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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 delightful
Memorial Day weekend.
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mary rosenblum
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I spent the weekend at WisCon
a very nice reader/writer conference in Madison Wisconsin.
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mary rosenblum
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I met a publisher that has
started up selling fiction as Podcast downloads...
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mary rosenblum
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these are stories read aloud,
like audio books, but available for the Ipod.
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mary rosenblum
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Ipod use is increasing
exponentially and I suspect that this is going to be an even bigger market
than the current audio market.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll be interviewing the head
of the company later this year.
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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. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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kems
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I'm writing a storey that takes
place at a university I attended previously and can't decide if I should
write in the context of 1993 or 2006. Any vibes as to what a publisher
would prefer?
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mary rosenblum
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Kems, I don't think it's going
to matter unless you can tie it to a powerful event in that year (and I
can't think of one off the top of my head).
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mary rosenblum
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Ninety three isn't so far in
the past that it has become an 'historical era' like the sixties...
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mary rosenblum
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with a strong identity.
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mary rosenblum
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So it's probably a matter of
whatever is more comfortable for you.
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mary rosenblum
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Historical periods that the
average person knows something about...
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mary rosenblum
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and that tie into the story in
some way can increase the power of a story.
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dwkav
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Wasn't 1993 in the beginning of
the "Dot.com" era?
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mary rosenblum
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More or less.
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mary rosenblum
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And if the story included,
say, the crash of the main character's company and the resultant chaos in
his/her life...
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mary rosenblum
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then it would be important to
set it then...readers would bring a lot of knowlege to the story.
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kems
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my other main question is if it
is okay to use a fictional bar in a non-fiction city?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure kems.
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mary rosenblum
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People do that all the time.
:-)
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kems
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Or for example, a fictional
laundry room in a non-fictional residence building?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes.
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mary rosenblum
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Very few readers, probably,
will realize that dorm doesn't have a laundry room. :-)
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charie'
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Suggestion: make certain that
the campus hasn't had a major renovation if you set it in a later time
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mary rosenblum
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That's a good point and one
reason to set it in 93, if you can't visit it now.
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mary rosenblum
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Certainly the school I
graduated from has added a LOT of new buildings and if I described the
campus I remembered...
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mary rosenblum
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it would totally confuse
someone if they thought I was talking about 2006
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mary rosenblum
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That is, by the way, one good
reason to use 93. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Readers can think, 'oh, maybe
they took that laundry room out' if they visit the campus today.
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mary rosenblum
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Or...maybe that bar closed.
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mary rosenblum
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While it's important to get
details right, nearly everyone needs to make up fictional streets,
buildings, businesses when setting a story in an urban area.
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mary rosenblum
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But how many people know EVERY
street even in the city they have lived in for years?
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mary rosenblum
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That's why many
writers...myself included...may use fictional small towns...
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mary rosenblum
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where we use real cities.
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mary rosenblum
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It is much harder to 'make up'
things in a small town where people who live there DO know every street...
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mary rosenblum
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and every business.
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stinkers
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could you explain the proper use
of ing words?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, stinkers. Verbs ending
in ing are WAY overused.
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mary rosenblum
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They're useful when used
correctly, but they are too often used incorrectly and weaken your prose
way more than you realize.
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mary rosenblum
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She was going to school is not
really correct as it stands alone...
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mary rosenblum
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and it's flabby prose.
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mary rosenblum
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She went to school.
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mary rosenblum
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Was plus an ing verb indicates
an action that is 'open ended'...that is it is continuously going on...
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mary rosenblum
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usually while another action
takes place and ends.
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mary rosenblum
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She did her homework while as
was waiting for the bread to rise.
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mary rosenblum
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Her waiting started before she
did her homework and ended after the homework was finished.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can replace the 'was +
ing verb' with a single verb, you're nearly always better off doing that.
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mary rosenblum
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Unless, as above, you describe
a limited action that took place while another action is continuously going
on.
