Episode 45- Writing Consistent Characters

In this episode, Alan and Dave discuss character motivations and decisions in the context of two poorly written recent movies.




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 Show notes:

Alan continues to work on the video game project plus juggling various other projects. Dave has completed the first draft of his latest YA book.

We discuss the problem of contemporary novelists padding their books and finding the balance between adequate development and tight plotting.

 Terry Goodkind will be self-publishing a book while still publishing with Tor. Is the "hybrid" model what the future will look like for many successful authors?

Many people connected to corporate/traditional publishing have recently been circulating the notion that it takes several thousand dollars to publish an ebook. Post by Michael Stackpole on this topic. What does it truly take to publish a book?

Listener Josh asks how much can a writer bend history or use debunked devices? Is it acceptable to simply add notes from the author? We'd like to hear from listeners on this subject. Comment here, email us, or message us on Facebook.

By the way, have you liked us on Facebook? Followed us on Twitter? 

Promo- Secondworld by Jeremy Robinson.

Writing consistent characters- motivations and decisions.

Alan was horrified by the story line of Prometheus.  Every thing the characters did made no sense.  (BTW- if something is falling on you, don't run along its length; run to the side.)

Why do studios spend hundreds of millions of dollars to make a movie visually stunning but not bother make sure the story makes sense?

The evidence that sets the Prometheus plot in motion does not make sense. This is a critical element in many action-adventure books in particular.

Alan's blog/rant about Prometheus.


David found his share of problems with the story line of Snow White and the Huntsman.

If you give a character tremendous power, and that character chooses not to use those powers to their full extent, you need to explain why.

If your character makes seemingly foolish decisions, either give a valid reason for those decisions, or establish that the character is a fool.

Why do moviegoers seem to have lower expectations in terms of storytelling than book readers do?

Dave's blog/rant about Snow White and the Huntsman.


What can writers learn from these movies?

Set higher expectations for ourselves.

Have a thorough understanding of the characters you create. What motivates him/her? In that way we can make sure decisions are consistent with personality.

Many thriller writers don't develop characters in depth, which gives them an easy "out" when their character doesn't act "in character."

Don't have your character act "out of character" in order to deal with a conflict; come up with creative ways for the character to deal with it. That's one of the challenges of good writing.

Dave discusses the way he "works backward" from his MacGuffin to make sure his protagonist, antagonist, and characters in the back-story are doing things that make sense.

An author must maintain relationships with people who will give honest critique about her/his work. We need someone to point out the flaws.

Episode 46 will be weird because it was partially recorded prior to this one, but Dave botched the interview segment and had to reschedule it.

Episode 44 – Writing Historical Adventure with William Dietrich

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Once again, apologies for the sound issues. We’re trying really hard to fix it. Blame Dave for moving to the desert.

We start off with a chat about a terrible experience a new writer had with the “editor”/owner of Undead Press, Open Casket Press and Living Dead Press.

This leads us to discuss the correct process of editing and the editor/author relationship.

Remember: Always check out the publisher to whom you’re submitting.

Here’s the link Alan talks about regarding royalty-only publications:

http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/royalty-anthologies-writer-exploitation/

Here’s the link to Preditors and Editors:

http://pred-ed.com/

Then we chat with William Dietrich.

William talks about his Ethan Gage series of books.

We talk to William about his process and the research that goes into his work. And how much he bends history.

He talks about where he sees the series going.

William talks about what he likes to read, then gives his advice for new writers trying to crack this caper.

Find William online here: http://williamdietrich.com/

Episode 43 – Too Old and Too Bald

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 Dave laments a gas station chimichanga, which leads us to discuss recent bad press about Harlequin publishing.

We discuss the dodgy sales tactics and licensed distributors Harlequin are using.

This leads us to talk briefly about the idea that all publishers are bad.

We go on to talk about some contract clauses of which to be aware.

Alan then discusses the online beating he took for having an opinion about The Hunger Games. The whole thing was triggered by a couple of blog posts:

www.alanbaxteronline.com/hunger-games-hype-adults-reading-ya/

http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/hunger-games-movies-books/

The idea Alan proposes that the film, in this rare instance, was better than the book caused some visceral responses from 11 year-old fans. This exchange happened on Google+, not Alan’s blog, incidentally.

We also talk about adults reading YA fiction and whether we should expect to be bored.

This leads us to talk about why The Hunger Games, flaws notwithstanding, is such a popular story.

Here’s the article written by Alan’s wife which he mentions in the podcast. The article does a good analysis of The Hunger Games and it’s ethics and morality:

http://www.thirteenoclock.com.au/the-hunger-games-movie-review-and-analysis-by-halinka-orszulok/

We then go on to talk about some of the accusations that Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games) ripped off an earlier book, Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. Dave read the book recently and talks about the similarities and differences.

Alan gets one last dig in about The Hunger Games towards the end.

ThrillerCast 042- Author vs Editor with Kane Gilmour

We’re still experiencing some audio issues since Dave’s move due to internet connection problems. We’re trying to sort that out, so please bear with us. We hope it doesn’t spoil your listening experience in the meantime.

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This week, we talk briefly about the benefits of the number 42 and then Alan talks about his nomination for a Ditmar Award.

 Dave talks about his current projects and his new collaboration with Ryan Span.

