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Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Right/Wrong Words
Ever have a buzzword that sets you off? A word that you’re certain once you’ve read it on the back cover of a book, or seen it somewhere in a review you say to yourself, “Not gonna read that one!”
For some, it’s M/M or a phrase, like… “The cat tells her…” And that’s it, not going there. For Captain Hellion, it’s the picture of the cat or dog on the cover. Though she has made some exceptions.
I’m not a big fan of the word inspirational. Any mention of divine intervention and I’m not going anywhere near that book!
Oddly, I find myself avoiding any books that mention vampires or shifters of any sort also. (Not the same reaction, I’m just a big burned out on the fangs, no matter where they come from.) And angels. Not sure where this one came from, but I’m a bit anti-angel right now. Hmmmm
Food for thought…wonder why?
Anyway!
I imagine, as authors, we have to consider what a reader might find attractive, or repulsive. Who do you want to imagine reading your blurb and then tossing your book in their must-have basket? Conversely, you don’t want to use a word or phrase that tricks the unsuspecting into hauling your book home, then writing scathing reviews on Amazon. (It's tricksy!)
I recently sent the Bo’sun a blurb of a book I was working on for my agent. Her reaction? “I don’t really read anything with aliens in it.” (The bo’sun, not my agent.) (My agent likes aliens.)
I had to think about this, and reassure her that other than a method for transportation and education, the aliens in this short story are all but invisible. I realized that although I never used the word alien, she followed a logical path and assumed there were more aliens in the book than there actually are. (Did that make sense?)
What jumps out at you when you read this? (The red is my addition to reassure readers like the bo’sun.)
Jahari sold herself to the starborn Etwa to save her little sister from life in a nasty brothel. Tests reveal an aptitude for sensual service and she is trained as a high court slut. A contract of seven years runs out on the human planet Mentari but the powerful Basba is determined to keep her. She escapes swearing to see him reported to the Etwa authorities.
Toseman is the captain of the Sea Horse, sailing the seas of Mentari. Several days from port a stowaway is brought before him. Her bright blue hair betrays her identity and puts his secret at risk. Drawn to her, he accepts her offer to serve as ship’s mistress and promises to see her to the nearest Etwan spaceport.
Pursued by her former master, the two join forces and with the help of the Sea Horse crew, they seek Etwan justice.
Does adding that one word make a difference in perception? (Keep in mind this is a rough blurb, not likely to be the one I use to sell it. Though it won’t vary a whole lot!)
Donna had a blog earlier this week on her site that dealt with the impossibility of a writer translating a vision accurately to a page. At least accurately enough to really satisfy the drive to do it perfectly. In her blog, she advised to not worry about perfection. Just do the best you can. I commented don’t sweat it at all, because the reader is going to see something different anyway!
And there it is, my blurb and the Bo’sun’s reaction! You can correct for some assumptions, but you can’t really direct the reader’s brain to see what you see and understand what you understand. (The technology just isn’t there yet!)
Once the words are on the page, you have no control over how a reader is going to react. I can imagine at some future time, all of us will have the experience of finding a reader in front of us, ranting enthusiastically about some scene and we’ll tilt our head and inside we’ll wonder, “What the heck is she talking about? I didn’t write that!”
I’m curious, what words turn you off? Or images? What words do you imagine your readers will see and give a great shout of ‘uh huh!’ and grab your book for their basket? Are they the same words that will make all but certain that other shoppers thrust their nose into the air and stalk off without your book?
For some, it’s M/M or a phrase, like… “The cat tells her…” And that’s it, not going there. For Captain Hellion, it’s the picture of the cat or dog on the cover. Though she has made some exceptions.
I’m not a big fan of the word inspirational. Any mention of divine intervention and I’m not going anywhere near that book!
Oddly, I find myself avoiding any books that mention vampires or shifters of any sort also. (Not the same reaction, I’m just a big burned out on the fangs, no matter where they come from.) And angels. Not sure where this one came from, but I’m a bit anti-angel right now. Hmmmm
Food for thought…wonder why?
Anyway!
I imagine, as authors, we have to consider what a reader might find attractive, or repulsive. Who do you want to imagine reading your blurb and then tossing your book in their must-have basket? Conversely, you don’t want to use a word or phrase that tricks the unsuspecting into hauling your book home, then writing scathing reviews on Amazon. (It's tricksy!)
I recently sent the Bo’sun a blurb of a book I was working on for my agent. Her reaction? “I don’t really read anything with aliens in it.” (The bo’sun, not my agent.) (My agent likes aliens.)
I had to think about this, and reassure her that other than a method for transportation and education, the aliens in this short story are all but invisible. I realized that although I never used the word alien, she followed a logical path and assumed there were more aliens in the book than there actually are. (Did that make sense?)
What jumps out at you when you read this? (The red is my addition to reassure readers like the bo’sun.)
