WotF Workshop Zoom Q&A with Orson Scott Card #2

Notes for Orson Scott Card's Q&A:

*Please be aware that these are my interpretations of what Mr. Scott Card said in the Q&A. Any concerns? Please check with the man himself.

-Decide who your viewpoint character is. If your viewpoint character already knows everything, you don't get much chance to show he notices things in the world. It feels bad. In a world, there are lots of things you see that will NEVER be used.

-You can't let the 1^st POV narrator be brave without us hating the character. Feels arrogant. 3^rd POV viewpoint allows you to show the character questioning their decision.

-Writing is draining. You open up a vein, and eventually the blood flows out and you die." (You need to refuel) ?

-OSC writes when he's running out of money. Good motivation. Not recommended. His method for a novel (might be years early or that week)= Jot down ideas for scenes that are needed in order. Know the ending (not everything that goes into it). Then start writing and almost never look at the outline again.

-He almost always goes off track. He does his best work when he doesn't follow his plan. When he outlines, he doesn't know the characters yet

-When he knows the ending, he can open the story knowing the question that will be answered by the end of the book.

-Don't introduce too many characters in opening chapter, but introduce who is in his life, particularly family.

-Through a character's attitude toward other people, we learn who they are. They can't be effectively developed on their own. Character is revealed through relationships.

-The book cover is not an illustration, it's a billboard that sells your book. Spend money on a good cover (about $1000-$2000). You MUST have one. Then spend money on a FIRST-RATE book editor (not a graduate).

-Writer's block is the best thing that could happen. It means in your unconscious mind, you know something you just wrote was wrong. Solution- wait a few days (play video games, time with family). Then go back and read the chapter before- you may see something you could change. You can't get writer's block if you don't care

-How to infodump … you don't. If there's too much info without exposition, it's bad. Have the concepts gradually learned by your POV character.

-OSC hates present tense. We never use it in English so it doesn't work. Only acceptable in YA.

-There aren't any needless words. Sometimes you need words because that's the way a character thinks. Or it makes the sentence rhythm flow better.

-Every single person has their own voice. You talk like that. Put THAT on a page. If your narrative sounds like you, that's your style. (if you spoke to a friend on the phone and you had a cold, they'd still know it was you).

-If people are saying they don't like your story= maybe it ended weirdly. Editors may often NOT KNOW why they didn't like it.

-"Write what you know" and "show don't tell" are both wrong. For 'You must know what you write'= know enough about the world to make it feel real to the reader. Words on a page are always 'telling'. They don't show. Story is carried forward effectively in scenes. Show what should be shown, tell what should be told.

-if you do a scene, it should end with climax. The scenes needs to be memorable. Don't start a story/scene with a big meeting.

-Three names is a LOT to remember for a scene. Two names is better.

-Who vs whom. Advice, recall that whom was already dead in English in 1850. Don't use it at all. Only use it for 'to whom it may concern'

-When you try for archaisms, you're probably going to be wrong. Don't pun in the archaic.

-*interesting= English-speaking people are the only people who don't get to read Shakespeare in their native tongue. If you're German, Shakespeare is translated into German, etc. If you're American, you get the non-translated version of Shakespeare.

-If you use 'he nodded' as a substitute for 'said' it's annoying. If you use it instead, that's fine. Every new speaker gets a new paragraph. Any action by a new character needs a new paragraph.

-You can break any writing rule

-Don't think "This is a first draft" or you'll allow for a second. The first draft is the only living draft.

-OSC writes between 1000 – 1500w an hour. Your future depends on what you get done in the times you're alone.

-Keep yourself healthy with reasonable aerobic exercise

Great summary—seems like you really captured it

@scott_m_sands excellent summary, I really appreciate it. OSC is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank you!

@scott_m_sands this summary isn't good. It's bloody amazing. Thanks, Scott!

@spencer_s 
@ease

No worries. Hopefully you find something helpful. Listening to OSC is always awesome- such a relatable guy

Posted by: @scott_m_sands

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Who vs whom. Advice, recall that whom was already dead in English in 1850. Don't use it at all. Only use it for 'to whom it may concern'

Excellent summary @scott_m_sands. As ever, super helpful tips from OSC.

I noted the quote above and hastily did a "Ctrl+F" on my draft manuscript and found two uses of "whom". My story is set in the future, probably a few hundred years AFTER 1850, so safe to say "whom" will be even deader then.