Putting It Together; Turning Sow's Ear Drafts into Silk Purse Stories Part 20

Can you rely on context? Granted, I certainly did not know all the Yiddish words presented, but I feel confident in the definition of "pupiks" taken from context.

Answer: If the only funny thing in the story is the corruption of Yiddish, then yes, you limit your audience and the story falls flat anywhere except Manhattan and Israel. That's why there are the non-Yiddish jokes (and there are a lot for such a brief story), such as the color of Silver, or the meaning of "Ugh", or the problems at Echo Canyon, or etc.

The more levels you can be funny on, the greater your chance for success. In my threeLucifer Jones books, for example, the plots are parodies-but the language is funny on its own, for those (and there must be a lot of them under the age of 30) who have no idea what is being parodied.From: Robyn Herrington.

So me and the Masked Man, we decide to hook up and bring evildoers to justice, which is a pretty full-time occupation considering just how many of thesemomzersthere are wandering Question: Do editors ever suggest that you don't use a non-English word so soon in the text, or is it not really a problem because, even if you don't know whatmomzers are, in the context you can figure it out?

Can you think of an example where non-english words were used and the story suffered for it?

Answer: Since science fiction uses so many made-up words, no editor is inclined to ask that you don't use non-English words early on-and I thinkmomzers (b.a.s.t.a.r.ds) is pretty clear from the context.

I can think of any number of science fiction stories that have been hurt, not by introducing French or Arabic or Yiddish words, but by introducing too d.a.m.ned many made-up alien words.

And the Kemosabee, who is frankly a lot quicker with his guns than his brain, just kind of frowns and looks hazy and finally nods his head, though I'm sure he doesn't know what he's nodding about.

Question: Has anyone ever taken offense that you're messing with a Cultural Icon? How do you handle people who accuse you of showing an American Hero in a less that bright light? (More generally, what advice would you give on how to handle critics in general?) Answer: To the best of my knowledge, no one has taken offense. I asked one of SFWA's (the Science Fiction Writers of America) two Indians, Owl Goingback, if the story offended him in any way, and he told me he laughed his head off. And our other Indian, Will Sanders, became my friend because he stumbled over the story in an anthology in which he also appeared and called to tell me how much he liked it. So as long as the Indians aren't mad, I can live with any enraged Kemosabees.

As for critics, my first inclination is to ignore them-not because their advice is invalid (though it frequently is), but primarily because of lag times. I'm usually four novels and twelve short stories ahead of where they're criticizing, and since what they're discussing is ancient history to me and my career, it's usually pretty meaningless.

There are a few critics you can learn from, but not many. If you're a writer, most of them would trade places with you in two seconds if they had the talent and the discipline; it helps to remember that when they're ripping your masterpiece to shreds.

...compunctions, they leave him lying there for dead with a couple of newpupiksin his belly.

Question: What's apupik ? I'm guessin' a hole, but I've never heard this Yiddish word before.

Answer: It's a navel-a belly-b.u.t.ton.

So I go over to my bedroll, and pull out a bottle of Mogen David, and pour a little on my hunting knife, and try to remember the exact words the medicine man recites during thebris,and I know that someday, when he calms down, he'll thank me for this.

In the meantime, I'm gonna have to find a new nickname for my pardner.

Question: This ending reads like it could be the only one possible for this story. Have you ever finished a story, looked at the ending and decided it didn't work? If so, did you then go for an ending that put a different spin on the story, or the same spin, but written in a different way?

Answer: I always know when I sit down to write a story what the ending will be. On those occasions it doesn't work, it's usually because I built up to it incorrectly, which means I have to go back and try again (as I did in the first two drafts of "The Land of Nod"). Once in a long while I lead up to it properly but write it badly, which is a much easier fix.

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