I finished writing a new novel earlier this month. After letting it sit a week or so, I started rereading it, revising, and sending preliminary drafts out for critique to my writing group.
Now, you must know that the idea for this novel came to me years ago - when I was only a junior in high school. However, all the pieces didn't click together until now, when the book came rushing out of my fingers and pounded in the keys of my laptop.
When I started writing just a few months ago, I began with a sentence (like all of us do). Let's call that Sentence A.
However, when I looked over my notes, I found another beginning sentence I'd written back in high school. This is Sentence B. Not only was it completely different, but it started me almost two chapters prior in the day than what I wrote in Sentence A.
So, naturally, I decided I'd play out what happened between Sentence B and Sentence A. Five thousand words of exposition later, I had a first and second chapter cluttering up the most important part of my novel - the beginning.
It's not like that information is bad, or not useful, or even boring. Things happen. Important characters are introduced. The world is set up.
But it isn't the RIGHT information. It's not the stuff that readers need to know about the protagonist and the inciting incident right from the very first page.
In fact, one of the women in my writing group said, "It's not like Sentence B didn't grab me. It did. It took me by the hand. But Sentence A grabs me by the throat and doesn't let me go."
The strange part about all of this is that I knew that Sentence A was better. I knew that I had to start my novel there all along.
And you know too.
You know when you read through your draft that that verb is too flowery or that sentence isn't right. You know when your protagonist's monologue that stretches for three pages is way too much dialogue and not enough action. You know that you had to start with Sentence A rather than Sentence B.
That's the beauty of being a writer. All you need is within you. You can feel the self doubt creeping in, whispering "that doesn't work." You hear it, even subconsciously, and it puts this seed inside you that makes you show your work to others and ask, "Hey, what do you think of Sentence B?"
Every time (if they're not lying to save your feelings), your readers and critiquers, and yes, your agents, know that you should cut Sentence B and all that precedes it.
The power lies within you. The hard part is learning to listen to it.
The reward, however, is great. I'd much rather grab a reader by the throat and have them tearing through my novel than lead them timidly by the hand.
Showing posts with label First Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Draft. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
How to Craft An Engaging Fantasy World
Sorry about the radio (or blog) silence last week, faithful scribes. I had my wisdom teeth and a molar removed and lost track of my regular life for a little while.
However, I'm back! And for your patience, I'm doing two posts this week to make up for it. The Bonus Post will follow this post shortly, so keep your eyes peeled.
Now, to get down to the real reason you're here. Do you love fantasy novels?
I sure do. I remember falling in love with them as a middle schooler when I read a plethora of fantasy and magical realism novels. Some of my favorites that still stand out to this day include:
The Skull of Truth by Bruce Coville
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Wayside School books by Louis Sachar
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
...and many many more that I read and that are no doubt stuck back there in my subconscious, guiding me everyday.
Have you ever coveted the ability of these books and others to stick so strongly in the minds of readers? How do these authors make everything so vivid, so readers never want to leave the lands they've discovered there? What makes a novel worth reading again and again?
Characterization, plot, and description all have a little something to do with it, but especially in the fantasy genre, setting reigns key. So, today, I'm going to share with you a few ways to improve your fantasy world and make it more engaging so readers are immersed and never want to leave.
1. Draw a Map: You've probably seen maps in the front or back of epic fantasy novels (think LOTR) to help characters know where everything is placed and how it fits together. Maps are especially important if your characters are going journeying through the land and the reader needs to keep track of many locations and cities. However, maps are also great for stand-alone novels that take place in a single town. You don't have to be an artist, a simple, sloppy stick-figure map is great so you can look back at it and remember where the grocery store is, the blacksmith, and especially how to get back to the enchanted sword the protagonist buried in chapter 6.
2. Write a Bible: The best story worlds are so engaging because there are clear rules that the characters must follow or there will be consequences. Now, you can't have consequences if you don't first know the rules of your own world. Sit down and write a bible for your land. What are the steadfast rules that cannot be broken? Who has magic and who doesn't? Why? Explore every possibility back to the Old Testament where wars were waged and won and lost to shape the world your protagonist inhabits now. One word of warning, though; if you write your bible before your begin your first draft, make sure you're flexible to changing it. Some rules might be tweaked or made more rigid in the writing process and you'll need to be able to change your bible to fit accordingly. You can do this because YOU are the god of this fantasy world. YOU make the laws. No one will come and smite you unless you do it yourself.
3. Info Dump: After you've drawn your map and written your bible, go ahead and open a new blank page. Info dump all over the place there. Tell us the history of this holy site and all the smells, feels, and sights of your protagonist's bedroom. Get all the exposition out of the way here, too. Really go nuts. Now that you've gotten it out of your system, open a completely different blank page and begin your first draft for your novel. Allowing yourself to have that info dump moment allows you as the writer to get familiar with the fantasy world and its characters before you bring readers into the mix. Now, you can pick and choose sparingly which details you're going to include where - so the story unfolds naturally and the reader meets and acquaints himself with your world in due time. You'll be able to write more freely because you won't be worried about forgetting some detail or leaving out too much because you've got it all saved in a separate document that will never see the light of day.
4. Steal From the Real World: If you're writing a novel with integrated fantasy elements or magical realism, this is a no-brainer. Your story could be set in Indiana or Scotland or some other real tangible place. Go ahead and steal that. Even if you're writing an epic fantasy in a new world of your creation, think of places you've been that may give you concrete details from our real world. The supermarket, for example, or the doctor's office. Maybe you have a favorite stream in your hometown your protagonist goes to think by. Steal from the real world because it gives readers something familiar to relate to. However, even if you are basing your setting in a real world place, remember that you're writing a fantasy novel. Go ahead and infuse the fantastical. Make up a new and interesting coffee shop where the cups float to you when your order's ready. Have dragons and rainbow colored goats walking the London streets. Take from the real world and the usual and make it something amazing.
So, that's it! My steadfast rules to helping flesh out a fantasy world. Even if you don't employ them all, using just one or two will help you to better understand your world and its rules and history. It will help you write better, deeper material, even if you're writing a picture book. It may also help you to uncover avenues of adventure you'd never thought of before.
Before long, yours could be the next book causing people to stay up way past their bedtime, engrossed in your world.
However, I'm back! And for your patience, I'm doing two posts this week to make up for it. The Bonus Post will follow this post shortly, so keep your eyes peeled.
Now, to get down to the real reason you're here. Do you love fantasy novels?
I sure do. I remember falling in love with them as a middle schooler when I read a plethora of fantasy and magical realism novels. Some of my favorites that still stand out to this day include:
The Skull of Truth by Bruce Coville
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Wayside School books by Louis Sachar
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
...and many many more that I read and that are no doubt stuck back there in my subconscious, guiding me everyday.
Have you ever coveted the ability of these books and others to stick so strongly in the minds of readers? How do these authors make everything so vivid, so readers never want to leave the lands they've discovered there? What makes a novel worth reading again and again?
Characterization, plot, and description all have a little something to do with it, but especially in the fantasy genre, setting reigns key. So, today, I'm going to share with you a few ways to improve your fantasy world and make it more engaging so readers are immersed and never want to leave.
1. Draw a Map: You've probably seen maps in the front or back of epic fantasy novels (think LOTR) to help characters know where everything is placed and how it fits together. Maps are especially important if your characters are going journeying through the land and the reader needs to keep track of many locations and cities. However, maps are also great for stand-alone novels that take place in a single town. You don't have to be an artist, a simple, sloppy stick-figure map is great so you can look back at it and remember where the grocery store is, the blacksmith, and especially how to get back to the enchanted sword the protagonist buried in chapter 6.
2. Write a Bible: The best story worlds are so engaging because there are clear rules that the characters must follow or there will be consequences. Now, you can't have consequences if you don't first know the rules of your own world. Sit down and write a bible for your land. What are the steadfast rules that cannot be broken? Who has magic and who doesn't? Why? Explore every possibility back to the Old Testament where wars were waged and won and lost to shape the world your protagonist inhabits now. One word of warning, though; if you write your bible before your begin your first draft, make sure you're flexible to changing it. Some rules might be tweaked or made more rigid in the writing process and you'll need to be able to change your bible to fit accordingly. You can do this because YOU are the god of this fantasy world. YOU make the laws. No one will come and smite you unless you do it yourself.
3. Info Dump: After you've drawn your map and written your bible, go ahead and open a new blank page. Info dump all over the place there. Tell us the history of this holy site and all the smells, feels, and sights of your protagonist's bedroom. Get all the exposition out of the way here, too. Really go nuts. Now that you've gotten it out of your system, open a completely different blank page and begin your first draft for your novel. Allowing yourself to have that info dump moment allows you as the writer to get familiar with the fantasy world and its characters before you bring readers into the mix. Now, you can pick and choose sparingly which details you're going to include where - so the story unfolds naturally and the reader meets and acquaints himself with your world in due time. You'll be able to write more freely because you won't be worried about forgetting some detail or leaving out too much because you've got it all saved in a separate document that will never see the light of day.
4. Steal From the Real World: If you're writing a novel with integrated fantasy elements or magical realism, this is a no-brainer. Your story could be set in Indiana or Scotland or some other real tangible place. Go ahead and steal that. Even if you're writing an epic fantasy in a new world of your creation, think of places you've been that may give you concrete details from our real world. The supermarket, for example, or the doctor's office. Maybe you have a favorite stream in your hometown your protagonist goes to think by. Steal from the real world because it gives readers something familiar to relate to. However, even if you are basing your setting in a real world place, remember that you're writing a fantasy novel. Go ahead and infuse the fantastical. Make up a new and interesting coffee shop where the cups float to you when your order's ready. Have dragons and rainbow colored goats walking the London streets. Take from the real world and the usual and make it something amazing.
So, that's it! My steadfast rules to helping flesh out a fantasy world. Even if you don't employ them all, using just one or two will help you to better understand your world and its rules and history. It will help you write better, deeper material, even if you're writing a picture book. It may also help you to uncover avenues of adventure you'd never thought of before.
Before long, yours could be the next book causing people to stay up way past their bedtime, engrossed in your world.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Forcing the Muse
My schedule didn't allow me to participate in NANOWRIMO this year, but I do have a handful of friends who undertook the challenge. My conversations with them has led me to understand one very important thing: Sometimes the muse doesn't come willingly. Sometimes you have to drag it.
