Before I get into my recap for the previous week, I have not one, but TWO exciting announcements.
First, I won a FREE copy of Becky Levine's new book, The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide (Writer's Digest Books, 2010). A big thanks to Becky, and to Writer Unboxed for hosting the give-away.
Second, sometime this coming week I will have a guest post published on Christina Katz's site, The Prosperous Writer. I just received confirmation this morning, and as soon as I know when the article will be posted on her site, I'll post a link here. Another big thank you to Christina!
This being the final Sunday of the month, I'm going to do something slightly different. Today's link soup/ casserole/ salad will consist solely of a few goodies I found on my fellow writer's blogs last week (sorry I can't link everyone in a single post, but I plan to do this once a month from now on). So let's get started!
SF/F writer Brad Leslie offers his alternative to the current yearly holiday schedule.
YA novelist Dawn Simon is attending the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York. Those of us who were unable to attend can live vicariously through her blog posts.
YA novelist Sammy Suzuhara talks about why patience is not only a virtue, but an absolute necessity as a writer.
Sci-fi writer and future English teacher Ashlee Chism speaks up about the "outrageousness" of the current dictionary debate.
Fantasy novelist Brandi Guthrie makes some good points about the wrong way to critique.
SF/F writer Liz Penn explains how to find balance when creating tension throughout a story.
YA novelist Richard Kray offers tips on how to write a stellar query.
Fantasy novelist J. Nelson Leith's archaic definition of the week: futtocks. And that's all I'm saying about that.
Women's Fiction novelist Lara Moretti discusses some of the reasons why publishers might change a book's cover.
And finally, Historical Fiction novelist Christi Corbett wants to know, "What's your favorite first line?"
For me, that's a no-brainer. Well... it's actually a first paragraph and some change, but whatever, here it is. From The Forever War, an award-winning military sci-fi by Joe Haldeman:
"Tonight we're going to show you eight silent ways to kill man." The guy who said that was a sergeant who didn't look five years older than me. So if he'd ever killed a man in combat, silently or otherwise, he'd done it as an infant.
I already knew eighty ways to kill people, and most of them were pretty noisy.
Haha. Love it!
~Lydia
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Motivational Quotes to Get You Through the Weekend
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."
~Richard Bach
"There's a word for a writer who never gives up... published."
~Joe Konrath
"The first draft doesn't have to be good. It just has to be written."
~Libby Fischer Hellman
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."
~Stephen King
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog."
~Mark Twain
"Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time."
~Arnold H. Glasgow
"For everything you have missed you have gained something else."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act, not react."
~George Bernard Shaw
Do you have a favorite writing quote that keeps you motivated? Please share.
~Lydia
~Richard Bach
"There's a word for a writer who never gives up... published."
~Joe Konrath
"The first draft doesn't have to be good. It just has to be written."
~Libby Fischer Hellman
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."
~Stephen King
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog."
~Mark Twain
"Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time."
~Arnold H. Glasgow
"For everything you have missed you have gained something else."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act, not react."
~George Bernard Shaw
Do you have a favorite writing quote that keeps you motivated? Please share.
~Lydia
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Why "Free" Sells
While the world is abuzz with talk of apple's new iTablet/ iSlate/ iPad/ iCan'tMakeUpMyMind, I'm going to offer an old (yet still hot!) topic that's somewhat related: the e-piracy debate (also known as, people getting your work for free) and how it can sometimes help you.
Novelist Joe Konrath pirates HIS OWN BOOKS, and he doesn't think any of the thousands of others "stealing" his stuff is affecting his profits. Read his article HERE.
Also the article, Confessions of a Book Pirate, at The Millions was quite interesting.
And I can't talk about this subject without mentioning the success story of novelist J.C. Hutchins, who offered his novel as a free podcast, then received so much attention it landed him a book deal with St. Martin's Press. Do you think he's crying over the MILLIONS of people who downloaded his story for free? Hardly. Click HERE to read more about his innovative approach, and HERE to see what he's been doing recently. You'll notice the word "free" littered throughout both of those articles.
The more I read about this topic, the more I'm drawn toward the conclusion that giving away things for free is not really a problem. It's a SALES TACTIC. Kind of like those lovely free samples at the grocery store, or the "buy one get one free" sales at department stores.
Why does it work? In a word: Because people are stupid. (Okay, that was more than one word. Whatever.)
What I mean by "stupid" is, people are PREDICTABLE. I've been working in retail for over eight years, and during part of that time I had management duties that included keeping track of sales and understanding advertising, customer service, etc.
It's all very simple. Get the customer into the store because they think they're getting a deal, and they'll (usually) leave with a bundle. The number one thing I hear from customers at the check-out? "I only came in for this." And they'll hold up a pair of $2 socks, then look at the counter filled with other stuff they just couldn't pass up, shrug, and swipe their beautiful plastic.
Cha-ching!
It works because people are predictable. They'll spend money they didn't plan on spending if you tell them to.
So how does this figure in to the e-piracy debate? It's about exposure, which is essentially free advertising. Word of mouth can make or break a writer's career. When a reader is going ga-ga over your book, they'll talk. And "talk" on the internet will get you noticed by people who ARE willing to spend their money, whether you tell them to or not.
I refer again to my department store history. A few years back, I found a bunch of plain short-sleeved tee shirts in the stockroom that had apparently been forgotten for a period of months. So long, in fact, that their current retail price had been reduced to ONE DOLLAR (might as well have been FREE). Obviously, our bottom line had flown out of reach for those tee shirts long ago (for those of you who have no clue what I mean, read: there's no way in hell we would have made any kind of profit at that point), but being the smartey-pants that I am, I smacked those little yellow stickers on the shirts, and made a nice display of them on the sales floor.
Not surprisingly, they were gone within a day. I watched the people buying them. They all had carts full of other stuff. A week later, there were still people coming in asking for the DOLLAR TEES their friends had told them about.
"Sorry, we're all out."
"Oh. Okay." And then the customer proceeds to shop and fill their cart with (more expensive) things they weren't even thinking about before.
Cha-ching!
Word of mouth is a beautiful thing. I will NEVER encourage anyone to download anything illegally, but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the amoral behavior of others. E-piracy is not going away anytime soon, and it's free exposure. Don't stress.
~Lydia
Novelist Joe Konrath pirates HIS OWN BOOKS, and he doesn't think any of the thousands of others "stealing" his stuff is affecting his profits. Read his article HERE.
Also the article, Confessions of a Book Pirate, at The Millions was quite interesting.
And I can't talk about this subject without mentioning the success story of novelist J.C. Hutchins, who offered his novel as a free podcast, then received so much attention it landed him a book deal with St. Martin's Press. Do you think he's crying over the MILLIONS of people who downloaded his story for free? Hardly. Click HERE to read more about his innovative approach, and HERE to see what he's been doing recently. You'll notice the word "free" littered throughout both of those articles.
The more I read about this topic, the more I'm drawn toward the conclusion that giving away things for free is not really a problem. It's a SALES TACTIC. Kind of like those lovely free samples at the grocery store, or the "buy one get one free" sales at department stores.
Why does it work? In a word: Because people are stupid. (Okay, that was more than one word. Whatever.)
What I mean by "stupid" is, people are PREDICTABLE. I've been working in retail for over eight years, and during part of that time I had management duties that included keeping track of sales and understanding advertising, customer service, etc.
It's all very simple. Get the customer into the store because they think they're getting a deal, and they'll (usually) leave with a bundle. The number one thing I hear from customers at the check-out? "I only came in for this." And they'll hold up a pair of $2 socks, then look at the counter filled with other stuff they just couldn't pass up, shrug, and swipe their beautiful plastic.
Cha-ching!
It works because people are predictable. They'll spend money they didn't plan on spending if you tell them to.
So how does this figure in to the e-piracy debate? It's about exposure, which is essentially free advertising. Word of mouth can make or break a writer's career. When a reader is going ga-ga over your book, they'll talk. And "talk" on the internet will get you noticed by people who ARE willing to spend their money, whether you tell them to or not.
I refer again to my department store history. A few years back, I found a bunch of plain short-sleeved tee shirts in the stockroom that had apparently been forgotten for a period of months. So long, in fact, that their current retail price had been reduced to ONE DOLLAR (might as well have been FREE). Obviously, our bottom line had flown out of reach for those tee shirts long ago (for those of you who have no clue what I mean, read: there's no way in hell we would have made any kind of profit at that point), but being the smartey-pants that I am, I smacked those little yellow stickers on the shirts, and made a nice display of them on the sales floor.
Not surprisingly, they were gone within a day. I watched the people buying them. They all had carts full of other stuff. A week later, there were still people coming in asking for the DOLLAR TEES their friends had told them about.
"Sorry, we're all out."
"Oh. Okay." And then the customer proceeds to shop and fill their cart with (more expensive) things they weren't even thinking about before.
Cha-ching!
Word of mouth is a beautiful thing. I will NEVER encourage anyone to download anything illegally, but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the amoral behavior of others. E-piracy is not going away anytime soon, and it's free exposure. Don't stress.
~Lydia
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Book Review: Small Miracles by Edward M. Lerner
Check out my latest review at The Book Book of the sci-fi thriller, Small Miracles. Simply put, I thought this was an excellent read.
Click HERE and let me know what you think. Thanks!
~Lydia
Click HERE and let me know what you think. Thanks!
~Lydia
Monday, January 25, 2010
52 Qualities of the Prosperous Writer: Number Four, Service
This post is part of a weekly series in association with Christina Katz's e-zine, The Prosperous Writer.
---
Service
Any business-related service focuses on one thing: the customer. As writers, our customers are our readers. The written word means absolutely nothing unless someone reads it, so when I think of service, it's all about my specific audience. I ask myself different questions for different types of writing. Here are two examples:
For my fiction:
For my blogging:
By asking, "What can I do for my reader?" you are not only serving them well, you are also helping yourself by building a good reputation. Rule number one in any business: You are nothing without the customer. Viewing your readers as customers will help you focus on ways to serve them the best way you possibly can.
~Lydia
---
Service
Any business-related service focuses on one thing: the customer. As writers, our customers are our readers. The written word means absolutely nothing unless someone reads it, so when I think of service, it's all about my specific audience. I ask myself different questions for different types of writing. Here are two examples:
For my fiction:
- Is this engaging enough to keep the reader interested from start to finish?
- Is it credible? Are all my facts straight?
- Is it an escape, something the readers can immerse themselves in?
- Is this something the reader will recommend to his/her friends?
- Is this something that will create reader loyalty? (for example, will he/she look for my work in the future, based on what they read now?)
- In short, is this the best I can provide?
For my blogging:
- Is this helpful?
- Is this a new idea? Is this an old idea presented in a fresh way?
- Who will benefit the most from this information? (this affects where I publicize certain posts)
- Is this something my readers can get excited about and/or relate to?
- Is this something my readers will recommend to others in the writing community?
- In short, is this the best I can provide?
By asking, "What can I do for my reader?" you are not only serving them well, you are also helping yourself by building a good reputation. Rule number one in any business: You are nothing without the customer. Viewing your readers as customers will help you focus on ways to serve them the best way you possibly can.
~Lydia
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday Morning Paper
Struggling with time management? Who isn't? Check out this interview with Christina Katz at InkyGirl for some busy-writer tips.
Suzannah at Write It Sideways talks about The 3 Things Writers Will Never Agree On. No argument from me. She nailed it.
The Rejectionist posted some great links on How to Have Awesome Writing. Readers/fellow writers chimed in with their own advice in the comments section. As usual, Le R's blog proves to be both informative and fun.
Are you a writer who thinks outside the box? Then you already know any advice from Jane Friedman is golden. Check out her latest contribution to Writer Unboxed, How to Get a Book Deal While Avoiding the Slush Pile.
Would you like to outsell Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined? Impossible, you say? Not if you're James Patterson. This article from the New York Times highlights his journey to the top of the literary world.
The e-book wars continue with Amazon's latest offer of 70% royalties to authors and publishers opting for the Kindle platform. Not to be ignored is how this new program is rolling out exactly a week before the release of Apple's new Tablet. It's like Amazon researched their competition and tried to come up with something more appealing. Imagine that.
Writer Beware's Open Letter From a Writer to New Publishers includes a comprehensive list of questions that you, as an author, should be concerned with as well. The more you know about the publishing process, the better. Don't let anyone ever tell you that gathering information about the industry is a bad thing, simply because it takes time (away from writing) to read. Reading = GOOD. Ignorance = BAD.
And on that note, Happy Reading!
~Lydia
Suzannah at Write It Sideways talks about The 3 Things Writers Will Never Agree On. No argument from me. She nailed it.
The Rejectionist posted some great links on How to Have Awesome Writing. Readers/fellow writers chimed in with their own advice in the comments section. As usual, Le R's blog proves to be both informative and fun.
Are you a writer who thinks outside the box? Then you already know any advice from Jane Friedman is golden. Check out her latest contribution to Writer Unboxed, How to Get a Book Deal While Avoiding the Slush Pile.
Would you like to outsell Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined? Impossible, you say? Not if you're James Patterson. This article from the New York Times highlights his journey to the top of the literary world.
The e-book wars continue with Amazon's latest offer of 70% royalties to authors and publishers opting for the Kindle platform. Not to be ignored is how this new program is rolling out exactly a week before the release of Apple's new Tablet. It's like Amazon researched their competition and tried to come up with something more appealing. Imagine that.
Writer Beware's Open Letter From a Writer to New Publishers includes a comprehensive list of questions that you, as an author, should be concerned with as well. The more you know about the publishing process, the better. Don't let anyone ever tell you that gathering information about the industry is a bad thing, simply because it takes time (away from writing) to read. Reading = GOOD. Ignorance = BAD.
And on that note, Happy Reading!
~Lydia
Friday, January 22, 2010
Questions From Readers: How Do You Know If/When You Should Give Up On a Story?
Lydia's answer:
It's difficult to not want to burn everything you've ever written when you're reading awesome books like Small Miracles by Edward M. Lerner, and Green by Jay Lake. Yep, those are the two I'm currently reading, and they both make me feel horribly inadequate as a writer, each for different reasons.
However...
I only have one story I can think of that I gave up on/really really hate. It was called The Incredible Misadventures of Han Solo. And it had nothing to do with Star Wars. It was a dragon myth sci-fi/comedy. Although, I can't truly say that I've given up on it because it is still stored somewhere, and if I ever feel the crazy notion to do something with it, I just might.
