blackbird Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 If you began a story with the main character finding out she was pregnant, how would you deal with the following nine months?
Site Administrator Graeme Posted January 21, 2007 Site Administrator Posted January 21, 2007 Firstly, there is no problem with posting lots of questions. One good way to learn is to ask questions I would jump through the time as required. One 'trick' you could use to indicate the passage of time would be to start each section with an appropriate doctors visit. * * * "Well, Julie, I can say the baby seems perfectly normal for twelve weeks. Now is about the time we could order an ultrasound if you like, but at your age I don't see that it is necessary. I'd recommend an amnio, though." * * * "I'm a bit concerned. Shouldn't he be kicking by now? It's been six months." "He's on the small side for six months, so I suspect he's probably kicking but you're not feeling it because he's still got lots of leg room. It's only when he's getting cramped that you start to feel his movements." * * * ... etc. There is no need to detail every day or even every week in the life of a character. It is perfectly acceptable to skip ahead in time as long as the reader has some indication that that has occured. Just my opinion....
blackbird Posted January 21, 2007 Author Posted January 21, 2007 Yay, no one's ready to kick me off because of the questions yet! I had thought about that, but I was planning on not going with the typical pregnancy/birth thing. Primarily because I don't believe that medical interference in the process is necessary and Main Character (nameless for the moment) is alot like me. I guess I could go with some other time-related indicator though. Just don't quite know what. Maybe I could have Main Character write a monthly letter to the baby and use that somehow?
Site Administrator Graeme Posted January 21, 2007 Site Administrator Posted January 21, 2007 I was just offering an obvious way to tell the reader that time had passed. Any method can be used, so if you have another way you would prefer to use, then go for it!
blackbird Posted January 21, 2007 Author Posted January 21, 2007 Graeme: I hope I come up with one as good as yours. Kitty: This is one of those "everything about it is important" sort of things. The pregnancy itself is a big deal, because it outs a certain character to basically everyone and the kid's life is important cuz it's...well, unusual. There's alot of stuff that I'm planning to have happen during those nine months, but I don't know what to do with all the extra time.
JamesSavik Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 A lot depends on genre. Some authors simply start a new section and start a new heading: Nine months later... Clancy, the guy that writes big time techno-thrillers like Hunt for Red October and Clear & Present Danger, likes to do something like this when he changes or transitions between scenes: Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast Soviet Central Asia 21 October 1984 1402 zulu It took Col. Kasperov's recovery team six hours of hard riding in difficult terrain to reach the wreakage of the prototype MIG. It only took Kasperov 20 seconds to see that the flight data recorder, experimental radar jammer pod and avionics computer were missing... In situations like Clancy's where scenes can take place anywhere from Langly, Virginia to Kiev in the Ukraine, the author clearly has to give the reader some help in following what is going on. Without the time & place, how would you know that Col. Kasperov was trekking around in the back country of Uzbeckistan?
old bob Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) Hey blackbird They are a lot a questions behind yours ! as other authors say (better as I do) all depends what you want to bring in your story. The time flows differently in real or in imagination. Check "dreams of humanity", one of the last stories of dkstories (Dkstories). His story spread on several months, and you only know the time scale through different chapters because a few words in the conversation between characters (a way to resume months in one or two paragraphs). Another trick is to write in the first person, as memories written long time ago after the things happened. Edited January 21, 2007 by old bob
blackbird Posted January 22, 2007 Author Posted January 22, 2007 Thanks for the ideas. Old bob, I'm reading Dreams of Humanity right now, thanks for pointing me to it, it's excellent.
Site Administrator Graeme Posted January 22, 2007 Site Administrator Posted January 22, 2007 If you're looking for suggestions about what pregnant women do during the months leading up to birth, there are women members at GA who've had children and could give you ideas, but you'll need to be clear that's what you're asking for. There are also some male members who have children, though obviously not quite as well qualified as the female members....
old bob Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 There are also some male members who have children, though obviously not quite as well qualified as the female members.... and others with grandchildren and great-grandchildren as I do!
blackbird Posted January 22, 2007 Author Posted January 22, 2007 All writers are well qualified unless their answer is "so...it's a week? what are you so worried about? it's not like she'll be pregnant for months or something" XDD.
Bill W Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 Blackbird, having lived through such times with a pregnant wife, there are many things you could explore through this period. First of all, there's the obvious physical side. At first, there's the question of "Am I really pregnant or is my period just late' and then the bouts with morning sickness - which not every woman endures. The middle of the pregnancy is usual filled with awe - such as seeing the sonagram, hearing the baby's heartbeat, guessing it's gender and choosing names, and then the final stage is usually represented by the large abdomen, feeling the baby move and kick in the womb and the sense that it's almost over. The think is, don't forget the emotional side of the pregnancy as well. Was this wanted or unwanted - planned or unplanned - so how does the mother - and even the father - feel and cope with learning the news. As the pregnancy goes along, the worries about looking fat and not being attractive any longer often came up, as well as trying to find clothes that were complimentary. There were concerns that the fetus was developing properly, worries about being exposed to certain diseases (such as Rhubella or German Measles) and concern whether the child will be healthy, have everything it should have and basically be what the parents want it to be. After birth, there's topics such as post partum depression you could deal with, as well as the demands of taking care of an infant, the crying, changing diapers that make you gag and possibly puke, the midnight feedings and interrupted sleep, as well as the periods the child goes through when it might be cranky, such as when it's cutting its teeth, has gas, etc. There's a whole world to explore with such a topic, if that's what you wish to do, and each chapter could cover a period of that time, without having to cover it all and using the chapters to give a logical break between the various stages. I hope that helps, at least a little.
Site Administrator Graeme Posted January 22, 2007 Site Administrator Posted January 22, 2007 All writers are well qualified unless their answer is "so...it's a week? what are you so worried about? it's not like she'll be pregnant for months or something" XDD. Brilliant! Just in case I may have offended some people, I will concede that the mothers are better qualified than most to comment, but the fathers and grandfathers have their own unique perspectives. Best of luck, Blackbird! It sounds like a very interesting story
blackbird Posted January 23, 2007 Author Posted January 23, 2007 bwstories8: Thanks! The worrying about being fat thing made me remember something else I wanna put in the story. Graeme: YAY! The smileys and luck I've always wanted! *puts them beside my shiny new intarweb and pile of e-cookies* Thanksies.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now