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mary rosenblum
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She heard the news as she was
washing her hair.
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beryl
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I'm thinking of submitting to an
Australian magazine that buys all the rights for Australia and New Zealand.
If they buy how would that impact my selling in the US?
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mary rosenblum
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Not legally...
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mary rosenblum
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if you're selling First North
American Serial Rights to the publisher...
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mary rosenblum
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but if the publisher wants
First World Rights, then you can't offer them...
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mary rosenblum
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you'd have to tell the
publisher that the story has been published in NZ and Australia.
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mary rosenblum
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And more and more the US
overlaps those markets...
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mary rosenblum
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in fact I'm seeing more 'First
English Language Rights' being purchased.
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mary rosenblum
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So it simply depends on where
you want to sell this additionally.
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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. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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paminnapa
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A book to check out by writers
digest is "writers guide to Places" gives descriptions of towns
in US....what you may eat if you lived in OR.....etc great book
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mary rosenblum
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I'd be cautious about using a
paper published book for that kind of detail, pam.
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mary rosenblum
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The problem is that it was
over a year ago that the information was gathered.
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mary rosenblum
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and small businesses like
restaurants, shops, and so forth open and close sporadically.
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mary rosenblum
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But for general
information...which neighborhoods are middle class, which are blue collar,
etc...
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mary rosenblum
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you're probably fine if it's
not too old...like within a year or two.
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mary rosenblum
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You can find a LOT of that
online...
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mary rosenblum
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and I bet you can find 'swap
meets' where people are willing to share local info.
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dwkav
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How do you know when a story
idea is "big" enough to be a novel? And on the flip side, when
the idea should be condensed into short story form?
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mary rosenblum
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That's more difficult for you
to figure out as a novice writer than for me. A lot of that is practice...
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mary rosenblum
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but you can think about what
you have to write to tell this story.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're going to have to
take your character from California to New York on a car trip with a major
event or two during the trip...
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mary rosenblum
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and then have that character
move in with her family and finally have the confrontation with her mother
that...
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mary rosenblum
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she has been avoiding all her
life...this is NOT a short story.
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mary rosenblum
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You have several major events
that you need to cover in depth, you have to develop that real MC and a
real character in her mother at least...
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mary rosenblum
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and you have lots of options
for strong subplots as she travels...
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mary rosenblum
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she can pick up a hitchhiker
who becomes a strong secondary character, for example, or she can meet
interesting peopl ein New York...
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mary rosenblum
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so you have plenty for a
novel.
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sallyk
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What do you look for in choosing
a writer's conference?
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mary rosenblum
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Assess your needs, sally.
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mary rosenblum
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What do YOU need most? Help
with 'how to publish', help with writing issues? What genre do you write
in? Are you looking for book publishers and will you need an agent?
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mary rosenblum
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You could start out looking
for conferences that either focus on your genre or include it.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're agent shopping, look
for cons that include pitch sessions or are big enough...
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mary rosenblum
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to bring a lot of NY and large
small press publishers to the con.
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mary rosenblum
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Look at the list of proposed
panels.
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mary rosenblum
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Do they feature lots of 'how
to write' topics, or do they seem to be mostly...
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mary rosenblum
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academic topics or topics
aimed at professional writers?
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mary rosenblum
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The con I just attended is a
pro/publisher con. It didn't feature many 'beginner' panels on craft.
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mary rosenblum
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It was slanted more toward
professional writers rather than toward aspiring and new writers.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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kashmir
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I found a great anecdote in a
comment on someone's blog...I want to base a short story on it, but wonder
about permission issues?
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mary rosenblum
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It's not an issue unless you
quote the anecdote verbatim. Then you really do need to ask the poster for
permission.
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mary rosenblum
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But the idea of the anecdote
is not copyrighted...just the actual words.
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mary rosenblum
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You can retell the anecdote in
a different form. That's fine.
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mary rosenblum
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Only characters and actual
words are copyrighted.
