A Few Statistics

A while back, I mentioned that the SF/F forum on the Writer’s Digest website was having a bit of a contest, and, since the authors were kept anonymous until the end, I was going to try to determine who wrote what.  The point of this was to determine if I could indentify writers on the basis of their literary voice.  Well, I have some results!

There were eight stories entered into the contest, including my own, so taking out my entry, n=7

From my guesses, I ended up having an overall 42% accuracy or 3 correct out of 7.

While this is a result, of sorts, it is a bit misleading.  After reading the entries, and seeing the results, I realized that I had only read the work of 4 out of the 7 authors, so the other 3 I could not judge based on the strength of their voice, seeing as I was unfamiliar with their voices.  From the 3 I identified correctly, 2 of those were people whose work I had read before and could honestly say was on the basis of voice.  The author of the third story was actually pretty clear, not by voice, but by spelling.  He used British-English spelling which immediately identified him as an English speaker outside the U.S., and since only one of those entered the contest, it was easy to pick out.  I should also note, I had not read any of his writing before so I could not have picked him out on voice alone anyways.

So, to summarize, I was only able to identify 2 of the 4, based on style, of whose writing I had read.

Now it’s time for something else that’s pretty interesting.  I’m always fascinated by contests, and seeing how people take a topic and completely make it their own.  How, with one topic, in this case mythical creatures, a dozen very different stories pop up.  I always wonder, why people make the choices they do, what draws them one way or the other.  I mean I know how I got my story, but how did other’s get theirs?

So, when I read, I start taking notice of trends or key parts of stories and seeing what is common, what’s not, what people like and what people don’t.

For this contest I looked at a couple of things and only displayed the things that showed any sort of interesting result.

Hair color was one of those.  Hair color is one of those parts of the appearance I know I’m always drawn to because its obvious and can be seen from a distance and immediately help to describe and identify a character.  Here were the results from the forum contest:

Interesting, isn’t it?  Every female had a hair color but only 28% of the male characters had their hair color mentioned.  Why was this?  I’ve been trying to puzzle it out.  Is it because we, as readers and writers, find that it’s more important to know what the female looks like?    Or maybe, my second guess, was that the point of view was male and so, in a short story, the characters are more likely to take time to see/describe the female counterpart.

Only one problem.

It was pretty equal. So we’re left again with the question: why less love to the men?  It didn’t really seem to be a problem as I read.  I didn’t feel like I was left out  or I couldn't identify the male characters but it is very odd that the hair color of so many men went unstated.  Perhaps we as humans find other things more interesting, or more identifiable in our male characters?

The other thing I looked at that had any sort of interesting result was type of creature: Humanoid v. Beast. 

 Why, again, did so many people chose (or create) humanoid creatures.  Was it easier to relate to? 

I think it’s interesting to look for trends like this in literature, especially in places that are easy to compare, like contests, where everyone has to have a unifying theme but still have to make key choices about their story.  Results like this can be telling.  They can tell what people like to write and maybe like to read, or even some insights on the human condition.  More importantly though, you can also see what is not being written.  And when you know what’s not being written then you know what gaps you can fill and how to make yourself more creative.

Power of Names

“…there is a difference in the name spoken of, and a name given at last by the bearer.”  ~The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

I’m such a stickler with names.  A good name can really make my day in a book, and even make me keep reading.  A bad name will sometimes make me stop reading.  Why?  Because a name has a profound influence on how you, as the reader, view a character.  I’m not just saying this from personal experience; it’s science.  No, really.

I think all good writers realize this and really take time in picking out names.  But what I find interesting is that the authors understanding of the power of names doesn’t just stay with picking out the correct name for a character, but can go beyond to plot and magic.

For example, in Patricia McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, creatures names are used to call them and bind them to a particular person. 

“If I could put a name to him, I could fight him, perhaps.  I have looked everywhere for a name to put to him; I have surprised wizards beyond Eldwold with the whisper of my voice in their minds, and their own fear and wonder have told me they do not know me.  So now—I do not know what to do.  He has taken Ter Falcon; I sent Ter to look for him, and he stole Ter’s name from me, and I could not hold Ter against his power.”

In P.C. Hodgell’s  Bound in Blood Torisen must remember the names of the dead, whose faces decorate the death banner in his keep Gothregar. 

