tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post4874753051592231534..comments2023-10-31T07:23:10.604-04:00Comments on First Novels Club: The Perks of Being a Fictional CharacterDonna Gambalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00317767593205769881noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-37248996253309344472009-12-15T00:36:57.226-05:002009-12-15T00:36:57.226-05:00This HAS to be one of my favorite posts this year ...This HAS to be one of my favorite posts this year (you illustration of the bladder of infinity almost had me on the floor laughing. There was snorting involved). Let's see:<br /><br />No one seems to get sick. Not realistically sick. No head colds, no allergies, no hay fever. Unless they are on the brink of death dying, there doesn't seem to be many viruses that go around. That would be a pleasant perk. (Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith does have the main characters sick from the cold during the final battle when they still had to fight. It made it much more realistic for me)<br /><br />A really hysterical resource (at least for fantasy) is Diana Wynne Jones The Tough Guide To Fantasyland. Absolutely HILARIOUS. She addresses all things cliche with fantasy stories. One of my favorite entries? Horses. Really, that book is worth looking up.Heather Zundelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16621649337908358313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-35725714312834662412009-12-08T16:55:50.268-05:002009-12-08T16:55:50.268-05:00Um... the MC in my first novel punches someone and...Um... the MC in my first novel punches someone and her hand ACTUALLY HURTS LIKE HECK afterwards. Does that help?CKHBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17741681893677604323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-36645336929917945482009-12-07T19:05:15.394-05:002009-12-07T19:05:15.394-05:00OMG!!! I can’t stop laughing! I always think about...OMG!!! I can’t stop laughing! I always think about this when I write! Excellent post!Gaby Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06756306198200545251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-33099698352023682072009-12-07T01:54:33.359-05:002009-12-07T01:54:33.359-05:00You could shout out to me for the "it's j...You could shout out to me for the "it's just a sprain thing"! My character breaks her arm in chapter two and it doesn't heal throughout the rest of the book. It's an extreme pain, because it ruins all the butt-kicking action I had planned, but it's realistic. I mean, she fell off a horse galloping at full speed! You don't just get up, brush yourself off, and walk away unscathed after something like that!Mariah Irvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15181111151756005743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-81176448142832968262009-12-06T18:48:37.660-05:002009-12-06T18:48:37.660-05:00Hee hee hee - we've often discussed the lack o...Hee hee hee - we've often discussed the lack of "monthly issues" in the Twilight series. Those had to be some fun times at the Cullen house....D. K. Burrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15379287712367806712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-72658012773047208222009-12-06T16:34:18.329-05:002009-12-06T16:34:18.329-05:00Love this post! I was laughing all the way through...Love this post! I was laughing all the way through it because my current WIP has both mc's peeing outside, eating and the female talks about her lack of a menstral cycle...all in the first chapter. <br /><br />I know one perk that I can think of that goes along with the lack of bathroom breaks is the lack of gas! People rarely if ever belch or fart in fiction, although, I've had a character do both.Karen Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15154015690643682525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-91065277344005527202009-12-06T01:31:38.068-05:002009-12-06T01:31:38.068-05:00Standing ovation here! This was fabulous! I laug...Standing ovation here! This was fabulous! I laughed out loud at Frodo. Excellent!Sheila (Bookjourney)https://www.blogger.com/profile/05354184020340930630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-56724687171805700952009-12-06T01:24:06.338-05:002009-12-06T01:24:06.338-05:00Great post! Everything is so true!Great post! Everything is so true!Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-81946281129759112422009-12-05T22:43:28.194-05:002009-12-05T22:43:28.194-05:00Haha, this post takes the cake,Haha, this post takes the cake,Liz @ Cleverly Inkedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16283766836059873892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-78785826193958168002009-12-05T18:30:20.850-05:002009-12-05T18:30:20.850-05:00Too funny. But when I read
"... she makes i...Too funny. But when I read<br /><br />"... she makes it a point to make her characters pee on page..."<br /><br />I read it as "she makes it a point to make her characters pee <i>on the page</i>".<br /><br />While I'm sure there are some characters who might want to scent-mark their books (werewolves being the most likely candidates), I'm pretty sure that's not what you meant.La Coccinellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03118313017081994087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-84653452231818634142009-12-05T15:48:40.048-05:002009-12-05T15:48:40.048-05:00Very nice! I dropped over from a link that Sandy (...Very nice! I dropped over from a link that Sandy (Pirate Penguin) left on her blog. <br /><br />I've never really paid much attention to any of these things. They're hilarious! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out in the future.Melaniehttp://melaniesmusings.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-81641313021620858902009-12-05T15:41:43.375-05:002009-12-05T15:41:43.375-05:00The bladder of infinity! LOL! It's true though...The bladder of infinity! LOL! It's true though, most characters don't do things that are necessities in real life! I have to agree with Shannon: I'd much rather cry like a fictional character... that way a great-looking guy will be compelled to dry my tears and make me feel pretty *_* <br /><br />thanks for the shout-out! :DSandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18119179764394966859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-3941595229440368052009-12-05T14:17:09.928-05:002009-12-05T14:17:09.928-05:00Hahahahaha!!!
