tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post9088530579212864081..comments2024-03-17T00:24:18.754-07:00Comments on Voyages of the Artemis: Historical Fiction WorkshopDiana Gabaldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-27152001261604372042009-03-26T17:52:00.000-07:002009-03-26T17:52:00.000-07:00When going back in time, say before 1300, when we ...When going back in time, say before 1300, when we really don't know what normal conversation sounded like, how much do you depend on modern (c. 1700 and later) colloquialisms to create your dialog?Kathrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03681447486497307705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-19945429213083585432009-02-15T06:43:00.000-08:002009-02-15T06:43:00.000-08:00Hi again, DianaIs this the book to which you were ...Hi again, Diana<BR/><BR/>Is this the book to which you were referring?<BR/>http://www.formsofaddress.info/<BR/><BR/>Look what I found while I was googling that:<BR/>http://www.irishroots.com/id4276.htm<BR/>cool, huh?<BR/><BR/>I hope your office renos are coming along well. There's nothing like dry wall and dust to clog up the creative juices, I think.Genevieve Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17138099256899984001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-7641261847848607522009-02-09T01:55:00.000-08:002009-02-09T01:55:00.000-08:00P.S. No, I have no idea what's going to happen in...P.S. No, I have no idea what's going to happen in the books, and I don't plan them out ahead of time. (I also _don't_ have "a 3 book prequel"--there's just one novel, composed of three novellas; or at least that's what I think right now. Could be different, when I come to write it. [g])Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-77695636698673445162009-02-09T01:53:00.000-08:002009-02-09T01:53:00.000-08:00Dear Genevieve-- Well, let's see... Rosina/Sar...Dear Genevieve--<BR/><BR/> Well, let's see...<BR/><BR/> Rosina/Sara is a friend I knew on Compuserve lo, these many years back. She was writing her first book at the time, and those of us who were writers all tended to discuss what we were doing. I'd mentioned at some point that I intended to deal with the battle of Saratoga in a future book (though I didn't know at the time how _far_ in the future [wry g]), and some time later, Rosina emailed me privately with a brief scene she'd written, in which one of her characters--speaking twenty years after the battle (her book is set in the 1790's, I believe)--is recollecting a minor incident that happened then, in which a woman known as "the White Witch" came across the lines with her husband, Colonel Fraser and her husband's nephew, and took care of a little boy who was sick.<BR/><BR/> (That's it. She isn't "using" Claire and Jamie as characters; they don't speak or do anything _in_ her story; they're just referred to by one of her characters. The whole mention occupies perhaps two paragraphs, if that.)<BR/><BR/> Anyway, she showed me the scene and said she'd done it on an impulse, but wouldn't include the scene if I had any objection. I laughed and said--since she wasn't in fact "using" my characters, but only mentioning them as though they were real historical people of the period--that I thought it was fine; go ahead and see whether anybody noticed.<BR/><BR/> Anyway, about titles--British titles, anyway--there's a helpful book called FORMS OF ADDRESS, which lists all the ranks of British nobility (and their wives and children) and tells you how to refer to the wife of a Marquis, or what the second son of a duke's title is, versus the title for the daughter of an earl. I'm not where my books are at the moment, so can't give you the specific publishing information, but if you remind me in a couple of weeks, when I can get back in my office (it's being remodeled at the moment, and I can't get at any of my books. argh), I'll get that for you.Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-47595481136484479712009-02-08T05:58:00.000-08:002009-02-08T05:58:00.000-08:00HI Diana!I LOVE writing historical fiction (which ...HI Diana!<BR/>I LOVE writing historical fiction (which I never thought I'd even think of doing until after I became dangerously obsessed with your novels) and - this came as a shock to everyone, especially me - I truly enjoy researching the period. I have done some reading, but I find that incredibly dry most of the time. So ... my main sources have been Historical Re-enactors/Anachronists. You know, those people who are even more obsessed than I am about getting every-single-thing-right? The problem I have is that many of the "actors" in different groups have different answers to my questions (i.e. saddles/no saddles, blade lengths, etc). So I battle through and either go with Majority Rules or ... This Sounds Better.