“But these too were of his house.  Never mind that all ahd died long before he had been born and might almost be said to have lived in a different world, before the long years of chaos following Ganth Gray Lord’s fall.  Twice since he had become Highlord of the Kencyrath and, incidentally, Lord Knorth, Torisen had recited their names on Autumn’s eve to keep their memory alive within their house.  True, he had had help from senior Kendar like Harn Grip-hard, contemporaries of his father, Ganth, and from his former mentor, Adric, Lord Ardeth.  Even so, there had been gaps, fading features to whom no one alive could put a name and others blurred beyond recognition.  Weeping stone and silent centuries had not been kind to warp and weft, especially when they were no longer bound to a name.”

Both of those instances reflect power, true raw power, tied to the idea of an identity, to a name.   In Colors in the Dreamweavers Loom, a shapeshifter doesn’t tell anyone her true name lest the person get power over them.  Even in our own mythos, this idea of owning a name means owning a person. 

Why is it that names are so fascinatingly tied to our identity as a person?  It’s just a word isn’t it?  But yet it must mean so much more to be reflected with so much power in the literature.  Perhaps its not the idea of a name, but the idea of an identity and identity means existence.  Not necessarily life per se, but existence.

It’s an interesting form of connection and one that can really be explored fully and uniquely in SF/F.  Such a connection can turn to slavery as in Ymez in Colors, or a way of service, existence, death, life as in Bound, or a servatitude that can also bring fondness as in Forgotten.  It can also bring life to inanimates, like swords, like in Sword-dancer.

Either way, it’s a fascinating form of magic and one that brings texture and fascination to a story because a name is something and a connection all readers can understand.

Fantasy Not Romance

I absolutely hate it when people write a story and call it fantasy when it is clearly not.  I know.  It sounds petty but I’m very picky with my fantasy.  I love the genre and I don’t like it when people take a romance, set it in a fantasy world and call it a fantasy.  No, I’m sorry, it’s not.  It’s a romance.  It’s a romance propped up with a weak, often over done, skeletal attempt at a plot that really is playing second fiddle to the budding romantic relationship of two characters.  To me it does nothing but cheapen the genre.

Like this suit probably cheapens everything it touches

I’m not saying romance doesn’t exist within the fantasy genre.  Quite the opposite.  Romance is usually, if not always, an element.  I can’t think of a fantasy where there isn’t some sort of romance, but most true fantasy books have romance as simply a part of the story. It is merely an element, albeit one that usually adds positively to the work and spices it up.  Romance is not the main plot.  Again, if they were, they would not be called fantasies, they would be called romances.  Or even romantic fantasies.

For example, in Shadowrise the most prominent, and as I’ve said before, cutest romance/relationship is between Briony Eddon and Ferris Vanson.  Although this romance is well done, adds spice to the book, adds a good amount of tension especially as the reader waits for the two to meet again, it does not over shadow the true plot.  Rather it is a natural side effect of two characters living their lives and is not the focus of 95% of the book.  More like 2%.

With romances that masquerade as fantasy, characters are developed in the direction of each other romantically, i.e. they are developed to make a better romantic partner and self-changes purely feed into the romance.  Additionally, the romance takes center stage and the plot is secondary, so the climax and the conclusion are more hinged around the romance, have a greater effect on the romance, make the reader care the most about the romance then around the actually plot or point of the story.

While you could argue Sword-Dancer is strongly based around a romance, there is a distinct and subtle difference.  Sword-Dancer is an adventure and, while character driven, the drive isn’t a romantic one.  It is based around character development of the individual and developing into a companionship friendship first.  The distinction is a subtle one yet resounding.  Winter Rose also has a strong romance, but while romance is a huge element, it is an element that doesn't over shadow the main plot, but rather forms a very strong support for it.  Again, not the focus, not the spotlight, and isn't the most important thing or necessarily the thing that moves the plot.

Now, the thing is, I have nothing against romantic fantasy.  As long as it is labeled as such.  If you call something romantic fantasy, that’s different, because the writer is acknowledging something for what it is, rather than trying to sneak it in under the mask of a pure fantasy.  A very simple thing, this difference in labeling and intent but to me, it makes all the difference.  It is the deception that us, as readers, hate the most.  It’s especially important when you market something as ‘fantasy’ and a reader picks it up, expecting fantasy, because they will be ready for, and making their opinion of it based on the idea they are getting a fantasy.  Not a romantic fantasy.  So in a way you screw yourself by mislabeling, or misrepresenting, what you are actually trying to write, and it can have lasting impacts.

