open up, the
publishing trend shifts...
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mary rosenblum
|
and you're set.
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mary rosenblum
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Our tendency at first is to
feel that those rejected stories are 'failures' and trash can them.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't. You may have to rewrite
'em five years from now, because you should be quite a bit better...
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mary rosenblum
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as a writer than you are now,
but what's a revision? A few days work at most?
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paja
|
when we put stories on the
shelf, waiting, how complete should we have gotten them?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends. If you are happy with
the story, you revised it and polished it and it just didn't sell...keep it
on file and remember that you have it!
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mary rosenblum
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If you aren't sure what to do
with this thing and it's not finished, then file it and review those 'need
work' stories every year or so...
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes you'll instantly see
the weak spot when you go back and you'll know just how to finish it.
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mary rosenblum
|
But of course....if you are
shelving ALL your work before you send it out...
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mary rosenblum
|
maybe you need to ask yourself
what your REAL motives are?
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mary rosenblum
|
(You don't get rejected if you
never send work out).
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mary rosenblum
|
But don't be totally linear
here. It's not a matter of sell this now or throw it away!
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mary rosenblum
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And maybe you just bit off
more than you can chew right now.
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mary rosenblum
|
You SHOULD be doing that. It's
how you grow!
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mary rosenblum
|
and maybe you couldn't pull
this complex story off quite well enough yet.
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mary rosenblum
|
And if you come back to it a
few years from now...
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mary rosenblum
|
you may turn it into a
dynamite and utterly powerful story.
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mary rosenblum
|
You just couldn't quite do it
right now.
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janecj333
|
my gut instinct tells me that
stories like Harry Potter sell because they pander to a child's most base
desires: to have no rules, to reject parent authroity, to find oneself
adopted and possessed of secret powers...now, to identify that same draw
for adults
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mary rosenblum
|
Of course, Jane, and you know
what? Nearly as many adults read it as kids! :-)
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mary rosenblum
|
It's well written escape
fiction, but you'll find lots of well written escape fiction out there.
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mary rosenblum
|
Believe me, lots of people
have analyzed the best sellers, looking for consistencies.
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mary rosenblum
|
Nobody has said 'I've figured
it out, now I'll write the next blockbuster' and done it. LOL
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mary rosenblum
|
It really is a 'brass ring
factor'.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
We all hope we're gonna grab
it.
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mary rosenblum
|
Just don't let it ruin writing
for you if you don't.
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mary rosenblum
|
Has very little to do with
quality, has a lot to do with luck.
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mary rosenblum
|
This really does winnow out a
lot of newbie writers.
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mary rosenblum
|
You have to find enough
satisfaction doing it period or you'll quit.
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mary rosenblum
|
The publishing world is
whimsical, not quality-based, and you have to depend on lots of members of
the public buying your books in order to stay in print.
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mary rosenblum
|
It is very luck driven.
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mary rosenblum
|
THat totally discourages many
people.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
I think the bottom line is
that those of us who stick it out are simply addicts. Sigh.
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mary rosenblum
|
We can't do anything else,
even though it would make MUCH more sense...
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mary rosenblum
|
to have a nice, lucrative
job...like being a plumber!
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|
mary rosenblum
|
I think that's why we writers
tend to be as welcoming to newcomers as we are. :-) You take enough beating
from the publishing world...we need to back each other up!
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janecj333
|
however...the big
however...since few children buy books, the editors at Rowling's publisher
spotted the potential to intrigue ADULT bookbuyers and did 'something' to
champion the work to booksellers
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mary rosenblum
|
Ah, Jane,but here's the BEAUTY
of the Rowling story!
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mary rosenblum
|
Her publisher didn't promote
the book, didn't expect it to sell, didn't do a big print run at all.
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mary rosenblum
|
The groundswell of popular
attention blindsided them.
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mary rosenblum
|
NOW of course, they love it.
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mary rosenblum
|
And it's a lovely example of
'it can happen to anyone'.
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mary rosenblum
|
Fantasy was at a low ebb when
she was peddling that ms.
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paja
|
you're saying that the love has
to be of putting words on paper, of getting the vision--the story out of
your head and heart and into tangible form without regard to whether
someone else reads it or you earn money?
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mary rosenblum
|
It has to be, paja.
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mary rosenblum
|
If you want writing to be a
lucrative day job, you need to focus on nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
|
You can do that.
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mary rosenblum
|
You can make a comfortable
living writing nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
|
DOn't expect it in fiction.
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mary rosenblum
|
If it happens to you,
celebrate!
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mary rosenblum
|
But it's luck as much as
anything.
