July 20, 2009 Finding the Fountain of Youth in Fiction, open chat 1
The transcript below covers the complete #litchat conversation on July 20, 2009. The order appears sequentially from the first post to the final post. Topic was open discussion Finding the Fountain of Youth in Fiction.
| LitChat Welcome to #litchat. This week’s topic is FINDING THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH IN FICTION. Join us for the next hour for great litchat. -1:02 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LitChat Hello. Am really looking forward to this week’s LitChat sessions. Fingers crossed we don’t get bogged down. #litchat -1:04 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LitChat If you have questions to pose to the chat, please send to @LitChat w/o hashtag and I will post to group. Thanks. #litchat -1:05 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana RT @LitChat Welcome to #litchat. This week’s topic is FINDING THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH IN FICTION. Join us for next hour for great litchat. -1:07 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LitChat Q1 How does fiction keep readers young–at least young at heart? #litchat -1:08 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana Q1 I’d think that reading about older protags who tackle life head on helps keep readers young at heart. #litchat -1:09 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead righty-ho, fab followers. Prepare for the hashtags – #litchat time – back soon -1:10 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana RT @rebeccawoodhead: righty-ho, fab followers. Prepare for the hashtags – #litchat time – back soon. Same from @maggiedana, too! #litchat -1:11 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant I think that fiction allows the reader to be any age. When I was young, I wanted to be the older heroine, couldn’t wait in fact #litchat -1:11 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @deberryandgrant Good point. Do you still want to be the younger heroine? #litchat -1:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @LitChat and now that i’m no longer a young’un, I find myself able to reverse that feeling and identify w/younger protatonists #litchat -1:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| kimchatel This is my first Twitter Chat. I suspect I’m already doing something wrong. #litchat -1:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant I identify with a character that is someone I like or would like to be like, age is less important to me than who the character is #litchat -1:13 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LitChat @kimchatel Welcome! You’re doing fine. Just pop into the convo and try to stay on topic. Enjoy. #litchat -1:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @kimchatel Welcome, Kim. Hang in there. I’m pretty clunky at this myself. #litchat -1:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| BizarreJC I like to become people that I have no clue about. #litchat -1:16 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @deberryandgrant Me, too. I find the age of the character as unimportant as the sex, religion or race of the protag. #litchat -1:16 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant Age is a fact–we are what the calendar says, but it is also more importantly a factor-only part of the equation #litchat -1:17 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant In fiction, you are as young/old/adventurous as we want to be. That’s what makes books so amazing. We put ourselves into the story #litchat -1:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| RebeccaMather Nervous about participating. Accidentally posted personal msg via my phone couple nights ago didn’t realize til morning. Embrsing #litchat -1:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| kimchatel I think that deep POV is the key rather than age. I can identify with just about any character as long as the POV is well done #litchat -1:19 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| jbaddorf I don’t think age matters as long as the character is sympathetic and believable. #litchat -1:19 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @RebeccaMather just throw yourself in. We’re all nice. Just remember not to mention Kindle to @maggiedana and you’ll be fine #litchat -1:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @kimchatel Do you have a favorite style of POV? #litchat -1:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @RebeccaMather LOL this is a fairly tame and and pretty safe space… #litchat -1:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| Viapersona #litchat Fiction stimulates the imagination, shows us different parts of life. This reminds us of new potential, and youth is in potential. -1:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots A character’s age can be a benefit to a book. I will take sillier behavior from younger protagonists more easily. #litchat -1:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana <— shoots Kindles on sight. #litchat -1:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
rebeccawoodhead @maggiedana  #litchat -1:21 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| househomeauthor I love to read about protagonists who are in the same life stage I’m in, or one I’ve been through. Love to relate. #litchat -1:21 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @maggiedana I don’t care what POV is used as long as it doesn’t impede w/ the story telling. #litchat -1:21 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @Viapersona youth is potential–but so is life. As long as we’re alive, we have potential. We limit ourselves with age “tags” #litchat -1:21 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| RebeccaMather LOL Thanks for the encouragement and sense of humor ;0) #litchat -1:22 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @CarolyBurnsBass well put #litchat -1:29 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana RT @rebeccawoodhead: Writing taboos well is difficult #litchat -1:29 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @rebeccawoodhead If writing was easy, everyone would be doing it. #litchat -1:29 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @househomeauthor