Well, Homer is still exceedingly cute, and I really haven’t forgotten about the next recipe (I’ve just been writing madly on ECHO; I mean it when I describe this stage as the Final Frenzy; I do precious little else!).
However, I do have to pause for a bit here, because a year or so ago, I agreed to teach a two-and-a-half hour workshop on Writing Historical Fiction, as part of a week of such workshops sponsored by a local group called Arizona Authors. (At the time, of course, I had no idea the FF was going to hit _now_).
Anyway–thought I’d ask, for any of you who might harbor ambitions (or merely curiosity) in this regard, whether there are any specific questions _you’d_ like answered, if you were taking such a workshop, or any particular material you’d like to see covered?
I think we may do a minor bit of writing in the class–can’t do too much, as it takes quite a bit of time, but I’m thinking a few paragraphs might be fun; any topics that you’d suggest? (E.g., introduction of a major character, setting a historical background, etc.?)
Dear Nadine–
Well, on the one hand, the horrible truth is that the only way through writer’s block is to write.
On the other hand, the simple (thus relatively easy [g]) truth is that that’s how you break a writer’s block–you just write _anyway_.
(Pst. You don’t have to know what happens or how, before you start to write.)
Good luck!
I’m aware that some people write from an outline. I’m also aware you write in big lumps and then paste them together somehow.
I think it would be an interesting exercise to be given 2 lumps (not me, somebody else) and paste them together. Of course, that’s after you explain how to paste.
Dear Gator–
That’s not really the way it works. [g] I _can_ show you how I do it, but it’s really space- and time-consuming, and I’m just off to a doctor’s appointment right now.
I did it sometime last year on Compuserve–it was a thread titled “Swamp Shots,” if I recall. If I have time (probably late tomorrow–I’ll be moving pretty rapidly between now and then), I’ll try to dig it up and post a link.
Diana,
It’s a shame I don’t live in Arizona, or I would sign up. It sounds very interesting, to say the least.
And I KNEW there had to be something you weren’t fanatical about in terms of historical accuracy. Does that mean you actually look at every a character from the past says and verify that yes, the word existed and was used in that way? I’m very curious about that.
Hello Diana, I think I found the link to the swamp shots (I had some free time, so I search a bit).
http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ws-books&tid=57892
Sarah
Hi, Diana and blog readers,
I have been lurking waaay too long, so forgive what will seem like a string of non-sequiturs as I catch up a bit.
1. To the immediate workshop, does your editor have to know the period, or does she rely on you to catch anachronisms? Do you care if there are anachronisms in the text?
2. Congratulations on Homer – he’s adorable! Was deeply sorry to hear about Molly; it puts life and love in perspective when a furry friend passes.
3. Although it may not be biologically risky to sit on public toilets, look around DMV or a high school football game crowd some time: do you really want to rub bare butts with all these people? It’s socially acceptable and easy to go wash your hand after shaking a stranger’s; not so for tushies. Besides, fitness people tell us to build exercise into our days, so bend…and hold…
4. When will we see more pics from the graphic novel? The few we’ve seen are lovely. (Although in my mind’s eye, Claire has curly hair, like with actual curls and twists, although not quite up to “Jew-fro” oscillations. The drawing doesn’t quite fit your descriptions; I just can’t picture such soft, demure waves exploding and rioting.)
Whew! Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts and experiences in this forum.
this is sorta off topic but, i was wondering since youre in the last phase of echo how long does it usually take ‘em to get from finished manuscript to on the book shelf?
Diana:
"It is _not_ the job of a historical novelist to readjust the past in order to avoid making readers think."
I just saw this comment and it made me laugh out loud. All I can say is, thank God there are SOME authors out there who recognize that. <g>
Though if somebody had told me when I first found your books, just how MUCH thinking I was going to end up doing, I would never have believed it….
Karen
Dear Rachel–
Well, they _can_ do it in about six weeks, if they have to. [g] But they really, really don’t like to have to. Aside from the nervous strain, it’s very expensive to have to do “crunch” production like that. They’d _like_ a year’s lead time, but can manage with less, if they have adequate warning. So we do try to give them as much time as possible.
Hi Diana! Well, I just have to borrow the LA teenagers’ phraseology (and please excuse my quite untethered exuberance right now) and say…OMG!!!! You are going to teach a class? You are getting back in the classroom? Hurray for all of us! Diana, _please_, _please_, _please_ do a live video steam for all of us who do not leave in your fair state; you know this is going to be tremendous once it gets out there that you are offering a writing class in person. With a fair amount of IT support, it could be done pretty easily, and hosted on your site (with extra bandwith). Please consider this request; your readers would be over the moon!
Thank you,
Karen
i think i would be a bit “moony” about this class myself. cant wait to see what comes of that idea :}
although my writing skills are zero i still love it.