Jahari sold herself to the starborn Etwa to save her little sister from life in a nasty brothel. Tests reveal an aptitude for sensual service and she is trained as a high court slut. A contract of seven years runs out on the human planet Mentari but the powerful Basba is determined to keep her. She escapes swearing to see him reported to the Etwa authorities.
Toseman is the captain of the Sea Horse, sailing the seas of Mentari. Several days from port a stowaway is brought before him. Her bright blue hair betrays her identity and puts his secret at risk. Drawn to her, he accepts her offer to serve as ship’s mistress and promises to see her to the nearest Etwan spaceport.
Pursued by her former master, the two join forces and with the help of the Sea Horse crew, they seek Etwan justice.
Does adding that one word make a difference in perception? (Keep in mind this is a rough blurb, not likely to be the one I use to sell it. Though it won’t vary a whole lot!)
Donna had a blog earlier this week on her site that dealt with the impossibility of a writer translating a vision accurately to a page. At least accurately enough to really satisfy the drive to do it perfectly. In her blog, she advised to not worry about perfection. Just do the best you can. I commented don’t sweat it at all, because the reader is going to see something different anyway!
And there it is, my blurb and the Bo’sun’s reaction! You can correct for some assumptions, but you can’t really direct the reader’s brain to see what you see and understand what you understand. (The technology just isn’t there yet!)
Once the words are on the page, you have no control over how a reader is going to react. I can imagine at some future time, all of us will have the experience of finding a reader in front of us, ranting enthusiastically about some scene and we’ll tilt our head and inside we’ll wonder, “What the heck is she talking about? I didn’t write that!”
I’m curious, what words turn you off? Or images? What words do you imagine your readers will see and give a great shout of ‘uh huh!’ and grab your book for their basket? Are they the same words that will make all but certain that other shoppers thrust their nose into the air and stalk off without your book?
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98 comments:
I can list a ton of things that will make me toss a book aside. You've named quite a few of them--but in every case, I can name a book where I did read just that. It had pets. It had aliens. It had vampires. It was an inspirational. Etc, etc. There are always excellent books in each category, even if you don't "like" that category.
I think the trick a lot of the time is catching you on the right day. You know that theory about editors--where it's not your story, but the mood your editor was in that day? I think it's even more so for a reader. On the whole, I'm a pretty traditional Regency fan, in my opinion, but apparently it's my deluded opinion because I just have to talk to another fellow Regency reader for about five minutes before I realize I don't read nearly enough Regency to count myself a true fan. In fact, many of the books other Regency lovers like, I can't stand because they're the "90210" Regency that I foam at the mouth about.
So I'm beginning to think it was whatever I was in the mood for that day. Sorta like eating. Some days I want Chinese--almost every day (that's my Regency version I think), but I also like Mexican almost as well (contemporary). If I feel exotic, I'll get some Thai or Indian (British chick-lit) and if I'm in the mood for some American comfort food (inspirational), I can find that too. I basically go into a bookstore with a thought of what I'd LIKE to read. It's a matter of finding the dish that appeals.
Your alien blurb sounds a lot like the alien books Johanna Lindsey did, so I'd probably read them (since I think readers tend to read things they associate warmly with other good reads)--but if at any point, the aliens turned out having body parts I would deem a bit too alien (the hero with two penises and the hazelnut sperm comes to mind) and I'm sooooo done with the book. Aliens can have blue hair or green skin, but the body parts better be familiar, okay? Not everyone has this problem, clearly. That's my hangup. It's sorta like my hangup about threesome. Only one penis at a time, please.
I am terrified if anyone does a google search and pulls up my comment...geez.
I love your late night babbles, Hel. No worries, my aliens, though quite interested in assisting others in finding their sexual destinies, aren't interested in interspecies sex. Having it, that is. At least not that you'll ever read on the pages of this book.
Other books I've written that involve alien sex, no promises.
But you may have a point about the mood. Some things I really do shy away from I'd say... 90% of the time. Others, I can have days when I'll give them a shot...I have read angels, though they were actually aliens. (NO, I'm kidding. But they weren't heavenly angels, just uh...genetically modified humans that were called angels.)
And I know what you mean about thinking you're a big fan of something, then you meet a really big FAN and discover you're a rank amateur in the genre. Happens to me all the time at all the conventions I go to.
Yup, all of them.
See ya in the morning!
Chance, I have to admit this would be a book I would steer clear of if it were written by anyone else. :) I don't like to read stories about women forced to be sexual servants, and I've definitely stayed away from a similar trend in romance that focuses on women in these roles. (The term "high court slut" bothered me like "aliens" bothered Terri. LOL)
I am not a fan of gritty stories either, no matter how well written they may be, because I want to avoid that in my reading for pleasure. I do everything I can to stay away from depressing news stories--even the headlines can be too much for me--so I am not willing to read books on the same topics (especially romance).
