On Group Writing--Horror Stories

A few days ago, I talked about the benefits of working with a good group when it came to group writing.  The problem is, you don’t always get stuck with a good group.

Since I first started group writing, I’ve been stuck writing with a variety of people, many of which have just made me want to pull my hair out.  The thing is, when you’re stuck with these people, you can either make yourself bald with frustration or see it as a writing challenge.

I’m a fan of the challenge.  So let me tell you the first of my horror stories and the lesson that came with it.

The Story of Sand:

The lesson: Forcing you to think creatively and outside the box.

Five years ago or so (at least) I joined group who was starting up a typical fantasy round robin tale.  The basic theme/plot was that the world was in trouble by some big evil enemy and a band of adventurers had to pull together to save.

So, in other words, basic formula, not hard to explain.

I joined and created my character.  Even today I have to admit I was quite proud of him.  His name was Sand and he had been one of the greatest generals some country (can’t remember the name now) had ever known.  The military and his men were his life.  He was very devoted to his troops, and so, when he made a tactical error based on his own pride and got a bunch of them killed, he took it pretty hard.  He quit his position, disappeared and became an alcoholic.  So, when the other characters in the story met him at a lonely inn, he wasn’t the most friendly of people.  He wasn’t exactly evil, he still retained his sense of honor, he just was filled with anger at himself.  It made for a very fun and interesting character to write.

Now, here’s the thing.  It’s pretty obvious that Sand’s devotion to his men and their deaths was what really molded his character.  Right?  I mean {i}I{/i} thought it was pretty obvious. Especially since I spelled it out as part of his character sketch and made it clear through the actual writing.

The problem was another writer joined the group a couple entries in.  To this day I don’t know if she completely ignored what I had written about my character, or if she had read it and decided that she liked her way better, or if there was some other reason that I’m unaware of.

All I knew was that after her first couple entries, I wanted to beat her with a stick.

She decided that her character and Sand had had a relationship in the past. Not only that but it was her breakup with him that led to his alcoholism.  And now, that she was back in the picture, he was obsessed with her.

W...T…F

This was complete news to me!

Not only had she not even asked if we could have this relationship nonsense going between our characters, but she completely ignored everything that made Sand, Sand, simply so she could indulge herself in her own little fantasy.

What makes it even worse is I’m very picky with my romance, and something this contrived and moronic made me seethe with anger.

At the very first, though, I couldn’t believe it.  I couldn’t believe anyone would be this idiotic and self absorbed.  I just tried to ignore her. Ignore everything that happened in her entries.  Which got to be a bit hilarious because she seemed to ignore everything I made my character do in mine.   Finally, I knew I couldn’t ignore her any longer when she had my poor Sand chasing her character through the forest (I’m shaking my head even now).

I had three options: cave, yell at her via email, or write my self out of it.

I chose the third option.  I’m a writer, this was a challenge.  Not only did I have to address the nonsense she made my character do throughout her entries, but I also had to stay true to who Sand was.  Which were two completely opposite things.

Like I said.  It was a challenge.  But I considered it and stepped up to the plate.

How did I fix it?

I made my character have a doppelganger.

If she was so insistent on making my character completely different, then fine, I made a second one just for her.  It was beautiful.  In her entries she tried to get out of it and pretend it was the real Sand she had had the relationship with.  Bahaha, no dice.  There was no way she could work it so that she was not dealing with a doppelganger.  Especially as I began enforcing the idea in my entry.  Like I said, it was beautiful to watch her squirm.

I know, I should have emailed her in the beginning and told her to leave my character alone.  That would have been the mature thing to do.  But then I wouldn’t’ have been able to stretch myself and I honestly don’t think it would have done any good.

Additionally, the leader of the group should have put a stop to it as well, since it was very clear what was going on. However, I don’t really know what was going on with the group leader.  By the time I created the doppelganger, the story was on its last legs as it was, the leader wasn’t controlling the situation or leading the story so I doubted that he/she would have been able to handle the situation.

So, doppelganger was created.

After a few entries with the doppelganger, I finally (!) hear something from the group leader ….but only to tell me how she loved my doppelganger idea

*headsmack*

On Group Writing pt 1

I have to admit it. I am addicted to co-writing, or group writing or whatever you want to call it.

