McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Tools for Writers
Starbeam:
--- Quote from: LDWriter2 on June 27, 2012, 04:56:56 PM ---Thanks MClark
I wouldn't have recognized the S from Farscape, I've only seen one episode. And I don't recall ever seeing the sonic screwdriver up close like that. Oh well.
But I believe the Enterprise is the Original one. That is a standard drawing of it.
--- End quote ---
The sonic screwdriver for the i has the Stargate as the dot.
Paynesgrey:
;D
Back on the topic of Tools For Writers...
http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/
I'd like to suggest everyone read (or re-read) Jim's livejournal on writing. I know everyone has a different style, different thought process, etc...
But I've found that what he says works.
I'd read the entries as they came out, and hadn't given them much thought until I started working on a totally original story recently. And I sat down again and sloooowly read them over, thought about my work, the things that just didn't feel right (write?), the bits that clomped instead of singing, or why this or that just didn't carry the weight I wanted it to. And there was much palm unto the face, and much speaking of "Oh, shit! That's what's missing!"
Those livejournal entries have given me a great deal of food for thought, and tools for analyzing (and correcting) some of the more blatant rough spots in my project. Things were wrong, or maybe just not quite right, but I didn't know what I was missing.
Give it a read. Think about what the man's saying, and think about the things in your work that are giving you trouble. You fix even one rough patch, one bit that didn't sing the story in your head, and you'll find your motivation surge like a fat man's cholesterol at oktoberfest. Or the 4th of July. Or Thanksgiving. Or whatever holiday involves nommy food people who don't want to die shouldn't eat.
You get the picture.
Starbeam:
I've printed 'em out and keep 'em in a binder for easy reference. Reminds me, I should add the one from Nov. It's also what gave me the idea to make this--
Although I haven't updated the cards in a really long time. That's still from the first craptacular draft. Probably update it once I finish this draft-easy to move things around and find the subplots, then.
Winter_Knight:
On Compelling Realities:
I have often been called a 'knowledgeable' person, because if I don't know something, I dig into it. However, there is a fine line between being 'knowledgeable' and being educated. Many times I have hit walls creating a believable reality due to the fact I have lived a very sheltered (not easy, mind you) existence. I have spent most of my life in a rural Wyoming area.
So my question is; if a writer is ignorant of certain facts, where does one go to make their realities as believable as possible? What resources do writers who don't know use to know? One of the things I like about Dresden is that Mr. Butcher sets a very convincing background in Chicagoland. He conveys a myriad of nuanced details that gives you the distinct impression he's spent a lot of time there. How can I write, say, a murder mystery in New York, if I've never been there before? And have it ring of the nuanced information Mr. butcher presents in Chicago to provide the best read for the audience; particularly those living in Chicago who are in the know. So say, if I try to say the Adirondacks has Redwoods, and they don't, then anyone reading my work in New York knows I've never been there before. (I'm not working on this, but it's a scenario.)
Obviously, one can use field guides for much of the fauna and foliage, but what about actually seeing and knowing the place? What about street locations and buildings associated with them? (I assure you Google Maps isn't the best option; I googled our town and the images are over a decade old. :O)
In other words; what resources have helped many of you when faced with this sometimes seemingly insurmountable dilemmas?
LDWriter2:
--- Quote from: Winter_Knight on July 02, 2012, 03:14:16 AM ---On Compelling Realities:
I have often been called a 'knowledgeable' person, because if I don't know something, I dig into it. However, there is a fine line between being 'knowledgeable' and being educated. Many times I have hit walls creating a believable reality due to the fact I have lived a very sheltered (not easy, mind you) existence. I have spent most of my life in a rural Wyoming area.
So my question is; if a writer is ignorant of certain facts, where does one go to make their realities as believable as possible? What resources do writers who don't know use to know? One of the things I like about Dresden is that Mr. Butcher sets a very convincing background in Chicagoland. He conveys a myriad of nuanced details that gives you the distinct impression he's spent a lot of time there. How can I write, say, a murder mystery in New York, if I've never been there before? And have it ring of the nuanced information Mr. butcher presents in Chicago to provide the best read for the audience; particularly those living in Chicago who are in the know. So say, if I try to say the Adirondacks has Redwoods, and they don't, then anyone reading my work in New York knows I've never been there before. (I'm not working on this, but it's a scenario.)
Obviously, one can use field guides for much of the fauna and foliage, but what about actually seeing and knowing the place? What about street locations and buildings associated with them? (I assure you Google Maps isn't the best option; I googled our town and the images are over a decade old. :O)
In other words; what resources have helped many of you when faced with this sometimes seemingly insurmountable dilemmas?
--- End quote ---
That is a good question. A novel I just finished revising takes place in Boulder, Colorado. I never been to Colorado much less Boulder. So I asked on a different writing forum I belong to and found someone who lives there who was dealing to share and put up with my questions. And since this is fiction I made up a few things. Like a certain Hotdog Palace and apartment complexes. But I put in real highways, clubs and such. Another novel takes place where I live. So I am putting in places, roads, highways, ranch areas that are real. But I also included a couple of made up dance clubs. I know there a few here but I'm not involved with dance scene here or anywhere.
Laura Resnick has studied New York and put in a few things that are real but added an off broadway theater and local characters.
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