Quick Fire Questions (A Place to Ask and Answer)

[Interference]

She rounded off the day with a round of golf around the living room.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Around about now her brain gave up the will to live, and she decided it was time to get a round in, instead.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Around about the time she was on her sixth round, she began to fool around with a man in a manner that left her turning rather round for around nine months.

 

[Esfires]

Around about the time she was on her sixth round, she began to fool around with a man in a manner that left her turning rather round for around nine months.

/rimshot

 

[Warren_Paul]

Around about the time she was on her sixth round, she began to fool around with a man in a manner that left her turning rather round for around nine months.

That was brilliant, David.

 

[Pyan]

Ahem - this is General Writing Discussion - Quick Fire Questions (A Place to Ask and Answer). Can we try to keep it a little closer to the thread subject, please?..

 

[Mouse]

*ahem*

How far would it take to drive from St John's Wood to Camden Town in London? The AA's website says six minutes. Does that seem right? (Is it walkable?)

 

[The Judge]

I think its only between about one and two miles, depending which bit of SJW and Camden, so walkable, yes. As for traffic, won't it depend on time of day and stuff like that? It can take six minutes to get to the end of the road near Lords if there's a test match on...

 

[Mouse]

Ah. Midnight. Would that be quieter? I'm thinking he should've just walked now actually. Though I haven't specified SJW as the starting point, I've just specified Arlington Road, Camden, as the destination.

I'm thinking I'll be able to get SJW in there later though. Somehow.

(After me creating my fictional town of Wedbury so I wouldn't have to worry about these things, the characters went and buggered off back to London.)

edit: I also meant 'how long' in my original question. I'm a numpty.

 

[The Judge]

I imagine it'd be quieter, yes. Never been there at midnight myself, though. SJW is a nice area, but I don't think Camden is quite as pleasant, so whether someone who knows the area would walk it at night might be a different question. You'll have to wait for a local to come along!

 

[Mouse]

Thanks TJ.

I've been so busy staring at maps and houses in London today that I've not managed to do much writing at all!

I got that SJW is an area where some celebs live (and the houses are megabucks!) and it looked like how I was picturing where Ambrose would live. And then I wanted somewhere fairly expensive, but not quite as good, for an ex band member of his who's not doing quite so well for himself but still has a bit of cash. So went for Camden (houses megabucks again!).

Hmm. Maybe I'll stick to driving then.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Try Google Street View for an idea of the area, Mouse. It won't substitute for local knowledge, but it might help.

 

[suralxiong]

So I was writing about trash collection in the future. But I'm on the fence as to if the trash container should be bigger or smaller. Like how small could it be to stuff conventinal trash in. Maybe it could be compacted first and then stuffed in a purse size supper compactor.

 

[Warren_Paul]

If you were describing the actions of the PoV character's mother, it would be quite impersonal to refer to the mother by name, unless the PoV character is known to do so in dialogue, correct?

Just making sure, because I'm a bit tired of using "her mother" all the time - it sounds clunky - yet don't really have the option to say "she" or "her" because many of the scenes in question involve several different women and the reader would get confused.

Although it's also getting to the point that the reader might think: Which character's mother? Especially in scenes where four women are involved, the PoV, the PoV's mother, another girl, and that girl's mother.

Referring to the mother by title also comes across wrong to me. Am I domed to just use "her mother" every time?

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Depends on the culture. Could she be referred to as "Mother Smith", to differentiate her from "Mother Jones"?

 

[Pyan]

Or if it's more colloquial, it could be "Ma Smith", or "Ma Jones"...

 

[Abernovo]

If the mother is a character in her own right, even if she remains off-stage the entire time*, then she could be referred to by her own name. DEO is right about the use of Mother as a title in some cultures, just as Grandmother is.

Alternatively, can there be a phone call, visitor, etc., asking for Mrs X? That would give a title and surname to refer to her by. An extra variation.

*(Godot never appears, but is still a character - oops! spoiler?)

 

[Warren_Paul]

EDIT: Nevermind, misread Aber's post.

As for titles, it would be Duchess, or Lady. But Kateryn wouldn't think of her mother as "The duchess" or "Lady Helena" or "milady"

 

[Abernovo]

I see your problem now. I may have misunderstood. That second example looks a little like head-hopping to me. I agree that could be problematic.

Is the entire story focussed on Kateryn? (I'm never good with the exact literary terms, but 3rd Person, close?)


EDIT:
Just had a thought: Could the queen calling Kateryn's mother 'Helena'remove the need for there to be a title (Helena/her mother/she answered)?

 

[Warren_Paul]

Sorry, Aber, edited post.

No, there are 8 PoV characters. At other places I use her mother's actual name.

It's just confusing for scenes where there are multiple mothers involved

I just can't have Kateryn referring to her mother as "Helena" or "The Duchess" or "my lady" "milady" (as the common folk would) because none of those would be something she'd use. Which leaves me with "Her mother" or "Mother"