Michael, my co-author, basically 'meets' his characters fully formed, which inspires major jealousy for me
I tend to build up a concept, but when I start writing my characters never cease to surprise me-- always some lurking backstory or hidden motives *I* didn't see coming.
Search found 155 matches
- September 9th, 2011, 1:50 pm
- Forum: Writing
- Topic: Where do characters come from?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 6158
- August 13th, 2011, 2:49 pm
- Forum: Writing
- Topic: Running and Writing
- Replies: 13
- Views: 5640
Re: Running and Writing
Totally true, EricOlsen! When I'm stuck on writing, I go for a run (assuming I'm not trapped in the office). Haven't convinced Michael of this yet, he usually plays video games instead.
- August 13th, 2011, 2:45 pm
- Forum: Ask Nathan
- Topic: Ivy League on the down low
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2174
Re: Ivy League on the down low
Obviously not Nathan :roll: but my coauthor and I went to a Very Posh School which we don't mention in our author bios simply because it's not very relevant. Also, it occasionally puts people off, since they tend to then assume wildly inaccurate things about our backgrounds, or simply think we're pr...
- August 13th, 2011, 2:42 pm
- Forum: Procrastination
- Topic: Rave about your Significant Other, Friends, or Family!
- Replies: 15
- Views: 10670
Re: Rave about your Significant Other, Friends, or Family!
Don't know what I would do writing-wise without my coauthor (not sure what he'd do without me, either). We work by bouncing ideas off each other almost continually.
- July 3rd, 2011, 12:48 pm
- Forum: Social Media and Book Promotion
- Topic: Peace Blogfest September 2011
- Replies: 16
- Views: 8726
Re: Peace Blogfest September 2011
What a lovely idea! I'll join the party.
- May 28th, 2011, 6:28 pm
- Forum: Writing
- Topic: Making Time to Write
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7675
Re: Making Time to Write
I hear you-- no kids, but a postgrad thesis (which doesn't go to bed ever, but it does eat less). What I do is block out small chunks of time every day for writing, plus I think about writing (and sometimes take notes) throughout the day (like if I'm on the bus, etc) so that when my 25 minutes or so...
- May 11th, 2011, 6:05 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: Query: All That Glitters (YA)
- Replies: 10
- Views: 4737
Re: Query: All That Glitters (YA)
I agree with JMB: Great concept, great conflict and hook, but the voice comes off as disinterested. Short sentences tend to help with this issue-- for example: 16-year old Belén owes her life to retired Navy man Señor Rossi. So when a ghost appears in her backyard claiming he is a war criminal, she ...
- April 10th, 2011, 4:35 pm
- Forum: Social Media and Book Promotion
- Topic: A to Z Blog Challenge Participant Posts
- Replies: 127
- Views: 45501
Re: A to Z Blog Challenge Participant Posts
S is for self-promotion!
Oh, wait. No. Wrong day. I is for "Idiot Plots vs. Flawed Characters": http://sb-writingtheother.blogspot.com/
Oh, wait. No. Wrong day. I is for "Idiot Plots vs. Flawed Characters": http://sb-writingtheother.blogspot.com/
- April 5th, 2011, 4:04 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: Forgotten Gods Query (Yikes-- Again!)
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2824
Forgotten Gods Query (Yikes-- Again!)
We're trying to get this query polished and ready to send out (and thus stop bothering all you lovely people). Thanks in advance for the feedback. * Winter, 1745. Scotland is losing a war for independence. Desperate, Robert Maxwell and his fellow soldiers beg for supernatural aid from the daione sìd...
- March 19th, 2011, 2:58 pm
- Forum: Social Media and Book Promotion
- Topic: Do you have a new blog post?
- Replies: 2655
- Views: 827618
Re: Do you have a new blog post?
I in fact have a whole new blog!
http://sb-writingtheother.blogspot.com/
http://sb-writingtheother.blogspot.com/
- February 19th, 2011, 7:03 pm
- Forum: Connect With a Critique Partner
- Topic: Need a YA Fantasy Critique Partner!
- Replies: 2
- Views: 2555
Re: Need a YA Fantasy Critique Partner!
My coauthor and I would be game. Our WiP is a historical fantasy novel set in 18th century Britain. Although it's not really a YA piece, there is a major teen character.
- February 9th, 2011, 4:53 am
- Forum: Books
- Topic: THE GREAT GATSBY
- Replies: 5
- Views: 2715
Re: THE GREAT GATSBY
I think his prose is brilliant, but I couldn't connect emotionally with the characters. However, I'm pretty sure this is a function of my life experience, not of the characterization, which is excellent.
- January 31st, 2011, 6:53 pm
- Forum: Books
- Topic: To all Gaiman Fans!
- Replies: 3
- Views: 2486
Re: To all Gaiman Fans!
Haha, brilliant!
- January 30th, 2011, 2:44 pm
- Forum: Writing
- Topic: Revision frustration
- Replies: 3
- Views: 2143
Re: Revision frustration
It really depends on the book, so I can't offer specific advice unless I know what the big reveal is. However, there are ways to break the information up into chunks, like having the character figure out pieces of the "big reveal" earlier (and possibly jump to incorrect conclusions?), so t...
- January 27th, 2011, 4:31 pm
- Forum: Writing
- Topic: Your first Pargraph!
- Replies: 80
- Views: 43119
Re: Your first Pargraph!
Jumping in with our first paragraph (first chapter, not prologue) He had lost a lot of blood. Robert knew this from the way his muscles felt hollow and shaky, and the way his thoughts wavered in and out of focus, like shattered reflections on a pool. One of Gordons had lent him a feilidh-mhòr, which...