So it's not a reflection on the writer or the storyteller. It's merely my bias, and what I know I can enjoy and/or handle. :)
Thanks for the shoutout about my blog. I appreciate the mention!
Ah, another language barrier...she isn't forced. Tests reveal an aptitude and she agrees to be fully trained. In the universe I created for this, being trained as a high slut is considered kin to...oh...being a geisha, or a courtesan of the highest caliber!
But of course, it's a difficult word for our modern sensibilities!
A prime example of a wrong/right word!
It's a great blog, Donna! How is the job going?
And thanks for showing up, where the heck is everybody?
First off, it was the whole intergalactic thing, not so much the aliens. I watched Star Wars in my day, I can handle an alien or two. However, I wouldn't seek them out in a story.
Donna - According to Chance, there is no forcing on the character. She volunteers, gets paid for her efforts, and enjoys her job. Or so she tells me. :)
And I too hate the word "slut". Chance is the only woman I've ever met who gives it a less negative connotation and insists on throwing it around. That word bothers me more than anything else in the blurb.
BTW - What word is supposed to be red? LOL!
Sorry, kiddo is on a 2hr delay so my day is getting a late start. I should be at work by 11:30 and I'll check back in then.
Blast! Why didn't it show up RED? I inserted the word 'human' before world to show she was among humans when the trouble erupts!
Maybe I'm trying to redeem the word slut, I don't know... For all the women in the world who were labeled a slut when all they did was follow a similiar path as the guys. Who got to be studs and lucky... It does seem to be a mission of mine!
Chance, I guess the "sold herself" line made me believe it was less than voluntary--especially since she's doing it to save her sister from a similar fate. :) I didn't get the sense that it was something she enjoyed, so if that is the case, I might be swayed. :)
I'm like Terri--I don't seek out the intergalactic stuff. Sci fi stories have never blown my skirt up. Not sure why.
I am enjoying the job, even though it is very very tiring. People have been very nice and pleasant, which I was not expecting. The lines yesterday were long, and only one person complained about it. It's so busy that the phone just rings and rings because nobody has time to answer it! Luckily I have today off, but I'm there tomorrow from 1-9, so I'm gonna get rested up today (AND try to do some writing).
Hmm, now that you've equated "slut" with "geisha" I have a problem with the blurb. *LOL* I think of Geisha as an artistic entertainer--not someone associated with paid sex. Slut implies that her art is *only* sex, whereas geisha were much more than that.
I think this is a really fascinating topic, because in blurb, you have so much space. In a story, you can make it very clear that she's not forced, that she enjoys herself, you can even redeem the word slut to some extent.
But in a blurb, we tend to make snap decisions based on a word here or a word there, and everyone is going to have a totally different reaction.
I'm one of those that will pick up a book, read the blurb, and set it down if an animal communicates to a human *g*. Not that it can't be done brilliantly, but if that's on the blurb, it goes back on the shelf. "Slut" made me flinch.
But for every reader who flinches over that word, there will be another who sees that and says "finally!" and drops it in their basket. I have those words too -- the words that make me say "Yes! This one!" and I stop reading the blurb right there because I don't need anything else to convince me to read it (usually, it's either "forced to marry" in Regencies or "past-lovers reunite" in contepms. And there's just as many readers who read that, wrinkle up their nose, and put it back on the shelf).
BUT, I only read the blurb if it's an unknown author. If the book has been recommended to me, I've read/liked the author before, or I know the author personally, I'll avoid the back blurb like the plague because I don't want anything to interfere with the opening (blurbs give away too much info for me!)
I can't seem to win with that word. But I'm not sure what other word would be suffice. If is mainly about sex, so geisha may not be correct. What would work better? A high court prostitute sounds too formal. I high court whore sounds very dismissive. (Yup, more than slut.)
I think of sluts as those high school girls who end up with a reputation, deserved or not. *shrugs
She's under contract but fulfilling the contract is something she has found very enjoyable, up to her last 'master'.
In a world where sex as a trading commodity isn't seen with any denigration, what word suffices?
;-) What is the right word?
for me, courtesan fits, because it's both classy and clearly all about sex. But that's just me *shrug*
I was sick last weekend, and watched the whole season of Firefly, so Companion is running around my head too
High Court Seductress?
That just sounds sexy to me *g*
I tried to watch Firefly again the other day. I love me some Nathan Fillion, but I cannot generate any enthusiasm for this show! I want to. I try to. But it just doesn't give me any tingles. I know it does for a lot of people. But apparently my DNA is encoded improperly, because I can't get into it. Sigh. LOL
Hmmmm. High court courtesan, might be a bit to repetitive! ;-)
But yes, you have a point...for my audience, slut may be the right word all in all! If it's geared toward erotic romance...
I may toy with the word forced and make it more she chooses to trade herself to the Etwan teachers in exchange for her sister being kept safe and raised somewhere different...