One friend of mine sat looking at her computer screen for the first four days of November, slowly falling behind in her word count. She fretted over the fact she had no concept, no characters, no setting, and no plot line.
Her imagination was an empty void.
"I would have quit," I admitted sheepishly to her. "Not writing, of course, but I would have quit NANOWRIMO. Obviously, it wasn't my year."
The beautiful thing is: she didn't take my advice.
On the fifth day, frustrated and crying, she began writing down absolute nonsense.
My headphones are red. The cord is longer than I think it should be. I have a sugar skull eraser. I don't wish to use it in case I erase off the face.
Pages and pages of nonsense ensued. Two lattes were downed and refilled. Somewhere, along the way, her muse remembered how to walk, then run.
By the end of the week she had a character and a novel plot. Her setting unfolded and she caught up, then surpassed her word count goals.
All of us have been here at some point - staring for days, thinking it's finally happened, we've finally lost our ability to write creatively. In fact, as I write this blog post, I'm in that boat. I've been sick for three weeks and with the surroundings of a new state, new house, and new job, I haven't had much time to devote to writing. Now throw in the holidays and it's like my muse no longer exists.
What I'll have to do next, and what you'll likely have to do eventually too, is force the muse. I'm going to have to get her out of her recliner, walking and remembering what writing feels like and how easily ideas can flow. I'm going to have to make her recall the beauty and the freedom in writing.
And while I won't be NANOWRIMOing anytime soon, I'm hoping a new short story or novel flows forth. I'm not giving up until it does.
One friend of mine sat looking at her computer screen for the first four days of November, slowly falling behind in her word count. She fretted over the fact she had no concept, no characters, no setting, and no plot line.
Her imagination was an empty void.
"I would have quit," I admitted sheepishly to her. "Not writing, of course, but I would have quit NANOWRIMO. Obviously, it wasn't my year."
The beautiful thing is: she didn't take my advice.
On the fifth day, frustrated and crying, she began writing down absolute nonsense.
My headphones are red. The cord is longer than I think it should be. I have a sugar skull eraser. I don't wish to use it in case I erase off the face.
Pages and pages of nonsense ensued. Two lattes were downed and refilled. Somewhere, along the way, her muse remembered how to walk, then run.
By the end of the week she had a character and a novel plot. Her setting unfolded and she caught up, then surpassed her word count goals.
All of us have been here at some point - staring for days, thinking it's finally happened, we've finally lost our ability to write creatively. In fact, as I write this blog post, I'm in that boat. I've been sick for three weeks and with the surroundings of a new state, new house, and new job, I haven't had much time to devote to writing. Now throw in the holidays and it's like my muse no longer exists.
What I'll have to do next, and what you'll likely have to do eventually too, is force the muse. I'm going to have to get her out of her recliner, walking and remembering what writing feels like and how easily ideas can flow. I'm going to have to make her recall the beauty and the freedom in writing.
And while I won't be NANOWRIMOing anytime soon, I'm hoping a new short story or novel flows forth. I'm not giving up until it does.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Get Up, Get Motivated, and Write
It's no secret that I am in love with Asheville, North Carolina. If you've ever checked out my Pinterest page, you know that I have an extensive board dedicated entirely to Asheville. I first visited Asheville in March of 2014, when I wrote you this post about my Southeastern vacation. And then there was this post a little over a month ago referring to my move to North Carolina.
What you may not know is that I fell so completely in love with Asheville during my 2014 trip that I (with the help of my mom) convinced my entire family to move to North Carolina with me. My grandparents went first, then finally my parents' house sold and my mom, dad, brother and I moved. However, there was one little kink in my plan: no one else loved Asheville like I did.
So, instead of moving straight to my utopia, I landed an hour and a half away in a suburb of Charlotte. It's great here, don't get me wrong - the weather is blisteringly awesome, and I'm having a lot of fun decorating my new room and taking evening trips to Charlotte - but it isn't Asheville.
When I heard that the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015 was located in Asheville, NC - my Asheville, NC! - I set a countdown widget and waited for the first day I could begin entering. Since that day, I've logged on to the Urban Oasis site everyday and entered to win my perfect dream home in my perfect dream location.
As soon as I turn my computer on - before I begin writing or blogging or searching Pinterest - I go to the site and enter myself into the drawing for the Urban Oasis.
And that routine got me thinking...what if we applied this sort of routine to writing life? If you're truly dedicated to writing, if it's what you long for and desire above everything else is to write, then why not make it the start of your day, every day?
Before you check your email - write a sentence.
Before you heat your tea - write a paragraph.
Before you walk out the door for your commute - write a phrase, a period, a word - anything!
If it's your dream, if it's something you want with all your heart, then why shouldn't you make it happen in any way that you can?
John McPhee once did an interview with The Paris Review where he said,
"put a drop in a bucket every day, after three hundred and sixty-five days, the bucket's going to have some water in it."
Writing takes dedication and motivation. It takes getting up early and staying up way too late. Sometimes, it takes sneaking a sentence in here and there whenever you can, just so you can move that story farther along.
But the more you do it, the more it repays you. In the end you could have a wonderful piece that's ready for publication. You could have a whole novel or an epic poem. You could be walking away with your own dream house.
What you may not know is that I fell so completely in love with Asheville during my 2014 trip that I (with the help of my mom) convinced my entire family to move to North Carolina with me. My grandparents went first, then finally my parents' house sold and my mom, dad, brother and I moved. However, there was one little kink in my plan: no one else loved Asheville like I did.
So, instead of moving straight to my utopia, I landed an hour and a half away in a suburb of Charlotte. It's great here, don't get me wrong - the weather is blisteringly awesome, and I'm having a lot of fun decorating my new room and taking evening trips to Charlotte - but it isn't Asheville.
When I heard that the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015 was located in Asheville, NC - my Asheville, NC! - I set a countdown widget and waited for the first day I could begin entering. Since that day, I've logged on to the Urban Oasis site everyday and entered to win my perfect dream home in my perfect dream location.
As soon as I turn my computer on - before I begin writing or blogging or searching Pinterest - I go to the site and enter myself into the drawing for the Urban Oasis.
And that routine got me thinking...what if we applied this sort of routine to writing life? If you're truly dedicated to writing, if it's what you long for and desire above everything else is to write, then why not make it the start of your day, every day?
Before you check your email - write a sentence.
Before you heat your tea - write a paragraph.
Before you walk out the door for your commute - write a phrase, a period, a word - anything!
If it's your dream, if it's something you want with all your heart, then why shouldn't you make it happen in any way that you can?
John McPhee once did an interview with The Paris Review where he said,
"put a drop in a bucket every day, after three hundred and sixty-five days, the bucket's going to have some water in it."
Writing takes dedication and motivation. It takes getting up early and staying up way too late. Sometimes, it takes sneaking a sentence in here and there whenever you can, just so you can move that story farther along.
But the more you do it, the more it repays you. In the end you could have a wonderful piece that's ready for publication. You could have a whole novel or an epic poem. You could be walking away with your own dream house.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
The Pacifier Predicament
When I was three years old, my mother finally convinced me that I was too old to be using pacifiers. She did this in a very stealthy way, like many mothers. She told me that poor children in Africa needed pacifiers, and could I donate a few of my pacifiers for the children who cried all day and night because they had none?
I, of course, agreed. I scurried around the house, digging my pacifiers from their hiding spots. I flung them into the cardboard box my mom set out in the living room. I found every single pacifier, and then I took the final pacifier out of my own mouth and added it to the box. My mom labeled the box for a phony African children's organization and we taped it shut.
Then, my mom and I walked the box of pacifiers down to the mailbox at the end of the driveway and slotted it in. She let me put the little flag up and I said goodbye with no reservations to every pacifier I had.
Little did I know, my mother snuck down to the mailbox during naptime and removed the box because, of course, the African children's pacifier organization didn't really exist.
That day my mom successfully did two things. 1. She became the spring board off which I would further my activism later in life, and 2. She allowed me to give up the things I no longer needed when I was ready.
This is something you need to remember when you write, too.
I bring up this little anecdote because it's something I'm struggling to remember at this very moment. I'm currently working on a story written in separate installments. My brain thinks that once I'm done with one part, I should go back and reread it and revise where necessary. But my heart tells me to keep writing. If I don't keep up the pace and flow of the next story, they won't seem cohesive.
What I keep telling myself to remember is that even if a scene doesn't feel complete or feels a little off for some reason I can't fathom right now, I don't need to worry about it. I just need to keep writing. When I finish the whole story - every single part - then I can go back and reread to see what's wrong.
Right now, I'm not ready to give anything up in my writing process. And it would be traumatic for me to be forced to.
This same advice works if you're already in the revising stage, too. Let's say you submit the next chapter of your novel to your trusty beta readers. They come back with HUGE problems in the plotting and characterization. However, you just can't seem to bring yourself to kill your darlings just yet.
It's okay. Go have a cup of coffee. Work on some poetry or the next chapter. Wait until you have enough distance from the criticism to truly take it in.
Because if my mom had come to a two year old Alyssa and asked her to give up her pacifiers, even if it was for a good cause, I would have screamed and refused. If she persisted, I probably would have developed some life-long thumb sucking habit. But instead, I got the space I needed to nurture the idea of giving up my beloved pacifiers. I was only approached with the idea of change when I was ready.
Don't feel bad if you leave a scene unfinished to continue the rate at which you're writing. Don't feel bad if you thank your critiquers for their comments, but don't look at them or use them for months. Everyone has a different time frame with change. Find yours and you'll be sending those pacifiers off in no time - no looking back.
I, of course, agreed. I scurried around the house, digging my pacifiers from their hiding spots. I flung them into the cardboard box my mom set out in the living room. I found every single pacifier, and then I took the final pacifier out of my own mouth and added it to the box. My mom labeled the box for a phony African children's organization and we taped it shut.
Then, my mom and I walked the box of pacifiers down to the mailbox at the end of the driveway and slotted it in. She let me put the little flag up and I said goodbye with no reservations to every pacifier I had.
Little did I know, my mother snuck down to the mailbox during naptime and removed the box because, of course, the African children's pacifier organization didn't really exist.
That day my mom successfully did two things. 1. She became the spring board off which I would further my activism later in life, and 2. She allowed me to give up the things I no longer needed when I was ready.
This is something you need to remember when you write, too.
I bring up this little anecdote because it's something I'm struggling to remember at this very moment. I'm currently working on a story written in separate installments. My brain thinks that once I'm done with one part, I should go back and reread it and revise where necessary. But my heart tells me to keep writing. If I don't keep up the pace and flow of the next story, they won't seem cohesive.