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mary rosenblum
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Names are not, neither are
ideas, nor are titles.
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mary rosenblum
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You can't use the Gandalf from
JRR's world in your story, but you CAN name someone Gandalf.
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kashmir
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to clarify my question, the
comment was not by the blog author, but by a fellow reader of the blog
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mary rosenblum
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Oops, sorry, didn't get that
up...but it's the same either way.
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mary rosenblum
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Once words are 'published'
either written on paper or saved to some electronic medium, they are
copyrighted to the writer.
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gskearney
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I might note something to the
poster or blog to try for some publicity though. --gk
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. The person who posted it
might be thrilled enough to tell everybody he/she knows to read the story.
:-)
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beryl
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Titles are not copyrighted?
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mary rosenblum
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Nope. But publishers are not
going to publish your book Gone With The WInd...:-)
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mary rosenblum
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They can do it legally, but
for sure they're going to be harassed by the copyright owners of the
original. And mislead readers don't buy more books.
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kems
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a grammar question- can you
clarify the difference of writing, says Paul, as opposed to, Paul says.
Thanks.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not a grammar issue,
Kems, it's a matter of how readers 'hear' words.
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mary rosenblum
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When the 'saidism' comes after
the tag label, we don't even notice it.
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mary rosenblum
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"I really don't think you
want to do that," Paul said.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers are pretty unaware of
'said'. They see that Paul said the line, and unless you really overuse
'said'...
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mary rosenblum
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that word is fairly invisible.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...
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mary rosenblum
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"I really don't think you
want to do that," said Paul...forces us to notice the 'said'...
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mary rosenblum
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because we're still looking
for the label...'Paul' that identifies the speaker.
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mary rosenblum
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So if the label comes first,
we don't read the 'said'.
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mary rosenblum
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If the 'said' comes before the
label, we read it and notice it.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why you don't normally
want to put the tag FIRST.
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mary rosenblum
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Paul said, "I really
don't think you want to do that."
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mary rosenblum
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A tag line before the spoken
line stands out like signpost.
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mary rosenblum
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We REALLY notice it.
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mary rosenblum
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When the tag comes after the
line, we notice it only enough to identify the speaker and then move right
on...
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jforrest
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I've been waiting five months
for an editor to get back with me about a poem he took interest in. What's
the polite, professional way to ask him about it?
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mary rosenblum
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Drop him a note, forrest.
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mary rosenblum
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"I just wanted to make
sure that you received my poem, Title. If you didn't, let me know and I'll
happily resend it. Thanks.
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mary rosenblum
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A little guilt goes a long
way. :-) That'll usually get you a fairly quick response if the ...
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mary rosenblum
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editor is up on things.
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geezer
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Ted scratched his head.
"Why?" Is that OK or should it be, "Why?" Ted scratched
his head.
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mary rosenblum
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That would depend on the
context of the scene, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to visualize the flow
of action and dialogue in the scene.
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mary rosenblum
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Do we see Ted scratch his head
and then speak, or does he speak first and then scratch his head.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember, you should be
visualizing any scene to see how dialogue and action fit together.
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mary rosenblum
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That's how you create the impression
that readers are seeing and hearing simultaneously.
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paminnapa
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When going to a conference can
you pitch a story that you have in the first draft, or should you wait ot
pitch until it's completely done and ready to send?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, if you pitch it and the
agent or editor says, 'send it to me' how fast can you deliver it?
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mary rosenblum
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I fyou send in the first draft
and it's sloppy or really needs some plot tightening...you may get
rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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That agent or editor has NO
reason to think you can do better.
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mary rosenblum
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BUt if you have to wait 12
months to finish the revisions...that agent/editor...
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mary rosenblum
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may have already filled the
slot with another book.
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mary rosenblum
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I wouldn't pitch until you can
provide a POLISHED ms within six weeks.
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raines
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should you pay a pro editor
before trying to submit a novel?
