New Weekly Serial

What would you like to see? All feedback and suggestions appreciated!
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Rob Houghton
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

When it comes to borrowing certain plot points - like caravans being moved and entrances to tunnels etc under them - I think we all do that. I know I do. My story 'Five Go Off On A Narrowboat' was heavily based on 'Five Go Off In A Caravan' and stole plot points from that book and several others. The Mystery of the Disappearing Tramp borrowed heavily from 'The Mystery of the Missing Man' and also several other books. My next one borrows from a few books too! It helps to give the story a Blyton flavour. :-D
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I can't remember most of the stories from my books now, apart from the latest one that finished before Daisy's, but I don't think I borrowed any plots from Blyton Books. If any were similar to any Blyton book, it wasn't intentional to my knowledge.

8)
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

I think we just take different things as inspiration...its not about borrowing plots as such, although that's what I inferred in my last post. I think we just gather ideas and sometimes they are useful in order to give inspiration for our own plots. 8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Moonraker »

Rob Houghton wrote: Really enjoyed reading your review, Nigel - always good to see real feedback. I must admit I agree with you regards the question Jeff asked...and I was maybe too intrigued by the answer. 'It need not concern you...I owed this man a favour...'. I couldn't help wondering what this man had on Jeff's father...had Jeff's dad been carrying out a tempestuous love'affair with his secretary...had he been indulging in dubious 'parties' after hours at the office...what had Jeff's dad been up to? My mind was running on overdrive, lol!
Mine too, Rob - although I hadn't gone down the love affair route! I was wondering about something similar to Jock's father in Five Go Off to Camp. I thought Jeff's father had probably got into a scrape, and the unnamed friend was blackmailing him into renting out the caravan. Thinking more about it, why rent a caravan in the first place?! Maybe I'd better stop thinking too much!
When it comes to borrowing certain plot points - like caravans being moved and entrances to tunnels etc under them - I think we all do that. I know I do. My story 'Five Go Off On A Narrowboat' was heavily based on 'Five Go Off In A Caravan' and stole plot points from that book and several others. The Mystery of the Disappearing Tramp borrowed heavily from 'The Mystery of the Missing Man' and also several other books. My next one borrows from a few books too! It helps to give the story a Blyton flavour.
Hmm. Don't think I can agree with that.
When it comes to borrowing certain plot points
It's not a case of borrowing - it is stealing! And I am not referring to you here, Daisy! :D

Having said this, I can fully understand that it must be very difficult to come up with a plot that Enid hasn't already written. There must be a limit to flashing lights, secret passages and mysterious foreigners! I am sure that any story I came up with would contain many things written by Enid!
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Chrissie777 »

Moonraker wrote:...it must be very difficult to come up with a plot that Enid hasn't already written. There must be a limit to flashing lights, secret passages and mysterious foreigners! I am sure that any story I came up with would contain many things written by Enid!
I think a lot of what authors read and what they find impressive gets stuck in their "undermind"/subconscious (sp?) and influences future writing.
Douglas Kennedy definitely must have read "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (Highsmith), before he wrote "The Big Picture", he must have read Sloan Wilson's "Man in the gray Flannel Suit", before he wrote "The Pursuit of Happiness", but then who didn't read "Gray Flannel Suit"?
Stieg larsson even admits that his alter ego Mikael Blomkvist likes to read Val McDermid thrillers...his first book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is certainly influenced by McDermid's "A Place of Execution".
But nobody takes offense or takes them to court and their novels/thrillers are a great read.