Food for thought!
High court companion? I might be able to work with that, but I need to make it plain that this woman's profession is sex.
Maybe you can call her a "sextitician" (rhymes with "aesthetician" LOL)
I was assuming it could be reworked to "high courtesan"
I might be able to make high court sedux work, because it sounds like sex... I'll think about it!
Donna, not all viewers are going to find a series seductive. Decades my mom watched Star Trek with the family. Never really got it... ;-)
Maybe! ;-)
I think this is a good example of how hard it is to get the essence of a story across in just a few words. Even one word conveys a certain tone. I read the blurb and felt it was a heavy story, possibly even sad. But from Chance's further descriptions, it's clear the story is quite different.
Which is why when people ask, "What's your book about?" I wish I could just say, "It's funny." LOL
Yeah, I'd like to just say, "It's good! It's exciting! It's fun!"
Wait, I do say those things!
I'd say this story is slightly serious, but mainly, it's very sensual... But I can see me reworking the blurb...
My DNA must be just as screwy as yours, Donna, because we seem to have the same issues with this stuff.
And I don't care how you try to work it, you're not going to put a positive connotation on slut. Even in the erotica world. Especially if you want readers to understand she's skilled and proud of the work she does.
If a girl sleeps with the whole football team, she deserves the term. And for the record, I work with men now whom I'd never go out with because they are male sluts. And I've called them that. The term goes both ways.
How about this for the first line?
To save her younger sister from a life in the intergalactic sex trade, Jahari enters the world herself and finds she has the skills and sensuality to become a high level paramour.
Not in your voice, I realize, but sums it up without using the phrase "sells herself".
I'm not as opposed to slut, particularly in this sense because it's used for effect.
As for alien worlds, I generally avoid futuristic stuff and stuff with aliens because I hate to have to remember all the world stuff. The names are sometimes unpronounceable. If I can't pronounce it in my own head, I have a hard time taking the story seriously. And then a lot of futuristic stuff has different worlds and then I have to keep track of all of the worlds' mythologies. I get confused easy and it becomes too much like work.
Right now I've been avoiding character driven historicals. Before people start throwing stuff at me, I've just read a bunch of them that are supposed to be character driven and, well, the characters can't seem to drive.
I've also avoided anything with fairies or unicorns or elves or whatever. I feel like right now, a lot of things that were traditionally "good" mythology are being given a "bad" twist. The bad boy fairy or sexy elves. I have a hard time suspending all my former assumptions.
Well, in the erotic world, slut is considered a bit 'hot' for the most part.
Sigh.
I'll figure it out! And chat it out with my agent who is probably better able to figure out if a word would work for the genre I'm targeting.
What would be the female equivalent of a stud? I mean, with a positive, envy-able connotation?
This whole thing with words is fascinating!
LOL, Marn, at the characters that can't drive. Maybe they're backseat drivers?
I too get confused by the world-building, so when I read a blurb on the back of a book that goes into that more than a sentence or two, I slam that book right back onto the shelf. I've got no time to be quizzed!
I'm with Marn, not that I've ever been into the sci-fi/mythology stuff, but sexy fae and elves just aren't something I can fly with.
Terri, I like your blurbed blurb. :)
Chance, you know better than me what works for the market you're after. So pay no attention to me. LOL
Not a bad bit, Bo'sun...save that the brothel her sister would be dumped in is a local world one. And nasty...the sister is only 6 at the time.
Marn - I know the names and worlds can be confusing! I have to take care to not overload when working this sort of story. I do like the guides at the beginnings of books, where you can flip back if you get lost!
Right now I’ve been avoiding character driven historicals. Before people start throwing stuff at me, I’ve just read a bunch of them that are supposed to be character driven and, well, the characters can’t seem to drive.
Very well said! ;-)
Fascinating how one word can mean different things or be the key word for not only the book, but for a whole genre! I think you've solved the problem of what is the right word with the point of it being for an erotic romance market.
Hmmm, which buzz words would put me off? Anything that confuses me! LOL I enjoy some science fiction and fantasy, but if the blurb has too many words that seem foreign, it makes me feel left out. Or I'll wonder if I need to read books one through eight of a series to get it. So I won't get it...the book.
I have go-to themes that I probably auto buy on, such as ghosts and amnesia. :) Or "feel good" words like: protector or homecoming. Throw a few of those words in with any foreign concept and I'm tempted!
I think with world building, one has to almost keep it out of the blurb and sneak it in so carefully, the reader is there and isn't struggling with it, just accepting. I think this is when the writer can really paint the world as a character...
Not sure I do that, but I try!
Chance - I didn't have "intergalactic" in there at first, but then realized it almost sounded like a contemp set in our normal world. Seemed a way to let the reader know what she's getting and still make it about the characters.
The names are sometimes unpronounceable. If I can’t pronounce it in my own head, I have a hard time taking the story seriously.
