August 31, 2009: Transitions, open chat 1
The transcript below covers the complete #litchat conversation on August 31, 2009. The order appears sequentially from the first post to the final post. Topic was open discussion was Transitions.
| LitChat Welcome to LitChat! We’re talking about TRANSITIONS–any kind of transitions that have literary value. Join us. #litchat -1:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| simonschuster RT @LitChat: #litchat is on now! Join for fast and friendly convo on this week’s topic,TRANSITIONS. Send Qs for chat to @LitChat w/o hashtag -1:05 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
LexxClarke Evening @LitChat  ) #litchat -1:05 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat @inkyelbows Welcome and thanks for posting those tips for writer chats. I’ll link it to our blog, too. #litchat -1:06 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| booksoulmates So, what do you mean by Transitions? #litchat -1:06 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat Let’s take a few minutes to introduce ourselves and let the chat begin. #litchat -1:06 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat TRANSITIONS. I chose this because it’s the time of year when so many things change. Summer wanes, school begins, new book catalogs. #litchat -1:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat Hallo! Glad to be here again. #litchat -1:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 Hello @litchat! and all you litchatters! I’m in and out, like actually working, but I’ll try to participate some. #litchat -1:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| booksoulmates Hi all! I’m Vanessa from Book Soulmates. You can check out our blog ar http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com . Thanks for inviting me! #litchat -1:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| mmj5170 I’m trying to hang in there for today. #litchat -1:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 RT @inkyelbows #litchat starting NOW. Topic: Transitions. Tips for those new to Twitterchats: http://bit.ly/writerchats #litchat -1:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat So, let’s talk about books that have transitional ideas, themes, characters. #litchat -1:09 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana <— British book designer/typesetter and author living in Connecticut. First novel, Beachcombing, pub’d in June by Macmillan, UK. #litchat -1:09 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| NotJaneAusten #litchat I’m getting really gr8 submissions in the Cleopatra’s Daughter contest! U have until noon on Sept. 4 to enter! http://bit.ly/GC3Lz -1:10 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| mmj5170 Oh yes, intro- I’m still a wannabe. #litchat -1:10 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke I’m an administrator for the NHS by day, haiku twitterer and lit lover ) #litchat -1:10 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
booksoulmates @maggiedana Hi Maggie!  Hope you had a great weekend! #litchat -1:11 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Transitions are also how a writer moves the story from one scene to another, seamlessly, in a way that makes sense. #litchat -1:11 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| DLStephenson I think I’ll hang out in #litchat today, just because I can now. I hated being hashtag invisible! -1:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Dubai_Writer Hello. Trying to wrap my head around topic of transitions. Do shifting POV characters count? #litchat -1:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @booksoulmates Hi! Am having Twitter issues. Cannot follow new people and new folks following me don’t show up on my twitter page. #litchat -1:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @mmj5170 There are no wannabes who write. There are wannabes who don’t write and wish they did. #litchat -1:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @corb21 Working! You’ve got nerve. #litchat -1:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke RT @CarolyBurnsBass: @mmj5170 There are no wannabes who write. There are wannabes who dont write and wish they did. || Like it ) #litchat -1:13 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @DLStephenson Sounds as if you had Twitter problems of late. If so, how did you get them solved? #litchat -1:13 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 A great book with superb transitions I’ve read recently is HOOK AND JILL new from Reginetta Press http://www.hookandjill.com #litchat -1:13 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @mmj5170 So if you actively write, you *are* a writer. Even if you haven’t been published yet. #litchat -1:13 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| mmj5170 In the speaking world the saying went “Smooth transitions= sleeping audience” #litchat -1:14 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat Yes, I’m wondering what is meant by “transitions” too. If you can have a whole novel about transitions, what does that mean? #litchat -1:14 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| booksoulmates RT @corb21: RT @inkyelbows #litchat starting NOW. Topic:Transitions. Tips for those new to Twitterchats: http://bit.ly/writerchats #litchat -1:14 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| mmj5170 @CarolyBurnsBass I stand corrected. I do write and don’t wish I did. #litchat -1:15 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke Could plot and