Friday, April 20, 2007

Up and Running

My computer is working but I’m not. Writing, that is. How can I write when I have to get all my programs working? What a pain this is. I think I’d rather be writing. Well…..

A few thoughts. Why do people write novels with nameless characters? Or nameless narrators. Or nameless places. I don’t get this. Am I not understanding something? And I don’t want to hear the Everyman answer.

I dislike nameless anything. Names are very important to me. I find a nameless protagonist irritating. Half their personality is missing. And why a nameless city or state? What’s gained from this?

Another thought. Why do people think you want to hear something like this: “I liked your book so much I loaned it to a friend.” I’m glad you liked it so much, but I wish you’d told your friend so and encouraged him/her to go out and buy it.

Once my computer is exactly like I want it I’ll be able to continue my research. Still not ready to take the plunge. I wonder how much this has to do with how little is being done for my paperback which gets published on May 1st? Did I say how little? How about nothing.

I didn’t expect anything. After giving me a purple cover because five others that were being published that month had red covers, I knew where I stood.

And I don’t care who reads the above. Sue me.

8 comments:

Jessica Ferguson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deb Heller said...

Just happened across your blog... very interesting. Sorry to hear of your PC problems, but consider them fodder for a future scene. :-)

I'm not sure what you mean by "nameless characters?" Perhaps I missed an earlier reference, but maybe you mean when authors use a person's initials, rather than a name? I find it irritating as well, but I don't think that's what you mean.

Give it another go, eh?
.

Sandra Scoppettone said...

It's exactly what I said. The character has no name and is referred to as He or She. In first person you never learn the narrator's name. Hope that clarifies it for you.

Jessica Ferguson said...

I deleted my first comment, Sandra, because I misunderstood your post and my response sounded dumb. Of course, this one might sound dumb too. :-)

I don't like nameless anything either. Many years ago, when I was in my teens and 20s, I enjoyed reading books where the author used specifics: Dial soap, Tide, Borden's Milk. The books were REAL to me. In the genre I write in, we can't use such as that: McDonalds or Burger King, etc. You're specifically talking about naming characters, aren't you?

I wrote a short story once that won honorable mention at a conference in San Antonio and I never named my first person narrator. That was one of the complaints of the judges.

There's a Nameless mystery series -- can't remember who writes it -- have you read it?

Glad you're back--up and running. And hope your idea is one you can get excited about - from beginning to end.

Sandra Scoppettone said...

Jess...I wondered why you'd deleted your comment. Naming characters and places, yes.

The Nameless series is by Bill Pronzini. That's a little different because that's his gimmick.

Jessica Ferguson said...

You wrote: After giving me a purple cover because five others that were being published that month had red covers, I knew where I stood.

Okay, Sandra, give us a lesson in book covers/book colors. I just got back from two bookstores and I surveyed the purples. There are quite a few purples: Burning Bright which is an erotic romance, Cut & Rue by Carla Neggers which is romantic suspense, Someone's in the Kitchen by Eric E. Pete and that's African American fiction, then there's Heart of Glass which is a young adult. Several of the graphic novels had purple covers. I also noticed The Cat who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun is purple as well as Obsession by Jonathon Kellerman. Actually his is a purple & gold combo. I think maybe you're saying that Red is a more lively, attention-getting cover. Right? At any rate, just wanted you to know you won't have the only purple book -- :-)

Sandra Scoppettone said...

This is not about book covers in general. My hardcover was red. They didn't use the same cover as they did on my first book with them. The red covers they were referring to were red covers from Ballantine, my publisher. I think you misunderstood what I was saying or I didn't make it clear.

By picking my book to sport the purple or yellow or green cover instead of the red cover it should have had, they were giving more importance to the other books. They didn't give a rat's ass what color my cover was. Go to Amazon and look at the HC and the paperback and you'll understand.

Jessica Ferguson said...

Okay, I gotcha. Now that you've explained it, I'd be mad too. :(
Sorry I misunderstood.