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mary rosenblum
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Why not do it yourself,
raines? You can learn craft and you'll be a better writer. And how do you
know that 'pro editor' will do a good job?
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mary rosenblum
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You're better off to improve
your own craft and polish your own stories.
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mary rosenblum
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You are not born with a
certain ability with craft.
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mary rosenblum
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You learn it, just like you
learn to ride a bicycle or play the piano or dance.
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sadie
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Is there any problem including
companies in stories (more than a passing mention) without permission?
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mary rosenblum
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Brand names are not legally
permissable in stories...Coke, Xerox, etc...
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mary rosenblum
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but everybody uses them.
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mary rosenblum
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When was the last time YOU saw
a character drink a 'cola flavored beverage'?
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mary rosenblum
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As long as you do not libel
individuals or companies you can use their names.
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mary rosenblum
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They are in public
space...only libel laws apply.
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charie'
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Does the same apply to song
titles or singers?
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mary rosenblum
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Singers yes, but not songs and
titles.
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mary rosenblum
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The laws are complex there and
the music industry holds VERY tight control over song lyrics.
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mary rosenblum
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I would avoid using song
lyrics.
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dwkav
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My understanding is you can use
the brand name as long as you place the registered mark after it. (the tiny
R inside a circle)
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mary rosenblum
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Which looks UTTERLY stupid and
unprofessional.
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mary rosenblum
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Coca Cola will NOT sue you for
use unless the reason your serial killer...
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mary rosenblum
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kills people is because he/she
drinks Coke!
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mary rosenblum
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Don't worry about it.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...characters...such as
Disney characters...are another matter.
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mary rosenblum
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Disney keeps VERY tight
control over its characters and they do issue cease and desist orders...
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mary rosenblum
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but your editor will know if
you have stepped on legal toes. Or should if he/she is worth their salaray.
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kems
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So could you have a singer
preform in a bar without their permission? Or a conversation with an
actor/actress?
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mary rosenblum
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Yep..they're public figures.
Just don't libel 'em and you're fine.
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charie'
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So you can say She listened to
her favorite Beatles tune?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure.
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mary rosenblum
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I really would avoid specifics
with music...for other reasons, too.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers have strong opinions
about music...
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mary rosenblum
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if your character loves
something they hate, it detracts from the reader identification.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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I'm of the idea that almost any
plot can be condensed to short story length, esp. in humor. ex. "We
veered north by northeast out of San Diego at 4 a.m., the four of us and
all our wordly goods crammed into Keister's VW bug. We got clobbered by
snow in the Huachuca mountains and locusts on the windshield by noon the
next day. Keister hadn't suffered but a single minor stroke by the time I pulled
the wagon in to Manhattan later that week and dropped him, all dilly dally,
at the emergency entrance to St. Jude's. I was gonna tell off my mom today
no matter what, I'd made it plain to him, and nothing, neither hail, nor
bugs, and not a stinking clot-related medical emergency was gonna stand in
my way."
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mary rosenblum
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I disagree, Jane. I think
that's the reason a lot of stories get rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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The writer had a large plot
and merely summarized it to make it fit the word limit.
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mary rosenblum
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A story plot has to do
specific things to work...
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mary rosenblum
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we have to take the reader to
certain place of understanding.
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mary rosenblum
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While those events you
summarized are fine if they do not matter...
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mary rosenblum
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if the creation of the
character whose conflict/resolution will really move the reader...
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mary rosenblum
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only occurs as we share those
events you summarized...
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mary rosenblum
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then by the end of the story,
this person has yet to engage us and we really don't care about him enough
for the story to impact us.
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mary rosenblum
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In that case, it would be
better to find another conflict and resolution that would...
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mary rosenblum
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allow you to create a
character who engaged the readers so that he mattered to the readers.
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mary rosenblum
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That is one of the most common
fallacies of novice writers...
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mary rosenblum
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that shortening a story is
just a matter of leaving out words. That is far from true.