character transitions be seen as a writer’s scene changes? The stage crew if you will #litchat -1:15 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| inkyelbows @LitChat You’re welcome. I’d love to attend #litchat today but I have an article due. -1:15 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| DLStephenson @maggiedana #litchat Tweet @Lukester — but he’s already said they’re working on your problem. It shouldn’t be long. -1:16 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @corb21 Bad transitions can damage a good book. Good transitions make a good book even better. #litchat -1:16 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods #litchat I’m a prof. author. I’m running an interactive web story at the moment; readers vote what next. That brings continual transition. -1:16 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @DLStephenson Wow … do you have a direct connection to @Lukester? #litchat -1:16 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog I’m here….better late than never. #litchat -1:17 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat Our topic, TRANSITIONS can be about segues in composition, about character arcs, about anything in a book that changes. #litchat -1:17 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @maggiedana do you think transitions are an essential part of the writer’s repertoire? #litchat -1:17 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @ghostwoods there was a TV series like that in the UK was I was a kid, you phoned up to vote for the next plot shift #litchat -1:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LexxClarke Yes, I think they are. Bad transitions pull me right out of a story. #litchat -1:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @bibliofreakblog hello you!! #litchat -1:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat Q1 fm @LexxClarke Does a protagonist have to experience some form of transition for a story to feel more ‘real’? #litchat -1:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog @LitChat you mean, beside line breaks? LOL #litchat -1:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @LexxClarke Interesting! Did it work? #litchat -1:20 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LexxClarke By transitions, I mean the way a story moves from scene to scene; not how a character changes throughout the story. #litchat -1:20 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog @LitChat @LexxClarke Q1: usually. A character that is the same at the beginning and end is boring unless theme is nothing changes. #litchat -1:20 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat Q1: I think a character needs some sort of transition for a ‘real’ story. Few stories are interesting if everything stays the same #litchat -1:21 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @ghostwoods yes, very well in fact. They gave four options for you to choose from to limit the scope #litchat -1:21 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog @maggiedana scene to scene was my first thought. #litchat -1:21 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass Q1 Character growth is an essential element to creating sympathy in the protagonist. Even with the anti-hero, we must see change. #litchat -1:22 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @bibliofreakblog A ‘nothing changes’ theme sounds a bit dull. #litchat -1:22 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @LexxClarke That’s what I’m doing, pretty much! What was the show called? #litchat -1:22 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke The reason for asking Q was because I wondered if a story in which everything else changes but main char. is this still engaging? #litchat -1:23 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| susanwrites RT@LitChat Our topic, TRANSITIONS can be about segues in composition, about character arcs, about anything in a book that changes. #litchat -1:23 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| unbridledbooks RT @LitChat Welcome to LitChat! We’re talking about TRANSITIONS–any kind of transitions that have literary value. Join us. #litchat -1:24 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @LexxClarke There are plenty of stories where the main char remains resolute, sure. Bond, for easy example. #litchat -1:24 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog @maggiedana sometimes in short stories, there isn’t much of a character change, which can lead to nothing changes themes. #litchat -1:24 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LexxClarke I like to see MCs change. Even if for the worse. #litchat -1:24 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @LexxClarke I like that idea. It’d be fun to try to write, at least, where the main char. is all that DOESN’T change #litchat -1:25 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog @LexxClarke why would characters stay the same when everything else changes? #litchat -1:25 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @ghostwoods What’s your story with Sylvester McCoy directing #litchat -1:25 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @CarolyBurnsBass The most important thing is to avoid predictability & the political correct in character development #litchat -1:25 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @bibliofreakblog I was thinking change in full-length fiction. Short stories different kettle of fish. #litchat -1:26 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog RT @maggiedana @LexxClarke I like to see MCs change. Even if for the worse. #litchat -1:26 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog @maggiedana certainly I’m with you there. #litchat -1:27 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @LexxClarke Interesting, thanks. I’ll see if I can look it out. #litchat -1:27 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @bibliofreakblog perhaps in the more anti-hero type of MC, is the world around them changing w/o them changing as engaging a story #litchat -1:27 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @bibliofreakblog I don’t know why chars wd stay same as e.t. changes but I think it wd be a fun exercise, to see what came from it. #litchat -1:27 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| GloriaOliver RT @inkyelbows: #litchat starting NOW. Topic: Transitions. Tips for those new to Twitterchats: http://bit.ly/writerchats -1:27 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @ghostwoods But no one would call James Bond for a three dimensional character, would they? #litchat -1:28 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @maggiedana I agree. It’s harder with a short story, though there is room for some change, even if they just see things diff by end #litchat -1:28 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke I read Poppy Shakespeare rec where the MC changed comp but everything else remained (ess.) the same so wonder if the rev would work #litchat -1:29 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Cardboard, for sure. RT @danish_novelist: But no one would call James Bond for a three dimensional character, would they? #litchat -1:29 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @danish_novelist Agreed. I abhor predictability and stereotyping in fiction. Politically correctness is another matter entirely. #litchat -1:29 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @danish_novelist No, for sure. But it depends what you want your story to do, and who you want it to entertain/touch… #litchat -1:30 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @cookiebiscuit Hey, CB. You still having follower/following issues? Seems we’re not the only ones. #litchat -1:30 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @danish_novelist so a transition makes a char 3D, therefore more believable and the story more engaging? #litchat -1:30 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT @kashicat: @LexxClarke I like that idea. Itd be fun to try to write, at least, where the main char. is all that DOESNT change #litchat -1:30 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 @CarolyBurnsBass @danish_novelist predictability is a killer in fiction..what I do like is when I “think” I know and then I’m wrong #litchat -1:30 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| AngelMenchan hi all Im a writer mentor reviewer #litchat -1:31 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @CarolyBurnsBass The political correct HAS become a stereotype. That’s why it’s so boring in fiction #litchat -1:31 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 @maggiedana I agree with your (very) previous comment about bad trans killing good books but good trans making them better. #litchat -1:31 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @LexxClarke I’d say more that a complex character in reality would be changed by significant events, so realistic stories mirror. #litchat -1:32 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @maggiedana I’ve had 1734 followers for days now even though I keep getting emails about new ones.Or the same amount stop following #litchat -1:32 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass True! RT @danish_novelist:The political correct HAS become a stereotype. Thats why its so boring in fiction. #litchat -1:32 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @cookiebiscuit Same problem here. @Lukester says he’s working on it. #litchat -1:33 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 why does everyone call/need me during #litchat? #litchat -1:33 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @AngelMenchan Welcome! #litchat -1:34 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @corb21 cos they are mean! #litchat -1:34 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Because you’re irrisistible? RT @corb21: why does everyone call/need me during #litchat? #litchat -1:34 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @corb21 @ghostwoods Exactly. That’s why I like deeply immoral characters in fiction but not in life #litchat -1:34 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 @LexxClarke yup, no respect! #litchat -1:35 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| bibliofreakblog RT @danish_novelist @CarolyBurnsBass The political correct HAS become a stereotype. That’s why it’s so boring in fiction #litchat -1:36 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke RT @danish_novelist: Exactly. Thats why I like deeply immoral chars in fic but not in life || exp what is perceived as taboo irl #litchat -1:36 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat Q2 Transitions in the passing of time. What books/authors have handled this well? #litchat -1:36 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 @maggiedana thanks…I appreciate that. #litchat -1:37 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Hi! I’m late. But I want to comment on the transitions thread. It’s better to do w/o transitions that bore your reader with them. #litchat -1:37 