Darkened_Jade

New blog location

2009-11-04T17:17:00.000+10:00

I would like to thank everyone who followed this blog and I am sorry about the extended absence, it wasn't planned. Since I'm starting up again I decided it was time for a change and have moved to wordpress.

My new blog, Cassandra Jade in the Realm, is located at http://cassandrajade.wordpress.com

I hope to see you all there.

Thanks again.

Short Note

2009-08-08T07:07:00.000+10:00

Just letting people know the blog has not been abandoned. I was a quite sick with the flu and have since had to catch up on work (I think I'll be behind for the rest of the year at this stage). However, I will resume blog posts as normal from tomorrow and I am mid-way through the series on plot.

10 Ways to Know You Are Obsessed With Writing

2009-07-25T07:09:00.005+10:00

I'm taking a break from the plot series for the weekend. Though I definitely recommend checking out Jane Friedman's blog 'There are no rules' for great post: The Protagonist Must Have A Goal.

Today I would just like to share a list of ten things that indicate you've become obsessed by writing (not saying obsession is a bad thing):

1. You start re-reading every sentence that you write and then start re-writing every sentence, convinced that you are 'improving' them. I know when it's time to stop when I have just written the same sentence ten times and I no longer even believe it to be written in English.

2. Your partner/best friend/child sends you an instant message asking if you will be eating breakfast/lunch/dinner.

3. You start arguing with your characters out loud: "No, you fool. You have to go..."

4. You have any kind of repetitive strain problem (wrist, arm, finger, neck, eyes).

5. You get home from your day job and your computer is turned on before you have put your bag down, taken your shoes off, fed your pets, or spoken to your children.

6. When you have told your friend/partner/child you will be ready to leave just after finishing one more sentence you write another couple of pages and forget you were meant to be finishing until they unplug the computer at the wall.

7. In your bag you have at least three notebooks and five pens, as well as a pencil in case all of you pens cease working on the same day.

8. Every single thing you read or watch is critiqued in terms of character, plot and setting.

9. When you meet someone for the first time you repeat their name, not to help you remember them but so that you can someday use that name in a story.

10. In conversation you directly reference events and characters you have been writing about (even though nobody else has read it yet).

Add your 'you know you are obsessed with writing when...'

Plot - The Hook

2009-07-23T17:03:00.003+10:00

It makes sense that if you want someone to read your book that it has to have a hook. When they read that first line (paragraph) they should instantly want to read more. Particularly when your book is still unpublished and you are trying to convince an agent or publisher it is worth the effort, you really want to make a great first impression.

I have to confess, this is a skill I have really yet to learn. I understand why a hook is important and I have read countless pages of advice on how to write an interesting beginning to a story, and I still haven't really managed it.

Recently I was looking over my work and I noticed that the large majority of my stories begin with a single character doing something utterly mundane in the morning. I don't know why this is a recurring trend in my writing, but I have at least identified what I am doing and I understand that this does not make for exciting reading.

Advice I have been given:

Start with action - everyone loves action and putting your characters in danger can make the reader feel sympathetic for them (personally I really don't like stories that begin in these situations as I prefer to care about the character before they get into danger, but I guess it is a matter of opinion).
Start with dialogue - have your character say something interesting to get the reader interested.
Start with a mystery - something a bit odd or different that makes the reader want to find out more. I have to put down Orwell's 1984 as a great example of this as in his very first line the clocks struck thirteen.

Despite this advice, found in a myriad of forms, I'm still working on perfecting the hook. What I do know is that the start of the book has to be interesting for people to read it. It doesn't matter if you think you have the 'best' story ever if nobody ever gets beyond the first page. Managing to get people into the story and reading on is definitely a skill I need to develop.

I'd love to know how everyone else deals with this.

Writing Links #2

2009-07-22T16:52:00.002+10:00

Last week I did a wrap up of all the links I found on Thursday, then decided I'd like to add one every week and that Wednesday was a better day. Until I change my mind again or my computer breaks down.

There are quite a few links this week and I'm going to try to put them into some sort of order but that may not work. As always, feel free to add more links in the comments or to let me know if you've found a good site for writing discussion or advice. I'm always looking for new ones.

Storytelling

Joe Konrath - How Not to Write A Story
Greg - How to Write - Structure
Ajibade Oluwaseun - Writing A Short Story

Inspiration and Motivation

Jodi Cleghorn - Why Write
Jane - Turn Your Dragons Into Princess'
Blair - Sink Your Teeth Into A New Project
Nick Leshi - How to Beat Writer's Block (Response to previous post on Darkened Jade)
Elizabeth Gilber - Nurturing Creativity (Well worth watching)

Writing As Business

John Green - Advance vs Royalties
Hope Clark - Writer = Entrepreneur

Other

K.M.Weiland - Making Cliche's Work For You
Jean Henry Mead - How To Repair a Manuscript
Nathan Bransford - 5 Stages of Querying Grief
Jane - 5 Elements of a Query Letter
Elizabeth Spann Craig - Book Length
Melissa Donovan - Daily Writing Equals Better Writing

Off Topic But Fun

Daybreaker Trailer

This week (an next) I am exploring plot. So far I've talked about structure and complications, tomorrow I'll be looking at hooks (assuming my Internet is still functioning).

You know, I think the best thing about doing this list is I revisit all the great blogs I've found during the week, something I usually don't get around to doing.

Plot - Why So Complicated?

2009-07-21T16:34:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I looked at the basic (very basic) plot structure and while I'll be taking a more indepth look at structure and variations on it in later posts, today I just want to focus on complications.

Everyone will tell you a story has to have a problem. Or a complication. Or a conflict. It all amounts to the same thing. There has to be a central issue that is in some way connected to the central characters. Why? Because otherwise, what is your story about.

If someone handed me a book and said 'read it', my first question would be 'what is it about?'. This isn't me wanting the blurb read to me or someone's review. This is me just wanting to know what is the point of the book. Boil all the fancy words down, what is the reason for the story. Read the two answers below and decide which you would read.

1. Luke and Lane are getting married.

2. Luke and Lane are getting married but Lane's mother doesn't approve.

The first tells me what events to expect but it doesn't sound particularly interesting. Unless it is a biography about two people I had heard of and I was wanting to know about their wedding, I'm unlikely to read it. The second tells me there is a problem. They want to get married, but... And that but is enough to keep me interested. How does Lane's mother react? Does she try to interfere? Stop the wedding? Why doesn't she approve? So many questions that I instantly want answered and now I have to read the book to find out.

You have to have a complication.

And before you run off and try to think of something so intensely convoluted that even Nostradamus would have asked for directions the central complication doesn't need to too complex. The important thing is that there is a point to reading and the reader can expect some kind of satisfactory explanation. It is not really important to try to confuse them. If you want to make your story more complex, you can layer other complications and side plots in later, but the basic storyline should be relatively clear.

What kind of problem could there be?

Most people I've spoken to and most of the advice I've read points to four basic types of conflict that appear in books.

1. Man against society - The protagonist (for whatever reason) opposes the world and society in which he lives. The story then usually revolves around the protagonist trying to change things in some way.

2. Man against man - Two characters for whatever reason have opposing view points or goals and the clash of personalities creates the conflict. Frequently one will be villianised while the other will be set up as a hero.

3. Man against himself - Looking at internal conflict of someone trying to change who they are within.

4. Man against nature - Protagonist trying to defeat some kind of monster, natural disaster, climb a mountain, save the world, etc, etc.

While these are the basic types of conflict there are many books that use variations or combinations of these, plus if you include multiple sub-plots it will enable you to explore more than one of these within a single story.

Tomorrow I'm going to put together a list of links found this week and then in the next post I'll be looking at hooks. Let me know if you have any advice or links you would like added or linked to and I would love to know what you think about complications in stories.

Plot - Structure of a Story

2009-07-20T17:13:00.003+10:00

Welcome to the first post in this series on plot. Over the next two weeks*, I'm going to be looking at all things plot like and hopefully sharing some useful points for writers, as well as hopefully learning something new.
*Wednesday will be a post on writing links and the weekend will be whatever takes my fancy.

This post is looking at the structure of a story. Any story. It does not matter what genre you wish to write or who you think your audience is. The basic story structure remains the same. In its most simplistic form the structure has a beginning, a middle, and an end. That might sound obvious but I've actually read a few books where I get to the end and wonder where I stopped reading the introduction. It feels like the entire story has just been setting something up and we've never really moved on from just getting you used to the characters and the world.

So what should each of these sections include? (At the moment I am only going to look at linear plot structures. I'm going to examine non-linear plots in a separate post)

The Beginning:

This is where you need to establish your main characters and setting as well as your problem (yes there needs to be a problem or a conflict and you need to give the reader some idea of what it is in the beginning so that they know more-or-less where the story is going).

Dangers in the beginning include being overly descriptive. Yes the field may be lovely but if you describe all twenty shades of green for the grass most readers will call it quits. Being overly descriptive can also be likened to doing an info-dump. The reader wants to know about your characters but they don't want to read two pages of description telling you every pertinent detail without moving forward in the story.

Other dangers include not managing to hook your reader. This is why many writers chose to begin with some sort of action sequence or prologue before getting into the introductions though it isn't necessary to jump straight into action in order to get your reader interested. Or at least it shouldn't be.

The Middle:

Despite the story being divided into three basic components they aren't all even lengths. The middle is generally the longest part of the story and unfortunately the one that fewest people seem to value. Everyone will tell you that you need a great start. You have to hook the reader straight away. They'll tell you that you need a great finish. Something people will remember. They seldom tell you that you need a strong and convincing middle that is interesting and logical and well developed. It doesn't matter how great that ending is if the reader gives up in the middle because you've relied on bad cliche's and poor dialogue to move your story forward.

The middle is crucial. You build tension, you lead in additional complications, you give your readers a reason to care what happens to your characters and your settings; the middle will definitely determine whether your book is a thrilling page turner or a yawn that the reader decides to flick through a few pages before going to sleep.

The Ending:

Please end you story. I don't know how many times I have gotten to the end of a book and just wanted to scream because the story doesn't end. I'm not actually talking about series or books that are leading into a sequel. I assume that those will eventually end so while they might be frustrating, I'll get over them.

What bothers me is when in the beginning I'm introduced to some characters who have a problem and during the course of the middle all manner of other complications emerge. By the end one of those additional complications has become amazingly interesting and amazing and the writer ties it up with a big bang and tells me they all lived happily ever after. What happened to the original problem? Usually it is hanging out there un-resolved. It is like the writer decided mid-way along that a side story was more interesting and then hasn't bothered to re-write the opening. Terribly frustrating for the reader. As happy as you are to see the other issue resolved, the voice in the back of your mind just keeps wanting to know what happened to...

Does every problem need to be solved? No. Depending on who your audience is and the purpose of your story. Some things are never solved. Sometimes the solution is that the world ends or that the bad guy wins. That is a solution, though maybe not the one the reader wanted. The story has to end. Whatever you have set up as your main storyline has to have some kind of conclusion. How you do that is up to you.

Tomorrow I am going to look at types of complications and how they work in the story. I'd love to know which part of the story most writers focus on when writing. All three? The beginning? The ending? Let me know.

Some useful links:

Guest blog on Nathan Bransford from Victoria Mixon - Everything you need to know about writing a novel
Greg on Writing - Writing Mistake #7

Writer's Block

2009-07-19T13:47:00.003+10:00

Starting tomorrow I am beginning a series of posts about plot and I am really looking forward to it. Before I begin that series though I just wanted to take a bit of time out to talk about writer's block.

Ask google to define writer's block and this is what you get: The inability to write.

So it amazes me how every single day twitter is flooded with posts such as:

ear0wax Writers Block!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
mynameismickey I have writers Block :(
hollzyy writers block AHH
gigglesmack trying to write a story but has writers block

Not only do they generally not bother with the apostrophe but they become reasonably repetitive. The far more useful post would be when the writer says they are doing such and such to get around their writer's block. That is actually something all writers would have an interest in because we all experience lulls in our writing flow and sometimes those suggestions are just what we need to get going again.

Plus, if they are writing a post on twitter, I'm not sure that writer's block is the problem.

The problem becomes one of focus, or that a particular project is not going well, or (like most of the rest of us on twitter) they have things to do but are just having too much fun distracting themselves elsewhere.

For those genuinely stuck with writer's block there are many suggestions out there to help get you writing again (some good, some bad, some random) but usually writing anything can help get you started. K. M. Weiland gave an interesting guest post in May on how to create inspiration for those feeling uninspired.

So here is a very basic list of ways to get going again:

Read through your planning notes and look at where your story is going - it could be you are getting stuck because you aren't sure where it is you want to be
If you are stuck on a particular segment but you know what is going to happen, skip over it and write something for another section. Sometimes that can help get you focused on your project again.
Take a character or event or place from your story and write a short story around it - separate from your main project.
Before you start to write, create a list of what you want to accomplish in the session.
Find a writing prompt exercise to begin with before starting work on your project.
If you haven't written in days, it may be time to start a new project and come back to the one that has you going around the bend.

As writer's block does afflict many and finding ways to get focused can sometimes be difficult, I would love it if you would share your methods for overcoming it.

The Greatest of Characters

2009-07-18T09:17:00.002+10:00

Having spent an entire week looking at characters my mind has become very much focused on characters I have enjoyed reading. Almost all of the books I would claim to love have at least one memorable character that I just thoroughly enjoyed reading about. Below are my nominations for greatest characters of all time (in a bunch of made up categories). Be sure to add your own categories and character nominations at the bottom.

Female Protagonist - Tori Alexander (The Ancient Future by Traci Harding)

Tori wins this one handily as I read and re-read the Ancient Future Trilogy about seven times while in school and have continued to revisit it once a year since. She's the character I never get enough of. Even though I didn't particularly like the follow up trilogy, I still gasp every time Tori gets abducted and... well I'm not going to spoil a good story for anyone else.

Why is Tori Alexander such a great character? She's a very contemporary woman, strong and independent, but she isn't obnoxious about pro-feminism or the like. She knows she is capable and she doesn't need to jump to her own defence every five seconds. Being sent back in time doesn't disturb her and unlike most other time travel story she doesn't spend ninety percent of the time moaning about the fact that she is upsetting the timeline. She merrily goes about teaching medieval knights in England martial arts and she doesn't take no for an answer.

Besides, it is hard not to like a character who managed to fight off an evil witch, marry a prince, travel back to Atlantis, and finally, forward to the foretold end of the world. That, and her arrogance and certainty lead to some very interesting conflicts along the way.

Other contenders for the title of greatest female protagonist included Rina Decker (Peter Decker series from Faye Kellerman) and Magiere (Dhampir from Barb and J. C. Hendee). Rina was finally passed over because ultimately she plays a supporting role rather than the lead. Magiere lost because at her core she is a con-artist who resents the role that is being thrust upon her. It makes for a really interesting story but a more flawed character.

Male Protagonist - Pelman (Pelman the Powershaper by Robert Don Hughes)

This was actually a really hard decision. There are so many really good male protagonists out there (as well as some really annoying ones). I do have to confess that I automatically ruled out any males who solved all of their problems with violence or were condescending to women which kind of ruled out the vast majority from the fantasy genre which I tend to read.

Pelman eventually won because despite being the main character and the one who ultimately solves everything, he spends all three books of the trilogy building up the other characters and driving them forward. I also love the fact that he is a PowerShaper in one of the three lands, an actor in another and a prophet in the third. The idea that a character will change completely )or be changed) by their geographic location, was one that I had not encountered before this trilogy.

It is his ever changing personality and his interactions with the supporting characters in his fantastical world that have managed to make Pelman stand out from other male protagonists.

When thinking of male protagonists my brain automatically bent toward David Eddings and either Sparhawk or Althalus. Both were eventually passed over because despite being really great characters, they both suffer from feeling at times a little too generic (Sparhawk being the classic fantasy knight while Athalus takes the role of rogue).

Anti-Hero - Daemon Sadi (Dark Jewels Trilogy - Anne Bishop)

Possibly people will argue over my definition of an anti-hero and yes it can definitely be argued that Sadi is not a hero in any sense of the word. However I found him heroic. All of his actions early in the trilogy are directed toward protecting Janelle and he ends up losing his mind for his efforts. That simple act of self-sacrifice allows me to classify him as a hero.

Any character whose nickname is the 'sadist' is not going to be a nice character. Sadi is a predator and has been made extremely malicious and very effective at his craft by the world in which he lives. To say that he isn't so bad because he only tortures-dismembers-disappears bad people isn't exactly an amazing defence for his character.

Ultimately I put Daemon Sadi up for greatest anti-hero because unlike most anti-heroic characters who have one dark incident that we see in the beginning, or a dark past that is often referred to but never seen, Anne Bishop puts Sadi's true character up there for all to see. Every horrific action. Yet the reader still feels for Sadi and wants him to succeed. As readers we are sympathetic when he loses his mind and is wandering. We eagerly await the resolution because we hope that Sadi will find peace. That is some incredible character creation when he can do the things he does and yet we still want him to win.

The other character I was contemplating was White Mike from Nick McDonell's 'Twelve' but he falls down because the focus of Twelve shifts between so many characters it is difficult to really grow attached to any one of them and it would be nearly impossible to argue that White Mike had any heroic tendencies. He definitely has survival instincts but they aren't really the same thing.

Villain - Marnie Simpson (Eye of the Daemon by Camille Bacon-Smith)

There are so many fantastic villains out there it was nearly impossible to decide. Once again I had to do a broad sweep elimination of all of the villains who sit in their lair, dressed in black, sending their minions out before them, etc, etc. The nomination for greatest villain had to be someone a little different.

I've settled on Marnie Simpson but there were so many to choose from. Marnie Simpson is a cold hearted individual who manages to play the role of helpless victim, cool business woman, lover, and still plot taking over both this world and the daemon's world. She isn't so much evil as greedy, malicious, and dangerously half-informed about things.

What I do love about Marnie though is that she doesn't let anything stand in her way. When one plan fails another is instantly prepared demonstrating her flexible nature. She plans well in advance. She has unlimited ambition. And, the best quality of all, she doesn't worry about the morality of her actions at any time.

As far as villains go, I contemplated nearly fifty before settling on this one. There were so many close contenders.

Add Yours

This was my list of greatest characters. I would love to hear yours, even if they aren't in one of the categories above.

Character - Discussion

2009-07-17T17:15:00.002+10:00

We have come to Friday and while I did not begin the series on a Friday or at any particular point in time, it feels appropriate to end at the end of the week and begin a new series next week and so I am wrapping up my posts on character.

I'm really glad I did this series because I have had such an incredible learning experience. While I've been sharing my thoughts I have been receiving comments, I've been asking questions on twitter, I've been exploring other blogs, and the amount that I've learned and gained has been incredible. I can only hope that some of my readers have gained even a little bit from this.

To finish off I would like to recap some of the major points from the series as well as add in some of the points I've gained from discussions (both online and off).

Characters are really important to the story - in fact for many readers the characters can make or break the story.
Writers get very attached to their characters but they shouldn't let their attachment get in the way of moving the plot forward (sometimes bad things happen to good characters).
A good protagonist can hook the reader and really distinguish your story.
Antagonists are essential as far as plot development and human drama.
Ensemble casts are an interesting case and somewhat more difficult to write well but for a good writer there is a lot of potential.
Believable characters take time to develop and it is the small details that make them realistic.
As much as the writer loves the character they have created and the back story they have lovingly crafted, almost nobody loves an info-dump at the beginning of a story.

