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Janni Lee Simner
janni
22 April 2008 @ 01:13 pm
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Dear Character Who I'm Trying to Keep from Turning Into an Unambigous Villain, Not That You're Making It Easy,

The less time we spend in your point of view, the more I like you.

You might want to think about that sometime.

But not on stage.

Me

=-=-=-=-=

Dear Muse,

What's with the multi-story fascination with slitting throats, or threatening to?

Seriously. There's nothing in my deep dark past for you to draw upon here, so where are you getting this from?

Just wondering,

Me
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[info]miladyinsanity on April 22nd, 2008 08:53 pm (UTC)
All writers have a deep dark past, even if it's only in their heads.

It's getting closer to 2009! Is it okay if I start bugging you for an interview? I can't wait to read Bones of Faerie.
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Janni Lee Simner: bones-quarter[info]janni on April 22nd, 2008 09:02 pm (UTC)
I'd be delighted and honored! :-) Feel free to email me at janni at simner dot com, either now or as we get closer.
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[info]miladyinsanity on April 22nd, 2008 09:49 pm (UTC)
I'll email you over the summer, since I'm going to be scheduling/interviewing for the length of the upcoming academic year then. :) Thanks!
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~twilight~[info]_twilight_ on April 23rd, 2008 02:12 am (UTC)
"All writers have a deep dark past, even if it's only in their heads. "

I like this. :) Your quote or someone else's?
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[info]miladyinsanity on April 23rd, 2008 02:23 am (UTC)
I think it's mine. But I could be wrong.
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Branwen[info]klwilliams on April 22nd, 2008 10:01 pm (UTC)
My last few stories have all had people (in some cases the main character) dying or being killed at the end. I don't know where this is coming from. Really.
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Janni Lee Simner: anime me[info]janni on April 22nd, 2008 11:37 pm (UTC)
Brains are weird, weird places. :-)
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movingfinger[info]movingfinger on April 23rd, 2008 12:02 am (UTC)
So, you noticed a pattern: are you going to rewrite to avoid it?

Speaking only for my reading habits, I do notice when something like that starts uniting a writer's work. I believe that most writers don't notice themselves doing it.
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Janni Lee Simner[info]janni on April 23rd, 2008 12:09 am (UTC)
I may. I've noticed a few other patterns, too. I take them on a case by case basis--I don't automatically rule a repeat out, but it does put me on the lookout for whether there's a better way of handling a given scene--and if there is, I take it.
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~twilight~[info]_twilight_ on April 23rd, 2008 02:13 am (UTC)
"I've noticed a few other patterns, too."

Butterick? ;)
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Janni Lee Simner[info]janni on April 23rd, 2008 02:53 am (UTC)
I actually had to look that up! :-)
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lokifan[info]lokifan on April 23rd, 2008 09:38 am (UTC)
Diana Wynne Jones: cricket, cats and evil uncles. Plus rather mysterious, handsome, yet annoying heroes.

There've been others, but she's my favourite author so I've paid the most attention. I think the patterns can be a problem: the second an uncle showed up in The Game, DWJ's most recent book, I nodded and said to myself, "hello Mr Exploitative Villain."
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Janni Lee Simner[info]janni on April 23rd, 2008 02:08 pm (UTC)
Yeah. As a reader I find sometimes it doesn't get in the way, but sometimes it totally does.

I think if nothing else it may be a matter of choosing: you know, okay, I have another shapeshifter and another missing parent, maybe we don't need anyone threatening anyone at knifepoint, too ...

Edited at 2008-04-23 02:09 pm (UTC)
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