Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Dear Nathan, If an Australian author submits to Curtis Brown Australia, is it synonomous with submitting to same company in US, or does it assume Aust. exposure only? Are overseas authors 'too hard' for US agents to deal with? (I'm not talking personality, but international 'red tape'.) We have onl...

Shite, bloody, etc. and other Britannic swears don't really get used excepts by weirdos like myself and immigrants, so really most people probably won't even blink an eye at those. Actually most people won't really react to anything. In my experience we Americans tend to be game on violence and swe...

Well by Boudicca's buttocks, such a topic to tackle so early in the day! I don't know where you are getting your information, eringayles, but really, most Americans aren't too prudish when it comes to the printed word. I wouldn't worry too much about it, and if there IS something terribly offensive...

i'm not a person who curses in everyday life (only when i'm very angry or in a lot of pain.) but i can't think of any words that would turn mainstream america against your novel. but you do need to watch out. profanity is like salt. it spices up the language, gives it more appeal. but too much and....

What does "roots" mean? I hope I don't DAMN you to HELL by telling you, Taylor, but it means (whisper) 'having inter. . .' you know what. Ditto the previous poster. Most Americans--at least the ones I know--don't balk at foul language in books as long as it's consistent with the character. As for r...

GeeGee55 wrote:Hillsy and Shandy Shin you've got something special. Here's mine and I don't really like it myself:

The Kelman baby died early in the strange, hot spring of 1938.

You SHOULD like it. It's got that 'something' that sends spiders down your spine.

thecolour wrote:Yea! First post. Anyway, I'm kind of hating it right now, but here it is.

"At the end of a very short lane sits a very large house with far too many windows and hardly any doors. "

I like it. It's quirky.

taylormillgirl wrote:What does "roots" mean?

I hope I don't DAMN you to HELL by telling you, Taylor, but it means (whisper) 'having inter. . .' you know what.

kristi wrote:I second the Strunk and White Elements of Style.

Me too - and it's Steven King's favourite. King's 'On Writing' is worth a look, too, although the last half is autobiography. Very interesting, though.

I'm Australian. Let's say I use swearwords in a story. I know that the 'big guns' (the four-letter horribles) are used internationally, but it seems anomalous that swearwords that even posh ladies (like me) use, are considered nasty in America. Even when I'm praying, I use: 'bloody', 'shite', 'damn'...

Note: Erin was right about the songs. That does require legal permission. And often money. Ick. Poetry is much friendlier. :) Ink and Holly, Thanks again, you two. I owe you a beer!! Regards, Eringayles. Now, just a hypothetical to keep your grey cells active: I know an author who is using an entir...

Americans will take you on (assuming you have what they want). I don't think they're too worried about red tape. I'm a Canuck myself, land of icy exotica. And donuts. I don't think agents mind. Particularly if I send them some of the donuts. I think I'm in love - not because you said I should submi...

Dear Nathan, If an Australian author submits to Curtis Brown Australia, is it synonomous with submitting to same company in US, or does it assume Aust. exposure only? Are overseas authors 'too hard' for US agents to deal with? (I'm not talking personality, but international 'red tape'.) We have only...

Thanks Ink and Holly. BUT no matter who included Poe's work in a book of poetry, would I still have to cite that editor? It would be an editor, because Edgar Allan Poe, the author, died in (I think ) around 1876. This makes me assume that I'd be free to use without citation or permission, and may ev...

WHEN USING CHAPTER QUOTES (eg. from poetry) Is it permissible to split lines? Line 1 - Soon again I heard a tapping.... Line 2 (from a different verse) - And the raven never flitting still is sitting, still is sitting. Another question - The above punctuation is as written in my copy of The Raven. I...