but were u interested in reading about the menses in general? I thought not. Some stuff just isn’t fiction worthy #litchat -1:29 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| hermitpaul @LitChat I did not want to recognize that the tweed-wearing Robert Langdon would have sex with a self-proclaimed yoga master. #litchat -1:29 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass Q2 No taboos. Life happens at every age and the telling/showing of it is what drives fiction. #litchat -1:30 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| Viapersona @deberryandgrant Age “tags” are indeed limiting! “Old” need not mean “awful”, yet so many still long for youth rather than age. #litchat -1:30 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead I wrote about a taboo in one book – won’t say which one or it’ll spoil it – and it was the most impossible thing to write #litchat -1:30 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| zumayabooks @scgreen Sadly, I sometimes think everyone IS doing it. LOL @rebeccawoodhead #litchat -1:30 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @Viapersona We live in a youth-oriented culture. The old are invisible. #litchat -1:31 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice Got a senior citizen pot dealer in my latest. Only deals to other seniors & is based on real person! Age means little. #litchat #litchat -1:31 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| hermitpaul #litchat I found the scenes of graphic sadism & rape in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” to be lacking. Taboo & badly done, too. -1:31 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @carleenbrice Pot-dealing senior is former flower child, yes? #litchat -1:32 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice @maggiedana Nope. Former army guy supplementing his social security. #litchat -1:33 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @scgreen Taboos are particularly tricky. To take your judgement out of the equation and write the character’s experience is hard. #litchat -1:33 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @maggiedana The old aren’t invisible any more. The old are recycled revolutionaries #litchat -1:33 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| hermitpaul #litchat @CarolyBurnsBass It’s only important (age, race, etc) if the story makes it relevant. For example, books by women about Iraq. -1:34 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @rebeccawoodhead Good one! #litchat -1:34 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana RT @rebeccawoodhead: @maggiedana The old aren’t invisible any more. The old are recycled revolutionaries. #litchat -1:35 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark Hi! May I join the major topic? #litchat -1:35 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| jbaddorf I enjoy younger antag b/c I feel like I can experience through them opportunities I didn’t have the chance to. #litchat -1:35 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice @jbaddorf Why I enjoy Entourage. #litchat -1:36 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @hermitpaul Bad writing should always be taboo. But subject matter-then we get into censorship issues… #litchat -1:37 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen Tweetchat is dropping my posts. I’ll try again… #litchat -1:38 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @deberryandgrant It’s a pity that bad writing isn’t censored out of existence! #litchat -1:38 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @rebeccawoodhead I can see that. Not only removing yourself, but inserting the character’s judgement that might differ from yours. #litchat -1:38 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @Viapersona And those who long for youth can find it in fiction the same way those who long for adventure or intrigue do I imagine #litchat -1:38 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
jbaddorf Older antags help me look for opportunities I don’t want to miss as I grow older  #litchat -1:38 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice @maggiedana @deberryandgrant But then we’d all have to agree what’s bad writing. #litchat -1:39 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @maggiedana but where else would you get sparkly vampires? #litchat -1:39 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| dosankodebbie I’m translating story about man struggling w/ post-retirement changes in social status. Very true-to-life and sad. #litchat -1:39 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @carleenbrice Point taken. #litchat -1:39 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @scgreen Have to agree you do have a point about the vampires, there. #litchat -1:39 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @carleenbrice There was nothing tame about the roaring 20s – the youth of that time are clocking 3 figures. We’re all modern now! #litchat -1:39 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye I find that the age of the writer can be easily detected by language use and genre choice. #litchat -1:40 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @carleenbrice @maggiedana–well since it’s not going to happen, we’ll have to make our own bad writing taboo lists LOL #litchat -1:40 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @rebeccawoodhead Am reading THE BOLTER, about Idina Sackville (20s). Boy, did they live on the edge. #litchat -1:40 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @thewaryeye How so? #litchat -1:40 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice @rebeccawoodhead I was just with my elderly in-laws and they were treated as quite invisible on the streets of Chicago. Depends on #litchat -1:40 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| dosankodebbie Is there a sudden change in a person’s social status upon retirement in the US? Is there a book you can recommend? #litchat -1:40 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LitChat Q3 Is there a universal age to the perfect protagonist? #litchat -1:41 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| RebeccaMather @scgreen I’m writing about something I find very difficult to take my own