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Sonny makes some good points upthread about the science & mythology stuff. For me, what I've always liked about the SG saga is the way the two collide to create a great backdrop for cool action-adventure SF.
Originally posted by nellMy question to all authors (and please excuse me if this is a repeat cause I did not scroll through all previous posts) how do you meet the challenge of writing dialogue that is "American English" for the SGC characters? I find that to be an important detail in maintaining the character's verbal expressions. Do you rely on your Beta?
I don't use a beta reader - my stuff goes straight to the editor - and I think the challenge of writing "American English" is no different from the challenge of writing dialogue for any character that isn't from the same part of the world as I am. As an author, you develop an ear for the poetry of speech and apply it in your work where it's needed, On the most basic level, you can flip your wordchecker over to English (U.S.) and catch most of the spelling errors, but what makes the speech seem 'right' is the flow and music of it - and I think that comes more from an understanding of the characters you're writing.
Originally posted by Skydiveri didn't know who y ou were
Out Now:
Stargate Universe: Air, Stargate Atlantis: Nightfall, Stargate SG-1: Relativity and Stargate Atlantis: Halcyon (from Fandemonium Books)
Stargate SG-1: Half Life, Stargate SG-1: First Prime, Stargate Atlantis: Zero Point and Stargate SG-1: Shell Game (from Big Finish Productions)
"Outsiders" (Stargate: The Official Magazine #20), "Choices" (Stargate: The Official Magazine #10)
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Originally posted by JMSwallowBwah. Should I be insulted? Thanks for fixing it for me!
no, i hope not at least.
I just, as an american, the books are so expensive that i really haven't gotten into them much. I've read all but the last stargate one, but as much as i like atlantis as a show, just can't get into any of the characters to read fanfic - or pro books. (or write fanfic for that matter)
The atlantis ones also aren't readily available here yet. The last time we looked in a book store they didn't have them so it's kinda hard to read what you can't get.
And i'll second the Jonas question. I know the first books were going to stick with the 'original' team, but any chance of Jonas getting a story or being in one?
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Originally posted by nellhow do you meet the challenge of writing dialogue that is "American English" for the SGC characters?
And then I walk in and it’s round the world in a sentence… English isn’t my first language, but I seem to have this knack of ‘adapting’ reasonably quickly, both to accents and idiom. Which can be a problem, because half the time I don’t notice, and if I happen to reside in the wrong country, I have Jack talk about things going pear-shaped. The good news is, I now live in Canada, so there’s an above-average chance of my getting Rodney right. Skookum, eh?
Actually, I find that the cultural quirks are even more difficult to nail than turns of phrase, because there are a lot of things, especially in pop culture and pertaining to anything from drinks to television shows to music, that are quite subtle. Normally you learn them by actually living—ideally growing up—in a given country or culture. If you don’t have that advantage, it takes a hell of a lot of research (also known as watching TV ) and kind people like Beth who will correct screwy phrases and explain to you what a unit coin is.
Originally posted by AmberLMWhich relationship(s) between the members of SG-1 do you particularly enjoy writing for and why?
Siler and his wrench? (I note a distinct lack of Siler & Wrench smilies)
Okay. Seriously. I do enjoy Sam and Jack’s ongoing walk on eggshells, and yes, I do see the tension there and I do enjoy throwing it in here and there, because—apart from my being a soppy cow at heart—their tightrope act is psychologically fascinating. Having said that, I’m in total agreement with Karen as regards the four-way dynamic within the team. Each one of these relationships is fun to write, because they’re all subtly different. The relationship between Jack and Teal’c is really cool, I think. In some respects they’re probably closer than anyone else on the team, but it very rarely rises to the surface, because of who they are—but when it does, it leaves you slack-jawed, going, ‘Wow!’ To me, one of the most stunning moments, perhaps in the entire show, is Jack’s farewell to Teal’c in Lost City.
Originally posted by Elite Anubis GuardWhen do we get to see Jonas? You guys aren't those folk who went back to rewrite S6 are you, because I really loved Jonas and was excited at the possibility of getting some novels with him in.
On a more general note, the fact that Jonas hasn't shown up in the books so far really was in response to what folks wanted—i.e. the original team.
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Originally posted by Sabine Bauer
Having said that, I’m in total agreement with Karen as regards the four-way dynamic within the team.