Like Luna publishing.  I steer away from Luna publishing because its romance with strong fantasy elements.  Often not really well done and I consider lots of their stuff sort of trashy.  And I'm not the only one.

I’ve grown up around hard core SF/F readers and worked for almost five years in a bookstore, and what I heard from friends, customers, and even through my own reading, is pretty much Luna is pretty much romance, often trashy romance.  Some readers will see a Luna published book in the SF/F section and avoid it like the plague, no matter who the author or what the title.  On the opposite side, some will purchase it just for the fact that they know it will be romance, often trashy.  Now this could be good or bad, depending on the audience you’re aiming for.  But I can tell you this, I highly doubt you will be taken as a serious fantasy writer if you write something that is primarily a romance and call it fantasy, and not a romantic fantasy.  Like I said before, its misleading and you’ll do yourself more harm than good.


And then you'll have to hide in shame like this man:

Liz Penn Guest Post: Brodhi, Cheysuli, and Punji—Oh My!

As writers, we all have other authors who we love, enjoy, and swoon over and, often times, these authors can even influence our own work.  Either way, they hold a special place in our hearts. With that in mind, I want to thank my lovely guest blogger for today, Liz Penn.   As you know, I’ve been working my way through the Sword-Dancer series by Jennifer Roberson, and it was Liz who first said to me, “Hey, you should try Jennifer Roberson.”  Good advice.  Jennifer Roberson is one of Liz’s favorites, one of those authors that holds that special place, so  I can’t think of anyone else better to write a Jennifer Roberson blog post.

So without further ado, Ms Liz Penn!

 

~*~

My thanks to Jenny of Seedlings for the opportunity to write this guest post today. And about one of my favorite fantasy authors, no less. Sweet. If you've been reading along with Jenny's book reviews, you've likely heard of me and my love for Jennifer Roberson's writing style. As a picky, picky readers--especially where fantasy is concerned, my genre specialty--she quietly impressed me with Sword-Dancer, and I have been a fan ever since.

What is interesting is, after reading the first three of the series in Sword-Dancer, someone suggested I take a nibble at a book called Shapechangers with something called Cheysuli, since my fantasy creation "loquiri" hold some similarity to them. (and to the King's Blades of Dave Duncan, but that's another blog post) What a surprise then, to find that Roberson wrote that series too. I was ecstatic.

There are many things that Roberson does right in her writing voice and style. For now, I'm going to focus in on what I think are her strengths. Characters in all of their sundry forms and interactions, and world realism.

Jennifer Roberson's characters stand out. In what I have read of hers, there are no cliche characters. And even the ones that seem to be performing "as expected" will often surprise you. Tiger is the hot-shot, male chauvinist, hot-tempered macho. But as the story of Sword-Dancer and the rest continues, you find that he's not what he appears to be at all. There's a depth to him. That "surprise" of digging out the mystery and true personality of a character is absolutely wondrous.

Or take Brodhi and Rhuan from Karavans.  So vastly different in personality and attributes, yet each has good and bad qualities that are brought to the surface, and each quickly become something of an interest and a puzzle. With these characters, the dialogue is very good, with hidden tension in some of the words, or feelings carefully veiled, or even the barbed, double entendres of Tiger and Del's arguments.

For this reader, the characters drive the story, and make it far more intriguing and enjoyable to read. By the time the book reaches its climax, I relate so strongly to her characters that I'm utterly terrified for them, or...perhaps feel saddened by the choices they've been forced to make. (Or wish to picket the author's door until she writes the next book. Like say...book 3 of the Karavan series.)

Her other strength is on world realism. If you read Sword-Dancer and its books, the desert world there, the northern world, and the sea world are each unique, with the people there dressing differently, acting differently, sometimes even speaking in an odd way. There is a great diversity, but in a logical sense. I have read some fantasy in which the wild and crazy things made little sense in the culture. Which frankly, is not very accurate.

Culture drives tradition. When a culture changes, so do most traditions. Sometimes the change is immediate and clear, sometimes it's slow and gradual. But it does. Therefore, the traditions and clothing and etc. will match the culture.

Brief commercial break there, but that is one thing that stands out to me. No matter if it's Karavans, Cheysuli Chronicles, or Sword-Dancer, each culture and tradition is different and unique. This makes discovering the world as I read nearly as much fun as discovering the characters. And, there are built-in "restrictions" to things that are in her worlds.