I know.  Just the very thought of trying to write a story with others makes people leery, or cringe, or even go “Gross! Ew! No!”  But let me tell you something.  The process and the benefits are well worthwhile.

1.       Pool of Knowledge:

When writing alone, you pull from a lot of experiences and your own inspiration to mold your characters and your world.  Think of all the memories, knowledge, and experiences you use.  Now multiply that by two, or three, or even four.

It’s kinda amazing.

I’ve currently been writing with the same group of people for over 3 years now.  We live in three distinctly different geographical locations, we studied different things in college, and we’ve been to different places.  As a result we’re able to pool together our resources and knowledge to give realistic settings.

For example, our writings take place mainly in the desert.  One of the writers actually lives in a desert and can give good direction in terms of weather, temperature, flora, fauna, etc., in a way you just can’t get from a book.  I’ve spent time in a desert doing research and camping, so that brings another aspect of survival skills to the same setting.  Our third writer, whose world this is all together, came up with the setting to begin with and started the base culture, with all the little quirks, from her own imagination, to wrap it all up in a nice little creative package.

2.       Brainstorming

When you have a group of writers that respect each others’ abilities, and leave their egos at the door, brainstorming can a beautiful process.

Say writer 1 has an idea.  It can be either a well thought out intricate idea, but usually its more of a “So I was thinking,’ or ‘what do you guys think…’ and throws it out to the other members of the group.

Writer 2/3 will either do one of two things:

1.        They  will latch on to it, tweak somethings, or add some things to it.  Then the next writer will add their two cents, and so on.  In the end, what you have, is a concept that is usually a joint idea that grew organically between all three writers

2.       One of the writers will reject it, but it might niggle something loose in their minds.  Instead of being ‘no that’s a terrible idea!’ it might be something more along the lines of.  “That might not work due to a) b) and c), but it gives me an idea!  And so the process starts again.

In lines with brainstorming, having more than one writer can allow for all sorts of different ideas and inspirations.  If you’re stuck in a corner, another writer might have a unique and creative way to get out of it that you yourself would never have thought of.

It adds a little zest to your writing life.

Not this kind

3.       Characters

When group writing, your character is usually your own.  You’ve conceptualized him/her, determined their history, looks, personality.  You know your character.

Or so you think.

I am always amazed how my fellow writers, with a fresh set of eyes, can pick out things about my character’s personality I didn’t see.  

Sometimes, we, as writers, can be so absorbed and attached to our characters, we sometimes miss the obvious.  They’re usually little things that you just didn’t think of.  But your fellow writers didn't miss them.  They’re analyzing your character, trying to get to know him/her from an outside perspective and so they tend to pick up on things that you sometimes miss.

As a result your character can become more three dimensional

Now I have to admit, I’m lucky.  I write with a good group.  We’ve written thousands of pages together by this point, and heck, maybe at some point in the future we’ll try to write for publication.  But let me repeat: I am lucky.

I have not always been so lucky, and if you try co or group writing, you may not be so lucky either.  However, even with bad luck you can grow and take something away from it as a writer.  Which, of course, will be the subject of my next post on this in a couple days.  Get ready to hear some horror stories.

Character and Setting

Lydia Sharp over at the Sharp Angle has been doing some great posts recently on character creation, which niggled something loose in my mind.  I’m always fascinated to see how different writers think, about how they come up with their ideas, what drives them to make the choices they do when it comes to plot, setting, and character.  Another very interesting way is how they choose to start a story.  Brad had a very excellent post at Second Star to the Right about where his main work in progress came from.  With these two posts in mind, I started thinking.

What about me?  Where do mine come from?  I realized that most of my stories started in one of two places: Character and Setting.

Lydia spoke how some writers are pantsers, others plotters, or even in between the two and how as you write you get to know your character better.  This is very true.  I’m not a plotter myself, I guess I’m a “pantser” but I usually start out with a character in mind, a person in mind, that I have to know and following the character, the plot usually grows from it.

But a plot can’t grow from a character alone.  Setting has to play a role.  And a big one.

Characters don’t exist separately of their setting.  They interact with it in time and in space.

Since the moment your character was “born,” they existed in some sort of culture or society that effected their mindset and beliefs.  It also affected their appearance and how they view and deal with others.