I'd love to hear any final thoughts on character, or even ideas for information you would like on character for another series. Over the weekend I'll be looking at some of my favourite characters and next week I'll be looking at... (once more we pause for a very comical drum roll)... PLOT.

Looking forward to it.

Writing Links

2009-07-16T20:12:00.002+10:00

This is a minor deviation from the current theme. I've found so many great posts about writing lately and I wanted to share them here.

Adding tension in writing from Amber Argyle.
The importance of getting the first line right from Carol Kilgore
Wagging the dog, a discussion on following writer trends from Michelle Gagnon.
What fairy tales have taught me about writing from Elizabeth Spann Craig
Signs your project isn't going well from Elizabeth Spann Craig
Seven Deadly Sins of Writing from Warrior Writer
Urban Fantasy in a post Buffy world from Laura Miller
Characters Welcome from Terri Thayer
5 Ways to Pace Your Story from K.M. Weiland
11 Types of Bad Writing Advice from Susan K. Perry
Writing for your audience from Auburn Rutledge

Not a post on writing, but a very amusing book trailer all the same.

Quirk Classics #2

Below are the current posts on the theme of characters. This series is nearly done for the time being and I'll be moving on to a new theme next week.

If you have a great link or a comment on any of these, let me know. I'd love to hear your view.

Character - Eenie, Meenie, Mini, Mo, Which Character Should I Kill?

2009-07-15T17:55:00.003+10:00

Maybe it is a little cold hearted but I was talking with a few people about this over the last couple of days and we all came to the same conclusion - most writers are too resistant to the idea of killing off their characters.

This is something that most fantasy readers are familiar with. Group of adventurer's, lead by plucky protagonist, go off an absolutely impossible quest and, with the exception of one character (usually the sweetest and most helpful of the group - or the one who was secretly a traitor), all of the adventurer's survive despite the apparent high degree of danger. Either the quest isn't that impossible or the writer just couldn't bring themselves to knock over any of the other characters.

I've been working on a few outlines recently while I finish off other projects and I have to admit, even though I haven't actually written any of the characters yet I am already very attached to them. However, knowing that it bothers me when characters seem to dance blithely into danger and survive unscathed I started actively plotting the several of the character's demises. Usually I just work on raining pain and misery down upon my characters so that they can overcome it but I am now working to actually kill them.

Even knowing that my goal was to eliminate several characters, I found myself seeking excuses to spare them this fate. "But this one could..." "But the reader will be too attached..." "But if I do that this other character will be..."

These are characters. Not real people. In point of fact, most of them aren't even characters yet. They are dot points and sketchy outlines scribbled in the back of notebooks. I haven't even named some of them and I'm worried about their death.

Those who follow me on twitter will know that I recently resolved one of these problems with a coin toss. A particular character that I had decided to kill off was actively protesting his selection. A hundred good reasons to keep him around flooded my head. Having had enough of the indecision, and knowing I had chosen this particular character because he served no significant role in the climax and had in fact already served his purpose within the story (and in his death could also be a catalyst for another significant event) I decided to leave the decision in fate's hands. I think we all know that fate is cruel.

The Twitter post went as follows:

Decision made, character definitely dead, just have to figure out how and when. Slightly morbid plotting the death of a beloved character.

The character in question is still trying to claw his way back to life and justify his existence but I think I'm going to remain strong on this particular point.

Do I like gory stories where everybody dies? No. I don't see the point in bloodshed for the sake of bloodshed. And I'm not particularly concerned with overt realism in story telling. The fact that nobody would survive a particular situation in reality doesn't mean you can't have some of your characters come through it alright. However, I think it is easier to accept those that survive if you allow characters to die. Not just the nameless nobodies in the background, but the characters people have invested time and energy in. Make them feel something. Make them shocked or sad or angry but don't just have everyone survive and join hands and sing.

I also noticed this in an MS draft I wrote last Christmas and have been working on off and on inbetween other projects. I have an army invade a city and every person in the city has either fled or is fighting off the army and only two named characters manage to get themselves killed (and neither were particularly well liked to begin with). It doesn't make sense and it seems way too trite. Though which characters will live and die is still a matter of debate.

Character - 5 Essentials for Genuine Characters

2009-07-14T16:10:00.003+10:00

Keeping it simple today. This is quick checklist for creating genuine characters:

Don't shun stereotypes - While the overuse of stereotypes is definitely a no-no, but to utterly ignore every existing paradigm for character creation isn't such a great idea either. Despite what people say, they actually do like the familiar and dragging them by the hair into totally new territory probably isn't the best way to connect to your readers.

Appearance matters - You have to give your reader some idea of what your character looks like. This doesn't mean giving the reader an info dump two pages long that ends up describing every single mole. Give them enough to form an image and then move on (and if you revisit physical appearance again be sure you are consistent).

Dialogue rocks - Dialogue is where the reader has the chance to hear the character speak in the words that they have chosen. Unless the book is narrated by the character the reader does not get the chance any other way. That means the dialogue should be authentic to the character and it has to be distinguished from other characters.

Everybody has a past - unless you sprung from the ground about a sentence before the beginning of the plot. How much of the character's past you choose to explain or explicitly detail is up to the individual writer and plot but every character has a past, has opinions and viewpoints and ways of doing things. Characters that seem to exist only for the sake of the current plot never really feel genuine.

Relationships are necessary - You character is going to be interacting with others and it is important that you understand the relationship that they have with each of the other players. Is there a history? Is it a newly established connection? Are there other connections between the characters? If the relationships don't work then the characters won't feel right.

Did I forget any? Probably. Let me know what you think. Here are some links about characters and dialogue that I've found - please let me know if you have others.

Thy Dialogue Does Sound Strange - Nathan Bransford
Writing Tips - Lyrical Press - Mary Murray
Reader Turnoffs - Elizabeth Spann Craig (some very good advice on other topics here as well)

Character - The Ensemble Cast

2009-07-13T17:25:00.002+10:00

So far in this series on character I've looked at the leading character and the antagonist (or antagonists, depending). Today I'd like to take a look at ensemble casts.

Now the first thing you may note about a book that has a true ensemble cast, is that there isn't really a clear protagonist. Having an ensemble cast is different from simply having a large number of supporting characters. In a true ensemble each character has to able to be seen individually and to have a clear purpose and goal within the story. While a reader maybe drawn to one character more than another, all of the characters should be essential in their own way.

Benefits of the Ensemble Cast

Why have an ensemble cast? Other than the fun and exciting challenge of creating indepth and interesting characters there are many good reasons. Some of these include:

Less pressure to create a protagonist that all of your readers will love and adore. By having the ensemble cast each character is able to express individual flaws and trouble spots as well as their own strengths. Even if your reader doesn't like one of the cast, the others will probably more than make up for it.
Each character adds their strengths and abilities to the story so you aren't having to create some wonderfully amazing character that is too good for words. A problem that is completely overwhelming for one of your characters can be tackled by the group and each character can still feel realistic.
The group dynamics add a very real and human element to the story and allow for back and forth dialogue and character development.
Because each character has their own motive and background it gives a lot of room for exploration and side plots. This can add a great deal of depth and interest for your story (or detract from the main plot and bore your reader to death if done poorly, but the same could be said of any writing really).

Disadvantages of the Ensemble Cast

For every advantage there is usually a disadvantage and the same is true of ensemble casts. Some of the disadvantages can include:

The writer beginning with a strong group dynamic and by mid-way through the plot have focused down to one or two characters leaving the rest just kind of drifting. If the reader connected with one of the characters that gets sidelined they may very well not want to finish the story.
The group dynamic may make no sense. If the reader can't visualise this group of individuals ever getting together for any reason, and can't accept that this group would work together, they aren't going to accept the story. Clumsy dialogue and chance encounters won't hold the story together if the characters just aren't connecting.
The writer's need to include enough background details about each character may begin to overwhelm (or bore) the reader. This particularly becomes problematic when the writer feels the need to reintroduce the character every time they enter a scene.
Trying to find some sort of meaningful role for each of the characters in the final conflict is sometimes troublesome and some writers go to great length to come up with distractions for their characters to deal with and it all becomes very messy.

I do feel I need to admit that I've never been a huge fan of the ensemble cast. I like a protagonist that I can latch onto as a reader. The closest I've come to enjoying ensembles are through David Eddings (and yes, he does have a character that is distinguished from the others in almost all of his stories - however, each of the ensemble cast are essential to the plot and are given full motivation and background so you could argue that it is an ensemble).

I'd love to know your opinion on the ensemble cast and if you've read a book that has used it well. Share your view point.

Character - Antagonist Part 2

2009-07-12T15:17:00.002+10:00

So, the antagonist kind of spilled over two parts because I got caught up with villains and motivation in part 1 and never actually got around to the part about why we need antagonists in a story.

Why do we need antagonists?

In real life, we really don't need or want antagonists in our life. These people have a tendency to make life that little bit more frustrating and difficult than it needs to be. Ultimately we avoid these people or find ways to minimise our involvement with them. If writing were actually like real life our protagonist would find a way to avoid antagonistic characters fairly early on and then we would have one incredibly boring story.

This gives us our first answer as to why we need antagonists in our writing. Without conflict or tension there really isn't a lot to keep the reader interested. People don't want to read the book about the girl who goes to live with her aunt and they get along just fine and she goes to a new school where she makes friends and lives happily ever-after. They want to know about the tension between the characters and the set backs, which will hopefully be ultimately overcome but will be interesting in the meantime. By having antagonistic characters (whether they are villains or not) you can generate a lot more tension.

However, antagonists can serve other purposes as well.

Sometimes they allow you to offer up alternative suggestions or solutions to a problem that your protagonist would never consider. They allow the writer to explore the morality of an action from a point of view that might not be available if all of their characters are sugar and spice and all things nice. If a problem is completely blocking your protagonist, sometimes it takes an antagonistic character to find a way through.

They can help your protagonist to grow. By putting your protagonist through minor conflicts with the antagonist, you have the opportunity to help your protagonist grow and change. The antagonist acts as a catalyst for a development in the character that you have wanted to include but haven't really found a reason for them to grow in that direction.

As with villains, antagonists can be highly entertaining. These characters are generally not bound by the need to act in a likeable manner and can get away with saying and doing things that might not go down so well if your protagonist (or other heroic characters) did them.

They add human drama. This one isn't as important when the entire story is about interaction between characters, but if your ultimate complication is an asteroid colliding with the earth or some other natural disaster, you need antagonistic characters in order to create the human element. Imagine a story plot where scientists discover an asteroid coming toward the earth and they tell the government who tell the world and everybody listens gravely and nod their heads. No panic. No idiocy or looting. The governments then all join forces, organise a crack team of astronauts to fly up and blow the asteroid up. No arguments about costs or wanting more of this nations people involved or anything like that. Just, this is the team and off they go. The space ship goes up the astronauts land, they plant their bomb and they fly away. They all get along the entire time and the only dialogue are the congratulations they offer each other along the way. Not particularly entertaining.

I would love to know what role the antagonist plays in your writing and your views on great antagonists in writing.

Character - Antagonist - Part 1

2009-07-10T07:22:00.003+10:00

When you first study writing and learn about protagonists and antagonists it is all quite simple. Protagonists are the heroes and antagonists are the villains. Those definitions work to a point. Yesterday I looked at protagonists and was given some good comments so I may revisit protagonists later and look at some of the variations, but today is about the antagonist.

Simply put the antagonist is one who is opposed to or striving against another in a contest. They are an opponent or adversary. In your basic story, if your protagonist is the hero, the antagonist will be the villain. The one who blocks their every move and seeks to makes their life as painful as possible. However, as the protagonist doesn't necessarily have to the good guy, the antagonist doesn't necessarily have to be evil or villainous. If your protagonist is an environmentalist who has chained themselves to a tree even there best friend who is trying to drag them away could be perceived as an antagonist in the story because they are opposed to the protagonists actions.

That said, I want to talk about villains because, let's face it, villains are always the most enjoyable characters (personally I think that is why we are seeing so many anti-hero types lately, people want to have the loose morality and freedom that a villain gives and still be the hero).

Being character driven in my writing means that I am really concerned with motivation. I don't like to read stories where the hero is a hero because it is the good thing to do. It makes more sense if they are trying to save their own life, the life of someone they love, or they are after glory or money or some kind of extrinsic motivational force. As it makes more logical sense, it also makes the character more believable. I apply the same logic to my villains. They have to have some sort of logical motivation and goal.

Hence, the 'I want to destroy the world' type villain doesn't work so well for me. Even when the writer adds a quasi revenge theme over the top of that. How is it gaining revenge to destroy everything including yourself? Unless they have established that their villain is clearly insane I really don't buy into it.

I think Joss Whedon got it right in the second season of Buffy when Angel was trying to suck the entire world into hell. Spike, who up until this point had been a villain, joins forces with Buffy to stop him. She asks, logically, why would he want to help her. Spike's answer is perfect. He tells her that thought he likes to talk bad - "I'm going to destroy the world" - in point of fact, he likes the world. Spike talks about television and cars and how there are people wandering around like portable snacks (he is a vampire) and he really doesn't want to see the Earth destroyed. So one has to wonder what Angel thought he was going to get out of the entire end of the world deal.

Motivation is incredibly important but fortunately it is easy enough to find.

Revenge is a fine form of motivation, and one that makes sense, as long as the actions are logical. People like to get something back. They like to hurt those who have hurt them, or even those who they perceive have hurt them. Sometimes they do this in petty ways and are minor annoyances within the story, other times they go all out and decide to ruin someone's life, kill them, destroy a particular thing which is dear to the person, so on and so on, and are the cause of the main conflict in the story.

Money is another easy form of motivation that is easy to justify. People do incredibly silly things in real life for money and that just makes it easier to explain why characters would do horrible things for money.

Love is a classic motivational force and can quite easily have catastrophic results, particularly if the love is not returned.

Power, keeping it or the search for more power, whether it be political, economical, mystical or so on, is a very powerful motivation for most villains.

Prejudice is one that comes up a lot. Whether it is racially, religiously, or nationally based, irrational prejudice (or even 'justified' prejudice) can create some very ugly moments and can definitely give your villain a reason for acting. (Note 'justified' prejudice means that the villain is justifying to themselves a reason for an irrational dislike of an individual or group of people.)

I'm certain you could come up with a hundred more examples of sensible motivation for villains, which is why it always puzzles me when no motivation is ever clearly explained. I would love to hear your views on motivation for villains and some examples of villains that have worked well (or not so well).

Next post I am going to look at the role the antagonist plays within the plot and some specific examples of antagonists. Below are some links to other blog posts that discuss characters.

Bringing your characters to life - Matt Hayward
Vile Villains - Eric
What do your characters want - Nathan Bransford

Character - The Protagonist

2009-07-09T06:55:00.003+10:00

When we are young and are first encountering the idea of a protagonist we are frequently told that the protagonist is the 'hero' of the story. Fair enough as usually they are, but this is not always the case and can lead to a little confusion about what role the protagonist actually plays. Essentially the protagonist is any leading character - though traditionally there should only be one.

This leaves us with a few questions. What makes one character a leading character? How do you make your protagonist interesting? And, how important is a well developed protagonist to the story?

1. What makes one character a leading character?

Before I say anything on this, I would like to point out that every book is different and every story is different. There are always exceptions. That said, something I read when looking at how to write query letters stuck with me. I was told that if I couldn't explain what my book was about in 100 words, then I probably didn't know what the point of the story was. And they were right. Boil an entire novel down to 100 words and you get to what is actually important, what you want the reader to get out of the story.

We can transfer this same idea to characters. Yes, you have a wonderfully diverse cast of interesting characters, all do amazing and inventive things to keep your plot rolling along. Someone asks you who your main character is and you say... Um...

I may start to infringe on the answer to question three but most readers like to know who they are reading about. They like a single character to stand out that they can follow, or relate to, or get inside the head of, or experience things with, or whatever.

So, what makes one character a leading character? Some simple questions to help you narrow it down.

Which character do your readers learn the most about? (Incidentally, if you are giving them the entire background of every character, you may want to rethink.)
Which character could you absolutely not eliminate and still have a plot?
Which character is most central to your climax?

You could also ask which character undergoes some sort of change or revelation (though that works mostly in coming of age stories).

A few more points. The protagonist does not need to be the first character the reader encounters. They may not appear until midway through the story, though you are going to have some work getting the reader to care about them if you leave it that late to introduce them. The protagonist is not the narrator, though they can be. The protagonist does not have to solve the problem or overcome anything in order to be a protagonist, though, again, you risk annoying your reader. The protagonist can be the villain of the piece.

2. How do you make your protagonist interesting?

Again, this is going to vary wildly depending on who you want to read your story. The best advice I ever received about making my characters interesting was to ensure I knew who they were and what I wanted the reader to know about them. And while you might get away with sketchy outlines for some of your other characters, and be able to use standards and archetypes with minor variations, you can't do that for your protagonist.

As the writer, you need to know everything about them. Everything. As the reader, you only need to know the relevant and interesting information. As a writer, I may decide my character finished university and has a business degree. If they are currently involved in fighting off an alien invasion, that probably isn't relevant for my reader to know. Why do I need to know it? Because my character is going to talk very different, reference different material, react to situations differently and have a different set knowledge set to someone who left school and became a brick layer.

Knowing everything about your character helps you to create an individualised character that feels fresh and new, even if they are similar to existing protagonists.

3. How important is it to have a well developed protagonist?

There are a few people that would say a well developed protagonist is not that important. There are a few books where it actually isn't. It is the plot that drives it and the characters are simply there to add to the drama of the situation, but any character would do.

I don't write those kinds of books, and I don't read them very often. For me, stories are all about character. It is what makes one fantasy tale about a quest up the mountain interesting and engrossing, a story I will read and reread (Rowen of Rin), and can make another story, with the same essential plot tedious and dull (and I cannot recall the names of any o f these, though I have read many).

Readers will forgive a lot if the characters are interesting enough and if they have invested enough emotion in the characters to care whether or not they succeed, survive, change, resolve whatever.

The protagonist, being the leading character, has to work. It doesn't mater how amazing the support cast is if everytime you lead character shows up the reader rolls their eyes. They are going to finish the story, put it down, and never return to it.

Final Thoughts

I would love to hear your views on the protagonist and how you develop yours, or even who your favourite protagonist is. Please comment or email.

Below are a few links to some posts on characters that are relevant. If you have a blog post on protagonists and you would like it added to the list, please email me.

When characters behave out of character - Elizabeth Spann Craig
Crafting a good protagonist - Elizabeth Spann Craig
Sympathetic Vs Unsympathetic characters - Nathan Bradsford

Back from holidays

2009-07-08T20:48:00.003+10:00

Very simple note to say I have returned and will be back into blogging from tomorrow (I would write an actual post now except I drove for nearly seven hours today and have since read about three hundred emails and am very much finished for today).

I did have some time to consider the direction of the blog while I was on holidays and I think what I was missing before - among other things - was some sort of cohesive order to the posts. In order to remedy this - slightly - I am going to start writing around a themes for a couple of posts in a row.

So, and I know you are all tensed with excitement - the first theme I am going to be writing on is... (this is where the imaginary drum roll goes)... CHARACTERS!

