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Post by marianne on Oct 28, 2004 5:04:47 GMT
Hi Patchers, put the word around that: Maxine McArthur will spend a week on the Torleys board from 1 - 7th November (calling in once a day) to answer any questions you might have on writing or her books. Maxine is a SF novelist whose books include Time Future (winner of the George Turner Prize), Time Past, Less Than Human. Visit her website at www.maxinemcarthur.comMaxine recently co-edited the Encounters anthology, has spent a good part of her life living in Japan and *loves* to talk about the difficulty of writing about time travel She's one of the very few women publishing SF in Australia. Her publisher is Time Warner in the US. She has a keen eye for setting and delivers clean, subtle prose. She also enjoys manga. MDP
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Post by Chirugal on Oct 28, 2004 16:28:25 GMT
Ooh... nice one. ;D Hope Maxine doesn't mind I haven't read any of her stuff... *eek* First question (for any of you guys really, but authors in particular): How do you make a finale fight more dramatic than just your average in-story fight? I have a scene to write for the finale of my (60 000 word) TR fanfic and I need it to be dramatic, but I keep fizzling out, and it's not how the end of a story could be. Any tips?
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Post by marianne on Oct 28, 2004 20:39:23 GMT
Guys, please be assured that none of the visiting authors will mind if you haven't read their work. They're here to offer advice and tips.
What's TR fanfic Amy? MDP
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Post by Cj on Oct 29, 2004 9:23:40 GMT
Marianne? would Maxine McArthur mind if i asked about Japan as well? its just i hope to teach English there in a few years and would love to hear what its like from someone who has lived in Japan
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Post by Chirugal on Oct 29, 2004 9:28:55 GMT
Tomb Raider. *embarrassed grin* I'm juuuust slightly obsessed!
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Post by marianne on Oct 31, 2004 1:06:21 GMT
Maxine would probably love to talk about Japan, CJ. Her most recent novel is set there and she spent two months living in an isolated Japanese town finishing it. See you all tomorrow!
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GrimmRiffer
Tert Player
P-S-Y-C-H-O-P-A-T-H
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Posts: 142
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Post by GrimmRiffer on Oct 31, 2004 15:47:49 GMT
First question (for any of you guys really, but authors in particular): How do you make a finale fight more dramatic than just your average in-story fight? Good finale fights aren't dramatic 'cos they have the best kung fu, they're dramatic 'cos EVERYTHING rests on it. Make sure we realise that this IS the one that settles everything. Oh, and: [glow=red,2,300]Lightsabers[/glow]!! ;D
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Post by Cj on Oct 31, 2004 19:02:39 GMT
LIGHTSABERS RULE! (must contain my joyous outburst..but star wars is deadly!!) I must agree there are things in movies like music and moves that make it kick ass but in a story you have to have the feeling that if this doesnt go well the WORLD IS F........ *time for imaginations to kick in on what i was about to say peepes!* Play it out in your head to deadly music and do what i do, fight it out with friends and siblings so you can describe it right (that is such a laugh btw ) I have posted writing on the original work page for Guest Authors to see where i'm at, i figured it might help when asking for tips.
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Post by Jocasta on Oct 31, 2004 23:22:34 GMT
Hi Everyone
Thanks for the wonderful PR, Marianne! I'm very excited to be here, although a little worried because I've forgotten my defensive tek. Be nice to me...
In reply to the question below about Japan from Cj, you need a lot of cash to visit Japan, because the price of accomodation, transport, food etc is astronomical. If you live there, however, you can make do with less, since you won't be moving around as much and you can shop around for the smallest cupboard to live in and the cheapest noodle shop to eat at. If you're into 24/7 lights, noise and Other People, go for one of the big cities; if you like stunning scenery, kind but nosy people and hour-long bus trips to the nearest rental-DVD outlet, go for a country town. If you're going to teach English, the main thing is to keep your sense of humour. Remember that 99.9% of your students will not actually learn to *speak* English, but you can make sure you both enjoy the process. If you can possibly learn to read Japanese before you go, you'll be able to spend some of your spare time in those wonderful manga coffee shops, where for the price of a cup of coffee you can read every manga ever written. And believe me, there are quite a few!