So my answer to this is simple: I don't give up on things, I prioritize them. If I have a deadline, that story is bumped to the top of my list. Next are my novels. And since those require a great deal of time, effort, and focus, it's difficult to do much more than occasionally nibble at other projects. I only do so if I need a break from priority number one.
This leaves me with a handful of stories/ideas that are either never going to reach the top of the priority list, or will someday be forgotten. If you call that giving up, then yes, I guess I've given up on them. But only because I am giving attention to something more important.
---
Joe's answer:
I am the wrong person to ask this question. I'm known for feeling some kind of cathartic arousal from destroying my own writing. Destruction of something that you took time to create is … I don't know. Feels good. I destroyed an entire novel (Riders of the Hearse, a zombie sci-fi), one that my then-agent was in love with. Hardcopy and floppy (this was nearly two decades ago) were both tossed into a bonfire. Roasted marshmallows on it, even. I just started hating the entire thing, and it had to go.
So the short answer would be that it depends on my mood.
I mainly go by how other people react to it. I'll send out rough drafts of new projects to my beta readers and ask if they're worth finishing and/or editing. If they say yes, then I do. Usually.
Many people say if we like a story, never give up on it. I never really hear the reasons WHY, as they usually lose me at that first sentence. There is a story that I LOVED, Runners, that people were very lukewarm on. It was agreed the female protagonist kicked serious ass, but people disliked it beyond that. Just as a contrast, FTQ dude had pretty high praise for the first 16 lines, but that obviously didn't really matter in the end. So I gave up on it. Kind of.
There was also Dragonspawn (sci-fi novel). The dozen or so people that I e-mailed the first chapter to loved it and wanted to read more. I loved it, too, but it got zero comments when I posted it for critique. Tons of views, but zero comments. Easy one there. Delete.
(aside from Lydia: JOE YOU NEED TO FINISH THAT ONE. I'M NOT ASKING.)
Then again, a flash fiction I wrote called Angelic Trigger drew rave reviews and all kinds of responses, but I hated it. I did it as a writing exercise. It's making the submission rounds, but I doubt it gets taken. I just don't write much flash fiction to send out in its stead.
Caged. Caged. Caged. People still quote and reference Caged (sci-fi short story), and I posted and deleted it nearly a year ago, and only just recently found the rough draft tucked onto a flash drive. So nobody had seen it since. I liked it, too. I was pretty proud of that one, actually, which is why I think it was so essential to kill it. I don't know yet if I'm going to fix up the rough draft.
Some people find it sad I'm not joking when I say this, or that I don’t do it to get a reaction. Just how I feel. Bear in mind, though, I am not legally allowed to purchase a firearm because I have been institutionalized. That's true, but not sad. Kind of funny, actually.
So I guess the short answer would be it depends on my mood.
---
Anyone else ever feel like giving up? Please share.
~Lydia
If you have a question you'd like one or both of us to answer, please send it to lydiasharp4sff (at) yahoo (dot) com, and put "Reader Question" in the subject line.
It's difficult to not want to burn everything you've ever written when you're reading awesome books like Small Miracles by Edward M. Lerner, and Green by Jay Lake. Yep, those are the two I'm currently reading, and they both make me feel horribly inadequate as a writer, each for different reasons.
However...
I only have one story I can think of that I gave up on/really really hate. It was called The Incredible Misadventures of Han Solo. And it had nothing to do with Star Wars. It was a dragon myth sci-fi/comedy. Although, I can't truly say that I've given up on it because it is still stored somewhere, and if I ever feel the crazy notion to do something with it, I just might.
So my answer to this is simple: I don't give up on things, I prioritize them. If I have a deadline, that story is bumped to the top of my list. Next are my novels. And since those require a great deal of time, effort, and focus, it's difficult to do much more than occasionally nibble at other projects. I only do so if I need a break from priority number one.
This leaves me with a handful of stories/ideas that are either never going to reach the top of the priority list, or will someday be forgotten. If you call that giving up, then yes, I guess I've given up on them. But only because I am giving attention to something more important.
---
Joe's answer:
I am the wrong person to ask this question. I'm known for feeling some kind of cathartic arousal from destroying my own writing. Destruction of something that you took time to create is … I don't know. Feels good. I destroyed an entire novel (Riders of the Hearse, a zombie sci-fi), one that my then-agent was in love with. Hardcopy and floppy (this was nearly two decades ago) were both tossed into a bonfire. Roasted marshmallows on it, even. I just started hating the entire thing, and it had to go.
So the short answer would be that it depends on my mood.
I mainly go by how other people react to it. I'll send out rough drafts of new projects to my beta readers and ask if they're worth finishing and/or editing. If they say yes, then I do. Usually.
Many people say if we like a story, never give up on it. I never really hear the reasons WHY, as they usually lose me at that first sentence. There is a story that I LOVED, Runners, that people were very lukewarm on. It was agreed the female protagonist kicked serious ass, but people disliked it beyond that. Just as a contrast, FTQ dude had pretty high praise for the first 16 lines, but that obviously didn't really matter in the end. So I gave up on it. Kind of.
There was also Dragonspawn (sci-fi novel). The dozen or so people that I e-mailed the first chapter to loved it and wanted to read more. I loved it, too, but it got zero comments when I posted it for critique. Tons of views, but zero comments. Easy one there. Delete.
(aside from Lydia: JOE YOU NEED TO FINISH THAT ONE. I'M NOT ASKING.)
Then again, a flash fiction I wrote called Angelic Trigger drew rave reviews and all kinds of responses, but I hated it. I did it as a writing exercise. It's making the submission rounds, but I doubt it gets taken. I just don't write much flash fiction to send out in its stead.
Caged. Caged. Caged. People still quote and reference Caged (sci-fi short story), and I posted and deleted it nearly a year ago, and only just recently found the rough draft tucked onto a flash drive. So nobody had seen it since. I liked it, too. I was pretty proud of that one, actually, which is why I think it was so essential to kill it. I don't know yet if I'm going to fix up the rough draft.
Some people find it sad I'm not joking when I say this, or that I don’t do it to get a reaction. Just how I feel. Bear in mind, though, I am not legally allowed to purchase a firearm because I have been institutionalized. That's true, but not sad. Kind of funny, actually.
So I guess the short answer would be it depends on my mood.
---
Anyone else ever feel like giving up? Please share.
~Lydia
If you have a question you'd like one or both of us to answer, please send it to lydiasharp4sff (at) yahoo (dot) com, and put "Reader Question" in the subject line.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
52 Qualities of the Prosperous Writer: Number Three, Focus
I'm a little late in the game here (two weeks, to be exact), but I have to start somewhere, right? Every week Christina Katz proposes a new "prosperous writer" topic. This week we're focusing on focus (ha!). If you haven't signed up for Christina's free magazine, The Prosperous Writer, do it now. There is a sign-up box on her main page.
Focus
It's easier to say what focus is not rather than what it is, because for each writer, focus can mean something different. But what it is NOT is the same for all of us.
According to Christina Katz:
"Unfocused is dissipated. It implies over-indulgence and a squandering of gifts. If you are dissipated, you are just wandering around waiting for something magical to propel you toward your goals. And as I repeatedly remind writers: that just ain't going to happen.
If you are habitually unfocused every day without really knowing what you are about and where you are headed, this mindset is not going to be helpful to your writing career. And don't be surprised when, down the road, you end up somewhere you'd rather not be at all."
You can't get much more "to the point" than that.
What does focus mean to me? (Again, this is going to be different for each writer according to where they are in their careers and what their goals are.)
Focus is about knowing what you want and finding out how to get it, then putting those things into action. It is very closely linked with goal-setting.
Example One: I have a novel that I'd like to get published. How do I make that happen?
Example Two: I'd like to stretch my writing skills, step out of the comfort zone. How can I do that?
With each example, I first state my goal, then ask the question of how that goal will be reached. Notice I'm not involving anyone else in the process but myself. What do I want? What do I have to do? Once I learn what the necessary steps are, it's up to me to carry them out. All accountability for success or failure then rides on my own shoulders, and frankly, that's how it should be.
It is easy to get distracted in the process. Your focus will be challenged, almost daily. This is why it's beneficial to make your goals concrete. You can do this by writing them down, sharing them with someone who will hold you accountable (aka, not your mom), giving yourself a deadline, etc. Whatever works. Whatever keeps you focused on the task at hand.
So that's my idea of focus. What's yours?
~Lydia
Focus
It's easier to say what focus is not rather than what it is, because for each writer, focus can mean something different. But what it is NOT is the same for all of us.
According to Christina Katz:
"Unfocused is dissipated. It implies over-indulgence and a squandering of gifts. If you are dissipated, you are just wandering around waiting for something magical to propel you toward your goals. And as I repeatedly remind writers: that just ain't going to happen.
If you are habitually unfocused every day without really knowing what you are about and where you are headed, this mindset is not going to be helpful to your writing career. And don't be surprised when, down the road, you end up somewhere you'd rather not be at all."
You can't get much more "to the point" than that.
What does focus mean to me? (Again, this is going to be different for each writer according to where they are in their careers and what their goals are.)
Focus is about knowing what you want and finding out how to get it, then putting those things into action. It is very closely linked with goal-setting.
Example One: I have a novel that I'd like to get published. How do I make that happen?
Example Two: I'd like to stretch my writing skills, step out of the comfort zone. How can I do that?
With each example, I first state my goal, then ask the question of how that goal will be reached. Notice I'm not involving anyone else in the process but myself. What do I want? What do I have to do? Once I learn what the necessary steps are, it's up to me to carry them out. All accountability for success or failure then rides on my own shoulders, and frankly, that's how it should be.
It is easy to get distracted in the process. Your focus will be challenged, almost daily. This is why it's beneficial to make your goals concrete. You can do this by writing them down, sharing them with someone who will hold you accountable (aka, not your mom), giving yourself a deadline, etc. Whatever works. Whatever keeps you focused on the task at hand.
So that's my idea of focus. What's yours?
~Lydia
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Batch of Reviews (plus) Even Bad Movies Follow Story Structure
It's been a while since Joe or I posted a review, which is odd, because we've both been reading every day and watched a crapload of movies recently. So that translates into you guys getting a lovely load dumped on you today. Ponchos are available. (Because we're nice crap-dumpers.)
Before I start my reviews of other people's stuff, here's a surprise I found in my inbox the other day: an email from my editor at Pill Hill Press informing me of a recent review of Shadows & Light at The Fantasy Tavern. There are twenty-two stories in that anthology, and the reviewer selected mine (The Keeper of Secrets) as one of the five that she said "resonated with me more than the others." Sweet. Thanks.
My latest review at The Book Book is of Pactricia E. Gitt's CEO (women's fiction). I found this story unique and the characters fun, but I don't see this being of interest to a wide audience. It is very much geared toward career-minded women in business. For me, though, it was a good read.
Okay, now on to the movies.
First up, Battle for Terra:
Not worth the dollar we spent to rent it from redbox.
Moving on...
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow:
In order to enjoy this movie, you need to not take it seriously. I'm not sure why the trailer is so... heavy, but the movie is much more comedic than that.
It received a lot of flack from critics. I enjoyed it, but I can see why some would have issue. The screen shots are all very monotone and the edges softened. It feels like you're viewing the movie through the pages of an old photo album. I didn't mind so much. Someone who likes high tech effects would definitely not like this. All the backgrounds were highly fake. Personally, I thought this just added to the flair.
It had a classic SF feel to it as well, which I also thought was great. Giant robots trompsing through the city streets. Old scientists working on top secret... stuff.
Where this movie excelled was in characterization through dialogue and little facial expressions. I am not usually a fan of Jude Law, but WOW did he do a good job in that movie. What's really ironic about it, though, is that ALL the characters are BEYOND cliche', but they found a way to make it work. Perhaps it was because none of these characters seemed too serious, so you, the viewer, don't take them seriously either.
So my assessment on cliche' characterization has come down to this: If you're doing it to be humorous or purposely over the top (as in SCatWoT), then it works. If you're doing it because... hehe, well, if you do by accident or out of laziness *coughs* Avatar *coughs* and you actually wanted the characters to be taken seriously, then NO IT DOES NOT WORK. Period.
My son liked the planes. And this kind of leads me into the next part of this post. When my son likes a movie (even one that I feel really really sucks), he will watch it no less than fifty times per day until he decides to do/watch something else.
Recently, he's been watching Garfield 2: A Tale of Two Kitties. Cute movie, but really not worth watching unless you have a sentimental attachment to the Garfield comics (which I do) or if you have a five year old boy (got that too).
So about the hundredth time I sat through this movie, something finally clicked. Even though it's not that great, it still follows the basic story structure. You start with an inciting incident (the cats get mixed up). You have an antagonist constantly causing trouble. Sometimes he gets his way, sometimes he doesn't. Meanwhile, the protagonist(s) are striving to right their issue (the kitty swap), and keep thwarting the antag from getting what he wants. It all builds up to the climax/final showdown, and yay! everyone's happy in the end.
Uber important: The movie has a very quick denouement. Once the issue(s) set out in the beginning is/are resolved at the peak of the climax, there really isn't much else that needs to be done at that point. And they don't. There's a circularity given with the John/Liz marriage proposal, about a minute of celebrations, then the credits roll.
Nice.
This is something that new novelists struggle to grasp, which is why my first novel (written over a year ago) is currently getting the final chapters reworked. I had a two+ chapter-long denouement because I felt I had to wrap up EVERYTHING with EVERY character in a nice neat little bow. Most of the time, your denouement can be very quick. Sometimes no more than a page or two is needed. And I can't think of any books I've read recently that had a denouement any longer than one chapter.
~Lydia
Before I start my reviews of other people's stuff, here's a surprise I found in my inbox the other day: an email from my editor at Pill Hill Press informing me of a recent review of Shadows & Light at The Fantasy Tavern. There are twenty-two stories in that anthology, and the reviewer selected mine (The Keeper of Secrets) as one of the five that she said "resonated with me more than the others." Sweet. Thanks.
My latest review at The Book Book is of Pactricia E. Gitt's CEO (women's fiction). I found this story unique and the characters fun, but I don't see this being of interest to a wide audience. It is very much geared toward career-minded women in business. For me, though, it was a good read.
Okay, now on to the movies.
First up, Battle for Terra:
Not worth the dollar we spent to rent it from redbox.
Moving on...
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow:
In order to enjoy this movie, you need to not take it seriously. I'm not sure why the trailer is so... heavy, but the movie is much more comedic than that.