<BR/><BR/>I wanted to find out about titles, i.e. Milord/Milady, My Lord, etc ... who used what, when and to whom? I never could get anything useful on that one.<BR/><BR/>May I please put in a very big, strong vote for a podcast on your class? (I know you won't know until after the FF, but I thought I'd place a vote anyway)<BR/><BR/>My stories seem to flow from themselves ... how do you know that you have 2 more Outlanders and then a 3 book prequel? Do you know the outcome(s) ahead of time?<BR/><BR/>I've always wondered ... when Sara/Rosina bumped into your characters, how did you feel about that? I've been SO tempted to do that in my first novel. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for all you do. You're an inspiration! I hope your tour brings you to Nova Scotia this time.Genevieve Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17138099256899984001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-62242642514016032462009-02-08T00:37:00.000-08:002009-02-08T00:37:00.000-08:00Dear Kat-- Well, the simple truth is that a) I ...Dear Kat--<BR/><BR/> Well, the simple truth is that a) I don't know [g], and b) to some extent, it's the historical events that dictate the arc(s) of the story--i.e., in this series, at least, the first three books are defined (in terms of history) by the Jacobite Rising: OUTLANDER deals with Scotland in the lead-up to that war, DRAGONFLY is _about_ the Rising and how it affected both the story's characters and Scotland itself--and VOYAGER deals with the lingering aftermath of that upheaval, which not only destroyed the Scottish Highland culture, but scattered shards of it all over the world.<BR/><BR/> The second part of the series then deals with the American Revolution--echoing and amplifying the earlier war. Many, many Highland Scots (and "Scotch-Irish"--these being Scots who had emigrated to Ulster in the previous century) fought in the Revolution, and we see the contrast of ideals between that war and the earlier one--how people fought by choice and from commitment, rather than by obligation and necessity, and what they were fighting _for_: individual liberty and God-given right, rather than to put a particular king on the throne.<BR/><BR/> That's oversimplifying, of course--and taking no account of the _personal_ arcs of the characters within the story--but the historical arcs are at least one major strand of the structure of the series. <BR/><BR/> Don't know if that might be helpful to you, but fwiw.Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-29532721862950102122009-02-07T18:20:00.000-08:002009-02-07T18:20:00.000-08:00I wish you would do one in Boston. My question wou...I wish you would do one in Boston. My question would be how do you effectively handle the arc of the whole series? I have a historical fantasy trilogy coming out from Scholastic and though I know the beginning and the end, the middle has become more than a challenge!<BR/><BR/>KatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-47250435940264852692009-02-06T14:20:00.000-08:002009-02-06T14:20:00.000-08:00Dear Shara-- Um. If you read it on my website, ...Dear Shara--<BR/><BR/> Um. If you read it on my website, keep reading. [g] Until you get to the part that says I won't have an itinerary until the various publishers give them to me--that will be sometime much closer to pub date--and that once I _do_ have any specifics, I'll be sure to post them.Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-38780647890247946612009-02-05T19:53:00.000-08:002009-02-05T19:53:00.000-08:00Dear Diana,Sorry if this is irrelevant, but I rece...Dear Diana,<BR/><BR/>Sorry if this is irrelevant, but I recently read that you will be on a book tour, and you mentioned Canada (where I live). Can you please tell me the exact location, because my mom and I would love to be there. <BR/><BR/>Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-63359350441835258202009-02-05T13:31:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:31:00.000-08:00Dear Christine-- Thanks! [smile]Dear Christine--<BR/><BR/> Thanks! [smile]Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-38473167993737009732009-02-05T12:47:00.000-08:002009-02-05T12:47:00.000-08:00dear Diana; I like your books and I am a faithful...dear Diana; I like your books and I am a faithful reader; I am French Best regards christine (I hope that the translation is correct)christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164849281741313037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-85157326497016806402009-02-03T13:04:00.000-08:002009-02-03T13:04:00.000-08:00Note to Nancy--I know what you mean about "learnin...Note to Nancy--<BR/>I know what you mean about "learning" to sing. My three siblings and I have always sung together and in school/church choirs but none of us has ever had formal music education. I always thought I had a "nice" voice but nothing to rave about -- or even sing solo with. Recently I joined a small community choir in my city directed by an incredible young musician, and through her tutelage I have learned so much about how to use my voice correctly, which in turn has increased my range, quality, tone, et cetera. And learning to breathe correctly for singing has improved other activities as well... hiking and swimming too!Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04199827686334797691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-18411402628681632382009-02-03T10:40:00.000-08:002009-02-03T10:40:00.000-08:00Thanks Nancy!I am most comfortable singing the men...Thanks Nancy!<BR/><BR/>I am most comfortable singing the men's parts in most songs, but occasionally I can get an alto. My mother is exactly the same way, so it must run in the family.<BR/><BR/>I'm thinking you're right about a perceived mental block on singing. Because when he (he of the aforementioned singing inability, also known as my boyfriend) sings his own stuff (songs he's written), he's much much better than when he's singing along with the radio.<BR/><BR/>Makes it difficult to sing along with him in the car, tho....if he overwhelms the radio, I can't sing because I pitch myself to whatever or whomever I hear best.<BR/><BR/>Also reasons why I can't sit next to a soprano in church. Or if I do, I have to really concentrate to bring it down an octave.<BR/><BR/>::sigh::Emily Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17729421087092340577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-60748758438118659732009-02-03T09:43:00.000-08:002009-02-03T09:43:00.000-08:00Hey, Honey. You have just described half the boys ...Hey, Honey. <BR/><BR/>You have just described half the boys in my 7th grade choir. It's not uncommon for people to have difficulty matching pitches with their voice, especially when they're feeling social discomfort. This is where the "I'm good singing in the shower" idea comes from.<BR/><BR/>After years of not exercising the ability to move the voice where you want it to go, it's hard (and embarrassing) to relax and train it to do so. Most people just say "I can't" and let it go. But anyone with adequate hearing and functional vocal chords can--at the very least--get better at matching pitches. <BR/><BR/>Little kids are often wildly off pitch when they begin to sing, but with practice (that's the other essential component) they learn to, as the saying goes, carry a tune reasonably well. Then they hit the 5th grade and discover that only Clay Aiken can sing, and they should just shut up or risk being labeled.<BR/><BR/>When you spend a lot of time singing, your pitch range expands, and technical training (learning to sing "in your head") can expand it even further. The coloratura soprano in the opera may have a naturally high voice, but the fireworks at the top end come from training. Many women believe they have a naturally low voice (think Cher) when in fact, a few lessons might make them discover notes they never thought they could hit. Pop songs are often pitched in a low, narrow range (the epitome of this is Britney Spears' repertoire), because pop singing style tends to use the "chest" voice. If you can sing well by starting a little lower--go for it. I'm happy to hear that you're singing!<BR/><BR/>Someone who can't perceive pitch at all--like Jamie-- must have some auditory dysfunction.Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-34928885805672943292009-02-03T08:58:00.000-08:002009-02-03T08:58:00.000-08:00Nancy -What about someone who can hear music perfe...Nancy -<BR/><BR/>What about someone who can hear music perfectly well (he's actually a rather accomplished guitar player, and has more or less taught himself to play piano), can hear when something is in tune or out of tune, but who cannot make his voice mimic the pitch?<BR/><BR/>It's not that his voice is "bad" or "good" - it just refuses to do what he wants it to do.<BR/><BR/>I myself have a very low voice for a woman, and while I have a hard time singing many songs because of this (never learned anything musical, so I have to do it by "ear"), I can usually pitch the song lower and do a perfectly adequate job of it.<BR/><BR/>He can't.