Case in point: The Shoia of Karavans, and the "demons" are alike restricted in what they can and cannot do, and how often. Cheysuli shape-shifting, or Northern sword-singing (from Sword-Dancer) also have limits in how they work and why and what can be accomplished. No "magic" that saves the day in an inexplicable manner. That too, is very refreshing compared to some other fantasy stories.

The following is a link to a short story that is a "prequel" to the Karavan series. Check it out and see if you like her style.

"Ending, and Beginning" 

~*~

Thanks Liz!  You can check out Liz’s book reviews, thoughts on writing, and, if you’re lucky, snippets of her own (absorbing and delicious) stories at her blog: The Wandering-Quill.

Good Writing is for More than Books

You know what I hate?  Movies that rely on action and special effects so much they forget about all the things essential to a good story.  You know, things like, oh plots, and characters.  Especially characters.  Not like any movies like that have come out recently…

Even from the trailer I’m pretty sure ‘Clash of the Titans’ is going to be a snooze fest.  Could you give me a brief run down of the plot from the trailer alone?  Not really.  Can you tell me who those people are?  Not really.  All I see are a bunch of CGI monsters running around and smashing things.  That’s not called a story.  That’s called property destruction.

A good movie, just like a book, is a story and needs good story elements and good writing.  One of my favorite movies, The Lives of Others (Das Leben Der Anderan), is a fantastic example of a movie with great writing and one that is a great story.

You can get a feeling of what this movie is about from the trailer, and let me tell you it doesn’t disappoint.  The characters are three dimensional, moving, and a lot of the movie is about character growth.  In fact, it digs deep and addresses the things that make a character change.

Plus, the movie is full of wonderful juicy lines that help create tension, break tension and just make you swoon.  In fact, the last line of the movie is one of my favorite lines of all time.  It’s a line of 4 words, and yet those 4 words have a double meaning to them that only the audience and the character know about and, honestly, it brings me to tears a little bit.  Not sad tears but ‘that’s so amazing,’ tears.  That’s a good use of words in a movie.  This is a movie that doesn’t need fancy CGI, or a ton of ridiculous action sequences, to hit the audience with a brick.  It just relys on the essentials of good storytelling and a wonderful use of words, and that’s what makes it fantastic.

Damn straight

And as a side note, one of the main characters is a writer in East Germany.  Clearly a must see for writers.  Clearly.  Not because I love it and recommend it *shifty eyes*

An Ode to the Kencyrath

"No," said Ardeth gently.  "The other lords simply don't understand.  If you asked any of them if they were Shanir, they would thunder back, 'No!'  And as far as they know, they'd be telling the truth.  Ignorance goes a long way toward protecting honor. "

As I’m working my way through the pure awesome that is Bound in Blood I realized it was high time to talk about one of the most interesting, and one of my favorite, fantasy races: the Kencyrath.  They’re found in P.C. Hodgell’s Kencyrath cycle/series, that includes Godstalk, Dark of the Gods, Seekers Mask, To Ride a Rathorn, and now Bound in Blood.

First off, I have to say that P.C. Hodgell really and truly belongs up there with established well known authors.  The only reason she isn’t well known is because she’s spent a long time working on degrees (hmm can’t relate to that at all *shifty eyes*), so it’s taken a while for her books to come out…like over a 30 year span.  I remember in high school, when I heard Seeker’s Mask was coming out after a hugely long wait and I almost had a heart attack from sheer joy.  Anyways, what I want to say is that just because she isn’t well known doesn’t mean she isn’t any good and everyone who has discovered her and read her stuff has, if not become huge fans, then at least recognize her pure WIN.

There are two reasons for this: two awesome characters and the race to which this post is dedicated.

The characters, which I can discuss more when I rave about Bound in Blood, and one of which I’ve already talked about, are Jamethial and Torisen Knorth.  Jame is the strongest female character I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and Torisen is very hard not to develop a readers crush on.  They’re great, they’re relateable, they’re flawed, which all equals a lot of amazing.

But these characters wouldn’t quite be so amazing if they were not Kencyr: a race of people where honor is so sacred that lying means death, a people who believe their own cruel three-faced God has left them, and where three different sub-races fulfill three different roles that are relative mysteries each other.  Where powers runs through Shanir blood, powers that once rushed through all Highborns in a way that is now forgotten. 

So what makes the Kencyr different from normal races?  Well, they hate their god for starters.