Amen, sister. *LOL* That's pretty much my #1 pet peeve about sci-fi stuff. #2 is that they'll spend a paragraph describing an animal that looks like a horse, give it an unpronounceable name, and who has no other relevance in the story than to show how alien the world is that they don't have a simple name like "horse" to describe it.
But we all know I'm a traditionalist. Or purist. I got called "PURIST" at Buffalo Wild Wings the other night. Holly and I ordered wings and he asked us what dressing we wanted and we looked at him like he was mad. "Blue cheese, of course." He laughed and asked if we were purists or something.
See, it's not even with my books. Or writing. Or music. Or movies. Or sex...it's my food too.
Melissa - We all do have these buzzwords. I read a few mystery series where a ghost is an integral character and really enjoy it. Do you think we all have these fond memories of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir? We all remember Rex Harrison (movie) Edward Mulhare (TV series)...
I try hard not to let my "preferences" become too rigid, because I hate being closed minded. And as I blogged about recently (here? somewhere else? who knows? LOL), I have missed out on things when I've decided ahead of time what something is going to be like.
However, I don't want to be upset, or frustrated, so if I know something is likely to do that to me (miserable situations for characters, or incomprehensible worlds), I'll run back to my tried-and-true reading places.
Hel, that's what we love you for! Our pirate puritan!
I try to keep my names close to familiar names and when tossing in too many? Don't. Just cut the characters.
Bo'sun, it's almost like a contemporary. In this world I've created, the human worlds are very much like our earth at different times in history. Very little takes place in an intergalactic setting! ;-)
What would be the female equivalent of a stud? I mean, with a positive, envy-able connotation?
Pretty sure there's not one, Chance. If we still had our matriarchal society, et al, without the thousands of years of women's subjugation and whatnot--and all those nasty name-calling to keep us in our place--you might have come up with a "stud" equivalent.
Fortunately since this is an alien society on a planet that was indoctrinated with the same kind of, well, doctrine we've been brought up with for the last several thousand years (and only about 50 years of NOT thinking that way)--you can just make up a word and explain it that it's the female equivalent of stud on this planet.
But this blog is circling that same quandary you are frequently stymied by: How do you lead the horse to water AND make it drink? You can't. You have no control over the horse. But I guess you have control over the water--so make sure it's drinkable.
I'm still laughing at the character driven historicals with the characters who can't drive. I've read two this month that fit that criteria, I'm afraid. I spend a lot of my time going, "WHY am I still reading this? Oh, yes, because I PURCHASED it." It will not be happening again with this author.
Donna - Yeah, that was a good blog. It's hard and I encourage all the newbies I know to open up to books other than vampires, for example! I have read historicals after years of never reading them after the crew recommended them to me! And I'm glad I did!
Hel - True, and I love you used a Western reference to make your point! BTW, I saw "The Warrior's Way" yesterday and talka bout a western twisted and toyed with! LOL! It's a Western/KungFu/Steampunk/Fable. And Geoffrey Rush was tasty in it!
And you're so right. I have created a world where the matriarchal/patriarchal struggles are so far in the past they aren't even remembered. Save on a few primative worlds...like the one Jahari is born on. Which is one of the reasons she gets off of it fast and never looks back!
See, the buzzwords of "kungfu" and "steampunk" and "fable" would pretty much send me running. I wouldn't watch it. It'd be questionable if I even watched the "western" but because you said "Geoffrey Rush" I know it must be good and I'd watch it.
It's that author thing again. With the right author, you'll go just about anywhere.
Characters who can't drive - that's hilarious!
Hel - It's like if Clint Eastwood had done a spaghetti western with kungfu elements and a bare sprinkling of steampunk. And Geoffrey steals every scene he's in!
I don't normally go for adult versions of fairy stories, but when Eloisa James writes a Cinderella story,then I get interested.
I think I get hooked on authors more than genres. Once I have read something that impresses me, then the author becomes kosher and I will try almost anything that they write. Jayne Anne Krentz is a good example. I started with her historical romances but then moved on to her SciFi/Fantasy and her contemps. I like the way she writes so the particular topic becomes less important .... I know it will be a good yarn.
With that in mind, I would say that the debut novel is vitally important. It labels you for readers and you can lose an audience or attract an audience, especially with word of mouth recommendation or damnation traveling at the speed of light across the Internet.
Have to say I didn't feel drawn to the blurb. Like others the word 'slut' jarred my sensibilities. I get the impression of an erotic novel. I did start a couple of those once where the plot was just an excuse for more and more sex. I dumped them, blacklisting the authors in the process. But having read Miranda, Chance is now on my gold list of kosher authors, so I would give it a try. :D
Ah, Q - Very true! As with teachers, once I 'buy' one I would go to every class they taught, whether it was part of my goal certification or not! I do tend to do that with authors.
