Chapter I

stilskin · 08 Sep 2006, 11:39 · from 2006-September.txt.gz

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From: acronus at yahoo.com (stilskin)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 04:39:36 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: (urth) Chapter I
In-Reply-To: <1f7617370609071842t3323a9a2u7947695be135d634 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20060908113936.5952.qmail at web35908.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

--- Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com> wrote:

> If so, it's a sort of ex post facto foreshadowing
> (oy, what
> a concept); Wolfe almost certainly didn't invent
> Apheta
> or that particular way of creating a star until
> Hartwell
> prevailed upon him to write the sequel.

As a writer myself, who's discussed this point with a
lot of other writers, I can tell you that this sort of
"ex post facto foreshadowing" happens quite often. 
It's a result of what Steven King calls "the boys in
the basement" going about their work and producing
what the author needs not only in the current chapter
or book, but beyond what he or she has consciously
planned for the future of the project.

The wondrous feeling, "So *that's* what I was up to!"
is one of the real delights of writing fiction.

Paul

http://www.sff.net/people/stilskin

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