tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post113019051636678934..comments2023-11-03T06:29:07.280-05:00Comments on The Bandwagon: Cool phrasesMJFredrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1130282211878173682005-10-25T18:16:00.000-05:002005-10-25T18:16:00.000-05:00One would hope, Colleen!One would hope, Colleen!MJFredrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1130281889534051492005-10-25T18:11:00.000-05:002005-10-25T18:11:00.000-05:00And you're a stronger woman for it, aren't you Mar...And you're a stronger woman for it, aren't you Mary????<BR/><BR/>ColleenColleen Gleasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15650958015205097847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1130280250772828472005-10-25T17:44:00.000-05:002005-10-25T17:44:00.000-05:00I've killed a lot of my children in Hot Shot. Sigh...I've killed a lot of my children in Hot Shot. Sigh.MJFredrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1130266229900687162005-10-25T13:50:00.000-05:002005-10-25T13:50:00.000-05:00That "diminishing returns" one is a good one.That "diminishing returns" one is a good one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1130248253871489572005-10-25T08:50:00.000-05:002005-10-25T08:50:00.000-05:00Mar, the phrase that always stuck in my mind was t...Mar, the phrase that always stuck in my mind was the one an editor friend told me years ago, when I first started writing with a goal toward publication...he said, "kill your children." By that he meant, no matter how much you LOVE that part you just wrote, no matter how much you are convinced it's the best thing to come out of you in weeks, no matter the fact that you love it like you love your own child---if it doesn't work for the project, the book, the scene, kill it. Save it in another file if you have to, but kill it. This was the same man who told me to "be mean to your characters." Make them suffer, cry, hurt, do really mean things to them in the course of the story that you wouldn't wish on your vilest enemy. That's what the reader is looking for...a black moment that's really, truly black, that makes them suffer along with the hero or heroine...then give them redemption, reward, love, or whatever is in store. It will mean and feel more because of what the characters have endured.<BR/><BR/>I never forgot these little gems. I loved yours, Mar. I'm packing them along with these, to keep in mind. <BR/><BR/>Hugs,<BR/>JAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com