I think for the target audience, I can get away with slut...but I may opt for a slight change in my name... I'll figure it out.
See, in later books Miranda deals with the whole slut concept! She laughs about it and harrasses Jack, calling him a slut!
Oooo! My CAPTCHA Code is FYRE! I'm hot today!
And I'm off to see to the dog and find a home in my local Starbucks, before it starts raining again! I hope to take this up when I get back...
I thought the controversy was the word alien, and nope...it's the word slut. This is fascinating!
Q, I'm glad to hear you get hooked on the author, and not the genre. I have a historical and a contemp with editors right now, and I'm not sure which one will be the first. I kind of worried about that, since it does set the expectations. But I'm hoping my voice will be what makes people want to read a variety of things. Because I definitely have a lot of ideas and stories for both subgenres. Heck, I might even try some other ones too.
So I hope there are plenty of readers with your philosophy. :)
Donna - Do you plan on having two names when (notice I said WHEN) the books sell?
Terri, I talked to Christine about it, and she didn't think I would need to, since they are both romance. But I'm definitely flexible on that if thinsg change.
And thank you for the "when". :) I needed that. (I got the first editor rejection last night on the historical, and I'm wondering if there will be more since editors are cleaning off their desks today before going on holiday til January. LOL)
Just keep writing and don't even think about it. When it happens, THEN we'll think about it. LOL!
And celebrate and drink and party and drink some more!!!
I'm with Terri, don't obsess over it. Was it a helpful rejection at all?
Oh, I'm definitely not obsessed about it. In fact, I forgot about it until I was typing my comment to Q. LOL
It didn't have a lot of info in it -- it said something about great chemistry between the characters but the story didn't hold up enough for them to want to add it to their list.
Well, great chemistry is a good thing to hold onto!
So, back to the slut discourse...what if this story of mine has this on the first page...
"Slut: (noun) In the common vernacular a word denoting a man or woman of great sexual prowess, strength and knowledge. A high slut is one considered extremely valuable and treasured. Once a word with a far different meaning among the human population, used to denigrate and strip a woman with a strong sexual appetite. Still in use on the more primitive patriarchal worlds under Etwan influence, a condition the Etwan strive to eliminate."
Nope, I still wouldn't like it. I'm pretty stubborn on this one. Like nails on a chalkboard to others.
But that's just me!
I like the definition. It's sorta like an author's note...which I prefer.
I know there was a kerfuffle about a book this week where the reviewer was all "That could NEVER have happened and it pulled me out of the story!" but otherwise gave the characters/story a good rating. However, the circumstance WAS something that could have happened and historically there is documentation where it did happen--and the author was like, "Um, yes, it was and did." And all I could think as soon as I saw the review was, "This could have been avoided with a well-penned Author's Note."
What was hysterically ironic was that the circumstance that the reviewer didn't believe could happen was a hell of a lot more believable than the number of scenes I've read lately with young Regency misses undressing themselves, running around a building naked, and out gallivanting with a man alone, under the pretense of working for the government. Yeah, THAT was all believable.
Bo'sun...sorry, I tried!
Hel - I know what you mean. I'm pretty capable of reserving disbelief for just about everything... but I do find it funny that the author used a historical fact and then got nailed by a reviewer for making something up that was too far...
Like yesterdays movie, sure, Ninja Assassins in the wild west, flying out of the air...I can go there because I totally turn off the skeptic in me and just enjoy... I usually turn off my skeptic for just about everything.
But something that purports to be historically accurate? Eh. Make it work! And a well placed author's note would have made it work!
I'll play with my dictionary definition, make it look like an authentic entry, along with a year that shows this is far, far in the future...
Chance, dear, I think you're going to have to give it up. This is SOOOOO Abraham Lincoln. You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
Just replace "fool" with "please" and you've got the reading population. This is probably not going to be the book that falls into the category of "all the people some of the time"--this a some-all moment.
Slut is just one of those trigger words, no matter how badly you ever want to take it back. It's too abused in our vernacular now. What about a word that has some emotional (or time) distance within our vocabulary?
I mean there are LOTS of words for promiscuous women...does it have to be the word "slut"?
Hmm...interesting post. I don't have an issue with the word slut, but it didn't come across to me that she chose and enjoyed doing this. It did read like she was forced.
The only way I would ever pick up a book that featured a baby or kid on the cover was if it was supposedly the best book of the year. Any mention of kids or pregnancy on the back cover is an immediate put it back on the shelf.
I'm also not really a fan of westerns. There have been a few really well done expections, but for the most part I don't even look at those.
Hel - I'm open to suggestions. Though I still favor the word slut! ;-)
Scape! Welcome home! I obviously need to work on that blurb! Something I actually do enjoy toying with!
I do tend to be a bit baby shy myself... I do get a kick out of the number of books I've read where the pregnancy is the happy ending. But I know that is what a vast majority of readers want to read... So, I don't let it turn me off.