Now wasn't that worth the wait? (I know tone does not translate well on the internet, so this was me being sarcastic, a by-product of being tired).

Seriously though, it should be a good series of posts and I look forward to reading everybody's comments. Basic idea of the series, I'll begin by looking at protagonists, move to villains and then various other archetypes.

Finally, before I sign off and go to catch up on sleep, if you want to see a handful of pictures of my holiday to central Queensland, please visit my facebook profile (badge is down and to the right). I hope everybody has had a good week and a bit.

Best Of

2009-06-26T06:48:00.002+10:00

I know the blog has only been going for just over two months, and normally I wouldn't run a best of. However, this is my last post for until July 10 (or then abouts). For regular readers - I hope your writing goes well in the next two weeks. For new readers, check out some of the posts below and I look forward to your comments when I return.

As always, email me if you have suggestions, comments, want to promote a book, are interested in writing a post, interested in being interviewed, etc, etc. I will get back to you very soon.

The 6 Chosen Posts:

1. Writer's Lag - You've finished the first draft, now you have to edit.

2. Write For Keeps - Don't throw away anything you've ever written. It may come in handy.

3. Reasons Why Writing an MS is Like Being in a Relationship - You know it is true.

4. My Writer's Tool Kit - Some of the invaluable tools to assist me in writing. Add yours to the list.

5. Interesting Blogs On Writing - Links to some fantastic posts about writing.

6. Continuity - The importance on consistency in story telling.

Wishing everyone a great two weeks and I will 'see' you all soon.

Something Different - Quotes to Inspire

2009-06-25T16:00:00.002+10:00

I love quotes. Finding those very short phrases that have been polished and worked until they roll right off the tongue and conjure the most perfect images is so much fun. Most of the time the speaker has been forgotten, the context lost, and all other relevant data forgotten, but the quote still stands, and people use it, on and on again.

Secretly, I think all writers want to create that amazing perfect phrase that stays in people's minds forever - long after they are gone and the work forgotten. I don't know that I ever will, but it is something to think about.

Some of my twitter thoughts on writing:

"If a journey must begin with a single step, than a novel must begin with a single word."

"If all the words have been written, take them, mix them up, and create anew."

"It bothers me when people talk about writing like a mystic gift - it seems to belittle all the effort and sweat most writers go through."

"Your life is like a book, a good blurb will only take you so far."

Anyway, the list. My favourite quotes of all time, as written in my notebook, from authors unknown or identified. Please be sure to tell me yours.

"Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you will land among the stars."
"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterwards."
"Teachers affect eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops." - Henry Adams
"There is nothing better than a good friend except a good friend with chocolate."
"The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the last disastrous." - Will Durant
"Do not ask me what you cannot give yourself."
"You'll never reach your destiny when only travelling on the shiny days."
"C.R.E.A.M - Cash Rules Everything Around Me." - (don't know where from originally) - quoted on Dark Angel
"Hearts do not break; they are only bent and mutilated." - Kerry Green
"False hope is nicer than no hope at all."
"To invent something you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."
"To see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour." - William Blake
"Everyone is a moon and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody." - Mark Twain
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

Update to POV post

2009-06-24T18:55:00.002+10:00

Just adding another link to the earlier post on Point of View.

Great post found through Twitter:

Ask the Editor: Do publishers have rules about POV?

Webook Poetry Vote

2009-06-24T17:25:00.002+10:00

After the last webook vote, and the angry protests from the many poets on the site, the webook administrators have put together a poetry only vote. Essentially poets put up their three best poems and ultimately 100 of these will be chosen for an anthology. Or something like that.

While I am not a poet, I have made many friends on the webook site who are, and I've read a lot of poetry on the site (most of it stuff that's been thrown up by teens but occasionally work that has had a lot of thought and effort put into it). Having perused the offerings I am putting up a list of projects well worth checking out (though there are far too many for me to read all of them and if you find another that is incredible, by all means let me know) and the vote opens on August 1.

Beerman's Best - particularly Mediocrity
Croft Misfits "A Small Vista Into My Inner Workings" - particularly Burning Peacefully
Aubrie Anne's Poetry Vote - particularly Unnatural Forces
Sixteen Page's "Three Pennies" - particularly the Language of Words
Kaizar's "I got a Bike" - particularly Hats
Satyr's "possible three subs" - particularly Death
Amariel's "Three Bestest Poems" - particularly Goddess
Koengland's "Death of a poet" - particularly
Sunyata's "My Heart's Evil Twist" - particularly Blood On My Mattress
"The Best I Wish To Submit" - particularly Dream Prisoner
Tiger Princess' "Extract from Dreams" - Particularly Happiness Is...
AustinMcDonald's "Lady In Red"
CordeliaChase's "Jen's 3 Poems" - particularly When will everyone notice?

If you have anytime at all - you should check out these submissions as well as the others that are up. Plus, people can keep adding submissions until the end of July so they keep adding new work to read. If you find anything brilliant, let me know. I find reading the work of others very inspiring.

Have fun reading.

Continuity

2009-06-23T17:14:00.002+10:00

Have you ever watched a movie where something is happening on a Monday and then the next day is Saturday and everyone is on their weekend? Not because time has passed that you haven't been shown, but because they have literally jumped to Saturday without any events occurring in between, on or off screen.

Have you ever seen a character wearing one thing and then the next minute they are wearing something different? Or more importantly, they are eating something and it magically reappears, whole and untouched upon their plate in the next minute.

Continuity errors really jump out at me in films because you have to wonder with the number of screenings they do why nobody picked up on it. Of course, now that I'm writing regularly and finishing my own work, the answer has become quite apparent.

Too many details.

My brain is racing around trying to keep up with the main plot and sometimes small details slip by me without a second thought. Even on the third or fourth reading I don't notice. Sometimes even friends read the story and don't notice the error. Yet there it is in black and white, just waiting to be discovered and mocked.

I'm a lot nicer in my critique of stories since I've been writing.

The biggest problem I have had recently is in weather and the time of day. I particularly had this problem in my second MS (though I had numerous other problems with this MS, including a psychotic protagonist who refused to work as per the plan). The story takes place over six days and is divided into six parts with approximately seven chapters per part.

It all seems wonderfully structured and organised until you realise that chapter three of part one has a character watching a sunset and then in chapter five there is another sunset. Not the same sunset in a different location. Hours have passed and the sun is definitely setting again.

Part three is equally inept with a storm brewing, that never approaches. Not disappears or goes around. There is a storm brewing, everyone is worried about it and then it literally never gets mentioned again. Gone. Unimportant. Except for the reader who flicks back wondering if they missed something.

I also had a problem with directions. If you walk north from this building you end up at that one. Except when you don't. Except when they head off north and exit the city from the same location, not passing the building they used to arrive at when heading in the same direction.

How to solve all these problems? I would say how to avoid them in the first place, except I know that is not going to happen, so now I'm just going to work on how to identify these problems and fix them.

1. Sometimes stories jump around or are not told in a linear fashion. After you've written the first draft, create a timeline of events and make sure that if something hasn't happened yet, it isn't mentioned.

2. Around the outside of your timeline, you might want to list any external phenomenon that are mentioned. Storms, tides, wars, grazing animals, etc. Anything that might give the reader a moment of confusion if it changes or disappears illogically.

3. Draw maps. I hate maps, I won't look at them in books. If I can't get a feel for the place from the writing, I certainly don't want to try and decipher someone's artistic rendering of it. However, for the sake of organising a place in my head, some sort of visual representation of the main areas (main city, main residences, main rooms) will help you sort out your location and spacing problems. Even in rooms, if the chair is against one wall, it can't suddenly be under the window, etc.

4. As to fixing these problems, don't do what I frequently do and change the story at one point without following the correction through. That just creates more problems in the long run.

Continuity errors - don't think no one will notice.

Point of View

2009-06-22T17:32:00.002+10:00

When I first started this blog, I did a post on the trouble I had writing in first person. I followed that with a post sharing links to other blogs that discussed the benefits and disadvantages of first person. Admittedly I wrote both of these back when I first started my blog and I was the only person reading it.

Today I'm having another look at point of view and sharing yet more links. Admittedly, I have been avoiding writing in first person since my first ms. I found it way too limiting for extended writing as far as what I could and could not share with the audience. I am going to risk heading back to first person in a couple of months when I start a project I've been thinking about for a long time, but it is only after extended thought and planning that I've chosen to write in first person.

If you want the very brief definition (very-very brief definition) this list of literary terms is quite good as a quick reference guide. It keeps it simple and to the point and is fairly clear.

My own experience has told me that first person is great in the short term if you want to get inside a characters head, but is really difficult to maintain over an entire novel length manuscript because anything your character does not know is really hard to convey to the audience. In a fantasy or sci-fi particularly, it is unlikely your character can explain how everything works, and at times the reader is going to be left a little baffled.

Third person allows the narrator to fill the reader in on a lot of extra information, plus move between characters to where the action is occurring, but makes it harder to show the inner-character. This is how I feel about the styles at least. Feel free to comment and add your own view.

Jeanne of "the Raisin Chronicles" gives her own definitions of point of view and examples. Well worth a read.

K.M. Weiland of "Wordplay" has a list of reference books that have pretty much everything on writing, including one that looks at plot structure and point of view.

Nathan Bransford also shares his view on the first person or third person debate and some of the comments accompanying this post are well worth the read.

My Writing Journey and Twitter

2009-06-22T06:20:00.003+10:00

I haven't done a recap on my writing journey recently, because surprisingly enough, I'm mostly too busy living it, and everything else to worry about it. Quick highlights include the ongoing editing process and improvement to most recent MS, the outline of new project, which after having crazy dream has now undergone radical changes, and of course finding and making time to write.

In addition to that I have continued to seek advice and friends. The advice just keeps coming along and one of my recent posts identified some of the more interesting information I've received in the last week or two from various blogs.

The other thing I have been doing is spending a lot of time on twitter. I really have become quite addicted to the social network. Not to the point where I put off other things because of twitter, but to the point where no matter what I am doing, if I'm online twitter is running in the background. A couple of reasons why:

As far as distractions, twitter is quick. You can read reply posts in a matter of seconds and respond instantly. It only takes a few seconds each time.
The range of people you can interact with is limitless. Which means the range of opinions and knowledge you can encounter are limitless assuming you are willing to listen.
People on there are amazingly helpful. Ask a question and watch the answers roll to your door or, at the very least, the suggested links to find the answer.
Absolutely nothing beats a good conversation and while the 140 characters might be limiting, it still doesn't halt the flow of conversation.

The journey continues.

You know you have become obsessed with writing when...

2009-06-21T08:56:00.007+10:00

You begin dreaming about the characters in your current project.
You sit down to reread the last couple of pages of work and three hours later you have not only rewritten them, but you've added another ten to the pile.
You start dissecting everything you read or watch in terms of character and plot development.
Your fingers itch when you read the menu at your local restaurant because you want to edit the punctuation.
Your keyboard no longer has any letters on it - they've all worn off - but you don't want to replace it because the keys are just 'worn in'.
You've fallen asleep on your keyboard/notebook more times than you can remember.
You divide your time in terms of writing goals (1000 words before breakfast...).
Even if you've been out all day, you have to sit and write something before you can sleep, otherwise you'll just wake up in an hour to write anyway.
You own more than three dictionaries.
You never throw any paper out because you never know what you may have scribbled on the margins.

Add your own you know you have become obsessed with writing when...' to the list.

Interesting Blogs on Writing

2009-06-20T06:56:00.002+10:00

I love reading blogs. I never used to, but since I started keeping my own, and regularly following others, I have become addicted to the process. One of the first things I do is check google reader to see which blogs have been updated. As a result, I now learn hundreds of new things and see hundreds of great ideas every week.

Obviously this is not an all inclusive list but these are my most recent favourite posts:

A really great list of links can be found:

Writing Advice Database - from Nathan Bransford

Some posts about writing and style:

Elements of Plot - from Matt Hayward on A Writer's Journey
Naming your Cast - from Matt Hayward on A Writer's Journey
Set the Right Tone - from Rick Holton on Writing For Hire

Some specific thoughts on genre and story:

Types of Series - from Brandon Sanderson on Babel Clash
The Journey in Fantasy - from Brandon Sanderson on Babel Clash
Crafting a Story Within Guidelines - from Eric on Working My Muse

Interesting discussions about the use of pop-culture in writing:

Not Dating Our Manuscripts - from Elizabeth Spann Craig on Mystery Writing is Murder
Branded - Negotiating Consumerism in Fiction - from K.M.Weiland on Wordplay

Some fantastic advice for authors starting out:

Promotion and Branding - from Mundania Press
Another Name for Loser - from Maria Zannini
An Author's Field Guide to Internet Trolls - From Indie Author
Nobody Wants to Take Advice from a Dabbler or a Flake - from Indie Author
What Authors Need to Know About Reflowable Text - from Ematyville

These last aren't specifically about writing, but they are amusing reads.

I Second That Sentiment - from Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin News and Reviews
Generartion ADHD - from House of Sternberg
Do Something Different - from Leave it to Weaver

Fiction Vs Reality

2009-06-18T18:42:00.002+10:00

Of the two, I much prefer fiction. Mostly because in fiction you can be reasonably assured of getting an ending (whether it is happy or not depends on the genre and author really), and you can be reasonably assured of a basic underlying logic to the entire thing.

Reality, unfortunately is not like that.

Recently I was very harsh in my criticism of comedies where events just seem to randomly pile, one after the other, onto the heap in any old fashion. This doesn't suit my view on how a story ought to be told. However, it does kind of follow the natural order of events in the real world.

Maybe we could say there is some underlying logic to most of the things that happen. As in, if you speed, you will get a ticket, etc. However, sometimes things just happen. They are random and unpredictable (though random kind of has to be unpredictable) and they don't really connect logically to any decision or process that was set upon by anyone.

In fiction, if you wander out into the forest, you are going to get lost. You are then going to be accosted by a little old lady, a wolf, or a band of cannibals, and several of your friends are probably going to die horribly. Unless you are the unfortunate one selected to be the friend, in which case, you are going to have a really interesting death sequence and set your friend upon a course of vengeance or flight. There are only a limited number of possibilities in the average fiction.

In reality, nothing may happen. You wander into the forest, you wander out. You might break your leg, or fall down something steep. You might get chased by a pack of wild dogs and end up in a tree. You might simply take some interesting photos. Possibly you could disappear for a ten year period then mysteriously turn up on the other side of the world -but this seems less likely.

Reality - unpredictable - illogical.

Stick with fiction.

My Writer's Tool Kit

2009-06-17T16:41:00.004+10:00

There are many tools writers need in their writing tool kits. Admittedly, mine has taken a battering recently and is threatening open rebellion. It probably goes without saying that a basic understanding of grammar and plot structure should be swimming somewhere amongst the collection of skills a writer has gathered in their time. I say probably because there are a few people who feel that this is an optional extra and as every tool kit is unique, you never know what you may, or may not, find in one.

Below is a list of things I've added to my tool kit that I have found invaluable.

Binary Oppositions - I'm a fantasy writer. At the heart of so many fantasy stories, there is a duel between opposing elements (usually good and evil). I try to avoid this, as I have always found the world to be a far more complex place, however a basic understanding of the principle of opposing ideas is something I think every writer needs. As far as creating conflict, and giving people motivation, binary oppositions are useful in almost every genre.

Bookmarks - This is one I will always kick myself for not utilising earlier. I never used to bookmark websites. If I found a really good one I would manually record the site, but that was as far as it went. I probably lost a lot of really informative sites that way. Now, bookmarking is something I couldn't work without. And using folders correctly to file my bookmarks, so I remember what the site is about and why I bookmarked it. Saves me hours in search time trying to find information I already located.

Trivia - Similar to bookmarks. It is amazing what some of your characters can know, if only you know it first. Besides, I find that small details add to the believability of characters and settings as a whole, so random facts can sometimes come in very handy. Unfortunately, when writing in a fantasy setting most of the trivia needs to be made up for the specific world, and you need to record it in someway so you don't end up contradicting yourself.

Time Management - A definite necessity for any writer. Particularly the yet to be published writer who is probably working in a different profession and is not yet really being taken seriously by family and friends so making time to write can be tricky. (Note that I said making time to write, not finding.) Using a diary, setting out blocks of writing time, and prioritising activities are all absolute essentials for writers and need to be a skill added to the tool kit.

Speed/Skim Reading - Not necessarily an essential, but if I was working on a project and have since abandoned it, and then suddenly been completely inspired, returning to the project can be quite difficult. Particularly if I don't recall all of the nitty-gritty details, and particularly if - like most of my projects - the outline I wrote at the beginning was rendered useless by my creative diversions in the plot. Reading the entire project could take days and by them whatever flash of inspiration will probably have withered with neglect and died, so skim reading to get myself up to speed within about twenty minutes is essential. Get the inspiration down, then skim through again to see if it fits.

Dictionaries of everything - Actual dictionaries, dictionary of first names, dictionary of place names, dictionary of popular foods, dictionary of obscure herbs, dictionary of religious terminology... On and on the list goes. Collect and store for future use. My favourite at the moment is Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, but the Claremont's Dictionary of First Names (pocket sized) has a permanent place on the shelf under my computer desk. Dictionaries are the best, quick reference tool for any writer and the more you have, the easier life can be.

Friends and Family - Remember what I said before about friends and family taking time, so worth it. Even if it does eat in to writing time, friends and family are an invaluable part of the tool kit. They give you inspiration, encouragement, at times outlines for characters, dialogue, reasons to get away from the computer and into the world, editing assistance, audience assistance, sound boarding, etc, etc...

That was a peek in my tool kit. I would really love to know what is in yours.

The 'And Then This Happened' Approach to Writing

2009-06-16T16:50:00.002+10:00

Those following me on twitter will probably remember that I saw 'Land of the Lost' on the weekend and was somewhat less than impressed with it. To be perfectly honest I hated it, and I probably would have walked out if not for the fact that I had bought a frozen coke and it would have been a waste.

My problem with 'Land of the Lost' is the same as the problem I have when I read a lot of drafts for stories. Instead of some sort of plan or cohesive idea that is explored within the text, one random event after another is squished together, pasted and held by improbability, and linked only by chance.

Caution - spoilers ahead.

For instance, early in the movie, Will Ferrell's character meets a young scientist who respects his theories and inspires him to get on with inventing the time travelling device. Fair enough. She found out about him at college and tracked him down. No problem believing that.

Then she returns the next day to find him in a sugar coma. After his response to her the day before, why she returns is never adequately explained, but fair enough. She decides to have a second go and there she is.

They travel into an alternate dimension, by means of a waterfall, which makes no apparent sense (but there have been worse ways to travel between worlds so I will let it go), somehow they survive and are now stumbling through a desert (what happened to the waterfall) where they encounter a group of ape people sacrificing another ape person.

After saving the sacrifice they then chase him, to fall through a pit of sand to land upon a pile of bones. Lots of falling and landing in random places without any real point or link, other then the writers decided they were bored with the old set and couldn't be bothered writing some kind of transition.

And on it goes.

The part that made me want to walk out was when the writers clearly decided the bit with the dinosaur was getting old, and suddenly our 'hero' receives a psychic message from an injured lizard man in a tunic seeking help.

This is very much akin to dropping a clown from the sky and saying 'ah-ha, the story goes this way' and waving your arms vigorously in front of the audience and hoping they are too caught up with that 'wacky' gags to care, only we aren't because the script is flat, the acting mediocre and the best performance is delivered by a computer generated t-rex.