It received a lot of flack from critics. I enjoyed it, but I can see why some would have issue. The screen shots are all very monotone and the edges softened. It feels like you're viewing the movie through the pages of an old photo album. I didn't mind so much. Someone who likes high tech effects would definitely not like this. All the backgrounds were highly fake. Personally, I thought this just added to the flair.
It had a classic SF feel to it as well, which I also thought was great. Giant robots trompsing through the city streets. Old scientists working on top secret... stuff.
Where this movie excelled was in characterization through dialogue and little facial expressions. I am not usually a fan of Jude Law, but WOW did he do a good job in that movie. What's really ironic about it, though, is that ALL the characters are BEYOND cliche', but they found a way to make it work. Perhaps it was because none of these characters seemed too serious, so you, the viewer, don't take them seriously either.
So my assessment on cliche' characterization has come down to this: If you're doing it to be humorous or purposely over the top (as in SCatWoT), then it works. If you're doing it because... hehe, well, if you do by accident or out of laziness *coughs* Avatar *coughs* and you actually wanted the characters to be taken seriously, then NO IT DOES NOT WORK. Period.
My son liked the planes. And this kind of leads me into the next part of this post. When my son likes a movie (even one that I feel really really sucks), he will watch it no less than fifty times per day until he decides to do/watch something else.
Recently, he's been watching Garfield 2: A Tale of Two Kitties. Cute movie, but really not worth watching unless you have a sentimental attachment to the Garfield comics (which I do) or if you have a five year old boy (got that too).
So about the hundredth time I sat through this movie, something finally clicked. Even though it's not that great, it still follows the basic story structure. You start with an inciting incident (the cats get mixed up). You have an antagonist constantly causing trouble. Sometimes he gets his way, sometimes he doesn't. Meanwhile, the protagonist(s) are striving to right their issue (the kitty swap), and keep thwarting the antag from getting what he wants. It all builds up to the climax/final showdown, and yay! everyone's happy in the end.
Uber important: The movie has a very quick denouement. Once the issue(s) set out in the beginning is/are resolved at the peak of the climax, there really isn't much else that needs to be done at that point. And they don't. There's a circularity given with the John/Liz marriage proposal, about a minute of celebrations, then the credits roll.
Nice.
This is something that new novelists struggle to grasp, which is why my first novel (written over a year ago) is currently getting the final chapters reworked. I had a two+ chapter-long denouement because I felt I had to wrap up EVERYTHING with EVERY character in a nice neat little bow. Most of the time, your denouement can be very quick. Sometimes no more than a page or two is needed. And I can't think of any books I've read recently that had a denouement any longer than one chapter.
~Lydia
Monday, January 18, 2010
ARE AMATEUR WRITERS WORTHLESS--AND WHAT'S WITH THE CHAINSAW?!?
It's Joe. I had to edit the title a little from what I had originally posted. Apparently it was a little...totally tasteless.
If you're one of the people that rolls their eyes whenever I post and come back when Lydia posts, then you may indeed want to leave and come back when Lydia posts. This is full-on, confrontational point-making. A, "G-Bear rant", as they call it on all the forums I post on. Even the softball and electronics forums. Although I did tone it down, because Lydia's name is the one first associated with this blog, and she can stir up her own trouble.
First, thank you to the three young ladies last week that allowed us to interview them. And thanks also to all of the members of the Writer's Digest Scifi/Fantasy forum. Rather than get mad that they weren't featured, most of them even commented on the interviews. That particular forum is full of good writers. Sure, they get the passing newb that is terrible and quits, or the hotshot new kid who gets a little praise, thinks he/she is the second coming, gets irritated when all of their stuff isn't worshipped, and quits.
But as a whole, the regulars on that forum are all good writers. Some have their weaknesses and some are a little ahead of others, but they all write well and all help each other to improve. It's a rare thing. I would say, "You know who you are," to the ones I'm talking about. But I'm talking about all of them. So to all of them, I say thank you as well. Again.
Now, on to more unpleasant matters. Apparently a comment was made via the WD Community (totally different site) that it was pointless to interview the writers we had last week, because they're not published (which is not entirely true in a couple of cases) or successful. Yet. And that is a very, very pronounced yet.
So I am going to allay some of that ignorance. If you feel that someone is not worth listening to, or does not have insight, or does not even know what they're talking about if they're not a professional writer, than you are wrong. I am not even going to add adjectives to that. Wrong suffices all by its little lonesome.
There are professional writers that I converse with amidst the internet that feel this way. While I take everything else they say into account (including agents or writers they hate--you think I get vicious? HA!), I absolutely disagree with their beliefs on that matter.
Many people are not published yet, but they are good writers. And from these several reasons they can actually be…gasp! Worth something.
First, pretty much everyone on the forums, blogging, and in critique groups are at about the same level: unpublished and looking to get published. There are pros, agents, best sellers, and editors mixed in with the aspiring high school junior and middle aged housewife, true. But most of them are unpublished. And some of them are better at certain areas than others. So if they can fix the misuse of commas or help to cut the fat off our writing or provide scientific or historical facts, why shun that help? Because they're not on the NY Times list? That's stupid.
Someone may not be a professional chef, but does it mean they can't cook? There are women that win Betty Crocker and Pillsbury bakeoffs--which include thousands of entrants--are featured in cookbooks, and even make TV appearances. Does it mean you should bake their recipe and then urinate on it because they're not a professional chef?
Sure, the chef may know MORE. About certain combinations of foods, about presentation, about the industry itself. But to say that other chick can't cook is asinine. Likewise, we need editors, agents, publishers, etc., because it's their job to handle certain aspects. And a successfully published author has navigated all of that.
Knowing more does not translate into being the only ones with any knowledge. It's just stupid anyone would think that. Surprises me anyone could even think that. If I watch LeBron James throw up a perfect alley-oop to Shaq, who makes Kevin Garnett look like his woman on the thunderous dunk, and I consider that to be a fine play for two basketball players to make, does it make me wrong because I didn't notice the weak side screen or positioning that give Shaq a one-on-one? Again, stupid. I can look at that play, say it's a good play, and not be wrong. Even if I'm not the coach.
Same thing with writing. Someone that is not a pro can read your story, like your story, and can be correct. They can see that the writing in it is good and that the story itself has teeth, whether they're an agent or friend or millionaire or whatever. And they may also be able to point out errors.
Lastly (here's the part everyone that routinely reads my rants was waiting for), unless the doctor had to do a chainsaw episiotomy to make room for the Pulitzer, Nebula, Hugo, or whatever you were born with, were you not born unpublished? Wasn't everyone currently published at one point also NOT PUBLISHED? Gah! The more I delve into this fetid, steaming pile of donkey crap wrapped in paper and stamped, "Opinion", the more it irritates me. What a misguided opinion it is!
And even if you are published, does it mean you know EVERYTHING? Unless you're one of the unnamed authors that helped King David write the Psalms, you have no reason or qualifications to put other people down as unqualified.
Does every horror or scifi writer follow EVERY technique in Stephen King or Orson Scott Card's books on writing? No.
But what do I know? I'm not a professional.
--JOE
If you're one of the people that rolls their eyes whenever I post and come back when Lydia posts, then you may indeed want to leave and come back when Lydia posts. This is full-on, confrontational point-making. A, "G-Bear rant", as they call it on all the forums I post on. Even the softball and electronics forums. Although I did tone it down, because Lydia's name is the one first associated with this blog, and she can stir up her own trouble.
First, thank you to the three young ladies last week that allowed us to interview them. And thanks also to all of the members of the Writer's Digest Scifi/Fantasy forum. Rather than get mad that they weren't featured, most of them even commented on the interviews. That particular forum is full of good writers. Sure, they get the passing newb that is terrible and quits, or the hotshot new kid who gets a little praise, thinks he/she is the second coming, gets irritated when all of their stuff isn't worshipped, and quits.
But as a whole, the regulars on that forum are all good writers. Some have their weaknesses and some are a little ahead of others, but they all write well and all help each other to improve. It's a rare thing. I would say, "You know who you are," to the ones I'm talking about. But I'm talking about all of them. So to all of them, I say thank you as well. Again.
Now, on to more unpleasant matters. Apparently a comment was made via the WD Community (totally different site) that it was pointless to interview the writers we had last week, because they're not published (which is not entirely true in a couple of cases) or successful. Yet. And that is a very, very pronounced yet.
So I am going to allay some of that ignorance. If you feel that someone is not worth listening to, or does not have insight, or does not even know what they're talking about if they're not a professional writer, than you are wrong. I am not even going to add adjectives to that. Wrong suffices all by its little lonesome.
There are professional writers that I converse with amidst the internet that feel this way. While I take everything else they say into account (including agents or writers they hate--you think I get vicious? HA!), I absolutely disagree with their beliefs on that matter.
Many people are not published yet, but they are good writers. And from these several reasons they can actually be…gasp! Worth something.
First, pretty much everyone on the forums, blogging, and in critique groups are at about the same level: unpublished and looking to get published. There are pros, agents, best sellers, and editors mixed in with the aspiring high school junior and middle aged housewife, true. But most of them are unpublished. And some of them are better at certain areas than others. So if they can fix the misuse of commas or help to cut the fat off our writing or provide scientific or historical facts, why shun that help? Because they're not on the NY Times list? That's stupid.
Someone may not be a professional chef, but does it mean they can't cook? There are women that win Betty Crocker and Pillsbury bakeoffs--which include thousands of entrants--are featured in cookbooks, and even make TV appearances. Does it mean you should bake their recipe and then urinate on it because they're not a professional chef?
Sure, the chef may know MORE. About certain combinations of foods, about presentation, about the industry itself. But to say that other chick can't cook is asinine. Likewise, we need editors, agents, publishers, etc., because it's their job to handle certain aspects. And a successfully published author has navigated all of that.
Knowing more does not translate into being the only ones with any knowledge. It's just stupid anyone would think that. Surprises me anyone could even think that. If I watch LeBron James throw up a perfect alley-oop to Shaq, who makes Kevin Garnett look like his woman on the thunderous dunk, and I consider that to be a fine play for two basketball players to make, does it make me wrong because I didn't notice the weak side screen or positioning that give Shaq a one-on-one? Again, stupid. I can look at that play, say it's a good play, and not be wrong. Even if I'm not the coach.
Same thing with writing. Someone that is not a pro can read your story, like your story, and can be correct. They can see that the writing in it is good and that the story itself has teeth, whether they're an agent or friend or millionaire or whatever. And they may also be able to point out errors.
Lastly (here's the part everyone that routinely reads my rants was waiting for), unless the doctor had to do a chainsaw episiotomy to make room for the Pulitzer, Nebula, Hugo, or whatever you were born with, were you not born unpublished? Wasn't everyone currently published at one point also NOT PUBLISHED? Gah! The more I delve into this fetid, steaming pile of donkey crap wrapped in paper and stamped, "Opinion", the more it irritates me. What a misguided opinion it is!
And even if you are published, does it mean you know EVERYTHING? Unless you're one of the unnamed authors that helped King David write the Psalms, you have no reason or qualifications to put other people down as unqualified.
Does every horror or scifi writer follow EVERY technique in Stephen King or Orson Scott Card's books on writing? No.
But what do I know? I'm not a professional.
--JOE
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday Morning Paper
A few good reads from the New York Times:
For the makers of Starz' new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, sex and gore have no bounds. For me, the official trailer showed more than enough blood gushing to incite a few gags. I wouldn't watch this even if I did have cable, which is really a shame because I know there's a good story underneath all the blood and semen. I get that they want it to be accurate, but... no thanks.
Even Arthur Conan Doyle was a struggling artist before Sherlock Holmes skyrocketed him to stardom. The only reason he kept the stories going was because he needed a regular income. Understandable. But he disliked how popular they had become, taking attention away from his more serious writing. Which begs the question, Does Stephenie Meyer view her Twilight series the same way? Hmm... (and that link also begs the question, WTF is she wearing? It's a premiere not a costume party)
Kim Echlin takes a few risks with her novel The Disappeared, and garners praise. Anne Tyler tells the same old story in her novel Noah's Compass, and garners a yawn.
Who better than a writer to take advantage of our current economic crisis? John Lanchester is laughing all the way to the bank with the success of his new book, I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay. That's funny. He chose the same exact title as my memoir.
Happy reading!
~Lydia
For the makers of Starz' new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, sex and gore have no bounds. For me, the official trailer showed more than enough blood gushing to incite a few gags. I wouldn't watch this even if I did have cable, which is really a shame because I know there's a good story underneath all the blood and semen. I get that they want it to be accurate, but... no thanks.
Even Arthur Conan Doyle was a struggling artist before Sherlock Holmes skyrocketed him to stardom. The only reason he kept the stories going was because he needed a regular income. Understandable. But he disliked how popular they had become, taking attention away from his more serious writing. Which begs the question, Does Stephenie Meyer view her Twilight series the same way? Hmm... (and that link also begs the question, WTF is she wearing? It's a premiere not a costume party)
Kim Echlin takes a few risks with her novel The Disappeared, and garners praise. Anne Tyler tells the same old story in her novel Noah's Compass, and garners a yawn.
Who better than a writer to take advantage of our current economic crisis? John Lanchester is laughing all the way to the bank with the success of his new book, I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay. That's funny. He chose the same exact title as my memoir.
Happy reading!
~Lydia
Friday, January 15, 2010
Unheard Voices In Spec Fic: Liz Penn
Thanks again to everyone who has been supportive of our three author spotlights this week!
Our final interview is of someone especially close to Joe and I, and we've come to view her as a friend. For me, in particular, she has spent countless hours over the past year plus giving me one on one assistance with my stories, both novels and short fiction. She has been crucial to my personal development as a writer, and has also taught me by example how to be a good moderator of the Writer's Digest SF/F Critique Forum, of which we now are co-mods, where we assist new writers daily. Without further ado, Miss Liz Penn!
---
Bio:
After ten years of serious writing, Liz Penn is an ardent reader and speculative fiction novelist, with four completed novels and a handful of published poetry.
How long have you been writing?
LP: I'm edging up to ten years at this point of serious writing toward publication. I did some weak stories and gooby poems when I was a 4-6 grader, (which would make it closer to 13 years) but it was largely for my own enjoyment, and not "true" writing. However, that early writing was how I discovered my enjoyment of writing in general.
Who was your mentor in the early days?
