tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post1179995075826221671..comments2024-03-18T15:15:52.347-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Two Keys to Page-Turning NovelsJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-56111027402359769322017-08-27T20:52:24.657-04:002017-08-27T20:52:24.657-04:00Fascinating, Jim. I love the way you analyze this ...Fascinating, Jim. I love the way you analyze this and distill it for us. I appreciate your organized approach!<br /><br />I'm going to pay more attention to the "hooks" presented midbook in the ones I read & see what keeps me reading.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-74994235551574349392017-08-27T17:21:50.434-04:002017-08-27T17:21:50.434-04:00Thanks Kait -- I always remember stuff I've fo...Thanks Kait -- I always remember stuff I've forgotten and learn something new when I teach the course.<br /><br />Gloria -- I certainly try to practice what I preach. <br /><br />Thanks for satisfying my curiosity, Margaret. All good points he makes.~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-91670979598185931952017-08-27T15:11:13.819-04:002017-08-27T15:11:13.819-04:00Kurt Dinan has published many short stories and a ...Kurt Dinan has published many short stories and a YA novel, Don't Get Caught. He teaches 10th grade English and HS creative writing. Here are a few gems from yesterday's Revision talk:<br /><br />Revision is war. Be clinical and brutal. But don't over carve the pumpkin.<br /><br />Think like a reader. If you're bored, the reader will be bored. Notice what the reader will notice. Ever wonder why cell signals are so erratic in fiction/tv/film? Characters need to call the police but they can't.<br /><br />Study opening lines of books. Nail your opening line. Kurt Vonnegut: Start as close to the end as possible.<br /><br />The ending: have you met your reader's expectations? A third act problem is a first act problem.<br /><br />The protagonist should be active, not reactive. What lie does the protag believe?<br /><br />Jazz up the middle with a ticking clock, a twist, or kill someone off. Overwrite conflict.<br /><br />In dialogue, can it be removed and the scene still make sense?<br /><br />Kurt deliberately used a fast pace in his YA novel, with a minimum of setting details or backstory. He's a plot guy.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07979191318652199350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-81296193452204104322017-08-27T14:03:40.948-04:002017-08-27T14:03:40.948-04:00Very good, Jim, and I know you use the same techni...Very good, Jim, and I know you use the same technique in your books because they are page turners, too.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-50567053692542341392017-08-27T13:53:22.270-04:002017-08-27T13:53:22.270-04:00Excellent blog, Jim. And I scooted over to your pa...Excellent blog, Jim. And I scooted over to your page, looks like a great course too.Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-24041727204251252692017-08-27T13:13:07.898-04:002017-08-27T13:13:07.898-04:00Grace -- Yours is a perfect example of why most ad...Grace -- Yours is a perfect example of why most advice to those wanting to write is to read!<br /><br />Okay, Margaret -- that's leaving us wanting to turn the page. What did Kurt Dinan say yesterday at the Cincinnati Library writer-in-residence workshop?Jim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-51517012160728163322017-08-27T13:08:16.618-04:002017-08-27T13:08:16.618-04:00Very interesting, especially when I compare it to ...Very interesting, especially when I compare it to Kurt Dinan's remarks yesterday at a Cincinnati Library writer-in-residence workshop.Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07979191318652199350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-1886468312109253802017-08-27T12:53:56.754-04:002017-08-27T12:53:56.754-04:00Thanks for the tips. Very helpful. The most valuab...Thanks for the tips. Very helpful. The most valuable thing I've learned is to study the techniques of the writers we like. I was half way through a book by Frances Brody before I realized that she rarely used "said." But I had no problem identifying who was saying what because she had so beautifully used other techniques to identify the speaker. Grace Toppinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10291304815273486038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-63067311595338480222017-08-27T10:26:35.370-04:002017-08-27T10:26:35.370-04:00Thanks for the clear and helpful information.Thanks for the clear and helpful information.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.com