[stylist] Novel Outlines/research

Thu Jul 15 22:40:39 UTC 2010

wow!
I sure do agree.  that kind of sloppiness 
suggests that she's not approaching her writing very seriously!

when I go to write one of my blogs   that offend 
the liberal sensibilities of the local ruling 
elite, I certainly do appropriate research.
"some fighting somewhere at some time" just doesn't cut it.
jc

At 09:00 AM 7/15/2010, you wrote:
>for this particular writer, the date was 
>irrelevant.  She just presumed somewhere, 
>sometime in the 1800s there was fighting.  But I 
>think the story might have been more interesting 
>if she had been more specific.
>Lori
>
>On Jul 14, 2010, at 8:43:45 PM, "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com> wrote:
>
>From:   "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com>
>Subject:    Re: [stylist] Novel Outlines/research
>Date:   July 14, 2010 8:43:45 PM EDT
>To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>well,
>without looking I knew that if there were a u.s.
>army soldier's death in combat in 1820 it either
>had to have been a possible indian war, or
>overseas action. the overseas actions I found
>with five minutes looking may not have included
>any actual u.s. army soldiers, given the description.
>
>I am very curious why she picked 1820. that was
>a time of economic trouble in the very young
>united states, and the war of 1812 had left bitter scars.
>
>jc
>
>
>At 06:53 PM 7/14/2010, you wrote:
> >This just shows what a little research can do.
> >Thanks, Jim.
> >If the writer calls as she promised, I'll read 
> her the list and let her pick.
> >Lori
> >On Jul 13, 2010, at 11:44:13 PM, "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com> wrote:
> >
> >From: "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com>
> >Subject: Re: [stylist] Novel Outlines/research
> >Date: July 13, 2010 11:44:13 PM EDT
> >To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> >1820,
> >possible indian wars.
> >
> >Aricara 1823. nothing in 1820.
> >foreign wars:
> >1820-1829
> >
> >1820-23 Â  Africa. Naval units raided the slave traffic pursuant to the 1819
> >act of Congress.
> >[RL30172]
> >[Slave Traffic]
> >
> >1822 Â  Cuba. United States naval forcesÂ
> >suppressing piracy landed on the northwest coastÂ
> >of Cuba and burned a pirate station.
> >[RL30172]
> >
> >1823 Â  Cuba. Brief landings in pursuit of pirates occurred April 8 near
> >Escondido
> >; April 16 near
> >Cayo Blanco
> >; July 11 at
> >Siquapa Bay
> >; July 21 at
> >Cape Cruz
> >; and October 23 at
> >Camrioca.
> >[RL30172]
> >
> >1824 Â  Cuba. In October the
> >USS Porpoise
> >landed
> >bluejackets
> >near
> >Matanzas
> >in pursuit of pirates. This was during the cruise authorized in 1822.
> >[RL30172]
> >
> >1824 Â
> >Puerto Rico
> >(Spanish territory). Commodore
> >David Porter
> >with a landing party attacked the town of
> >Fajardo
> >which had sheltered pirates and insultedÂ
> >American naval officers. He landed with 200 menÂ
> >in November and forced an apology. Commodore Porter was later
> >court-martialed for overstepping his powers.
> >[RL30172]
> >
> >1825 Â  Cuba. In March cooperating American and British forces landed at
> >Sagua La Grande
> >to capture pirates.
> >[RL30172]
> >
> >1827 Â  Greece. In October and November 
> landing parties hunted pirates on the
> >Mediterranean
> >islands of
> >Argenteire,
> >Myconos
> >, and
> >Andros.
> >
> >
> >jc
> >
> >At 07:39 PM 7/13/2010, you wrote:
> > >I don't use outlines per se. Sometimes I'llÂ
> > >write a short story, then expand on that. If IÂ
> > >know how it ends, well and good. I don'tÂ
> > >always. That sometimes means I have to toss 
> out material that doesn't work.
> > >
> > >What I do find some writers do is to writeÂ
> > >without researching, and then they get caught inÂ
> > >a glaring error. One recently gave me materialÂ
> > >to read in which she said her main character'sÂ
> > >father died in battle in 1820. So I asked, whoÂ
> > >was fighting in the U.S. in 1820? I knew aboutÂ
> > >the war of 1812, and the Alamo, which I'm toldÂ
> > >is 1836, and the civil war, about 1858, but notÂ
> > >1820. When I asked about it, she said, "oh, I just picked a date."
> > >Now it's possible there was some fighting goingÂ
> > >on in 1820 in some obscure place. But sheÂ
> > >hadn't done her research, and I picked up onÂ
> > >it. I'm not a historian, so if I picked up onÂ
> > >it, so would just about anyone who read the piece.
> > >Lori
> > >
> > >On Jul 11, 2010, at 5:45:43 PM, "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >From: "James H. \" <n6yr at sunflower.com>
> > >Subject: Re: [stylist] Novel Outlines
> > >Date: July 11, 2010 5:45:43 PM EDT
> > >To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> > >Joe,
> > >if you look back a few issues of slate and style, you can find my
> > >article "herding your ideas" where I deal with this.
> > >
> > >outlines are not the end all and be all.
> > >I think for nonfiction they're pretty much a requirement for a piece
> > >of over 500-words. but for fiction, authors 
> have used all kinds of methods.
> > >
> > >for organizing fiction writing for myself I don't use something like
> > >an outline, nowhere near that organized or precise.
> > >I take ideas and elements and string them together into what I call a
> > >"sketch" just written like a paragraph only I use telegraphic
> > >language since I'm the only one who's reading it.
> > >then I can go back and stick in other elements or cross connections
> > >once I have the plot line put together.
> > >
> > >as I write from one of these, I sometimes find I have to reorganize
> > >during the composition, usually putting things
> > together in a different order.
> > >
> > >some authors journal while they write. the journals allow them to
> > >quickly put down ideas related to other story elements where they're
> > >not composing at the time, or to other pieces
> > >altogether. journalizing allows those ideas to be dealt with quickly
> > >to avoid distraction during composition.
> > >
> > >hope this helps Joe.
> > >jc
> > >
> > >At 02:55 PM 7/11/2010, you wrote:
> > > > Hello all,
> > > >
> > > >Okay, so my so-called novel is coming 
> along at a decent hum. Who knows if
> > > >it will ever amount to anything, but damn 
> it, at least it's coming along!
> > > >So, my question: How many of you guys use
> > outlines to write, and if you do,
> > > >what kind of format do you use? I'm 
> considering a few different outcomes,
> > > >and although I always hesitated to use outlines for anything other than
> > > >academic pieces, I think I'd better become more organized. Any thoughts,
> > > >tips, suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks.
> > > >
> > > >Joe
> > > >
> > > >"Hard work spotlights the character of 
> people: some turn up their sleeves,
> > > >some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
> > > >
> > > >
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