LP: I never really had a "mentor." I was largely self-taught, through books such as Plot and Structure (James Scott Bell) the Writer's Digest Magazine, How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (Orson Scott Card) and by reading and analyzing my favorite books, taking them apart to see how they made me feel/think a certain way. What I did was take a handful of my all-time favorite books: Sword-Dancer [fantasy] Intensity [thriller] The Taking [sci-fi] and attacked them with different colored highlighters and a small, spiral-bound notebook. I marked descriptions, underlined, jotted notes, etc. Until I puzzled out "oh, that's foreshadowing" ... etc.
What projects are you currently working on?
Phoenix Rising: Book 1 of a projected trilogy that has no name yet. The second book is tentatively titled: Changeling Project, but still in rough-draft stage.
Crystal Fire: Book 1 of the Rim Trilogy [and book 7 of the longer, projected 9 book Crossroads series] This one is the first novel-length work I ever completed, and the first written in my fantasy world of Thared.
Half-Soul: Book 6 of Crossroads series. Still in rough draft stage.
I typically juggle 2-3 "novels" at a time, either adding scenes or editing. And throw in a short story if the muse strikes me. But it's novels that usually hold my interest, and their characters, so I tend to write on those the most.
What is your dream project for the future?
LP: I've always wanted to have the time and energy to devote an entire series of books to my invention of the loquiri and their communities/culture/etc.
Why did you decide to specialize in speculative fiction?
LP: For one, that is the style and genre I typically read. And, as I write stories that are what I'd like to read, then that becomes my genre of choice.
My other reason is more for the flexibility. Most of the time, within my speculative fiction worlds, I can adjust things to my liking, and still get away with it. The idea of fantastic worlds, of extravagant flora and fauna and such, that gets my imagination running full tilt, and only in spec fic can you go "all out" with any idea, wild as it may be.
How much did you write before you found your unique style and voice?
LP: Good grief. A great deal. At first, I did a lot of imitation. It's called "fan fiction" now. Mostly, I wrote about the characters and worlds of others that were fascinating to me, and often used their voice and such. However, as I did so, I found that the limits of their characters and worlds were too constraining on my own imagination as I came up with more side plots and subplots and etc.
Also, gradually from sheer volume of writings-- (I began at 15 min a day, no matter what. Then, after three months, half an hour, then upped it again, and again. By the time I started seriously writing toward publication, it was an hour a day. And now, it's 2-4 hours) --my own voice and style began to peek through. The more I indulged it, rather than listening to other people's writing, the more my voice became second nature.
It took at least a year, maybe two, before my voice was steady and consistent.
Who is your favorite author, and what have you learned from reading his/her work?
LP: Regarding speculative fiction, my favorite author would be a close tie between Jennifer Roberson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I learned from Roberson that a complex world and characters work on layers. Revealing bits of foreshadow, hints of a deeper culture and ideals, can in turn create a sense of depth.
From Tolkien (one of the biggest inspirations for me) I discovered that characters, believable characters that I cared about, could evoke an emotional response from a reader, and that spurring the response in turn was one of the greatest joys of a writer, and a reader. A shared happiness.
Carol Berg is quickly rising in my list of favorite fantasy authors. I've read a few of hers, and found her voice very engaging, and her gutsy way of treating them, i.e. she's not afraid to do anything to her characters, is very enjoyable.
For all-time reading, I thoroughly enjoy Dean Koontz. His unmistakable voice and descriptive flair are alike enjoyable to read, but I especially enjoyed learning his love for English as a language. From him, I learned that careful use of words and phrases, kept in some restriction, can make even one sentence "pop". I also found that poetry can have a feature within prose. Portions of his novels are often written in iambic pentameter (though unrhyming).
How has your current employment affected your writing?
LP: The best way retail has affected my writing is character development. I meet new people everyday, either the co-workers (who each have unique ways of speaking, background, appearance, quirks) and also angry/happy/mostly angry customers--who express their angers with all sorts of expressions...
I keep a notebook at work in my locker, and during breaks and lunches I jot down notes. Sometimes, I try to fantasize what their lives are like, who they'd marry, things like that. I have plentiful material to glean ideas for future characters from. In fact, one of the minor villains in one of my urban fantasy novels (Veiled Memory) had most of her personality and quirks drawn from an annoying co-worker. (Not that I'd tell her that.)
How has being part of a critique group affected your writing?
LP: It has allowed me to see that what I write is not just enjoyable to me, but also to other readers. That's the main thing that really boosted my confidence level in my writing. It's good to like your own writing, but even better to find out that a group of people from all different backgrounds, and even places--like Canada--still enjoy the stories I spin, makes it easier to keep going.
Also, writing is a lonely business. Always has been that way. Having other people who understand the quirks and twists of a writer's mind--such as having a character "argue with the author" -- and not be considered a little loony, is a nice feeling as well. It helps to know you're not alone in the world.
What is the best advice you've ever received? What is the worst?
LP: The best advice would have to be the quote that I've seen repeated in multiple places: "Write a book that you would like to read". Every story that I write holds my interest, has characters that I want to see struggle and fail and succeed, and worlds that I'd like to visit. The nicety is that, those things that interest me, also often are enjoyable to readers as well, and that your enjoyment of the topic and etc shows in your writing. When someone does not enjoy what they're saying, when it's written strictly because they must, it shows in the writing. When someone truly loves and enjoys the storyline and characters and etc, it shows. You can hear it in their voice.
The worst. That one I know right away. The adage, "Write what you know." It is true, and yet not true. If you write what you know, what you're familiar with, then certainly there's strength to what you say, because you're familiar to it. However, how many speculative fiction writers have met a dragon? Or gone to a different planet?
That advice balked me in my writing for nearly a year. I struggled to write anything that included more than my fairly limited sphere of direct knowledge. That meant, no sword-fencing or trips to another state/country/planet for my characters, no fantastic creatures or unique cultures. It blocked me up for quite some time. I would tell new writers, and even old ones, that yes, writing what you know has its place, but don't restrict yourself to that box. The muse needs her freedom to work properly.
Many of your novels are collective, meaning they are grouped into trilogies and/or a series. What types of challenges do these present, and how have you overcome them?
LP: Continuity. That's the biggest problem I have to keep close watch over. It is very easy to lose track of who is where, or what time it is, or what has already happened, when you write in a series, especially a longer, more complex styling. My urban fantasy, two books, each around 70-80k words, were much easier to keep track of. And they still had plot holes and continuity issues and minor changes as I wrote book 2. But my longer typical fantasy, with nine books in the series, some already written, some being rough-drafted, has far more problems and changes.
One of the important things to remember is that, whatever "rules" you place in book 1, need to hold true, or at least mostly true, all the way through the books. There is nothing more irritating than being told that, for example, to perform magic you need these components in book 1 of a series, and in book 6 suddenly find out that these other components that the MC has been lugging around for four books can also create magic, specialized magic. Or something along those lines.
Make sure you know where you're headed. For the entire series. If you know how the whole thing is going to end, then each book should in some way point toward that final stage.
One of your strong points is descriptive wording. You have credited this technique to your different areas of study (writing poetry, using themes, etc). Any tips on how to be effective?
LP: Less is more. You don't need to give three pages of descriptive prose to describe a bar. Most people have been in somewhat the situation or place that your characters are. Rather, drop a few basic lines to set the scene, then spend your descriptive word on showing how this bar or this hotel or this place differs from what's expected.
Don't treat your readers as if they must be spoon-fed every scrap of knowledge and description to grasp what's going on. Most readers are quite capable of picking up clues and creating a scene in their own mind. In fact, they prefer to imagine on their own. When it comes to fantasy creatures, or aliens, yes, it is good to be detailed because this is something they likely have no basis for in their mind. But if you're describing a seedy bar, or perhaps a villain's lab, use just enough to set the scene and give an impression. Nothing more. I sometimes like to call it... evoking. You're trying to create a "sense" of a place, it's atmosphere, but not the place itself. Because the rest will come.
Where do you draw the line on description to avoid purple prose?
LP: Besides the craft of using themes--which is a whole discussion in and of itself--the quickest way to make sure you're not overloading the reader with description is my "rule of three".
Pick three things you wish to describe in a room, or scene. What three things in this hotel/bar/planet/inn do you, as the author, want to be emphasized, given a place in the midst of the scene? Try to use only three senses to bring them out. Though it makes a world or scene rich when you describe what they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell...it can become annoying and even nauseating if it is repeated throughout a novel with every moment, as if you were eating chocolate cake for every meal. Instead, use three senses at first.
Even the typical place for purple prose, the night sky or sunrise/sunset, apply the rule of three. For a sunset, do we want to bring out the sound of the crickets, the chill of the night, the color of the sky? Then don't also describe the trees in the wind, nor the pattern of clouds, nor a bird's chirp. Stick to the crickets, cold, and colors. Nothing more.
The more time you spend describing anything, the more emphasis you place upon it. Pick and choose what you wish to emphasize, and leave the rest alone, giving it perhaps a one sentence or less mention. For example, in one of my urban fantasy novels, Hungry Waters, I spend several paragraphs describing a hotel room where the MC is staying (and where, in the future, several plot events/scenes occur), but when the MC goes to the bathroom to clean up, I dashed off one quick line about the place. Because nothing else occurs in the bathroom. There's no need to emphasize that place, nor describe it into ad nauseam.
What have you learned about the publishing industry in the past year?
LP: That it's much harder to break in, even with good writing, than I thought. Also, that even with stellar, perfect writing, if the editor happens to be in a bad mood, or the assistant just doesn't like the name on your manuscript, anything at all, they can easily turn it down, even if you had perfect punctuation and spelling and the plot for the "Great American Novel." And on the flip side, I've seen novels published that I'd be ashamed to put my name upon if they were mine (though I'd certainly accept the royalty check).
Recommended websites or blogs?
LP: As far as publishing goes, Query Shark and The Rejectionist are both excellent resources.
Websites for writing would first be, obviously, Writers Digest, namely the forum that I frequent. I've met many good friends and fellow writers there, and sometimes my editors or beta readers as well. That feedback is very important to a writer, once their voice is stable and they're prepared to take the heat, as it were.
Others are more like resources. I use bing.com very often to pull up images of places that I'm setting my novels in, or imitating if it comes to speculative fiction. Behind the Name is superb for finding character names, though I do have a mild fetish with having the names of my characters tied into their personalities or roles in the book. This blog here is good for writing tips and woes and etc.
Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback, or e-books?
LP: Paperback. I am rough on my books, as I like to take them anywhere and everywhere, reading them while I'm eating, or traveling, or at a doctor's appointment, or...etc. Hardcover, though a little more hardy, won't usually fit in purses or laptop cases quite as easily.
And I absolutely despise e-books, so I have no intention of making the digital switch. There is nothing like holding a book in your hand, the scent of ink and paper, the thrill of turning pages to read more. E-books tend to make my eyes burn and water, and lacks the emotional connection somehow. It's why I typically do the detailed edits by printing out my manuscript. It's easier to edit on a hard-copy then on a computer screen.
What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010?
LP: Finish this draft of Phoenix Rising. That novel has been rewritten enough times, and the characters are interesting enough to me, that they need a chance to be queried finally. And that means finishing the edits of my novel to at least my partial satisfaction.
---
Thanks so much for your insight, Liz! And thank you everyone for your patience. My apologies for the weirdness earlier and the delay. I still don't know what happened, but everything seems to be in order now. Please notify me if something looks funky, though. Thanks!
~Lydia
Our final interview is of someone especially close to Joe and I, and we've come to view her as a friend. For me, in particular, she has spent countless hours over the past year plus giving me one on one assistance with my stories, both novels and short fiction. She has been crucial to my personal development as a writer, and has also taught me by example how to be a good moderator of the Writer's Digest SF/F Critique Forum, of which we now are co-mods, where we assist new writers daily. Without further ado, Miss Liz Penn!
---
Bio:
After ten years of serious writing, Liz Penn is an ardent reader and speculative fiction novelist, with four completed novels and a handful of published poetry.
How long have you been writing?
LP: I'm edging up to ten years at this point of serious writing toward publication. I did some weak stories and gooby poems when I was a 4-6 grader, (which would make it closer to 13 years) but it was largely for my own enjoyment, and not "true" writing. However, that early writing was how I discovered my enjoyment of writing in general.
Who was your mentor in the early days?
LP: I never really had a "mentor." I was largely self-taught, through books such as Plot and Structure (James Scott Bell) the Writer's Digest Magazine, How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (Orson Scott Card) and by reading and analyzing my favorite books, taking them apart to see how they made me feel/think a certain way. What I did was take a handful of my all-time favorite books: Sword-Dancer [fantasy] Intensity [thriller] The Taking [sci-fi] and attacked them with different colored highlighters and a small, spiral-bound notebook. I marked descriptions, underlined, jotted notes, etc. Until I puzzled out "oh, that's foreshadowing" ... etc.
What projects are you currently working on?
Phoenix Rising: Book 1 of a projected trilogy that has no name yet. The second book is tentatively titled: Changeling Project, but still in rough-draft stage.
Crystal Fire: Book 1 of the Rim Trilogy [and book 7 of the longer, projected 9 book Crossroads series] This one is the first novel-length work I ever completed, and the first written in my fantasy world of Thared.
Half-Soul: Book 6 of Crossroads series. Still in rough draft stage.
I typically juggle 2-3 "novels" at a time, either adding scenes or editing. And throw in a short story if the muse strikes me. But it's novels that usually hold my interest, and their characters, so I tend to write on those the most.
What is your dream project for the future?
LP: I've always wanted to have the time and energy to devote an entire series of books to my invention of the loquiri and their communities/culture/etc.
Why did you decide to specialize in speculative fiction?
LP: For one, that is the style and genre I typically read. And, as I write stories that are what I'd like to read, then that becomes my genre of choice.
My other reason is more for the flexibility. Most of the time, within my speculative fiction worlds, I can adjust things to my liking, and still get away with it. The idea of fantastic worlds, of extravagant flora and fauna and such, that gets my imagination running full tilt, and only in spec fic can you go "all out" with any idea, wild as it may be.
How much did you write before you found your unique style and voice?
LP: Good grief. A great deal. At first, I did a lot of imitation. It's called "fan fiction" now. Mostly, I wrote about the characters and worlds of others that were fascinating to me, and often used their voice and such. However, as I did so, I found that the limits of their characters and worlds were too constraining on my own imagination as I came up with more side plots and subplots and etc.
