Category: Writing

I’m not a novel-writer–yet. I joke that I’m too ADD to stick with any project that long, which does have the ring of truth. But I couldn’t see a goldmine of an Astronomicon panel like “Writing Series and Sequels” and not take notes for future reference, especially when it’s moderated by Nancy Kress with Robert J. Sawyer (FlashForward) and GOH Mike Resnick sitting in, not to mention John Stormm, Rick Taubold, and Sal Monaco.

So, when I do finally write a novel and perhaps, as Kress put it, “commit trilogy,” I’ll keep these points in mind…

0
It was fun watching Nancy Kress and Mike Resnick fight over who was going to moderate, and by that I mean the way they went round-and-round with, “No, you do it!”

1
Not everyone on the panel necessarily knew they were going to write any kind of series. In the novel Far-Seer, Robert J. Sawyer killed off the main character in the last chapter. But as demand in the UK rose, he wrote the sequel. Nancy Kress was done with The Beggars Trilogy after the second book, and “fell into” the third one because of her publisher, who would only publish a collection of her stories if the third book was written.

2
A series has certain special needs, including (but not limited to): Consistency of characters, the need to keep yourself interested as the writer, and the need to deal with the problem of backstory, i.e. avoiding the infodump.

Sawyer had a different view. “I love the infodump!” he declared. The edict against infodump is “Turkey City Lexicon bullshit!” Just don’t be lazy, he said.

3
The different types of series written by the authors on the panel seemed to fall into three types:

• Types with a story arc
• Types when characters cycle in and out of the stories
• Types when the characters are always the same and don’t really change

4
General take-aways/advice…

• Planning and consistency are key!
• Each book needs a climax and stories that evolve.
• It’s important to have some kind of end in mind to work toward. cf. George Martin. Things have a natural life–sometimes it’s best to know when to let it die a natural death.
• It can be scary when a franchise actually becomes popular. You could need a different pseudonym to escape a successful series the same way you would a bad one.
• Publishing is in transition nowadays. As Mike Resnick said, “Everywhere you look there are new ways to make money.”
• There is a certain professional pride in wanting each book you write to stand alone. Nothing wrong with that.
• Have an idea that’s big enough and make sure you have enough story for it.

The first Astronomicon panel I attended was “Aliens Speaking Alien,” which included writers Josepha Sherman, Rick Taubold, Nancy Kress, and Carl Fredericks. I admit, the only reason I went to this panel was that it was the first opportunity I had to hear Kress speak. But I took notes anyway, and here’s what I learned:

1
Carl Fredericks says there are two levels to think about when writing or writing about alien language. The lowest level is “language.” A higher level involves semantics, e.g. “motor oil” vs. “baby oil.” Might an alien think we make oil from babies? Could we make that mistake of an alien tongue?

2
Nancy Kress told us that one way to start is by considering the biology of aliens. Do they even make sounds? Do they make sounds within a range audible to the human ear?

Also, instant universal translators [my paraphrasing:] suck.

Recommended reading: “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang.

3
Other approaches to writing alien language: Sherman starts with the premise that for space travel to be possible the way modern aviation is possible, there has to be a sort of intergalactic lingua franca that everyone understands. Kress tries to “sneak it in.” Fredericks wrote (or read? Can’t remember) a story where a race’s vocal language was a secondary language reserved for parental interactions with their children.

4
Some thoughts on actual mechanics, most (but not all) from Kress…

• Quotation marks or italics sorta suck [my word] for telepathy or other non-verbal communication. People have used typographical tricks w/great success.
• Any invented language needs an integrity to it. A consistency. One option: pick 3-4 consonant sounds and a couple of vowels to use most of the time.
• Fluted effects usually involve K or L sounds. Growls: G, R, or F
• And even if you think you’ve made up a name, Google it anyway!
• One writer used typography to illustrate one twin starting a sentence and the other finishing, every single time.

5
Idea Free-For-All

• More required reading: Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination.
• Go overboard and you won’t get published.
  
• Language is only partly auditory. That’s why we need emoticons in email/text.
• Using pheromones. Poul Anderson had a smell on every 3rd MS page. Maybe overdoing it?
• Animals don’t speak in phonemes. Most of their stuff is in the spaces between sounds.
• Some panelists irritated when every single slang/foreign expression gets immediately translated. It’s very possible to tell by context.
• In some stories, humans and aliens never really communicate, but they just get it. (Or, not!)
• You usually have two choices when writing “English in the future” — just use English or go ahead and invent slang. There’s a high risk of sounding ridiculous with the latter.
• Alien societies probably have classes and their language would reflect that.