What I keep telling myself to remember is that even if a scene doesn't feel complete or feels a little off for some reason I can't fathom right now, I don't need to worry about it. I just need to keep writing. When I finish the whole story - every single part - then I can go back and reread to see what's wrong.
Right now, I'm not ready to give anything up in my writing process. And it would be traumatic for me to be forced to.
This same advice works if you're already in the revising stage, too. Let's say you submit the next chapter of your novel to your trusty beta readers. They come back with HUGE problems in the plotting and characterization. However, you just can't seem to bring yourself to kill your darlings just yet.
It's okay. Go have a cup of coffee. Work on some poetry or the next chapter. Wait until you have enough distance from the criticism to truly take it in.
Because if my mom had come to a two year old Alyssa and asked her to give up her pacifiers, even if it was for a good cause, I would have screamed and refused. If she persisted, I probably would have developed some life-long thumb sucking habit. But instead, I got the space I needed to nurture the idea of giving up my beloved pacifiers. I was only approached with the idea of change when I was ready.
Don't feel bad if you leave a scene unfinished to continue the rate at which you're writing. Don't feel bad if you thank your critiquers for their comments, but don't look at them or use them for months. Everyone has a different time frame with change. Find yours and you'll be sending those pacifiers off in no time - no looking back.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Document and Forget
****Important Blog Info****
Next Tuesday is the closing date for my Wisconsin house. The closing is in the morning and then we start the long drive with four people, three vehicles, two trailers, two rabbits, one dog, a dozen house plants, and our essential belongings through most of the Eastern US until we reach North Carolina.
This means that it will literally be impossible for me to blog next week on Tuesday.
Sorry in advance, guys. Thanks for understanding.
Next Tuesday is the closing date for my Wisconsin house. The closing is in the morning and then we start the long drive with four people, three vehicles, two trailers, two rabbits, one dog, a dozen house plants, and our essential belongings through most of the Eastern US until we reach North Carolina.
This means that it will literally be impossible for me to blog next week on Tuesday.
Sorry in advance, guys. Thanks for understanding.
# # #
With that established, let's get down to business today.
A few weeks ago my cell phone contract came up for renewal. I went to the cell phone store, waited almost three hours, paid out an entire pay check worth of funds, and finally left with a new phone. This upgrade was a massive switch for me. I was going from an Android Razar to the iPhone 5S.
It took me awhile to get used to the new graphics, the new home screen, and, of course, Safari. Heck, let's face it, I'm still not very comfortable with where everything is located, but I'm getting better at using it on a daily basis.
The other day, I turned on my old Droid to sort through the thousands of Notes I stored on it. Because switching my old pictures onto my iPhone was easy, but Notes was a whole 'nother story. I started at the top, wading through vegan smoothie recipes concocted during three a.m. moments of clarity, ideas for new paintings, cool character names I read or heard, hundreds of notes on novels and stories in progress. full poems written during lunch breaks, pointless rants I wrote when I needed to vent about that rude customer or this horrible boss, and lists of old grocery needs. However, the most important notes I found were titled simply "STORY IDEA". There were three. I expected to type them into a Word Document on my laptop and file them away for a later time when I needed a break from a novel revision or couldn't get a new story idea brainstormed. The first two I transferred over with no problem. One was an interesting exchange of dialogue I overheard while making someone's pizza that had blossomed into a possible literary story. The other was a link to a scientific study on genes and a possible sci-fi story idea.
But the third made me stop. It was a mere five word sentence - probably a news story I had heard while walking past a newscast on TV. It was so short, that, had I written it out on a piece of paper, I probably would have thrown it away thinking it was nothing.
What the note contained was so inspirational, I abandoned my Droid transfer and started writing a story around that idea.
The moral of this anecdote is that I had completely forgotten about the original event that sparked the STORY IDEA note. I had completely forgotten that a story idea like that had ever crossed my mind. If it weren't for that five word sentence, I would never have written the story I'm currently working on.
So, while I'm moving cross-country, I want you to start a Notes file on your own cell phone (or, if you're more old school, feel free to keep a pad of paper and pen in your bag) - just make sure you have something with you so that, when you walk past the TODAY show story in the hospital lobby and hear a weird tidbit about a remote county in Ohio, or your overhear a strange conversation between two women also waiting for their lattes, you can write it down. You don't have to have a story idea right at that moment. Just write down anything that makes you really listen or take notice. Document and forget.
Then, when you come back to it weeks, months, or years later, it will effect you. Because it will be the right time for your note to spark an idea. It will be the push you need to start something new or to take up your old writing hobby.
Notice everything.
Write it down.
Keep it safe.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Character Blueprints: Building Your Best Person (AKA the super-late post of June)
So here I thought I was right on track. Logged in early to get my blog post done.........and then I noticed that I completely missed posting last week.
WHOOPS!
Sorry gang. It seems that an entire week has passed without me even realizing. Where did that time go? How is it I'm moving in less than a month? Why is nothing feeling complete yet?
Anyway, I'm filing this post under the super-late category. But I don't want your patience and dedication to my blog to go unrewarded. That's why, this week, I want to talk about character blueprints.
You've probably heard of them before. Most writers and coaches call them "character sketches", but as an artist, I consider a "character sketch" to be a pen and paper drawing of a physical character. So, I call them "character blueprints".
I believe "blueprint" to be a better term because it is through your blueprint that you're truly realizing who and what your character is. For example, when you look at a blueprint of a house, you get to see the dimensions of the rooms, the layout, and the overall feel. It is by looking at the blueprint that you can begin planning which bedroom you'll sleep in, determining if your dining room table will fit, considering which walls to knock down, and figuring out just where in the dickens those bunny cages will go. The blueprint is where you start from. The blueprint causes you to plan out your entire home life from square foot number one.
Why is this important for your protagonist? Because it is only through the blueprint (whether you actually write it down or simply have it memorized in your head) that you categorize what your protagonist looks like, what their flaws and strengths are, what their innermost desire is, and the disconnect between who they think they are and who they truly live to be.
Since you've had to be extra patient with this post, I'm going to sweeten the deal. Not only will I tell you what a character blueprint is and convince you why it's important, I'll also offer a WORKSHEET so you can keep this blueprint at your side for any story you write, and I'll do a REAL-TIME blueprint with you for the story I'm working on currently.
Exciting, right?!?!?!? I'm excited!
Let's get down to business-
I wrote a sci-fi/fantasy short story a little over a year ago when the premise for the world popped into my head. The first draft flew onto the page, but I never touched it after that. I recently found it in my laptop's documents folder and remembered just how much I loved the world and the protagonist. But, upon reading through it, I knew it needed a major overhaul.
This is daunting to me, especially since the first draft didn't possess an outline, character blueprint, or even any real direction. I knew that one aspect of the story was going to turn out a certain way, but I didn't know how it'd get there. And it was apparent in my draft that I was writing this thing from the seat of my pants. Realizations come too quickly, the dialogue is wooden, no one is properly described. To be short - it's a mess.
Trying to revise it from it's current state with only the current information would be like trying to order furniture for a home by only seeing the realtor pictures online.
Impossible.
So, I've decided to write a character blueprint right here and now, on this blog, to help me navigate my short story.
CHARACTER BLUEPRINT
Name: Malena Cyder
Age: 31
Race/Ethnicity/Species: Human, Mixed-race
Location: Chicago, USA, Earth
Year: 4104
Physical Characteristics: Medium brown skin tone, dark eyes, straight hair, normal weight range, Scars (faded with laser surgery, but most prominent around the left eye) on left half of face.
Occupation: Co-Founder of [tech company], Advocate for inter-species peace
Family: Mother - alive, but left Earth for the Moon Colony when Malena was fourteen, sending her to boarding school, where she met other co-founders of [tech company]
Childhood: Malena was burned in a planetary invasion by unfriendly aliens when she was a preschooler, which thrust her onto a negative public service announcement towards aliens
Mental Image: Malena believes herself to be cordial to the alien species inhabiting Earth, though she doesn't particularly like or associate with any of them.
Greatest Fear: Becoming someone who runs from her problems/fears like her mother. [Note: On a nightmare level, being harmed by the invading aliens of her youth.]
True Mental State: Though Malena is an advocate for inter-species peace, her true motivation isn't fueled by the hope that all species can coexist, but by the fear that if they don't, she could be harmed again by another unfriendly species.
Innermost Desire: To live a life where she isn't constantly afraid she'll be recognized as the little girl from the announcement, and where she no longer fears the aliens living around her. AKA, no longer a prisoner to her past - free to move forward.
So that's it! Malena Cyder in a blueprint image. Notice that not all the information has to be known right at the time you fill out the blueprint. Can't think of a proper last name? Don't know the name of the company your protagonist works for? Not a problem. Simply place the info in brackets like I did above with [tech company].
Notice that the character blueprint doesn't reveal everything about the story world or the conflict of the story itself. It is meant only to describe and maintain consistency within your character. So, we know Malena's physical attributes like age, race, and uniquely identifying marks. We know where she lives and in what time period. We know about influential family members/connections in her life and about her childhood. We also know Malena's inner blueprint: how she views herself, what is truly going on in her mind, her greatest fear, and her innermost desire.
All the major conflict in the story world will now flow from this information.
Ready to try it for yourself? I'll post a blank worksheet at the end of this post for you to copy-and-paste and work on for your own story. Feel free to doctor some of the categories, especially is you're not writing sci-fi/fantasy and don't need to specify what species your protagonist is.
After you finish the blueprint for your protagonist, consider also filling one out for your main antagonist and any influential people in your protagonist's or antagonist's life (like, for me, Malena's mother).
Utilize your blueprint as often as you can, and remember to always keep it close. You can't possibly know where to install those bunny cages if you don't know where the walls are.
(Worksheet)
CHARACTER BLUEPRINT:
Name:
Age:
Race/Ethnicity/Species:
Location:
Year:
Physical Characteristics:
Occupation:
Family:
Childhood:
Mental Image:
Greatest Fear:
True Mental State:
Innermost Desire:
WHOOPS!
Sorry gang. It seems that an entire week has passed without me even realizing. Where did that time go? How is it I'm moving in less than a month? Why is nothing feeling complete yet?
Anyway, I'm filing this post under the super-late category. But I don't want your patience and dedication to my blog to go unrewarded. That's why, this week, I want to talk about character blueprints.