Also, gradually from sheer volume of writings-- (I began at 15 min a day, no matter what. Then, after three months, half an hour, then upped it again, and again. By the time I started seriously writing toward publication, it was an hour a day. And now, it's 2-4 hours) --my own voice and style began to peek through. The more I indulged it, rather than listening to other people's writing, the more my voice became second nature.
It took at least a year, maybe two, before my voice was steady and consistent.
Who is your favorite author, and what have you learned from reading his/her work?
LP: Regarding speculative fiction, my favorite author would be a close tie between Jennifer Roberson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I learned from Roberson that a complex world and characters work on layers. Revealing bits of foreshadow, hints of a deeper culture and ideals, can in turn create a sense of depth.
From Tolkien (one of the biggest inspirations for me) I discovered that characters, believable characters that I cared about, could evoke an emotional response from a reader, and that spurring the response in turn was one of the greatest joys of a writer, and a reader. A shared happiness.
Carol Berg is quickly rising in my list of favorite fantasy authors. I've read a few of hers, and found her voice very engaging, and her gutsy way of treating them, i.e. she's not afraid to do anything to her characters, is very enjoyable.
For all-time reading, I thoroughly enjoy Dean Koontz. His unmistakable voice and descriptive flair are alike enjoyable to read, but I especially enjoyed learning his love for English as a language. From him, I learned that careful use of words and phrases, kept in some restriction, can make even one sentence "pop". I also found that poetry can have a feature within prose. Portions of his novels are often written in iambic pentameter (though unrhyming).
How has your current employment affected your writing?
LP: The best way retail has affected my writing is character development. I meet new people everyday, either the co-workers (who each have unique ways of speaking, background, appearance, quirks) and also angry/happy/mostly angry customers--who express their angers with all sorts of expressions...
I keep a notebook at work in my locker, and during breaks and lunches I jot down notes. Sometimes, I try to fantasize what their lives are like, who they'd marry, things like that. I have plentiful material to glean ideas for future characters from. In fact, one of the minor villains in one of my urban fantasy novels (Veiled Memory) had most of her personality and quirks drawn from an annoying co-worker. (Not that I'd tell her that.)
How has being part of a critique group affected your writing?
LP: It has allowed me to see that what I write is not just enjoyable to me, but also to other readers. That's the main thing that really boosted my confidence level in my writing. It's good to like your own writing, but even better to find out that a group of people from all different backgrounds, and even places--like Canada--still enjoy the stories I spin, makes it easier to keep going.
Also, writing is a lonely business. Always has been that way. Having other people who understand the quirks and twists of a writer's mind--such as having a character "argue with the author" -- and not be considered a little loony, is a nice feeling as well. It helps to know you're not alone in the world.
What is the best advice you've ever received? What is the worst?
LP: The best advice would have to be the quote that I've seen repeated in multiple places: "Write a book that you would like to read". Every story that I write holds my interest, has characters that I want to see struggle and fail and succeed, and worlds that I'd like to visit. The nicety is that, those things that interest me, also often are enjoyable to readers as well, and that your enjoyment of the topic and etc shows in your writing. When someone does not enjoy what they're saying, when it's written strictly because they must, it shows in the writing. When someone truly loves and enjoys the storyline and characters and etc, it shows. You can hear it in their voice.
The worst. That one I know right away. The adage, "Write what you know." It is true, and yet not true. If you write what you know, what you're familiar with, then certainly there's strength to what you say, because you're familiar to it. However, how many speculative fiction writers have met a dragon? Or gone to a different planet?
That advice balked me in my writing for nearly a year. I struggled to write anything that included more than my fairly limited sphere of direct knowledge. That meant, no sword-fencing or trips to another state/country/planet for my characters, no fantastic creatures or unique cultures. It blocked me up for quite some time. I would tell new writers, and even old ones, that yes, writing what you know has its place, but don't restrict yourself to that box. The muse needs her freedom to work properly.
Many of your novels are collective, meaning they are grouped into trilogies and/or a series. What types of challenges do these present, and how have you overcome them?
LP: Continuity. That's the biggest problem I have to keep close watch over. It is very easy to lose track of who is where, or what time it is, or what has already happened, when you write in a series, especially a longer, more complex styling. My urban fantasy, two books, each around 70-80k words, were much easier to keep track of. And they still had plot holes and continuity issues and minor changes as I wrote book 2. But my longer typical fantasy, with nine books in the series, some already written, some being rough-drafted, has far more problems and changes.
One of the important things to remember is that, whatever "rules" you place in book 1, need to hold true, or at least mostly true, all the way through the books. There is nothing more irritating than being told that, for example, to perform magic you need these components in book 1 of a series, and in book 6 suddenly find out that these other components that the MC has been lugging around for four books can also create magic, specialized magic. Or something along those lines.
Make sure you know where you're headed. For the entire series. If you know how the whole thing is going to end, then each book should in some way point toward that final stage.
One of your strong points is descriptive wording. You have credited this technique to your different areas of study (writing poetry, using themes, etc). Any tips on how to be effective?
LP: Less is more. You don't need to give three pages of descriptive prose to describe a bar. Most people have been in somewhat the situation or place that your characters are. Rather, drop a few basic lines to set the scene, then spend your descriptive word on showing how this bar or this hotel or this place differs from what's expected.
Don't treat your readers as if they must be spoon-fed every scrap of knowledge and description to grasp what's going on. Most readers are quite capable of picking up clues and creating a scene in their own mind. In fact, they prefer to imagine on their own. When it comes to fantasy creatures, or aliens, yes, it is good to be detailed because this is something they likely have no basis for in their mind. But if you're describing a seedy bar, or perhaps a villain's lab, use just enough to set the scene and give an impression. Nothing more. I sometimes like to call it... evoking. You're trying to create a "sense" of a place, it's atmosphere, but not the place itself. Because the rest will come.
Where do you draw the line on description to avoid purple prose?
LP: Besides the craft of using themes--which is a whole discussion in and of itself--the quickest way to make sure you're not overloading the reader with description is my "rule of three".
Pick three things you wish to describe in a room, or scene. What three things in this hotel/bar/planet/inn do you, as the author, want to be emphasized, given a place in the midst of the scene? Try to use only three senses to bring them out. Though it makes a world or scene rich when you describe what they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell...it can become annoying and even nauseating if it is repeated throughout a novel with every moment, as if you were eating chocolate cake for every meal. Instead, use three senses at first.
Even the typical place for purple prose, the night sky or sunrise/sunset, apply the rule of three. For a sunset, do we want to bring out the sound of the crickets, the chill of the night, the color of the sky? Then don't also describe the trees in the wind, nor the pattern of clouds, nor a bird's chirp. Stick to the crickets, cold, and colors. Nothing more.
The more time you spend describing anything, the more emphasis you place upon it. Pick and choose what you wish to emphasize, and leave the rest alone, giving it perhaps a one sentence or less mention. For example, in one of my urban fantasy novels, Hungry Waters, I spend several paragraphs describing a hotel room where the MC is staying (and where, in the future, several plot events/scenes occur), but when the MC goes to the bathroom to clean up, I dashed off one quick line about the place. Because nothing else occurs in the bathroom. There's no need to emphasize that place, nor describe it into ad nauseam.
What have you learned about the publishing industry in the past year?
LP: That it's much harder to break in, even with good writing, than I thought. Also, that even with stellar, perfect writing, if the editor happens to be in a bad mood, or the assistant just doesn't like the name on your manuscript, anything at all, they can easily turn it down, even if you had perfect punctuation and spelling and the plot for the "Great American Novel." And on the flip side, I've seen novels published that I'd be ashamed to put my name upon if they were mine (though I'd certainly accept the royalty check).
Recommended websites or blogs?
LP: As far as publishing goes, Query Shark and The Rejectionist are both excellent resources.
Websites for writing would first be, obviously, Writers Digest, namely the forum that I frequent. I've met many good friends and fellow writers there, and sometimes my editors or beta readers as well. That feedback is very important to a writer, once their voice is stable and they're prepared to take the heat, as it were.
Others are more like resources. I use bing.com very often to pull up images of places that I'm setting my novels in, or imitating if it comes to speculative fiction. Behind the Name is superb for finding character names, though I do have a mild fetish with having the names of my characters tied into their personalities or roles in the book. This blog here is good for writing tips and woes and etc.
Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback, or e-books?
LP: Paperback. I am rough on my books, as I like to take them anywhere and everywhere, reading them while I'm eating, or traveling, or at a doctor's appointment, or...etc. Hardcover, though a little more hardy, won't usually fit in purses or laptop cases quite as easily.
And I absolutely despise e-books, so I have no intention of making the digital switch. There is nothing like holding a book in your hand, the scent of ink and paper, the thrill of turning pages to read more. E-books tend to make my eyes burn and water, and lacks the emotional connection somehow. It's why I typically do the detailed edits by printing out my manuscript. It's easier to edit on a hard-copy then on a computer screen.
What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010?
LP: Finish this draft of Phoenix Rising. That novel has been rewritten enough times, and the characters are interesting enough to me, that they need a chance to be queried finally. And that means finishing the edits of my novel to at least my partial satisfaction.
---
Thanks so much for your insight, Liz! And thank you everyone for your patience. My apologies for the weirdness earlier and the delay. I still don't know what happened, but everything seems to be in order now. Please notify me if something looks funky, though. Thanks!
~Lydia
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Unheard Voices In Spec Fic: Brandi Guthrie
Thanks to everyone who has shown their support this week (both public and private). Next up, Brandi!
---
Bio:
Brandi Guthrie currently lives with her fiancee in northwest Arkansas. She has a bachelor's degree in English with concentration in creative writing. In her free time, she likes to play pool and Dance Dance Revolution, and spend time with her chihuahua, Gypsy, and her cat, Zorro.
How long have you been writing?
BG: I wrote my first story in first grade. It was about a chicken who hatches an egg. I went on to write two more stories in elementary school, which were "published" (as in, laminated) and sent to our local arts center as part of the Young Authors program. I think that's when I caught the bug, but I didn't seriously pursue writing until junior high. I started a story about a fairy, and that story was actually what inspired me to write FURY.
Who was your mentor in the early days?
BG: I'd have to say that there were two main ones. The first was my mother, who encouraged my overactive imagination and didn't force me to "grow up" too soon. The second was my ninth grade teacher, Mrs. Deborah Endris. She was the first one who looked at my stories and said, "Wow, Brandi, you have something going here." I think if she hadn't expressed that faith in me then, I might have given up on writing as a fanciful dream.
What projects are you currently working on?
BG: I've got four projects going right now. I'm working on the final editing/revision of FURY, which I'm hoping to complete by the end of January. I finished the first draft of DRAGON QUEEN, so it will be the focus of my attention once FURY is finished. My two WIPs are THE LAST OF THE ELVES and ONE THOUSAND.
ELVES is about an evil being called the Nav'andran that is wiping out the elven population. The elves' only hope rests with an unlikely heroine and her half-elf companion. This idea has been with me since high school, so it will probably be the next focus of my attention. ONE THOUSAND is a story with a different take on mermaids. No Disney-esque feel to this one. I haven't quite figured out where I want this one to go, but it has so much promise I couldn't leave it as a short story.
Why did you decide to specialize in speculative fiction?
BG: I don't think I actually decided, it sort of happened. I've always been interested in "other" worlds, and some of my favorite authors are the ones who build places that are so alive you feel as if you can touch them. Perhaps I've tried to capture that same feel, but really I think it harkens back to when I was six years old and playing make-believe. It was a natural thing to create magical worlds back then, and I guess it stuck with me.
How much did you write before you found your unique style and voice?
BG: I don't think I actually found my style and voice until after the first draft of FURY. It was such a garbled mess, and it took a lot of tweaking (still tweaking) to find a common voice/style in it. With DRAGON QUEEN, it was a lot easier. Maybe because it was in 1st person POV, or maybe because I'd grown more confident in my writing technique, but it was definitely stronger and more engaging. I believe that the more I write, the easier it is for me to discover what voice/style needs to be incorporated into the writing. There will be always a common thread, but different stories have different voices--so I always have to work on it.
Who is your favorite author, and what have you learned from reading his/her work?
BG: Anne Bishop. Hands down. She creates such engaging characters in such rich, vibrant worlds. Her stories suck me in.
I think the main thing that I learned from her works is that there has to be balance. Her stories are often dark, but she twines in just enough humor that the darkness doesn't bog you down or come across as melodramatic. And she knows how to create real characters with real issues and heartache. Even her antagonists come off well-rounded. That ideal balance is what I try hardest to emulate.
How has your current employment affected your writing?
BG: I work for a newspaper, in the newsroom, so I'm constantly in contact with journalists and their stories. It has opened my eyes to how different some aspects of writing can be--and what is most important in each field.
How has being part of a critique group affected your writing?
BG: I've definitely grown as a writer since joining the Writers Digest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Critique Forum. It helps immensely to receive unbiased views about what does and doesn't work in a story. And by critiquing others' works, I'm also able to strengthen my editing skills and see the weaknesses in my own work. Now, I'm able to look at my work with a more critical eye and produce stronger writing.
What is the best advice you've ever received? What is the worst?
BG: Keep writing. That's the best advice any writer can receive, in my opinion. If you give up, you're not going to get better and your story isn't going to get published. But right along with that, you must remember that YOU are the writer. Not your critique group, not your editor/agent, not your mom. YOU. So you have the final say in your story.
As for the worst, it was probably the advice I received about "correcting" my writing style. I fretted and fretted about this and tried so hard to make my writing style fit into their preference, and this was a horrible mistake. It got to the point where I hated writing. It felt more like a chore than a pleasure. And then I realized that the person who had made the suggestion was wrong to give such advice. Just because my writing style wasn't their preference, they shouldn't have claimed that it was "bad" or "wrong."
You recently admitted that romantic elements have a larger role in your stories than you'd realized. How has this new outlook affected your works in progress?
BG: I'm not afraid of a bit of romance now. Before, I tried to steer clear of it for fear that it would alienate some readers, but now I realize that it makes my stories stronger, not weaker. And as for my WIPs, well, they're going to have romance in them as well. I've yet to decide if they'll be actual romances, but they will definitely have that element in there somewhere.
One of your strong points is portraying emotion, pulling the reader into the mind and heart of the viewpoint character. Any tips on how to be effective?
BG: I ask myself a lot of "what if" questions. What if I was currently facing that decision? What if I had to choose between forsaking something for something else? Etc. And then I pull from my personal experiences, but I also think of how that individual character would react. Sometimes, I'm nothing like the character I've created, so that plays a factor. And, actually, it's fun to ask the "what if" and then do the exact opposite (as a certain character would).