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 @LitChat THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE handled it pretty well. #litchat -1:37 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke Q2 Jules Verne, consummate artist! #litchat -1:39 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @LitChat The Bible does a good job with transitions, but some of the characters seem underdeveloped. Like Judas and Barabas #litchat -1:39 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon You’d be amazed what power your scenes get from skipping transitions. #litchat -1:40 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @VictoriaMixon Do you mean ‘bore’ reader when transitions too long? They can be really short … a phrase, short para. One word. #litchat -1:41 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @danish_novelist I wonder how much of that is judicious editing over the ages? #litchat -1:41 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Interesting point. Must ponder it. RT @VictoriaMixon: Youd be amazed what power your scenes get from skipping transitions. #litchat -1:41 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @LitChat Most of my reading is genre. I thought Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising and Feist’s Magician both did good jobs w/ time. #litchat -1:41 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon You can jump from the end of one scene to the middle of the next, and the reader is swept along. #litchat -1:42 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @VictoriaMixon a very filmic technique #litchat -1:43 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @danish_novelist Very true. They are fascinating, buch more pleasant to explore that sort of person via writing. #litchat -1:43 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Syd Field the screenwriter says, “Start as close to the end of a scene as possible.” That’s where the punch is. #litchat -1:43 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio @VictoriaMixon Wouldn’t a reader just assume the “inbetween” was inconsequential? #litchat -1:43 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass I found the passing of time one of the hardest challenges in writing my first novel. I don’t like to read abrupt time-lapses. #litchat -1:43 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @danish_novelist Do you think a moral character is a boring stereotype, then? #litchat -1:44 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Well, it is. You’re not walking the reader through the char’s lives. You’re telling what matters for this story. #litchat -1:44 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Virginia Woolf experimented with the passage of time in To the Lighthouse. #litchat -1:44 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass After much revision, I learned you don’t need to detail every move your character makes in order to move from scene to scene. #litchat -1:45 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @ghostwoods For those of you who want to study/read great transitions, get hold of Fosnes Hansens Tales of Protection. Magical! #litchat -1:45 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @CarolyBurnsBass Agree. I also don’t like to write “The next day, she …” Too boring, predictable. Prefer to use other time trans. #litchat -1:45 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat I think jumping to middle of next scene works well IF there’s an underlying connection. Sometimes this method just makes it choppy #litchat -1:46 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT @kashicat: @danish_novelist Do you think a moral character is a boring stereotype, then?Takes work to makeMC interestingANDmoral #litchat -1:46 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @kashicat No because morality in itself isn’t predictable, especially when it comes from “bad” people #litchat -1:46 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @LexxClarke And once I learnt about this filmic technique I found I never write any other way. #litchat -1:46 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| ghostwoods @danish_novelist Good tip, thanks. Will do. #litchat -1:46 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @VictoriaMixon There is so much a novelist can learn from screenwriting. #litchat -1:46 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @maggiedana @VictoriaMixon @CarolyBurnsBass like highlights, the essential knowledge to keep the story flowing? #litchat -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat RT @Vigorio: Takes work to makeMC interestingANDmoral #litchat [I'd agree. They can be boring in their goodness.] -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @CarolyBurnsBass Coming up with unusual, different time transitions always a challenge. Using ‘light’ source (sun/moon) can work. #litchat -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TamaraNKitties @danish_novelist Love “Tales of Protection” one of my most cherished books #litchat -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @danish_novelist That makes sense. #litchat -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @kashicat It’s OK if you eventually bring the strands together. Even if there is no obvious connection initially. #litchat -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @maggiedana lighting is very powerful #litchat -1:47 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio @maggiedana I use the moon a lot #litchat -1:48 