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gskearney
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Looks like a fairly good example
of a plot summary for a query though. Enough detail to be interesting. --gk
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly Gary. It IS a plot
summary.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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kems
|
But you couldn't write a
sentence of the lyrics she sang from the Beatles tune?
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mary rosenblum
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You are allowed a specific
number of lines, and I cannot off the top of my head remember what it is
now...
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mary rosenblum
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I THINK three, but I am not
sure.
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sadie
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Recently I read somewhere that
you should check phone directories, etc to see if any of your main
characters' names match real people in that area. Is this really necessary
or are you covered by a "This is fiction" clause?
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mary rosenblum
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That's why nearly every
fiction book out there has the disclaimer in the front...
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mary rosenblum
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that everything is made up.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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You can't avoid using real
names by accident.
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kems
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Can you write she had a Mickey
Mouse comforter on her bed?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. You just can't have
Mickey showing up at her birthday party courtesy of her witch aunt. :-)
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kems
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Can you write, they danced to
the song, With or Without You by U2?
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mary rosenblum
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That's fine. You'd get into
trouble if you reproduced all the lyrics during the story.
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mary rosenblum
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For that you'd need
permission.
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mary rosenblum
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And alas, it has to come from
the record label that owns the rights, not the group, unless the group has
retained the rights. (Not usual)
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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. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. This is an
open question day, and no question is too 'beginner' here. 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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mary rosenblum
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I recommend our Thursday
interview this week.
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mary rosenblum
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Doug Clark (a LR instructor
and writer) is going to talk about work for hire and writing media tie ins.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know much about doing
media tie ins, and it should be an interesting conversation.
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geezer
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My novel teacher suggested I
read some novels that have a similar plot to mine. How would I go about
IDing such books. Are novels listed anywhere by topic?
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know of any particular
site that does that, except generally...
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mary rosenblum
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ie 'westerns' etc.
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mary rosenblum
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I would do a bookstore browse.
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mary rosenblum
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Look for blurbs that reveal a
plot that reminds you or yours in some ways.
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mary rosenblum
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Just make sure the author is a
good writer. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Look for strongly positive
reviews.
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mary rosenblum
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Without a whole lot of .... in
the review blurb!
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paminnapa
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If youve sold a short story but
think you can develop it into a novel length, would the rights be
compromised since you are using the same characterss and story but expanded
with more character development and plots?
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mary rosenblum
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Goodness no!
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mary rosenblum
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Let's see...all of my SF use
characters I first created and used in short stories...
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mary rosenblum
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and two of them use an actual
short story as chapter one!
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mary rosenblum
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YOU own the copyright to the
characters...UNLESS YOU SELL IT.
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mary rosenblum
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That is another very very good
reason not to ever sell 'all rights'.
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mary rosenblum
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If you sell 'all rights' to a
story you sell the copyright to the buyer...
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mary rosenblum
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and that means you cannot ever
use that character from the story without that buyer's permission.
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mary rosenblum
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Now some very small magazines
DO buy all rights.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are done with that
story, you don't think you'll sell it anywhere else...
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mary rosenblum
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and this will be a first sale
for you, it's not going to kill you to sell all rights...
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mary rosenblum
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but it does mean that this
story and these characters are no longer yours to use again ever.
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janecj333
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Sometimes an author mistakes
sharing for 'showing' every stage movement, which feels like padding.
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, but that's a matter of
craft.
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mary rosenblum
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Details are critical...but
only if they are important.
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mary rosenblum
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If they're not important, they
bog down the story.
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mary rosenblum
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If they are important, the
story suffers if you leave them out.
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mary rosenblum
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You get better at knowing what
is important and what is not as you get more reader feedback.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers will tell you what
they do and do not need.
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forest elf
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Isn't that what Maria Von Trapp
did? She sold all her rights and someone else made the fortune with the
Sound of Music?
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mary rosenblum
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Could be. It has happened many
times to many writers.
