Thursday’s Walk on the blog side…

And we’re back in Cornwall this week for another incredible view. I know we’re supposed to be walking, but I could sit here and stare at this magnificent view forever. *sigh*

Minack Theatre, Cornwall

BLOG HIGHLIGHTS
Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the incredibly unbelievable world of traditional publishing and royalty statements. Writers who are “lucky” enough to go traditional better have a lawyer to help decipher the meaning of their contracts. My head aches thinking about the things that Kristine points out in 2 of her own contracts with separate publishers. Incredible.

LGBT Characters in Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Marc Davies takes a look at the under-use of LGBT in sci-fi and fantasy. Are they more prevalent in other genres? Why? Some writers steer away from it because they’re afraid of portraying the characters; others claim there may be no romantic element in the story, therefore no LGBT. Many of the commenters do point out numerous novels with gay protagonists if you’re looking for recommendations. My backburner sci-fi novel does have a budding romance, but I’ll admit it never crossed my mind that it might be m/m rather than m/f. I’m more familiar with m/m in historical fiction. In fact, I’ll be dealing with these issues in Battle Scars.

Angus Donald who spins wonderful tales of Alan Dale and Robin Hood tells us Why I Love the 12th Century. I’m right with you there, Angus! My WIP novella Battle Scars is from the viewpoint of 2 knights fighting alongside Robin Hood and Richard the Lionheart. (Robin & the king are minor characters in my story.) I admit I fell in love with this time period after watching the recent BBC Robin Hood series and started researching the Third Crusade, King Richard and Eleanor of Aquitaine, a truly remarkable woman. I am fascinated by the people, the culture, the hardships faced by the Crusaders, and the cruelty of war.

I couldn’t possibly ignore Kristen Lamb’s post on What Star Wars “A New Hope” Can Teach us about In Medias Res. I agree that opening with 10K-15K of backstory is heartless. Starting too close to the action is a problem, too, especially in a novel. (What about in a short story?) Kristen explains her way through this one with her analogy to riding the Shock Wave at Six Flags, and then points out why we care about Luke. Spot on, Kristen.

Have a good weekend! Happy reading.


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