You've probably heard of them before. Most writers and coaches call them "character sketches", but as an artist, I consider a "character sketch" to be a pen and paper drawing of a physical character. So, I call them "character blueprints".
I believe "blueprint" to be a better term because it is through your blueprint that you're truly realizing who and what your character is. For example, when you look at a blueprint of a house, you get to see the dimensions of the rooms, the layout, and the overall feel. It is by looking at the blueprint that you can begin planning which bedroom you'll sleep in, determining if your dining room table will fit, considering which walls to knock down, and figuring out just where in the dickens those bunny cages will go. The blueprint is where you start from. The blueprint causes you to plan out your entire home life from square foot number one.
Why is this important for your protagonist? Because it is only through the blueprint (whether you actually write it down or simply have it memorized in your head) that you categorize what your protagonist looks like, what their flaws and strengths are, what their innermost desire is, and the disconnect between who they think they are and who they truly live to be.
Since you've had to be extra patient with this post, I'm going to sweeten the deal. Not only will I tell you what a character blueprint is and convince you why it's important, I'll also offer a WORKSHEET so you can keep this blueprint at your side for any story you write, and I'll do a REAL-TIME blueprint with you for the story I'm working on currently.
Exciting, right?!?!?!? I'm excited!
Let's get down to business-
I wrote a sci-fi/fantasy short story a little over a year ago when the premise for the world popped into my head. The first draft flew onto the page, but I never touched it after that. I recently found it in my laptop's documents folder and remembered just how much I loved the world and the protagonist. But, upon reading through it, I knew it needed a major overhaul.
This is daunting to me, especially since the first draft didn't possess an outline, character blueprint, or even any real direction. I knew that one aspect of the story was going to turn out a certain way, but I didn't know how it'd get there. And it was apparent in my draft that I was writing this thing from the seat of my pants. Realizations come too quickly, the dialogue is wooden, no one is properly described. To be short - it's a mess.
Trying to revise it from it's current state with only the current information would be like trying to order furniture for a home by only seeing the realtor pictures online.
Impossible.
So, I've decided to write a character blueprint right here and now, on this blog, to help me navigate my short story.
CHARACTER BLUEPRINT
Name: Malena Cyder
Age: 31
Race/Ethnicity/Species: Human, Mixed-race
Location: Chicago, USA, Earth
Year: 4104
Physical Characteristics: Medium brown skin tone, dark eyes, straight hair, normal weight range, Scars (faded with laser surgery, but most prominent around the left eye) on left half of face.
Occupation: Co-Founder of [tech company], Advocate for inter-species peace
Family: Mother - alive, but left Earth for the Moon Colony when Malena was fourteen, sending her to boarding school, where she met other co-founders of [tech company]
Childhood: Malena was burned in a planetary invasion by unfriendly aliens when she was a preschooler, which thrust her onto a negative public service announcement towards aliens
Mental Image: Malena believes herself to be cordial to the alien species inhabiting Earth, though she doesn't particularly like or associate with any of them.
Greatest Fear: Becoming someone who runs from her problems/fears like her mother. [Note: On a nightmare level, being harmed by the invading aliens of her youth.]
True Mental State: Though Malena is an advocate for inter-species peace, her true motivation isn't fueled by the hope that all species can coexist, but by the fear that if they don't, she could be harmed again by another unfriendly species.
Innermost Desire: To live a life where she isn't constantly afraid she'll be recognized as the little girl from the announcement, and where she no longer fears the aliens living around her. AKA, no longer a prisoner to her past - free to move forward.
So that's it! Malena Cyder in a blueprint image. Notice that not all the information has to be known right at the time you fill out the blueprint. Can't think of a proper last name? Don't know the name of the company your protagonist works for? Not a problem. Simply place the info in brackets like I did above with [tech company].
Notice that the character blueprint doesn't reveal everything about the story world or the conflict of the story itself. It is meant only to describe and maintain consistency within your character. So, we know Malena's physical attributes like age, race, and uniquely identifying marks. We know where she lives and in what time period. We know about influential family members/connections in her life and about her childhood. We also know Malena's inner blueprint: how she views herself, what is truly going on in her mind, her greatest fear, and her innermost desire.
All the major conflict in the story world will now flow from this information.
Ready to try it for yourself? I'll post a blank worksheet at the end of this post for you to copy-and-paste and work on for your own story. Feel free to doctor some of the categories, especially is you're not writing sci-fi/fantasy and don't need to specify what species your protagonist is.
After you finish the blueprint for your protagonist, consider also filling one out for your main antagonist and any influential people in your protagonist's or antagonist's life (like, for me, Malena's mother).
Utilize your blueprint as often as you can, and remember to always keep it close. You can't possibly know where to install those bunny cages if you don't know where the walls are.
(Worksheet)
CHARACTER BLUEPRINT:
Name:
Age:
Race/Ethnicity/Species:
Location:
Year:
Physical Characteristics:
Occupation:
Family:
Childhood:
Mental Image:
Greatest Fear:
True Mental State:
Innermost Desire:
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Inspiration Knocking
I hope you participated in the Challenge Post from last week and submitted a new piece of writing for publication. If you did (heck, even if you didn't), you probably need some new inspiration right about now.
Struggling to find a topic for your next poem? Don't have enough tension to sustain your short story? Stuck in the middle of your novel-in-progress?
Calling inspiration!
Image from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098064397728/
Really, just as Oscar Wilde said, inspiration isn't as illusive as our writer brain makes us think.
There are poems about cats like Christopher Smart's "For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry". Poems about jobs (like pet sitting) in Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's "things that happen during pet sitting...". Poems about standing in line like Robert Funge's "A Starbucks Romance". Poems about catalogs like Philip A. Waterhouse's "Castlekeep".
Really, anything in our daily lives, when seen through an artistic eye, can be made into something extraordinary.
Did you once have hiccups for three days straight? Write an essay about it.
Did you watch grazing deer out your window while washing dishes? Make it into a poem.
Did you hear a strange conversation while sitting in your cafe booth during breakfast? Use it in a novel chapter.
Anything - literally anything - can be the inspiration for your next writing project. Take it from Orson Scott Card...
Image From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098064894077/
Struggling to find a topic for your next poem? Don't have enough tension to sustain your short story? Stuck in the middle of your novel-in-progress?
Calling inspiration!
Really, just as Oscar Wilde said, inspiration isn't as illusive as our writer brain makes us think.
There are poems about cats like Christopher Smart's "For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry". Poems about jobs (like pet sitting) in Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's "things that happen during pet sitting...". Poems about standing in line like Robert Funge's "A Starbucks Romance". Poems about catalogs like Philip A. Waterhouse's "Castlekeep".
Really, anything in our daily lives, when seen through an artistic eye, can be made into something extraordinary.
Did you once have hiccups for three days straight? Write an essay about it.
Did you watch grazing deer out your window while washing dishes? Make it into a poem.
Did you hear a strange conversation while sitting in your cafe booth during breakfast? Use it in a novel chapter.
Anything - literally anything - can be the inspiration for your next writing project. Take it from Orson Scott Card...
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
The Witchdoctor Scenario
Sorry about the late night post this week, fellow scribes. All day, my rabbit was acting strange, then she stopped eating and stopped moving her bowels. As a mother to any type of living creature knows, no poop = a massive problem.
Rabbits especially are prone to something called GI Stasis, where the gut stops moving so food and waste sit inside the stomach/intestines. It's extremely painful and can lead to death in a matter of days or hours if left untreated.
So, most of my day was spent worrying myself to death, sitting quietly and talking sweetly to a grumpy bunny, and trying to coax food and water into her as much as possible.
It took almost all day, but right now she seems to be improving. She is eating voluntarily (mostly junk foods like seeds, alfalfa hay, cardboard, and a wicker basket - but she does sneak in some good baby kale and grass hay to keep mama happy), and she came out from her hiding place to run around (yes, run) and even do some bunny binkies! If you've never seen a bunny binkie, please look it up on YouTube. They are the best display of rabbit happiness ever and so dang cute.
She even produced a few, albeit minuscule, poops that were either rock solid or a little soft, but hey, that's improvement, people!
Today has definitely been a test on my nerves - a test I sincerely hope is over for now. But all this stress got me thinking: I would give anything for my bunny to get better.
Was it going to take all my money for her to not die? Done. All my time suddenly gone - no sleep before my early shift tomorrow morning? No problem. Would I have to drive two hours to the vet? In a heartbeat. Sell one of my own kidneys to a witchdoctor? Where do I sign?
This terrible, gut wrenching, I'll-do-anything-to-just-make-it-all-right-again feeling was what all of the characters in my stories should be feeling. If not, the stakes weren't high enough.
If their hands and feet didn't go numb with panic. If their vision didn't blacken with dread. If they didn't vomit with worry - the stake's simply weren't high enough. I wasn't putting their absolute most precious thing on the line, and of course, they wouldn't truly care (nor would the reader) unless the stakes were so high, they would do anything.
So, the next time you write an outline, revise a scene, or get an idea for a novel, I want you to ask yourself one simple question:
Would my protagonist sell his/her kidney to an evil witchdoctor - no questions asked - if it meant his/her situation improved or reversed?
Because, really, when it comes down to it, if it isn't really that important, then it's not enough to hang an entire story on.
Rabbits especially are prone to something called GI Stasis, where the gut stops moving so food and waste sit inside the stomach/intestines. It's extremely painful and can lead to death in a matter of days or hours if left untreated.
So, most of my day was spent worrying myself to death, sitting quietly and talking sweetly to a grumpy bunny, and trying to coax food and water into her as much as possible.
It took almost all day, but right now she seems to be improving. She is eating voluntarily (mostly junk foods like seeds, alfalfa hay, cardboard, and a wicker basket - but she does sneak in some good baby kale and grass hay to keep mama happy), and she came out from her hiding place to run around (yes, run) and even do some bunny binkies! If you've never seen a bunny binkie, please look it up on YouTube. They are the best display of rabbit happiness ever and so dang cute.
She even produced a few, albeit minuscule, poops that were either rock solid or a little soft, but hey, that's improvement, people!
Today has definitely been a test on my nerves - a test I sincerely hope is over for now. But all this stress got me thinking: I would give anything for my bunny to get better.
Was it going to take all my money for her to not die? Done. All my time suddenly gone - no sleep before my early shift tomorrow morning? No problem. Would I have to drive two hours to the vet? In a heartbeat. Sell one of my own kidneys to a witchdoctor? Where do I sign?