Now, I don't expect a lot of story from a comedy. A loose sketch of characters in a basic setting with a barely plausible context will usually do, as long as it keeps heading in some sort of coherent direction.

Incidentally, foreshadowing is an important writing technique. 'Land of the Lost' demonstrates how not to use it, with their "If you don't make it - it's your own damn vault" poster at the beginning of the movie, and the line used during the confrontation with the T-rex. This is not foreshadowing, this is a desperate attempt for the writers to remind us that at some stage in the story, there was a point to all the ridiculousness.

As far as cheap laughs, the movie does have them, but that is about the only thing I found to recommend it.

Moments

2009-06-15T19:02:00.003+10:00

a single raindrop
a broken pencil
an overflowing bin
an obnoxious crow
a door slamming in a sudden breeze
a crowded room
an empty room
an old shoe
new shoes that someone coloured in with yellow highlighters
a blown light bulb
a rumpled toy
pink and purple clouds before a setting sun
a traffic jam
the open road
grass bending over in the wind
sunlight glinting off a broken window
a tissue, falling over as it sticks out from the box
peeling paintwork
a new face
a new name
an old friend
an empty mailbox
a peculiar shadow
an empty rack
an overflowing drawer
sudden pain (after slamming my finger in the drawer)
a whistle
a stain on the carpet
water running into a pond
steam lifting from a hot cup
water falling into the sink
a face reflected in the mirror

32 moments today that brought me inspiration. How many did you have?

Reasons Why Writing an MS is Like Being in a Relationship

2009-06-14T08:21:00.003+10:00

Originally this was an offhand comment I made on twitter. Just a random thought generated by my sleep deprived mind at seven in the morning. Then I started thinking (always a bad idea) and I started to realise how true it was.

My reasons why writing an MS are like being in a relationship are many and varied. And like any good relationship, there is a definite cycle to it all. In the beginning:

You get to know your characters, plot and settings. It is all fun and fresh and it feels like everything is possible. There is so much new territory to explore.

You start to spend hours alone together, just one-on-one. You and your manuscript notes. You pore over every bit of it, until you think you know every nuance.

You become addicted. When you aren't with your MS, you're thinking about it. You visualise it in your mind, it dominates your conversations, it is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning.

As the relationship progresses:

You start to realise that there is a hidden underside to your MS. The characters hadn't revealed themselves fully. A plot twist deceived you by making you think it would work. Suddenly the setting that seemed so right is just wrong.

You begin to argue with your MS. Things don't just naturally flow into place. Suddenly every decisions leads to three other decisions unravelling.

You still spend every moment you can thinking about your MS, but now the thoughts are frequently harried as you wonder how to make it work.

If the relationship is working:

Finally, you come to an agreement with your MS, it may not be your perfect vision that you began with, but you see the light at the end and you move forward.

All the hours and tears and tantrums start to feel worth it. You eagerly spend more time smoothing over the rough edges and healing the wounds that opened up.

You go through a period of rediscovery where you begin to understand what the MS actually is, not what you thought it should be.

If the relationship has failed:

You start finding yourself working on other projects - only an hour or two at first, and then you make excuses to spend more and more time away.

You want it to change - make it change - and then find the changes unsatisfying. The MS begins to feel resentful and you begin to tire of its tantrums and difficulties.

You find yourself rehearsing the 'it's not me, it's you speech', and give yourself reasons to dump the entire project because it is looking more and more like it is over.

Ultimately, you will either begin the whole thing over, or tear it apart and save what characters and lines you can. The rest will end up on a shelf or in a folder, waiting for you to realise how good it could have been.

Gender in Fiction

2009-06-13T08:11:00.002+10:00

You may have already noticed, but I am a female. As such, most of the stories I enjoy and most of the my writing tend to focus on female characters, or at least have female characters doing more than fainting and swooning over the hero of the tale.

Females have come a long way in fiction. Even though I was born in the eighties, I grew up watching a variety of television shows that were dated even then (battlestar galactica and buck rogers to name a few) and what used to trouble me was that even the women who came on tough in the beginning would ultimately end up waiting for some guy to rescue them. Or in the case of Apollo's wife (battlestar), they would just shoot her in the back on some planet and that was the last we'd ever hear of her.

The nineties were an amazing time for females in fiction. On television we saw Xena, Buffy, Charmed, Alias, Dark Angel, and on and on the list goes of females who were taking control. Not always convincingly and sometimes one had to wonder why there wasn't a single capable male in the Buffy-verse (not taking a swipe at Angel but seriously, even when you turned evil your girl-friend ran you through with a sword and sent you to hell).

During the nineties I started reading Traci Harding and Katherine Kerr, who were the first female authors I encountered who were really trying for epic fantasy. There were probably others out there, but I hadn't really encountered them, and this was a really great moment for me, because it made me feel not so out of place for enjoying the genre. Katherine Kerr particularly managed to show a balance of characters in her Deverry Series with strong, weak and every character type in between, for both men and women. Her characters were dynamic and realistic, they evolved over time and just read very well.

As a writer, I have been working hard over the last few years to improve my inclusion of male characters. Reading some of my earlier story outlines, every significant character was female. The female princess with the female bodyguard (envied by all the male soldiers who of course were completely useless), who was then attacked by the female assassin who was sent by the female evil sorceress, and on it went. That was highschool.

In all honesty I was probably trying to counter Eddings - who I read a tonne of and was very influenced by, but had this nasty tendency to have only one or two female characters who would sit on the sidelines and assume the role of mother and nurse and that was it.

Seems many writers and reviewers and bloggers and everyone else has an opinion on gender roles in fiction. Below are some of the opinions and views I've encountered recently, and I'm sure that there are many others that can be added to the list:

1. The Female Action Hero - from Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' News & Reviews - This is a great trip down memory lane for me and some of my all time favourite television shows and movies.

2. The Gor Books - from Lit Soup - A discussion about the treatment of men and women in fantasy books.

3. Author Interview - Karen Miller - from Graeme's Fantasy Book Review - I love her answer to the question on whether being a female writer makes it difficult to write male characters.

4. All you need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka - from Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' News & Reviews - An interesting take on the evil female, and sounds like an interesting story as well, I really enjoy reading reviews on this blog, they always give a unique insight.

5. Slow Going - A Progress Report - from Fantasy Debut - indicates the trouble readers have when you have an all male cast (it kind of defies reality a little).

Writer's X Factor

2009-06-11T18:56:00.005+10:00

There is something almost magical about reading. No matter what was happening before you picked up the book, and no matter what condition that book may be in, as soon as you start reading the words, you can be transported anywhere. Your mind just folds right in on itself and takes you away. Or at least it should.

I always know if I am enjoying the book I am reading. It's the book that I pick up for five minutes, and two hours later someone (mum, husband, sister, friend) throws a tissue box at me to get my attention, having been trying to carry on a conversation with me for nearly twenty minutes and failing utterly to get my attention (the tissue box is better than having the cat dropped on my lap, she tends to try to eat the book).

I also know when I am reading a book that I'm just not that into. It's the book I sit down to read, skim a page, then realise I need to take something out of the freezer for tomorrow. Or, maybe I suddenly can't remember if my phone was charged. I have a sudden urge to check email. Did I watch that episode of whatever I taped last week? I don't want to read the book. I find any reason not to read and two days later, I still haven't progressed through the book.

Why? Why does one book take me on that quest through time and space and into a place where I am utterly untouchable and the next leave me wondering if maybe it is time to vacuum the rug?

There really is an x-factor when it comes to writing. It isn't about technical perfection, or about uniqueness (most of the stories I read are about as generic as they come) and it isn't even really about the characters, though good characters will make me forgive a lot. That x-factor is what makes me an David Eddings fan, but dislike J.R.R.Tolkien. It is why I find Barbara Hambly charming, but Tamora Pierce, I could probably do without. I'm not saying one is a better writer than the other, or one does this better than another; what I am saying is that one works for me, and hits just the right tone and just the right note and the other doesn't.

Fortunately readers are varied in what works for them, so there is room in the world for most styles. I have had many arguments with other adamant fantasy fans who have told me that I cannot call myself a fantasy fan without enjoying Tolkien. I do call myself a fantasy fan, and a fantasy writer, and I still don't enjoy reading Tolkien.

There are countless times when someone has said, 'oh you like so-and-so, you'll love this', and they've handed me a book which I have taken gratefully. Two pages into it and I'm finding excuses to go weed the garden and six months later I'm returning the book having ruffled a few more pages to make it look like I've gotten further along than I have.

As a writer, this tells me a few things. One, if I don't like reading my own work, I have problems. Two, people who read similar books to ones I enjoy, should, theoretically enjoy reading what I have written (or at least most of it). And three, not everyone in the world is going to like my work, even if they happen to like some of the same authors I do. So when people say they despise my writing, I probably shouldn't take that personally and I should look for someone who will enjoy it for what it is.

Guest Blog: Lawrence Johnson Sr. on Book Promotion

2009-06-10T16:48:00.004+10:00

Today I introduce my third guest blogger, author Lawrence Johnson Sr. It is a great pleasure to have Lawrence's blog, on book promotion and I think he has some wonderful advice to share with all of us.

Book Promotion

I love to write, especially science fiction. It gives me the freedom to create and develop any character, place or thing without boundaries but as thousands of authors are finding out everyday writing a good story is only half the battle.

Promoting a novel requires time, effort, and money. If you are considering putting pen to paper in hopes of become the next J.K. Rowling or Mary Higgins Clark ask your self two simple questions. What is my motivation for writing this story?
The answer is usually one of the following.
1. Recognition
2. Gratification
3. Financial gain

The second question is: how bad do you want it?

Promoting your book online is a must these days and many new authors are naïve in thinking that all you need is a slick website, a fancy book trailer and you’re set. I call it the “build it and they will come” strategy. Well with hundreds of new books being published every week the competition is fierce and that strategy is destined to fail. As a member of the writers’ network called Book Town I am struck by the large number of authors who do not actively promote their work. No, I am not the peddler of doom and gloom nor am I here to rain on your parade. I am a realist and I am speaking from experience.

Book promotion is about getting the word out to as many people worldwide as possible in the most effective way possible. Spending thousands of dollars on ads is not an effective way of reaching your target audience unless you are targeting a specific market. If you write romance novels buying ad space on Life Time’s website would make more sense than advertising on CNN’s site. As I said earlier the internet is a valuable tool. I have a website, several book trailers, and a weekly blog. I also am a member of MySpace, Facebook, Booktown.ning, Twitter and a few other social networking sites however in my option nothing is more effective than meeting potential buyers face to face at book fairs, conventions, and book store book signings. Every year I do a minimum of four. This year I will attend book fairs in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. I enjoy meeting other sci fi fans, talking about my book and science fiction in general, but as an added bonus every now and then I get to hang out with really cool people like John Billingsley (from Star Trek Enterprise) and his lovely wife Bonnie ( from Chuck).

The sequel to Escape 2 Earth titled Return 2 Earth has been completed for sometime now and I have also finished writing a short fantasy story, and a collection of inspirational quotes titled Observations from the Edge of Society but I will not release them until I am satisfied that I have done all that I can do to promote my current novel. Escape 2 Earth has a 2012 theme and with the highly anticipated release of Roland Emmerich’s 2012 movie I hope to capitalize on the publicity that comes with it. I am also currently working on the final book in the Escape 2 Earth trilogy.

Launch parties, interviews, having your book reviewed online, book club appearances, e-mails, Craigslist and word of mouth are just a few of the ways that you can promote your novel free. I always keep a few copies in the trunk of my car, you never know who you may run into.

I know what you are thinking, wow, that’s a lot of work. You’re right, it is, but it brings me back to my original question. How bad do you want to succeed? Remember this, the worse thing that could happen to an author is to have a really great story that no one ever gets to read.

Lawrence Johnson Sr., author of Escape 2 Earth.

5 Words I Would Love To Use

2009-06-09T18:47:00.003+10:00

The problem with so many interesting words is that you so rarely have the opportunity to use them, and when you do use them, most people either stare at you blankly or ask if you just swallowed a dictionary.

As a collector of words, I have this problem a lot, particularly with some words that appear quite frequently in medieval fantasy, and nowhere else. I've read them so many times they appear common place to me, but tend to throw people listening to me for a loop.

So, here is my list. Five words that I would love to use, if only I could find a practical application for them.

1. Oubliette - A secret dungeon with an opening only at the top (incidentally the word derives from oublier which means 'forget'). Now I fell in love with this word as a very young child watching Labyrinth (David Bowie was superb as the goblin king) and ever since have looked for opportunities to use this word. I still haven't found any practical use for it but that doesn't stop me looking.

2. Defenestration - the act of throwing someone out of a window. David Eddings is responsible for this one, having used the word to great effect in his Tamuli series. It was then used on an episode of Dark Angel where they made the appalling joke of mixing the word up with deforestation.

3. Felicitate - to compliment upon a happy event. The problem with this word (other than my own inability to pronounce it properly) is that there are so many other ways of saying the same thing that people can actually understand. That doesn't change the fact that I really think this word is interesting, and I would love to hear it in common usage.

4. Piliferous - having hair. You always hear about characters being bald or having thinning hair, but I don't think I've ever heard a character described as piliferous. Probably because unless you are told otherwise, you assume that to be the case. Either way, I don't think I'll be using the word anytime soon, but I would really love to see someone else have a go at it.

5. Suspire - to sigh or to breath. This word I encountered while looking in the thesaurus for a new way to describe a character sighing (as I pointed out in an earlier post, my characters sigh way too often and I was well and truly sick of the word). This one lead me to suspiration, which is a long, deep sigh, and as entertaining as it may be, I think I'll leave both suspire and suspiration out of my writing for the time being.

That's my top 5 of words I would love to use at the moment. I'm sure to think of more at a later date, but I would love to hear your words. There are some wonderfully, fantastic words out there, also some obscure and ridiculous ones, and I would love to hear them all.

Write For Keeps

2009-06-08T19:11:00.003+10:00

I love going through old writing. Things I've scribbled and put aside. Frequently it is only a few lines, or a single line of dialogue that I have heard clearly but have nothing to add to it. I write it down in a notebook, or on a single piece of paper and tuck it away. Some of it may never be read again. Some of it will be shuffled off the side of my desk or tossed with the scrap paper as I forget I wrote something on it. Some of it, will end up pasted into a notebook that I have used to plan a novel, and that single image or line of dialogue will be exactly what I need.

I do know that today I was feeling very tired and the last thing I wanted to do was edit - and I certainly am not in the mood to begin a new project at present (with two manuscripts in very progressed draft form just waiting for me to actually finish them). That said, I was still streaming ideas for a couple of new projects and so I was jotting them down as I watched television and went about my business.

Then I had a brainwave. A couple of lines of dialogue that I was sure I had heard somewhere before. I'm always cautious about this because usually I'll remember they were lines from some book or movie I saw or read a couple of months ago and of course I then can't use them. So I racked my brain trying to remember where I had heard them before, because they flowed, and soared and I could see the characters plain as day and the scene was unfolding beautifully in my mind.

At last I remembered where I had heard the dialogue before. I wrote it. In a notebook that was stashed on the edge of my desk under an ever growing pile of rubble (including forms, letters, hats, CD's, books, other notebooks, and an ever growing collection of jewellery that has bothered me while trying to type and so has been discarded) I found the lines as well as a whole pile of other half-thought out conversations between nameless characters from nameless places. Usually I've woken from a dream and during the day drifts of conversations roll through my mind and I would quickly record what words could be remembered.

So I found the lines. And I realised that they would be absolutely perfect for a character I'm thinking about for one of my next projects. I also realised I know who she's going to say them to and so I'm starting to get the framework together for a second character that before today did not exist. It works perfectly with the ideas I already have on this project and the tone of the dialogue helped me to realise exactly who this character should be. All and all, a very productive day in non-writing.

In many ways I'm really glad I almost never throw things away. Particularly things I've written. I'm also glad I do not rely totally on the computer. It is way to easy to hit the backspace and make things disappear. Things that maybe don't fit where they are but would be perfect for the project that is just over the hill. I've gotten into the habit of writing things down before deleting, or at the very least copying into a blank document and saving under scraps before deleting.

Maybe I'll never use something. Maybe it was never any good to begin with. Why take the chance? Why reinvent the wheel? More importantly I have always believed that beginning is hard. Getting something onto paper (or into type). Once it is there, making it better is easy. Making it good is a little harder. Making it brilliant is at times tedious, but well worth the effort. Whichever way, you have to start with just having it before you can even think about good.

That said, I continued my hunt through old note books thinking maybe I had some other materials stashed away that might be helpful at this time. This isn't, but I remembered when I wrote this and it made me smile.

Can I reach the stars?
Do I really care?
How can I think to reach so high?
When I know I'll never dare.

Maybe not the most optimistic of texts, but I wrote this when I was seventeen and living in overseas as an student exchange (my first and only time out of Australia, so far). What made me smile about this was I wrote this the day I began hand writing my very first novel manuscript in a school book I'd been given. I dared to think that maybe one day I'd be a writer. The lines above illustrated how impossible I believed that goal to be. Seven years later and I not only think to reach that goal but I have dared to try and continue to dare on a daily basis.

I still have the notebook that I hand wrote that first novel manuscript in. I know that since then I typed those first few chapters at least four different times, beginning to dream and then discarding the notion as foolish, before last year I finally wrote and finished that manuscript. It became my first finished manuscript and I remember the feeling of elation that it gave me. Seeing it before me, finished, knowing that at first I hadn't ever believed I would finish, let alone consider publishing. Since then I've written two more manuscripts, finished the drafts and am working on polishing them. I don't see an end, only more beginnings.

This particular note will probably never be used in any of my stories, but I will keep it forever. To remind myself of how far I have come, and how much things have changed. Whenever I feel a moment of doubt or hesitation I can remind myself that I didn't believe it was possible for me to finish even one story, and I proved myself wrong.

What I write, I write for keeps. I never know when I will need it.

The writing journey this week

2009-06-07T14:09:00.003+10:00

Busy times - both in writing and in life - and I am really starting to feel it. Quick wrap up of some of the events from this week and a look into next week.

1. I have taken yet another step toward being a published writer (instead of a wanna-be published writer). Some more information on this coming soon (mostly as soon as I know for sure), so watch out world, I may yet be coming.

2. In keeping with big steps forward, I finally started to think about getting an actual website. At the moment I'm just playing with google sites but eventually I'll have to move and get serious. You can see the mess, as it progresses into a slightly bigger mess, at http://sites.google.com/site/cassandrajadehome/. The background image is definitely a work in progress, and I'm getting there. You know, Rome wasn't built in a day. Of course, it was a vast empire and involved thousands of people, and not a tiny website.

3. David Eddings, a fantasy writer who inspired me through high school and is probably the reason I stuck with fantasy, rather than moving to mysteries or thrillers, has passed away. This was really sad news for me, and probably hundreds of other fantasy readers. I started reading Eddings at twelve and, unlike Tolkien, I loved it. His use of humour and incredibly interesting and dynamic characters captured me entirely. It was a time when I was really looking to move beyond YA fiction and move into more adult books and I think he had a massive impact on the type of writer I am trying to become. I would never try to emulate, but having read his books over and over again, I think a lot of his words have rubbed off on me over time. I'll be rereading my Eddings collection over the next couple of weeks to remember a fantastic writer.