judgments out of and write purely from character POV #litchat -1:41 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LitChat Q3 Ageless? #litchat -1:41 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @LitChat and does it matter if they are male or female–an even ickier question… #litchat -1:41 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @LitChat It depends on which reader you ask. #litchat -1:42 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @thewaryeye So do writers change genres as they age? Or do genres change with generations? #litchat -1:42 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice @LitChat No. #litchat -1:42 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| carleenbrice @linc0lnpark Good point. #litchat -1:42 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| zumayabooks CBS cancelled show Joan of Arcadia not for lack of viewers but because viewers were mostly 50+. #litchat -1:42 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead In Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, the main character is presented as a child and old man. I love both #litchat -1:43 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @pussreboots I believe writers can change genres with whim… Just as actors can change roles. The imagination is boundless. #litchat -1:43 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| murzee @maggiedana Invisibility is subversive #litchat -1:43 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots Q3: I hope not. Finding that “perfect age” would make fiction boring. #litchat -1:43 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LitChat Great question. @thewaryeye So do writers change genres as they age? Or do genres change with generations? #litchat -1:43 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @zumayabooks Silly CBS. Don’t they follow the money? #litchat -1:43 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @LitChat Genres change depending on what’s wildly popular with publishers at any given moment. #litchat -1:44 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
rebeccawoodhead tweetchat’s being naughty. Won’t let me reply to someone  #litchat -1:44 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| dosankodebbie @LitChat I think we should distinguish between physical age and mental age in a protagonist. Some YA has very mature protags. #litchat -1:44 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| zumayabooks @maggiedana Allegedly, they did–marketing “experts” say 18-34 males are biggest spenders. #litchat -1:45 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| hermitpaul #litchat There isn’t a perfect protagonist. Readers change with age. Writers grow wiser or worse. Genres change with time, I’d say. -1:45 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @pussreboots @scqreen Genres change with generations. Fantasy is mostly new. Romances have aged. Graphic novels revolutionary. #litchat -1:45 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| jbaddorf Loving this conversation. My WIP has 2 primary protags, 1 is 17, the other is 65. Very difficult to demonstrate deep POV for both. #litchat -1:45 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| househomeauthor @linc0lnpark Well put. #litchat -1:45 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| llunalila @LitChat didn’t remember it was #litchat today! hope I still have some time -1:45 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana I admire young authors who can write from POV of much older protag. #litchat -1:46 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead Tweetchat won’t let me ‘reply’ but I agree that writer’s can switch genres at will, like actors. I write in several. #litchat -1:46 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @rebeccawoodhead True. But then there is the question of the author’s authentic voice. #litchat -1:47 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @krisriggle ‘s REAL LIFE & LIARS has 4 POVs from different ages, including 60 yr old. Kris is in her 30s. Excellent novel. #litchat -1:48 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @thewaryeye The author is as multifaceted as his mind allows… no? #litchat -1:48 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @rebeccawoodhead Can you give me examples of authors who have done this… successfully. #litchat -1:48 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @jbaddorf Not easy to write from 2 protags’ POV, esp. such different age groups. #litchat -1:48 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass Me too. @maggiedana I admire young authors who can write from POV of much older protag. #litchat -1:48 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead I think we might overplay the importance of age. I’m currently winning Ms Twitter UK – & I’m way older than the other finalists #litchat -1:49 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @maggiedana How about older authors who can write from POV of younger protag? #litchat -1:49 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @rebeccawoodhead YEA!!!! Rebecca. You rock. #litchat -1:49 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @cookiebiscuit Older authors can write about younger protags from personal experience, provided they can still remember. #litchat -1:50 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @llunalila Hi! Here we are again! I need to limit myself tonight after 3 hours on #writechat #litchat -1:50 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @linc0lnpark In interest, I would certainly agree. In voice, in language use, I think one would be artificial, the other authentic. #litchat -1:50 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @scgreen aside from Shakespeare you mean? #litchat -1:50 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @rebeccawoodhead I have no idea what Ms Twitter UK is or is about, but I voted for you anyway. #litchat -1:50 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit Ahh, the sweet remembrance of youthful days. #litchat -1:51 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass Sara Gruen did a very good job of writing her protag as old and young man in WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. #litchat -1:51 