I always thought this things while ...Hahahahaha!!!<br /><br />I always thought this things while I read, I want to be a fictional character, to never have a period again? Sign me up!Natascha De Marcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13518786455521515538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-63004616813159425502009-12-05T12:28:11.045-05:002009-12-05T12:28:11.045-05:00Sara -- Lili St. Crow has a YA series out. It begi...Sara -- Lili St. Crow has a YA series out. It begins with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595142517?ie=UTF8&tag=jesssramb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595142517" rel="nofollow">Strange Angels</a> then follows up with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595142525?ie=UTF8&tag=jesssramb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595142525" rel="nofollow">Betrayals</a> that was just released last month. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595142908?ie=UTF8&tag=jesssramb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595142908" rel="nofollow">Jealousy</a> will be out in July of next year.<br /><br />She has an adult series under the pen name Lilith Saintcrow but I haven't read it.Jess (The Cozy Reader)https://www.blogger.com/profile/09952470536106390326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-16323892403434323382009-12-05T10:38:48.538-05:002009-12-05T10:38:48.538-05:00Thanks for all the comments! So glad everyone enj...Thanks for all the comments! So glad everyone enjoyed the post!<br /><br />Jessica-- I haven't read anything by Lili St. Crow. I'll definitely check her out--is there a particular book that you recommend?<br /><br />Donna--I'm glad you like it! My stick figure was, of course, inspired by yours :)<br /><br />Shannon-- Crying is a great one, I can't believe I didn't think of it! I think a big snotty, red-eyed, hiccuping crying scene could be awesome if written the right way.<br /><br />Barnesdale11--You're right, Kristin Cashore does do a good job of giving actual consequences to medical problems. Also, have you read Savvy? I thought of that one after the fact--I don't want to spoil too much, but Ingrid Law plays the medical plot line in it out very realistically as well.Sara Kankowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13811608770353664993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-45124000113516534862009-12-05T10:32:18.449-05:002009-12-05T10:32:18.449-05:00Fun post to read and think back to other books I&#...Fun post to read and think back to other books I've enjoyed where no one ever went to the bathroom. But it's fiction and stuff like that may pull me out of the spell I'm in. Love your stick figure!TerryLynnJohnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08380207155608982319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-72910991184949017612009-12-05T10:15:36.896-05:002009-12-05T10:15:36.896-05:00You just voiced all my thoughts!!!
