Query

Jerry Friedman · 05 Mar 2010, 21:09 · from 2010-March.txt.gz

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From: jerry_friedman at yahoo.com (Jerry Friedman)
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:09:40 -0800 (PST)
Subject: (urth) Query
In-Reply-To: <e8e9702e1003051300g6bdd7deer7ef78b49cfe44e86 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <513638.99613.qm at web50705.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

--- On Fri, 3/5/10, James Wynn <crushtv at gmail.com> wrote:
...

> 3. Start with the ending of your story and then slowly work
> backwards
> to how you got there. That way your plot will tend to lead
> to a
> satisfactory end. For example, a Cinderella is a poor girl
> who marries
> a prince. How do they meet? Well, maybe he has this shoe
> and he is
> going to marry the girl it fits? Well, why should it fit
> her? etc.

That's interesting because it's exactly what some critics
and educators on literary fiction tell you not to do.

> 4. A good villain is someone who is *almost* a hero but
> falls just
> short of it. (examples given were Bill Reis and Typhon -- I
> think Wat
> is also a good example of what he's talking about)

I really can't see Bill Reis as a good villain at all.
For much of the novel he's not causing or threatening
any harm.  Unless I'm missing something.

> 5. If someone asks for advice about being a writer, I
> always tell them
> "don't do it", because if they can be deterred by that,
> then they shouldn't be a writer.
...

Very Borgesian, I believe.

Jerry Friedman

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