tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post1975390624700801156..comments2023-10-11T09:22:33.136-04:00Comments on Paperback Writer: Backstory No-NosUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-29155541096550197842008-06-15T16:44:00.000-04:002008-06-15T16:44:00.000-04:00Well, my book opens with a scene from 1995 - clear...Well, my book opens with a scene from 1995 - clearly labeled as such - and then switches to the present, and the female protag exhibits some behaviors that make you go "huh?" but are not explained until the male protag goes "huh?" and demands an explanation. The explanation will not take pages and pages. <BR/><BR/>Sorry. I know I need to save it for my critique partner, but the commenters on this web site are so smart and insightful and they're authors and I want to keep raising my hand going "ooh! ooh! what about this? can I do this? how did you do that?"<BR/><BR/><BR/>I wish LB&LI would hurry up and get here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-47396382524337409462008-06-15T10:35:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:35:00.000-04:00Jared and Amy wrote: Then how do we explain the fl...Jared and Amy wrote: <I>Then how do we explain the flashback to Paris and the dreams of two lovers being shattered in the movie "Casablanca"?</I><BR/><BR/>Aha -- movie, not a book. ;)the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-44092388481266944752008-06-15T10:34:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:34:00.000-04:00Selah wrote: Remind me to wipe the blood out of my...Selah wrote: <I>Remind me to wipe the blood out of my eyes before I try to comment next time, yeah?</I><BR/><BR/>As long as you interpret that "issure" to be an "issue."the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-63799116551968911012008-06-15T10:33:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:33:00.000-04:00Selah wrote: I cop to using #10 in my current WIP,...Selah wrote: <I>I cop to using #10 in my current WIP, a haunted house story. Except not so much a letter as a nearly-century-old half-page journal entry, a la Stephen King's "Jerusalem's Lot" (from the Night Shift short story collection, not the 'Salem's Lot novel.)</I><BR/><BR/>Sure, sure, make excuses <I>now.</I><BR/><BR/><I>Huh. Now that I think about it, "Jerusalem's Lot" is basically back-story for 'Salem's Lot. Back-story within back-story, like little nesting vampire dolls. NIFTY.</I><BR/><BR/>I will refrain from critizing an author who can probaly buy Rhode Island with his pocket change.<BR/><BR/><I>After much deliberation and second-guessing and consulting the crit partner who says the entry ups the creep factor exponentially, I had decided to leave it in.</I><BR/><BR/>Hey, if it works, and you don't mind us occasionally harrassing you about it, go for it. ;)<BR/><BR/><I>Now I get to go back and second-guess some more. But that's okay, 'cause second-guessing is my second-favorite part of revisions, right after banging my head on the keyboard till my eyes bleed.</I><BR/><BR/>I miss pitching things at the walls, but I ran out of silly porcelain figurines clueless people gave me for holidays and birthdays.<BR/><BR/><I>PS - I emailed you two weeks ago to tell you I'd moved my blog. I bet I'm nothing but deleted spam by now. And the cat-lady is my cousin, Edna. She likes your inspy romances, and wants to know when she can expect the next one.</I><BR/><BR/>E-mail is continuing to be an issure, I'm sorry. I hate to disappoint Edna, but the only inspy I will likely write in the future will be as a WFH.the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-40012708950976425972008-06-15T10:27:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:27:00.000-04:00Buffysquirrel wrote: Backstory as dialogue. Do not...Buffysquirrel wrote: <I>Backstory as dialogue. Do not do this! If you do, your magnificent oeuvre will be straight out of my slushbox and into my reject box. That second!</I><BR/><BR/>But you know, Buff, backstory as dialogue can trace its roots to Tom Swift and The Hardy Boys, which is what most of your writers were reading under the covers with the flashlight after Mom and Pop went to sleep.<BR/><BR/><I>(it's okay to have characters refer to backstory obliquely, tho'--at least on Tuesdays)</I><BR/><BR/>See, you're a pushover. ;)the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-62703000801751385182008-06-15T10:23:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:23:00.000-04:00Mackan wrote: ...actually, if you are Dan Brown, t...Mackan wrote: <I>...actually, if you are Dan Brown, this is the beginning of EVERY book you have ever written, but the protag is waken up by the telephone instead...</I><BR/><BR/>If I was Dan Brown . . . wait, let me fantasize for a few more minutes. ;)the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-9296922366870888912008-06-15T10:22:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:22:00.000-04:00Big T wrote: What about the over use of an ancient...Big T wrote: <I>What about the over use of an ancient prophecy that describes the protag exactly including his/her strange quirks or fondness for corndogs.</I><BR/><BR/>I haven't seen that one used in a while. Maybe it was eclipsed by the Harry Potter forehead scar backstory segue?the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-90536680730488498732008-06-15T10:19:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:19:00.000-04:00Gerri wrote: I don't know. I'm still dealing with ...Gerri wrote: <I>I don't know. I'm still dealing with the scars from her glasswright guild books. If she has moved on...that's a good thing for F/SF. IMO, of course. Now if we could only get Dennis McKiernan to follow.......