We discuss the move by Tor to go DRM free with their ebooks, and the subsequent issues surrounding DRM and geographical restrictions. This leads to us talking about region coding on DVDs and the associated issues. 

We talk about Boyd Morrison’s latest publication headaches.

Then we talk about the new J K Rowling book for adults. We’re not very kind about it, but we’re hoping to be proven wrong.

Then we have a Dave Mini-rant: Mary Robinette Kowal recently had a book published with the first line missing along with many other editorial errors. Dave discusses that and goes on to rant about people reviewing indie books and marking them down about errors and typos, yet big trad published books are rarely panned for that reason.

Following Dave's rant, we have great chat with Kane Gilmour. Again, apologies for the sound issues – it’s all Dave’s fault for moving to New Mexico.

Kane talks about his work and his path to writing. We talk about the value of details and research in fiction. 

Kane talks about becoming a fan of Jeremy Robinson and how he came to be Jeremy’s editor. He then goes on to talk about their collaborations.

Kane offers his advice as an editor for other writers out there.

A great bit of advice about writing using GRRM as a role model is well worth paying attention to, especially for thriller writers.

Then Kane talks about where he’s going next with his career and where he sees genre writing going in the near future.

 Kane Gilmour is online at www.kanegilmour.com Also find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Episode 41- Sci-Fi Adventure with Justin R. Macumber

After a long hiatus, ThrillerCast is back! We had some audio issues during the recording of this episode so certain sections sound fuzzy. We hope you'll forgive us- it's a great interview!




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Show notes:

Dave is finally settled in New Mexico, but hasn't been getting much writing done. Alan is juggling several projects.
What do you do when a writing project feels stale?

International Thriller Writers has announced the finalists for the 2012 Thriller Awards:

BEST HARD COVER NOVEL
Joseph Finder – BURIED SECRETS (St. Martin’s Press)
Jonathan Hayes – A HARD DEATH (Harper)
Stephen King – 11/22/63 (Scribner)
Michael Koryta – THE RIDGE (Little, Brown and Co.)
Marcus Sakey – THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYES (Dutton Adult)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Jeff Abbott – THE LAST MINUTE (Sphere/Little, Brown UK)
John Gilstrap – THREAT WARNING (Pinnacle)
Helen Grant – THE GLASS DEMON (Delacorte Press)
Steven James – THE QUEEN (Revell)
John Rector – ALREADY GONE (Thomas & Mercer)

BEST FIRST NOVEL
James Barney – THE GENESIS KEY (Harper)
Melinda Leigh – SHE CAN RUN (Montlake Romance)
Paul McEuen – SPIRAL (The Dial Press)
H.T. Narea – THE FUND (Forge Books)
Leslie Tentler – MIDNIGHT CALLER (Mira)


"Stupid Author Tricks"- is it a good idea to review someone's book and include a link to your own book? What impression does that give to readers and other writers?


Interview- Justin R. Macumber, author of Haywire.

Overview of Haywire

Parallels with contemporary thriller and adventure fiction.

Building a history behind your story.

Writing a science fiction story that appeals to a wider audience.

Writing from multiple character viewpoints.

Justin's forthcoming novels.

Writing in multiple genres.

The influence of comic books on future writers.

Justin gets the opportunity to complain about Dave as an editor.


Visit Justin's online at www.justinmacumber.com , listen to his podcast, The Dead Robots' Society, or follow him on Twitter @jrmacumber.

Episode 40 – Points Of View with C J West

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Alan talks about his novelette, The Darkest Shade Of Grey, serialised at The Red Penny Papers: http://redpennypapers.com/fiction/serials/the-darkest-shade-of-grey-alan-baxter/

Also available as an ebook:

Dave mentions Gryphonwood’s latest signing, Justin Macumber and his new sci-fi thriller, Haywire: http://www.amazon.com/Haywire-Justin-R-Macumber/dp/1470099152/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331787469&sr=8-3


We go on to talk about the nature of libraries lending books and where authors stand on that.

This leads to us talking about libraries introducing readers to new authors and how readers who use mainly library lending can help out to keep their favourite authors in a job.

We talk briefly about the news that the US Justice Dept. is taking several big publishers to task.

Then we have a chat with CJ West, author of several books.

CJ’s website: http://www.22wb.com/

CJ’s Amazon page, listing all his books: http://www.amazon.com/C.-J.-West/e/B002BMEHJA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1331787828&sr=8-1

CJ talks about his books.

He then goes on to talk about the massive success he’s had with KDP Select, clearing over 100,000 books, given away and the impact that’s had on sales.

This leads us to talk about the behemoth that Amazon is and the risks involved with its business plan.

CJ talks about his new series.

Then we go on to talk about Point Of View, and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of writing in first person as opposed to third person and so on.

We talk about the difference in narrative length, short story, novella or novel, and how different POVs work for different lengths.

We talk about how to write well in various POVs and what bad habits to avoid.

CJ’s website: http://www.22wb.com/

Special Episode- The PayPal Controversy

During the recording of episode 40 David and Alan crapped on at length about PayPal's recent attempt to force Smashwords and other vendors to stop publishing books that contained legal but objectionable (to PayPal) content. The situation was resolved before we could get the episode out. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good Alan rant, and believing the discussion is an important one, we've turned that segment into a special episode.

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