Some American author sued Daphne DuMaurier for plagiarism (sp?) in the 1940's, because supposedly "Rebecca" was too similar to her own novel which she published years before "Rebecca".
I requested it via ILL and read it. IMHO it had not even the slightest similarity with "Rebecca", it was so boring that I never finished it.
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

Moonraker wrote:
When it comes to borrowing certain plot points
It's not a case of borrowing - it is stealing!
Yes - I consider myself a thief then! :lol: Although I would call it being influenced by other authors rather than stealing.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Moonraker wrote:I was rather puzzled - didn't Barbara notice that her mother was pregnant in the weeks before the birth? Maybe noticing pregnant women wasn't on the Secret Seven's detective notes!
Daisy wrote:I think children of the age of the Seven were not very observant about pregnancies - and women did wear very concealing garb in those days. I well remember the "maternity smocks" of the 1950s.
It's quite Blytonian for children not to notice these things - think of The Very Big Secret! Surely the parents (or household staff) would have to dust off the cot and the pram and wash a few baby clothes in the weeks before the birth though, so you'd think the existing child/children would notice something!
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Moonraker »

Rob Houghton wrote: Yes - I consider myself a thief then! :lol: Although I would call it being influenced by other authors rather than stealing.
That sounds better, Rob!

The prize for re-using the most plotlines must surely go to - drumroll.....................Enid Blyton.

I have just read The Famous Five Adventure and this totally consisted of plots taken from several of her FF books. I realise this wasn't theft (or influence) as she had written the original plots! I also realise that this was intentional - to bring the many and varied plots to the stage. I did enjoy the play though, and although I usually picture all the scenes in her book, this time I pictured a stage - with the actors playing the parts. Apart from a crashing error at the end (Quentin was in the boat coming to the island, then a few lines later was still in the waterlogged village where he and Fanny were trapped), in one of the two endings (only one was used in the final performance), I really enjoyed it and would love to see it on the stage.
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

Moonraker wrote: I did enjoy the play though, and although I usually picture all the scenes in her book, this time I pictured a stage - with the actors playing the parts. Apart from a crashing error at the end (Quentin was in the boat coming to the island, then a few lines later was still in the waterlogged village where he and Fanny were trapped), in one of the two endings (only one was used in the final performance), I really enjoyed it and would love to see it on the stage.
I agree, when I read the play I also pictured the set and the stage layout, rather than a real setting as I normally would when reading the books!

I liked the play and agree I wish I could see it acted out. They should have done it for the 75th anniversary! I can't remember many details...the water-logged village? I'd completely forgotten that! Are you sure you didn't fall asleep and wake up watching the news about Houston? ;-) I loved the fact there were two endings - a bit like 'The Mousetrap' lol! :lol:
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Daisy »

What a great start to the new serial... I'm intrigued already. This is one of the few times when I am not sorry that time seems to go much more quickly nowadays than it did when I eagerly awaited the next imstalment of a serial in Sunny Stories!
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

Great start, Rob. Really enjoyed Snubby's first appearance. Now my writing brain is in over-drive already - air base - passing of a cigarette on the station. Well done. :D

8)
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

Daisy wrote:What a great start to the new serial... I'm intrigued already. This is one of the few times when I am not sorry that time seems to go much more quickly nowadays than it did when I eagerly awaited the next imstalment of a serial in Sunny Stories!
Thank you Daisy! I can't imagine what it must have felt like having to wait a fortnight for each new chapter! Good to know you're intrigued! :-D
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

Julie2owlsdene wrote:Great start, Rob. Really enjoyed Snubby's first appearance. Now my writing brain is in over-drive already - air base - passing of a cigarette on the station. Well done. :D
Many thanks Julie. :-D

Glad I've got your writing brain in over-drive! The same happens when I read other people's stories. Hope you continue to be intrigued! 8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Rob Houghton
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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Rob Houghton »

The only problem with writing the serial is - I miss reading someone else's new chapter every week! :(
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: New Weekly Serial

Post by Dinah Cunningham »

Poor you... ;)

I also really enjoy the first chapter and I'm unhappy about having to wait a week... I know that it is better then two weeks and the good thing is, that every week there is a new chapter! When I was reading fanfiction, there may have been a new chapter a week, every two days or even every month, so one week is ok, as I know that there will be a new chapter.

I'm also intrigued at where it goes.
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