Please Could I Have Some Advice On Writingg etc

[Yisselda]

I would like to have some advice on writing my books. I must fit a lot of charcters in fittingly and they must interact with people from the other books, I can do it, but it needs a lot of fine tuning.I am torn a little as to what goes where, how much should one put in to make it relavanty to the series but not too scanty? Do i have write things twice? Or would it be wise to tayler each sections to each books, Make them same but a little different for each to link properly? Or the same and link.


I would like know how much swearing you can include without it being silly, like just say*and he swore the paper off the walls* or ******************** twats* or full on swearings? I dont want it unacessable to the delicatte or young or to wussy. I mean soldiers are hardly suger tonged are they. None of its deviant or yuccky! No nastiness! But there is all types of stuff in infinatlly !!!!! I have smoking drugs drinkingg and sex etc

Sex scenes. I How does one do them without being silly? No graphics or stuff. But sometimes it is nesessary and how does one write such stuff without it being pornos? Would one use slang vernacularr or proper terminology? Nothing like * and they fucked each other senseless and ecstatic!* I saw some good scenes in Bid Time Return AKA Somewhere in time, subtle but sexy. I dont want an embarassing book!!!!! It makes y9ou wanna puke when you see or read bad sex scenes!Ugh the Matrix, unessesary and stupid and sexless!

What of mentioning brands etc? True feelingss and accuraccy and sense and a few subtle changes i think!

Ive got a wicked cool Phseudonym!!!!!

[Typhoid_Mary]

As with all things, it's all down to the atmosphere you are trying to create, the point of view you are writing from, the kind of reaction you are hoping to provoke etc.

Regarding swearing, if it's set in in the present day it's probably best to go with the full-on swearing. Unless you are writing a children's story, of course. :) If your story is set in the past or in a fantasy setting, swearing can often seem quite out of place. In those circumstances it's sometimes better to leave the profanity out and just describe the reaction.

Sex scenes are often difficult to write and painful to read. Again, the approach would be dictated by the reaction you are hoping to provoke. Personally, I prefer to draw a veil over all that sort of naughty business and leave it to the readers imagination. I think you can imply a lot without describing everything that takes place. Personally, I think the sex scenes that Mr Moorcock (I don't feel comfortable calling him Mike!) writes are particularly tastefully executed. I'd aim to write something like that.

I've always felt that the best writers and directors, have a way of making you experience conflicting emotions, like excitement and disgust. The conflict often forces you to examine your own responses in a way that you wouldn't normally do. I think it's a tremendously difficult thing to do, but well worth trying!

Uh, I think I've gone well off-topic now. Well, just some (hopefully useful) advice from one aspiring author to another.

[Yisselda]

Thanks for the advice! So your a aspiringg writer too then! Cool. I read in the riven codex by david eddings, that you have to be extremly confidant and act like your the bomb!, the man! the best! In short you cant write or submit work to publishers without a extreme confidence in your work and your talent and yourselff! If someone had said be humble be criticall id have said bullsshitt. That gets you no were.

The sex scenes that are good are those sujesting or subtle or just, and they went to the bedroom. But some like charcters that transform and stuff and sleep with thier male/ female for the first time since, that is were i think there should be scenes.It gives me the shudders when theyre bad.I cant think of a man the same after seeing too much of him or reading too much of him! Not nice. Its like Clothed semi clothed, hunk. Sex scenes and no clothes, hunk but ugh!!!!!

I want my books to be to like films all cool and great! I also want ot do comics,toyss games films tv art medias etc Im also woking on a Yu GI Oh style series, with a cool launched rings and weapons etc Sayin no more on that someone might get ideas!

[Yisselda]

Ok some questions. Dont be sick i cant face looking them up on the internett, too gross. I can face piercings, maybe.

If one has a piercing anywere , does it exude stuff, like ears do? Do you have to wash it and keep it clean, and wipe the stuff off and turn it?
Does it close up if you take it out?

If a man is missing a hand or fingers or arm does it exude stuff ? Does it look like normal skin after a while?Do they have to clean the wound?
If he is missing an eyeball , does the fluid that makes the eye move round still appear? Do they cry? Do they have to clean it etc?
If they are blinded but the eye is intact, but no retina or just blinded. do they cry, have to clean it etc?

[gaynor]

Try reading Eric Van Lustbader for a picture of how to incorporate sex organically into the story. It often, being such an extreme statement, shows the inconsistencies in an author, causing the reader to think it unnecessary when poorly written. That is to say more information than needed to convey what you want to say regarding the reality of the relationship, true to the characters you have in mind. But otherwise, by all means, as with Jerry Cornelius+Una+Catherine or Karl+Monica, if your point is the reality of sex, treat it as any other subject. Remember though, the reader is going to draw conclusions from what you write not from what you had in mind.

[Anonymous]

Re: Please Could I Have Some Advice On Writingg etc

I would like to have some advice on writing my books. I must fit a lot of charcters in fittingly and they must interact with people from the other books, I can do it, but it needs a lot of fine tuning.I am torn a little as to what goes where, how much should one put in to make it relavanty to the series but not too scanty? Do i have write things twice? Or would it be wise to tayler each sections to each books, Make them same but a little different for each to link properly? Or the same and link

Don't keep reiterating previous events, except as needed, and then do it via a quick summary, as in "Sgt. Green recalled in vivid detail the events of the previous evening. He told the Captain of how they had come under fire out in the bush, and how Melendez had went howling to his death with an M60 in one hand and a grenade in the other."

As far as what to put where in a series, I would think you have to put things where they make sense. Stephen King says that books that write themselves should end themselves, so if you get to a natural ending point for volume one, leave the sad strange tale of Mable Masterson for volume 2.

