Ask the Authors (Fandemonium)

[Gate Geek]

Three?? <scurries over to Chicago con thread>

Thanks for the mention -- it hadn't occurred to me to duck into that thread until now. I probably should have looked for it earlier.

No problem! Just be sure to post pixs from the Con! I want to see all the fans crawling over each other to get a book

[Elizabeth Christensen]

No problem! Just be sure to post pixs from the Con! I want to see all the fans crawling over each other to get a book

Wow, I'd like to see that, too. My husband promises to stand guard with the camera ...

[Gate Geek]

Wow, I'd like to see that, too. My husband promises to stand guard with the camera ...

Have a great time!! BTW, I got a friend of mine to pick me up a copy of CoW and mail it to me. So make sure you save two copies for her.

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Have a great time!! BTW, I got a friend of mine to pick me up a copy of CoW and mail it to me. So make sure you save two copies for her.

Good friend. Make sure she can tell me whether you want your copy signed to 'GG' or to your real name ...

[Gate Geek]

Good friend. Make sure she can tell me whether you want your copy signed to 'GG' or to your real name ...

I think she already left for Chicago. I didn't get much chance to talk to her other than when she asked if I would like her to get a copy for me (DUH!!). We never talked autographs - just the potential Shep angst this book contains. (Priorities ya know).

[Alipeeps]

Have a great time!! BTW, I got a friend of mine to pick me up a copy of CoW and mail it to me. So make sure you save two copies for her.

*cries* Any chance she could get one to mail to me too?

[Naonak]

This is actually something I've wondered about for years...

How does co-authoring a book actually work, in terms of who writes what, and... well, pretty much all of it...

[Elizabeth Christensen]

This is actually something I've wondered about for years...

How does co-authoring a book actually work, in terms of who writes what, and... well, pretty much all of it...

Mostly, it involves arguing over the title. Kidding. I'm sure it's different for every partnership, but for Sonny and me, it usually goes something like this:

1) One of us floats a plot idea.
2) Both contribute details, B plot threads, etc. until we have a full plot.
3) Sonny writes up a book plan that describes the basics of what will happen in each chapter.
4) The publisher weighs in with comments and suggestions.
5) Sonny sends me a multipage framework for each chapter that gets our heroes from point A to B to C.
6) I add in dialogue, introduce character details, and send it back.
7) We bounce each chapter back and forth a few times, tweaking a little each time, until no one's quite sure who wrote what.

We really lucked out (or perhaps Sonny's just that good at reading people's strengths), because Sonny crafts incredibly innovative plots, while I love to dig into characterization. It all balances out rather well. On the rare occasions when we disagree on an issue, outside opinions are called in; Sabine's been known to act as arbiter for us.

I'm sure Sonny and Jen approached Roswell differently in some respects, so let's see how they'd describe the process ...

[Jennifer Fallon]

Mostly, it involves arguing over the title. Kidding. I'm sure it's different for every partnership, but for Sonny and me, it usually goes something like this:

1) One of us floats a plot idea.
2) Both contribute details, B plot threads, etc. until we have a full plot.
3) Sonny writes up a book plan that describes the basics of what will happen in each chapter.
4) The publisher weighs in with comments and suggestions.
5) Sonny sends me a multipage framework for each chapter that gets our heroes from point A to B to C.
6) I add in dialogue, introduce character details, and send it back.
7) We bounce each chapter back and forth a few times, tweaking a little each time, until no one's quite sure who wrote what.

We really lucked out (or perhaps Sonny's just that good at reading people's strengths), because Sonny crafts incredibly innovative plots, while I love to dig into characterization. It all balances out rather well. On the rare occasions when we disagree on an issue, outside opinions are called in; Sabine's been known to act as arbiter for us.

I'm sure Sonny and Jen approached Roswell differently in some respects, so let's see how they'd describe the process ...

Yeah... what she said

[H Louise]

Nice try Ali! lol. Us Brits always get a raw deal, we sooo need more cons.

[H Louise]

Mostly, it involves arguing over the title. Kidding. I'm sure it's different for every partnership, but for Sonny and me, it usually goes something like this:

1) One of us floats a plot idea.
2) Both contribute details, B plot threads, etc. until we have a full plot.
3) Sonny writes up a book plan that describes the basics of what will happen in each chapter.
4) The publisher weighs in with comments and suggestions.
5) Sonny sends me a multipage framework for each chapter that gets our heroes from point A to B to C.
6) I add in dialogue, introduce character details, and send it back.
7) We bounce each chapter back and forth a few times, tweaking a little each time, until no one's quite sure who wrote what.

