Comments on: Plot disturbances

By: Justine

Justine — Wed, 24 May 2006 03:17:35 +0000

Amanda: Welcome! Glad to be of assistance, though I ripped that phrase from Gwenda Bond. Trust me, the withholding of the exciting news is not Scott's fault. If he could he'd tell you all right now. But he ain't allowed.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 24 May 2006 01:33:53 +0000

Hey, long time Scott-blogger, first time posting on this blog. First of all, I just want to tell you that this entry had me cracking up. Secondly, I hope you don’t mind, but I quoted this blog in a Latin Final about heros. I basically just used the phrase “refusing-to-take-up-the-call” and I totally cited you, but still, hope that’s cool. Anyway, now that I’ve read a couple of your enties, I might start reading this every week. Especially since your husband promises very exciting news and then refuses to deliver…

By: Little Willow

Little Willow — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:39:36 +0000

I think it depends on the plot, the writer/writing, and the character – How would the character react? How well do the readers know the character when the destiny/whatnot is revealed? etc.

By: JessieGirl

JessieGirl — Tue, 16 May 2006 22:46:23 +0000

I think what allows M or M to have such an extended denial is the way you structured the rules of magic combined with Reason’s absence of knowledge. If the good & evil characters had been more obvious, and the rules of engagement more standard it wouldn’t have worked as well.

Over all I don’t mind moments of doubt. Everyone wonders whether or not they are making the right choices, if done right it can humanize the character. What I have trouble with is pages upon chapters of refusal.

By: Justine

Justine — Tue, 16 May 2006 22:41:28 +0000

John H: It’s a hoot, but I did find it a tad less interesting when it turned into a standard zombie movie. The opening is total genius. Have you seen Spaced the tellie series those guys did? Even more total genius. One of my favourite UK tv shows ever.

Darice: [waves back] That’s a great way of putting it “a forced pitstop on the road to Questville”. Brilliant!

Gwenda: I can’t wait to read how you handle it in your novel. Hint. Hint.

Chris S: Oh sure, that’s true. But I think it’s actually pretty hard to pull off. Most readers are impatient for the story to start happening and can see the denial part as needless story delay. But when done right it’s fab. Yes, on the Scully-level denial too.

By: Chris S.

Chris S. — Tue, 16 May 2006 22:03:42 +0000

Depending on the circumstances, denial can help make a character real. I mean, if a stranger said to me, “Hey you – You’re the chosen one!”, I’d think, ‘Up your dosage, buddy’. But I get annoyed when characters hit Scully level denial.

By: Gwenda

Gwenda — Tue, 16 May 2006 12:05:22 +0000

Yeah, I agree with them. I think M or M is special in this regard. In any event, it breaks the sort of traditional view of the “refusal of the call,” which is just one little slice of the quote-unquote Hero’s Journey and my impression has always been shouldn’t take that long. which I fully support!

By: Darice

Darice — Tue, 16 May 2006 03:56:33 +0000

I think one of the strengths of M or M is that Reason overcoming her initial denial is key to the story. It’s completely bound up with Reason’s distrust of Esmeralda and her fear for her mother, so it helps push the story forward instead of feeling like a forced pitstop on the road to Questville.

(Hi, I’m Darice. I like your books. *waves*)

By: scott w

scott w — Tue, 16 May 2006 03:52:45 +0000

The reason why the long “passage of disbelief” works in Magic or Madness is that we, the readers, don’t know exactly what KIND of magic is going on. In Zombie Apocalypse, the post-disbelief course of events is pretty obvious: dead rise, get guns, hide in mall. That’s what we’re waiting for; don’t make us wait too long.

But Magic or Madness’ magic isn’t off the shelf—the book’s playing with our expectations of good and evil, happy magic and bad. So although readers of the blurb on the back know that magic is real in that universe, they’re still wondering about it’s shape and texture.

As long as readers are in the dark about something, annoyance doesn’t set in that the characters are too, even if it’s a different something.

By: John H

John H — Tue, 16 May 2006 02:31:07 +0000

i love shaun of the dead – you really don’t know if the zombies really are zombies until they attack someone because they look like all the other poor schlubs, mindlessly trudging through their boring existence. and when shaun and his flatmate are confronted with a zombie for the first time, they mock him like a couple of third-graders making faces behind the substitute’s back.

what an awesome movie!