</I><BR/><BR/>Dennis is still around? Lord, I am completely out of touch...the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-64545286378335687032008-06-15T10:14:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:14:00.000-04:00Holly wrote: Question: would the "eliciting the he...Holly wrote: <I>Question: would the "eliciting the heroine's life story" be a bad thing if A) it's the hero asking, B) he's asking because he seeks an explanation for something very weird about the heroine, which weirdness is also apparent by now to the reader, and C) the reader is familiar with some of it and so the whole thing is not rehashed and D) it's not the whole backstory, just one very important event and its aftereffects. i.e., it actually moves the story along. Does that make sense?</I><BR/><BR/>Absolutely (you are among friends here, Holly, and we all speak Plot, Motivation and Conflict.)<BR/><BR/>I think with this sort of backstory it has to be written in realistic speech to avoid the "As You Know Bob" feel of delivering backstory in conversation. For example, if I were to explain my aversion to horses to you, I'd not apin along yarn or rehash every horse-avoiding incident in my life. Our conversation would probably go something like this:<BR/><BR/>"So, PBW, what is it with you and horses?"<BR/><BR/>"I don't like them. They scare me."<BR/><BR/>"You'd probably get over that if you spent more time around them."<BR/><BR/>"Last time I rode a horse, I was six. It threw me, knocked me out and put me in two casts for eight weeks. Every time I see a horse, I still feel like throwing up. I'm not getting over that."the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-54547916530455492502008-06-15T10:06:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:06:00.000-04:00Darlene wrote: But what if I got my scar during a ...Darlene wrote: <I>But what if I got my scar during a rainstorm, while lightning flashed and I had sex with the son of my father's arch-enemy while Death took Scooby-Do for a walk? Oh wait, sorry that was just a dream.</I><BR/><BR/>Oh, no. You are not allowed to become a literary SF author, Darlene. ;)the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-81925793336363046262008-06-15T10:04:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:04:00.000-04:00Margaret wrote: I'm all for mining our own dreams ...Margaret wrote: <I>I'm all for mining our own dreams for good ideas, and I can totally get behind journaling first thing in the morning. I often spill my dreams into my journal--not to my family members.</I><BR/><BR/>Aside from dreams being boring to everyone else except the person who dreamed them, I think the main problem is that the dream flashback has become a major cliche in fiction, like the character gazing in the mirror or the weather report story opener. Anything everyone does should be avoided at all cost.the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-36996600169298424722008-06-15T10:01:00.000-04:002008-06-15T10:01:00.000-04:00The Frustrated Writer wrote: I absolutely hate the...The Frustrated Writer wrote: <I>I absolutely hate the FLASHBACK to childhood or some other time besides the current story.</I><BR/><BR/>They can become addictive, too -- I used them until I found I'd worked up to about a half dozen different time flashbacks in one book. I didn't like becoming too dependent on them to cover backstory, as it's mostly an avoidance trick, so I've tried to watch myself since then.the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-91101441303065377592008-06-15T09:56:00.000-04:002008-06-15T09:56:00.000-04:00Scarlet wrote: Wow, did you get on this tangent be...Scarlet wrote: <I>Wow, did you get on this tangent because of that comment I sent?</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, I think this one was your fault, Scarlet. :)<BR/><BR/><I>I am a huge fan of reading, as a matter of fact I even finish bad books praying they'll at least end better than the beginning and middle, alas..they end up in the never to be read again, author pile and sent away forever.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm trying to be more forgiving these days -- there is so much pressure on rookie authors that I think it interferes with the writing. I may put aside a first book but go ahead and buy a second or third, which is usually the point when the distractions minimize and a lot of the glam wears off. <BR/><BR/><I>I raed this book once when the hero's were about to be caught, their hiding in the woods under some trees and have sex, right there because...why not make some noise and get caught? Really!</I><BR/><BR/>I think I'm guilty of that one, too, lol.the authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03220786472896283714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-89061137429790645432008-06-14T21:18:00.000-04:002008-06-14T21:18:00.000-04:00The Frustrated Writer said...I absolutely hate the...<I>The Frustrated Writer said...<BR/>I absolutely hate the FLASHBACK to childhood or some other time besides the current story.</I><BR/><BR/>Then how do we explain the flashback to Paris and the dreams of two lovers being shattered in the movie "Casablanca"?J Kylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12314779686835296077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-63380706199588258052008-06-14T10:01:00.000-04:002008-06-14T10:01:00.000-04:00Crap. Number NINE, not number TEN.Remind me to wip...Crap. Number NINE, not number TEN.<BR/><BR/>Remind me to wipe the blood out of my eyes before I try to comment next time, yeah?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-52409976721431215242008-06-14T09:59:00.000-04:002008-06-14T09:59:00.000-04:00I cop to using #10 in my current WIP, a haunted ho...I cop to using #10 in my current WIP, a haunted house story. Except not so much a letter as a nearly-century-old half-page journal entry, a la Stephen King's "Jerusalem's Lot" (from the Night Shift short story collection, not the '<I>Salem's Lot</I> novel.)