<BR/><BR/>Why is this?Emily Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17729421087092340577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-12934188713771376792009-02-03T07:18:00.000-08:002009-02-03T07:18:00.000-08:00Re: Jamie's inability to hear and comprehend music...Re: Jamie's inability to hear and comprehend music--<BR/><BR/>Without going off on a rant here (or just a tiny, modest rant)--The most maddening and depressingly frequent claim that music teachers hear is "I can't sing." Sometimes, this comes in the form of the tune and the bucket (the auditory equivalent of art and the straight line). And people are so pleased to tell you that they can't sing! (You have to wonder--why aren't people out there cheerfully declaring "I can't read?" )<BR/><BR/>Everyone who can speak can sing. Singing is nothing more than extended speech, with pitch and rhythm. The conceit of the "good voice," or a skill limited to those with "talent," is recent and culturally driven by exposure to the idea that only people who can do things very well should attempt to do them in public. Enter the American Idol.<BR/><BR/>Returning to history--people sang themselves across the prairie, without worrying about whether anyone would laugh at their singing. Singing was a way to communicate, pass on stories, bond. Sure, there are trained singers whose performances are more pleasing than the kids on the camp bus. But singing is what we were meant to do, as human beings.<BR/><BR/>Thus--I was glad to realize that Jamie was brain-damaged, not just falsely modest. (laughing) Did you research the kind of injury (corpus callosum?) that would cause inability to hear pitch?Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-73905068904617136822009-02-03T01:54:00.000-08:002009-02-03T01:54:00.000-08:00Dear Mary-Allison-- I haven't got the slightest ...Dear Mary-Allison--<BR/><BR/> I haven't got the slightest idea how you'd pick a period--but I also can't visualize how you'd have a story that existed independently of a period and needed to be inserted into one, either. (Mind, I _started_ with nothing but "Scotland, eighteenth century" in mind--and the rather vague images conjured up by the notion of a man in a kilt. [g] <BR/><BR/> Other folk might be more organized!Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-3019235658366377622009-02-03T01:52:00.000-08:002009-02-03T01:52:00.000-08:00Dear Renee-- I think it's nonsense. But I also...Dear Renee--<BR/><BR/> I think it's nonsense. But I also think it's mis-stated; it _should_ say, "Don't write what you _don't_ know." But you can find out just about anything you need to.Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-69366214198720370562009-02-02T19:56:00.000-08:002009-02-02T19:56:00.000-08:00One thing I've always been told is 'write what you...One thing I've always been told is 'write what you know'. I'm sure other wanna-be published writers have heard this too. There you were, Diana, writing about a place you hadn't been (Scotland), and you can't have 'known' life in the 18th century. <BR><BR> I guess my question is what do you think of the 'write what you know' rule and what would you say to us about that rule?Reneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11754242040333745070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-69532346361397478902009-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:002009-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:00Hi, Diana:I think it would be helpful in a worksho...Hi, Diana:<BR/><BR/>I think it would be helpful in a workshop to learn how to pick which period would be the best complement to the story. Perhaps you could also give tips on how to tweak your story idea to better fit the era you have your heart set on. <BR/><BR/>If I were to take your workshop, I would also like to learn how to look all around- fiction, encyclopedias, maps, menus, architectural details, speaking to our elders etc to extract the flavor of the time and the personality traits of people. I don't think many folks realize that history isn't just in history books or fiction. Sometimes it's more fun to go on a timeline scavenger hunt in museums, junk stores or your grandma's garage!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for asking our opinions, Diana, it's fun to make a forum of it and help if we can!Mind Fetehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03399639495233302733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-25853203082966397432009-02-02T10:48:00.000-08:002009-02-02T10:48:00.000-08:00Dear Mari-- Conflict? Hmm. Well, some conflic...Dear Mari--<BR/><BR/> Conflict? Hmm. Well, some conflicts are obviously interesting--battles, wars, that sort of thing. [g] But _any_ human interaction (including one's struggle with the self) carries the seeds of conflict; you just decide whether and when to let those seeds flower.<BR/><BR/> As to "what's interesting?"