Thursday, too early

kateelliott has been posting a series of wonderful discussions entitled "Advice for the first-time sff novelist" that should probably be bound into a chapbook and handed out at cons.

Part the First

2

3

4

5

6

7

Proof that sometimes it really is in the air: this post from wyrdsmiths writer Kelly McCullough turned up at about the time I was pondering the snippet from GIDEON that I posted the other day. It's preceded by about a page, page and a half of scene-setting. Cairn is eating in her car. She offers Koenig part of her sandwich, and he rejects it. I describe Koenig's appearance. Cairn decides to take Koenig for a walk before hitting the road. She clips on his leash and locks the car, taking comfort in the sounds of the locks--this is the first hint that something may be amiss in her life. She leads Koenig through the parking lot, checking out vehicles along the way to see if any look familiar. Hint the second. Then come the paragraph I posted. She feels as though she has a target painted n her back. Hint the third.

But. It all still strikes me as a little slow. I'm wondering if I can take Kelly's advice and start the scene later, namely, with the section I posted. Koenig's description is the only bit of info lost, and I can insert that.

But the Second--this scene starts Chapter 3, which comes after--wait for it--Chapter 2, in which harrowing things occurred. So is a little bit of reader downtime a bad thing, given that I will be racheting things up again within a couple more pages?

Decisions...

Thursday, too early

kateelliott has been posting a series of wonderful discussions entitled "Advice for the first-time sff novelist" that should probably be bound into a chapbook and handed out at cons.

Part the First

2

3

4

5

6

7

Proof that sometimes it really is in the air: this post from wyrdsmiths writer Kelly McCullough turned up at about the time I was pondering the snippet from GIDEON that I posted the other day. It's preceded by about a page, page and a half of scene-setting. Cairn is eating in her car. She offers Koenig part of her sandwich, and he rejects it. I describe Koenig's appearance. Cairn decides to take Koenig for a walk before hitting the road. She clips on his leash and locks the car, taking comfort in the sounds of the locks--this is the first hint that something may be amiss in her life. She leads Koenig through the parking lot, checking out vehicles along the way to see if any look familiar. Hint the second. Then come the paragraph I posted. She feels as though she has a target painted n her back. Hint the third.

But. It all still strikes me as a little slow. I'm wondering if I can take Kelly's advice and start the scene later, namely, with the section I posted. Koenig's description is the only bit of info lost, and I can insert that.

But the Second--this scene starts Chapter 3, which comes after--wait for it--Chapter 2, in which harrowing things occurred. So is a little bit of reader downtime a bad thing, given that I will be racheting things up again within a couple more pages?

Decisions...

left or right-brain?

Weird.

I initially saw counter-clockwise movement, which means I am a left-brained monkey. I was able to reverse perception and see the dancer as rotating clockwise, if I stared at her feet long enough.

maybe I'm both left and right brained, would would mean that there's one more aspect of my life where I am planted firmly atop the fence.

left or right-brain?

Weird.

I initially saw counter-clockwise movement, which means I am a left-brained monkey. I was able to reverse perception and see the dancer as rotating clockwise, if I stared at her feet long enough.

maybe I'm both left and right brained, would would mean that there's one more aspect of my life where I am planted firmly atop the fence.