For example, Sandtiger in the Sworddancer series, grew up in the desert and as a result views women as his culture does: their place is in the home to please men and raise babies.  This point becomes important for character and plot when he meets Del and woman from a different setting: the North.  In The Hobbit, the Dwarves and Bilbo travel through Mirkwood.  Mirkwood, besides being dark, dangerous, and magical also is the home of the wood elves, who really don’t like dwarves and vice versa, thus setting in motion a story arc.

In The Chronicles of Amber, setting plays an integral part on who the characters are.  After all Amber is the true world and all other worlds are just a shadow, aren’t they?  The Pattern, inscribed in the dungeons of the castle of Amber, gives the multiverse its order and gives Corwin back his memory and ability to travel through the worlds in Nine Princes in Amber.  Travelling from setting to setting is a hallmark of all the Princes and Princesses of Amber.

As a character’s life and story progresses, the setting influences how they grow and change.  Going back to Mirkwood, as the characters interact with their setting, they begin to get depressed and desperate.  Food is limited in Mirkwood which means they go hungry.  Bombur drinks from an enchanted stream which puts him to sleep and everyone else is forced to carry him.  The forest is dark and there are giant spiders.  All these things lead the characters to misery which eventually leads them to their insane crashing of the wood elves parties, which then leads to the growth of Bilbos character as he is forced to rescue his friends from another setting: the wood elves castle.

The city of Tai-Tastigon, so full of gods its practically bursting at the seams, leads Jame to investigate not only her theology of the Kencyr’s own Three Faced God, but what it means to be a kencyr in Godstalk. Faced with the changeable and somewhat dark city, Jame becomes a thief, yet an honorable one—walking a thin line for a kencyr that helps later to define her character.

For me and my untitled WIP, I started with a setting.  A city with clans of different classes and purposes wear animal masks and magic lurks in its very stones.  My characters then were molded as a result of this place with its magic and masks.  The Sparrow is the only person in the City unaffected by the Peacock’s magic and the City’s past is distinctly bound up with the Sparrow’s own mysterious heritage.  Roux, a member of the thought to be extinct Fox clan, searches for memories in the glass of the Second City.  His forays into places he should not be lead him to be seen by the Sparrow, a big no no.  Additionally, the culture war against his clan led to the death of his father by the Peacock when he was much younger.  This event served to mold his character and is one of his prominent drivers, which wouldn’t have occurred if the clans did not exist as they did and the culture of the City were different.

Setting, once the core character is created, is distinctly intertwined with your character.  It influences who they are, what they are, what they look like, what they think, and how they act.  While it’s not the sole influences factor,  it often plays and easily forgotten role.  Setting is important to your character.  Make them good.  Don’t skimp.

I Promised Myself I Wasn't Going To Do This

I promised myself I would write anything about ebooks.  The topic has been flogged to death on countless blogs so really anything I would have to say has probably been repeated tenfold.

But I can’t take it any longer.  I have to address this idiocy.

I think this idea that ebooks will replace print books completely has really no good basis and there isn’t much evidence to support it.  In fact, most of the ‘oh print books are going away’ criers are basing their evidence on the glamour and surge of ereaders but I see many of them ignoring this:

Left (y) axis represents number of ereader/ebooks readers, bottom (x) axis represents time

That is a exponential curve. The eReader is the perfect thing that will grow along it.  The people who actually want the eReader will buy it now, thus accounting for the rapid growth.  However, there are only a limited number of people who really want the damn thing (clearly I am not one of them), and the curve will flatten out once the majority of that number has made their purchase.

Contrary to the fearmongering that is occurring right now, print books aren’t going to die out--unless publishers themselves decide to ignore the fact people like print books and stop printing them.  They’re not going to die out because there are still lots of people who will buy print books.

Thinking of the people I know, here is the breakdown:

People who won’t buy eReaders:  60%

People who might buy eReaders, but continue to buy print books: 30%

People who will make the switch to purely eBooks:  10%

Now think of the people you know.  How many of those readers are actually going to stop buying physical books?

Look at the numbers.   People want books, and they will continue to buy them.  As I read through blogs and look at the physical numbers and understanding the simple fact that there is a LARGE section of society that does not want an eBook, Scientist Jenny sits and blinks bewilderedly about where people are getting the thought that books are going to die out.