I always wonde...You just voiced all my thoughts!!!<br /><br />I always wondered how it was that Edward/Jasper/whatever couldn't handle a paper cut, but they were in high school with perfectly healthy teenagers. And obviously... Bella's period... Edward's affinity for her blood... I don't know why S.Meyer bothered to mention her period in Breaking Down, when she's pregnant, when it was so obvious that she had never bleeded before!<br /><br />And yes, that was something that I clearly saw in Fire. The books from Kristin Cashore always manage to be fantastic and especially realistic all at once.<br /><br />I also wondered about the girl tributes in The Hunger Games, but I guess it would be something especially medical in there. Just like not growing body hair when they are in the arena ;) (something told in Catching Fire)<br /><br />And about the bladders of infinity and the vomiting stomachs... xDDDD That's just so right, too!!! <br /><br />About the school thing... epic.<br /><br />And about the food... I wonder especially about the road books. Girls in road books don't eat in two days but they vomit. What do they have inside their stomachs???<br /><br />And I have a <b>Shout-out for the Srain part</b>: What about poor Fire, the character by Kristin Cashore? The poor girl lost fingers and had scars everywhere, and we where waiting with her for a lot of chapters to get her fingers healed and amputated. Wouldn't that work?barnsdale11https://www.blogger.com/profile/13411243030270620420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-73827569558038961472009-12-05T09:27:02.186-05:002009-12-05T09:27:02.186-05:00PS - Bladder of Infinity stick figure drawing is A...PS - Bladder of Infinity stick figure drawing is AMAZING. He can be friends with my villian stick dude! We need to make a series of these!Donna Gambalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00317767593205769881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-81305957399873375492009-12-05T09:25:44.743-05:002009-12-05T09:25:44.743-05:00This is great! I laughed the whole way through. I ...This is great! I laughed the whole way through. I can happily say I include #1 and #2 in my first chapter! Nina worries about #3, but for how smart June is... we never see her do any work! Oops. Guess I need to change that. #4 - my characters eat -- a lot -- and at a diner! Woo! And #5... pain's not really an issue in my novel. But yeah, Shannon... my characters only cry pretty tears. June's getting snot action added in, thanks to your comment!<br /><br />Random side note on unpleasant stomach issues: I always wanted to write a scene in which the female MC has some serious stomach issue when she's on a date or talking to the Ultimate Romantic Interest. That's the worst situation EVER. And if it's done well and humorously, it won't be gross, ya know?Donna Gambalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00317767593205769881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-56644634159926053992009-12-05T08:02:13.820-05:002009-12-05T08:02:13.820-05:00LMAO! This post is awesome! And youre absolutely r...LMAO! This post is awesome! And youre absolutely right! I also have to agree with Shannon Messenger about the crying..its soo true hahaAnyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09723458532820316653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-32351155805909548342009-12-05T03:41:40.483-05:002009-12-05T03:41:40.483-05:00LOL, I love it! Personally I want to cry like a fi...LOL, I love it! Personally I want to cry like a fictional character. Their eyes always glisten with tears (and usually some hunky guy is there and ready to wipe it away--unless it's Edward in Twilight and he tastes it, hands down the creepiest moment in the book--for me at least). But have you ever noticed that they rarely have to deal with the runny nose that comes along with the tears? Now, maybe I'm just not blessed, but when I cry not only do my eyes get swollen (which also never happens to fictional characters, who seem to look more beautiful to the guy as the cry) but my nose runs BIGTIME! Sadly I cannot think of an example where this is done better.<br /><br />Oh, and BTW, I read somewhere (it might've been on the Twilight Lexicon--and don't ask me why I was there, I honestly don't know) that Stephenie Meyer actually answered what Bella's period does to Edward. She said that of course the smell of blood would be stronger, but because it's not fresh, normal blood (cause-ew, alert-it's not) that it doesn't have the same appeal as papercut blood. The rest of the cop out answer was that Edward is much too much of a gentleman to mention it. So there you go! You're welcome!<br /><br />Great Post-as always!Shannon Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08003607156860716462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-36641012663447242662009-12-05T02:15:13.478-05:002009-12-05T02:15:13.478-05:00Great post! I'm writing a YA novel that takes ...Great post! I'm writing a YA novel that takes place over 36 hours or so, and I put in the occasional scene where they stop to eat (and are usually interrupted by some Plot Point or another). I just remember thinking as I was writing, "It's been like 10 hours. Surely they're hungry by now..."Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096173111325220168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-65216502613993976202009-12-05T00:58:05.406-05:002009-12-05T00:58:05.406-05:00Twilight would have been hilarious if she had gott...Twilight would have been hilarious if she had gotten her period. Awkward, since it's in first person, but if it were in third person. I wonder if Edward could...ugh... nevermind, let's not go there.<br /><br />Someone told me that eating scenes are unnecessary. I'm writing a college story and most of the most interesting things happen when people are eating dinner. Like you mentioned, nobody is actually eating, but there are always some stimulating conversation. Meal times and right before bed are the best times for stimulating/cracked-out conversation. <br /><br />Good post!Najelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529650047480022627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144844961496270733.post-84862069028629404892009-12-05T00:49:30.323-05:002009-12-05T00:49:30.323-05:00Awesome post! It's the small details that pric...Awesome post! It's the small details that prick that nerve huh?<br /><br />The peeing thing is something I mentioned in my review of Betrayals by Lili St. Crow. She hits it on the head with the small details. And she does the eating too! I'm pretty sure she does everything you mentioned. She's a very good writer! :)Jess (The Cozy Reader)https://www.blogger.com/profile/09952470536106390326noreply@blogger.com