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon There must be an underlying connection between every pair of scenes, even if it’s justback & forth between parallel plots @kashicat #litchat -1:48 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana VERY. Can conjure up a gazillion moods. RT @LexxClarke: @maggiedana lighting is very powerful #litchat -1:48 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Exactly! @LexxClarke @maggiedana @VictoriaMixon @CarolyBurnsBass highlights, the essential knowledge to keep the story flowing? #litchat -1:49 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @TamaraNKitties It’s hard for a Dane to praise a Norwegian but Fosnes Hansen is an awesome writer #litchat -1:49 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 YES! I like “watching” a book. RT @CarolyBurnsBass @VictoriaMixon There is so much a novelist can learn from screenwriting. #litchat -1:49 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CREvers checking in at #litchat to see what’s going on. -1:49 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon That meeting of strands is the point of fiction. @cookiebiscuit @kashicat OK if you eventually bring the strands together. #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @VictoriaMixon Yes but you may not know what the connection is until you are some way into the story. #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass An interesting moral character is one with odd idocyncracies and character flaws. Jan Karon’s MITFORD series if full of them. #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @cookiebiscuit Don’t you think this jumping can be overdone? I don’t mean you go “And then she…& then she…,” of course #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Welcome. We’re debating transitions. RT @CREvers: checking in at #litchat to see whats going on. #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT @corb21: YES! I like “watching” a book. – Don’t you SEE the book as you write as well? #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| luciaorth I saw Victoria & had to jump in, too. I’ve heard Oscar Hijuelos say that sometimes you need to write transition to find next scene. #litchat -1:50 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @maggiedana I like the idea of using changes in light for transitions. I should see if I’ve done/can do that in mine. #litchat -1:51 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon They’re similar in being scenic, different in that WE get to use exposition! @corb21 YES! @CarolyBurnsBass screenwriting. #litchat -1:51 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @Vigorio Some readers are unable to *see* a story as they read. I can’t imagine that, but this is what some have told me. #litchat -1:51 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Hi Lucia! I didn’t know you were here! @luciaorth I saw Victoria & had to jump in, too. #litchat -1:52 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @luciaorth And after writing transition & finding scene, I suppose you cd even do away w/transition after writing it. #litchat -1:52 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke To those who write a lot, do you write a ‘script’ for your work? #litchat -1:52 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| booksoulmates @maggiedana If you can’t “see” the story, I wonder why they read abook in the first place #litchat -1:52 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TamaraNKitties @VictoriaMixon But aren’t novels also different in the depth they offer? I wouldn’t want all books 2 become shallow as some films #litchat -1:53 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Yes. YOU have to walk through your char’s life. @luciaorth luciaorth Hijuelos: sometimes you write transition to find next scene #litchat -1:53 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Doublelattemama Reading #litchat tweets on my way to the dentist. Hope I don’t trip & fall -1:53 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Wondered that myself. RT @booksoulmates: @maggiedana If you cant “see” the story, I wonder why they read abook in the first place #litchat -1:53 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @LexxClarke I’m a total pantser, which means I story chase, not outline. New scenes just fall into place for me. #litchat -1:53 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT @LexxClarke: To those who write a lot, do you write a script for your work? I tried not to and did tons of rewrites-now I script #litchat -1:54 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @kashicat I was thinking more of parallel stories that eventually come together. Either diff chars or same chars in diff time frame #litchat -1:54 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Many books are shallow, many movies deep. @TamaraNKitties Aren’t novels also different in the depth they offer? #litchat -1:54 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| danish_novelist @LexxClarke The less I plan the more successful I am. However, I’m a firm believer in 22 rewrites #litchat -1:54 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit My last tweet was more like a text message. Hope it made sense. #litchat -1:54 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke @TwinkleChar more stream of consciousness then? #litchat -1:54 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| alleahna @kashicat And after writing transition & finding scene, I suppose you cd even do away w/transition // Exactly. #litchat -1:55 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @VictoriaMixon Exposition–yes. Still, it can be a friend or a foe. One way to kill a transition is with too much exposition. #litchat -1:55 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Hemingway sometimes did 50. @danish_novelist The less I plan the more successful I am. However, I’m a firm believer in 22 rewrites #litchat -1:55 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
