tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post6901305484987127779..comments2023-04-18T00:44:59.351+10:00Comments on A dead man fell from the sky...: Negotiating the fate of charactersGary Corbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-40925190908150387962009-11-29T01:48:07.758+11:002009-11-29T01:48:07.758+11:00"I've never actually diverted the plot to..."I've never actually diverted the plot to run over a character Helen likes" just cracked me up.Janet Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-91077540997522626642009-11-20T09:30:39.023+11:002009-11-20T09:30:39.023+11:00Welcome to the blog, Lee! You're right that i...Welcome to the blog, Lee! You're right that if there's no reader reaction then there's no story.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-63670124713408625862009-11-20T08:44:17.844+11:002009-11-20T08:44:17.844+11:00I can't recall ever seeing Helen play a video ...I can't recall ever seeing Helen play a video game! <br /><br />Being as I am in a house of persons of the female persuasion, we are desperately short of ultra-violent video games. The most violent thing we have is Spore. Weirdly, considering what I spend my days writing, I don't play them either.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-86771070341807721652009-11-20T01:45:26.624+11:002009-11-20T01:45:26.624+11:00Your wife needs to play more video games. After be...Your wife needs to play more video games. After being the only girl in a house filled with three Halo addicted cave man wannabes I've lost almost all pity for fictional characters. Instead, it's "BOOM! Headshot!" followed by malicious laughter.Mimzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171454664231209553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-7171970220905045332009-11-20T00:17:37.243+11:002009-11-20T00:17:37.243+11:00Sometimes things just happen or just have to happe...Sometimes things just happen or just have to happen in order to give the story more value than a neat little package where everything turns out nice and everybody ends up happy.<br />We may be sad or angry or whatever but maybe that's one of the main points of the story being told.<br />LeeArlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-5675400296862284212009-11-19T08:38:37.471+11:002009-11-19T08:38:37.471+11:00Hi Trisha, yep, real life is messy. Books have to...Hi Trisha, yep, real life is messy. Books have to be more logical than real life, but even so you don't have to close every thread or explain everything or make every character happy. <br /><br />Stephanie, maiming can certainly be more horrible than outright killing. What it means to the characters is more important than the actual wound.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-13959184100742705972009-11-19T07:49:03.652+11:002009-11-19T07:49:03.652+11:00Kosmos, oh dear! Are you okay now or still suffer...Kosmos, oh dear! Are you okay now or still suffering? I guess on the plus side, when you write a character with a shattered knee you'll get points for realism.<br /><br />Thanks Matt, I'll remember that. Of course even for the small wounds you have to worry about infection. There was an interesting thread on DorothyL about how many times you can be shot and keep going, and Lee Lofland had an amazing story of a for-real shootout where I think the bad guy was shot 5 times in the torso but kept going.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-11901545301952291512009-11-19T07:07:45.260+11:002009-11-19T07:07:45.260+11:00re above comment by Matthew:
Avoid the kneecaps u...re above comment by Matthew:<br /><br />Avoid the kneecaps unless a slow crawl is all the movement they need. I shattered one in a car accident and it makes moving a lot more difficult without one knee ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13468481168414119225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-39191461973872631052009-11-19T05:09:28.152+11:002009-11-19T05:09:28.152+11:00Gary --
Nothing in the abdominal area unless you&...Gary --<br /><br />Nothing in the abdominal area unless you're talking about something very narrow. The abdominal aorta pretty much means that any deep strike in that region and you're down for the count.<br /><br />Arms are good, so are legs above and below the knee, and maybe a direct hit on the shoulder or a graze across the side of the rib cage. That's about all I can think of right now.<br /><br />My wife's a whiz when it comes to medical stuff -- I'm trying to push her into becoming a nurse or something in that field.Matthew Delmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452378192874048547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-88831330470435273452009-11-19T02:39:59.314+11:002009-11-19T02:39:59.314+11:00It's funny that you should mention the toe thi...It's funny that you should mention the toe thing, Gary. Well, maybe not funny, but you know what I mean. When I was reading The Time Traveler's Wife I fully expected one of the main characters to die, but when one lost body parts instead I was horrified. <br /><br />I have to watch that I don't maim or murder too many people in my stories- I'm a fan of anything tragic.Stephanie Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17437077559099315853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-90324998678426111602009-11-19T02:12:20.339+11:002009-11-19T02:12:20.339+11:00Great post, Gary. I like your wife already. She so...Great post, Gary. I like your wife already. She sounds like she keeps you on your toes! I need to be more like you, I tend to want to wrap everything up in a pretty bow...but that's not generally how life is, huh? Thanks for the stories.Trisha Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00356610648183348015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-62026945326467491722009-11-19T01:36:35.377+11:002009-11-19T01:36:35.377+11:00Emotional trauma is good too. Whatever the threat...Emotional trauma is good too. Whatever the threat level is in the book, you have to be prepared to execute it.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-59259778855860649222009-11-19T01:29:01.950+11:002009-11-19T01:29:01.950+11:00haha. fitting for your setting.