We really lucked out (or perhaps Sonny's just that good at reading people's strengths), because Sonny crafts incredibly innovative plots, while I love to dig into characterization. It all balances out rather well. On the rare occasions when we disagree on an issue, outside opinions are called in; Sabine's been known to act as arbiter for us.

I'm sure Sonny and Jen approached Roswell differently in some respects, so let's see how they'd describe the process ...

That was a good question, I'd wondered about that too, thanks.

[Gate Geek]

General question to all authors..............

I took an expositiory writing class in high school eons ago. After turning my first paper in, the teacher told me that there was no way in hell this class would ever help my writing skills and that I was really wasting my time (and hers). To this day, I don't bother to write anything unless it is required.

Have any of you ever encountered such a negative influence when it came to writing or were all readily supported and pushed along in your endeavors?

[Jennifer Fallon]

General question to all authors..............

I took an expositiory writing class in high school eons ago. After turning my first paper in, the teacher told me that there was no way in hell this class would ever help my writing skills and that I was really wasting my time (and hers). To this day, I don't bother to write anything unless it is required.

Have any of you ever encountered such a negative influence when it came to writing or were all readily supported and pushed along in your endeavors?

My ex famously said to me once (and one of the many reasons he is the "ex"): "I wish you'd quit writing and be a better housewife, because you're never going to get published."

This proved to be the best thing anybody ever said to me, because from that day on, I was like... I'll show you, you heartless creature! (Actually it was a much ruder word than that, but this is a nice board where we don't use that sort of language).

This may not work for everyone as a motivator, but I'm a "red rag to a bull" sorta gal

[Gate Geek]

My ex famously said to me once (and one of the many reasons he is the "ex"): "I wish you'd quit writing and be a better housewife, because you're never going to get published."

This proved to be the best thing anybody ever said to me, because from that day on, I was like... I'll show you, you heartless creature! (Actually it was a much ruder word than that, but this is a nice board where we don't use that sort of language).

This may not work for everyone as a motivator, but I'm a "red rag to a bull" sorta gal

Ah...but Mythbusters just proved this week its not the color that enrages a bull its movement!

Well, I can completely understand why he's an 'ex'. I'd personally kick his arse out the door and change the locks. Being a housewife most of my married life....its overrated and under appreciated anyways. Glad you didn't listen and were able to show the creature wrong.

[sonny1]

General question to all authors..............
Have any of you ever encountered such a negative influence when it came to writing or were all readily supported and pushed along in your endeavors?

I recall one hated teacher telling me I’d never do anything, never go anywhere, and never achieve anything in life. And I believe the term 'a traumatising experience' was used by someone on Amazon to describe something I'd written. Negative influences, indeed, vitriolic criticism, abounds, from school to the piranha infested waters of writing media tie-ins. As professional writers, though, we know it comes with the territory. Any time you put something out there in the public domain, particularly if it's in any way contentious, someone is going to take exception to you, your editor, publisher, printer, hell, even the tea-lady, for daring to be associated with something that doesn't suit their world view. As an SF writer, I see that as a compliment, because I believe inspiring social discourse on uncomfortable topics is a vital component of any free society.

But for a teacher to say what was said to you is appalling. In my opinion, anyone willing to learn who is interested in a subject can be taught just about anything with the right teacher. If Sabine is reading this, she’ll probably be cackling about now, because my daughter experienced pretty much exactly your situation when she attended her first English class in her first ever English speaking (senior high) school. To add insult to injury it was a private school and I directly contributed to the teacher’s wage. The attitude of dismissal on the phone to me was that some people can write, and some can’t, my daughter can't, and since I wasn't a teacher and had no comprehension of what was considered good creative writing, I should take her advice and accept the fact that my daughter would never be able to string more than her name together.

So tell me again why I'm paying your wages?

Needless to say the ensuring conversation was a treat for me, but I hate to think the damage that woman did to other students before I sent her crawling back into the hole she slithered out from.

Sounds like you got lumbered with her clone. My sympathies .