Okay let’s look at some data:

Sales of ebooks jumped massively since 2009 by 100+ %

Hmmm I wonder why?  *glances up at exponential curve*  Is this growth sustainable?  No.  Why?  Again not everyone wants them, and once the people who do are done buying them, sales will level out and maybe even drop.

Looking at this from a scientific perspective, that’s only a year.  That’s only one year, or two numbers, to compare.  That’s statistically insignificant and so to make any sort of projections or predictions—especially these omgpaperbacksaregoingaway!!-- based soley on one years worth of data is pretty silly.

Sales figures are really the only kind of hard data we have.  I’ve heard some people figure ebook sales will grow and account for 50% of the market.

Huh?  WHERE IS THAT DATA COMING FROM?  Where is the survey showing data for how many perspective people plan on buying ebooks ? Where is the data saying how many people won’t be buying ebooks??  Where is the actual data?  I hear a lot of “oooh people are saying…” but see little physical proof.

Again, right now we’re looking at two numbers.

*glances again at exponential curve*

Yes, I know we’re also looking at growth but again growth from when?  It hasn’t been long since ebooks first appeared so of course there’s going to be growth!  Duh!

There are a few reasons that ebooks won’t take over and all forms of print books will go away (the very idea makes me laugh), but for me the number one reason is this: print books and ebooks are different.  Very very different.  Holding a book and turning its pages, being able to write in it, and just the physicality and the tactility of it is a very different experience from an ebook.  This is why you can’t compare books to music, and those who do aren’t thinking.  There was nothing really physical or tactile about how a person listens to music.  It’s music.  You listen to it.  There is nothing extremely different from how a person experiences music between CD and ipod.  There is a different experience between book and ebook.

And look again at public opinion.  Take a wander around the internet and take a look at the polls.  Print books still beat out ebooks.

The only thing that makes sense for me is publishers would switch over to ebooks for the sake of publishing costs--but again this assumes people are going to be buying ebooks.  I can see smaller publishers doing this, but…the big ones?  I honestly believe that’s a little bit of an overreaction when there are still many people willing to shell out the money for print.  Especially when it appears a large section of society isn't especially keen on ebooks.

You see?  So much of this is based on assumptions that we really and truly don't have enough data for yet.

My prediction:  They’re going to co-exist.  Which is all kinds of awesome.  Ebooks are great for certain sectors of society.  However, I think there’s a lot of predictions going around out there based on flimsy ideas that aren’t supported by data.

And it’s annoying.  Stop it.

Let me leave you with this thought.  When Swanson came out with frozen meals, they predicted people wouldn’t be  cooking again.  Here we are in 2010, and I made spaghetti from scratch last night.

A Place for Book Lovers

If you’re ever travelling on I-84 through Connecticut, there is a place you must go.  Take exit 74 off the main highway, out into the woody countryside.  Take a right off the ramp (if you’re coming from the Northbound side), and when you read the ‘T’ in the road, take a left onto state highway 171.  It’s a little country road, but not country enough not to have a double yellow line.  If you look closely at the ‘T’ intersection you can see the sign, small, with a little arrow, letters in a tight black script.

It’s not far up the road, and, when you come upon it, you can’t miss it:

Best restaurant ever!

Oh yes.

I know.   I can feel your excitement.  Whoever decided to put food and books in one place should be given a medal.

A really really nice medal.

The interior of Travelers is a bibliophiles dream.  Wooden floors, wooden walls, very New England-y feel, and lots and lots of book cases and book racks. 

A good shot of a lot of books are hidden by that stupid black thing.  Boo stupid black thing!

Three separate bookshelves greet you when you walk in the door.  Tables pressed against partitions have a book shelf just above a diner’s shoulders where they can grab, browse and peruse at leisure.  The books are all used or old—coming from library discount sales and flea markets-- and come in all shapes and sizes.  The food is delicious, their breakfasts to die for.

And the best part?

You take a book with you.

That’s right.  A free book comes with your meal.  When you’ve finished your food, it’s like a scavenger hunt, picking through the racks and shelves for the perfect treasure.  As you look, check out the walls where literary memorablila hangs.