Hope this helps. Cheerio
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Post by Jocasta on Oct 31, 2004 23:30:37 GMT
Good finale fights aren't dramatic 'cos they have the best kung fu, they're dramatic 'cos EVERYTHING rests on it. Make sure we realise that this IS the one that settles everything. Oh, and: [glow=red,2,300]Lightsabers[/glow]!! ;D Aha! I just found out that the funny text marks in the "Post message" box will translate to the appropriate format onscreen. Fantastic! (You can tell I don't get out a lot) Re finale fights, I tend to agree with Grimm Riffer. You have to set up the plot so that if the heroine loses the fight, she loses the war (or universe, or the hero's love--whatever she wants the most). It's all in the set-up. If I'm having trouble at the end of a story, I'll either a)check that I'm clear about character motivation or b) go back and check that the first part of the story is working. When I start a story, I don't get too worried if the plot is a complicated tangle at the beginning, because it means there are lots of things that can go wrong, which in turn means that my characters can spend the rest of the book working them out. So by the final fight, only the resolution of the main problem should be left. Hmm, I think I should have set up my reply better. Is this confusing? Cheers MM
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Post by Chirugal on Nov 1, 2004 0:22:54 GMT
Thanks, GR, I'll use the Force. And welcome to the board, Maxine! So by the final fight, only the resolution of the main problem should be left. Hmm, I think I should have set up my reply better. Is this confusing? Yay! Hopefully I should be okay then, because it is the final problem. Well, apart from relationship issues, but since when did they ever go away? *grin* And, nope. I'm not confused, and for me, that's saying something!! Next question (since I'm the only one who seems to want to ask) - how did you find your own writing voice? I always seem to dip into everyone else's style and not really have my own.
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Post by Cj on Nov 1, 2004 10:54:09 GMT
Thank you! that info on japan is gold dust to me! hopefully i shall be using the advise some day! Question on writing What do you feel is the best perspective to writing in as a writer to engage your reader first person or third person (sorry if i've gotten them mixed or anything, i have a tendancy for confusion when it come to grammer of any kind!) or is it just better to see how you write the story as an individual writer instead of worrying about persepctive (wahey i've confused myself) i think i'm wondering if perspective matters?
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Post by Jocasta on Nov 1, 2004 19:54:02 GMT
Next question (since I'm the only one who seems to want to ask) - how did you find your own writing voice? I always seem to dip into everyone else's style and not really have my own. You're not the only one who has problems with this! (It's a question I'd like to ask Marianne, actually, as I think she has a totally unique voice. I just write straight.) I find it is easier with some books than others--Time Future was my first book, I knew nothing, I sat down and wrote in first person because I wanted an intimate, closed point of view and somehow it worked. Not that I didn't rewrite many times, of course. Other stories, not so easy. One thing I can say with some certainty, though, and that is, if I try too hard, it doesn't work. For example, I just finished a short (well, 15000 words) story with three points of view, one of them of a non-humanoid alien. I really had wanted to do something cool with this story, have it in an unusual, evocative voice, you know? Well, I don't know how many times I started it, but it didn't work out that way. And I had a deadline looming. So I abandoned my high hopes and just wrote the story. And it worked okay. This isn't to say you shouldn't try to extend your use of language and character,, but I believe you should forget about "your" voice. If you must worry about voice, think about the character's voice. Besides, whatever you write is in your voice, isn't it? Couldn't be in anyone else's! Have fun--that's why we write, after all. MM
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Post by Jocasta on Nov 1, 2004 20:05:17 GMT
Thank you! that info on japan is gold dust to me! hopefully i shall be using the advise some day! Good luck. Japan is an amazing place. You may get stuck there, like I did. Question on writing What do you feel is the best perspective to writing in as a writer to engage your reader first person or third person (sorry if i've gotten them mixed or anything, i have a tendancy for confusion when it come to grammer of any kind!) or is it just better to see how you write the story as an individual writer instead of worrying about persepctive (wahey i've confused myself)i think i'm wondering if perspective matters? Not confusing at all, and it's a VERY important question, the answer to which determines how you write a book. It's a question I always agonise over at the beginning of a project. (and sometimes in the middle) I'm talking here about subjective third person, by the way. In other words, the writer can't see everything, and only writes the point of view of one or two characters, but instead of using "I", use "she/he". All I can say is, if it doesn't seem right one way, try it the other. Rewrite scenes in both 'persons' and see which feels more comfortable. Also, consider the type of story you're writing. If it's a space- and time-spanning epic, first person may be too constricting. Ditto mystery-type plots--I twist the plot through a lot of hoops to make sure my first-person protagonist in Time Future knew what she needed to know. Also, these days there seems to be a lot more flexibility in which POV you use. Some books I've read recently use both first and third persons, each for different characters. Just have some system (say, one chapter per POV) so the reader doesn't get confused. In summary: whichever feels more comfortable to write and serves the story best. Cheers MM
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GrimmRiffer
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P-S-Y-C-H-O-P-A-T-H
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Post by GrimmRiffer on Nov 1, 2004 22:03:25 GMT
RE: Speed. Just how fast do any of you write? I tried rekindling my writing "ability" and took 3 hours to write 2 pages. Seems blinking slow to me. As a software engineer 10 lines of code a day is considered normal. (Yes, really) I'm guessing an author tops this? Then the dialogue I tried adding in Cherryh style gutter euro-slang was totally mismatched to the rest - but that's another question.
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