TamaraNKitties @VictoriaMixon Agreed, but ‘shallow’ seems to sell more in movies  Though I prefer the good ones myself #litchat -1:55 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| luciaorth #litchat And you may likely find in a later draft that the transition is simply the bridge you needed, & thus it can be edited out. -1:56 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @LexxClarke No. More like watching a movie in my head, which I try to type fast enough to keep up with. Characters lead me. #litchat -1:56 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Your climax is the collision. @cookiebiscuit @kashicat I was thinking more of parallel stories that eventually come together. #litchat -1:56 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Yes. @luciaorth #litchat And you may find in a later draft the transition is simply the bridge you needed, & thus it can be edited out. -1:57 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @alleahna Transition can be clamp to hold story till the glue dries. Discard if story can stand up without it. #litchat -1:57 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TamaraNKitties @luciaorth Luv the idea of transitions as bridges. It’s true, once they’re written, you may no longer need them #litchat -1:57 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @VictoriaMixon @danish_novelist Sign me up to the 22 rewrite club. Now I don’t feel so bad as I’m in my 13th revison for my WIP. #litchat -1:57 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio @TwinkleChar I watch my story as a movie too but script a basic direction for it to go #litchat -1:58 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| luciaorth @TamaraNKitties #litchat Thanks, this idea kept me sane through my 22+ rewrites. -1:58 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Til the glue dries! @maggiedana @alleahna Transition can be clamp to hold story till the glue dries.#litchat -1:58 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar Jumped in late so confused here about transitions. When scene changes, we transist to new scene. ** Indicates new scene. #litchat -1:58 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @TwinkleChar RT Characters lead me. Me too. Like life. You can’t always plan in advance which way you will go. #litchat -1:59 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat Wow, today’s open chat flew by. No Twitter hiccups and plenty of great convo. We’ll continue TRANSITIONS on Wednesday, 4 p/e. #litchat -1:59 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Litchat is awash with metaphor today. Collision, bridges, glue … I’m loving it. #litchat -1:59 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Sells more books, too. Unfortunately. @#TamaraNKitties ‘shallow’ seems to sell more in movies #litchat -1:59 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @Vigorio My characters show up as I write, and are too pigheaded for me to script. They often go DEAF to my suggestions. #litchat -2:00 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Except Lucia’s! @TamaraNKitties #litchat -2:00 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke RT @maggiedana: Litchat is awash with metaphor today. Collision, bridges, glue … Im loving it. || wonderfully lit! #litchat -2:00 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio @cookiebiscuit But without some planning you can go off track too easily. #litchat -2:00 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LitChat Twitter hiccups = Twittercups? #litchat -2:01 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Scott_Kessman .@Vigorio: @LexxClarke: I always make it up as I go along, the story seems to remain more true to itself that way #litchat -2:01 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| mmj5170 Lots of great thoughts. Thank you all! And especially @litchat for hosting. And then, he left. #litchat -2:01 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio @TwinkleChar Mine, too. Every scene new chars develop then drop or stay – but basic outline helps keep story focused #litchat -2:01 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TamaraNKitties @LuciaOrth I’m a rewriter, too, and a discarder of sections that are no longer needed. Used to drive my writing-mates crazy:) #litchat -2:01 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @Vigorio True. But I love it when my characters behave in unexpected ways LOL #litchat -2:01 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @TwinkleChar Let’s hear it for DEAF characters. They often have more sense than their authors! #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Scott_Kessman .