tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post8799510089028552702..comments2023-11-07T21:12:19.852-06:00Comments on Wyrdsmiths: Why Shouldn't Writers Use Their Time Machines?tate hallawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06631759014508937940noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-21284335619278037362011-07-27T15:56:18.797-05:002011-07-27T15:56:18.797-05:00On the other hand, Sean, if you want to echo those...On the other hand, Sean, if you want to echo those old pulp novels, the flashback structure might be useful, provided it's done skillfully and it's <i>short</i>. <br /><br />Classic pulp structure is regaining popularity amongst the "straight" crime and thriller folk - so if your story has those elements, you could certainly take advantage.G.J. Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17163718840474758578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-75587092400671887202011-07-27T15:21:45.964-05:002011-07-27T15:21:45.964-05:00I suspect it's one of those things that people...I suspect it's one of those things that people are more prone to when they first start out, as it is much harder for new writers to sell stories that get to the action in a slower manner.Kelly McCulloughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06399122960869198042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-39357467181256113262011-07-27T12:31:10.601-05:002011-07-27T12:31:10.601-05:00No, I don't think you're wrong about it, E...No, I don't think you're wrong about it, Eleanor. I don't get the sense that it's a global rejection on your part, and in this case, I'm basically saying that I don't know HOW to do it better. It's a place I need to improve my craft.<br /><br />That said, if I open a story and the hero is tied to a chair being interogated, I certainly want to keep reading. Doug's opening scene to AMONG THEIVES really works for me because of exactly that hook. There may, however, be extraordinary amounts of backstory that need to be filled in, and that's where I'm having trouble piecing out how to layer that in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-51418944235858859002011-07-26T08:59:17.840-05:002011-07-26T08:59:17.840-05:00Further comment: It is always possible I am wrong ...Further comment: It is always possible I am wrong about this. But I love the stories that begin with the client walking in...Eleanorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07014586558046317266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-49759124350714475972011-07-26T08:58:38.326-05:002011-07-26T08:58:38.326-05:00The main reason I hate flashbacks is the old pulp ...The main reason I hate flashbacks is the old pulp insistence that a story start with a hook; later the author uses a flashback to explain why the hero was hanging on breaking branch just below a clifftop, with a tiger above him snarling. This kind of story actually starts before the cliff scene. The dramatic opening scene -- the hook -- is a cliche and not necessary, if you are able to write. Think of all the great mysteries that start with a client waking into the PI's office. Very dull, is it? Not when Raymond Chandler is doing the writing. <br /><br />Think of all the Sherlock Holmes story that begin in the familiar comfort of 221B Baker St. <br /><br />I start most Lydia Duluth stories with Lydia reaching a new planet. You get a tour of the setting, some backstory and then the action begins. <br /><br />If you need a flashback -- rather than some simple filling in through conversation or the hero remembering -- it may well be a sign that the story actually begins earlier.Eleanorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07014586558046317266noreply@blogger.com