Where do you draw the line on sex scenes?
BG: It really depends on what audience I'm shooting for. FURY was written for mature audiences, so therefore the sex scenes (or intimate scenes) are more detailed. DRAGON QUEEN deals with a much younger character and different circumstances. Where FURY is a true romance, DRAGON QUEEN isn't, so I felt that there wasn't as much of a need to delve into the details.
However, the sex scenes are not there just for physical stimulation or a page filler. They have a purpose for both the characters and the reader. And that, more than anything, decides me on what sort of intimacy should be portrayed.
What have you learned about the publishing industry in the past year?
BG: I basically began 2009 without knowing anything about publishing. It was very intimidating, but through agents' and editors' blogs, books, and websites, I found out that publishing is like any business. Fickle. But if you have talent and you keep trying, the chances are that you'll make a break-through in some way ... but maybe that's just me being optimistic.
Any recommended websites or blogs?
The Rejectionist
Nathan Bransford
Query Shark
The Intern
Janet Reid
Rachelle Gardener
Writer Beware
Preditors & Editors
Writer's Digest
Agent Query
Poets & Writers
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
Romance Writers of America
Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback, or e-books?
BG: I stare at a computer screen so much for work that I shudder to think of reading e-books. You'll find me with a paperback most of the time. However, if I really love the story or the author, I'll splurge for the hardcover.
What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010?
BG: Snagging an agent. This is something I've been working toward throughout 2009, so I believe it is a realistic goal for 2010.
---
Thanks so much for being with us today, Brandi! And yes, Joe has a few added questions for you as well, which he will post in the comments.
~Lydia
---
Bio:
Brandi Guthrie currently lives with her fiancee in northwest Arkansas. She has a bachelor's degree in English with concentration in creative writing. In her free time, she likes to play pool and Dance Dance Revolution, and spend time with her chihuahua, Gypsy, and her cat, Zorro.
How long have you been writing?
BG: I wrote my first story in first grade. It was about a chicken who hatches an egg. I went on to write two more stories in elementary school, which were "published" (as in, laminated) and sent to our local arts center as part of the Young Authors program. I think that's when I caught the bug, but I didn't seriously pursue writing until junior high. I started a story about a fairy, and that story was actually what inspired me to write FURY.
Who was your mentor in the early days?
BG: I'd have to say that there were two main ones. The first was my mother, who encouraged my overactive imagination and didn't force me to "grow up" too soon. The second was my ninth grade teacher, Mrs. Deborah Endris. She was the first one who looked at my stories and said, "Wow, Brandi, you have something going here." I think if she hadn't expressed that faith in me then, I might have given up on writing as a fanciful dream.
What projects are you currently working on?
BG: I've got four projects going right now. I'm working on the final editing/revision of FURY, which I'm hoping to complete by the end of January. I finished the first draft of DRAGON QUEEN, so it will be the focus of my attention once FURY is finished. My two WIPs are THE LAST OF THE ELVES and ONE THOUSAND.
ELVES is about an evil being called the Nav'andran that is wiping out the elven population. The elves' only hope rests with an unlikely heroine and her half-elf companion. This idea has been with me since high school, so it will probably be the next focus of my attention. ONE THOUSAND is a story with a different take on mermaids. No Disney-esque feel to this one. I haven't quite figured out where I want this one to go, but it has so much promise I couldn't leave it as a short story.
Why did you decide to specialize in speculative fiction?
BG: I don't think I actually decided, it sort of happened. I've always been interested in "other" worlds, and some of my favorite authors are the ones who build places that are so alive you feel as if you can touch them. Perhaps I've tried to capture that same feel, but really I think it harkens back to when I was six years old and playing make-believe. It was a natural thing to create magical worlds back then, and I guess it stuck with me.
How much did you write before you found your unique style and voice?
BG: I don't think I actually found my style and voice until after the first draft of FURY. It was such a garbled mess, and it took a lot of tweaking (still tweaking) to find a common voice/style in it. With DRAGON QUEEN, it was a lot easier. Maybe because it was in 1st person POV, or maybe because I'd grown more confident in my writing technique, but it was definitely stronger and more engaging. I believe that the more I write, the easier it is for me to discover what voice/style needs to be incorporated into the writing. There will be always a common thread, but different stories have different voices--so I always have to work on it.
Who is your favorite author, and what have you learned from reading his/her work?
BG: Anne Bishop. Hands down. She creates such engaging characters in such rich, vibrant worlds. Her stories suck me in.
I think the main thing that I learned from her works is that there has to be balance. Her stories are often dark, but she twines in just enough humor that the darkness doesn't bog you down or come across as melodramatic. And she knows how to create real characters with real issues and heartache. Even her antagonists come off well-rounded. That ideal balance is what I try hardest to emulate.
How has your current employment affected your writing?
BG: I work for a newspaper, in the newsroom, so I'm constantly in contact with journalists and their stories. It has opened my eyes to how different some aspects of writing can be--and what is most important in each field.
How has being part of a critique group affected your writing?
BG: I've definitely grown as a writer since joining the Writers Digest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Critique Forum. It helps immensely to receive unbiased views about what does and doesn't work in a story. And by critiquing others' works, I'm also able to strengthen my editing skills and see the weaknesses in my own work. Now, I'm able to look at my work with a more critical eye and produce stronger writing.
What is the best advice you've ever received? What is the worst?
BG: Keep writing. That's the best advice any writer can receive, in my opinion. If you give up, you're not going to get better and your story isn't going to get published. But right along with that, you must remember that YOU are the writer. Not your critique group, not your editor/agent, not your mom. YOU. So you have the final say in your story.
As for the worst, it was probably the advice I received about "correcting" my writing style. I fretted and fretted about this and tried so hard to make my writing style fit into their preference, and this was a horrible mistake. It got to the point where I hated writing. It felt more like a chore than a pleasure. And then I realized that the person who had made the suggestion was wrong to give such advice. Just because my writing style wasn't their preference, they shouldn't have claimed that it was "bad" or "wrong."
You recently admitted that romantic elements have a larger role in your stories than you'd realized. How has this new outlook affected your works in progress?
BG: I'm not afraid of a bit of romance now. Before, I tried to steer clear of it for fear that it would alienate some readers, but now I realize that it makes my stories stronger, not weaker. And as for my WIPs, well, they're going to have romance in them as well. I've yet to decide if they'll be actual romances, but they will definitely have that element in there somewhere.
One of your strong points is portraying emotion, pulling the reader into the mind and heart of the viewpoint character. Any tips on how to be effective?
BG: I ask myself a lot of "what if" questions. What if I was currently facing that decision? What if I had to choose between forsaking something for something else? Etc. And then I pull from my personal experiences, but I also think of how that individual character would react. Sometimes, I'm nothing like the character I've created, so that plays a factor. And, actually, it's fun to ask the "what if" and then do the exact opposite (as a certain character would).
Where do you draw the line on sex scenes?
BG: It really depends on what audience I'm shooting for. FURY was written for mature audiences, so therefore the sex scenes (or intimate scenes) are more detailed. DRAGON QUEEN deals with a much younger character and different circumstances. Where FURY is a true romance, DRAGON QUEEN isn't, so I felt that there wasn't as much of a need to delve into the details.
However, the sex scenes are not there just for physical stimulation or a page filler. They have a purpose for both the characters and the reader. And that, more than anything, decides me on what sort of intimacy should be portrayed.
What have you learned about the publishing industry in the past year?
BG: I basically began 2009 without knowing anything about publishing. It was very intimidating, but through agents' and editors' blogs, books, and websites, I found out that publishing is like any business. Fickle. But if you have talent and you keep trying, the chances are that you'll make a break-through in some way ... but maybe that's just me being optimistic.
Any recommended websites or blogs?
The Rejectionist
Nathan Bransford
Query Shark
The Intern
Janet Reid
Rachelle Gardener
Writer Beware
Preditors & Editors
Writer's Digest
Agent Query
Poets & Writers
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
Romance Writers of America
Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback, or e-books?
BG: I stare at a computer screen so much for work that I shudder to think of reading e-books. You'll find me with a paperback most of the time. However, if I really love the story or the author, I'll splurge for the hardcover.
What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010?
BG: Snagging an agent. This is something I've been working toward throughout 2009, so I believe it is a realistic goal for 2010.
---
Thanks so much for being with us today, Brandi! And yes, Joe has a few added questions for you as well, which he will post in the comments.
~Lydia
Monday, January 11, 2010
Unheard Voices In Spec Fic: Kaycee Looney
Welcome to day one of our first ever interview series for aspiring authors! We hope you enjoy getting to know these talented young ladies as we have. First up, Kaycee!
---
Bio:
Kaycee Looney has always been fascinated with fiction. At age two she memorized Dr. Suess stories and would not let her dad "cheat" when reading them aloud. As an adult, she has combined her two greatest loves, writing and learning, to create speculative and historical fiction. Kaycee lives in Washington state with her fat black cat, Cleo, whom she firmly believes is a minion of Satan.
How long have you been writing?
KL: I've been writing since age thirteen, so about eighteen years (give or take a few months). I started with poetry and worked up to short stories. It wasn’t until four years ago, when I had to take a hiatus from working because of health problems, that I graduated to writing my first novel manuscript. I now have one complete novel ms and three underway.
Who was you mentor in the early days?
KL: My mentor, as far as authors go, was Edgar Allan Poe. He is the reason I wanted to become a writer. The first time I read “The Masque of the Red Death” I thought – I have to do that for a living! As far as having my own personal cheerleader goes, my English teacher, Mr. Doug Rhodes, always believed in me 110%.
What projects are you currently working on?
KL: I am currently working on an historical fiction novel set in Rome during the 1st century A.D. It will include the Great Fire in A.D. 64. On occasion, I add a bit to its sequel, which will culminate with the Colosseum’s inaugural games in A.D. 80.
What is your dream project for the future?
KL: I'm dreaming of the sequel to this historical fiction. (I actually began it first and had to "back track" to get the story that came before.) I also have a post-apocalyptic novel (that needs a major rewrite) which I'd love to finish. There are several other projects brewing in my brain that I will get to someday.
Why did you decide to specialize in speculative fiction?
KL: I don't think I made a conscious decision to specialize in speculative fiction. I just sort of fell into it. My first fantasy novel came to me in a daydream, and I was hooked on the genre.
How much did you write before you found your unique style and voice?
KL: I think I’m still finding my voice. It seems like my style and voice change depending upon which project I’m working on at the time. My characters are very vocal and influence my style.
Who is your favorite author, and what have you learned from reading his/her work?
KL: Presently my favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. She writes very well-rounded characters in a historically accurate setting. I’ve learned from her how to weave romantic elements with action and a more complex plotline while staying true to a historic world that people easily recognize.
How has your current employment affected your writing?
KL: My job with a bookstore has exposed me to more authors and new books coming out. It helps me keep up with current trends and avoid pitfalls. It also motivates me to write more and get published so I don’t have to work there anymore.
How has being part of a critique group affected your writing?
KL: It has helped me recognize my weak points and improve upon them, as well as helped me believe in my own talent as a writer. It has also made me a better critical reader.
What is the best advice you've ever received? What is the worst?
KL: The best writing advice I’ve ever gotten was to pay attention to my word choice. It has improved my writing immensely. The worst? Hmm, to quit writing because there are too many people wanting to be published and I’ll never be one of them. I guess it’s a good thing I have a stubborn streak.
Two of your current projects are historical fiction. How is this similar to writing speculative fiction and how is it different?
KL: Historical fiction is very similar to speculative fiction in a lot of ways. History is, by nature, speculative. We are told a story from one point of view and inevitably there are pieces missing. This is where recreating history in a fictional form becomes fascinating for me. I take the historical facts that are available and mold them into my own version of reality. In essence, I am building my own world within the constraints of historical fact. I find it extremely challenging and satisfying.
Really, the only major difference I see between historical and speculative fiction is that I don’t get to add magic or dragons or teleportation to historical fiction. But if I could, that would make it a lot easier to get my characters out of some of the situations I put them into.
One of your strong points is action/combat scenes. Any tips on how to be effective?
KL: Have passion for it.
You don’t need to take sword fighting classes, or analyze YouTube videos of Star Wars light saber fight reenactments (but if you want to, by all means, don’t let me stop you). All you have to do is know your characters. Know how they think and move. Understand their motivations for the particular battle at hand. When I begin a battle scene I put myself into the character’s mindset.
I usually begin with a few questions to “set the stage.” Is the ground beneath my characters’ feet stable? Is my protagonist a good fighter or a poor one? What about his or her opponent(s)? I close my eyes and see what the POV character sees. There is no planning ahead who will strike where, because in a real fight you never know what your opponent will do next. Then I just let the fight reveal itself as action and reaction blend together.
Where do you draw the line on violence and gore?
KL: I haven’t found a line yet that I’ve said to myself, “No, you can’t write that.” But I do strive for balance. I try to make my scenes realistic, not overdone. For example, if my character is stabbed in the side, I wouldn’t do something over the top like have blood spurting out in fountains. There aren’t any major arteries there, so it would be gore for gore’s sake, and to me that is unrealistic. In my short story “Somewhere” I have my main character kill a man in self-defense. After he is dead, she keeps stabbing him. This isn’t because I wanted more gore, it’s because she is emotionally traumatized and can’t help herself. As long as the violence and gore fit the scene and plotline, I’ll include it.
What have you learned about the publishing industry in the past year?
KL: I’ve learned to pay careful attention to submission guidelines. In my opinion there is no such thing as a “query packet.” Every publisher and/or agent expects something different which is tailored to their wants and needs. If you just send out a “form submission” it will most assuredly be answered with an oh-so-dreaded form rejection – if they take the time to notify you at all.
Any recommended websites or blogs?
KL: You can find samples of my writing on my blog, Musings of a Looneywriter. I am working on changing up the content to be more informative to aspiring writers. I will be including a “Site of the Week” where I will peruse a new site for writers each week, and then give pros and cons. I am also a regular in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section of the Writer’s Digest Critique Forums. The people there are very welcoming and willing to help new writers improve their skills. Another site I’ve found helpful is Ray Rhamey’s Flogging the Quill. He gives a straightforward assessment of your manuscript’s first sixteen lines. As a veteran of the writing world, his advice has been very helpful to me.
Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback, or e-books?
