The man himself
Last night, courtesy of the ever-lovely strtmyorange, I took a break from politics and current events and stepped into Neil Gaiman's world for a little while. Believe me, it's a much more fun world to be in than our current one.
Mr. Gaiman read Chapter 3 of The Graveyard Book, showed us the trailer for Coraline, as well as never-before-seen scenes from it (it looks brilliant), and then answered questions for a good bit of time. Then the theatre (The Tivoli in Downers Grove - just a fantastic venue, quite perfect for this - Mr. Gaiman agrees) showed Stardust. What an amazing evening! Mr. Gaiman was the perfect reader, with wonderful voices and inflections. (If you're interested check out video of last night's reading.) When speaking instead of reading, he still talks like he writes: witty, self-deprecating, conversational and grounded, while still open to whimsy and fancy.
Me being me, I took notes when he spoke on writing. Here's what I jotted down:
-Don't use "transition" as a verb. "Move" is better.
-Regarding whether a writer should start out writing short stories or novels, start with short stories. I.e. finish things. Write and finish.
-Make somebody want to turn the page. A story is anything that keeps you turning the pages, and doesn't disappoint you at the end.
-Good endings should feel inevitable to everybody.
-Everything about storytelling is a giant game of Let's Pretend. You take the reader's hand, reassuring him or her that everything will be OK, lead the reader to a dark place, then drop his or her hand and run away.
Mr. Gaiman read Chapter 3 of The Graveyard Book, showed us the trailer for Coraline, as well as never-before-seen scenes from it (it looks brilliant), and then answered questions for a good bit of time. Then the theatre (The Tivoli in Downers Grove - just a fantastic venue, quite perfect for this - Mr. Gaiman agrees) showed Stardust. What an amazing evening! Mr. Gaiman was the perfect reader, with wonderful voices and inflections. (If you're interested check out video of last night's reading.) When speaking instead of reading, he still talks like he writes: witty, self-deprecating, conversational and grounded, while still open to whimsy and fancy.
Me being me, I took notes when he spoke on writing. Here's what I jotted down:
-Don't use "transition" as a verb. "Move" is better.
-Regarding whether a writer should start out writing short stories or novels, start with short stories. I.e. finish things. Write and finish.
-Make somebody want to turn the page. A story is anything that keeps you turning the pages, and doesn't disappoint you at the end.
-Good endings should feel inevitable to everybody.
-Everything about storytelling is a giant game of Let's Pretend. You take the reader's hand, reassuring him or her that everything will be OK, lead the reader to a dark place, then drop his or her hand and run away.