4. Coming this week: Guest blog with Lawrence Johnson (author of Escape 2 Earth and you should check out his website because it is fantastic) , as he shares practical and realistic advice on book promotions. Definitely worth checking out on Wednesday.

It has been a full-on week and the next couple of weeks are looking every bit as packed. Definitely facing interesting times and hoping to keep them going.

The Joy of Bookfest

2009-06-06T20:07:00.003+10:00

Given yesterday's post was so ill-tempered, I am happy that today's post is entirely the opposite. Admittedly, I've decided that problem with my car is that it hates me - I concluded this after it worked fine all day for my husband - but at least it didn't stop me from getting out and about today.

For those not living in sunny Queensland (even though it is currently winter and entirely too cold by my standards), this weekend is the long weekend for the Queen's Birthday and that means one very important thing to me: Lifeline Bookfest.

Every six months the wonderful people at lifeline gather all of the books they have been donated, book out the convention centre at dazzle the book loving world with literally thousands upon thousands of books. Rows and rows, table upon table, of beautiful, and very cheap, books. All proceeds, of course, go to charity.

I arrived just after opening, in my now apparently-working-perfectly car. Within minutes I am striding into the first hall, passing the registers, and staring out across a vast sea of books. Just the smell, of that many books in that immense hall, is dizzying.

Of course I am straight to the sci/fi and fantasy table. Mostly because these books go reasonably fast, and I'm getting pickier in my choosing as I already have a large number of the books on offer. I remember that I picked up and re-bought the same book at three separate bookfests. I hated it the first time, re-donated it, bought it again, donated it, and bought it a third time before I finally committed the name to absolute memory so I would never get caught again. I think the person who wrote the blurb for that book deserves a medal, they made it sound magnificent.

After sci/fi, I wonder aimlessly through reference and paperbacks - collecting a few good mysteries and crime stories in the process as well as an old favourite that I had read in high-school but never gotten around to buying. I also ran into quite a few familiar faces and generally had a fun morning socialising while reading the backs of hundreds of books. My hands turned black, I ended up sneezing a lot, my back is killing me from carrying bags of books to the car, and I cannot stop from smiling. I simply love books.

This is a sentiment that is apparently shared. For all that they tell us people don't read anymore, the entire centre was packed with readers, some pushing trolleys, others with suit cases, many with environmentally friendly canvas bags, and all of them packed to the limit and straining under the weight of all the books people were buying. Particularly heartening are the number of young children happily perusing the books and selecting, then waiting outside on the carpet, their latest books opened before them as they check out their purchases.

Definitely a good day today and tomorrow, as I go through my stash of new found books, will also be a very good day.

Car Trouble

2009-06-05T17:16:00.004+10:00

This is not a writing related post. This is me, having had a very long, very tiring day, and I think I just broke up with my car.

I have never been a car person, ever. I probably would never have tried to claim a great love of cars, or convince anybody that I know anything about them at all. However, after today, I have decided I really, really, really (add as many really's as you can here), dislike cars.

Today my vehicle of choice - that being the only one I could afford after finishing university and taking my first steps into the full-time working world - decided that changing gear was far too much effort and that twenty was the perfect speed to be stuck on while I was trying to merge into traffic doing about eighty (that would be kilometres per hour).

Now I am generally an understanding person, but my level of understanding wanes as I am trying to perform emergency manoeuvres (such as pulling my car to the non-existent shoulder of the road without freaking out). Admittedly, my understanding was gone entirely by the time the nice repair man came out, and the car was working perfectly. Frustrating and annoying.

My car, obviously as I am at home, managed to limp home, and got a swift kick in the tyre for its efforts - hurting my foot far more than the car - and finally I walked away, determined to not even look at it until tomorrow.

That is my day, I hope everyone else had a better day. I'm going to go make some hot chocolate and read.

You’ve Got a Book Idea—Now What? - Elizabeth Craig

2009-06-03T16:41:00.005+10:00

This week, I am very happy to introduce Elizabeth Spann Craig, author of "Pretty is as Pretty Dies", as she gives us her views on how to take an idea and get writing.

Elizabeth also keeps a very entertaining blog, Mystery Writing is Murder, where she regularly shares advice on writing.

You've Got a Book Idea: Now What?

Your novel starts with a germ of an idea. It doesn’t matter where the concept came from—you’re sure it’s something you can create an entire book around. What’s more, it’s something you’re excited about and the words are spewing out on the page faster than you can pin them down.

But…where do you go from here? That depends primarily on the type of person you are.

The planner: Do you like to make lists? Do others consider you Type-A? You may want to try the outline route. The planner’s tools:

One of them is a mind-map. You can get a free mind-map at FreeMind. With a mind-map, you can create a plot tree and connect your ideas and concepts with subheading branches.
Another quick idea to determine your plot direction is to write back cover copy for the new project. If you sketch out one yourself, it can help you identify your main conflict right off the bat. Veronica Heley explores this concept more when she guest blogged on So You Wanna Be Published.
You can also write out your standard outline—either chapter by chapter or scene by scene.

The Ad-Libber: Do you like to make things up as you go along? Would a structured outline for your book make you feel constricted? You should just write. The important thing is just to start creating the first draft. It doesn’t have to be perfect or even very good—that’s what revision is for.

The Middle of the Roader: You don’t do well with too much planning, but too little planning also trips you up? Try writing mini-outlines. Just map out what you want to accomplish for that particular piece of dialogue, or that particular scene, or that chapter. You have some direction and an idea what you want to cover, but it’s not an overwhelming and restricting plan, either.

Questions for all types of writers to ask themselves:

What’s the big conflict in your story? Without conflict (either internal or external), there is no plot at all.

Who is the protagonist? What makes us care about this person—what sets them apart? Are they sympathetic to the reader?

Who is the antagonist (the antagonist can also be society at large, the protagonist’s own inner demons, etc.)?

What will be the big turning-point moment in your plot? What causes this turning point? How is it resolved?

And finally, how much time can you realistically devote to writing every day? The important thing is to make a workable goal and not one that will set yourself up for failure. My original goal was a page a day, which I was able to successfully accomplish. Yours could be as little as ten minutes a day. As long as you write daily, you’re working toward completion of your goal…and the seed of an idea you first got becomes a novel.

Elizabeth Craig

Word Search And Destroy

2009-06-02T19:02:00.002+10:00

I've been having fun the past few days, re-reading some of my draft work. It is fun at the moment, because I'm not seriously editing, simply reading through and getting a feel for the flow of the story, and circling the more obvious (and therefore ridiculous) mistakes. Things like where a character is eating deep-fired pork instead of deep fried, or a character with short, spiky hair suddenly has hair long enough to brush her shoulders. Slightly inconsistent.

As I said, it is fun. Particularly is I distance myself sufficiently from the writing. It really does become a simple game of search out mistakes and annihilate them. And I have always been good at that. It is one of the reasons I don't mind editing drafts in my day job as a teacher; I find the process of circling and correcting somewhat relaxing. What I find less fun is actually going through and rewriting major stretches of writing, changing track when something isn't working, eliminating characters and dialogue, and then realising that in the process of all of this I've added another thousand mistakes to a previously edited text.

Part of what I do, when checking flow, is try to identify overused words and phrases. I have a few that I am overly fond of and I know that I use the with alarming regularity. I pepper my pages with words like 'dismay', 'surprise', 'sighed' (a lot of my characters seem to be sighing, I just hope my readers don't), 'easier', 'moment', and 'warmth'. So I read through the text again on a search and destroy mission. Find them and disappear them (obviously not every single one, just enough that it no longer makes the reader want to scream in frustration at the sight of them).

I'm reminded of Lily Allen's song 'The Fear'.

"Forget about guns and forget ammunition, because I'm killing them all on my own little mission."

My little mission, to eliminate unnecessary repetition and redundancies. Only time will tell if I'm successful or not, but it won't be from lack of trying. But then again, I forgot how many times I described that characters eyes - another must fix drama.

All and all, I'm kind of pleased with this latest draft. Unlike the previous manuscript that I wrote in December and after two rewrites it still doesn't actually make sense from a narrative perspective, the first draft of this has come out more or less readable. Certainly there are some rough edges and a few minor points of clarification, a couple of out right contradictions, a mentioned storm that never appears, and a stolen car that appears out of nowhere without any seeming consequences, but for a first draft reads quite well.

I'm back to search and destroy, but remember Guest Blog tomorrow with Elizabeth Spann Craig.

The Best and The Worst of Fantastical Creatures

2009-05-31T15:12:00.003+10:00

Despite being a fantasy writer by nature, I have noticed a distinct lack of fantastical references on my blog, mostly because I am focused on the art of writing in general and have tried not to be genre specific. That said, today I want to focus on fantasy.

Below is my list of favorite fantastical creatures and the books in which they feature. I've tried to think of one example where they are used really well and one example where the creature has become groan worthy. Certainly feel free to add your own opinions to the list.

1. Dragons - of course the list had to start with dragons. Whether we are talking wyverns, wyrms, drakes, western hunters, pernese, doesn't matter, I love dragons. Yet they are quite frequently a hit and miss character in books (and movies, but that is an entirely different blog post).

The Best: Strabo from the Magic Kingdom of Landover Series (Terry Brooks). Who can dislike a dragon that can cross the mists between worlds, is intelligent and yet shockingly ego-centric, noble in a way and yet infuriatingly stubborn on other issues. By far my favourite dragon and the only down side is the limited book space he actually gets.

The Worst: Lady Ramkin's dragons from the Discworld Series (Terry Pratchett). I don't think the world really needed exploding dragons, no matter how amusing they might be.

2. Fairies - or faeries, doesn't matter how you want to spell it. Surprisingly, fairies are few and far between in the books I choose to read. A shame, because these tiny characters could be absolutely incredible.

The Best: Applecore from the War of The Flowers (Tad Williams). The foul mouthed fairy dominates every scene she is in and despite her small size, utterly dominates Theo as he stumbles blindly around in fairy land. Quick witted and utterly devoted, she is definitely a fine example of fairies in action.

The Worst: Simon from A Modern Magician (Robert Weinberg). I love this story, and I love Simon's character, but he is a terrible fairy. Admittedly, they are actually changelings, and they borrow their lore from Shakespeare, and in the modern age they now pose as long lost relatives or exchange students, but something about him is distinctly unfairy like.

3. Elves - way too broad a category really. Particularly when you consider how many different variations there have been on these characters. Still, they have a very active role in a large number of fantasies, and when used well, work superbly.

The Best: All of the elves as presented in The Deverry Series (Katherine Kerr). One of the best elvish cultures created and brought to life. Particularly in the later books of the series, the elves very much become dominant characters and are thoroughly enjoyable.

The Worst: ?

4. Ghosts - always did love a good ghost story, but the key word is good. Ghosts that simply spook for no apparent reason and finally at the end reveal that they were somebody someone knew really don't work for me. I like ghosts with personality and voice.

The Best: Ariel from A Knight of the Word Series (Terry Brooks). Made from the memories of dead children, she serves The Word and delivers messages to those in need, as well as protecting Nest as she tries to save the Knight from his Demon stalker. Ariel is a fascinating character, though rather short lived.

The Worst: Nearly Headless Nick in Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling). Despite saying I liked ghosts with personality, Nearly Headless doesn't really work for me and most of the time I found myself wishing that he and the other ghosts of Harry Potter would simply disappear. Though, I make an exception for Moaning Myrtle who was thoroughly entertaining.

5. Vampires - I really couldn't do this list without including vampires. I'm a little biased in the vampire category, given I was a Buffy fan and that kind of skews my view point a little. Vampires are classic characters that have been given so many contemporary twists, and in many book shops even their own section, that I just had to include them.

The Best: Not technically a vampire (dhampir, half human-half vampire) I am giving best vampire to Magiere from the Noble Dead Saga (Barb & J.C. Hendee). Her dress sense, her attitude, and her continual ability to thwart destiny are incredible, as is her ability to get herself into the worst kind of trouble. Besides, the vampires she hunts are quite interesting, and very resilient - more so than the usual vampire. Makes for some very interesting reading.

The Worst: Again, not technically vampires by any definition of the word, but I place the entire Cullen family from Twilight (Stephanie Meyer). Not actually dissing Twilight, simply pointing out that glistening, venom producing creatures that do not grow fangs and can go out in daylight, don't actually qualify (at least in my version of reality) as vampires. If she had named them something else, maybe I would have got over this already.

As I said right at the start of the list, please feel free to disagree of give me your own examples. I would love to know what you think about fantastical creatures in books.

This week's writing journey

2009-05-30T19:28:00.003+10:00

Let me be honest, this is more than the week's journey. It has been nearly two, maybe three weeks since I have managed to do a wrap up of my writing journey. There are a number of highlights at the moment.

1. On Wednesday, Elizabeth Spann Craig (who writes the blog, Mystery Writing is Murder) has kindly offered a guest blog on how to turn that wonderful idea you've just had, into an actual project. It is going to be a great read and in the meantime, you can check out her blog and find out the other wonderful advice she offers.

2. My own writing has taken a turn for the better. With one MS out seeking publication, another in about its third stage of drafting and a third one recently completing the first draft stage, I have found writing to be addictive. The more that I have done, the more I've wanted to do. I have two project ideas currently involved in a duel to the death inside my head, to determine which one will make it into full project mode next. I've also decided that this Christmas I am going to tackle the rewriting of one of my favourite short stories into novel mode. I have been putting it off for a long time because I used to suffer from an inability to complete long projects and I didn't want this one to be sitting half finished.

3. My online social network continues to expand. As I'm relatively new to all of this my blog has only 9 followers, but every one of them is someone I am glad to have following, and I have read all of your comments with joy. However, the more important part is that I'm now following 30 blogs of people whom I have greatly come to respect for their writing and advice (as well as their stories that they share). It has been a priceless experience finding these and the difficulty now is finding the time to read all of that useful advice.

4. Something very off topic, I came to the realisation that I am never going to make one of my lead characters sick. I hate being sick. I've been sick for the last two and a bit days and I am very much over it. It is miserable. There are very few things that will stop me from writing, but being sick is one of them. I might give a character I despise an illness, but I would never inflict illness upon one of my favourite characters without good reason.

So that's the writing journey at the moment - always moving forward and finding something new of course. Definitely visit the blog on Wednesday to check out the guest blog, and pass the word on to your friend. Also, tell me where you are up to in your writing journey.

Jeffrey Harris - On The Steps

2009-05-27T17:55:00.003+10:00

If you visit Jeffrey Harris on Bldg98 you will find that he is a male, aged 51, from Texas who likes playing golf and reading John Grisham novels. I recently made Jeffrey's acquaintance through the site and have learned that he has recently published his book "On The Steps".

"On The Steps" is a romance, and Jeffrey recently sent me a copy of the blurb to share with you.

Thirty-nine-year-old Michael Albright is devastated when breast cancer takes the love of his life. Twenty-one-year-old Brittany Chambers has her dreams shattered by a terrible act of betrayal. Although they are separated by eighteen years and fifteen hundred miles, these two strangers find one another on the internet and begin an astounding journey of healing together. Through the darkness of their confusion and despair, they reach out to one another as they try to find themselves. In the process, they will find a surprising, uplifting love that keeps bringing them back to the University of Virginia Rotunda…

Visiting the home page for the book, you can read the first chapter. Read it and try not to cry. Definitely a promising start to the story.

My 5 Snacks For Writing

2009-05-26T17:22:00.005+10:00

As is clear from the last post, I've just finished the first draft of an MS I've been laboriously working on for some time. This has left me a little lethargic in the writing department, to the point where I am playing with colours on my new Tumblr account rather than clearly thinking about what to write in my blog.

Probably why I decided to stick with a very simple list today. Now, I have had this conversation with many writers, both in person and on forums and what I have discovered from this, is that writers are insane when it comes to what we will put in our mouths. More insane than that, is that we justify it by saying it helps the creative process.

My top five snacks when in the middle of a writing blitz are (imagine a drum roll sound here):

Icing sugar and cocoa mixed (usually eaten dry, though a tiny drop or two of milk can make this into a really interesting paste - it is slightly easier to eat this way as it doesn't blow away if you exhale while lifting the spoon). I really don't have a justification for this combination other than it is pure sugar that tastes like chocolate and it has almost zero preparation time.
Fresh rocket leaves with honey (as close to a salad as I am probably going to get). This has two benefits for me. Firstly, it is actually reasonably healthy. Secondly, it is really, really sweet and again, no preparation time.
Tim tams and hot chocolate. I've recently learned that there are many people around who do not know the most fabulous food ever. Tim tams (chocolate cream, sandwiched in chocolate biscuit, coated in chocolate) used as a straw for hot chocolate. Essentially you bite two diagonal corners off, place one in the drink, and suck through the other. Do it fast, or the biscuit dissolves into the drink, but if you get it right, it is so amazing.
Hot chips. As much as I get into sugar when I am writing, I love starch and grease. A quick trip to the corner shop for some hot chips is an amazingly good pick-me-up for writing, and it gets me moving and away from the computer screen for ten minutes or so.
Sushi. Okay, has nothing to do with writing. I just love sushi and would eat it anytime, anywhere as long as there was lots of soy sauce to go with.

What all of these have in common are ease and flavour. They allow me to take very short breaks and then get on with the writing task, revived and energised.

Tell me your five top writing snacks (or even one).

Writer's Lag

2009-05-24T10:01:00.003+10:00

You know after you have travelled anywhere, no matter what means of travel you use, and the plane, train, bus, whatever arrives at the station. You get that sense of relief and you stretch and feel really, really great, for about two seconds. Then you realise you still have to get a taxi or whatever to take you that final part of the journey and you really just want to curl up with a good book and go to sleep.

Writer's lag is very similar.

You've spent however long writing that first draft. You have laboured over word choices (buying the ticket), been stalled at times (similar to delays at customs), you've been distracted by life events (turbulence), been interrupted by friends who are well meaning and you can't actually be upset with them because they just want you to get away from the computer for an hour or two (that would be the well-meaning lady sitting beside you who just wants to show you pictures of her cats), and so on. The journey has been exhilarating, and draining, and amazing, and wonderful, and exhausting and frustrating, and all of those other things that journeys are, whether they involve writing or travelling or anything else.

You have finished. Hooray!

Now you have to edit. Please, no!

It is one definite way to take the thrill out of finishing that first draft and leaving you feel like you have writer's lag. This is particularly an issue for me at the moment, because I am barely one chapter and an afterward away from finishing my third MS and I find myself delaying, because I don't want to feel the pressure to start editing.

At the moment, it is all happy, happy, happy. I have done the work, put in the hours. The manuscript is nearly done. If I printed now it would be pages and pages of pretty printed text telling a fascinating story.

But already I know that there are unnecessary scenes. There is a particular piece of dialogue that I know I want to erase from existence. There is a scene that I skipped over entirely, but I've referred to it later in the text, so I kind of need to write it. One character has really just plain ticked me off and so I'm planning a rewrite in the early stages to remove them. I already know this and I haven't even done the first read through. That will find at least twenty other major changes that I want to make - not to mention the typos, unnecessary repetitions, and meaningless description that will probably be found.

Do I really want to finish my MS just to tear it a part?

Well, yes, because I would like to have a finished manuscript that is starting to get towards a publishable state rather than a first draft that remains a first draft forever.

