Ever hide a gem in your writing?
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Ever hide a gem in your writing?
What I mean is, have you written or published a book (or a story, or whatever) in which there's one little sentence or paragraph that seems to flow perfectly well with the story, but in truth it's either a snub or a "hello" to someone you know/know of?
Kinda like an inside joke, or maybe a way to "get" someone you're mad at. Similar to playing the original Legend of Zelda and naming your character Link, which starts you on the second quest! A little surprise.
It could be good or bad. Ever done it?

- moderntimes
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There was one person whom I didn't care for much and so I had a fictitious doppelganger of her killed off in a particularly rude way.
So yeah, if you can call those "gems" I suppose I did.
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I might post some of mine at a later point!!
- moderntimes
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- Posts: 5980
- Joined: 27 Mar 2013, 20:01
- Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... =3452">The Thorn Birds</a>
- Currently Reading: The Last Stonestepper
- Bookshelf Size: 79
- Signature Addition: View official OnlineBookClub.org review of Forever Twelve

OK, here's mine: you know how my series is about middle-school advice columnists? Well, I sent a very sincere piece of fan email to my absolute favorite advice columnist when I was still putting together Forever Twelve. I told her how much her advice had affected me over the years, how it had helped me gain perspective on life, etc. I asked if I could send her a copy of my upcoming book (with no expectations of her endorsing it, reading it, etc., I made it clear that it was just a gift). I offered to mail it to the newspaper she works at.
I was crushed when she didn't write back. Crushed! I mean, she was always publicizing her email address and saying that she answered her emails, etc. I suspect it was personal. (I probably came on too strong, but still. I mean, have a heart.)
Suffice it to say, she is no longer my favorite advice columnist.
Anyways, I added this passage to my book after a month or so, when it became apparent that I would not be hearing from her. In this passage, our heroine is waxing philosophical about a troubled classmate:
Why do her mental issues have to become my problems? I’m not a psychiatrist. I’m just an advice columnist: a career that doesn’t even require a middle school diploma.
SCOOORE.

Do I have any belief that she'll ever read my book and feel miffed? Of course not. I'm so lame at revenge.

And Roz is like, "Yeah, that'll show 'em."