Hope that clarifies things.
Sonny1 said:For example, from a character POV, Sam is a scientist. There's a small paragraph in CotG about the physics of crystal skulls as a transport system. That took me a solid two weeks of research and several questions to a physicist about particle accelerators and muon colliders to get the theory down and then explained in non-mathematical terms. It was in-character to portray Sam as spouting off this (accurate in theory) stuff, just as it was in character for Jack’s focus to slip during the scene. Some readers grabbed that scene and said wow, that nails it, and explains the whole thing perfectly. Nobody else noticed, which is also good, because it’s like a special effect. You want the science to be so much a part of the scenery that you don't see it; you see the story instead, while those who do ‘get it’ really appreciate the attention to detail.Gracie
A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them,
"In every life there is a terrible fight – a fight between two wolves.
One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity,
resentment, and deceit. The other is good: joy, serenity, humility,
confidence, generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion."
A child asked, "Grandfather, which wolf will win?"
The elder looked the child in the eye. "The one you feed."
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Originally posted by Elite Anubis GuardI'm re-reading Martha's Reliquary and I was wondering, how do you authors decide what name to call the characters? She calls Sheppard John, which I couldn't get used to while in Chosen, you pair called him Sheppard. Is it just personal preference?
For me, it's a question of point of view (POV) and my 'feeling' as to how a character would think of him/herself and the other characters in the scene.
I use multiple povs in my narrative, ie each scene/series of scenes is told from the pov of a specific character. If I'm in Sam's pov, I tag her as Sam because I feel that vibe from her ... and her tag for Jack is O'Neill or the Colonel. For me, she internalises him formally.
Daniel, otoh, always thinks of him as Jack, so if I'm in Daniel's pov he's referred to as Daniel and Jack is always Jack, Sam's Sam and so forth.
I tried tagging Jack as Jack when I was in his pov, but I couldn't make it feel right -- for me. So he's O'Neill, Sam is Carter, Daniel is Daniel, Teal'c is Teal'c.
I hope that makes some kind of sense!
I hasten to add that this is what works for me. I know other authors tag Jack as Jack because that feels right for them, and course that's their choice. There isn't a right or wrong on it, it comes down to personal writer preference.
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Originally posted by Tok'Ra HostessWhen I asked if we could expect Sam or Teal'c-centric novels in the future I didn't mean Sam or Teal'c outside of the team. From what I've read, the novels so far have been somewhat Jack or Daniel centric team stories - stories centered around Jack's past or Daniel's field of expertise.
Some have noted that City of the Gods is very Sam centric. In fact in terms of word count/POV it’s about even between Sam and Daniel because the mythology/science components are about even, although Jack only has a smidgeon less in terms of POV wordage.
Because fandom is so wide, and because each of us brings certain perceptions and needs to a story, I suspect that those who perceive that Sam dominates CotG are those who are not happy unless a story is entirely Daniel-Jack oriented. CotG was released at a time when television episodes were very Sam centric, and she was not making the best decisions (which makes for great storytelling!) A body of fandom indulged in what I can only refer to as Sam-hatred. Lastly…or firstly the prologue of CotG is from Sam's POV – for a very good reason. Of the many things I teach in writing fiction, (and many, many others teach): as a rule of thumb try and tell a scene from the POV of the person with the most to lose.
Spoiler:In this instance, the story is set up with Sam believing the rest of SG-1 are dead, and that it's her fault. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c in turn believe that Sam is dead. In terms of emotional impact, Jack, Daniel and Teal’c still have each other, whereas Sam is isolated, physically and emotionally in her apparent loss. From a storytelling POV, having this at the outset sets up the very dark thematic structure of the story, and also acts as a hook. What happened to create this situation?
As to next storiesSpoiler:I’m currently working on an SG-1 proposal to Fandemonium, set in Season 10, and took a few minutes to answer this. By the time you read this, I’ll be toying with some scenes between Sam and Vala, which, when you think about what they’ve both experienced as hosts to symbiotes, makes for a potentially very interesting dynamic. If this story goes ahead - and that's a big if, as I may go off on another tangent next week - these scenes may be cut, or only be small snippets scattered throughout, but Vala offers a wealth of material to work with in terms of emotional baggage.
