tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post2380075525309207607..comments2023-08-01T10:07:29.695-04:00Comments on Gail Carson Levine: Legendary backstoryGail Carson Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-14177283775804370842013-08-20T10:50:25.624-04:002013-08-20T10:50:25.624-04:00Well, no two people, no matter if their twins or a...Well, no two people, no matter if their twins or anything, ever look exactly alike. It's scientifically impossible. Plus, Most twins, triplets, quadruplets etc. are rarely identical. Most often they're un-identical. Plus, if I was one of four and looked a lot like my other three sisters, I'd hate that and change what I could. So, like I said, there really should be a few minor differences in their appearances. Or else it will be illogical and REALLY confusing. Elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16427806354830420271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-18107557582832746342013-08-18T23:18:46.448-04:002013-08-18T23:18:46.448-04:00Most writers start by sending query letters to age...Most writers start by sending query letters to agents, who know which publishers are looking for your kind of story. I suggest you read my posts about publishing.Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-63766630984743392622013-08-18T21:35:54.842-04:002013-08-18T21:35:54.842-04:00I'm writing a trilogy that's centered arou...I'm writing a trilogy that's centered around an ancient legend, and in the first book there's another legend that's a major part of the story. I introduce the main legend by having the MC read it a a book at her boarding school's library, because she loves to read. My MC has a friend who's a sort of expert on ancient legends and myths, and she loves to share her stories, so that's how the other legend is told. There's also a lot of historical background, and I reveal that through the friend too. The only legend I write out fully is the one the MC reads. The other legends and myths are told in the words of the MC's friend, who tells them like they're stories. You could try something like that, if there's a legitimate reason that your MC wouldn't know the legends and another character would. Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16872477100564120790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-2170112979042175112013-08-18T20:42:35.204-04:002013-08-18T20:42:35.204-04:00When you're done a novel and want to publish y...When you're done a novel and want to publish your book, would it make sense to start looking at smaller companies or go bang on to the big companies?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09751529675323893934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-69384126103802721482013-08-18T18:08:39.363-04:002013-08-18T18:08:39.363-04:00Bibliophile and Aethelwyne, thank you for your sug...Bibliophile and Aethelwyne, thank you for your suggestions!Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05864486698626765669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-24325982506810204362013-08-18T00:42:23.542-04:002013-08-18T00:42:23.542-04:00I also do this, and then when you get into the rea...I also do this, and then when you get into the real story, well, it feels like you are in a mixture of rainbow paint and treacle, until the rainbow paint dries like cement. Well, what I try to do, following the truth of the story is to 'turn it inside out' if your story feels stiff and hard to manage, pull parts out, add more in, change them. As for the telling/showing aspect I would say that for the back-story try doing a mixture of subtle showing and a little telling. Then, slowly change it to only telling, when you get back to the story. Also, try not to put huge amount of detail and the least amount of dialogue possible, because the dialogue and detail make the back story deem like the real story, and then you just get a tumbled mess. If this doesn't help ignore me, it might only work for me, and rarely when I even get to that stage. KBriggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10283542409649469846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-40545221187908919262013-08-17T21:43:27.632-04:002013-08-17T21:43:27.632-04:00Thanks for letting me know!Thanks for letting me know!Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-44805955637665268582013-08-17T17:06:18.125-04:002013-08-17T17:06:18.125-04:00Also I saw this article Ms. Levine and thought you...Also I saw this article Ms. Levine and thought you might want to look at it, since you were mentioned.<br />http://www.buzzfeed.com/sedem/10-fantasy-authors-who-taught-me-to-fight-the-patr-cjrbHypergraphiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12142140055836515450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-21325957887500424212013-08-17T16:58:17.510-04:002013-08-17T16:58:17.510-04:00About the legends:
You could divide your book into...About the legends:<br />You could divide your book into parts-say three, one for each legend (or maybe more, like a before the quest and after the quest etc). But for the three parts with the legends in it you start out each part with the legend.<br />so it would be like part 1-the legend of seven carp. And then give the tale of the legend before going on to the main story. <br />hope something helps!Hypergraphiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12142140055836515450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-51770896540786262972013-08-17T09:22:44.569-04:002013-08-17T09:22:44.569-04:00I have this problem too, and I think Ms. Levine di...I have this problem too, and I think Ms. Levine did a post on it. Yeah, I don't really know how. Maybe you should start off showing then go to telling. I think that that is what I normally do when I write, so the problem doesn't, to my knowledge, occur too often.Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448474839844806554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-88116489865373317442013-08-16T19:22:33.314-04:002013-08-16T19:22:33.314-04:00I have a problem....