The three-faced God of Kencyrath : Torrigon (that which creates),  Argenthiel (that which preserves), and Regonereth (that which destroys). The God is said to be a cruel one and when the Tyr-ridden arrives—the concentration of each aspect in three different Kencyr—the final battle with their enemy is supposed to take place.

Savior from whom?  Perimal Darkling.  A sort of shadow that is eating its way up the chain of creation from world to world.  On each world the Kencyr have tried to fight it and lost.  Now, they are on Rathillion, the last world, where they must face it in the final battle with the help of the Tyr-Ridden…if they ever show up.  The Kencyr are proud that they are this chosen savior, but bitter, oh so very bitter that they have been waiting for so long.  And what makes them even more bitter is that one of their own Highlords offered himself in service to Perimal Darkling in exchange for immortality, betraying his own people.  Ouch.

So, what else makes them interesting and cool?

Well, for starters, honor is extremely important.  The charge of lying can lead to death by the White Knife. The White Knife is a suicide knife and is considered an honorable death. Most White Knives are a model of what most Kencyr believes is legend, but something Jame managed to retrieve by walking into her own soul image and thus beyond the borders of Perimal Darkling to retrieve and bring back.

Also Some Kencyr, can bloodbind, others have links with animals, soul-walk, and more, but that’s only if they have Shanir blood.  Shanir blood is considered old blood, a mark of the God that they hate, and so they tend to hate it and fear it (hence one of the reasons for the quote at the beginning).  Especially as odd things seem to happen around Shanir. 

Kendar, the servant class of kencyr, have their own secret rituals and must be bonded to a house otherwise they feel like they have a gaping hole in them, as if something is missing.  Some even go as far as killing themselves to prevent their lords from forgetting their names.

Kencyr also heal super fast.  If killed, all the body must be burned or risk the soul being trapped in a half-state.

Oh, and the third set of peoples in Kencyr are a group of giant, almost immortal cats who serve as judges.

As the books go on and more of their history and talents unravel they get more and more interesting  (like walking into other peoples soul images and being ble to see the past in them!) and I am more fascinated with them than almost any other fantasy race.  They’re probably one of my favorites if not my absolute favorite.

So I ask you, what’s your favorite fantasy race?

Identity Crisis

You’ll notice that Son of Avonar is no longer located on the left side bar under currently reading.  That’s because it is here:

On my bedroom floor. 

Where I threw it.

 Because it was that annoying and frustrating.  No, I didn’t throw it against the wall Liz style, but I certainly made a growling noise and tossed it from my bed.  I’m not going to finish it, it was that frustrating.

Carol Berg has written some great books.  I loved Song of the Beast, and her Flesh and Spirit/Breath and Bone weren’t bad so this was incredibly shocking to me.

The book was two stories in one.  The first follows Seri, a Leiran noblewoman who is living in exile when a mysterious stranger shows up, who can’t speak and has crazy warrior/sorcery skills.  And what’s worse, the antagonists are looking for him.

The second story is told purely in flashback form of Seri’s life.

See?  Didn't you want to know more about that first storyline before I broke in with the second?

Oh but it gets worse.

While learning about the MCs life can be interesting…its not interesting when the author basically tells you the climax/ending of her life and how she got where she was in the first flashback.  Goodbye tension.  Goodbye mystery.  Goodbye everything that would normally keep me reading.

Since we know what happens in Seri’s life just from the first flashback, learning about her life suddenly becomes boring and pointless and serves only to interrupt the actual interesting story line.  The good thing about flashbacks is that usually they intrude now and then when related to a piece of drama.  Usually their not super annoying.

Right?

Right?

Nope!  Not in this ‘gem.’

Flashbacks are all about imbalance, otherwise you end up trying to have two books in one and, well, create a literary FAIL.

That’s what that happened in Son of Avonar and it was painful.  Very very painful.  The book is about 50% of these flashbacks you don’t care about and 50% actual story line that has promise, but since the stories are disconnected in feel and tension, its almost like having two books in one  and it rips the story apart.

Not helping is the whiney, ‘aren’t I wonderful with everything I’ve done even with all the evils done to me and look how I have survived’ narrator and MC.  That just pushes the book over the brink of unbearable and into the abyss of ugh.

Why Carol Berg, why?!  You’re a good writer, why this?!

And what makes it sad is the book, story, and world has so much potential.

Would I recommend it:  Yes, to prop up furniture.  Otherwise no, especially if you’re familiar with the author’s work.  It will only make you cry.