[Fan Fiction] Random Editorials: 2/29: "Kill the Sheriff in the First Paragraph"

Question, ACT...

Did you have trouble writing for Schwartzwald at all? I note that you didn't have him come back until very late in the "season," and that even then he only got a few scenes and very little dialogue.

Plus I felt a little cheesed when Big Duo made his (brief) appearence.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Starluck Question, ACT... Did you have trouble writing for Schwartzwald at all? I note that you didn't have him come back until very late in the "season," and that even then he only got a few scenes and very little dialogue. Plus I felt a little cheesed when Big Duo made his (brief) appearence.

I have trouble writing about crazy people, especially half-crazed people. Completely crazed people aren't so bad. So Schwarzwald was right in the middle of the range where I find it most difficult to work. People who are volatile, semi-out-of-control jerks, like Beck, are a great pleasure to work with, but maniacs leave me cold. For the same reason, Alan Gabriel will probably never make an appearance in my fan fiction. He's just too hard for me to work with.

There seem to be three phases in a writer's career:
1. Read a lot
2. Write
3. Read about writing
Repeat as desired.

Once I had written a little bit of fiction for Big O, I wanted to get better at it. So I checked out some books at my local library, and waded in. One thing I discovered early on is that many of these books overlapped, but didn't quite cover the same ground. Here's four I think would be good for anyone interested in writing:

Telling Lies for Fun and Profit, Lawrence Block. This is a collection of articles originally published in Writer's Digest. It covers a bunch of topics, some of more use than others.

Characters & Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card. This book is well worth reading so you can conciously keep in mind how you want your work to be presented. I particularly liked the brainstorming session on pp. 17-20 where he and a fourth-grade class came up with an idea for a story -- protagonist, problem and plot.

The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells, Ben Bova. This takes a craftsman's view of writing with the idea that many stories are scuttled not due to lousy ideas or inept artistry, but because the writer was not quite able to build the story from his materials. He uses short stories as examples of character, background, conflict and plot.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Browne and Dave King. This is the one book every writer ought to read. It has straightforward advice on how to correct the problems that seem to plague writers -- wandering viewpoint, overly-verdant dialog, chameleon-like characters and lead-footed plot. The reading list in the back of the book is worth the price of admission by itself.

This list is far from exhaustive, but it has been of help to me.

Pygmalion

quote:

Originally posted by Pygmalion There seem to be three phases in a writer's career: 1. Read a lot 2. Write 3. Read about writing Repeat as desired. Once I had written a little bit of fiction for Big O, I wanted to get better at it. So I checked out some books at my local library, and waded in. One thing I discovered early on is that many of these books overlapped, but didn't quite cover the same ground....

I agree with this! I mean, I read stuff on writing and the authors say "read Read READ!"

And I also say that your local library is the best place to find books! (For one, its cheaper! and two, its local). Unfortunately, these books tend to be stolen. (Among other book subjects ). Also, don't be afraid to ask your librarian for help. They are trained people who are supposed to find what you are looking for (or at least try to) and also, depending on the county system, you might be able to have books from other libraries [in the county] sent in. Actually, you can have state wide libraries send stuff in. This is often much cheaper as the book you pick up may have cost up to $50 or more! So, instead of wasting that money and finding out its worthless, you save yourself $50.

To add to the read, read, read, I'll also add that you might want to check out your library's book sale. Or even their lobby booksales (some libraries do this where you pay 25 cents for a paper back, 50 cents for hardcover). This is an excellent and cheap way to pick up some good books. I'm constantly picking up classics and other various books that I think I should have or ones that I was looking for (I pick most of them up for free due to my connection to the library).

Lastly, don't think libraries are only a home for books! Sure, some counties might be stingy in the stuff they carry (the one I live in has a bad selection of stuff, but the one I grew up using has a lovely collection of stuff!) but they have other media as well! Try DVDs (from feature films to foreign to ANIME!), Videos, Music CDs (from classical to Rap), magazines, and other media like electronic books and videos games. Libraries are a great source of help, though they are underestimated greatly.

And in closing: Volunteer at your library! You could learn some new things and pick up some new ideas! (Besides, they need all the *coughgoodcough* help they can get with lack of funds and budget cuts [in my state, libraries make up 1% of the education budget and were cut the most at about 50%] and people's expectations)

Hm...this is a bit off track, but I LOVE my library. (Plus its Library Lover's month!) Besides, writers tend to use their local libraries, so if you haven't gone, DO SO SOON! Library cards are free keys to knowledge!

Later,
Pen1300

One of my favorite rules of writing is, "Kill the sheriff in the first paragraph."

What it means is, start the ball rolling with some real action -- action that calls for more action, and still more action.

I often violate this rule in my own work -- it's not written in stone -- but I never forget about it.