I'm not gonna pick a book up that obsesses on the word baby, but if it happens, I'm not going to toss it away unfinished.
I don't mind the baby as the happy ending at all, just not a fan of it as a plot point. :)
(In addition to being a woman of easy virtue, Slut means a dirty, slovenly woman--no wonder Bo'sun hates, she vacuums at least twice a week.)
What about "Jade" or "Scarlet" or "Concubine"--also terms similar to slut, but might sound a little less harsh. Or if you do the Jade and Scarlet--you can start out as a Scarlet and work up until you're a Jade. Only the best of the best are Jades. *shrugs*
If slut is the word you need, it's your story. I keep getting suggestions to turn Lucifer into a "lesser" fallen angel because you can't redeem Lucifer, but for me, that's the point. Maybe that's the point with you. *shrugs*
I can cross Scape off my list of potential readers. LOL!
I'm reading the fourth book in a series and in book 3, the hero was a single dad who fell in love with a single mom. I loved those characters. Now in the 4th one, all the old characters keep meeting up after work at a local bar and I started to wonder why the couple from book 3 is never there.
Then it hit me, as it should have earlier, that of course they can't be hanging at the bar, they have two kids under 4! Then I realized that was a pretty nice touch for the author to realize those two couldn't be lingering in a bar every day.
I do hate when parents of young kids manage to be all over town with little explanation as to where the kids are. I try hard to explain any time that my heroine's son is not around.
Incidentally when I googled at dictionary.com, THIS was my favorite of the batch--because pay attention:
Main Entry: minx
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: vamp
Synonyms: coquette, flirt, hussy, jade, slut , woman
WOMAN is a synonym for HUSSY, JADE, and SLUT. Really, guys?
Scape, I just find the baby as HEA too...I don't know...pat!?
If the book had an orient cast to it, I could see that... I'm gonna let this stew and talk to my agent about it...
Scarlet could work...as a noun...it's a possibility... I do want a word that will work for both men and women.
WOMAN is a synonym for HUSSY, JADE, and SLUT. Really, guys?
And "man" is a synonym for "idiot". It all works out.
LOL!
Are these the Meg Benjamin books you keep begging everyone to read?
Yes, ma'am. The Meg Benjamin books. I feel like I've moved to Konigsburg, TX at this point. LOL! Except for the weather, clearly.
I don't know what would work for men. Even when we call men sluts or whores, we qualify it by saying they're a man slut or a man whore--because the original terms are derogatory terms for women only. *tsk, tsk* It's a shame men are allowed to write crap down first. Though women are also some of the first people to point their finger and assign a name... *LOL* Remember the beginning of Practical Magic? *LOL*
Maybe the men can have their own terms--like Midnight. The women are Scarlets, the men are Midnights.
Yeah, I love how dictionaries muck things up!
Bo'sun, good point. Though it would be nice if some comment were made so you weren't wondering where this couple had disappeared to and whether the rest remembered them. Otherwise you get the 'kid went to the basement and disappeared from the soap opear' thing.
Hel - I may be on a crusade. To retrieve what is strong sounding word. I tend to like strong consonant words. hence my fondness for the 'c' words. Slut is quick, sharp and sounds strong. To me!
And “man” is a synonym for “idiot”. It all works out.
Or crapweasel.
Chance - The four heroes in these books are all brothers, so the characters are mentioned, just not seen as often as the others.
I am such a crusader... I can totally see you refusing to compromise on Lucifer. You want the ultimate bad boy... I adore you for it.
man is a synonym for idiot...
Hee, hee.
I love words! And yup, we need a woman's dictionary. And not one of those silly ones like a woman's book of porn showing a man doing the dishes, but a real strong book of women's definitions for what women do and love and know.
Ah, no disappearing in the basement... ;-)
Chance, maybe you should call her a "sex priestess". It sounds like a high-falutin' job. LOL
I know you're crusading to change the meaning of the word, but when it comes down to it, if the publisher doesn't like it, what are ya gonna do? :) I'd lean towards what your agent thinks will work here.
Yeah, Donnaroo, I'm pretty much heading that way. See what Sari or the pub thinks. But I find the discussion fascinating anyway. I'm just wired that way!
As for priestess...nah. Don't want to get into the concepts of religion atall, atall! That would open a 'hole nother can a' worms!
I'm off for some errands. I'm sure most of you east coasters are off and heading home. Safe trips!
Donna: So I hope there are plenty of readers with your philosophy
I'm sure there are! One obvious trick is to wear multiple hats. Krenz wrote her historicals as Amanda Quick and Her fantasy Harmony world series as Jayne Castle. She also writes as Krenz,Jayne Taylor and Stephanie James. She probably started with a pseudonym for each genre but now the hats seem to flip around ... very confusing but a Ladies prerogative! *grin*
Be sure to flag here when your books can be read ..... I definitely want to try one. *smile*
It may be coincidence, but Chance sold her first book shortly after letting me read one of her books. Scientists have influence ya know! *wink*
Bosun: WOMAN is a synonym for HUSSY, JADE, and SLUT. Really, guys?