This terrible, gut wrenching, I'll-do-anything-to-just-make-it-all-right-again feeling was what all of the characters in my stories should be feeling. If not, the stakes weren't high enough.
If their hands and feet didn't go numb with panic. If their vision didn't blacken with dread. If they didn't vomit with worry - the stake's simply weren't high enough. I wasn't putting their absolute most precious thing on the line, and of course, they wouldn't truly care (nor would the reader) unless the stakes were so high, they would do anything.
So, the next time you write an outline, revise a scene, or get an idea for a novel, I want you to ask yourself one simple question:
Would my protagonist sell his/her kidney to an evil witchdoctor - no questions asked - if it meant his/her situation improved or reversed?
Because, really, when it comes down to it, if it isn't really that important, then it's not enough to hang an entire story on.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Do You Have The Time?
Whether you're writing a mystery novel, literary, or an adventure story, time matters. The sun rises, the sun sets, and humans for as long as we've known that, have measured the time between.
The same care you give time in your daily life has to be given to the time in your story. Your characters must wake, get to work on time (or not), make their scheduled appointments (or not), and do this for weeks, months, or years.
But, being writers, we can manipulate time.
Go on, you know you've always wanted to....
That murder in your mystery novel? What was the time of death? Where were the suspects during that time?
Your literary story. Is the main event or character constrained to a timeline? How about the project he's managing? Is it still on track? Or perhaps there's too much free time in his life and he gets into trouble before anything productive can be accomplished.
And your fantasy or adventure story? How much time should pass between the inciting incident and charter 3? Is it minutes - expanded with fight scenes and description and exposition - or years due to an incredible foot journey?
Manipulate time to your advantage. Give your protagonists a limited amount of time in which to complete their task. Give them consequences if they're unable to accomplish it. Ratchet up the tension as the minutes slip past.
If you can control every aspect of it, why not play that to your advantage? Why not harness time and make it slave for you?
Go on, you know you've always wanted to...
The same care you give time in your daily life has to be given to the time in your story. Your characters must wake, get to work on time (or not), make their scheduled appointments (or not), and do this for weeks, months, or years.
But, being writers, we can manipulate time.
Go on, you know you've always wanted to....
That murder in your mystery novel? What was the time of death? Where were the suspects during that time?
Your literary story. Is the main event or character constrained to a timeline? How about the project he's managing? Is it still on track? Or perhaps there's too much free time in his life and he gets into trouble before anything productive can be accomplished.
And your fantasy or adventure story? How much time should pass between the inciting incident and charter 3? Is it minutes - expanded with fight scenes and description and exposition - or years due to an incredible foot journey?
Manipulate time to your advantage. Give your protagonists a limited amount of time in which to complete their task. Give them consequences if they're unable to accomplish it. Ratchet up the tension as the minutes slip past.
If you can control every aspect of it, why not play that to your advantage? Why not harness time and make it slave for you?
Go on, you know you've always wanted to...
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Is It Possible To Be Too Beautiful?
I'm the queen of bad selfies. Even when I do my makeup and apply a number of filters to my picture, I still manage to look weird. I would enjoy being a beautiful selfie master. Heck, I'd even accept one beautiful pic of me at this point.
But is this the kind of mentality you want to apply to your writing?
Of course, you may be saying, What's better than people thinking my writing is beautiful?
Answer: when it takes the reader out of the story.
You've been there, I'm sure. You're reading a novel, completely invested in the characters and plot, and then suddenly you stumble upon a description so beautiful that you have to stop and reread it. You write it down, take its picture, or find it scrawled on Pinterest.
You may think, wow that passage was great, or that metaphor was superb. But really, what just happened?
Answer: you were pulled out of the story.
Even if it's just for a second, losing the reader is losing the reader. Whether they're confused or too stunned by your writing, it's a bad scenario.
So, make sure you're writing for the characters and plot of the story and kill those darling passages you think too beautiful to leave out. Cut them right out of the page and save them in a separate word document. Who knows, maybe you'll need a beautiful Tweet or social media update that you can use that beautiful passage for. But, as strange as it sounds, your fiction isn't the place to showcase just how wonderfully you can write. Fiction is about the story, the emotions, and the actions of the characters. You are simply the catalyst they're using to come to life.
But is this the kind of mentality you want to apply to your writing?
Of course, you may be saying, What's better than people thinking my writing is beautiful?
Answer: when it takes the reader out of the story.
You've been there, I'm sure. You're reading a novel, completely invested in the characters and plot, and then suddenly you stumble upon a description so beautiful that you have to stop and reread it. You write it down, take its picture, or find it scrawled on Pinterest.
You may think, wow that passage was great, or that metaphor was superb. But really, what just happened?
Answer: you were pulled out of the story.
Even if it's just for a second, losing the reader is losing the reader. Whether they're confused or too stunned by your writing, it's a bad scenario.
So, make sure you're writing for the characters and plot of the story and kill those darling passages you think too beautiful to leave out. Cut them right out of the page and save them in a separate word document. Who knows, maybe you'll need a beautiful Tweet or social media update that you can use that beautiful passage for. But, as strange as it sounds, your fiction isn't the place to showcase just how wonderfully you can write. Fiction is about the story, the emotions, and the actions of the characters. You are simply the catalyst they're using to come to life.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Planning The Perfect Routine (or, when bunnies are bound to attack)
It was a whopping 50 degrees here in northern Wisconsin and felt downright hot outside. Such a departure from the previous -20 degree nights and 5 degree days. We actually popped a window and felt warm, fresh air for the first time since September.
Spring, for me, means the arrival of warmer weather, puddles, and happier dispositions. It also marks my annual "getting out of here" vacation.
I'll be gone all next week (hint, hint: no new blog post next week - take a break for yourself, too) catching some much needed warmer temps in the southern portion of the USA.
To prepare for this trip, I had to write something new. A care instruction sheet for the person watching my rabbit while I'm away.
It was not more than a page and consisted mostly of bullet points detailing her morning, afternoon, and evening routines, and yet, it was one of the most important pieces I'd ever written. Without this care instruction sheet, the bunny-sitter would have no idea how to properly care for Bun. Without being able to read through her routine, the sitter would not understand why Bun was biting his ankles profusely at seven o'clock in the evening. Without a perfectly understandable and direct care sheet, the unneeded stress inflicted upon the sitter and my Bun would be immense.
And it hit me that something so mundane as writing out a daily routine could mean a great deal if done improperly.
In the moment I reread the care instructions before printing a few copies (in case the first copy was lost, then the backup lost, and the backup's backup lost) I thought of my protagonists daily routines. No doubt he/she has one. Perhaps it's like my rabbit's and takes up, in single spaced font, an entire page. Perhaps their routine is less of an all-day occurrence and more of a morning ritual and bedtime custom.
Perhaps your protagonists lives are so unpredictable that they are reduced to single days in a week - I do laundry on Saturday...I eat fish on Fridays...I get coffee the first Monday of every month...no post on Sundays.
Whatever it is, your protagonists, like my Bun, expect their daily routine to go uninterrupted. And it is when there is an interruption that we have a story on our hands.
So, here's the steps I want you to take:
1. Write down your protagonist's daily routine. If it was the best, most predictable week of their lives, what would they do in the morning, afternoon, and evening of every day? What would their "normal" look like.
2. Implement your inciting incident. What throws the routine out of whack?
3. Document how this will interrupt the protagonist's natural flow of their routine. How will they react to this? What will they do to get things back to their normal?
Trust me, it's one thing to think you know their routine and quite another to have it sitting in front of you. When writing out Bun's routine, I'd thought it'd be simple: feed her this food at this time, clean her soiled litter box, give her cuddles, etc. But actually writing it out in detail caused me to truly focus on how much of a scientific method we have to our coexistence. Your protagonists will have this as well if you intend to make them real, tangible, believable people.
As the weather warms and you air out your house, take the time to stop and air out your novel and its main characters, too. Dive deep into what makes them them. If you do it now, it'll save you a lot of headaches down the road when you're revising for the umpteenth time and still can't get Janet's reaction to event X down pat, or when you're on a twenty-hour car ride to another state and the rabbit sitter can't find the correct bag of veg in the fridge to feed your starving Bun.
Do your planning now. Reap the rewards and relaxation later.
Spring, for me, means the arrival of warmer weather, puddles, and happier dispositions. It also marks my annual "getting out of here" vacation.
I'll be gone all next week (hint, hint: no new blog post next week - take a break for yourself, too) catching some much needed warmer temps in the southern portion of the USA.
To prepare for this trip, I had to write something new. A care instruction sheet for the person watching my rabbit while I'm away.
It was not more than a page and consisted mostly of bullet points detailing her morning, afternoon, and evening routines, and yet, it was one of the most important pieces I'd ever written. Without this care instruction sheet, the bunny-sitter would have no idea how to properly care for Bun. Without being able to read through her routine, the sitter would not understand why Bun was biting his ankles profusely at seven o'clock in the evening. Without a perfectly understandable and direct care sheet, the unneeded stress inflicted upon the sitter and my Bun would be immense.
And it hit me that something so mundane as writing out a daily routine could mean a great deal if done improperly.
In the moment I reread the care instructions before printing a few copies (in case the first copy was lost, then the backup lost, and the backup's backup lost) I thought of my protagonists daily routines. No doubt he/she has one. Perhaps it's like my rabbit's and takes up, in single spaced font, an entire page. Perhaps their routine is less of an all-day occurrence and more of a morning ritual and bedtime custom.
Perhaps your protagonists lives are so unpredictable that they are reduced to single days in a week - I do laundry on Saturday...I eat fish on Fridays...I get coffee the first Monday of every month...no post on Sundays.
Whatever it is, your protagonists, like my Bun, expect their daily routine to go uninterrupted. And it is when there is an interruption that we have a story on our hands.
So, here's the steps I want you to take:
1. Write down your protagonist's daily routine. If it was the best, most predictable week of their lives, what would they do in the morning, afternoon, and evening of every day? What would their "normal" look like.
2. Implement your inciting incident. What throws the routine out of whack?
3. Document how this will interrupt the protagonist's natural flow of their routine. How will they react to this? What will they do to get things back to their normal?