<BR/><BR/>Huh. Now that I think about it, "Jerusalem's Lot" is basically back-story for <I>'Salem's Lot</I>. Back-story within back-story, like little nesting vampire dolls. NIFTY.<BR/><BR/>After much deliberation and second-guessing and consulting the crit partner who says the entry ups the creep factor exponentially, I had decided to leave it in.<BR/><BR/>Now I get to go back and second-guess some more. But that's okay, 'cause second-guessing is my second-favorite part of revisions, right after banging my head on the keyboard till my eyes bleed.<BR/><BR/>PS - I emailed you two weeks ago to tell you I'd moved my blog. I bet I'm nothing but deleted spam by now. And the cat-lady is my cousin, Edna. She likes your inspy romances, and wants to know when she can expect the next one. :pAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-81798029067319537492008-06-13T17:35:00.000-04:002008-06-13T17:35:00.000-04:00Backstory as dialogue. Do not do this! If you do...Backstory as dialogue. Do not do this! If you do, your magnificent oeuvre will be straight out of my slushbox and into my reject box. That second!<BR/><BR/>(it's okay to have characters refer to backstory obliquely, tho'--at least on Tuesdays)nonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00415222406280230021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-50716322736329346322008-06-13T15:30:00.000-04:002008-06-13T15:30:00.000-04:00And Dreams. Don't start a novel with a dream about...<I>And Dreams. Don't start a novel with a dream about characters that have nothing to do with the MC who'll awake shaken, in sweat soaked sheets in chapter 2 and whine about OMG that nightmare again.</I><BR/><BR/>...actually, if you are Dan Brown, this is the beginning of EVERY book you have ever written, but the protag is waken up by the telephone instead...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-16666515933098958842008-06-13T15:15:00.000-04:002008-06-13T15:15:00.000-04:00What about the over use of an ancient prophecy tha...What about the over use of an ancient prophecy that describes the protag exactly including his/her strange quirks or fondness for corndogs.Big Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04866756029868111330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-18651670240183558442008-06-13T14:48:00.000-04:002008-06-13T14:48:00.000-04:00Is Mindy writing SF/F again? Last I heard, she had...<I>Is Mindy writing SF/F again? Last I heard, she had moved on to chicklit.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't know. I'm still dealing with the scars from her glasswright guild books. If she has moved on...that's a good thing for F/SF. IMO, of course. Now if we could only get Dennis McKiernan to follow.......Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-72470014185448484782008-06-13T13:17:00.000-04:002008-06-13T13:17:00.000-04:00Question: would the "eliciting the heroine's life...Question: would the "eliciting the heroine's life story" be a bad thing if A) it's the hero asking, B) he's asking because he seeks an explanation for something very weird about the heroine, which weirdness is also apparent by now to the reader, and C) the reader is familiar with some of it and so the whole thing is not rehashed and D) it's not the whole backstory, just one very important event and its aftereffects. i.e., it actually moves the story along.<BR/><BR/>Does that make sense?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-11759444134020343962008-06-13T12:46:00.000-04:002008-06-13T12:46:00.000-04:00But what if I got my scar during a rainstorm, whil...But what if I got my scar during a rainstorm, while lightning flashed and I had sex with the son of my father's arch-enemy while Death took Scooby-Do for a walk? Oh wait, sorry that was just a dream.Sofie Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16830230500527705589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-5723703753427694072008-06-13T11:35:00.000-04:002008-06-13T11:35:00.000-04:00I'm all for mining our own dreams for good ideas, ...I'm all for mining our own dreams for good ideas, and I can totally get behind journaling first thing in the morning. I often spill my dreams into my journal--not to my family members. I like them too much. I just don't wanna read them on the novel's page.Margaret Yanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464624057491288244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-89692762189411077902008-06-13T11:28:00.000-04:002008-06-13T11:28:00.000-04:00I absolutely hate the FLASHBACK to childhood or so...I absolutely hate the FLASHBACK to childhood or some other time besides the current story.The Writer Chichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00133217217309433362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343238.post-81771707669356469952008-06-13T11:14:00.000-04:002008-06-13T11:14:00.000-04:00Wow, did you get on this tangent because of that c...Wow, did you get on this tangent because of that comment I sent? I am a huge fan of reading, as a matter of fact I even finish bad books praying they'll at least end better than the beginning and middle, alas..they end up in the never to be read again, author pile and sent away forever. Lynn covered the rest I think. I raed this book once when the hero's were about to be caught, their hiding in the woods under some trees and have sex, right there because...why not make some noise and get caught? Really!jbfxfezkScarlethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17484355581279730903noreply@blogger.com