--that's entirely a judgement call; there aren't any rules about it. What's fascinating to some folk won't interest others at all; _vide_ romance novels, in which the conflict of an evolving relationship is the primary focus for most (largely female) readers, and doesn't interest other (often male) readers at all.Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-26153159772214287932009-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:002009-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00Dear Nancy-- An educated man in the 18th centur...Dear Nancy--<BR/><BR/> An educated man in the 18th century would be well up on the basics of mathematics (let alone simple arithmetic [g]) through geometry and trigonometry; mathematics was part of the quadrivium (a medieval concept of the necessary structure of a thorough education, but one whose influence remained through the early Enlightenment). (see link:<BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrivium )<BR/><BR/> "Lowest common denominator" would indeed be an everyday concept to a "gentleman" of the period--and in fact, I used that expression because it _was_ appropriate to the period, in a way that something like, "I don't act like a lowlife" wouldn't have been. [g] Particularly since Jamie's being quite formal in the early parts of the evening. [cough]<BR/><BR/> (Interesting to note, btw, that music would have been an important part of his studies during his time at the university in Paris--and at that point in his life, he still had the capacity to hear and comprehend music.)Diana Gabaldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537964955785653500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-80673902235335507672009-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:002009-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:00Hi Diana!Like most of the posters, I wish I lived ...Hi Diana!<BR/>Like most of the posters, I wish I lived closer to that workshop, but since I live in Argentina, I'm sort of used to miss all the fun! (g)<BR/><BR/>My question is about "conflict" in writing. I've noticed that most novels have one huge conflict somewhere around which the whole plot evolves. Your books have the BIG conflict, but also lots and lots of different and smaller crisis... I love that about them, it's part of what makes them real! But I'm rambling... Back to the qestion. <BR/><BR/>What makes you think about a conflict and say "oh... this will be good" or "mmmm... nah... not so interesting"?Marianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03840904669951291625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-83225552219111395442009-02-02T05:46:00.000-08:002009-02-02T05:46:00.000-08:00[DG] "you can't write for the lowest common denomi...[DG] "you can't write for the lowest common denominator, or you will get sludge"<BR/><BR/>[Nancy] Interestingly, the first time a piece of Outlandish dialogue seemed awkwardly "out of time" to me, it was in the wedding night scene in Outlander, where Jamie indignantly tells Claire that he'd never sleep with a woman before marrying her--does she think his principles represent the lowest common denominator? <BR/><BR/>That one sent me to Google, to learn that "LCD" is about 3000 years old, as a recognized concept, if not part of daily speech. For an educated man, then...OK.<BR/><BR/>I am currently a book set in 1125 (or thereabouts). The author has stripped the dialogue of colloquialisms but the thinking under the language often seems too modern to me--phrases like "he owes us a favor," for example. Of course, it would be difficult to transpose middle English and Norman French into anything comprehensible to the modern reader, so the dialogue doesn't do much more than move the plot forward.<BR/><BR/>Is that why you chose to write about the 18th century, where you at least have ample examples of written dialogue?Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861575260847050598.post-27134756935348874542009-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:002009-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:00My question is similar to Jen's, about how much yo...My question is similar to Jen's, about how much you steep before you start. You answered part of that question, of how much you need to know. But do you do most of your research as you go along, or do you do it beforehand? Or, I suppose, a mixture of both? <BR/><BR/>I know writing is work, and not just a gift. But looking at what you have accomplished over these books truly seems a gift to me, even knowing how much work you have poured into them. My husband can't even put them down, and he reads more nonfiction than fiction usually. Your books do make us think, so thanks for inspiring some fascinating conversations.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13891802273989869588noreply@blogger.com