tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post3792117691719201259..comments2024-03-10T04:29:20.044-04:00Comments on Mad Genius Club: Vorpal swords and derivationSarah A. Hoythttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17478124095732219352noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-73049178219075153532009-12-02T00:58:44.985-05:002009-12-02T00:58:44.985-05:00I've read Dumas to "set" for the Mus...I've read Dumas to "set" for the Musketeers -- though i find Dumas in French works best. F. Paul Wilson and Pterry for the Shifter books. Heinlein for Darkships. My Heyer binge is ALL too obvious in the British Empire series.<br />It's no use trying to say I'm not influenced. Perhaps not in my thoughts, but heavens, does it come through. I first found this when I was on a Sir Walter Scott binge as a teen and wrote a Portuguese paper... which was supposed to be dry and rational analysis. I think the teacher is still laughing.<br /><br />BTW, on this, the best grade I ever had in History -- a perfect grade, which Portuguese teachers don't believe in -- came because of this. You see, I was reading Dumas and went in to the test to find myself confronted by a single question "What is mercantilism?" At that moment a demon possessed me. What emerged over ten tightly-packed handwritten pages was that the king and the cardinal were having their evening game, while discussing the musketeers and while monsieur de Trevile tried to generate doubt on the virtues of mercantilism.<br />The minute I came out of the room I went "oh, no. WHAT have I done?" I lived in fear for a week, until the teacher gave it back and said she had woken her husband at three am to read it to him because "it sounded just like Dumas." :-PSarah A. Hoythttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478124095732219352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-78682486382816203202009-11-30T18:45:10.946-05:002009-11-30T18:45:10.946-05:00If I'm being influenced, I haven't noticed...If I'm being influenced, I haven't noticed it - but then, most of what I write tends to have its own voice, <i>and</i> is usually weird enough that there's nothing else out there close enough to it to use as a guide.Kate Paulkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02034983693134240754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-83843428210387270982009-11-30T17:52:56.262-05:002009-11-30T17:52:56.262-05:00Hopeless optimist, I think. When I started, the se...Hopeless optimist, I think. When I started, the second manuscript I picked up was Chris Doley's Resonance. It gave me a totally skewed impression of the slush pile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-34318960181786532542009-11-30T16:28:29.111-05:002009-11-30T16:28:29.111-05:00Matapam, you read the slush pile?
You are dedicat...Matapam, you read the slush pile?<br /><br />You are dedicated to the genre.Rowena Cory Daniellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08995983965583233914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-72122198528365029672009-11-30T16:27:31.332-05:002009-11-30T16:27:31.332-05:00Dave, if I discovered a book like that, I wouldn&#...Dave, if I discovered a book like that, I wouldn't read it. <br /><br />Serene smile ...Rowena Cory Daniellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08995983965583233914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-12937940625434638562009-11-30T14:10:58.399-05:002009-11-30T14:10:58.399-05:00Slush leakage is almost more a matter of "Wel...Slush leakage is almost more a matter of "Well, if every wannabe writer thinks [Horrible Cliche Plot Mechanism] then maybe that's what all the readers want. Maybe that's the established form the publishers want." <br /><br />Not to mention subconscious absorption of homonymitis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-50981766932522094812009-11-30T13:29:51.067-05:002009-11-30T13:29:51.067-05:00oh noes! Matapam your doomed (my 'favorite'...oh noes! Matapam your doomed (my 'favorite' problem.) <br />seriously it has to be a powerful voice that you try subconciously would wish to imitateAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12315551718688781746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-42374875697501894952009-11-30T10:14:24.095-05:002009-11-30T10:14:24.095-05:00Dve - Is this a nice thing to suggest to a woman w...Dve - Is this a nice thing to suggest to a woman who reads slush? I worry about bleed over, frequently. But I don't think my voice is too influence by constant exposure to every horrible style and grammar possible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-20974164749772138842009-11-30T09:53:37.459-05:002009-11-30T09:53:37.459-05:00Dave, I agree. There are those I want to influenc...Dave, I agree. There are those I want to influence me and that I'd love to work with -- yours and Sarah's among them. My trouble is when the other voice -- and unfortunately it is usually one that doesn't work for what I'm writing at the time -- isn't one I want to have influencing my.Amanda Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02927312739323222344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-7432516954384362662009-11-30T09:41:48.226-05:002009-11-30T09:41:48.226-05:00Amanda -I try to work with it -there are voices I ...Amanda -I try to work with it -there are voices I want to have influence me - besides the ones in my head!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12315551718688781746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-70655017226913893212009-11-30T09:39:34.168-05:002009-11-30T09:39:34.168-05:00Chris K - I'll take the blame for the alien wi...Chris K - I'll take the blame for the alien with no pants ;-) sound like my sense of humorAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12315551718688781746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-71719921310801575782009-11-30T08:50:10.365-05:002009-11-30T08:50:10.365-05:00I'm not so certain that a specific authors voi...I'm not so certain that a specific authors voice influences how I write so much as it influences *what* I write. For example I was on a marathon reading session of some Resnick and this guy named Freer (you may have heard of him), what did I end up writing? A story about a not-so-smart but oh-so-brave knight and a second story about an alien with no pants.<br /><br />Right now I'm reading Torch of Freedom (when I can pull myself away from Assassin's Creed II). Oddly, the video game is having the biggest impact on me right now. For some reason it really reminds me of Shadow of the Lion.<br /><br />Should be interesting to see if these influence me in any way. ;)C Kelseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-32814714241299979882009-11-30T08:42:15.494-05:002009-11-30T08:42:15.494-05:00Dave, absolutely. I have found if I read somethin...Dave, absolutely. I have found if I read something even remotely similar to what I'm writing, if the author of what I'm reading has a strong voice, it tends to "bleed" over into my own work. Mind you, I wouldn't mind it if that voice happened to be someone like PTerry -- unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to channel him. ;-p I'm not sure how to control it other than to read other authors and other genres at the time. But that has its own problems...[shrug]Amanda Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02927312739323222344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-40862899562345367402009-11-30T05:33:46.563-05:002009-11-30T05:33:46.563-05:00Rowena - where that gets scary is when the book vo...Rowena - where that gets scary is when the book voice really isn't someone you want actually meet!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12315551718688781746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-64963728826192967802009-11-30T05:32:26.644-05:002009-11-30T05:32:26.644-05:00Jonathan - I find mixing other powerful influences...Jonathan - I find mixing other powerful influences in helps.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12315551718688781746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-34242418388110189782009-11-30T05:25:55.247-05:002009-11-30T05:25:55.247-05:00I've found that as I've started my own nov...I've found that as I've started my own novel, there is a definite essence of Bernard Cornwell to what I write. Oddly enough, I haven't read any of his books for at least six months (a ruddy long time by my standards), but I guess that since I have been so influenced by him in my planning, its a bit natural for my sentence construction to be a bit like his too.<br /><br />Its a worry, at times, since as authors we all naturally want to carve out our own little style and niche. That said, I don't think it can hurt as long as it remains an influence and doesn't spill over into out-right plagiarism of style. I'm interested to see what other people say about this.Jonathan D. Beerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14525346572076892536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4940224740718934743.post-41673837064636952002009-11-30T03:33:21.396-05:002009-11-30T03:33:21.396-05:00I can definitely 'hear' the author's v...I can definitely 'hear' the author's voice in their books if I meet them first, then read their books.Rowena Cory Daniellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08995983965583233914noreply@blogger.com