Everything is easier and more interesting if stuff is going on in the story. Important stuff. Urgent stuff. If you set up a situation that cries out for action, the characters start DOING THINGS. Then all you have to do is follow them around and write what happens.

If you open the scene with everything at a dead stop -- for example, with your viewpoint character waking up in the morning -- you're making your life as difficult for yourself as you possibly can.

For example, which opening paragraph do you think it would be more interesting to your readers (and to yourself):

"Roger woke slowly to the sounds of his favorite piano music."

or

"Upon waking, Roger was first aware of the throbbing in his head, then the numbness in his hands. The ropes, gag, and blindfold all vied for third place."

It's fun to open stories with some kind of bombshell. I also like the opening paragraph:

"Hey, Roger," said Dastun, "remember that Alan Gabriel character? Well, the word on the street is, he's still alive."

Sometimes an opening paragraph is so good that no story can be found to match it. I've been trying for years to find a decent story to follow this paragraph:

"I was riding down the old high road when I came up on a ventriloquist and his dummy dangling from a tree. The dummy was still gasping, but the ventriloquist was done for."

quote:

"I was riding down the old high road when I came up on a ventriloquist and his dummy dangling from a tree. The dummy was still gasping, but the ventriloquist was done for."

I see something leading the main character to a circus. Say he's a private detective on his way to the office, riding down the "old high road" when he came upon this odd sight. Then you could end up having a very twisted story that revolves around a carnival or circus (and the bearded lady has an interest in the detective)...or even something really out of wack. Of course...it could be a metaphor to something.

I like your suggestion. I've been wondering lately in my own personal works if my openings were odd. I would say:

"Roger awoke to the soft rhythms of the piano." Would be more of an opener if you want to have a story lead from normal to out there. Actually, now that I look at it, it would be a very good closing sentence.

Now I want to know why Roger was gagged! (Hence the opener worked)

Also, from reading writing books: openings with dialoge is a good start(teachers liked that) and opening with some action is good too. Even if you are presented with a somewhat normal situation leading to something totally fantasy.

Keep up the good work and tips!
(Maybe I should sticky this....)
Later,
Pen1300

Yeah, I was pretty much told that to get the reader's attention, you have to grab it with something - either action, dialogue, or a situation that makes the reader ask 'Well, why are they doing that?'

I find myself frequently not doing this (might be why I'm still unpublished), although I do open with dialogue at times. I suppose it's laziness. I went through my two KC novels (one finished, the other just begun) and found only one example of the above rule in the prologue of the campanion novel:

Luciano Marini calmly smoked a cigarette while bullets whizzed over his head.

Now that I made absolutely no sense, I'm going back to trying to find a career that doesn't rely on my writing.

I've seen this opening called "Into the Pot, Already Boiling." It can be a good dramatic way to open a story, but it is not necessarily the best way.

One I like is the brief view of normalcy before the "sheriff is shot." This sets the background and adds a little tension to the story -- will things return to the way they were at the beginning after the conflict is resolved, or will things change?

Pygmalion

quote:

Originally posted by Lady Tesser Yeah, I was pretty much told that to get the reader's attention, you have to grab it with something - either action, dialogue, or a situation that makes the reader ask 'Well, why are they doing that?' I find myself frequently not doing this (might be why I'm still unpublished), although I do open with dialogue at times. I suppose it's laziness. I went through my two KC novels (one finished, the other just begun) and found only one example of the above rule in the prologue of the campanion novel: Luciano Marini calmly smoked a cigarette while bullets whizzed over his head. Now that I made absolutely no sense, I'm going back to trying to find a career that doesn't rely on my writing.

Now, I've never sold any fiction, either, though I've progressed to the point where I always get nice rejection notes.

I almost always start with an idea in mind that's just a situation (like Roger waking up bound and gagged), as opposed to an actual plot. That is, I only have a scene -- more likely just an image -- rather than a connected series of events.

This often makes a good start for a story, but just as often, it doesn't. But I usually start writing from there, and write any necessary preliminaries later. Starting with a domestic scene in the penthouse of Smith Manor just defers the point where I need to come up with the episode's main conflict. Sometimes I did that (it's much easier to write drawing-room dialog than to come up with a good crisis), but I did better if I had SOME element of the main conflict in mind before I started writing.

The "bullets whizzed over his head" opening is great! I like Luciano already, and am fully prepared for him to be a likable ruthless bastard rather than a Dudley Do-Right type.

There's been an upsurge in writing posted here, so I thought I'd bring this thread up again and add a bit more.

One book I think any writer should keep handy is The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. It's a short book, but don't be deceived; there's a lot of meat to it. It's also been in print for decades, so you should be able to find a copy used or at your library.

Pygmalion