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Hmm.
Oct 20, 2016 12:45:01 GMT -5
Post by c1a1 on Oct 20, 2016 12:45:01 GMT -5
From: Square One "The fact that the Redlite Ranch was just across the road from the Sagebrush Motel meant little to Danny Evachevski as the last weeks of 1999 rolled down." ""That’s what I’m doing," the younger woman said – her work name was Peppermint Patty, and Danny thought that Charles Schulz had to be rolling over in his grave."
From: Wikipedia Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000)
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Hmm.
Oct 20, 2016 15:53:37 GMT -5
Post by Wes on Oct 20, 2016 15:53:37 GMT -5
Oops!
I'll change that if I ever reopen it.
-- Wes
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Hmm.
Oct 20, 2016 20:51:06 GMT -5
Post by Leo Kerr on Oct 20, 2016 20:51:06 GMT -5
there are so many details out in the SLT world; when it brushes up against the real one, how do you even attempt to keep it all straight?
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Hmm.
Oct 20, 2016 21:35:51 GMT -5
Post by Jim Scott on Oct 20, 2016 21:35:51 GMT -5
Below is just one day’s blog from an a author (Aroslav) that I regularly read online at storiesonline.net/a/aroslav where he is one of the highest rated writers. He writes under several pen names, one is Devon Layne and another is Nathan Everett where he has mystery novels on Amazon.com. I thought you would be interested in how he uses Excel to manage the writing process to control various errors. Jim Scott Too Many Characters??? I'm often asked how I keep all my characters straight in Living Next Door to Heaven, but a couple weeks ago I was asked if I would please consider cutting the number of characters. It wasn't proposed that I have a wholesale massacre and kill a bunch of people off (at least I don't think that's what he meant). He suggested that Brian start to focus on a smaller group of people and not have everybody in the world have a part in the play. I understand. Really! I keep an Excel spreadsheet of all the characters in the book. It actually has a lot more information than just the characters. I have worksheets within the workbook for the timeline of each part (in Part VI, I gave up keeping this in Excel and actually have a dedicated Outlook Calendar that tracks the action day by day), sheets for group gatherings in the LNDtH1 and for group gatherings in LNDtH2; a sheet for housing arrangements and who is in which location when they change; a sheet of every clan member and significant individual's birthday; a sheet that shows every clan member's major in college (if they go) or career, any special responsibility for Hearthstone Entertainment, and any role that they fill in the clan as a whole (like security); a sheet that shows all the clan and casa affiliations; a sheet that has all of Brian's class schedules from 8th grade through college; a sheet of all the various basketball tournaments and who played in what game; a sheet of all the place names (roads, churches, schools, restaurants, etc.); and last but not least, a sheet of every named character with a brief description of who that person is. If the only mention of a character is "We went to the game with Josh and his friend Dan," and Dan is never mentioned again, he doesn't show up in the list. But without those characters, my character list is 275 names. Fifty of those have been added in LNDtH2. In all fairness, only 129 actually show up so far in LNDtH2. Easy, right? I understand the reader's complaint that there are too many people to keep track of. But isn't that like life? I'm not suggesting that every novel should have all the characters named that we come in contact with, but the truth is that on a daily basis, we simply filter out dozens of people with whom we interact. They are unimportant unless they crop up again. Then we think 'oh yes, I met her at that dance.' We never think about her again. I've let Brian accumulate an overwhelming number of people in his life. He knows every individual in his clan by name and most of their parents. He has college classmates, almost none of whom are ever mentioned. There's the frickin' contractor for god's sake! Not to mention the insurance adjuster, the neighbors, the lawyers, the camera and production crew, the professors, competitors, and other teammates. As hard as that is to keep track of, it is part of Brian's character. It is what stresses him. Not only are there 52 people in the clan, he's become lovers with 25. Plus Heaven! No fucking wonder the dude is on the edge of a nervous breakdown all the time! Still, the reader has a valid point. People disappear from our lives. Not just through death, but the disappear through marriage, distance, disagreement, and simple lack of trying. And that's just plain hard to accept--for me and for Brian. When he says, 'we might not always be lovers, but I will always love you,' it means something. He isn't going to forget--or if he does, he's going to be wracked by guilt over it. But you can expect that there will be some attrition. People are getting older. They are pairing up. They are moving away. And yes, there are some new planets caught in the orbit of his star, but I would guess (I haven't actually written it yet) that his circle will begin to tighten. There will be fewer people on the surface of his mind and more will be buried deeply. Not all of those will stay buried, but they'll go down for a while. That's just the nature of this beast I've created. Enjoy!
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Hmm.
Oct 22, 2016 11:38:04 GMT -5
Post by c1a1 on Oct 22, 2016 11:38:04 GMT -5
Oops! I'll change that if I ever reopen it. -- Wes I honestly think that you should check ALL your dates in Square one. Randy and Nicole get married at the stroke of midnight New Years Eve 1999-2000 (from ) "Seems to me I remember someone saying you got married here recently," Danny commented. "A year ago, actually on New Year’s Eve," Randy said. (But since this is Jan. 2000 then...) anyway in the spearfishlaketaleswiki it's stated that Jeremy Walworth was born "in either late January or early February 2001" wich is consistent with the exchange above (between Danny and Randy) but not with the time stated at the begining of the novel.
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Hmm.
Oct 22, 2016 11:57:27 GMT -5
Post by c1a1 on Oct 22, 2016 11:57:27 GMT -5
Actually, on second thought, the only needed change is 1999 to 2000 in "as the last weeks of 1999 rolled down" from Square One's first page, because it's clear from multiple instances that the story takes place in 2001 and that will also clear things with my first post.
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Hmm.
Oct 22, 2016 12:07:44 GMT -5
Post by Wes on Oct 22, 2016 12:07:44 GMT -5
Yeah, you may be right on that. It's been a while since I've looked at it, but I'll give it another look when I get a chance.
Thanks!
-- Wes
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Hmm.
Oct 22, 2016 15:41:28 GMT -5
Post by K Pelle on Oct 22, 2016 15:41:28 GMT -5
Just as a note to anyone who might be interested in keeping track of characters names, relationships or details and the dates that various actions took place, I often use a little freeware program called "NotePad Lite." (that way when one of my editors or a reader complains about my 'mental hickup' I can do a search and replace of the offending goof.)
kp
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