KL: Paperbacks, hands down. They’re easier than hardcovers to carry around in my bag to read when I have a few spare minutes. I like having a physical page to turn, so e-books aren’t my thing.
What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010?
KL: Well, it’s a two-way tie. I’d like to get a synopsis finished for my YA fantasy novel “Light of Avondell” so that I can begin submitting it to agents again. And I also want to finish the rough draft of my current historical fiction, “Calli,” by April so that I can have it revised and ready for submission by the end of the year – at the latest.
---
Thank you so much for being with us today, Kaycee! Joe has another question or two for you, which he'll post in the comments (you've been warned).
~Lydia
---
Bio:
Kaycee Looney has always been fascinated with fiction. At age two she memorized Dr. Suess stories and would not let her dad "cheat" when reading them aloud. As an adult, she has combined her two greatest loves, writing and learning, to create speculative and historical fiction. Kaycee lives in Washington state with her fat black cat, Cleo, whom she firmly believes is a minion of Satan.
How long have you been writing?
KL: I've been writing since age thirteen, so about eighteen years (give or take a few months). I started with poetry and worked up to short stories. It wasn’t until four years ago, when I had to take a hiatus from working because of health problems, that I graduated to writing my first novel manuscript. I now have one complete novel ms and three underway.
Who was you mentor in the early days?
KL: My mentor, as far as authors go, was Edgar Allan Poe. He is the reason I wanted to become a writer. The first time I read “The Masque of the Red Death” I thought – I have to do that for a living! As far as having my own personal cheerleader goes, my English teacher, Mr. Doug Rhodes, always believed in me 110%.
What projects are you currently working on?
KL: I am currently working on an historical fiction novel set in Rome during the 1st century A.D. It will include the Great Fire in A.D. 64. On occasion, I add a bit to its sequel, which will culminate with the Colosseum’s inaugural games in A.D. 80.
What is your dream project for the future?
KL: I'm dreaming of the sequel to this historical fiction. (I actually began it first and had to "back track" to get the story that came before.) I also have a post-apocalyptic novel (that needs a major rewrite) which I'd love to finish. There are several other projects brewing in my brain that I will get to someday.
Why did you decide to specialize in speculative fiction?
KL: I don't think I made a conscious decision to specialize in speculative fiction. I just sort of fell into it. My first fantasy novel came to me in a daydream, and I was hooked on the genre.
How much did you write before you found your unique style and voice?
KL: I think I’m still finding my voice. It seems like my style and voice change depending upon which project I’m working on at the time. My characters are very vocal and influence my style.
Who is your favorite author, and what have you learned from reading his/her work?
KL: Presently my favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. She writes very well-rounded characters in a historically accurate setting. I’ve learned from her how to weave romantic elements with action and a more complex plotline while staying true to a historic world that people easily recognize.
How has your current employment affected your writing?
KL: My job with a bookstore has exposed me to more authors and new books coming out. It helps me keep up with current trends and avoid pitfalls. It also motivates me to write more and get published so I don’t have to work there anymore.
How has being part of a critique group affected your writing?
KL: It has helped me recognize my weak points and improve upon them, as well as helped me believe in my own talent as a writer. It has also made me a better critical reader.
What is the best advice you've ever received? What is the worst?
KL: The best writing advice I’ve ever gotten was to pay attention to my word choice. It has improved my writing immensely. The worst? Hmm, to quit writing because there are too many people wanting to be published and I’ll never be one of them. I guess it’s a good thing I have a stubborn streak.
Two of your current projects are historical fiction. How is this similar to writing speculative fiction and how is it different?
KL: Historical fiction is very similar to speculative fiction in a lot of ways. History is, by nature, speculative. We are told a story from one point of view and inevitably there are pieces missing. This is where recreating history in a fictional form becomes fascinating for me. I take the historical facts that are available and mold them into my own version of reality. In essence, I am building my own world within the constraints of historical fact. I find it extremely challenging and satisfying.
Really, the only major difference I see between historical and speculative fiction is that I don’t get to add magic or dragons or teleportation to historical fiction. But if I could, that would make it a lot easier to get my characters out of some of the situations I put them into.
One of your strong points is action/combat scenes. Any tips on how to be effective?
KL: Have passion for it.
You don’t need to take sword fighting classes, or analyze YouTube videos of Star Wars light saber fight reenactments (but if you want to, by all means, don’t let me stop you). All you have to do is know your characters. Know how they think and move. Understand their motivations for the particular battle at hand. When I begin a battle scene I put myself into the character’s mindset.
I usually begin with a few questions to “set the stage.” Is the ground beneath my characters’ feet stable? Is my protagonist a good fighter or a poor one? What about his or her opponent(s)? I close my eyes and see what the POV character sees. There is no planning ahead who will strike where, because in a real fight you never know what your opponent will do next. Then I just let the fight reveal itself as action and reaction blend together.
Where do you draw the line on violence and gore?
KL: I haven’t found a line yet that I’ve said to myself, “No, you can’t write that.” But I do strive for balance. I try to make my scenes realistic, not overdone. For example, if my character is stabbed in the side, I wouldn’t do something over the top like have blood spurting out in fountains. There aren’t any major arteries there, so it would be gore for gore’s sake, and to me that is unrealistic. In my short story “Somewhere” I have my main character kill a man in self-defense. After he is dead, she keeps stabbing him. This isn’t because I wanted more gore, it’s because she is emotionally traumatized and can’t help herself. As long as the violence and gore fit the scene and plotline, I’ll include it.
What have you learned about the publishing industry in the past year?
KL: I’ve learned to pay careful attention to submission guidelines. In my opinion there is no such thing as a “query packet.” Every publisher and/or agent expects something different which is tailored to their wants and needs. If you just send out a “form submission” it will most assuredly be answered with an oh-so-dreaded form rejection – if they take the time to notify you at all.
Any recommended websites or blogs?
KL: You can find samples of my writing on my blog, Musings of a Looneywriter. I am working on changing up the content to be more informative to aspiring writers. I will be including a “Site of the Week” where I will peruse a new site for writers each week, and then give pros and cons. I am also a regular in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section of the Writer’s Digest Critique Forums. The people there are very welcoming and willing to help new writers improve their skills. Another site I’ve found helpful is Ray Rhamey’s Flogging the Quill. He gives a straightforward assessment of your manuscript’s first sixteen lines. As a veteran of the writing world, his advice has been very helpful to me.
Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback, or e-books?
KL: Paperbacks, hands down. They’re easier than hardcovers to carry around in my bag to read when I have a few spare minutes. I like having a physical page to turn, so e-books aren’t my thing.
What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010?
KL: Well, it’s a two-way tie. I’d like to get a synopsis finished for my YA fantasy novel “Light of Avondell” so that I can begin submitting it to agents again. And I also want to finish the rough draft of my current historical fiction, “Calli,” by April so that I can have it revised and ready for submission by the end of the year – at the latest.
---
Thank you so much for being with us today, Kaycee! Joe has another question or two for you, which he'll post in the comments (you've been warned).
~Lydia
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Something New For You
In the past six months or so that this blog has been in operation, it has undergone numerous changes, both in appearance and in subject matter. We are constantly evolving to make sure we are serving our audience in the best way possible.
Since we recently passed the "50 followers" mark, I'd like to gather some specifics for future posts. After all, this blog is not really for US, it's for YOU. It has always been our mission to help others before ourselves.
We would like to try a few new things this year (other than the new look ... which I'm sure will continue to be tweaked over time).
Answering specific reader questions. The comments in Wednesday's post brought up a few specific questions, and we realized, "Hey, we like answering specific questions because we know before we say anything that at least ONE person is interested in the answer."
Once per week (or every other week, or once per month, depending on how popular this becomes), we'd like to post a specific question from one of our readers and then, of course, answer it. So we are sending out an open call to email us your questions (as of right now, and it will remain open until we say otherwise).
All emails should be directed to this address: lydiasharp4sff@yahoo.com and should have "Blog Question" somewhere in the subject line. Please specify whether the question is for Joe, or Lydia, or both. Questions posted on the blog will remain anonymous, and we will let you know ahead of time when it will be posted.
Writing prompt and/or short story contest. To be honest, we are still up in the air about this one, but we think it would be a lot of fun. We have both entered contests before but have never hosted one. We'd like to see the other end of it at least once.
And as a participant, you never know what that entry might spark in you, or where it might lead you. My first short story contest entry is now in a beautiful anthology.
Group read-along. We (meaning us and all of you) would decide on a book to read at a future date with an organized schedule. In addition to receiving general feedback on the story and style and so forth, I'd also like to post specific questions about the section we read, like you would in a book club.
That's what we've come up with so far, friends. We're doing our best to make this a blog you look forward to reading and that is helpful to you in at least one way. Any feedback on the above ideas would be appreciated. Have a great weekend!
~Lydia
Since we recently passed the "50 followers" mark, I'd like to gather some specifics for future posts. After all, this blog is not really for US, it's for YOU. It has always been our mission to help others before ourselves.
We would like to try a few new things this year (other than the new look ... which I'm sure will continue to be tweaked over time).
Answering specific reader questions. The comments in Wednesday's post brought up a few specific questions, and we realized, "Hey, we like answering specific questions because we know before we say anything that at least ONE person is interested in the answer."
Once per week (or every other week, or once per month, depending on how popular this becomes), we'd like to post a specific question from one of our readers and then, of course, answer it. So we are sending out an open call to email us your questions (as of right now, and it will remain open until we say otherwise).
All emails should be directed to this address: lydiasharp4sff@yahoo.com and should have "Blog Question" somewhere in the subject line. Please specify whether the question is for Joe, or Lydia, or both. Questions posted on the blog will remain anonymous, and we will let you know ahead of time when it will be posted.
Writing prompt and/or short story contest. To be honest, we are still up in the air about this one, but we think it would be a lot of fun. We have both entered contests before but have never hosted one. We'd like to see the other end of it at least once.
And as a participant, you never know what that entry might spark in you, or where it might lead you. My first short story contest entry is now in a beautiful anthology.
Group read-along. We (meaning us and all of you) would decide on a book to read at a future date with an organized schedule. In addition to receiving general feedback on the story and style and so forth, I'd also like to post specific questions about the section we read, like you would in a book club.
That's what we've come up with so far, friends. We're doing our best to make this a blog you look forward to reading and that is helpful to you in at least one way. Any feedback on the above ideas would be appreciated. Have a great weekend!
~Lydia
Friday, January 8, 2010
UNPUBLISHED AUTHORS THAT WE ARE CERTAIN WILL BE SUCCESSFUL
I'm a musical fountain. If you want to know a genre of music, I can usually spout off a few bands you may not have heard of, including some that aren't big...yet. It's kind of cool.
It is very cool that me'n Lydia know so many writers in the same position. They haven't "made it" yet. But they will. Most of us are working our way up together. Or trying to get published again after a LONG hiatus, like myself.
When Lydia first approached me with this topic, I immediately thought of the same three writers she did. I want to preface this by saying that there are many, many good writers we both read and critique. Many we consider friends. Namely, those on the Scifi/Fantasy forum on the Writer's Digest forum--the old one. Not that new ning community one. That distinction was made just to single out the correct group, not put the new community down.
The scifi forum is a collection of talent, pure and simple. Most of them will be published. So none of them should feel slighted in any way if they are not included.
The three we chose, however, are examples of young writers that we are positive are going to be published and successful.
At Lydia's request, I will not name them today. They have each been interviewed, and those interviews will be posted in no particular order next week.
One thing they all share--like most great artists--is excessive modesty to the point of lack of confidence at times. Which is silly, because they are not only talented or even gifted, they really are rare in their abilities. There is just something very special about each of them.
And all are going to be embarrassed about that last comment. Good. Squirm, ladies.
--JOE
It is very cool that me'n Lydia know so many writers in the same position. They haven't "made it" yet. But they will. Most of us are working our way up together. Or trying to get published again after a LONG hiatus, like myself.
When Lydia first approached me with this topic, I immediately thought of the same three writers she did. I want to preface this by saying that there are many, many good writers we both read and critique. Many we consider friends. Namely, those on the Scifi/Fantasy forum on the Writer's Digest forum--the old one. Not that new ning community one. That distinction was made just to single out the correct group, not put the new community down.
The scifi forum is a collection of talent, pure and simple. Most of them will be published. So none of them should feel slighted in any way if they are not included.
The three we chose, however, are examples of young writers that we are positive are going to be published and successful.
At Lydia's request, I will not name them today. They have each been interviewed, and those interviews will be posted in no particular order next week.
One thing they all share--like most great artists--is excessive modesty to the point of lack of confidence at times. Which is silly, because they are not only talented or even gifted, they really are rare in their abilities. There is just something very special about each of them.
And all are going to be embarrassed about that last comment. Good. Squirm, ladies.
--JOE
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Rule Breakers
First off, thank you to everyone who shared their writing goals in Monday's post. If this blog is still up and running by this time next year, we'll check back and see how everyone did. Anyone else who would like to add their goals, it's not too late. Click HERE.
---
What truly is a rule that we need to follow (as writers) and what is just a suggestion? Many new writers are understandably frustrated because they read well-intentioned advice that just confuses the hell out of them.
There is no way I can cover everything in this post, so if I miss something that you feel is important PLEASE add it to the comments. I'm going to go through some common "rules" that I've seen, and hopefully debunk a few myths in the process. Much of this is going to cover the STYLISTIC side of writing, not the TECHNICAL side of writing. Because on the technical side of things, there are many, MANY rules that you do have to follow. That is best left for another post all its own.
First and foremost, it is my OPINION that there is truly only one rule: Keep readers reading. Whatever you can do to make that happen is well within accepted standards. And NO, you don't have to have five or so novels published already before you can start doing this.
Janice Hardy said it very well in her post 10 Things To Remember If You Want To Be A Published Writer:
"There’s a lot of information out there about how to write, what makes a good plot, the rules that “must never be broken.” Truth is, all rules can be broken in the right situation, and if it works, it works. Forcing your story to a set of rules because “everyone says so” might not be the best thing for your story. "
Now, that being said, she also makes some good points on how to be smart about this. I highly recommend reading that entire post, and pay particular attention to numbers 6, 7, & 8.
However, there are plenty of debut novelists who have supposedly committed one of the cardinal sins of writing. Notice I said DEBUT novelists, meaning, that is their first novel in print. No, you do not have to already be successful to pull off certain techniques. It works because it keeps the reader reading, and it works whether it's your first novel or your tenth.