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Originally posted by Elite Anubis GuardI'm re-reading Martha's Reliquary and I was wondering, how do you authors decide what name to call the characters? She calls Sheppard John, which I couldn't get used to while in Chosen, you pair called him Sheppard. Is it just personal preference?
When writing from the POV of a person, they are generally not going to think of themselves in terms of their last name. So, although there are instances when they may do so in terms of, for eg, making a major blunder and castigating themselves as a superior officer might, John Sheppard will generally think of himself as John. Elizabeth Weir often calls John by his first name in casual situation, but even this, at the outset, was, I felt, a deliberate professional intimacy, call it a professional friendliness commonly employed by diplomats to put people at ease. In professional, particularly military instances she will call him Major. Teyla's use of names has shifted over time, from Dr Weir to Elizabeth in Season 3, and Dr McKay to Rodney in season 2. So a large part of what names are used will depend on whose POV the scene is being told from, what season the story is set, and the circumstances in which the name is being used. Thus, you'll see a slight shift in those dynamics in Exogenesis, which is set towards the end of season 2.
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Originally posted by Sabine Bauer, and if I happen to reside in the wrong country, I have Jack talk about things going pear-shaped.
The relationship between Jack and Teal’c is really cool, I think. In some respects they’re probably closer than anyone else on the team, but it very rarely rises to the surface, because of who they are—but when it does, it leaves you slack-jawed, going, ‘Wow!’
Excellent point about Jack and Teal'c, Sabine. I have always been particularly struck by that little moment in One False Step, where Jack's going under with the headache, and he says to Teal'c, Hey, do you mind if we don't talk but just walk quietly for a while? I honestly don't think he was being snarky at that point (given we've never seen Teal'c garrulous), I think those two talk a lot about stuff. They are the only two 'equals' on the team, really, in terms of function and life experiences, they understand things that Sam and Daniel never will. He and Teal'c made that really important connection on Chulak, and it's only strengthened. I think also of Cor Ai, where Jack was so determined Teal'c wasn't going down for being a good soldier. He's a bit in denial about Teal'c I think, because they're friends and have so much in common. And then of course that lovely declaration in Tangent.
Sigh.
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First, thank you to all of the authors for generously giving of their time to participate in these discussions – I find that “knowing” you all truly enhances my enjoyment of the books and stories.
I would be interested in hearing more about any short stories in upcoming issues of Stargate SG-1/Atlantis The Official Magazine. Issue # 11 teased that there would be an Atlantis story available August 22, 2006 in issue # 12. Who’s the author and can you tell us any more about the story? How about future short stories? Are any of you working on some and could you share any hints? (What’s the story about? When is it scheduled to be published?)
Thanks again!
~ Mike
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Originally posted by KarenMillerHave to confess I fell into the pear shaped trap too -- but luckily it was picked up and I fixed it!!!! That must be a British one that hasn't translated.sigpic
Stargate Destiny - Coming Again Soon
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I am an American. Having only read the SGA books (Absolutlely LOVE them BTW) I must say, that I have not noticed any language problems what so ever. Either you all are very good at getting Americanized or I'm just getting way to used to chatting with the rest of the world.
Are there any new Atlantis stories in the works? I know Halcyon is due out any day now and Exogenesis should be published sometime thereafter. But I have not seen anything beyond that.
Thanks!sigpic
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Originally posted by KarenMillerHave to confess I fell into the pear shaped trap too -- but luckily it was picked up and I fixed it!!!! That must be a British one that hasn't translated.
Originally posted by Elite Anubis GuardDamn Americans. We invented the language, if they hadn't gone and changed it you guys wouldn't be having language problems.
Originally posted by KarenMillerExcellent point about Jack and Teal'c, Sabine. I have always been particularly struck by that little moment in One False Step...
Originally posted by Elite Anubis GuardI'm re-reading Martha's Reliquary and I was wondering, how do you authors decide what name to call the characters?
Originally posted by Cinc1I would be interested in hearing more about any short stories in upcoming issues of Stargate SG-1/Atlantis The Official Magazine. Issue # 11 teased that there would be an Atlantis story available August 22, 2006 in issue # 12. Who’s the author and can you tell us any more about the story? How about future short stories? Are any of you working on some and could you share any hints? (What’s the story about? When is it scheduled to be published?)
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