Trust me, it's one thing to think you know their routine and quite another to have it sitting in front of you. When writing out Bun's routine, I'd thought it'd be simple: feed her this food at this time, clean her soiled litter box, give her cuddles, etc. But actually writing it out in detail caused me to truly focus on how much of a scientific method we have to our coexistence. Your protagonists will have this as well if you intend to make them real, tangible, believable people.
As the weather warms and you air out your house, take the time to stop and air out your novel and its main characters, too. Dive deep into what makes them them. If you do it now, it'll save you a lot of headaches down the road when you're revising for the umpteenth time and still can't get Janet's reaction to event X down pat, or when you're on a twenty-hour car ride to another state and the rabbit sitter can't find the correct bag of veg in the fridge to feed your starving Bun.
Do your planning now. Reap the rewards and relaxation later.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Raising Those Stakes
I live a pretty mundane life. My normal day includes sitting in front of my laptop, writing or illustrating, going to work, playing with my rabbit, maybe trying to cook a new vegan recipe or two.
Raising the stakes in my own life includes picking up extra work hours, forgetting that I left on a stove burner, sticking a broom behind the entertainment center to get the rabbit out before she chews the cords, and maybe trying to fit a doctor's appointment in on my lunch break.
Exciting, right? No.
It's especially boring if this is all your characters do.
Sure we're all pretty mundane in real life, but when we read fiction, we can escape the mundane for an adventure. Whether you're writing a giant fantasy or a literary shocker, the stakes for your characters need to be higher than a broken TV cable.
I used to scoff at articles that plead with writers to raise the stakes for their novels. "Pff, I've already got a weird setting," or "Come on, this character is mentally or physically unstable," were things I'd often throw out in my defense.
But I was wrong.
My characters were DOING things, sure. But they weren't filled with enough tension or the consequences of their failures really didn't matter.
Your character can be described as unstable as you want, but if it's never shown - if nothing ever happens with that instability - does it really matter?
So, the next time you have your protagonist yelling at the boss, don't just make his dilemma whether or not he'll be fired. Make it life or death. Make it the difference between his happy marriage or a divorce. Make him feel the consequences and force him to make a decision one way or the other.
Readers will feel more engaged, they'll definitely care more, and they'll keep reading.
That's all we hope for.
Raising the stakes in my own life includes picking up extra work hours, forgetting that I left on a stove burner, sticking a broom behind the entertainment center to get the rabbit out before she chews the cords, and maybe trying to fit a doctor's appointment in on my lunch break.
Exciting, right? No.
It's especially boring if this is all your characters do.
Sure we're all pretty mundane in real life, but when we read fiction, we can escape the mundane for an adventure. Whether you're writing a giant fantasy or a literary shocker, the stakes for your characters need to be higher than a broken TV cable.
I used to scoff at articles that plead with writers to raise the stakes for their novels. "Pff, I've already got a weird setting," or "Come on, this character is mentally or physically unstable," were things I'd often throw out in my defense.
But I was wrong.
My characters were DOING things, sure. But they weren't filled with enough tension or the consequences of their failures really didn't matter.
Your character can be described as unstable as you want, but if it's never shown - if nothing ever happens with that instability - does it really matter?
So, the next time you have your protagonist yelling at the boss, don't just make his dilemma whether or not he'll be fired. Make it life or death. Make it the difference between his happy marriage or a divorce. Make him feel the consequences and force him to make a decision one way or the other.
Readers will feel more engaged, they'll definitely care more, and they'll keep reading.
That's all we hope for.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Don't be Discouraged. We're all Different!
I recently purchased a meditation CD to (hopefully) get myself in a routine with meditation. Until now, I thought meditation was done one way: You sit down, shut up, and find some inner peace already.
But the CD changed my mind. Upon it, the instructor (Yogi Cameron) helped me to understand that just as there are different personalities amongst people, there are also different meditation styles. Some do best with visualization, some with gazing, some need to count or chant or connect themselves to a deity.
Not only am I now a better meditater, but I also realized that I could connect this understanding with writing.
We all write differently. Some outline and some write with abandon by the seat of their pants. Some can't move on before every word in every sentence is perfect, and others spend years polishing what used to be a crappy first draft. Some drink when they write, others listen to music, and still others need complete solitude and silence.
So how in the world do we all expect to come about writing the same way?
Every writing book and professor you will obtain in your lifetime details a particular method for THEM. That's why so many children become discouraged early on with writing. Their teachers tell them that there is one way to write (the way that works best for the instructor) and if the child can't find his own path, he will quit.
And we want to be successful.
Knowing this, how do you find your correct writing niche for success? First, like meditation, you have to know yourself.
Do you like lists and organization? Outlines may be best for you.
Are you the most creative person you know? Try writing organically, or "from the seat of your pants".
Don't like commitments? Stick to short stories rather than long, difficult novels.
Do you live your life in metaphors? Try writing literary.
There's no tried and true method that will work for everyone. Because we are all different. So don't worry if your style is different from your best friend's. Don't be discouraged if she finishes a novel before you. And don't worry about choosing the wrong style in the beginning.
As the years roll on, we all change. And our methods may need to change as well.
Pick one method. Try it. Didn't work? Go with another.
Find the one that works for you and you alone.
P.S. If you're also interested in meditation, this is the CD I purchased. It's amazing. I recommend it. http://www.meditatewithyc.com/
But the CD changed my mind. Upon it, the instructor (Yogi Cameron) helped me to understand that just as there are different personalities amongst people, there are also different meditation styles. Some do best with visualization, some with gazing, some need to count or chant or connect themselves to a deity.
Not only am I now a better meditater, but I also realized that I could connect this understanding with writing.
We all write differently. Some outline and some write with abandon by the seat of their pants. Some can't move on before every word in every sentence is perfect, and others spend years polishing what used to be a crappy first draft. Some drink when they write, others listen to music, and still others need complete solitude and silence.
So how in the world do we all expect to come about writing the same way?
Every writing book and professor you will obtain in your lifetime details a particular method for THEM. That's why so many children become discouraged early on with writing. Their teachers tell them that there is one way to write (the way that works best for the instructor) and if the child can't find his own path, he will quit.
And we want to be successful.
Knowing this, how do you find your correct writing niche for success? First, like meditation, you have to know yourself.
Do you like lists and organization? Outlines may be best for you.
Are you the most creative person you know? Try writing organically, or "from the seat of your pants".
Don't like commitments? Stick to short stories rather than long, difficult novels.
Do you live your life in metaphors? Try writing literary.
There's no tried and true method that will work for everyone. Because we are all different. So don't worry if your style is different from your best friend's. Don't be discouraged if she finishes a novel before you. And don't worry about choosing the wrong style in the beginning.
As the years roll on, we all change. And our methods may need to change as well.
Pick one method. Try it. Didn't work? Go with another.
Find the one that works for you and you alone.
P.S. If you're also interested in meditation, this is the CD I purchased. It's amazing. I recommend it. http://www.meditatewithyc.com/
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Revision: focus not on what you're losing, but on what you're bound to gain.
I had one of those moments the other day - you know the ones where you're dealing with two completely different problems and then BAM! they both have surprisingly the same solution. Here were my dilemmas:
1. A friend of mine was told by her writing group that the beginning of her story needs major revision. She had me read the first chapter as well, and I agreed that a change would be for the better. However, she confided that the thought of revising what she already had (and which was, as she pointed out, fine) sent her into hour long bouts of petrified terror. How did I convince her that revision would not ruin her story but make it great?
2. I've been living a vegetarian lifestyle for over a year, and now am making the transition to veganism. We're talking no milk, eggs, butter, cheese, honey, or any beauty or home products that aren't cruelty free. Having grown up in a traditional steak-and-potatoes type of family, I needed a way to counteract their questions as to why this lifestyle was right for me. Especially when my mother looked at me with glossy eyes and said, "But...cheesecake!" How did I convince them that I was passionate about my decision, even though it went against what they had taught me growing up?
Over a bowl of oatmeal, the answer hit me - focus not on what you're losing, but on what you're bound to gain.
That's right. Instead of saying, "I really miss that cheesecake and I can never eat it again," think instead, "I'm going to eat this delicious vegan double chocolate smoothie!"
And for that revision-stuck friend of mine, I told her not to focus on a few beautiful sentences she'll lose by revising chapter one, but on the possibilities of what she could gain. A better insight into her protagonist, a well paced first chapter, a first sentence that kicks the breath right out of the agent that sets eyes on it, etc.
Because if you're too scared to change what you have, you'll never know if something else - even if it's difficult and takes a lot of your time - is infinitely better.
So I urge you this week, take a chance within your writing or your life (both, perhaps?)! See what kinds of wondrous new possibilities are out there that can propel you in the direction you wish to go.
1. A friend of mine was told by her writing group that the beginning of her story needs major revision. She had me read the first chapter as well, and I agreed that a change would be for the better. However, she confided that the thought of revising what she already had (and which was, as she pointed out, fine) sent her into hour long bouts of petrified terror. How did I convince her that revision would not ruin her story but make it great?
2. I've been living a vegetarian lifestyle for over a year, and now am making the transition to veganism. We're talking no milk, eggs, butter, cheese, honey, or any beauty or home products that aren't cruelty free. Having grown up in a traditional steak-and-potatoes type of family, I needed a way to counteract their questions as to why this lifestyle was right for me. Especially when my mother looked at me with glossy eyes and said, "But...cheesecake!" How did I convince them that I was passionate about my decision, even though it went against what they had taught me growing up?
Over a bowl of oatmeal, the answer hit me - focus not on what you're losing, but on what you're bound to gain.
That's right. Instead of saying, "I really miss that cheesecake and I can never eat it again," think instead, "I'm going to eat this delicious vegan double chocolate smoothie!"
And for that revision-stuck friend of mine, I told her not to focus on a few beautiful sentences she'll lose by revising chapter one, but on the possibilities of what she could gain. A better insight into her protagonist, a well paced first chapter, a first sentence that kicks the breath right out of the agent that sets eyes on it, etc.
Because if you're too scared to change what you have, you'll never know if something else - even if it's difficult and takes a lot of your time - is infinitely better.
So I urge you this week, take a chance within your writing or your life (both, perhaps?)! See what kinds of wondrous new possibilities are out there that can propel you in the direction you wish to go.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Should You NaNoWriMo?
It's Wednesday, isn't it? It's totally Wednesday.
Well, looks like another late post tally. I'm on a roll this October!
Today, even though it's a day late, I want to discuss NaNoWriMo.