I will finish the first draft. Hopefully today, maybe tomorrow. I will work through my lack of enthusiasm for the next stage and get to the absolute giddy-glee that accompanies putting the final full-stop on a story. I will relish in that emotion for a few days and use the time to read a friends MS for them, and get on with my day job and all those other things I need to do. Then I will sit down and begin the first edit. It always goes easier if I pretend I'm editing someone else's work. I'm far more likely to actually be critical of my own work then. I'll still miss things and ask a few others to help me out by reading this and that for me.

Finally, I'll have a dot point list, with page references, of all the changes that need to be made and I'll start working through it. When I get to the end of that, I will have another minor celebration before printing and editing again. Eventually, I may have produced something that I'm ready to share with the world.

I will finish. I just have to keep reminding myself that no matter how I'm feeling, I will feel so much better when it is done.

To all the writers out there - if you know a cure for writer's lag, or possibly even fear of the anticipation of writer's lag, share it with us.

Ten People To Meet On Twitter

2009-05-23T13:03:00.003+10:00

Okay, when I was first told about twitter, I was very skeptical, as I was of most social networks. However, that was before I tried it out and fast became addicted to the site. Now, I wonder how I ever managed without it.

For those new to twitter, it can be an overwhelming experience. And before you have met anybody, knowing who you should follow, or even how to find people to follow, can be a real hit and miss experience. The easiest way I found was to visit people's blogs and if they had the button that said follow me on twitter, click that. That way, I knew who I was following and that they had something to say. Then, of course, people started replying to some of my tweets and I would go to their profile and see what they were up to. I ended up following many of them and now I seem to add someone new to my follow list everyday.

For the most part, I follow people who are writers, editors or agents - and then some randoms who just happen to entertain me. I love the advice and ideas that get spread about on twitter and the energy that seems to fill the site.

With that in mind, I would like to share my list of ten people who are delightfully entertaining or delightfully informative, or both, in no particular order.

1. Joanna Penn - Blog: The Creative Penn. Joanna not only promotes her own blog but provides links to some of the most interesting articles relating to writing and publishing in general.

2. Skyla Dawn - Website: Skyla Dawn Cameron. Skyla describes herself as an "Award-winning author, freelance artist, & snarky acquisitions editor." Her observations and comments are generally informative and amusing.

3. 1000th Monkey - who is always random and entertaining as his tweets range from movies to books to lost words and so.

4. Nathan Bransford -Blog: Nathan Bransfor Literary Agent. Mostly Nathan gives updates on when his blog is updated, but he is well worth following.

5. Tom L Waters - is a writer who shares his thoughts and progress with others.

6. Beth Miller - Seemingly eternally optimistic and some of her quotes can make you smile clear through the day.

7. Writing Hannah - perhaps the exact opposite of Beth Miller. She delivers some fascinating observations at times.

8. Blacklashed - an aspiring writer who is frequently there with words of encouragement for other writers.

9. Mittense - more into games then books, Mittense can be quite informative in amongst some of the more random comments.

10. Colleen Lindsay - literary agent. Responds well to questions by would-be writers and provides many interesting links to articles. Well worth following.

Okay, there are probably thousands of other people on twitter that I have never even heard of, who would be equally informative and entertaining, but this is my list for the time being.

Give me your recommendations on how you should follow in the Twitterverse.

Thunder and Moonshadow

2009-05-22T17:39:00.002+10:00

Well it is Friday again, and that means it is time for another part of Thunder and Moonshadow.

For those who have not read the story so far, a dark shadow has fallen across Mocha city in the form of a suspected thief and murderer, MoonShadow. The police have until recently relied on the caped vigilante, Thunder, to solve their problems but the new mayor of Mocha will have none of it. Will MoonShadow continue to elude the police? Will Thunder be called in to aid the investigation? Part four of the story awaits and a new part will appear each Friday.

Character Conflict and Care Factor

2009-05-21T18:13:00.003+10:00

This post is written I guess in response to Elizabeth Spann Craig's post, Creating Conflict (a great read by the way). I very much agreed with her point about conflict and felt she provided an interesting technique for writers to use when developing conflicts.

Having read her post, I naturally began thinking about how I create conflict for my characters and how important those conflicts are and where they came from. Then I began thinking about other writers and the conflicts they have created and what I started to think about was how a certain set of events in one story might be absolutely amazing and moving, while in the next the same series of events might seem flat and uninteresting.

Certainly there are epic tales out there that I have found exceedingly dull. The world (whatever world it may be) is in peril, and this character is on the brink of death and that character is doing something that should seem extraordinary, and I am bored. I am reading a few pages at a time and putting the book down to talk to someone, to play with my cat or something equally mundane. The worst thing is when I put a book down to do the dishes; that tells me clearer than anything that I am hating reading the book.

What this told me was that the exact nature of the conflict wasn't what kept me interested in reading a story. For some people, maybe the conflict is what grips them, but it won't hold my attention. Possibly, that is because every real conflict has been done before, in one variation or another. I remember a university lecturer once told me (though I cannot remember which one) that there were four basic types of conflict (man against man, man against nature, man against himself, and many against monster) and that every conflict fell into one of these categories. While the same may be said of all story elements, I find that there is a little more variety in character types, and certainly I find that good characters very much become unique entities, no matter what archetype is originally employed.

I have always known that characters are what sell a story to me. Anything that they do becomes infinitely more interesting if I care whether or not they come through it. The conflict can be vast or simple, as long as I care about the character, I will read every line in tense anticipation, waiting to see the outcome.

Having recently read Nathan Bransford's post about favourite characters (more importantly the comments about characters) I realise I am not alone in my fascination with characters.

Stories really are a juggling act between characters, setting and plot. Each one has its place, and getting even one wrong, or ignoring it in preference of the others, really could see you alienate your readers.

Let me know your views on characters, plot or conflict.

The Clutter on my Desk - Organisation and Writing

2009-05-20T19:52:00.002+10:00

I am one of those people who likes to plan every minute of every day. Things around me function like clockwork or they do not function. That explains why my diary is full of notes, all colour coded, and extremely detailed, giving me every bit of information I could possibly need.

You would think that with this attitude to life, I could manage to keep my desk clean.

However, my defence for the state of my desk, both at home and at work, is quite simple. I am a creative thinker.

This might seem at odds with my rigid and logical approach to life, but ultimately I think it works quite well. Anyone can be creative. However without dedication and drive, they are unlikely to ever turn any of that creative energy into something meaningful. My hard and fast approach to life are tools developed while at school, to ensure I actually did something, rather than sitting around and daydreaming. Yet creativity must come out somewhere, or I might very well suffer a critical meltdown. That somewhere is my desk.

At the moment I am sitting about thirty centimetres from my computer monitor. In that space I have:

two open envelopes, from where I was checking the mail
a dictionary of first names
three notebooks with various notes and plans scribbled in them
a printed draft of my second MS that I am editing
a USB which may or may not have anything of significance on it - I found it under another pile of books last week so it is anyone's guess
two pens, one of them works, I don't remember which one
a necklace that I took off while writing the other day
four bracelets, removed to make typing easier and then forgotten
a box of tissues
a stuffed bunny (made in China), no idea why
a bottle of nail polish
an anzac day badge
several cables
my camera battery charger
and a hair clip.

All of this in one thirty centimetre space and I haven't even turned my head to look right (where my printer should live but it got moved out because I ran out of room on the desk). If I look up, I have an entire row of paraphernalia placed strategically to help me focus. Everything from ornaments, to pictures, to Cd's, to a ring box.

Periodically, the rigid and controlling part of my personality wants to clean my desk. This process consists of me removing everything from the desk and then strategically putting it all back. Usually I rearrange the order, but it all ends up back on the desk. Try as I might, I can't convince myself to throw anything away or move it elsewhere.

The bottom line is, when I do clean my desk, I can't work. I stare at the empty space and place a clean notepad on it and draw little scribbles in the margins and stare blankly at the empty space, but nothing gets done. It is like I'm suddenly void of any thought or energy. Certainly, I cannot come up with any interesting or creative ideas while faced with a sea of nothing.

I know some people can't work in mess. They take one look at my work station and think I'm a slob or disorganised. Nothing can be further from the truth. Ask me to find anything and I can lay my hands on it nearly instantly - with the exception of old USB's, that one managed to evade me for some time.

I work best when inspired by clutter. The point of a work desk is to get work done. I guess it is up to each individual to decide what works for them but I would suggest the following:

ensure you have some sort of visual element near you (picture, poster, calender, children's drawing, whatever)
if you have to have some sort of organiser for holding pens and the like choose one that is at least a little flashy, even if it is still functional
have as much on your desk as you want, but ensure you have some sort of system for organisation - for instance the tissue box on my desk clearly separates the desk into two distinct halves of current fascinations and things that I have pushed aside.
finally, rearrange often - small changes often yield large results.

Tell me about your desk and how it helps you.

The "What If" Factor: Beginning the Creative Writing Process

2009-05-19T16:34:00.002+10:00

This is actually a combination of "what if" followed by "what then".

When trying to help people write creatively, handing them a piece of paper is about as helpful as handing an illiterate person a dictionary and expecting that they can suddenly put everything together. Mostly, all you get from the exercise is a whole lot of book fodder on how to describe a blank expression.

A simple exercise that can be done as a group or individually to get everything started is a round of "what if". Keep in mind if you are doing this individually, it helps if you have a split personality, or at the very least, you need to not be adverse to talking to yourself.

Essentially, it starts with one person saying "What if...". Their "what if" could be anything, but should start relatively non-specifically. "What if there was a guy wearing jeans, waiting for a bus?" "What if there was an asteroid heading for Earth?" "What if there was a cat sitting on the porch?" Doesn't matter where you start.

The next person agrees and then expands. "Yeah, there was a guy. Only he was wearing cargo's, not jeans, and he had baseball cap on backwards. Oh, and the bus was going to take him to..." You get the point.

You keep going until you have the whole scene. The guy, what he is wearing, where he is going, what he is doing while he is waiting, etc. Then comes the "what then" part.

What happens next?

Eventually, what you have is an outline for a possible story, complete with characters, settings and plot points (how detailed these are depend on who you do it with). Using the discussion as the stimulus, each person can then sit down and write their own version of the story (changing whatever elements they feel are critical). What is important, is that everybody has a starting point, and can follow along with the general pattern until they are ready to move off and onto their own route. It gives them something to begin with and a bit of confidence to write.

Trying to inspire creative writing; play a game of "what if" and see what happens.

Let me know how you have inspired people to write creatively.

5 Ways To Create Inspiration - K.M. Weiland

2009-05-18T17:22:00.002+10:00

I am very happy today to begin this post and introduce my first guest blogger. Novelist K.M. Weiland is sharing her views on the creation of inspiration.

K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in western Nebraska. She also authors the weekly blog "Wordplay: The Writing Life of K.M. Weiland" which features tips and essays about the writing life. You can also visit her on the web.

Five Ways to Create Inspiration

Cassandra honored me with the request to share a post on creativity. Ironically enough, I spent a good bit of time staring at the computer, feeling utterly uninspired, before grabbing a pen and paper and scribbling down all the ways in which I am personally inspired.

I think it’s safe to open this post with a broad, sweeping generalization: We write because of inspiration. Not only because without inspiration we wouldn’t have anything to write about, but also because inspiration is the writer’s version of runner’s high. It’s this top-of-the-world, explosion-of-joy experience that makes the personal sacrifices and hard work of the writing life more than worth it.

Inspiration, however, is a slippery thing. Ultimately, it is intensely personal, unrepeatable, and often unresponsive to conscious prodding. You can’t force inspiration. It either happens or it doesn’t. You can’t sit yourself down at your desk, squeeze your eyes shut, and demand that inspiration appear in front of you complete with a drumroll and a puff of smoke. Inspiration is a gift, and like all gifts it must be treated with gratitude and responsibility.

But none of this is to say that we can’t position ourselves in the path of inspiration. Instead of just waiting around for the muse to hit us in the head with a lightning bolt, we can learn, in a sense, to create inspiration. Following are five ways I’ve learned to be receptive to inspiration. Inspiration, after all, is all around us; we just have to learn to become a conduit for it.

Look at the world through the lens of your story. When I’m in the midst of brainstorming a story, I wear it like a cloak. I, in essence, look at life through the lenses (rose-colored or otherwise) of my story and its characters. I’m washing dishes, walking the dog, running late? Maybe my characters are too. I hear a song on the radio, and it becomes an anthem for the scene I’m working on. I pass an interesting old codger in the mall, and suddenly he’s running amok among the characters in my head.

Listen to your subconscious. Never underestimate your subconscious. When you’ve come to a snarl in your plot, don’t think too hard. You can only push your conscious brain so far. On more than one occasion, after I’ve backed myself and my characters into a seemingly insurmountable corner, I’ve sat at the keyboard for hours, racking my brain for an answer that just wouldn’t come. But when I return to the problem the next day, after my subconscious has had a chance to mull over the matter for the night, the solution is practically staring me in the face. When you come across an interesting snippet of an idea that you aren’t quite certain how to develop, toss it into your subconscious for a while. Sometimes ideas stew in the back of my mind for years before suddenly reappearing on center stage as something worth pursuing.

Lollygag creatively. Novelist Michael J. Vaughn, who coined the term “creative lollygagging,” purposely looks for mindless tasks (gardening, walking, pulling weeds) to occupy his hands, while his brain stews on his story. “We are not talking about sitting around on a couch. Just as a satellite dish needs electricity, you need some blood pumping into that brain. Next, consider low focus. The activity shouldn’t be so intense that you don’t have time to think (Grand Prix and ice hockey are out). Look for a mellow pursuit, surrounded by low-level distractions.” (From Vaughn’s article “Creative Lollygagging” in the December 2006 issue of Writer’s Digest.)

Combine stories. Like most every other writer on the planet, I have at least half a dozen stories romping around in my brain at any given moment, most of them in need of that spark of “something” that will suddenly transform a gem of inspiration into a full-fledged concept worthy of my time and attention. Stories require many layers, and usually they acquire their layers organically. But some of the best complexities in my stories have been the result of combining two (or more) entirely different stories. Juxtaposition creates instant conflict, originality, and depth. Take a look at some of your embryonic stories and see if you can get something special by combining one more of them.

Feed the muse. Your creative mind is a living organism that requires just as much attention and nurturing as any visible part of your body. Lavish it with care, and it will flourish. Feed it just as carefully as you would your stomach. Nourish it with quality literature, movies, music, and art. Let it lap up the offerings of other artistic minds—and just see if the muse doesn’t take off running all on its own!

Finally, and most importantly, don’t wait for inspiration. We’d all like to take up permanent residence in that rarefied atmosphere where the “inspiration high” is a constant state of being. But, as all writers discover sooner or later, that high will inevitably run dry. If we allow our writing to dry up with it, we’ll never so much as finish a story, much less be read by anyone. Inspiration is much more likely to strike when your mind is active. So even on the days when the mental well seems to have evaporated and blown away in clouds of steam, sit yourself down at your desk and keep writing. Inspiration, after all, is really a very small part of the big picture.

3 Tips for Character Planning

2009-05-14T17:00:00.003+10:00

After my blog on "Following the Story" and my lack of ability to follow a plan for more than a minute, I have been thinking a lot about the planning processes I undertake. When starting a project, I always begin with the characters, because for me they are the point of the story. The events just kind of let the reader see the characters in action in order to learn more about them, or the events force the characters to evolve. Either way, the characters are the beginning and end of everything I write.

1. Character Webs

To illustrate this I am going to use an example from "Lost in Ladulce: The Lady", the second of my unpublished manuscripts. I was struck by sudden and random character inspiration (SARCI - to those who really love, or hate, acronyms) while at work. I couldn't write out a profile or begin a new file or any of the usual things I would do to capture the essence of the character. Instead, I had two minutes to scribble something down in a torn notebook that just happened to be shoved in a drawer.

The character I had been inspired with was Lucinda, who has gone on to become one of the most problematic characters I've ever created but that does not invalidate the planning process. Lucinda, who at the time remained unnamed. I just knew she was going to be called The Lady, both capitalised. She was going to have a sister, who kind of despised her. She was married, but her husband was more interested in her sister. She would have a son, but she didn't acknowledge him as her child. Lucinda was a character surrounded by and connected to people and yet every relationship was flawed and filled with secrets and lies.

All of this information hit me in one blinding moment. I knew who Lucinda was and what I wanted from her. So I scribbled. Lucinda's name ended up nearly at the top of a page with an arrow pointing across to Danielle (which was the name I hastily pulled out of nowhere for her sister, but the name stuck). I then drew an arrow to her husband, who at the time was simply called The Lord, and between them wrote the name Elsen, which was the name designated for their child.

By the time I got home I had added in surnames and about four other characters with arrows and swirls and dotted lines showing relationship after relationship. During the writing process that followed, many things changed about the characters, but the initial relationship web has remained solid through every rewrite. Admittedly, some of the characters that were added, slowly sank out of importance, to the point where they no longer even appear in the story, but should they crop up, I know exactly how they should interact with the other characters.

Lucinda Bellerose has become a pain in the neck, as far as getting her character just right in the manuscript. She is meant to be slightly disturbed, but she usually comes off as psychotic. I know what she should read like, it is just a matter of translating that into a workable story for the reader. Still, this method of planning not only gave me the basis for the characters of this story, but it also began to establish the plot and plot developments as the relationships between the characters were established.

2. What would they do if...?

This is a method more for people who have a character, but they aren't sure if they know them well enough, or if they have created someone realistic. You take your character and you put them through their paces by asking a very simple question.

What would this character do if...

You can finish this sentence anyway you like. What would they do if I suddenly put them in a parallel world where technology would not function? What would they do if their best friend died? What would they do if they won a lot of money?

If you can't answer the question, and know with a hundred percent certainty that your character would act exactly that way, they you probably need to spend a bit more time getting to know your character. One thing that really bothers me as a reader is when a character suddenly does something that is completely out of character. It makes sense to move the plot forward, but it makes no sense for that individual to act that way. Very annoying.

3. Talking Round in Circles

This one is for the writers who truly like to live their books. When I'm working really closely with a character, I tend to start visualising myself having conversations with them. I do this while washing dishes or doing something else that requires absolutely no thought power. I chat with them. I ask them about their life and what they are doing. We get along like good old friends.

The process is actually fairly important. What I am doing is testing the reality of the character I have created. When they answer me, are they consistent in their language? If I've given them an accent, or a lisp or if they speak in certain forms, have I established that and is it believable? Do I know enough about this character for them to answer the seemingly random questions I throw at them?

All of three of these methods are built around creating a character so realistic they really could come off the pages and walk about and they would be a three dimensional being. Nearly 80% of the information these methods create will never end up in the manuscript, but I feel it is important to really understand your character. If you don't, you can't expect your reader to.

Share your top character planning and creation tips. Comment here or email me to let me know your methods (or madness).

Guest Blog Coming

2009-05-13T17:20:00.002+10:00

Watch this space because on Monday (18 May, 2009) novelist K.M. Weiland will be sharing her methods for creating inspiration.

In the meantime you can visit her blog, Wordplay: The Writing Life of K.M. Weiland, or visit her home page to find out more about her and her views on the writing process.

