Comments on: Superhero Nation’s Exam for Novelists

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:56:19 +0000

Hmm. I think that an unusual framing device (like using a series of letters or e-mails or whatever) would help alleviate the issues raised by having many POVs. I think there’d still be some concern that it’s difficult to do many POVs well, and that if some of the characters are less interesting, it will distract the story from the ones that the readers want to learn more about.

If the chapter starts out as a diary entry by Susan, I’d recommend closing it out that way unless there’s a good reason to compile multiple entries by different people into a single chapter. (For example, if there’s a point where many eyewitnesses saw a criminal pull out a gun, you might use excerpts from their statements to police to help readers see the discrepancies).

By: YonTroper

YonTroper — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:37:44 +0000

I was wondering about questions 1 and 2.

See, I was thinking of doing my book as an epistolary novel; i.e. told as a series of documents such as diary entries, newspaper reports, letters, etc. (Think Carrie or The Colour Purple for an example.) Since the book is about a journalist ghostwriting the autobiography of a recently dead superhero, I thought doing it like this might add a sort of investigative-journalism feel (not the best way to put it, but there you go), and show different points of view without having to do a complete switch in POV every time. What do you think about this?

By: The ReTARDISed Whovian

The ReTARDISed Whovian — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:09:21 +0000

Thanks! Yeah, this particular idea is more aimed at girls between thirteen and seventeen, but I guess guys would like it too for the fighting and stuff. You men with your violence. Haha, kidding.

I wrote one line which the main guy says:

“It’s not in your best interest to be so direct.”

Is that the kind of language I should be using?

“How many teens and pre-teens do you know that have willingly read a Shakespearean play for fun?”

One of my friends does, but other than him, no one. Haha.

Thanks!

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:16:54 +0000

If your audience is mostly younger than 18, I would recommend against making them sound like characters in a Shakespearean play.

You can add some Elizabethan flourishes, but generally I’d recommend making them sound formal and easy to understand. If you’re writing for teens and pre-teens, comprehensibility is particularly critical. How many teens and pre-teens do you know that have willingly read a Shakespearean play for fun?

I would highly recommend against making them sound very modern and informal (“get over it,” for example). I suspect that it would raise questions among publishers about the author’s grasp of language. Also, if the characters sound and act as though they are living in the 21st century, what’s the point in going back to the 16th century?

By: The ReTARDISed Whovian

The ReTARDISed Whovian — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:53:37 +0000

“Do characters use insufferably stilted language like “Is it not?” This may be the most serious single problem in this list.”

So, by extension, is it okay to use modern language in a book that’s set partially in the past? I want to write a book that flashes back to the time of Henry VIII’s reign, but I’m not sure if I should have the characters saying “whatever” and “get over it”. Butte on the other hande, I’m notte welle versede in Shakespeare speake. Haha. E.

Would it be better to use modern language and just explain it away as a rough translation of their actual words, or to learn me some Olde Englishe? Thanks!

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:02:59 +0000

I’d replace “how gullible you are” with “how easy it is to get your hopes up.” Funny concept, though.

By: Holliequ

Holliequ — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:51:34 +0000

Superhero Question #2, “Does anyone say “But before I kill you, there’s just one thing I want to know?” ” inspired the following exchange in my head.

Villain: (holding a gun to the hero’s head) But before I kill you, there’s just one thing I want to know.
Hero: (starts reaching for a gadget/weapon) What’s that?
(The villain shoots the hero.)
Villain: How gullible you are.

On second thoughts, gullible doesn’t really work, does it? Perhaps stupid would fit . . .

By: C. S. Marlowe

C. S. Marlowe — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:23:27 +0000

The section on fantasy is a godsend. One day, I would like to write a fantasy story set in another world, but I really don’t want it to have a McGuffin plot, any Chosen Ones, standard LOTR tropes, or any names like ‘Raven Moonsinger.’ That was the sort of thing I was writing three or four years ago when I was a newbie, but unfortunately, I remember those stories with such a colossal flinch of horror that it always makes me veer away from medieval fantasy settings completely. Eh… mebbe one day.

By: Brett

Brett — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:41:36 +0000

Intelligent, mature, slightly quirky, and a kick-butt fighter. Thanks, I see your point.

By: B. Mac

B. Mac — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:01:23 +0000

I think the irony might be more surprising if it were a character that were more central. For example, I’m thinking Amorelia looks like a ditzy elven princess and then turns out to be a _______.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:29:51 +0000

Thanks RB. I’ll be careful.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:28:42 +0000

See Numbuh 3 of the Kids Next Door. Except, Kira isn’t anywhere near that air-headed.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:28:01 +0000

I just thought it would be a fun bit of irony if during one of the battles the sweet, innocent friend is revealed to be a savage warrior. Just my sense of humor really.

By: Ragged Boy

Ragged Boy — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:27:26 +0000

Pushing people to their limits using loved ones, is very classic Joker. It’s actually Jokers main plan in The Killing Joke to make Commisioner Gordon go insane by attacking his loved ones. It’s almost too classic joker, be sure that readers don’t pick up on that.

By: Holliequ

Holliequ — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:52:43 +0000

I don’t like that idea (about Amorelia and more muscular guys). Even though WE don’t know her, it suggests Alex is chasing after somebody shallow. It’s hard to sympathise with a character’s ill-fortunes in romance when we know it’s not going to work. Also, your readers might get confused if you portray Amorelia as potentially shallow and then she isn’t. There are other ways to show that Edmond is a strong contender for Amorelia’s affections.

I don’t have much of an opinion on this revelation about Kira. Does it really add anything?