Well, it’s just a one-off–a 2 1/2 hour workshop that I was asked to do as a fund-raiser for a state/local author’s group. I.e., it’s not all _that_ organized [g], let alone an ongoing thing. (I do this kind of thing every year at the Surrey Writers Conference, btw, for folk that are interested. Different topics, but I usually teach at least a couple of different workshops, as well as doing panels and the odd keynote.)
I’ll see what I can do about perhaps pod-casting or web-camming some of this–but I can’t even _think_ about it until I finish ECHO.
My question is similar to Jen’s, about how much you steep before you start. You answered part of that question, of how much you need to know. But do you do most of your research as you go along, or do you do it beforehand? Or, I suppose, a mixture of both?
I know writing is work, and not just a gift. But looking at what you have accomplished over these books truly seems a gift to me, even knowing how much work you have poured into them. My husband can’t even put them down, and he reads more nonfiction than fiction usually. Your books do make us think, so thanks for inspiring some fascinating conversations.
[DG] “you can’t write for the lowest common denominator, or you will get sludge”
[Nancy] Interestingly, the first time a piece of Outlandish dialogue seemed awkwardly “out of time” to me, it was in the wedding night scene in Outlander, where Jamie indignantly tells Claire that he’d never sleep with a woman before marrying her–does she think his principles represent the lowest common denominator?
That one sent me to Google, to learn that “LCD” is about 3000 years old, as a recognized concept, if not part of daily speech. For an educated man, then…OK.
I am currently a book set in 1125 (or thereabouts). The author has stripped the dialogue of colloquialisms but the thinking under the language often seems too modern to me–phrases like “he owes us a favor,” for example. Of course, it would be difficult to transpose middle English and Norman French into anything comprehensible to the modern reader, so the dialogue doesn’t do much more than move the plot forward.
Is that why you chose to write about the 18th century, where you at least have ample examples of written dialogue?
Hi Diana!
Like most of the posters, I wish I lived closer to that workshop, but since I live in Argentina, I’m sort of used to miss all the fun! (g)
My question is about “conflict” in writing. I’ve noticed that most novels have one huge conflict somewhere around which the whole plot evolves. Your books have the BIG conflict, but also lots and lots of different and smaller crisis… I love that about them, it’s part of what makes them real! But I’m rambling… Back to the qestion.
What makes you think about a conflict and say “oh… this will be good” or “mmmm… nah… not so interesting”?
Dear Nancy–
An educated man in the 18th century would be well up on the basics of mathematics (let alone simple arithmetic [g]) through geometry and trigonometry; mathematics was part of the quadrivium (a medieval concept of the necessary structure of a thorough education, but one whose influence remained through the early Enlightenment). (see link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrivium )
“Lowest common denominator” would indeed be an everyday concept to a “gentleman” of the period–and in fact, I used that expression because it _was_ appropriate to the period, in a way that something like, “I don’t act like a lowlife” wouldn’t have been. [g] Particularly since Jamie’s being quite formal in the early parts of the evening. [cough]
(Interesting to note, btw, that music would have been an important part of his studies during his time at the university in Paris–and at that point in his life, he still had the capacity to hear and comprehend music.)
Dear Mari–
Conflict? Hmm. Well, some conflicts are obviously interesting–battles, wars, that sort of thing. [g] But _any_ human interaction (including one’s struggle with the self) carries the seeds of conflict; you just decide whether and when to let those seeds flower.
As to “what’s interesting?”–that’s entirely a judgement call; there aren’t any rules about it. What’s fascinating to some folk won’t interest others at all; _vide_ romance novels, in which the conflict of an evolving relationship is the primary focus for most (largely female) readers, and doesn’t interest other (often male) readers at all.
Hi, Diana:
I think it would be helpful in a workshop to learn how to pick which period would be the best complement to the story. Perhaps you could also give tips on how to tweak your story idea to better fit the era you have your heart set on.
If I were to take your workshop, I would also like to learn how to look all around- fiction, encyclopedias, maps, menus, architectural details, speaking to our elders etc to extract the flavor of the time and the personality traits of people. I don’t think many folks realize that history isn’t just in history books or fiction. Sometimes it’s more fun to go on a timeline scavenger hunt in museums, junk stores or your grandma’s garage!
Thanks for asking our opinions, Diana, it’s fun to make a forum of it and help if we can!
One thing I’ve always been told is ‘write what you know’. I’m sure other wanna-be published writers have heard this too. There you were, Diana, writing about a place you hadn’t been (Scotland), and you can’t have ‘known’ life in the 18th century.
I guess my question is what do you think of the ‘write what you know’ rule and what would you say to us about that rule?
Dear Renee–
I think it’s nonsense. But I also think it’s mis-stated; it _should_ say, “Don’t write what you _don’t_ know.” But you can find out just about anything you need to.