@Vigorio: @LexxClarke:It does take longer to write that way sometimes, because I’m waiting for the ideas, rather than forcing it #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @Scott_Kessman I can’t even confess to making it up. It’s like it’s “out there” somewhere, and it finds me. Demands my attention. #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana LOL!!! RT @mmj5170: Lots of great thoughts. Thank you all! And especially @litchat for hosting. And then, he left. #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Unfortunately! I’m actually teaching a workshop on this, starting today. @Vigorio without some planning can go off track too easily #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TheTsarsDwarf @TwinkleChar Totally understandable. We’re all ghost-writers. None of us work alone, even though we’d like to think so #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @maggiedana And I’m not sure I understand all the metaphors! #litchat -2:02 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TamaraNKitties @VictoriaMixon Yes, shallow sells better in every category! We’ll just have to do something about that, won’t we? #litchat -2:03 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| corb21 I feel like you always say this too soon RT @LitChat Of course, you’re welcome to linger in the LitChat salon as you wish. #litchat -2:03 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @Vigorio When I go “off track,” I always learn something I needed to know, even if scene doesn’t stay. #litchat -2:03 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat Welcome also to all the new tweeps popping into #litchat for the first time today. Hope you’ll join us again on Wednesday. #litchat -2:03 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana No worries. Just transition into them. RT @cookiebiscuit: @maggiedana And Im not sure I understand all the metaphors! #litchat -2:03 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT@TheTsarsDwarf:@TwinkleCharTotally understandable.Were all ghost-writers.None of us work alone, even though wed like to think so #litchat -2:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Tom Waitts told a wonderful story about yelling at his muse: “i’m DRIVING!” @theTsarsDwarf we’re all ghost-writers #litchat -2:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @maggiedana I KNOW my characters often have more sense than I do. #litchat -2:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat RT @TwinkleChar: I’m a total pantser, which means I story chase, not outline. New scenes just fall into place for me. #litchat [I'm similar] -2:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon I have to run. Thanks, everyone! #litchat -2:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana Twitter despises apostrophes. Quick … someone fetch @lynnetruss. #litchat -2:04 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| luciaorth #litchat This was interesting. A nice break from work for a conversation with other writers. My first chat. Thank y’all. -2:05 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TheTsarsDwarf @WriterCLKelly There’s nothing insulting by having a target audience as long as you LOVE what you do #litchat -2:05 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat RT @TwinkleChar: My characters show up as I write, & are too pigheaded for me to script. They often go DEAF to my suggestions. #litchat -2:06 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CDominiqueG #litchat did I miss everything? -2:06 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @luciaorth litchat rocks. Wish I could get here more often. Either deadline or dead brain (Doh! Missed it again!) often hampers me. #litchat -2:06 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke RT @luciaorth: A nice break from work for a conv with other writers. My first chat. Thank yall. || Be warned it’s addictive! #litchat -2:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @Vigorio I used to start story just knowing ending, & then had to figure out how they got there. #litchat -2:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana @luciaorth Great to have you. Please come again, soon and often. LitChat is every M-W-F, 4-5 pm EST. But not this Friday. #litchat -2:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @Vigorio My most boring story ever was all preplanned. Now, I’m kind of half-planned, half winging it. Then edit!! #litchat -2:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT@luciaorth litchat rocks.Wish I could get here more often. Either deadline or dead brain (Doh! Missed it again!)often hampers me. #litchat -2:07 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| maggiedana You and JK Rowling! RT @kashicat I used to start story just knowing ending, & then had to figure out how they got there. #litchat -2:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat RT @TwinkleChar: can’t even confess to making it up. It’s like it’s “out there” somewhere, and it finds me. Demands my attention. #litchat -2:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @TwinkleChar I seem to be hearing an echo in my own head every time you tweet. Heehee! #litchat -2:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio RT @kashicat: @Vigorio My most boring story ever was all preplanned.Now, Im kind of half-planned, half winging it.Then edit!! AGREE #litchat -2:08 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat @corb21 It helps those who are ditching work if we make a “release” tweet. Of course, the convo continues and welcome to do so. #litchat -2:09 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat RT @maggiedana: No worries. Just transition into them. #litchat [going to administer a smack in a minute! Ha!] -2:09 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @maggiedana But only if @lynnetruss brings her black marker! #litchat -2:10 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @Vigorio Too funny! You just put my words