Following the Story

2009-05-11T17:48:00.002+10:00

I have been writing like crazy for nearly a week now and I have much to show for my efforts. However, as usual, the plan I wrote out and laboured over as I prepared to start the project is completely useless by the time I am half-way through the first draft.

For instance: I had this character in my plan. His name was Lucan and he was really quite an interesting character. Even for a minor one. I gave him an entire history and fleshed out his appearance. I even drew a character web revolving just around him and how he fit into the story. I liked Lucan. He was going to swan into the story about mid-stream and shake things up a bit with his zany approach to planning, giving the protagonist a much needed lesson in spontaneity, before conveniently dying in what was perhaps one of the most incredible death scenes I have even envisioned. Even in death he was going to be interesting.

I'm mid-way through my story, and not only have I not introduced Lucan, or given him any mention at all, the direction the story is headed and where my protagonist is at, ensures that Lucan is no longer required. More to the point, he no longer fits at all with any of the other characters as they have changed so much that he is completely unable to fit with any of them in his present state.

Lucan, therefore, is gone. (I really hope I do write a sequel to this current story because I would very much like Lucan to appear. I went to a lot of effort with his character.)

As you can imagine, with the characters out of phase with my plan, the rest of the plan, including all significant plot points, is now void. One plan thrown out the window.

Now the reason I manage to do this, every time I write anything, is quite simple. I refuse to follow a paved road from point A to point B if the road is dull. If I see something shiny over to the left, then I will veer left. Sometimes these detours are minor, but usually they are a radical change of course from which very little will manage to redirect me back in the original direction. And, what is the point of continuing along a road when you've already decided you'd rather be somewhere else?

I've already figured out that it is my character that derail me. It is during bouts of dialogue where I frequently divert the flow. Mostly because one of my characters will say something, and instead of moving on with the story as the plan would dictate, another character will reply. Their banter will continue and the simply A to B suddenly becomes A to C via X and Y and maybe we'll end up at D instead. I could then go back and rewrite to end up at B, and I will if I honestly think the new direction is not going anywhere, but generally I'll suddenly see a whole new world of possibilities opening before me.

Why plan?

The plan does get the initial energy flowing. It focuses me and forces me to think about my characters. I wouldn't get these spontaneous flows of dialogue if my characters were simple paper cut outs. It is through all the planning and decision making that I become connected to the project. Plus, if I'm not inspired, the plan gives me something to follow so that the project does keep moving.

Incidentally, I finally figured out the new conclusion to my project, which is far better than the initial plan. I am going to spend a couple of hours this evening sorting out the fine print and writing The Plan, Take 2. By the time I get to the end of the draft I'll have thrown that away and be on take 3. By the time I finish editing if I'm not up to The Plan, Take 20 I'll be very surprised.

How are you with planning and do you bother to stick with your plans? Let me know what you think.

The Writing Journey This Week

2009-05-10T13:29:00.002+10:00

Lots has happened this week in my writing world, though most of it can be caught up in the webook vote and the discussions surrounding the site. Leaving that until last, my journey this week has:

1. Seen me launch head first into a new writing project for submission in July. Initially I was not going to enter this particular round of submissions but I had that moment of pure inspiration and writing was unavoidable. Whether or not the project is completed and edited in time remains to be seen. It is a YA Fantasy novel set in Brisbane (the city remains unnamed but those familiar with the city will recognise it, should the project ever go public), though as it deals with aliens a lot of people will try to classify it as sci/fi. It isn't, it is definitely fantasy. I'm about half-way along the first draft and very much on track at the moment - watch me get derailed in coming weeks.

2. Received good news from a friend of mine who was given an honourable mention in a short story competition. It is always wonderful to see others succeeding, and having read his entry I am well aware that he deserved it. This is inspiring me to pick up my act and get my stories out there.

3. The Webook Vote. Well I did make it into the top ten percent with my collection of fantasy short stories. During the last voting cycle my YA novel made it into the top ten percent. The Webook community are reading and enjoying my writings (which is really great to know that anyone is reading my work from time to time). Unfortunately, yet again, my work was not selected for publication. I seem to be accepting that a great deal better than some of the others who have been turned down. It is a publishing business and I've been rejected from others before, I'm kind of taking it in stride and realising I will have to alter my angle of attack if I am going to move forward.

For those interested in the webook website and the current voting process, a discussion is taking place in the forums with suggestions for improving the next round. Some very entertaining, if not enlightening, points are being raised, as is the problem with allowing writers to assume they have any say in the publishing process. Check the link above to see what is going on and have your say.

For me, I have reached the top ten percent twice. I have an audience. Now I just need to prove to the publishers out there that I am worth taking a gamble on. I will continue on this journey until I succeed. I will not be discouraged. I hope the others who missed out in this round continue on as well.

And that is the writing journey this week. I have much to do and as usual, no where near enough time.

5 Books for Fantasy Writers to Read

2009-05-08T19:11:00.004+10:00

I did one of these last week and since then I've been reminded of so many others I wanted to put into the list. My choices this week:

1. War of the Flowers by Tad Williams

Tad Williams is incredible but War of the Flowers and its story of a parallel fairy world undergoing its own industrial revolution is brilliant. Fantastic characters and vivid descriptions, as well as an intriguing plot make this a story not to miss out on.

2. The Truth by Terry Pratchett

Okay, narrowing down which of the Discworld novels would make the list was difficult, but The Truth has always been my favourite. If you have never read a Discworld novel, you really should, and the Truth is very independent of the other stories, so you don't miss too much if you haven't read the others. I love this book because all the usual characters of Anhk Morpork are present, while we are introduced to an array of new and interesting characters. Plus the whole power of the written word is explored and as a writer, that appeals to me. A clever parody and extremely amusing story, well written with a strong finish. A must read for anyone.

3. Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda

Warning on this one, for younger readers, and yet incredible. Classic quest story with a coming of age theme as Rowan, one of the weakest in his village, sets out on a journey up the mountain to help bring the water back to the stream that provides life for his village. Not too many unexpected turns in the story or new material, this book demonstrates how classic tales can be told in interesting ways.

4. Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks

Again, how does one choose a Terry Brooks book above the others? Running with the Demon wins this one because he named a character Nest and pulled it off. The blend of magic and reality as we follow Nest and her journey is expertly done and by the end you would almost believe that there might be magic lurking in your nearby park. A fascinating story with some quite clever devices linking past and future events.

5. Palace by Katharine Kerr

Katharine Kerr is amazing, and I loved her Deverry series, but in Palace she takes us to a futuristic world that feels amazingly fresh. It is odd because most of the ideas have been seen before, but it still reads originally. Explore the intricate world created in this tale and really feel for the characters. Very emotionally powerful.

Thunder and Moonshadow

2009-05-08T19:09:00.001+10:00

Part 2 of this story is up for reading. Find out more about Mocha city and its somewhat reluctant police force. Very soon our super hero shall make his entrance and the secret of Moonshadow shall be revealed.

Check out Thunder and Moonshadow and let me know what you think.

Writing Advice I Have Received

2009-05-06T20:29:00.003+10:00

For a while now I have been reading everything I can about writing. Obviously there is more being written than I could ever possibly read but I have read quite a bit. I just want to quickly share five bits of advice I have read recently, in no particular order, that seemed to have some merit.

Don't worry about being the next big thing, worry about writing a good story. This I read less than two minutes ago on another blog and thought it was brilliant, unfortunately forgot which blog.
Social networking, Twitter and the like, can help authors or hinder them, depending on how they use it.
Inspiration takes seconds while writing is a long and time consuming labour (though very much worth it).
While some people will forgive grammatical errors in a good story, others will reach for the tar and feathers.
Writers everywhere rely way to heavily on caffeine. No wonder we're all just that little bit out there.

Keep writing and have fun.

Colour me...

2009-05-05T07:23:00.002+10:00

I've just been going through a whole pile of my old writing and I have realised something odd. Every single villain that I have created has either black or brown eyes. Every single one. In contrast to every heroic character where pretty much all of the girls have pale grey or ice blue eyes and all the guys have amber eyes. Given I've never actually consciously made a decision to do this, that is just really odd. More importantly, how is it that every other character either has boring blue or brown eyes, not even any green. Apparently I need to pay more attention to what my subconscious is doing to my stories.

The Trouble With Prequels

2009-05-03T07:30:00.002+10:00

Slightly off topic from books today (for some of it).

Yesterday, I saw the new X-men movie (Wolverine) and was highly underwhelmed. It was much the same as having sat through all three movies of the new Star Wars and feeling a sense of utter apathy toward them.

My problem with these, and other prequels, for the most part are:

1. They add nothing of value to the original story

2. They give me nothing about the character that I couldn't have discerned for myself, except information that is useless at best, or worse, utterly distracting and clouding over the definition I already have of the character

3. The end is a already determined and so there is nothing of a surprise there

4. Because the end it predetermined, the journey is either uninspiring, uninteresting, or muddled to the point of making no sense in order to get to an end point in an interesting way.

Using Wolverine as an example (yes there are spoilers so don't read if you are going to be upset):

What did we really learn about Logan that we already didn't know?

Um, he fought in a war? No, that was kind of obvious.

Um, Stryker was the one who put metal in him? Yeah, everyone knew that.

I've got it, he had a brother! Exactly, and this is where it makes no sense. His brother is still alive at the end of the movie, and yet nowhere to be seen in the x-men trilogy. Why exactly wouldn't he be involved? It doesn't make sense. He loved violence. He would have been the first one in on a mutant vs human and/or mutant war. We didn't know this about Logan, because it doesn't make sense in the context of the original movie.

Then of course there is the discussion about the quality of the film. Forget the hype. Just look at the scene in the bathroom where he first checks out his new blades. How fake is that? They didn't even try to blend with how they looked in X-men. The didn't even try to make it look like the blades were in the same room as Wolverine. Then there are is the indestructible motor-bike. The cheesy appearance of the professor at the end. The completely ridiculous farce where the army first pursues Logan (without the one weapon that might stop him). It goes on and on.

Same with Star Wars, and the Cruel Intentions Prequel, and with several others I could go into but I'm going to leave it there.

Onto books, because this is supposed to be on books. If you want a decent prequel, read David Eddings the "Belgerad" and follow with the "Mollorean", and then read the two prequels, "Belgarath the Sorcerer" and "Polgara the Sorceress". These actually add something to the series and are entertaining on their own.

The Writing Journey This Week

2009-05-02T07:24:00.002+10:00

At the moment time is flying. I would be absolutely lying if I said I had really done anything productive, writing wise, this week. That said, here are the highlights:

1. Still in Webook top ten percent and awaiting a decision there.

2. Received my manuscript back from yet another agent with a thanks but no thanks letter (I really should have kept all the letters right from the start so that I could construct a glory wall). More determined then ever to continue improving my craft and actually get a 'yes'.

3. Started reviewing on webook again, it has been awhile. I actually lost my top reviewer status (finally). At least I'm no longer getting random messages from people who write drama or poetry saying "please read my work" even though they never even glance at mine. At least I was reading this week.

4. As the post below says, I decided to start a second blog for the purpose of writing a serial. At least that is once a week that I have to write. Those who do follow me on Webook may have already read the first couple of weeks worth, but it has been severely changed and edited so it should be relatively new. Check out Thunder and Moonshadow.

And that is it from me this week in writing. I'm hoping things settle down around me so I can get back to some serious writing and editing, but every step forward is helpful.

Thunder and Moonshadow

2009-05-01T17:22:00.002+10:00

Just for fun I decided to start my own serial (a week by week telling of a story). The first couple of weeks are adapted from a story I started a while ago, and I will see where it goes.

Check out Thunder and Moonshadow and let me know what you think.

Inspiration

2009-04-30T19:20:00.002+10:00

I often wonder how difficult it must be to have no inspiration in this world. It seems like such an inaccurate thing to say. One look outside would fill the mind with images, smells and sounds. A single conversation could be deconstructed and reconstitute so many different ways it might well keep you busy for eternity. With the Internet and the marvellous sensory feast available with a few swift clicks, it is very odd for there to be nothing inspiring you.

The problem is that it is the wrong phrase. It isn't that one is not inspired. The problem is that though you have all of these images and ideas competing for your attention, none of them are coming together cohesively and the ability to translate the thought into words is currently failing you.

Many times it is a case of information overload and simply focusing on a single notion for a while may help. Cutting the distractions free from the mind and beginning to craft a plan from a single spark of interest.

Other times the problem comes from genuinely having a block with words. The idea is in your head, crystal clear, and ready to be explored, but the words fail. At times like these I tend to go for list writing. Simply jot, in the most ordinary fashion possible, the idea and then work on expanding each point out until I either decide the idea isn't worth pursuing, or until I suddenly latch onto a phrase or word that sends me into a typing frenzy.

The few times I am in search for extra inspiration, I have discovered that YouTube is completely addictive. Try Tomalsorans "Hive Mind Flight Patterns", silversobe's video clip to "Electric Feel" by MGMT, or RedStormProduction's "Haunted Forest". With that last one, is it just me or are the trees moving?

Finally, I leave you with this:

"Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time... The wait is simply too long."
Leonard Bernstein
US composer & conductor (1918 - 1990)
Let me know what inspires you.

5 Books Fantasy Writers Should Read...

2009-04-29T17:28:00.003+10:00

Well, writers should read lots of things, particularly outside of their genre, however, this list is about fantasy books. There are 5 in this list, but I'm quite sure there are more to come. Feel free to suggest others. I've linked them so you can read a brief outline if you are so inclined.

1. "Playing Beatie Bow" by Ruth Park

This book should be read for a number of reasons (though one of the standout reasons is that the film is "not great"). The reason this book heads my list is because it has fantastic characterisation, and the blend between reality and fantasy is pretty seamless. It is also one of the few time travel stories I have read that does not manage to tie itself into an incomprehensible knot. Very good read.

2. "The Redemption of Althalus" by David Eddings

Personally, I love pretty much everything by David Eddings, up until "The Redemption of Althalus", but I think in this book he has really mastered his style. Characters, plots and settings weave together beautifully in this book (which fortunately is a stand alone novel). The only down side of the story is that if you have read many of David Eddings' earlier works, there are many familiar overtones to this story.

3. "100 years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This is not necessarily a fantasy book. This one is described using the phrase 'magical realism' where imagination and reality are moulded together in such a way that it creates something truly moving and very amazing. With its whimsical use of time and fascinating characters, this book is truly a page turner.

4. "Sorcerer's Ward" by Barbara Hambly

I know straight away that fans of Barbara Hambly are going to insist that this is not the best example of her work, however I found that this book creates a magical world in so much detail that I really believed it, while I was reading. In the attention to detail of every outfit and conversation and building, there are no moments where you wonder if an event would really take place in the world. This book is here because it is a case of a truly masterful use of setting.

5. "A Modern Magician" by Robert Weinberg

Because all the other books in this list take themselves reasonably seriously, I included this example of more light hearted fare. A very entertaining tale, set in the modern world. Very action focused, the characters are not as well developed as in some of the other examples provided, but it is great fun to read.

I would love to know what you think of some of these books, and what you think should be on the next list. Have fun reading.

Nouns as Verbs

2009-04-23T19:07:00.004+10:00

This is a post for the language nut hiding deep inside all of us.

Recently (and not so recently) it seems that every noun is up for grabs. You no longer hit people with a glass, you "glass" them. You don't search on the Internet using Google, you "Google" something. On and on the list goes of nouns that have been shoved (somewhat forcefully at times) into the position of a verb. You could wonder where this will end up. Will we be telling our kids to "tie their laces" in the future, or will we say "hurry up and lace". This might sound ridiculous but let's explore the idea of telling someone to "shoe" themselves. We already "shoe" horses, so why not.

This argument highlights the dynamic nature of the English language and its marvellous ability to be reinterpreted and re-imagined. The only problem is, it is being re-imagined inconsistently, and frequently by people who didn't understand the original rules to begin with.

I find my biggest problem with this, is that people insist on using 'hybrid' forms of 'new' English in formal documents and it doesn't belong. A formal report or essay has to be written in whatever the current standard is in order for it to meet the requirements for that genre, and to be understood by whomever the intended reader may be. Admittedly, many of these terms have already become a standard, in many ways, but the speed at which new language is introduced is at times overwhelming.

I opened the discussion on Twitter for those who had an opinion and admittedly responses were few and far between. The one's I did receive were as follows:

I guess, as with all language choices, writers need to consider the following:

Who is your intended audience and what will the accept?
What is your intended purpose and what language will help you achieve it?

Progression on top: Webook vote finished

2009-04-22T17:37:00.003+10:00

Finally the Webook vote has finished and they have announced those projects that made it into the top ten percent. Obviously I was thrilled when I found out that Progression, my collection of fantasy flash fiction was in the top ten percent.

Having read through the comments again, most are of the "wow, this is great" variety, which isn't overly informative but nice. As a writer you don't get much immediate feedback, particularly of the positive kind. Usually you get form letters telling you your writing doesn't meet the present needs of the agent/publisher. So it felt really, really good to have a lot of very positive comments. I also had a couple of negative comments from people, which I will need to consider in the near future.

For those who haven't read the collection (you can click the link above) it is a collection of around forty very short, short stories. They are very short because they are designed for teens to read (most teens not wanting to read something if it goes for more than two pages). They are works of fantasy that are meant to get the reader thinking and wondering, not wrap things up with a nice little moral. The order of the works is quite deliberate, with some works making you smile, others making you heart-sick, and every emotion in between explored.

Ultimately, this is really great news. I made it into the top ten percent during the last vote, with my novel "Death's Daughter", which needed some work and wasn't selected for publication. I have made it into the top ten percent again. My work is getting out there and being read. Now I just need to get it polished enough to get published.

The Journey 2

2009-04-19T11:44:00.003+10:00

Two weeks of the blog and I have had a wonderful time. I'm going to wrap up the main events of this week quite quickly.

1. Received three new rejection letters from various agents (at least they read my query).

2. Progression has been up for vote on webook all week and is still getting some very favourable responses. There are two days left on the vote and I am very interested to see where I come in the end.

3. I have continued to edit my draft of Lost in Ladulce, and have become very disenchanted with a couple of characters and am now planning a rewrite.

4. In case I end up self-publishing (a decision I haven't made yet) I have been formatting my collection of short stories into an appropriate format. I think it is looking very good.

5. Two ideas are currently competing in my head for next extended writing project. Both are teen lit dealing with the supernatural, but I am writing loose outlines for both. Only time will tell which way I go.

6. Finally, I have become completely addicted to twitter and am endlessly amazed at the amount of information available for writers, and the amount of support offered for new writers.

As always you can check out my work on webook, comment here, email me, or message me on twitter. I like to make things easy for people.

Suffering Writer's Fatigue?

2009-04-18T07:09:00.003+10:00

Suffering from writer's fatigue?

You know the sensation. Your fingers are sore, your eyes are stinging, and your shoulders feel like they've been locked in place. You have just spent the last three hours sitting and typing, desperately trying to convert the ideas in your head into something coherent, and you know, given another hour or two, you might actually have something brilliant in front of you, but you can't make it. This is writer's fatigue. (It applies even if you hand write, only it is your neck that is going to be killing you.)

I used to hit this wall, a lot. It isn't that I don't have ideas, it is just that the physical act of trying to write is going to cause me pain. When I stand up, if I stand up, I will probably fall right into bed and have a terrible nights sleep and wake with a neck cramp. It wasn't until I set myself a strict deadline of a month to write the first draft of a novel that I really worked on getting through writer's fatigue.