Common Advice Given to New Writers (if anyone is wondering how I know this ... although I don't truly consider myself a professional yet, I do a lot of research, reading, applying, practice, and I work with new writers ON A DAILY BASIS, so I see the common frustration, the common questions, the common complaints, etc.)
1) Don't start with dialogue. This has become a generalized "rule" because most writers who try this, cannot pull it off. Starting with dialogue is risky because the reader has no idea who is speaking, who they are speaking to, where these people are, or anything about their story. Reader confusion = BAD. However, if the dialogue can catch the reader's attention so as to make their confusion a secondary thought, then it serves as an effective hook. In this instance, though, what comes AFTER the dialogue has to be even more spectacular than the dialogue you're starting with, and this is why most new writers are simply told, "Don't do it."
2) Too much description or an "info dump" will lose the reader's interest. Usually, yes, this is true. How do you pull it off? That's simple (not really). Keep the tension high within the exposition. Yeah ... um ... that's one of the most difficult things to do, especially if you don't even know what I mean by "tension." However, it CAN be done. One of my favorite novels of all time has a five page info dump about the history of certain planets right smack dab in the middle of a scene. Did it pull me away? Did I forget what was going on because I was thrust into a history lesson? Did I STOP reading? No, no, and NO. But again, this is not something that most new writers can effectively carry out, so they are simply told, "Don't do it."
3) A sentence should not be so long that it takes up an entire paragraph on its own. Okay, I can't help but laugh when I think about this one, because I see it in published novels ALL THE TIME. Why are new writers told this? Because most new writers have no clue about proper grammar and/or punctuation. NO CLUE. The number one question I see regarding this is: HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO USE A SEMICOLON? And rather than teach them how to structure a sentence correctly, I guess it's easier to simply say, "Don't do it."
4) Start with action. This kind of goes along with number two. More appropriate would be to say, start with TENSION, and then keep the tension going. When new writers see, start with ACTION, they think every novel has to start with physical combat of some sort. Not the case. In fact, most novels don't. However, I guarantee you, every one of them creates tension from the very first paragraph.
Here is an example: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. (Click HERE to read the first few pages on Amazon) No, not his debut novel, but let's get it out of our heads that just because an author has had previous success, that means they can do whatever they want. Each novel an author writes must be stellar or they will lose readers and, eventually, their success will fizzle out.
The first few pages of The Road consist of large blocks of text, minimal physical action, almost zero dialogue, proportionately more TELLING than SHOWING (that is a can of worms too large to get into in this post), and yet ... I read through those pages quickly. The tension is high. It is compelling. I find myself concerned for a character and I don't even know his name.
And if you think my opinion is worth diddly squat (which it may be), then I'll take this opportunity to mention that The Road won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the James Tait Memorial Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, was named the best book of the last 25 years by Entertainment Weekly, was an Oprah's Book Club pick, and the best-selling trade paperback novel in the year of its reprint.* Nothing to sneeze at.
Don't get me wrong, there are some definite rules out there that must be followed, but many that are being presented as rules are, in fact, merely suggestions that have been generalized. The best advice you can get from anyone is individualized to your specific work.
So go ahead and break the "rules" as long as you stick to this: Keep readers reading.
~Lydia
JOE'S TAKE ON THIS TOPIC:
People use the, "once you're a professional" line to prove a few different viewpoints, often conflicting. The most common purposes are new writers that don't feel like fixing their grammar and people that like to look down on others because they don't write in the boring vanilla flavor that they feel should be used.
Here's the deal. Professional writers do not get published and then start slopping ink onto a page with a paint roller and send it off to the publisher from there on out. Unless it's about vampires.
Do editors miss things that the writers themselves missed? Yes. Grammatical errors? Yes. Do some, sadly, phone in their next novel? Yes. Are there exceptions to any norm? Yes. And yes, yes, yes, and yes, blah blah, blllllllah. Always exceptions.
You need to learn how to be both a writer and reader. If you are using it as an excuse not to correct actual mistakes, then shaddup and brush up on yer technique. Baseball players don't fight through the minors just for the privilege of striking out whenever they feel like it in the majors. Not how it works.
On the other hand, if you're just trying to stifle someone else's style, then you're also wrong. Especially in my main genres, military sci-fi and nonfiction, there are a plethora of unique styles. John Ringo quickly rose into the top echelon of sci-fi writers in the last decade and he uses all kinds of technique that are not standard fare. The dude will occasionally use narrative interjectives in the middle of dialogue--instead of tags! Not right! Not right, I say!!!
As long as it is not grammatically incorrect, is it wrong? No. But then again, I'm not a professional. Curse that whole common sense thing.
---
* Stats for The Road taken from The Fire In Fiction by Donald Maass, p. 18 (Writer's Digest Books, 2009)
---
What truly is a rule that we need to follow (as writers) and what is just a suggestion? Many new writers are understandably frustrated because they read well-intentioned advice that just confuses the hell out of them.
There is no way I can cover everything in this post, so if I miss something that you feel is important PLEASE add it to the comments. I'm going to go through some common "rules" that I've seen, and hopefully debunk a few myths in the process. Much of this is going to cover the STYLISTIC side of writing, not the TECHNICAL side of writing. Because on the technical side of things, there are many, MANY rules that you do have to follow. That is best left for another post all its own.
First and foremost, it is my OPINION that there is truly only one rule: Keep readers reading. Whatever you can do to make that happen is well within accepted standards. And NO, you don't have to have five or so novels published already before you can start doing this.
Janice Hardy said it very well in her post 10 Things To Remember If You Want To Be A Published Writer:
"There’s a lot of information out there about how to write, what makes a good plot, the rules that “must never be broken.” Truth is, all rules can be broken in the right situation, and if it works, it works. Forcing your story to a set of rules because “everyone says so” might not be the best thing for your story. "
Now, that being said, she also makes some good points on how to be smart about this. I highly recommend reading that entire post, and pay particular attention to numbers 6, 7, & 8.
However, there are plenty of debut novelists who have supposedly committed one of the cardinal sins of writing. Notice I said DEBUT novelists, meaning, that is their first novel in print. No, you do not have to already be successful to pull off certain techniques. It works because it keeps the reader reading, and it works whether it's your first novel or your tenth.
Common Advice Given to New Writers (if anyone is wondering how I know this ... although I don't truly consider myself a professional yet, I do a lot of research, reading, applying, practice, and I work with new writers ON A DAILY BASIS, so I see the common frustration, the common questions, the common complaints, etc.)
1) Don't start with dialogue. This has become a generalized "rule" because most writers who try this, cannot pull it off. Starting with dialogue is risky because the reader has no idea who is speaking, who they are speaking to, where these people are, or anything about their story. Reader confusion = BAD. However, if the dialogue can catch the reader's attention so as to make their confusion a secondary thought, then it serves as an effective hook. In this instance, though, what comes AFTER the dialogue has to be even more spectacular than the dialogue you're starting with, and this is why most new writers are simply told, "Don't do it."
2) Too much description or an "info dump" will lose the reader's interest. Usually, yes, this is true. How do you pull it off? That's simple (not really). Keep the tension high within the exposition. Yeah ... um ... that's one of the most difficult things to do, especially if you don't even know what I mean by "tension." However, it CAN be done. One of my favorite novels of all time has a five page info dump about the history of certain planets right smack dab in the middle of a scene. Did it pull me away? Did I forget what was going on because I was thrust into a history lesson? Did I STOP reading? No, no, and NO. But again, this is not something that most new writers can effectively carry out, so they are simply told, "Don't do it."
3) A sentence should not be so long that it takes up an entire paragraph on its own. Okay, I can't help but laugh when I think about this one, because I see it in published novels ALL THE TIME. Why are new writers told this? Because most new writers have no clue about proper grammar and/or punctuation. NO CLUE. The number one question I see regarding this is: HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO USE A SEMICOLON? And rather than teach them how to structure a sentence correctly, I guess it's easier to simply say, "Don't do it."
4) Start with action. This kind of goes along with number two. More appropriate would be to say, start with TENSION, and then keep the tension going. When new writers see, start with ACTION, they think every novel has to start with physical combat of some sort. Not the case. In fact, most novels don't. However, I guarantee you, every one of them creates tension from the very first paragraph.
Here is an example: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. (Click HERE to read the first few pages on Amazon) No, not his debut novel, but let's get it out of our heads that just because an author has had previous success, that means they can do whatever they want. Each novel an author writes must be stellar or they will lose readers and, eventually, their success will fizzle out.
The first few pages of The Road consist of large blocks of text, minimal physical action, almost zero dialogue, proportionately more TELLING than SHOWING (that is a can of worms too large to get into in this post), and yet ... I read through those pages quickly. The tension is high. It is compelling. I find myself concerned for a character and I don't even know his name.
And if you think my opinion is worth diddly squat (which it may be), then I'll take this opportunity to mention that The Road won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the James Tait Memorial Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, was named the best book of the last 25 years by Entertainment Weekly, was an Oprah's Book Club pick, and the best-selling trade paperback novel in the year of its reprint.* Nothing to sneeze at.
Don't get me wrong, there are some definite rules out there that must be followed, but many that are being presented as rules are, in fact, merely suggestions that have been generalized. The best advice you can get from anyone is individualized to your specific work.
So go ahead and break the "rules" as long as you stick to this: Keep readers reading.
~Lydia
JOE'S TAKE ON THIS TOPIC:
People use the, "once you're a professional" line to prove a few different viewpoints, often conflicting. The most common purposes are new writers that don't feel like fixing their grammar and people that like to look down on others because they don't write in the boring vanilla flavor that they feel should be used.
Here's the deal. Professional writers do not get published and then start slopping ink onto a page with a paint roller and send it off to the publisher from there on out. Unless it's about vampires.
Do editors miss things that the writers themselves missed? Yes. Grammatical errors? Yes. Do some, sadly, phone in their next novel? Yes. Are there exceptions to any norm? Yes. And yes, yes, yes, and yes, blah blah, blllllllah. Always exceptions.
You need to learn how to be both a writer and reader. If you are using it as an excuse not to correct actual mistakes, then shaddup and brush up on yer technique. Baseball players don't fight through the minors just for the privilege of striking out whenever they feel like it in the majors. Not how it works.
On the other hand, if you're just trying to stifle someone else's style, then you're also wrong. Especially in my main genres, military sci-fi and nonfiction, there are a plethora of unique styles. John Ringo quickly rose into the top echelon of sci-fi writers in the last decade and he uses all kinds of technique that are not standard fare. The dude will occasionally use narrative interjectives in the middle of dialogue--instead of tags! Not right! Not right, I say!!!
As long as it is not grammatically incorrect, is it wrong? No. But then again, I'm not a professional. Curse that whole common sense thing.
---
* Stats for The Road taken from The Fire In Fiction by Donald Maass, p. 18 (Writer's Digest Books, 2009)
Monday, January 4, 2010
What Will 2010 Mean For You?
Admittedly, I am taking the easy way out of posting today. It's already 11:30am and I still haven't posted yet? I'm usually the first to update, no later than 8am. That should tell you just how crazy things are for me today. I apologize ahead of time to all the blogs that I will not comment on or maybe not even read. It's looking like that kind of day.
Anyway, here's my food for thought (completely unoriginal, I know): What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010? What is the one thing you MUST accomplish this year?
For me, that is a no-brainer. I am going to acquire an agent for at least one of my novels before the end of this year. There are other smaller goals I must achieve before that can happen, so this is not by any means a simplistic goal. And ideally, I'd like to have two novels represented and ready to shop before 2011, and another one in progress, but I'd also like to set the bar at a realistically reachable level.
So please share. What will 2010 mean for you?
~Lydia
Anyway, here's my food for thought (completely unoriginal, I know): What is your number one writing-related goal for 2010? What is the one thing you MUST accomplish this year?
For me, that is a no-brainer. I am going to acquire an agent for at least one of my novels before the end of this year. There are other smaller goals I must achieve before that can happen, so this is not by any means a simplistic goal. And ideally, I'd like to have two novels represented and ready to shop before 2011, and another one in progress, but I'd also like to set the bar at a realistically reachable level.
So please share. What will 2010 mean for you?
~Lydia
Friday, January 1, 2010
Are You Ready?
It's officially January now. If you have a novel to pitch in 2010, are you ready to query? Most agents are ending their holiday hiatus on Monday the 4th.
First and foremost, please make sure that you are checking websites for updates. If there is more than one agent at a given agency, check each individual agent's page on the site. It takes all of thirty seconds to double-check and affirm when they will be accepting queries again, and can save both of you a major headache.
Janet Reid is one of the few professionals still updating her blog through this silent period, and thank her blessed sharky goodness. Some of her posts in the past week have been pure gold.
This one lists 15 things you need to know/do after finishing your ms and before querying an agent. The one that stood out to me the most was number 8, the synopsis. It is a necessary frustration. If you think writing a query letter is difficult, then I don't think you've ever tried to fit 300+ pages of story into 3. That is every major part of your novel from beginning to end. Not easy.
Why is it so important to have a synopsis written before you query? For one thing, many agents require a synopsis (anywhere from 1-3 pages) with a query letter, and sometimes also sample pages, right off the bat. I've seen it pointed out that if you can't write a synopsis of your ms then the problem could be with the story itself. Better to find and fix flaws (major or minor) before you start collecting rejections rather than after. It could be the difference between a form rejection, a request for revision, or a request for a partial or full.
And I think I might add an addendum to Janet's number 10 (know what a query letter is and what it is not): know the difference between a query letter and a synopsis. In addition to that, know the difference between a jacket blurb and a query letter and a synopsis. Although an effective query pitch will read like a good jacket blurb, so to speak, they are all three different things, and I often see writers use the terms interchangeably.
Do your homework.
Janet also mentioned here that, unless the agent specifically states they are currently not accepting queries, there is no good or bad time to query. Send the letter when you're ready.
And finally, I love when agents post their stats for the previous year. This can seem discouraging, but essentially it tells you that this is an agent who knows what they're doing. When an agent can say no to a project that they liked but don't think they can sell, that's being professional and realistic. These stats also open your eyes to just how much competition you're up against, and just how good (more like, mind-blowing) you have to be to get an agent's attention.
Janet's 2009 stats here
Kristin's 2009 stats here
Jennifer posts query stats almost weekly, click here
If anyone has additional helpful links regarding agents and querying, please post them in the comments. Thanks!
~Lydia
Addendum: If you need help writing a query letter, click HERE. I have yet to find anything better than Janet's advice at Query Shark.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)