Sep 2·edited Sep 2Liked by Frank Theodat, Zack Grafman
Sometimes my dad would put on his hat and overcoat, bring the collar up over his face and say"Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men?", in a scary voice. That was our cue to run. Then he would play chase with us. I wonder if he read the books or listened to the radio show.
"This is by no means as obvious as it sounds. It does not mean to construct a character, equip him with a lot of things that will please you, and may catch the reader….If the character is to be the personalization of the plot, he must develop with it.
You must treat the character as a discovery, rather than your own creation. Treat him, not just seriously, but profoundly. Picture him as real, and beyond you, in mind as well as prowess….This mental attitude gives you a deeper knowledge of the character than the story itself discloses.”
Basically, my lead character is in the game of his own amusement, and therefore (parenthetically) the reader’s entertainment.”
Perfect titming, Frank and P3. Watch for tomorrow's TNDJ edition and you'll see what I mean. (grin)
Nice! I'll be on the lookout.
I liked this one a lot. Pulp writers are not readily available in Romania, and I quite like pulp, so getting to read about them from you is valuable.
Thanks for always supporting us, Andrei! Glad your enjoying these articles.
Nicely done! A wonderful, encouraging, and instructive read.
Thanks for stopping by, John.
Sometimes my dad would put on his hat and overcoat, bring the collar up over his face and say"Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men?", in a scary voice. That was our cue to run. Then he would play chase with us. I wonder if he read the books or listened to the radio show.
“Many writers who think they’ve approached their output limit, are only kidding themselves.” Oof lol
What great piece. I can't imagine being able to pound out that many words (even now) back in the day of manual typewriters. Amazing.
An absolute pulp icon. I love the blue collar discipline of showing up for those massive daily word counts.
"This is by no means as obvious as it sounds. It does not mean to construct a character, equip him with a lot of things that will please you, and may catch the reader….If the character is to be the personalization of the plot, he must develop with it.
You must treat the character as a discovery, rather than your own creation. Treat him, not just seriously, but profoundly. Picture him as real, and beyond you, in mind as well as prowess….This mental attitude gives you a deeper knowledge of the character than the story itself discloses.”
Basically, my lead character is in the game of his own amusement, and therefore (parenthetically) the reader’s entertainment.”
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What does this mean? How do you do this?