If you can’t find a book among the mountains of free one, head downstairs, beneath the restaurant to the little shop that sells used books, more recent stuff, but for a good price.

When you leave, you’ll be satisfied.  This place isn’t a ritzed up theme restaurant, but rather a place that has grown from a man who wanted to thin out his own literary collection.  It has a sense of warmth, of books, and of New England. A sense of a hidden gem. If you ever get the chance to go to Traveler’s Restaurant and Books, make sure you go.  You won’t forget it.

RAR!

RAR!  Sometimes I really really wish I had a complete manuscript instead of my 10,000 or so words of  story.

What brings this on at a ridiculous hour of the morning?

Hokay, so, I'm back at school, and my school is located in a tourist town.  As a result a lot of 'stuff' comes here: shows, concerts, etc.  One thing we are also having here is a writers conference!  Right here in town that I just discovered through following some links online.

This would be such a fantastic resource--read would be. My manuscript is invisible for all intents and  purposes and thus a query letter is non existent.  Agents and editors will be at this conference, offering manuscript readings (first ten pages), pitch sessions, and feed back on query letters...the usual at gatherings like this.

Yes you have to pay for these things but a)its not an exorbitant amount and b) to me, that sort of feedback is worth the money.  I know you have to be careful with these things, surely, but I would gladly spend my money on something as valuable as those opinions and the small bit of exposure. *sigh*

There are some interesting sessions too, which would be cool...but honestly, I'm not about to part with 200$ to pay for a 'conference package': a bunch of additional junk I don't need/care about/can find out just as easily online.  That would just be very silly of me.

Frustration

I submitted my entry to the Writer’s Digest SF/F forum flash fiction contest just now.  I’m not too happy with it.  I mean, it’s fine as far as writing goes. On its own, it’s okay, but I know for this contest there are some good writers who are going to put out some good work.  Do I feel the piece I submitted will stand up?  Honestly, no.

This isn’t any kind of false modesty.  The prompt image stumped me.  I saw a lot of potential in it, potential for all sorts of things, but it was potential that isn’t mine.  It wasn't potential that was meant for me if that makes any sense at all.  I think it was too abstract for me, and I think my mind likes a bit more focus and I have to admit it was a challenge.  In that way it was good, and I learned a bit about the way I’m inspired and the way my mind works and that’s always important for a writer.  I’m glad I persevered through it and challenged myself.  The learning alone was a prize in and of itself.

*mutter mutter grumble grumble* I think I’ll be happy, though, not looking at that piece for a  bit.

Funnily enough, I think part of me got so frustrated writing with this prompt that my mind rebelled and I ended up writing another piece of flash fiction that had nothing to do with the prompt!  Oy.  What can I say?  My writer instinct knows what it likes.

Edit:  Ha!  I'm also frustrated because it has similarities to another story I wrote, a bit longer, and I think that piece was done better.  That piece had a different focus and a different message but still.  *grumble grumble mutter mutter*

Inspiration day!

I've gotten hit by the inspiration hammer in the past 24 hours.  Twice!  It's sort of uncool because I need to finish other projects first *rolls eyes* but...oh well

I like to keep abreast of things that are happening in the world and I came across THIS really neat article in Der Spiegel.

First of all, the picture got me.  SO COOL.  Honestly, its a bit like the Den where the fox clan lives in the story I'm working on, only without all the wetland trees.  Then, as I began reading the article my story sensor went off.  I mean it really is a story waiting to happen!  Imagine a land where you have the marsh people and the desert people possibly involved in some sort of war, or are ancient enemies and there is a constant tension back and forth across the border.  Their cultures are so remarkably different that, say, someone one person from one culture is introduced into the other---as perhaps a slave or something.  Maybe the marsh people have some bad blood (in truth, many believe the Marsh Arabs are actually of Summarian descent...how cool).   Talk about a killer setting.

The other source of inspiration came from HERE.

I can just imagine doing a story about a little girl living in such a big mansion house, and meeting another little girl in her garden--perhaps a fairy or a girl from another time or place.  Or having a story where you have a character living alone in a house like that and whatever he/she is doing is having some sort of effect on characters in another part of the story.  Awesome!

Did anything inspire you today?