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lapart
|
it seems like you must be a risk
taker to be able to stay in
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mary rosenblum
|
Well, you know, the myth is
that writers are all manic depressives...okay...bipolar.
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mary rosenblum
|
And that does seem to be a
common issue to a greater or lesser degree, LOL.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Maybe that's part of
it...you're willing to do it even though it makes NO sense whatsoever! :-)
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mary rosenblum
|
NOw if you want others to
share your world and your vision...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you really DO have to pay
attention to craft!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Or you write for yourself
only.
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janecj333
|
you're saying that the publisher
did not front mass copies in bookstores, solicit mass reviews from major
papers but instead that Aunt Minny bought Harry Potter for her six nieces
and nephews, they loved it and told their friends, who told their friends
and so on
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mary rosenblum
|
Really and truely that is how
it started, jane.
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mary rosenblum
|
Once it took off, it became a
hot property..
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mary rosenblum
|
But it did not start out with
major promotion.
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gskearney
|
Is Santa bipolar? He goes from
the North Pole to the South Pole does he not? Happy Holidays! --gk
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mary rosenblum
|
Of course, gsk...how ELSE
could he make reindeer fly!
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forest elf
|
Anything worthwhile is worth
risk.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Yes, and it needs to be
worthwhile to YOU.
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lapart
|
is it true editors like to
change your story to reflect
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lapart
|
their company's moreso the
writer's POV?
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mary rosenblum
|
Not that I've ever
encountered, lapart!
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mary rosenblum
|
NOt that I've heard about from
writing buddies.
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mary rosenblum
|
That doesn't mean it doesn't
happen, but I haven't run into it in my genre...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
now if you're publishing for
Har-Sill they WILL edit heavily.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
They have a tried and true
format for their various imprints and they do insist that you stick to
them.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
If you do work for hire for
Star Trek or Star WArs, you DO have to follow rigid guidelines.
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mary rosenblum
|
But if you sell a mainstream
story to say, Random House, I seriously doubt you'll get that kind of
input.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If the editor didn't like what
you had to say, he/she wouldn't have bought the book.
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mary rosenblum
|
There are fifty others waiting!
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mary rosenblum
|
Or two hundred.
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paminnapa
|
same with davinci code...long
before it was popular I carried my copy I was reading, I recommended it to
many of my friends and strangers who saw me with it.....as with all
books..If I carry one around someone will always ask me if i like it or
not.....people seem to rely on others opinions
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|
mary rosenblum
|
It is true that many of the
blockbusters...not all, but many...started out with no or low key
promotion...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
and took off.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Snow Falling on Cedars
languished for quite a while, then took off and made bestseller.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The publisher only did
promotion AFTER it took off.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
While the publishing industry
can seem oppressive, luck is luck. They cannot control that and believe
me...
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mary rosenblum
|
heavy promotion does not
always do the job.
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|
geezer
|
I was pushing Ted Dekker's books
in the library and at the book store before he took off too. I'm sure word
of mouth got him going.
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mary rosenblum
|
Word of mouth is THE best
promotion. Alas, you can't buy it. :-)
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|
mary rosenblum
|
As to WHY does this book take
off and not that one? Dunno.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
If anyone figures it
out....THERE"S a six figure advance for you! Waiting!
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|
mary rosenblum
|
A lot of people saw Donald
Maas's book as that recipe.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
It did very well.
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lapart
|
what publishng co give you an
advance to write your book?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Mine. :-) I get advances on a
proposal, lapart.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
But you have to prove to the
publisher that you CAN write and deliver a good book.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Which means as a first time
novelist, you need to write the book first and then get the advance.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
The NY publishers are all
willing to pay authors on proposal...experienced authors.
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mary rosenblum
|
YOu get an advance. They pay
half up front and you have a 'due date' for the completed ms.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
When you turn in the completed
ms and the editor is happy with it, you get the rest of the advance.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's true even when you turn
in the full ms as a first timer.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You get half and the other
half when the ms is 'completed'...that means when it is edited.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Wow, we really ran over today!
This is a stretch even for an Oregon hour!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Time flies when you're having
fun!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'll do the Q & A format
on Friday, too, in case you all still have some questions.
|
|
janecj333
|
the success of writer's how-to's
testifies only to the gargantuan audience of would-be writers, not that
such books are critical paths to success, unfortunately
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
always. :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
People are not selling every
novel they write according to Maas's direction.
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|
speckledorf
|
But it was such a great OR hour!
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|
tolkienlvr
|
thanks Mary! Happy Holidays!
|
|
geezer
|
Merry Christmas of Hanuckah
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
See you all in the morning for
our casual chat!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Stay warm!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'll post this in the usual
place...Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
|