myself, I lean to...haha. fitting for your setting.<br /><br />myself, I lean toward serious emotional trauma for my characters. They suffer terribly--but nobody loses any toes.Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-54873067042336014432009-11-19T01:26:42.072+11:002009-11-19T01:26:42.072+11:00Hi Amalia, I guess I'm just ruthless. But the...Hi Amalia, I guess I'm just ruthless. But the truth is, if you want the reader to buy into the peril facing your characters, then a few human sacrifices are necessary.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-59858867464897751152009-11-19T01:14:43.380+11:002009-11-19T01:14:43.380+11:00I got really bummed out in my last novel, when I r...I got really bummed out in my last novel, when I realized that someone might have to die and serious harm had to befall my characters. I told my husband I didn't want to be one of THOSE writers, who never lets bad things happen to her characters, and always gives them the happy ending all wrapped up with a neat little bow. Unfortunately, that means bad things have to happen to good people, sometimes...<br /><br />Poor Helen. I understand completely how she feels.Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-33490629206161027352009-11-19T01:14:16.369+11:002009-11-19T01:14:16.369+11:00Carrie KHB, that's a great idea. Thanks! I&#...Carrie KHB, that's a great idea. Thanks! I'm going to look into it.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-46028493240980060732009-11-19T01:07:30.117+11:002009-11-19T01:07:30.117+11:00"if you're stuck in one of my stories the..."if you're stuck in one of my stories then you're already in great danger"<br /><br />You should have this made into a t-shirt or something.CKHBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17741681893677604323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-33091006461403223002009-11-19T00:59:36.425+11:002009-11-19T00:59:36.425+11:00Hi Carrie. Do you mean I'm sick (in which cas...Hi Carrie. Do you mean I'm sick (in which case you're probably right), or you're sick, in which case hope you get well soon.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-39390449002838882852009-11-19T00:53:18.661+11:002009-11-19T00:53:18.661+11:00too sick to be funny, but awesome post. it brings ...too sick to be funny, but awesome post. it brings us to wonder if Big Brother is watching us to see if we say the key words "WIP".Carrie Clevengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05093923008179106837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-12254077804496098352009-11-19T00:27:49.674+11:002009-11-19T00:27:49.674+11:00Glad I can keep you amused Matt. So, what kinds o...Glad I can keep you amused Matt. So, what kinds of wounds would be most effective while still allowing someone to move?Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-45335093541239339732009-11-19T00:19:07.994+11:002009-11-19T00:19:07.994+11:00Stories like the above are why I love your blog, G...Stories like the above are why I love your blog, Gary. <br /><br />Oh, and Kosmos, I regularly have conversations with my wife and various friends about what kinds of wounds would be most effective while still allowing someone to move, psychological disorders, and what kinds of chemicals could melt stone.<br /><br />Yeah, that last one was in the middle of Sears. :)Matthew Delmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452378192874048547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-40357794623518691372009-11-18T23:02:39.034+11:002009-11-18T23:02:39.034+11:00Hi Kosmos,
Congratulations on your continued free...Hi Kosmos,<br /><br />Congratulations on your continued freedom. <br /><br />I presume you're aware that SF writer Cleve Cartmill and editor John Campbell were raided by the FBI when they described an atomic bomb a little bit too accurately for comfort, a year before the Manhattan Project had built one. <br /><br />I'm looking forward to your equivalent feat.Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-524039117682127217.post-24211532517993494642009-11-18T21:44:54.864+11:002009-11-18T21:44:54.864+11:00I am an apprentice (ie unpublished lol) writer of ...I am an apprentice (ie unpublished lol) writer of sci-fi and my partner is an electronics engineer who I turn to often to ask how to destroy the planet, cause major disasters by diabolical means, etc etc ...<br /><br />I am surprised we haven't been arrested yet for terrorism or something with the things we talk about over lunch ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13468481168414119225noreply@blogger.com