And “man” is a synonym for “idiot”. It all works out.
Back in the Garden of Eden, I seem to recall that it was the woman who ate forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil .... so what does that tell us? *grin*
Q - You don't want to open that pandora's box of evil and danger. I know you don't.
And the idiot thing was an inside joke with Hellie. She proclaims all men are idiots and you'll be happy to know I've tried to convince they aren't. It's a tough battle and I don't think I'm winning. LOL!
Q, my good man, they both ate the forbidden fruit. What this says is that the woman decided she'd rather die than have to put up with the man for all eternity and the man was too lazy to fix his own meal. *grins*
You don’t want to open that pandora’s box of evil and danger.
This might be my favorite line all day. *LOL*
I'm not the only person who says all men are idiots.
George Carlin, who was a MAN incidentally, said: Here's all you need to know about men and women: women are crazy and men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid.
And I'm willing to admit I'm crazy and 9 times out of 10 is because some man is being stupid.
I tried to warn him. LOL!
Men can't be warned. They *LIKE* danger. Every last one of them I know GRINS in the face of danger. They'll prance into the lion's den every single time.
O.K. I know when to throw in the towel! LOL
Good man!
I'm heading home then it's to the mall we go. Pray for me.
Q, I'm almost afraid to distract you while we've got a pirate swordfight going on. LOL But I wanted to say thanks for the info on the Jayne Ann Krentz--I knew she was also Amanda Quick, but I had no idea of the others. One reason I didn't want to have multiple names, though, is because it's tough enough building ONE brand. LOL I didn't want to have to do several!
And I might have to take you up on the offer to read, if you're the ship's good luck charm! (Am I the only one who didn't know this?!)
Okay, here's your sword--back into the fray!
Good luck, Terri. I admire you for hitting the mall tonight, altho it's gotta be better than tomorrow. The last weekend before Christmas and all.
So if I ate some chocolate that I didn't really LIKE that much -- the calories don't count, right?
Yeah, that's what I thought too. :)
Q is definitely the ship's good luck charm. *LOL* He can be tempted with scotch, I think. And fluttering eyelashes.
Great blog. And an interesting discussion, Chance.
Image I despise? An emaciated cover model. Since when has starvation been sexy? Please. Especially urks me when the character is described by the writer as being more on the curvaceous side. On the other hand I hate a curvaceous cover model when the character is not supposed to be curvaceous. Really. Annoying.
Word I hate? Tit.
Sounds like a tatter tot.
Honestly, if someone uses the word tit around me I have a hard time not smacking them. Of course people who use that word probably enjoy getting smacked so ... WTHeck, never mind. I have nothing to say …
Except
Chance, maybe you should call her a “sex priestess”. It sounds like a high-falutin’ job.
Maybe you could …
Mix it up a bit ... call her a Sextess (sex priestess).
Just remember, what ever word you use has to sound sexy. Especially when you say it out loud. I mean honestly, a Slut doesn’t really sound pleasant. It Sounds like a slug.
So forget the old stuff. Come up with something new & fresh. Like your stories.
Take some cool sounding words that evolc great imagery. Something like …
Predator & Mistress, as in yes mistress. Mix it up & you get a Predatress! Sounds dangerous but enticing. LOL
I’ve decided to be … Selicious! (Sexy& delicious)
Okay. I tired but I just realized that I can't think/talk about sex rationally with a bad head cold. Maybe its because I sound like a chain-smoking female impersonator?
Which is Not even remotely sexy.
Evolc, evolc? Typing & coughing do not work.
Evoke
Donna - I think it was Jayne Ann Krentz that we heard talk at the RWA and she talked about how everytime she had a lull with one name/genre she'd start over again with another. Until before she knew it, she was her own gang!
Q - Yes, you are lucky. Everyone should send a novel to Q for a read!
You don’t want to open that pandora’s box of evil and danger.
That should really be on a button!
Julie - I don't know what to tell you. I like hard consonants and that hard t at the end of slut just sounds good. I'm thinking slinky, and slippery and then the punch of that 'T'...
I doubt anyone is going to change my mind unless the agent/editor says 'no.' I just like the word too much! LOL! And I can be stubborn...
Hey like the song says. "If it makes you happy It can't be that bad..."
And
You're not so much stubborn Chance, as you are Passionate about your work. Gotta love that!
So heres a toast to hard co-co-consonants!
Oooooh, baby! You know what I like! ;-)
*wicked laugh*
Zombies and horror definitely scare me off, no matter how talented the authors are.
Fire and Cross
Enid, we all have genres we simply don't read, so that is totally understood!
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