tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post6420694477159100786..comments2024-03-28T15:01:21.285-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Writing AweighLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-26047414408357127892011-10-31T16:21:40.340-04:002011-10-31T16:21:40.340-04:00Thanks! Loved it!Thanks! Loved it!Jeff Bakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-9071864152906005152011-10-22T00:02:00.019-04:002011-10-22T00:02:00.019-04:00Thanks, Leigh. I appreciate that.
And, I‘m wonde...Thanks, Leigh. I appreciate that.<br /><br />And, I‘m wondering if that last part was literal or figurative. You're in Florida; DO you ever go sailing? Or are you more the kind of guy who rides a fanboat (flatboat? airboat? Not sure what to call it.) through the 'glades?Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-73668738682683121422011-10-21T21:05:41.813-04:002011-10-21T21:05:41.813-04:00Great writing, Dixon, great tips, and I'd love...Great writing, Dixon, great tips, and I'd love to sail.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-22540583829026405162011-10-21T20:35:18.277-04:002011-10-21T20:35:18.277-04:00I just wrote what I know, David. But don't th...I just wrote what I know, David. But don't think I know any more about sailing. My immense nautical knowledge (jk) comes from a single summer when I was 8 or 9, and I took some sailing lessons from an old guy on Cape Cod. My family lived there for few months while my dad was working a temp-job nearby. Well, I did have a high school girlfriend who owned a Sunfish, once. lol<br /><br />I can understand what you mean about enjoying the extra elbow room available in a novel. I have to fight the urge and keep cutting the fat from my own stuff for the same reason.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-58976201504804077172011-10-21T19:00:24.904-04:002011-10-21T19:00:24.904-04:00Very entertaining, Dix, and right on target. By t...Very entertaining, Dix, and right on target. By the way, did you reserch all those sailing terms and facts, or is sailing counted amongst your many talents? <br /><br />Oddly, I found writing a novel somewhat easier than a short story. I think it was because there's so much room to wallow around in at novel-length. But, as none of my full-length endeavors have yet seen the light of day, perhaps I wallowed a bit too much. Great post!David Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005457506363262838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-40510336655342803372011-10-21T18:43:22.915-04:002011-10-21T18:43:22.915-04:00You're on, R.T.! Not that I'm any guru, t...You're on, R.T.! Not that I'm any guru, though. LOL<br /><br />And, Thanks, Liz. Glad you liked it so much!Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-37977308322908041022011-10-21T13:58:46.391-04:002011-10-21T13:58:46.391-04:00Priceless, Dix! I'm sending it to all the sail...Priceless, Dix! I'm sending it to all the sailor/writers I know--all two of them, but I'll try to think of more. :)Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-34949895547388337142011-10-21T13:44:28.899-04:002011-10-21T13:44:28.899-04:00Having possibly acquired a mild case of Short Atte...Having possibly acquired a mild case of Short Attention Span Deficit Disorder, no doubt from consuming bad water in a foreign country, I always claimed that I could see from one end of a short story to the other end when creating. (Picture me with hands about three feet apart like a bragging fisherman.) That essentially fits your sailboat analogy. But, for me to write my first novel, I had to conceive of it as 20 short stories (sailboats), which would make a very strange air craft carrier. Now, I think I see why it (novel/air craft carrier) didn't sell. If I ever come your way, I'll bring a bottle of Jack and you can show me that carrier's blueprints.R.T. Lawtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15523486296396710227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-80397803309969161962011-10-21T11:37:18.372-04:002011-10-21T11:37:18.372-04:00Thanks for commenting, Beth. To my recollection, ...Thanks for commenting, Beth. To my recollection, my wife has never read a first draft I've written (be it sailboat-short, or carrier-long) without pointing out problems I missed – which is why she’s usually the first person I show it to.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-57744646541963631502011-10-21T10:48:44.602-04:002011-10-21T10:48:44.602-04:00Did your wife think the carrier's nose too poi...Did your wife think the carrier's nose too pointy?<br /><br />Very funny Noah post!Bethhttp://sleuthsayers.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-69294188391956281842011-10-21T10:20:43.034-04:002011-10-21T10:20:43.034-04:00Thanks, Neil, and I love your pun!
Fran: Your con...Thanks, Neil, and I love your pun!<br /><br />Fran: Your concept of outlining after writing the book (I assume you mean the first draft) really interests me. I've never heard of doing that before, but can see where that would be VERY uselful in tightening and editing, while still pemitting leeway when writing the origional draft. (I don't really outline ahead of tiem, unless you count those occasions when I create a "Critical Occurance" flow chart to see where multiple plot lines in a complicated mystery will intersect.)<br /><br />I had a writing buddy who suggested putting each scene on a 3x5 card, and posting them on the wall. But, I found it too cumbersome of a system to deal with. (My office looked like a 3x5 card factory had exploded in it.)<br /><br />I'm gonna give your tip a try -- that might just be the solution I've been looking for.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-49768273230464521002011-10-21T09:56:50.322-04:002011-10-21T09:56:50.322-04:00Wonderful article, Dixon, everything in it rang as...Wonderful article, Dixon, everything in it rang as true as a bell. A bell-buoy.Neil Schofieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-61633237976733692602011-10-21T09:55:39.003-04:002011-10-21T09:55:39.003-04:00Wonderful article, Dixon, everything in it rang as...Wonderful article, Dixon, everything in it rang as true as a bell. A bell-buoy.Neil Schofieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-25901766138937144452011-10-21T08:37:31.003-04:002011-10-21T08:37:31.003-04:00Dixon, thanks for a great start on a Friday mornin...Dixon, thanks for a great start on a Friday morning. I see the validity of what you've said so well and agree that novels would be much easier if the writer could see the whole thing at once. That's why I go back and outline AFTER I write the entire book. It enables me to see the entire picture at once. Have a great day and thanks for starting mine off so well.Fran Rizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08655783035179620991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-55555963384136933312011-10-21T00:35:27.605-04:002011-10-21T00:35:27.605-04:00Thanks. Sorry to make you spew. And I know coffee...Thanks. Sorry to make you spew. And I know coffee isn't cheap these days.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-30710626405120768562011-10-21T00:16:14.111-04:002011-10-21T00:16:14.111-04:00Editing in the bowels made me spew my coffee! You ...<i>Editing in the bowels</i> made me spew my coffee! You certainly do have a way with words and getting attention. Great article!Deborah Elliott-Uptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00847049319243268520noreply@blogger.com