Some simple solutions to increase your staying power with writing:

1. Stand up.

Obvious really. Every half and hour, or scene, or page, or whatever unit of time you set, stand up and pace around the room. I use the time to look out the window, refill my water, or chase the cat away from whatever she is tearing up. Doing this I can spend nearly all day writing and I determine when I take my breaks.

2. Before you write do some sort of gentle exercise.

I like yoga, because it stretches out all the cramps from the previous day and gets my circulation moving, while not causing me to sweat too much. Also I can do it at home. However any relaxing, physical activity, will get your body ready for the day, and work out any of the stress from the previous day.

3. Change what you are writing.

This is odd, but sometimes it isn't that you are writing, it is that you are writing the same thing that is the problem. When my brain starts feeling stressed and the tension in my shoulders increases, I send a message to a friend, or write a quick short story, or something else, and I can feel myself relaxing as I move away from something my brain is urging me to finish. After you feel relaxed again, return to what you were working on with fresh eyes.

4. Eat.

This is probably bad, but have food with you when you are writing. A lot of the time, the problem is you are burning through fuel because your brain is working really hard, but because there is limited physical movement you don't get the right signals to tell you to eat. Obviously healthy fruit or nuts are best, or a sandwich. Personally, I go for straight sugar, but eating is essential for getting away from writer's fatigue.

5. Have a friend drop in.

Usually we like to be left alone while writing, and it is essential that we can focus. Have someone who will drop in on you in a few hours, just to make sure you have taken a short break. They can talk with you, even if the talking is about the writing, and you can recap what you have done, all the while you are rejuvenating and getting ready to write some more.

6. When all else fails, set an alarm.

Set yourself a limit. Know that at this time you are going to... do whatever it is you do. Set an alarm and stick to only hitting the extend on that alarm once. That gives you a ten minute grace period to finish that all important sentence, save your work and leave.

From my own personal experience, I know that when writer's fatigue is coming on, everything I write needs to be rewritten the next day when I am feeling fresh. Dealing with writer's fatigue, taking breaks and eating, ensure that there are less errors, and the writing feels more energised.
Leave your own comments on how you deal with writer's fatigue.

5 Tips for Fantasy Writers

2009-04-16T14:35:00.003+10:00

This is a simple list of five tips that can really help out fantasy writers.

1. Read outside of the fantasy genre.

Yes, you should definitely be reading fantasy if you intend to write it, however you need to broaden your horizons a little. This is because when a book is a fantasy, it really just warns the reader to expect strange places, magic, or any of the other fantasy conventions that the writer has chosen to employ. It doesn't really tell them what sort of story is being written. Many fantasies are really just romances with a bit of magic thrown in, or they are crime stories, or action, or a quest, or any of the dozens of generic plot structures floating out there. To write good fantasy, you need to have a wide knowledge of a lot of different genres.

2. Make the character names pronounceable.

Maybe it is cool to put an apostrophe of asterisk in the middle of a name, but unless your book comes with a pronunciation guide, all this does is perplex the reader and make it harder for them to really connect to your character. Even with the pronunciation guide, I find it quite frustrating to flip from the middle of a fight sequence, to the front, to figure out how to pronounce the name of a character who just rode into the fray. I'm not alone in this.

3. Add the character names to spell check.

Possibly this is an extension of point two, but it is very helpful. As a writer, I have overused the spell check to the point where the F7 on my keyboard has faded to non-existence and it is now a blank key. When writing a fantasy, there are any number of names, of both people and places, that are not exactly conventional. This means that every time you work on your story, the first spell check is going to stop on every single character and place, and even if you click ignore all, if you've added an apostrophe s to any character name, that will come up to. Keep a second dictionary, with all standard English words, and add the vocabulary specific to your story. It will save you a lot of time. Also, when it highlights a character name, you know that you have actually mistyped the name or changed the spelling, because your chosen spelling is now in the dictionary.

4. Description matters.

In fantasy, description is extraordinarily important. If you are setting your story in the real world you can sometimes take short cuts, not so with fantasy. You can't just say it is a small town or a suburban town, and expect the reader to fill the details in. The details are what make your story unique and are what suck your reader in. Get the description right and the reader will forgive you if it takes a little longer to get the story moving (I say a little, don't expect the reader to wade through five chapters of description before anything happens).

5. Find your own voice.

Maybe you love Tolkien, or you fell in love with Pratchett, or maybe Eddings was your introduction to the fantasy world. That's nice. Don't copy their style. They have unique voices that people are already familiar with, and trying to emulate them will just get you labelled a bad substitute. Admittedly, if you have read everything ever written by an author, your author voice will probably find some similarities, because that is a style you are familiar with. That's where reading widely comes in handy. It gives you a larger repertoire to draw from when creating your own style. Instead of having one or two influences, suddenly you can borrow little bits from many and roll it together in your own unique way.

Remember to have fun writing. If you have any tips for fantasy writers, let me know.

The journey this week...

2009-04-13T22:14:00.003+10:00

Or this week-ish...

Since beginning this blog, I have become more caught up in writing than ever before. How someone can become more obsessive than obsessive is still a small mystery, but I know I am very focused on my goal right now of becoming a published writer.

To that end, I am doing a quick run down of my efforts in writing.

1. Firstly, I have to say I have clocked a lot of time on the webook website checking in on the vote. With just over seven days left, the campaign is really taking off. Messages and project invites have been flying thick and fast. Admittedly, some members of the site will be glad when the vote is over, but for those of us putting our work up and seeing some of the comments it is receiving, the whole experience can be quite exhilarating, and nail biting. My collection of short stories, Progression, seem to be doing well with many positive comments so far. The most uplifting came today from Kamigawa who left a comment stating "Great fluent writing style combined with great plots and interesting twists". As far as positive feedback on my writing, I couldn't really ask for more. Even the couple of not so uplifting comments haven't been terrible. My fingers are crossed that my stories continue to be enjoyed.

2. Secondly, I have been reading and collecting articles and blogs like crazy on anything even remotely related to writing and publishing. I've been particularly interested in the argument of self-publishing vs traditional publishing, as I have been considering self-publication recently. Not that I have any intention of jumping into anything blindly. More research is needed on this issue.

3. Thirdly, I have been editing like crazy. I have put a hold on all new writing until I finish at least a second draft of the novel I am working on, and that has sent my brain into overdrive with hundreds of new story ideas. All of which, are currently being scribbled in a notebook and firmly put aside. I will not continue to dance around several projects without finalising anything. I am going to focus and I am going to succeed. If I say it often enough, I know I can make it happen.

4. Finally, two interesting articles on writing that caught my attention this week that I want to share. From Jennifer Roach, a discussion on how to make writing flow like a good album, and Nathan Bransford asking what your characters want.

That is this week, or there abouts. I re-read my first post in this blog today and realised I said I would probably only be posting about twice a week. That will be true, once the holiday is over and I am back at work. I'm actually glad that I've had some time to write.

The journey continues onward, always.

A rose by any other name

2009-04-12T09:37:00.003+10:00

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately about writing and it seems that many are having trouble naming their characters. This is a phenomena that I don't think I've ever really encountered and so I decided to look into this.

For me, writing begins with a character. In my mind I see them, I know their likes and dislikes, their speech patterns, their dress sense, and I build a history around them. I ask, why do they like that, or why do they speak that way, and create a past. Somewhere in this process, they are named and I write and speak about them as though they actually were somebody I had just met. Finally they gain a future and a goal and so the story idea begins to form. Everything is focused on the initial character, even if later they become only a small part of the final produce because other events within the story take dominance.

My particular attachment to my characters became quite apparent just yesterday. While my BF and I were out and about, shopping and going to the movies, we were discussing the terrible food we had just eaten and I remember my BF said "It's a good thing Lucinda isn't here, I can only imagine what she would do".

Now, for those who haven't read the previous post, Lucinda is a character in my latest draft, one which my BF was kind enough to do a proof read on and help me untangle some of the story lines. As well as that, my BF is the one who listens while the character slowly forms and I rattle off ideas about how she would respond in this situation or that situation. This is a character who, for the moment at least, is so real that we are discussing her as though she's a friend who just isn't available to shop right now.

What makes this situation particularly vivid, is that I could instantly see Lucinda striding up to the food counter and laying her fingers on the edge of it and smiling, a dangerous glint in her eyes while asking, in a deceptively calm voice for a refund. I can also perfectly visualise her then sighing, as her request is refused, and in a single instant liquefying the counter into a puddle on the tiled floor. Obviously Lucinda should not be let loose in most shopping centres and should remain well and truly within her own world, wreaking havoc.

This isn't the first time my friend and I have done this. While I was working on my first novel, "Death's Daughter", we would regularly discuss Calandra Delaine and some of her short comings. Each character is unique and distinct and they stick in our minds as we go about our business.

As to naming them, the names are perfectly obvious from the start. Calandra wouldn't be who she is without the name, and nor would Lucinda. The names just resonate with who the characters ought to be. I must admit, I do sometimes have trouble naming bit characters, and then I draw on a first names dictionary to find something, but for the most part the name is simply an extension of the idea of who that character is.

One thing I run into trouble with, is finding names I have no actual association with. I try to avoid names if I know a person with that name - mostly to avoid offending said person, even though the character would not be based on them, though also because that name already has distinct connotations within my mind. I like to start fresh with my characters, without any connections or bias.

While I do not have any trouble naming character, I cannot name places. I am terrible at it. I'm endeavoring to find some help as far as creating names for cities, etc. For those who have trouble with character names, the following link might help: Creating Characters

Wishing all the writers out there the best of luck with their characters. Meanwhile I may need to get the bracelet made "What Would Lucinda Do?" (Substitute your own character name).

Pieces of the Puzzle

2009-04-10T11:21:00.003+10:00

The Easter holiday is finally upon us, and this morning I have been making the most of this long and empty day that is stretching out before me. In my efforts to focus on absolutely nothing of import, for at least the next two days, I spent an hour piecing together the border of a jigsaw puzzle. Possibly I should have chosen a puzzle that had some colour or discernible pattern, as the black and grey flecks on a background of white proved more troubling than I originally suspected, and the jigsaw border is still incomplete. It doesn't really matter.

What is interesting about this, is that while I was putting the pieces together I was reflecting on the current novel I am working on. The working title is possible "Lost in Ladulce: The Lady", but to be perfectly honest, I change my mind about that every other hour as I continue to hack apart the convoluted story line and try to construct something readable from the various notes and drafts and outlines that I've pieced together over the last couple of months. This morning I've been dealing with the characters and their increasingly tangled relationships.

As far as novels go, this one has a long way to go before it will become, in any sense, reader friendly. Yet I have become more and more involved in the story, and more attached to characters (whom in all honesty aren't that likable) and am bordering on obsessed. It is nearly an all consuming project, because when I'm not working on it, I am thinking about it. Today, I was thinking about where the project began.

In front of me, I have the original character web I scribbled, when a flash of inspiration struck me at work one day. It is the back of an old exercise book and I only had a red pen, and nothing to lean on. It began with a simple connection. Lucinda and Danielle, who were sisters. Later, I have gone back and added a surname, Bellerose. I don't recall why, but at the time I decided that Lucinda was a lady and Danielle was a guard, and later I clarified that by deciding Lucinda would be The Lady (and the central character of the story) and Danielle would be an officer, though not the highest ranking officer.

From there the web expands. I connect Lucinda and Danielle to Lord Escada Randall, who murdered their mother. Lucinda is connected to Lewyn (The Lord), and that gives Lucinda her title and explains why she is a lady and Danielle is not, though it became more complicated then that once I started actually expanding the story. Lucinda and Lewyn have a child. There are servants and other guards and other lords and ladies, and the entire web became reasonably incoherent as dotted lines and arrows and slashes filled the page.

But I kept it.

There was something about the characters, as sketchy as they were, that kept drawing me in.

I wrote back stories for each of the characters and created a motivation for each, a goal that they were trying to achieve. Filling in the details, the stories crossed and interlaced as they characters came into conflict again and again. At first it was almost as though the story had been sitting in the back of my mind just waiting to be let out. The pieces fit together with ease and made beautiful patterns on the page. The first draft rolled off my fingers and into the computer with ease. Then came the reading.

The difference between putting a puzzle together, and putting a story together, seems that for most puzzles there is one clear solution. As a writer, I put my puzzle together, and it fit together, and it was good. Then I flipped it over and looked at it from the readers view point. Suddenly, the picture was not so clear.

If I thought the project was doomed, I would have thrown the whole thing back in the box and maybe scavenged bits and pieces for other projects, however that is not the case. Instead, I am trying to perform careful surgery on the whole. Cutting this piece out here and rearranging that section there. The end result should hopefully be something that resembles the original vision, while at the same time is accessible to those who don't live inside my head.

The puzzle this morning did get me thinking because I have been stuck for a time, staring at pieces that fit together in my mind. I had nearly a whole edge of the border put together, then realised that it was too long. There were three pieces, that seemed to fit, looked like they fit, that just did not belong. They had to be removed. It didn't matter how many times I insisted that they should go there, they had to be removed.

This journey I have been on, from writing for myself, to writing for others, has taught me one thing very clearly. I have to be objective about my writing. Creativity and inspiration are wonderful things, in formulating ideas and plans and even getting the first draft together. But they don't help when trying to turn that draft into something that might make it, as a published book.

More Information on First Person

2009-04-08T16:41:00.003+10:00

Having expressed my views, and some of the problems encountered when writing a novel in first person, I received some feedback in the form of emails and twitters. Most of this was from other writers who had experienced similar situations. This prompted me to dig a little further and to find out what others were saying.

Vickie Britton has written an article titled "Writing in First Person, Point of View: Pros and Cons of Narrating in First Person" that I found comforting as many of the points covered expressed the advantages and disadvantages that I had encountered when writing in first person. However, the article then goes on to explore when the best time to use first person is and when it should be avoided, as well as providing examples of novels that have been written, successfully, using first person.

Cheryl Wright, in an article titled "Me, Myself and I -Writing First Person Point of View" examines how to eliminate over using "I" when writing. Having been an active participant on Webook, it has become a familiar sight to see many new writers beginning every paragraph of their text with "I". As you can imagine this quickly becomes repetitive. The examples and explanations provided by Cheryl Wright in this article are clear and definitely helpful to any writer thinking of attempting a novel in first person.

Looking at the advantages of first person, MJBlack first explains the three points of view and then gets into more detail about first person in "The Advantages for First Person Writing". It is also mentioned that first person works particularly well in short stories.

I have to say, the search engine went a little crazy when looking for articles on the writing points of view and I could spend the next twenty years reading articles that tell me very similar things; though I am interested if anyone has got a particularly interesting article that they have uncovered about the topic. I will include one more link, and that is to a YouTube video called "Writing Fiction and Poetry: How to Identify Narrative Style in Literature" that was quite informative and looked at how the point of view aids in conveying the narrative.

The search for information continues as does my journey into the wonderful world of writing.

The Problem With First Person

2009-04-06T16:32:00.003+10:00

As I stated in the previous post, I finished drafting my first novel last year and am in the process of getting it published, or at least getting it ready to be published. Mostly I am in the process of becoming immune to rejection while continuing to make the work the best that it can be.

The novel is a fantasy novel entitled "Death's Daughter" and centres around the feisty Calandra Delaine, who at seventeen believes she has her whole life figured out. Because I started writing this story quite a long time ago, and because I wanted to really get inside of Calandra's head, I made the decision to write this story in first person, and have since fallen out of love with the concept.

Admittedly, it is the easiest way to convey thoughts and emotions directly from a single character to the audience. It also allows the reader greater insight into the decisions that are being made. At the end of the day, if the goal is reader connection and reader empathy, then first person is a fantastic choice, because it achieves all of these goals quite admirably.

Unfortunately, there is a trade off. For all the advantages of first person I ran into several major problems because of my chosen writing voice.

The first problem is simply one of connection. Calandra is an interesting character, or I think she is, but as soon as someone tries to read the story who has no interest in the inner thoughts or voice a seventeen year old girl trying to find her own identity as the world falls apart around her, you lose the reader quite quickly. The problem here is making sure that there is enough information given so that people can decide whether this is something they want to read.

The second problem was more difficult to deal with. Because Calandra was telling the audience the story, as soon as Calandra didn't know something, the reader couldn't. Given I was creating an entire fantasy world, the only information the reader could gain about it was what Calandra chose to share. While it might be nice for Calandra to assume the role of tourist guide, it wouldn't have fit with her character to ramble on about mundane details and descriptions of things she had no interest in, and so the reader is denied access.

Larger problems erupted when trying to resolve the story. There are some things that Calandra just never learns (because, let's face it, we aren't often sat down and told everything, some things are just never revealed), and yet that leaves the ending somewhat unsatisfying. The challenge became how to inform the reader and yet leave Calandra groping around in the dark. It took a while to get the balance right and ensure that there were enough clues and signs to point the reader toward the resolution, without revealing too much, too soon. Calandra may remain somewhat confused, but the reader should be satisfied with the conclusion.

What I desperately wanted to avoid was the "sit-down" resolution. I didn't want somebody sitting down with Calandra, after the final conflict, and explaining everything to her (and the reader) just what had happened. If the ending needed that much explanation after the fact, then it probably wasn't a particularly well told story to begin with.

I would like to say I had learned my lesson and was going to avoid writing in first person from now on, given the limitations I encountered. The truth is, I like my characters too much. I want them to tell us their stories from their perspectives. I just need to get better at it, and ensuring I can control the story sufficiently that the reader is given enough information. That said, my second completed novel draft is written in third person. I wasn't willing to dive straight into another round of first person mayhem.

The Beginning

2009-04-04T19:49:00.002+10:00

Well, every journey needs a beginning, and I guess this is mine. I'm Cassandra, aka Darkened_Jade, and I am on a quest to become the best fantasy writer that I can be. Somewhere in the future, there is a plan that I might become a published writer, and I work toward that end, however in the meantime, I'm learning everything I can about writing and creating the best work that I can. I'm also getting very good at pretending I don't care about rejection, which might just be a handy life skill, somewhere down the line.

When I say this is my journey's beginning I am, strictly speaking, talking about the documentation of the journey. This is the blogs beginning. I began writing, seriously, nearly ten years ago, way back in high school. It feels incredible that such a short time has past as it seems everything has changed for me, and yet everything is still the same. One of those situations where I'm sitting still and yet being propelled forward faster than I can ever possibly believe.

At the moment I am acutely aware of my writing journey. I have a collection of short stories, the best of the many, posted on webook (see: http://www.webook.com/project/Progression ) and up for vote come Monday, that really demonstrate the change in my writing. Last year I finally completed work on my first novel, and after some rejection, reopened work on it but am still hopeful. I've also completed the first draft on my second novel and have solid plans to keep on writing. Ideas are plentiful, time is not.

As stated, I am a fantasy writer (with a little bit of science fiction thrown in for fun). I deal strongly with characters who are a little askew from the normal and trying to make sense of impossible situations. I am also very much into creating a diverse range of female characters as I feel women have been dealt with quite unfavourably within the fantasy genre, with a few exceptions.

I'll be blogging twice a week, and documenting the journey that I am on, and hopefully, some of you will come with me and offer your advice and encouragement.

Words shape thoughts and send them forth unto the world. Let them be received with open minds and open hearts.