The "Ten Commandments according to John"

[John Jarrold]

Originally Posted by lathark

How far would you take this John, because in theory, it is possible only to show, not tell.

Secondly what do you think writers giving hints into the futer :- 'she would not know that until later.'

cheers

No, don't prefigure like that. Stay in the moment. If you are in a POV character's head, they cannot know that they won't know something until later. Thus, neither can the reader. Of course there are occasions where a quick tell is useful, but I would always say that 99% of the time, showing is immediate. Telling puts distance between the reader and the characters.

And please, don't anyone mention that some classic novels include telling. I know that. But styles change over time. I'm talking about what editors are looking for in 2008.

[gary compton]

Originally Posted by SJAB

Gary; you had to post that list didn't you. It's got me breaking out in a cold sweat. (though that could possibly have something to do with my age )

Sorry about that. I thought it might get a reaction though. Writing is now dead easy come up with a brilliant idea, observe with unswerving dedication the "Ten Commandments" and Bob's your Uncle. Couldn't be easier

[John Jarrold]

Ho-bloody-ho!!!

[gary compton]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

they cannot know that they won't know something until later. Thus, neither can the reader.

Could they sense the future by intuition or psychic awareness?

[gary compton]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

Ho-bloody-ho!!!

I know!

[John Jarrold]

Originally Posted by garycompton

Could they sense the future by intuition or psychic awareness?

Since most characters don't have that form of awareness, it would have to be a major part of the overall novel, not just something that makes the writer's job easier. Of course, if you are talking about a society where PSI is common, it is a different matter. But in the other 99.9% of SF and Fantasy, let alone mainstream fiction, don't do it!

[gary compton]

Thanks John, thats what I thought.

Sorry about all this extra work on a Saturday afternoon, have an extra glass of wine on me. Cheers!

[John Jarrold]

About to go into the kitchen and work wonders for this evening's dinner. Jambalaya...

[Scarfy]

On the subject of "future dumping" (if there's such a term), is the following bad? That last sentence, I mean. It comes just before the end of a break within a chapter,

"Lieutenant Dodds, you're clear for take off,” a man's voice came over his cockpit's intercom.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dodds remarked. “I'll be sure to let you know if anything interesting happens; like we come across Dragon, hidden under a load of black tarpaulin.”

Please, just remind me I'm alive, he begged, as his TAF hurtled down the catapult and out the station. At least for just one day.

Dodds had clearly never heard the expression, “Be careful what you wish for”.

[John Jarrold]

Again, you're moving out of the character's point-of-view. Don't! Every line of every page of every scene should be in a specific character's POV, and you should stay in that character's POV until the end of the scene. If you want another character to have the final thought, then it is a new scene and you must have a line-break between the previous POV character and the new one. But in this case, you as the author are addressing the reader directly, which is a no-no. By doing this, you are making the reader aware ahead of time that something bad is going to happen, which actually dissipates the shock when it does happen.

What you could do is something like this:

At least for just one day. As the thought passed through his mind, it was followed by an old phrase his dad had used: Be careful what you wish for... He wasn't sure if it was a grin or a grimace stretching his lips over his teeth.

That way, you get the idea of a possible problem over to the reader (not a definite one), while staying in the POV character's head.



Show, don't tell.

[SJAB]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

About to go into the kitchen and work wonders for this evening's dinner. Jambalaya...

Can I come for tea?

[The Ace]

Not bad, I suppose, but what is knowing the market ?

Every book should be a unique experience. This doesn't excuse the major sins committed by would-be authors but, by their very nature, stories cannot be produced on a production-line, unless you're Catherine Cookson, and the less said about that one, the better.

While a story should flow, be properly researched, be grammatically correct and be free of spelling-mistakes, it should stand or fall on merit, not arbitrary decisions of editors pandering to a fickle public.

[John Jarrold]

Tough. That is how commercial publishing works. I don't know one single editor who would not have killed to publish Catherine Cookson.

Good luck!

[John Jarrold]

Publishers are pragmatists. The market - i.e., the big bookselling chains - rule. And they take what their customers will buy, so that is what the major publishers take on. Books are published now that would not have been in the late 80s, and some books that were published in the late 80s would not be published in 2008. Public taste changes.

I find your sneering at the fickle public distasteful, to say the least. And with that attitude to editors, I assume you don't actually want to be published.

[Scarfy]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

What you could do is something like this:

At least for just one day. As the thought passed through his mind, it was followed by an old phrase his dad had used: Be careful what you wish for... He wasn't sure if it was a grin or a grimace stretching his lips over his teeth.

Thanks for the advice