I would like know how much swearing you can include without it being silly, like just say*and he swore the paper off the walls* or ******************** twats* or full on swearings? I dont want it unacessable to the delicatte or young or to wussy. I mean soldiers are hardly suger tonged are they. None of its deviant or yuccky! No nastiness! But there is all types of stuff in infinatlly !!!!! I have smoking drugs drinkingg and sex etc

I've read that editors use the "five fuck" rule, in other words, if they get to the fifth "fuck", they stop reading. find more imaginative ways for the characters to express themselves, unless it is absolutely required. Most of the swearing can be implied. It is kind of like writing in a specific dialect (like Southern drawl). You should put in just enough "color" to give the readers the gist of how the character talks, but you shouldn't make the dialogue unreadable (unless it is for comedic effect or something). Swearing is a weak mind making a strong argument.

Sex scenes. I How does one do them without being silly? No graphics or stuff. But sometimes it is nesessary and how does one write such stuff without it being pornos? Would one use slang vernacularr or proper terminology? Nothing like * and they fucked each other senseless and ecstatic!* I saw some good scenes in Bid Time Return AKA Somewhere in time, subtle but sexy. I dont want an embarassing book!!!!! It makes y9ou wanna puke when you see or read bad sex scenes!Ugh the Matrix, unessesary and stupid and sexless!

Well, avoid purple prose like "he thrust his erect member into her yawning blah blah" unless you are writing a cheesy romance novel. Clive Barker is worth a look because he has written both brilliant and terrible sex scenes. Basically, if you laugh after reading it, redo the scene. You aren't writing porno, so unless a graphic description adds something to the story or character (perhaps a detailed description of a joyless, robotic sexual encounter parallels the joyless, robotic life of the main character or something), leave it out.

What of mentioning brands etc? True feelingss and accuraccy and sense and a few subtle changes i think!

Ive got a wicked cool Phseudonym!!!!

Does the brand name have a reason for being, or would a generic tag suffice?

"Bill ordered a beer and sat down next to the gorgeous blonde."

we know Bill likes to have a beer. The brand doesn't matter because it is not the point. We will probably want to know what happens next with the blonde and forget the beer.

"Bill ordered an ice cold Coors Lite and sat down next to the gorgeous blonde."

Now some of us might pause and think "okay, so what kind of guy likes coors lite?" Maybe, maybe not, but I would say that if it doesn't add anything, don't use it. Modern day writers usually refer to specific brands when they are making a point about the tryanny of consumerism or some such. If you aren't doing that, I say have Bill order a beer and then tell us about that blonde.

I'm not really a writer (more of a wannabe), but I do read all the time, and I think I can generally tell what is good writing and what is not. Throwing in a bunch of brand names and swear words is going to smack of filler unless you have a specific reason for including them.

[Yisselda]

DL THANKS A LOT! GREAT ADVICE! Youd make a great auther!

Do you know anything about piercings etc
Injuries? Re the lasr message i posted here.

I figure that if the sexs the story put it in, if not gloss over it.

How much of a story reflects the auther, do you think?
I think mine will be themselves as destiny wrote them.
Too much of me would be wrong.

I think the muses got really busy with JK Rowlings first 3 books and slowed down later.She must have been near possessed when writing 123 and less 45. Hence the massive lapse in writing time!

[Pellaz]

Piercings DO close up after a while; the length of time varies depending on the location. And they have to be kept fairly clean. They don't normally 'ooze' unless something's wrong. (No, I have zero piercings but a lot of friends who have 'em. :))

I'll add a bit to what others have said about swearing, sex scenes and trademarks.

Swearing.... A good writer can get by without having his characters swear much, and thinking about it, most of the best fantasy I've read has either zero or very limited swearing. I'm just finishing the second book in Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series and she generally has no characters swear...except for sailors on ships. This worked well to establish them as, well, sailors...and a bit different from the others. :D

If you decide to include swearing from characters, limit it to scenes where swearing would be expected from a character ("Holy shit! I'm being shot at!") and contributes to the mood by surprising the reader. ("Wow, this character hasn't sworn before, he must REALLY be scared.") This is the approach Storm Constantine uses in her Wraeththu series-- which is where my nickname and avatar comes from. When one of her characters swears, you know something's up!

A rare exception to this is George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice Series, where the characters swear more than any other fantasy I think I've ever read.....but the setting is more gritty and realistic than most contemporary fantasy, and it "works" in Martin's universe.

As for sex scenes, unless the act itself is a crucial part of the plot, just hint at it off-camera. Writers will use a phrase like "Then we turned out the lights, and we didn't think much for the next hour" to convey the meaning without getting too deep into describing it. Storm C. uses both approaches, because there are times in her books where intercourse plays a crucial role...and there are times when it's no big deal.

Trademarks......never use them as the narrator. But, there are times when a character will need to use a trademark within dialogue. When was the last time you heard someone ask for a "diet soda" at a restaurant? "I'll have a Coke." And, while a character may ask for "a beer," they can also say "Pour me a Bud," and -- in American bars, anyway -- no-one would twitch an eyebrow. Similarly, "Bill, pass me one of those generic cotton swabs" just doesn't sound right, whereas "Bill, pass me a Q-Tip" sounds better. :)

Just remember to capitalize the trademark name, always.

One of the best ways of learning how to write is...to read! The more fiction you read, the more "rubs off" on you...through osmosis. Spelling, usage, grammar and dialogue rules.... Although kids are taught basic writing in school, very few schools teach fiction writing -- novels and short-stories. A shame, but by and large, you have to fend for yourself.

[Yisselda]

Cool , Thanks a lot!

What i know about piercings sre this.

Tongues dont close up
From my 4 piercings in each ear. They oozer stuff and close up in a short time and you turn them. What is the same with others?