Do you have no idea what I'm talking about? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month - which takes place November 1 through November 30. Basically, the goal is to write a 50,000 word draft of a novel in just 30 days.
Over 310,000 people around the world participated in last year's NaNoWriMo. With these kinds of numbers, is it time to join the bandwagon? Let's explore the Pros and Cons.
Pros:
Do you procrastinate? "I'll write after I make dinner. I'll write after I do the dishes. I'll write after the kids are asleep? I'll write after my homework's done. I'll write tomorrow because it's too late and I'm tired?" Then NaNoWriMo may be the right format for you. Not only do you create a profile by pledging to participate, you also get your own word count widget to see how many words you wrote today, along with a support system of hundreds of thousands of writers to keep you honest and to give encouragement. In short, if you're not writing EVERY DAY like I so advocate on this blog, NaNoWriMo could help.
Are you your own worst critic? Do your typos drive you mad? Do you waste hours in the quest for perfect sentence structure? If you're a perfectionist when it comes to the craft, NaNoWriMo can help. With the lofty goal of 50,000 words in one month, there is no time for editing. If you decide to NaNoWriMo, ignore the misspellings and the bad grammar, and instead write with a new, freeing mindset. It'll do wonders for your first drafts. Promise.
Networking. Many NaNoWriMo participants find great writing friends and literary advisers through their participation.
Also, there's NaNoWriMo for kids! (With a much lower word count.) So if you want to get your kids or students interested in creating, or just want to spend more time with them, here's your chance.
Cons:
NaNoWriMo falls in a very busy month for most of us. Football. Thanksgiving. Christmas Shopping. Family get-togethers. School breaks. On and On. If you're going to commit to writing a novel in a month, 1) should it be during such a busy time of year, and 2) why not choose a month with 31 days and give yourself an extra 24 hours to reach your goal?
Unless you're writing middle grade, 50,000 words does not equal a first draft of any novel. For that reason, be prepared to keep writing after November leaves, even if you reach your goal. Writing a novel is a massive commitment not to be taken up lightly on October 31.
Are you sure you're not a procrastinator? If you're sitting at your desk counting down the days to November 1 so you can start writing every day and complete draft one of your novel, why haven't you started yet? There's no law (in America, at least) that says novel writing can only happen during NaNoWriMo. If you're so excited and committed to writing, you can write every day. So do it! You don't need a widget and a world map to track your progress against everyone else. Write because you need to.
Whether or not you decide to NaNoWriMo, there's one goal here for all of us. To Write. So get those laptops and Carpal Tunnel braces ready. The novels are coming.
Well, looks like another late post tally. I'm on a roll this October!
Today, even though it's a day late, I want to discuss NaNoWriMo.
Do you have no idea what I'm talking about? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month - which takes place November 1 through November 30. Basically, the goal is to write a 50,000 word draft of a novel in just 30 days.
Over 310,000 people around the world participated in last year's NaNoWriMo. With these kinds of numbers, is it time to join the bandwagon? Let's explore the Pros and Cons.
Pros:
Do you procrastinate? "I'll write after I make dinner. I'll write after I do the dishes. I'll write after the kids are asleep? I'll write after my homework's done. I'll write tomorrow because it's too late and I'm tired?" Then NaNoWriMo may be the right format for you. Not only do you create a profile by pledging to participate, you also get your own word count widget to see how many words you wrote today, along with a support system of hundreds of thousands of writers to keep you honest and to give encouragement. In short, if you're not writing EVERY DAY like I so advocate on this blog, NaNoWriMo could help.
Are you your own worst critic? Do your typos drive you mad? Do you waste hours in the quest for perfect sentence structure? If you're a perfectionist when it comes to the craft, NaNoWriMo can help. With the lofty goal of 50,000 words in one month, there is no time for editing. If you decide to NaNoWriMo, ignore the misspellings and the bad grammar, and instead write with a new, freeing mindset. It'll do wonders for your first drafts. Promise.
Networking. Many NaNoWriMo participants find great writing friends and literary advisers through their participation.
Also, there's NaNoWriMo for kids! (With a much lower word count.) So if you want to get your kids or students interested in creating, or just want to spend more time with them, here's your chance.
Cons:
NaNoWriMo falls in a very busy month for most of us. Football. Thanksgiving. Christmas Shopping. Family get-togethers. School breaks. On and On. If you're going to commit to writing a novel in a month, 1) should it be during such a busy time of year, and 2) why not choose a month with 31 days and give yourself an extra 24 hours to reach your goal?
Unless you're writing middle grade, 50,000 words does not equal a first draft of any novel. For that reason, be prepared to keep writing after November leaves, even if you reach your goal. Writing a novel is a massive commitment not to be taken up lightly on October 31.
Are you sure you're not a procrastinator? If you're sitting at your desk counting down the days to November 1 so you can start writing every day and complete draft one of your novel, why haven't you started yet? There's no law (in America, at least) that says novel writing can only happen during NaNoWriMo. If you're so excited and committed to writing, you can write every day. So do it! You don't need a widget and a world map to track your progress against everyone else. Write because you need to.
Whether or not you decide to NaNoWriMo, there's one goal here for all of us. To Write. So get those laptops and Carpal Tunnel braces ready. The novels are coming.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Write Like a Child - Even If You Aren't Writing For Children
You know those play castles erected for children at restaurants, parks, and (most brutally) water parks? The ones equipped with slides, ball pits, water cannons, and monkey bars. Basically everything short of an actual cross bow?
And you think - whether as a parent or as a bystander - wow, those kids must really be having fun.
No. They're killing each other. It's like the Hunger Games in there.
How do I know this? Because the mini getaway I had last week took place at a water park in the Wisconsin Dells, where one of the best slides outside had a line that wove through the kid's play castle. I'm sure their goal was to cut as far back on the line as possible by drowning out 90 percent of the guests that attempted entry. But not I. I stayed even though some jerk of a child blasted a high pressure water gun at my head for five minutes, moving the flow back and forth across my scalp, so I was drenched both down my face and down my neck. Breathing became an exercise done solely through the mouth.
When he finally turned the gun to spray another slide hopeful, I spun around to see who this kid thought he was. And there, on level three of the castle, a sadistic, pudgy little nine year-old was the culprit. I was being tortured by a third grader. It didn't take long for him to tire of the other person ignoring his water jet, and his eyes set on me again. We stood off for about half a second and then he shot the gun right at my face.
I think I still have water behind my contacts.
What could this possibly have to do with writing? Well, other than making a good story, I want to use this barbarous child to prove a point about story structure and plot. (I guess I should thank him for making my wait in line so terrible, but, I just can't.)
Your characters need to unleash their inner sadistic third grader in EVERY scene. They need to take chances and do things unexpectedly - things we wouldn't do in normal life. That's why people read stories: to see how the characters react and then how they justify those reactions.
Have you ever seen a dog left in a parked car on a hot day? Did you call the ASPCA or just shake your head and walk on? Ever been to a wedding with a really good favor like an entire bottle of wine or movie tickets? Did you want to take more than one, but restrained yourself?
Make your characters push the limits. Have them call the ASPCA and break into the locked car to free Fido. Make them stuff four bottles of wine in their suit jackets or nick the entire roll of free tickets.
If your character was in my water park situation, have her chase the kid down through the watery torture dungeon, or maybe have her flip the kid off (and of course, his mother would be within the vicinity and then a whole 'nother can of worms can open).
Unleashing your characters' "inner child" will up the stakes of the scene and therefore create more tension. Not only that, but if your character acts predictably in every scenario, wouldn't you put the book down? Boring, right?
Push the limits and your plot will improve, your characters will be more dynamic, and you'll have more fun writing.
But, Alyssa, you say, I've been within the clutches of modern society too long, and I can't think of a way to push my characters to their inner heartless happy place.
My advice: go talk to your nieces and nephews. Take your friend's kids to the Burger King play center or, worse, add water. Just remember to bring extra padding and a snorkel before you leave. It's brutal out there.
And you think - whether as a parent or as a bystander - wow, those kids must really be having fun.
No. They're killing each other. It's like the Hunger Games in there.
How do I know this? Because the mini getaway I had last week took place at a water park in the Wisconsin Dells, where one of the best slides outside had a line that wove through the kid's play castle. I'm sure their goal was to cut as far back on the line as possible by drowning out 90 percent of the guests that attempted entry. But not I. I stayed even though some jerk of a child blasted a high pressure water gun at my head for five minutes, moving the flow back and forth across my scalp, so I was drenched both down my face and down my neck. Breathing became an exercise done solely through the mouth.
When he finally turned the gun to spray another slide hopeful, I spun around to see who this kid thought he was. And there, on level three of the castle, a sadistic, pudgy little nine year-old was the culprit. I was being tortured by a third grader. It didn't take long for him to tire of the other person ignoring his water jet, and his eyes set on me again. We stood off for about half a second and then he shot the gun right at my face.
I think I still have water behind my contacts.
What could this possibly have to do with writing? Well, other than making a good story, I want to use this barbarous child to prove a point about story structure and plot. (I guess I should thank him for making my wait in line so terrible, but, I just can't.)
Your characters need to unleash their inner sadistic third grader in EVERY scene. They need to take chances and do things unexpectedly - things we wouldn't do in normal life. That's why people read stories: to see how the characters react and then how they justify those reactions.
Have you ever seen a dog left in a parked car on a hot day? Did you call the ASPCA or just shake your head and walk on? Ever been to a wedding with a really good favor like an entire bottle of wine or movie tickets? Did you want to take more than one, but restrained yourself?
Make your characters push the limits. Have them call the ASPCA and break into the locked car to free Fido. Make them stuff four bottles of wine in their suit jackets or nick the entire roll of free tickets.
If your character was in my water park situation, have her chase the kid down through the watery torture dungeon, or maybe have her flip the kid off (and of course, his mother would be within the vicinity and then a whole 'nother can of worms can open).
Unleashing your characters' "inner child" will up the stakes of the scene and therefore create more tension. Not only that, but if your character acts predictably in every scenario, wouldn't you put the book down? Boring, right?
Push the limits and your plot will improve, your characters will be more dynamic, and you'll have more fun writing.
But, Alyssa, you say, I've been within the clutches of modern society too long, and I can't think of a way to push my characters to their inner heartless happy place.
