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BOOKS
& PROJECTS > ESSAYS
The following essays written by A.C.Crispin may be of
use to aspiring writers. Each is provided in PDF format
and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
• The
Key to Making your Characters Believable
Imagine you're walking down the street one lovely spring
day, and come face to face with the protagonist of your
current writing project. Your character sees you and knows
immediately that you are the person who created him/her
and who is responsible for his/her current situation (i.e.,
in the middle of the story). Both of you stop dead and
regard each other searchingly. If you're doing your job
as a storyteller properly, what happens next?
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• Excuse
Me, How Much Did it Cost You?
An anti-scam handout, which is available free, courtesy
of Ms. Crispin and SFWA.
Some time ago I did a book signing in a mall, and the
strangest thing happened. I was sitting there with books
heaped around me, and a man approached me and stood there
looking diffident. I smiled at him and said, "Hi." This
person was in his early 40's, perhaps, well-dressed, well-spoken,
with his young son in tow. The kid grabbed a copy of Rebel
Dawn, my newest Star Wars novel, and said, "Look Dad,
Star Wars! Can I have it?" After the book was signed to
the boy, the man cleared his throat. "I'm really interested
in writing, too." After hundreds of book signings over
the past 14 years, this is hardly a new comment. I smiled
and nodded. "I … well, I have a couple of publishers who
are very interested in publishing my book," the man continued.
"So, I, uh … well, I wondered. Would you mind if I ask
you how much it cost you to have these books published?"
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