So, sometimes I begin my stor...I have a problem....<br />So, sometimes I begin my stories with telling, and when I try to transition to showing, it gets difficult. Like (this isn't from any of my stories):<br /><br />I have a curse. My ears turn green and turn into frogs every full moon. The witch who gave it to me was a vengeful one, alright. She distributed many curses in her day, but mine is the worst. <br /><br />How would I go from that to my actual story without making it feel choppy?Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05864486698626765669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-70538065626040174182013-08-15T21:55:18.304-04:002013-08-15T21:55:18.304-04:00HarperCollins publishes most of my books, but Disn...HarperCollins publishes most of my books, but Disney published the three about the fairies of Never Land.Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-61596084962574847342013-08-15T21:43:44.745-04:002013-08-15T21:43:44.745-04:00Gail, which company do you publish your books with...Gail, which company do you publish your books with?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09751529675323893934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-80274343272911421522013-08-15T15:09:55.249-04:002013-08-15T15:09:55.249-04:00Elisa's character quirks idea is a good one! H...Elisa's character quirks idea is a good one! However, I'm guessing that since your quadruplets are switching places, they must be identical (or nearly). That rules out a lot of physical quirks... Unless they dress differently than each other, I suppose. But you'd have lots of room for giving them quirky personalities!Tracey Dyckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03445222618456673198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-5026408158233898122013-08-15T12:35:33.630-04:002013-08-15T12:35:33.630-04:00I can understand your problem, I am writing about ...I can understand your problem, I am writing about twelve girls, and there is a set of triplets and a set of twins, (unidentical of course, but it's still similar to what you're doing). If you really love your characters and your story is better with four girls, then, by all means, use four, but, they need to be sufficiently different from one another. Lets say Erin has bangs, and Lisa's hair falls to her hips, while Jennie has braces and Lenore is short. Little features that distinguish them from one another. Also, character quirks will get you out of nearly any tough spot. Or, at least, I've found that. Lisa has a lisp, and she switches places with Lenore oftener than not because she can't pronounce her own name. Erin and Jennie squabble constantly because Erin is Catholic, and the rest of the family is Baptist, and Jennie is a very adamant that anyone who is not a Baptist is a sinner and she wants to get her sister back on track, so she hides Erin's rosary etc. So, when the reader sees a girl wearing a necklace with a crucifix on it, she thinks "Okay, that'll be Erin", and when she reads a lisped sentence she thinks "Lisa." I hope I was able to help. Elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16427806354830420271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-73230563613307685722013-08-15T12:12:38.044-04:002013-08-15T12:12:38.044-04:00From the website:
Hello!
Your last post was very ...From the website:<br /><br />Hello!<br />Your last post was very helpful. I have two stories that have a lot of background information that's important to the story, so this should help me a lot :-D Thank you!<br /><br />I'm also really glad to hear about your audio book! I never really thought that making an audio book would be complicated, but I can't wait till it comes out; I think it would be amazing to hear it read the way it was written.<br /><br />I do have a question for you. So, I have this story that is basically four quadruplet girls who switch places with each other to help one of the girls out. My problem is, I sometimes feel it would work better with twins instead of quadruplets, but there are still some parts that work better with four girls ( plus, I don't want to have to get rid of two characters :-() So, so you have any advice for being able to make the story fit all the main characters? ( I apologize if that question made no sense)<br /><br />Thanks!<br />-MKB<br /><br />Thoughts, anyone?Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-29721407727484014322013-08-15T12:11:02.928-04:002013-08-15T12:11:02.928-04:00I agree with Bibliophile. I think it's time to...I agree with Bibliophile. I think it's time to overdo the detail again. My belief is that you've got the experience now to know what to cut and what to keep when you revise.Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-61422581729706770452013-08-14T20:14:51.085-04:002013-08-14T20:14:51.085-04:00It took about nine hours over a day-and-a-half. I ...It took about nine hours over a day-and-a-half. I think I would need an actor's trained voice to do it often. Sometimes I hit a groove and then it was fun, but often it was hard though rewarding, and I'm very glad I did it. There are other jobs, not just the reader. I had a director, who often made me repeat (in a nice way), and there's an editor, who goes through the recording and edits out unwanted noises and maybe chooses between the reads and rereads.Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-77185215362055332102013-08-14T19:22:18.684-04:002013-08-14T19:22:18.684-04:00Take five or ten minutes to observe a candle flame...Take five or ten minutes to observe a candle flame, and write down everything you see. I know that that doesn't seem like much, but it really is. Then observe other little things for a couple of minutes. Like dresser knobs and flowers.Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448474839844806554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-24909241046248184392013-08-14T17:58:12.933-04:002013-08-14T17:58:12.933-04:00A very good post Mrs. Levine. I thoroughly enjoyed...A very good post Mrs. Levine. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. And now I have a problem: Detail. I am very bad at using detail. I think this is because, as a little girl, I told stories to myself when I was bored, and I'd describe everything. Then I moved on to telling my younger siblings bedtime stories before I went to sleep. When I was around eight or nine I sort-of tried to write stories, but they were very bad, and when I looked back on them, I realized that the main reason was because they were WAY too detailed. Seriously, I used two and a half pages to describe a bedroom, all the way down to the little floral patterns on the china knobs on the girl's chest of drawers. After realizing this, I cut way back on the amount of detail I wrote into my stories. And then I read an article about details, and realized that my descriptions were still so full of unnecessary facts, so I reined in again, and for several years, I never wrote more than a few sentences to describe anything. It became a habit. And NOW I realize that I have too LITTLE detail. I'm stuck, I've read back on my more recent stories, and realized that I can see the scenes, because I created them, but no one else would be able to. Any advice anyone?Elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16427806354830420271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-409242162245008112013-08-14T13:32:24.583-04:002013-08-14T13:32:24.583-04:00I'm sooo excited for Writing Magic!! How long ...I'm sooo excited for Writing Magic!! How long did it take to record? I've considered wanting to go into the audio industry but I really know nothing about it, just thought it'd be fun. Was it? Congratulations!Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12793052470477585815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-67952825210020803292013-08-14T12:54:53.880-04:002013-08-14T12:54:53.880-04:00Thanks. :)Thanks. :)Chicoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16504144663440678542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-42267818531312301342013-08-14T12:50:32.317-04:002013-08-14T12:50:32.317-04:00That's wonderful!That's wonderful!Gail Carson Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10098487903686296931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-74715582320672778742013-08-14T12:23:20.398-04:002013-08-14T12:23:20.398-04:00I had another couple thoughts as soon as I logged ...I had another couple thoughts as soon as I logged out. A lot of old wives tales were told while doing chores, like husking corn. You could show a little about the society and slip in a legend with a quiet working scene. Also, baby-setting would be a good place for something like that. Say Sura has to watch her annoying little sister. She might put her to bed with the legend of the carp. Or if they're afraid of being alone in the house (or are lost in the woods or something) she might tell her sis a legend where the heroes end up safe despite danger as a means of reassurance.<br /><br />One method I've noticed Emily Rodda use in her `Rowan of Rin' books is to have her hero see something that reminds him of the legend and then kind of paraphrase it in his thoughts. You could do something like this:<br /><br />Sura stared down at the dark water, trying to fight back a shiver. She could just imagine the cold, fishy bodies of the carp sliding below the surface, waiting for the summons to create the swirling funnel into the strange city below. What if their clammy bodies brushed against her as she swam? Did carp have teeth? Sura rubbed her arms to warm them, and wished she hadn't come into the cave, that she was still out in the sun drenched meadow picking black-eyed susans with her little sister.Chicoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16504144663440678542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275604993904054741.post-41461587279443899742013-08-14T12:01:51.851-04:002013-08-14T12:01:51.851-04:00The legend of the carp. I like that. I'm gla...The legend of the carp. I like that. I'm glad you addressed this issue because it's one I have problems with, too. I have an old trunk novel where an important legend is one the heroine was taught in finishing school before the story started (rather like one would study Shakespeare.) She ended up telling it to the hero when he was wounded in order to distract him from his pain.Chicoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16504144663440678542noreply@blogger.com