I blather (and I mean blather) at Booknista

[sartorias]

Mary Sue at Booknista interviewed me. This was a phone interview, and she did a fabulous job of boiling down an hour's talk into a zippy interview, while faithfully transcribing all my disjointed word soup

Comments

[asakiyume]

What an excellent interview.

(It would be great if Crown Duel made it to the screen!)

[sartorias]

Thanks!

[whswhs]

Now I'm thinking of Austen's rant about "only a novel!" Of course she phrased it ironically, but I think it makes sense to read it as a manifesto.

[sartorias]

How so?

[whswhs]

Well, tracking down a page that has it:

"Oh! it is only a novel!" replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. "It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda"; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language. Now, had the same young lady been engaged with a volume of the Spectator, instead of such a work, how proudly would she have produced the book, and told its name; though the chances must be against her being occupied by any part of that voluminous publication, of which either the matter or manner would not disgust a young person of taste: the substance of its papers so often consisting in the statement of improbable circumstances, unnatural characters, and topics of conversation which no longer concern anyone living; and their language, too,

[sartorias]

Oh, yes. Indeed!

[ryrostad]

Really enjoyed the interview! Finally just started Inda. It's good timing because I just started a job where I live and work aboard a schooner. I was thinking that I would love to be pen pals with you, if you'd be at all interested-- let me know and I'll send you my address somehow!!

[sartorias]

Oh, my yes! I would love to follow your adventures! You can find my email at my website.

[ryrostad]

Ah! Wonderful. Sent you an email, let me know if you didn't get it!

[sartorias]

Got it! Will fire something off!

[auriaephiala]

"If we truly reproduced dialogue the way people speak (like certain of my nearest and dearest punctuate their sentences with the word "so") I, at least, would bail fairly soon

[sartorias]

That's fascinating stuff. I once had to transcribe a panel (it was a very, very long document!) with five well known writers talking. When I got done, I thought, these people are going to be furious--three of the writers never actually finished a sentence. All smart, talented people, as you said. But they went on and on, punctuating everything with "you know" and "no, but really" and repeating themselves and emphasizing with constant repetitions of "literally"--language they never would have written. So I took those out and added periods where I thought they might fit. Then sent it out to the various writers for them to vet before it went to print--and no one complained "I didn't say that!" even though I had amended their words