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @deberryandgrant Trouble is, I’ve forgotten so much of what I’ve been through. #litchat -1:52 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @maggiedana That’s not quite the same. From POV of someone younger but totally different from ourselves. #litchat -1:52 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @rebeccawoodhead Identifying voice was the primary method for attempts to determine who really wrote Shakespeare. #litchat -1:52 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| househomeauthor @scgreen In OUT STEALING HORSES, Per Petterson writes beautifully from POV of old man and 15-year-old boy. Brilliant book. #litchat -1:52 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LitChat RT @pussreboots: RT @maggiedana: @LitChat Q3 Ageless? #litchat That would be “vampire” ? (just kidding) -1:53 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @maggiedana I tend to only forget the bad stuff. The good, I remember very well! LOL #litchat -1:53 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @scgreen Personal mission to prove the pen is mightier than the pin-up but now I have a supermodel following me I’m conflicted #litchat -1:53 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| llunalila @cookiebiscuit yeah! Same here, and I need to start working on new single project as well as the series I’m working on #writechat #litchat -1:53 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @rebeccawoodhead Stalked by a supermodel sounds fine to me. #litchat -1:54 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye So do you think he could fool the reader with his voice? I would like to think I could. #litchat -1:54 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark I think writers should embrace their ability 2 B complex — and allow themselves more freedom to think in broad perspectives #litchat -1:54 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @linc0lnpark Absolutely. #litchat -1:54 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @thewaryeye I don’t think Graphic Novels are revolutionary any longer. Once upon a time. Now they’re almost common place. #litchat -1:55 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| llunalila @linc0lnpark agree! #litchat -1:56 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| jbaddorf @carleenbrice RT Why I enjoy Entourage. #litchat << Heard that from several people. I really should check it out. -1:56 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana As a reader, what do you look for when reading novel with a protag who’s older than you? #litchat -1:57 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @pussreboots Agree, the comic book model. But the concept could be brilliantly expanded. Finding an artist is the obstacle. #litchat -1:57 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead jbaddorf @carleenbrice I was thinking that too #litchat -1:57 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| kimchatel #litchat In highschool my lit teacher was disappointed when I wrote about an 18th C boy. “Write what you know!” He insisted. -1:57 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @pussreboots So many images in my head and no talent for drawing, none once so ever. #litchat -1:58 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
rebeccawoodhead @maggiedana flexibility and a great sex life. Keeps me optimistic for my older years  #litchat -1:58 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| jbaddorf RT @maggiedana: What do you look for…with a protag who’s older than you? #litchat < Someone with a unique experience and an open mind. -1:59 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @maggiedana I look for a char’s position in relationship 2 the story — regardless of age. I follow the story. #litchat -1:59 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @kimchatel Writing what you know is only one method. You can write straight from imagination if you prefer though it’s harder. #litchat -1:59 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LaurenBaratzL @maggiedana Same as with any other book: a well-written story, interesting characters. #litchat -2:00 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @rebeccawoodhead Supermodels, flexibility, and great sex life. What kind of #litchat is this coming to? #litchat -2:00 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @kimchatel One of the biggest writing abuses is “write what you know.” Bad advice from your teacher. #litchat -2:00 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit Gets back to the earlier question of whether fiction derives from the real. #litchat -2:00 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @CarolyBurnsBass Please expand. #litchat -2:01 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead no taboos – this is ‘extreme #litchat ‘ for the fearless #litchat -2:01 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @cookiebiscuit and even “what you know” and “imagination” require good research… #litchat -2:01 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @scgreen Sounds like the plot of a great novel LOL! #litchat -2:02 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| househomeauthor You can write what you know emotionally, even if it has nothing to do with your physical time, place, or person. #litchat -2:02 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| Viapersona @CarolyBurnsBass @kimchatel Outward appearances may change but human nature remains fairly constant! So the advice is misleading. #litchat -2:02 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark I write what I imagine, whether I have former knowledge of the subject, or not. I thought that was the whole reason 4 writing. #litchat -2:02 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @scgreen If we only wrote what we “knew” fiction would be predictable and boring. -more- #litchat -2:03 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @deberryandgrant …and research – I agree but I ran out of word count! #litchat -2:03 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| househomeauthor Fiction derives from real feeling. Fave quote about writing: “All the feelings are facts, it’s just the facts that are fiction.” #litchat -2:03 