My advice: go talk to your nieces and nephews. Take your friend's kids to the Burger King play center or, worse, add water. Just remember to bring extra padding and a snorkel before you leave. It's brutal out there.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Fitting a Swimming Pool in a Coffee Mug
It can't be done, right? Physics simply won't allow it. And yet, the synopsis requires that you do just that. Your novel (the swimming pool) has to be condensed to 1-2 pages: in fact, the lowest synopsis amount I've seen on an agent submission page is 3 paragraphs: which can often feel even less like a mug and more like an eye dropper.
So how do you accomplish fitting your entire, brilliant masterpiece into such a tiny space?
First, forget about subplot. Have an interesting father-daughter scene that unfolds under the main current of the novel's plot? Great! Don't include it in the synopsis. Tangents don't show you're a good writer, they show you don't know how to edit.
Second, limit your characters. Does your protagonist's brother perpetuate her loneliness by socially isolating her at school? Awesome! Don't name him in the synopsis. Providing every character's proper name from the novel doesn't provide depth, it confuses the reader because instead of focusing on one or two names, the reader has to remember six or seven who may only be mentioned once or twice.
Finally, remember cadence. As a rule of thumb, keep sentences short and to the point. Don't try and show off in your synopsis. It is less a showcase of writing talent (though you do want to put time into writing it well) and more of a showcase to agents that you know how to plot and you know where you're going with this story before they read the whole thing. Need help? For your first draft keep all sentences 10 words and shorter. Then, later, combine sentence for clarity and cadence.
Still intimidated by the synopsis? Try this technique---
Boil your novel's plot down to ten sentences. I repeat, TEN. No more. Only include what's important because you can't add more space - just like your one page synopsis. Then, expand upon these ten sentences enough so your plot has causality and makes sense, but not enough so it's cluttered.
Think you're up for the challenge? I think you are. If you keep in mind that simplicity is best, you will do infinitely better.
So how do you accomplish fitting your entire, brilliant masterpiece into such a tiny space?
First, forget about subplot. Have an interesting father-daughter scene that unfolds under the main current of the novel's plot? Great! Don't include it in the synopsis. Tangents don't show you're a good writer, they show you don't know how to edit.
Second, limit your characters. Does your protagonist's brother perpetuate her loneliness by socially isolating her at school? Awesome! Don't name him in the synopsis. Providing every character's proper name from the novel doesn't provide depth, it confuses the reader because instead of focusing on one or two names, the reader has to remember six or seven who may only be mentioned once or twice.
Finally, remember cadence. As a rule of thumb, keep sentences short and to the point. Don't try and show off in your synopsis. It is less a showcase of writing talent (though you do want to put time into writing it well) and more of a showcase to agents that you know how to plot and you know where you're going with this story before they read the whole thing. Need help? For your first draft keep all sentences 10 words and shorter. Then, later, combine sentence for clarity and cadence.
Still intimidated by the synopsis? Try this technique---
Boil your novel's plot down to ten sentences. I repeat, TEN. No more. Only include what's important because you can't add more space - just like your one page synopsis. Then, expand upon these ten sentences enough so your plot has causality and makes sense, but not enough so it's cluttered.
Think you're up for the challenge? I think you are. If you keep in mind that simplicity is best, you will do infinitely better.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Cutting the Crap
I'm in the revision stage for all my major manuscripts - my YA manuscript, a lengthy sci-fi "short", and my mostly-as-of-now untouched memoir.
With revision on the brain and a writer's group freshly attended, I'd like to share with you my philosophy with revision and the writing that happens before it.
First: Writing.
I'm in the boat of writers who says don't outline, don't think too hard, and definitely don't reread your work until you finish your first draft. That first draft is going to be baggy, full of tangents, and pretty much all-around crap. This is good. You will read it and think you're a terrible writer who should never write another word again. Good. This will motivate you.
Second: Revision.
I am also in the boat of writers who truly enjoys revision. I like spending the time with my characters to truly understand them and probe deep within their minds and motives. Revision is where I can make scenes better and add ones that will help the reader better understand the flow of action or the characters. Revision is where I quite literally cut the crap of my first draft and feel less terrible about myself.
So here's this weeks advise - choose whichever category describes you and read on.
1. The writer too afraid to write/ the writer with writer's block: Don't be afraid. Write something and add more to it everyday. It's better to write baggy and have to spend time cutting later than to never write at all, right?
2. The writer who doesn't think his writing needs revision/ the writer too afraid of revision to cut into his first draft: Your writing DOES need revision. I don't care how scared you are or how awesome you think your first draft is. It isn't. This goes for everyone - even the greats. Go sentence by sentence. Is this sentence needed? If you say no - cut it. If you say maybe and want to provide a long explanation why - cut it or pay up $1,000,000 just like the bulky dialogue conversation we had back in July (find it here). Then go scene by scene or character by character and follow the same process. I promise you'll thank me later when your manuscript is no longer 250,000 words and you can reach the top of the bestseller list.
Until then, happy revising! To leave you this week, here's a picture of me in my baggiest revision clothes, ready to be trimmed..........................April Fools! (Come on, you know I had to.)
With revision on the brain and a writer's group freshly attended, I'd like to share with you my philosophy with revision and the writing that happens before it.
First: Writing.
I'm in the boat of writers who says don't outline, don't think too hard, and definitely don't reread your work until you finish your first draft. That first draft is going to be baggy, full of tangents, and pretty much all-around crap. This is good. You will read it and think you're a terrible writer who should never write another word again. Good. This will motivate you.
Second: Revision.
I am also in the boat of writers who truly enjoys revision. I like spending the time with my characters to truly understand them and probe deep within their minds and motives. Revision is where I can make scenes better and add ones that will help the reader better understand the flow of action or the characters. Revision is where I quite literally cut the crap of my first draft and feel less terrible about myself.
So here's this weeks advise - choose whichever category describes you and read on.
1. The writer too afraid to write/ the writer with writer's block: Don't be afraid. Write something and add more to it everyday. It's better to write baggy and have to spend time cutting later than to never write at all, right?
2. The writer who doesn't think his writing needs revision/ the writer too afraid of revision to cut into his first draft: Your writing DOES need revision. I don't care how scared you are or how awesome you think your first draft is. It isn't. This goes for everyone - even the greats. Go sentence by sentence. Is this sentence needed? If you say no - cut it. If you say maybe and want to provide a long explanation why - cut it or pay up $1,000,000 just like the bulky dialogue conversation we had back in July (find it here). Then go scene by scene or character by character and follow the same process. I promise you'll thank me later when your manuscript is no longer 250,000 words and you can reach the top of the bestseller list.
Until then, happy revising! To leave you this week, here's a picture of me in my baggiest revision clothes, ready to be trimmed..........................April Fools! (Come on, you know I had to.)
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Beginnings, The Bane of My Existence (Why, Yes, This Is Another Late Post)
Late Post Tally #2. Sorry, guys, the holidays have me whirling and I completely forgot about blogging yesterday while waiting for my inner zen to kick in.
Anyway, back to writing.
For me, the hardest part about writing a story (short, novella, or full novel length) is the beginning. Where can you possibly start when all these characters have so much going on, and have had so much going on in their past? Thankfully, we have an answer.
The inciting incident. The inciting incident is the moment that "kicks" your story into motion. It's the place where your character's world is changed forever.
In ye olden times, the narrator of the story would often start with a long history of the protagonist's past (and possibly the antagonist, too). From birth, through childhood, and even an explanation of how the protagonist is now king before all the characters in Act 1 filed onto stage.
In modern times, ain't nobody got time for that. All we need to know is the protagonist is now king, which can be detailed through the first scene, not the first sentence.
We live in an age of thirty second meals delivered through our microwaves or car windows, instant internet shopping (perhaps more instant with the Amazon Drones? We'll see), and laundry that takes a mere half an hour to go from wet to dry and wearable. However, it's important not to get too hasty in the opening of your story. This is the tricky part. If you move too quickly without enough explanation, the reader will get lost and confused.
That's why all those writing teachers always told you not to start off with dialogue as your opening line. The reader is introduced to the story and its problems by a character they don't know anything about, in a setting they have never seen. It'd be like leading you into a dark room, blindfolded and wearing nose plugs, to have someone whose voice you can't recognize, read you a monologue. Kind of jarring.
The key to a great beginning, one that works for publishing and for your story, is to start us off at the inciting incident - the moment your character encounters a problem. Of course this problem will grow and manipulate through the story, but it gives the protagonist something to fight for, something to change their way of thinking and their actions immediately. Start there with enough exposition sprinkled throughout so readers understand the stakes and the world, and you've got a mighty fine beginning.
It's a lot easier said than done, as I'm sure most of you know. That's why beginnings are the hardest part for me. How much is too much? How much is too little? It varies for every single story.
Happy writing!
Anyway, back to writing.
For me, the hardest part about writing a story (short, novella, or full novel length) is the beginning. Where can you possibly start when all these characters have so much going on, and have had so much going on in their past? Thankfully, we have an answer.
The inciting incident. The inciting incident is the moment that "kicks" your story into motion. It's the place where your character's world is changed forever.
In ye olden times, the narrator of the story would often start with a long history of the protagonist's past (and possibly the antagonist, too). From birth, through childhood, and even an explanation of how the protagonist is now king before all the characters in Act 1 filed onto stage.
In modern times, ain't nobody got time for that. All we need to know is the protagonist is now king, which can be detailed through the first scene, not the first sentence.
We live in an age of thirty second meals delivered through our microwaves or car windows, instant internet shopping (perhaps more instant with the Amazon Drones? We'll see), and laundry that takes a mere half an hour to go from wet to dry and wearable. However, it's important not to get too hasty in the opening of your story. This is the tricky part. If you move too quickly without enough explanation, the reader will get lost and confused.
That's why all those writing teachers always told you not to start off with dialogue as your opening line. The reader is introduced to the story and its problems by a character they don't know anything about, in a setting they have never seen. It'd be like leading you into a dark room, blindfolded and wearing nose plugs, to have someone whose voice you can't recognize, read you a monologue. Kind of jarring.
The key to a great beginning, one that works for publishing and for your story, is to start us off at the inciting incident - the moment your character encounters a problem. Of course this problem will grow and manipulate through the story, but it gives the protagonist something to fight for, something to change their way of thinking and their actions immediately. Start there with enough exposition sprinkled throughout so readers understand the stakes and the world, and you've got a mighty fine beginning.
It's a lot easier said than done, as I'm sure most of you know. That's why beginnings are the hardest part for me. How much is too much? How much is too little? It varies for every single story.
Happy writing!
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