Present Tense
I thought I’d give folks a break from all horses, all the time. I started the new Edge book, and after writing in first person for Wild Cards it felt very awkward to try and return to traditional third person. I thought about doing first person, but I have to point of view characters, and I haven’t much liked the books I’ve read where they tried to switch between characters in first person.
Then I remembered the story Michael Cassutt had written for Wild Cards where it’s third person, but in present tense. I started the prologue that way, and so far I’m liking the result. We’ll see if it lasts. If not…. well, that’s what rewrites are for.
Melinda
May 14th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I don’t think anyone minds about the horses (at least I don’t).
So I finally picked up a copy of Wild Cards and I’m hooked. At least with me, your site has generated what I’m sure will end up being at least $5.00 in royalties by the end of the year! I wish I could get those kind of odds…
May 15th, 2007 at 5:04 am
Second person is fine, too, if we get more Wild Cards.
Please keep it up!
May 15th, 2007 at 7:33 am
Aaron, I’m so glad you are enjoying Wild Cards. We did get rather bleak toward the end of the series, and we’re trying to address that this time around. American Hero in the new book is a ton of fun, but we do have that little genocide going on. (Nervous laugh. I have no idea the glyph for that.) Remember George is the senior editor and if any of you have read A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE you know he’s not exactly a picnics and puppies kind of guy. Actually George would have carnivorous ants invade the picnic, and torture and kill the puppy.
Of the old books my favorite was Book Six ACE IN THE HOLE. I just reread BLACK TRUMP, the final volume of the old series, and there is some powerful writing in there.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Death Draws Five wasn’t too bleak though, as far as that goes?
May 15th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Yes, John’s novel had fun moments, and of course a really nice sacrifice at the end. I was thinking about the Card Shark triad becauuse when you’re talking about killing every one of the Wild Cards and nukes in Jerusalem — well, that pretty bleak.
I was startled to see HEROES going there when Hero has gone to the dark future, but I guess it’s a logical extrapolation.
May 15th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Yeah, those Sharks weren’t nice at all, that is for sure.
Postapocalyptic might be trendy again. Days of Future Hiro at all that.
May 15th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Whoops, sorry about the Hiro typo, but it rather works since he really is the “hero” of HEROES.
May 15th, 2007 at 11:46 am
’twasn’t so much any particular Bad Thing happening that made the old WILD CARDS hard to take, as the feeling of hoplessness.
That makes most readers say “Why bother?” and stop.