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead If we only wrote what we knew, we’d get sued a lot #litchat -2:03 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @deberryandgrant Right on! Besides physical research, I often write with Google open in another window LOL #litchat -2:03 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| murzee Quirkiness, attitude RT @maggiedana As a reader, what do you look for when reading novel with a protag who’s older than you? #litchat -2:04 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye Gosh. If I answer that I expect I’ll repeat what was said before I joined. #litchat -2:04 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant RT @househomeauthor:Fiction derives from real feeling.RE: writing: “All the feelings r facts, its just the facts that are fiction.” #litchat -2:04 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| LMAObot (@cookiebiscuit) @scgreen Sounds like the plot of a great novel LOL! #litchat -2:05 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @scgreen Historical writers research heavily into period, popculture writers don’t have to be a heroin addict to write about drugs. #litchat -2:05 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| kimchatel @CarolyBurnsBass You’re right. I didn’t take his advice. I was more disappointed in him. I now write fantasy fiction. #litchat -2:05 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| dosankodebbie @CarolyBurnsBass I think Americans should read more fiction in translation. Authors writing about things outside US experience. #litchat -2:05 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @linc0lnpark And imagine when we started writing–we actually had ONLY the library! No Google! It’s an easier research world LOL #litchat -2:06 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @CarolyBurnsBass But I think it helps if you have some experience of pop culture. #litchat -2:06 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| kimchatel @rebeccawoodhead LOL! I have a few stories I’m holding onto until certain people are dead. #litchat -2:06 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit Question is too universal to risk that. I enjoy fiction that reflects reality, posits real people and places. #litchat -2:06 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @scgreen It’s the ability of the writer to research, then employ learning to art–must connect with empathy to character. #litchat -2:06 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| llunalila @deberryandgrant oh Yes! That’s what I keep telling my daughter when she protests my research. Be4 it was harder #litchat -2:07 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| kimchatel @CarolyBurnsBass I agree. I now write about vampires and other fantasy creatures. If I took his advice I’d be in trouble. #litchat -2:07 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @dosankodebbie Agree. My passion is Spanish and South American writers with such creative imaginations. #litchat -2:07 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye Me too. That’s why I am not a great fan of fantasy. I like what I read to relate to me somehow, even if only a little. #litchat -2:07 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @cookiebiscuit. Very true. Yet an author doesn’t have to become an addict. Exposure isn’t necessarily experience. #litchat -2:08 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| BenRubinstein @thewaryeye What would fiction be that doesn’t reflect reality? #litchat -2:08 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen I think it’s moving from #litchat to #writechat… not that I mind. #litchat -2:08 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @llunalila histories, guidebooks, maps, encyclopedia, almanacs YIKES! Seems like the dark ages. #litchat -2:09 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @dosankodebbie I think everyone (not just Americans) should read globally. But that’s not always easy. Not all books available. #litchat -2:09 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark Q: How do you guys consider the deployment of your text-based stories into this increasingly VISUAL world? #litchat -2:09 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit As a kid I loved Agatha Christie and Masterpiece Theater for capturing English characters and countryside. #litchat -2:09 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @CarolyBurnsBass Actually I probably take back what I said! You don’t have be a murderer to write a good murder mystery. #litchat -2:09 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @linc0lnpark As writers we need to paint big pictures with our words. As few words as possible is always better, IMHO. #litchat -2:10 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| dosankodebbie @thewaryeye And the youth/age experience can be so different depending on the culture. I find US movies/books to be stuck in a rut #litchat -2:10 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @linc0lnpark Moving pictures will never replace the smell of a paper back. It’s the magic aroma that helps transports the reader. #litchat -2:11 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @linc0lnpark I don’t think the words are going away. And good words in a good story become visual. #litchat -2:11 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye As a kid I loved fantasy, Bram Stoker et al. Now I prefer something grittier, usually with a religious based theme. #litchat -2:11 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @dosankodebbie Which rut? What should be done differently? #litchat -2:11 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead what about the heimlich/unheimlich idea? For something to be really scary it has to be a bit familiar. #litchat -2:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @dosankodebbie Other cultures value age far more than US culture does. #litchat -2:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye What’s Masterpiece Theater? #litchat -2:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @scgreen celluloid has a distinct smell too. #litchat -2:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| llunalila @deberryandgrant I still remember visiting the Barcelona Ritz