in luciaorths mouth with that RT. Writers just can’t help it, can they?! #litchat -2:10 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @luciaorth Really nice to see you here. #litchat -2:10 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @maggiedana Bwa! So I knew there was *some* reason why Harry Potter & I share a birthday. <g> #litchat -2:11 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CDominiqueG @Vigorio #litchat I think too much planning ruins creativity. You try to stick to the plan and your story doesnt have a mind of its own -2:11 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @kashicat Awwww. Hope it’s a good echo. #litchat -2:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @maggiedana Not this Friday? Why not? #litchat -2:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TheTsarsDwarf @VictoriaMixon Exactly. We all have muses, spirits, gods, and devils. No wonder we writers need to purge ourselves with words #litchat -2:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @TwinkleChar Well, certainly my characters and plotting seem to work similarly. #litchat -2:12 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @CDominiqueG That’s what I exper’d with my boring, too-planned story. Characters were robots, filling my prescribed role. #litchat -2:13 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @CDominiqueG On defense of planning (tho it’s not for me), the planning part takes lots of creative juices too. #litchat -2:13 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @kashicat We are so clever. #litchat -2:14 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LexxClarke I love this chat, so different from my own writing #litchat -2:14 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio I basically outline some plot then let the chars go and see what they do with it or who new steps in. #litchat -2:14 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CDominiqueG @kashicat #litchat I know what you mean. As an undergrad, I’d plan my essays and they were awful. When I did them 1/3 hr b4 classALL A’s -2:15 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar Hate I got here late. Don’t want to go, but deadline calls. Adios for now. #litchat -2:16 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CDominiqueG @TwinkleChar #litchat lol, and too much time.The time I could be using to let the characters speak for themselves.A little 2 word plot works -2:17 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @TwinkleChar Hive mind! #litchat -2:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @CDominiqueG So, are you good at speaking without notes to a crowd too? Hee! #litchat -2:18 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio But if you’re at a deadlock or writer’s block – planning plot can get the story moving again. You shouldn’t plan everything. #litchat -2:19 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @Vigorio I always watch the new characters. Often someone I thought was just “filler” turns out to be the pivot pt. of whole plot. #litchat -2:19 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CDominiqueG @LexxClarke #litchat I’m just glad I caught it for once, I’m at work(job) and taking a break from work(writing) -2:19 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Scott_Kessman .@TwinkleChar That’s a much better description of what I would have liked to say. The story exists, and I am merely it’s vessel…#litchat -2:20 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| luciaorth #litchat Thanks for the invitations for Wed. I teach that day. I’ll look for y’all on Mondays, & visit w editor @VictoriaMixon meantime. -2:21 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| Vigorio @kashicat I had a dog rescue my MC and stay for the whole book. Never even heard of him before chapter was written. #litchat -2:21 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @kashicat Okay, not gone yet. Can go now, though, because now you’re speaking FOR me! So scary I’m following you now. #litchat -2:22 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @Scott_Kessman Yes. Exactly. When I get out of my own way enough, The Story breaks through. #litchat -2:23 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TheTsarsDwarf Rt Vigorio @kashicat I had a dog rescue my MC and stay for the whole book. Never even heard of him before chapter was written. #litchat -2:25 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar @Scott_Kessman Just checked you out. IRISH! No wonder stuff follows us around. #litchat -2:25 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| TwinkleChar Serioiusly, I am really going this time. (Hear that, Charlene?) Bye. #litchat -2:26 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @Vigorio That is the funniest, most interesting “new character” I’ve ever heard of. <g> #litchat -2:27 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| kashicat @TwinkleChar Ha! And now that we’ve recognized this connection, we’ll discover some separate idiosyncracies that horrify us! #litchat -2:28 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| CDominiqueG @kashicat lol it’s wierd,but I am.Must b a Bahamian Thing.I have to do impromptu presentations of my research and I wing it #litchat -2:28 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
| LitChat RT @20xJENNY Q1 Protagonist does not have to change to feel “real” (eg narrator Death in BOOK THIEF) but rather to “hook” readers. #litchat -2:28 PM Aug 31st, 2009 |
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