tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post7017448340773007018..comments2023-10-31T10:59:03.023-04:00Comments on INKSPOT Crime Fiction Blog | A Place for Mystery, Mayhem, Writing and Life: Go deep, or go homeLinda O. Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512430135042480450noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-57074692679865946502007-09-25T21:25:00.000-04:002007-09-25T21:25:00.000-04:00I second Spyscribbler's "Amen" and everyone else's...I second Spyscribbler's "Amen" and everyone else's focus on character. Be bold and brave with your choices with your CHARACTERS. <BR/><BR/>Give your characters glorious incongruities.<BR/><BR/>When was the last time you surprised yourself with your OWN writing?<BR/><BR/>As you all might be guessing, I'm struggling through my own second (third, fourteenth?) draft and I'm questioning everything. It's my process. Sorry to inflict my self-flagellation on you all.Mark Combeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01270361794228887282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-76749612132260474742007-09-25T20:43:00.000-04:002007-09-25T20:43:00.000-04:00Amen.Amen.Spy Scribblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14299551957327543491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-51044247856374895962007-09-25T20:20:00.000-04:002007-09-25T20:20:00.000-04:00To build a successful series, I think you have to ...To build a successful series, I think you have to have characters that are sustainable. They must be flawed, human, fallible. <BR/><BR/>A plot is a plot is a plot. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. A character, however, has motivation, jealousy, secrets harbored, a quest to make things right or wrong, fear, humor, humility, ethics or lack thereof.<BR/><BR/>That's the "go deep" that sells books.Felicia Donovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03556232226152556397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-10531598856679157932007-09-25T14:19:00.000-04:002007-09-25T14:19:00.000-04:00GM and Sue Ann~The question is more rhetorical tha...GM and Sue Ann~<BR/><BR/>The question is more rhetorical than pointed. Question everything you put down on paper. Can you make it better? What if the OPPOSITE happened instead? How does that change the story? Better? Worse? Writing is a conscious thing - not random words spread across the page. Be brave in your choices. Walk to the edge, look down. Then step off into the abyss...Mark Combeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01270361794228887282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-63935516179267738642007-09-25T10:44:00.000-04:002007-09-25T10:44:00.000-04:00Great post, Mark. And a challenge to us all, thoug...Great post, Mark. And a challenge to us all, though I agree with g.m. that some authors mistake shock value for creative originality. To me, it's not how the victim was killed, but why; it's about the people, not the method. Mark T. hit the nail on the head with the "emotional core" of the story. That's where we need to dig.Sue Ann Jaffarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09984054116933714621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-51143159903774071012007-09-25T08:47:00.000-04:002007-09-25T08:47:00.000-04:00Sometimes I think this means, dig deeper to find t...Sometimes I think this means, dig deeper to find the emotional core of your story.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-33997750529299811192007-09-25T08:29:00.000-04:002007-09-25T08:29:00.000-04:00I dunno, Mark. That second photo looks pretty mach...I dunno, Mark. That second photo looks pretty macho to me. <BR/><BR/>I don't think I'm playing it safe, tho. Even writing "traditional cozies," I find there are a lot of ways to just have fun with a genre that one might think has been done to pieces already.<BR/><BR/>I do see writers trying too hard to be original, which can be much worse. Authors who seem to focus on coming up with new and awful ways to kill people, for example - this is not my idea of original writing.G.M. Malliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805971625496094303noreply@blogger.com