when I was 14 & writing a thriller! That was my first research LOL #litchat -2:12 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @stephenfry – I’m sure everyone would be chuffed if you’d join in with litchat some time #litchat -2:13 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @BenRubinstein but who is the most realistically fantasy character in Lord of the Rings? #litchat -2:13 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @thewaryeye “Oh the places you’ll go!” Seuss knew!!! #litchat -2:14 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon “You have only yourself to mine for character.” http://tinyurl.com/mgd6r5 @househomeauthor Write what you know emotionally. #litchat -2:14 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| BenRubinstein @VictoriaMixon but as @househomeauthor said “feelings=facts, facts=fiction.” Fantasy has as many feelings as “reality” no? #litchat -2:14 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana Seuss = my favorite poet. RT @deberryandgrant: @thewaryeye “Oh the places youll go!” Seuss knew!!! #litchat -2:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit Yes, and what about the vampire most intrigued you, the bite? #litchat -2:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead what question are we on now? #litchat -2:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| pussreboots @thewaryeye Frodo. #litchat -2:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @deberryandgrant Seuss wrote the ultimate graphic novel, yes? #litchat -2:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| CarolyBurnsBass @cookiebiscuit Masterpiece has been turning great lit into PBS film for more than 30 years. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/. #litchat -2:15 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen I must say Good bye. “Good bye.” Till next #litchat -2:16 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @pussreboots Probably tell too much about myself, but I’d say Golum. #litchat -2:16 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye The realism and identifying with the characters. My mother came from Romania LOL. #litchat -2:16 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana All Masterpiece Theater productions come from UK. ’nuff said. #litchat -2:17 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @CarolyBurnsBass I SO loved the MPT version of “Moll Flanders”. #litchat -2:17 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Of course. I was being facetious. All fiction is true to human nature. @BenRubinstein Fantasy has as many feelings as “reality” no? #litchat -2:17 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| dosankodebbie @maggiedana Japan is thought to value age, but that isn’t necessarily so. Once a man retires from his job, he has no social role. #litchat -2:17 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| jbaddorf #litchat Grrr.. dang phone. Now have to run to a meeting. Thanks all! -2:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @maggiedana oy! I don’t even know what Masterpiece theatre is #litchat -2:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @CarolyBurnsBass I guess you are in US? I’m in UK. #litchat -2:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit Oh my, and did she bring any favorite fairy tales with her? Friend of mine from Hungary collected the old tales. #litchat -2:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @dosankodebbie So in Japan it’s a career that defines a man. A woman, too? #litchat -2:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| BenRubinstein @thewaryeye Haven’t actually read Tolkien, but I’d say Jessica from Dune was sublimely realistic in a SciFi book. #litchat -2:18 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana @cookiebiscuit I’m a Brit, but have lived in US for many years. #litchat -2:19 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @CarolyBurnsBass PBS was doing it long before Merchant- Ivory did the same for the big screen- #litchat -2:19 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead @cookiebiscuit I’m in UK #litchat -2:19 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| deberryandgrant @thewaryeye many of them… #litchat -2:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| scgreen @maggiedana Yes, but the US has Ripley’s Believe It Or Not… Oh wait, that’s not helping. #litchat -2:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Hair-on-fire moment. How can we be that old? @CarolyBurnsBass Are you serious? Now this is generation gap. re: Masterpiece Theater #litchat -2:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @BenRubinstein Dune is wonderful, the version with Sting and all the Jules Verne machinery. #litchat -2:20 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| maggiedana Sad, but true. RT @scgreen: @maggiedana Yes, but the US has Ripleys Believe It Or Not… Oh wait, thats not helping. #litchat -2:21 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @thewaryeye No fairy tales but her mother was very superstitious. My mother was afraid of wolves. As a child she could hear them #litchat -2:21 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| cookiebiscuit @maggiedana Where did u live in UK? #litchat -2:22 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| linc0lnpark @BenRubinstein I liked t.f. that Baron Harkkonen had skin problems. Char’s never seem 2 have acne or chin-hairs 2 pluck, anymore. #litchat -2:22 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| thewaryeye @cookiebiscuit My Irish grandmother believed in mediums and ghosts, but then she grew up in a Colorado mountain mining town. #litchat -2:22 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| llunalila @cookiebiscuit all this background should make a great story #litchat -2:22 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| VictoriaMixon Hungarian? Wow! That’s a treasure chest! @thewaryeye Friend of mine from Hungary collected the old tales. #litchat -2:23 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
| rebeccawoodhead thanks for an interesting litchat – must drink tea – English blood is 80% tea. If it drops lower than that, we lose our irony. Bye #litchat -2:23 PM Jul 20th, 2009 |
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