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kems
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If you just sold first north
american rights, then you COULD use the story as a chapter afterwards???
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mary rosenblum
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Of course. As long as the
story was published before the novel. That is rarely a problem!
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mary rosenblum
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And it's nice PR for the book
if the story got great reviews or was short listed for an award.
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charie'
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After you finish your story, do
you keep 1st drafts, outlines, notes,etc? Or throw them out to declutter
your files?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there was 'then', when I
was a novice, and 'now', Charie.
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mary rosenblum
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'Now', I know when a story is
complete and I don't keep my first draft... Just the final draft. Unless I
decide to radically change the story for some reason...
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mary rosenblum
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and then I keep the original
version,too.
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mary rosenblum
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But when I first wrote, when I
did a lot more floundering around to find my finished story...
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mary rosenblum
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I did keep previous versions
because I was making much larger changes as I...
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mary rosenblum
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fumbled my way to a solid
story and sometimes I took a wrong turn...
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mary rosenblum
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and needed to go back to an
earlier version.
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mary rosenblum
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I do that sort of stuff in my
head now, long before I sit down to the screen. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It doesn't take up much space
on your hard drive to save old versions.
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mary rosenblum
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I would do it.
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mary rosenblum
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It's good for you as a new
writer to make those big changes.
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mary rosenblum
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Change the MC's gender, change
the MC period, experiment with POV..
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mary rosenblum
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radically alter the plot...
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mary rosenblum
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the only way you learn is to
flounder around and see what works.
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mary rosenblum
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and if it doesn't work, it's
nice to have that earlier version.
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kems
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Do bigger publishing houses give
you a larger percentage of profit from your sales, or is there an industry
standard?
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mary rosenblum
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Smaller, Kems.
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mary rosenblum
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The small press houses rarely
can afford to offer you an advance against royalties...
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mary rosenblum
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so most of them offer larger
royalties.
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mary rosenblum
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The big houses offer a smaller
royalty but of course, they'll distribute WAY more books and you'll usually
have a much larger sales volume...
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mary rosenblum
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so you usually you will make
more money with a big house...
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mary rosenblum
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even though a small house
offers a larger percentage of each sale.
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kems
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How do they decide what your
advance will be?
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mary rosenblum
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It depends on how badly they
want the book, how good your agent is at bargaining, and whether more than
one publisher wants the book.
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mary rosenblum
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The best thing that can happen
to you is an 'auction' where two or three...
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mary rosenblum
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houses want the book and the
agent offers it to the highest bidder.
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mary rosenblum
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It's rare, but it happens.
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kems
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How can you submit to more than one
publisher at a time? Is this something an agent can only do?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, usually publishers say
'no simultaneous submissions'...
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mary rosenblum
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but that doesn't apply to
agents. :-) ]
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mary rosenblum
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But you only need an agent to
handle submissions to the big NY publishers...
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mary rosenblum
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you can handle your own
submissions for small press and a few NY publishers.
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iamnina
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...longer. Is that true?
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mary rosenblum
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What's that, iamnina?
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kems
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How long do they give you to
earn the advance they gave you from the book? Do authors ever have to end
up paying publishers back because they didn't sell enough?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, no...you get to keep the
advance even if you only sell two books! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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What WILL happen is that if
you don't 'sell through' and make more than the advance...
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mary rosenblum
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they will be likely to pay you
less or at least no more for the next book...
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mary rosenblum
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and if that one fails to sell
well, too, they probably won't buy a third book from you.
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janecj333
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Because beginning writers are
deluged with absolutes that contradict each other, I find myself drawn to
authors who say 'forget the rules, do what feels right'.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu can do that.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a bit of a dice roll.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes it can work, and
other times, some assistant flunky merely slaps a form rejection...
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mary rosenblum
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on what you've sent and
returns it.
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mary rosenblum
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Your odds of winning that way
are better if you do some conferences and get to know...
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mary rosenblum
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people in the publishing
houses you're targeting.
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iamnina
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sorry the ask a question button
bumps me off: I've heard smaller houses keep your book in print longer. Is
that true?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it is...
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mary rosenblum
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You can stay in print
virtually forever in small press and the few independent large publishers
left...
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mary rosenblum
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tend to keep books in print,
too.
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mary rosenblum
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But the big houses drop them
VERY quickly.
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mary rosenblum
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A friend of mine was shocked
to find out that her paperback is going out of print less than a year after
coming out.
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kems
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Would you suggest getting an
agent and going for the big NY pub first? And if not successful then follow
through on smaller houses yourself? Or is it all a matter of submitting in
the right place at the right time, so to speak?
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mary rosenblum
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That is a complicated
question, kems, and I think the answer depends a lot on the individual.
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mary rosenblum
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What do YOU want from your
book?
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mary rosenblum
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Do you merely want it on the
bookshelf?
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mary rosenblum
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Do you want a career as a
professional writer?
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mary rosenblum
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Do you hope to be a
millionaire from a blockbuster?
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mary rosenblum
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If you just want your book
published then by all means, start with small press...
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mary rosenblum
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or go with a quality self
publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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The book will be available on
amazon.com, you can promote it, and it'll get read.
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mary rosenblum
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No, you probably won't sell
well unless you are very very lucky, but you will sell some.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want a career as a pro,
you really do need to start with the NY houses...
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mary rosenblum
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and learn which are the GOOD
small press houses for your next level of submissions.
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mary rosenblum
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Does that answer your
question, too, iamnina?
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mary rosenblum
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You really need to begin with
your own goals.
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mary rosenblum
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What will make YOU feel
successful?
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mary rosenblum
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If getting that book out onto
amazon.com will...then forget NY!
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mary rosenblum
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Make it easy on yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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But you are not likely to
create a professional career by selling with the 'fringe' small presses or
the publish yourself publishers...
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mary rosenblum
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unless your book REALLY
sells...like to the tune of tens of thousands of sales in the first year.
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kems
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Would your friend have the right
to submit her book to another house now or does the original publisher hold
the rights even though they no longer have the book in print?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh sure! She has a good agent,
so that agent has made sure that the rights revert to her...
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mary rosenblum
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as soon as it goes out of
print. We were actually discussing strategies for bringing the book out again...
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mary rosenblum
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at this last conference.
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iamnina
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yes thanks. How do you learn
wchi are the good small press houses?
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mary rosenblum
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Talk to independent
booksellers who are savvy about the publishing trade.
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mary rosenblum
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That's where I have learned a
lot about publishers.
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mary rosenblum
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Our local mystery/SF bookstore
(independent) owners know how the publishers rate in terms of quality and
reputation.
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mary rosenblum
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Conferences are another place
to ask questions.
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mary rosenblum
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Visit the 'dealers room' at
the conference.
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mary rosenblum
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IT will be FULL of independent
book sellers...
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mary rosenblum
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and see which publishers they
are offering. Ask questions about the various publishers.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll learn a LOT.
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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 had a great time at this
con...I'll definitely go back next year...
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mary rosenblum
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but it's good to be home.
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mary rosenblum
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d
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mary rosenblum
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Do join us tomorrow for our
casual get together here...
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mary rosenblum
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where we just chat about
anything and everything and generally goof off.
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good day, all!
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts in
the usual place:
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mary rosenblum
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Writing Craft: Forum
Transcripts
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kems
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I know Red Dress Ink (division
of halenquin) has their guidelines written on their website. Do all the big
NY houses have websites with this info also? I am basing my word length by
the info I found there, which I imagine would be similiar elsewhere anyway.
I know Red Dress Ink is different from the rest of Harlequin for shelf life
but do you happen to know if they would be considered large or small?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, kems, most publishers
large and small have guidelines posted on their website.
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mary rosenblum
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And Harlequin is THE romance
publisher...'the' meaning the top publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very very big.
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