Seedlings

The Top Five Reasons I love Scrivener

2012-02-05T16:27:00.001-05:00

About six months ago, I came across the writing organization software known as Scrivener. As soon as I saw it, I fell in love it and vowed I would get it for myself for my birthday. Now, if you know me, I'm kind of old school when it comes to technology. And by old school I mean I usually sound like a 70 year old woman (What's with these new fangled iPhones? I just want my phone to be like a phone and make calls! Rar rar rar, *grouse grouse*), so the fact that I was so eager about writing software is a good indication of how amazing it looked.

And let me tell you all something...it is amazing.

My birthday was this past Thursday, I purchased the software (an extremely affordable 35$ since I'm an educator, 40$ for a normal person), and began playing around with it. Ever since I've been so excited and cannot wait to start working on the first draft of my WIP and I could talk about it for hours.

I'm sure, however, those of you out there do not have hours to listen to me go on about this phenomenal program so I'm going to narrow down my babble of joy to what I consider to be my top 5 favorite things about this software.

**First, though, a little about me and how I write. I am, what you would call, a pantser. I start off a story with very little. Usually I have a character in mind, or a scene, or a general idea of what kind of story I want to write, and then, as I write, everything develops and falls into place. I mention this because you may think "Ahh, I don't plan anything for my writing, I don't need software like this!" And you're right, you may not. But I was one of those, 'I don't need software' people and Scrivener only supports and helps my natural writing process.

My Top Five Favorite Things:

1. Scrivener will export your document into Standard Manuscript Formatting: Oh yes, you read that right. I don't know about the rest of you, but I hate writing in SMF, so I don't and then I go and format the whole thing when I'm done and ready to edit and send stuff off. The problem is I do this in Microsoft Word and, well, anyone who has worked with Word knows that Word can be kind of a bitch. Scrivener makes this all easy though. You can write your manuscript in Scrivener it whatever font or format you want. Then you can export it to a word processing program as a .doc, or a .rft, or several other file extensions and Scrivener will automatically format it for you. To me this is worth its weight in gold.

2. The Binder: When I write, I don't have one big manuscript I'm constantly adding to. I usually work in scenes or chapters that I'll save as different files and then combine. It's a hassle opening up all the different files and finding the ones I want, especially if I want to add to a scene or, even better, remember where a certain scene goes in the story. This is where the binder comes in.

In the screen shot below, you can see what Scrivener looks like when its open. Your document appears in the center and the left pane is the binder.

The Binder is exactly what it sounds like: a virtual binder. Everything you have or need for your project is displayed on the left hand side, organized how you like. You can make folders for each chapter, and then in each folder, you can have scenes or snippets or even subfolders. This way its easy to toggle back and forth to different parts of your novel. You also have a folder for 'research' so if you have any links or pictures, they are all stored in a handy place that's easy to get to.

3. The Corkboard: Scrivener allows you to display your ideas, scenes, and chapters in a variety of ways, one of which is on a virtual corkboard.

I'll fully admit, at first I thought I wasn't going to use this function. Then I imported my manuscript into Scrivener and boy was I wrong! The corkboard allows you to produce index cards for your scenes or chapters where you can either give them a heading OR write a little summary about whatever it the chapter or scene is about. You can then display them visually on the corkboard so you can actually see what you have and what you're working with in a very clear way. You can also mark the cards with pins, colored and identified as you choose. For example, I have a pin color for each characters POV and so I can easily tell what POV a particular scene is in. The other thing I've been using the corkboard for is having a space where I have my characters and important places, and then putting in important quotes and notes from my WIP so I don't forget what I need to stick with and develop.

And the great thing is, you can have as many corkboards as you have categories in your binder.

4. Split Screen: Scrivener allows you to split your screen in half while you work. I know, it seems like nothing new, BUT they have an extra little feature that makes all the difference. Say you divide your screen in half, you can now select each half individually to make them show different things. For example, you can have the top half displaying index cards of notes, while the bottom half could be the manuscript you're working on.

OR you could keep your manuscript on the bottom part of the screen and change your top screen to a webpage you've been researching, or maybe a picture that's inspired you, all within the same program!!

5.Collections: Collections is a feature that allows you to select files and then combine them as a 'collection' that appears in your binder. The key here is that this does not remove the files from their original location in your binder. Now, this may seem like a simple thing, but its one of those features that can make a world of difference. Say I want to gather all my scenes from the point of view from my female MC. I can select them, make them into a collection, and BAM now they're all in one spot. Now I can see if I have too many scenes, too few, what I'm missing and, the most important thing, are they all consistent? No more coming through my big manuscript to make sure my female MC has magically appeared in one place one day and another place another. No more looking at my word folder for my scenes and thinking...wait was she in this? It's all in one place and its easy for me to get there with just a click of the mouse.

So, there you have it, my top five favorite things. Honestly there are many other ones but you really should see for yourself. I highly highly recommend this software. It's not just for writer's either. I would have killed, killed, to have this as a grad student. It would have made writing my thesis worlds easier.

You can get it HERE. And they have it for both PC and Mac.

Happy Writing!

Humor

2012-02-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

I think one of the, arguably, most important things we as authors strive for when we write is having our characters connect with readers. You can write a palatable story with a strong plot, beautiful prose, and unique characters, but I don't think it will have that extra "oomph," that thing that really makes a story good, if readers can't identify a character, can't find a character who they understand as if they were friends.

Having this connection means the reader has a reason to keep reading, someone to root for, someone they really care about. This connection, I feel, is one of the main reasons people actually read a book.

So, the question becomes how to we make and develop that connection?

I know, there are probably at least a dozen ways. At least! But I think an important one, and one that can sometimes be over looked is humor.

When I'm talking about humor, I'm not talking about Three Stooges slapstick humor, but rather every day humor. The joke you may tell to your friend, or the puns, or the dry sarcasm of a ridiculous incident. The best kind, or the kind I find, is when something ridiculous happens in the plot and the characters themselves makes a joke or a comment about how ridiculous it actually is.

You see, characters aren't isolated from events, and just like people find humor and make witty comments in certain situations, so should characters. Even if it's just one line, humor has a powerful way of making even the most inhuman character human and relatable.

This can be doubly important in Scifi and Fantasy when you're in a strange world, or dealing with strange races. Humor is universal and suddenly makes everything seem not so strange.

So, I guess the moral of all this is, even in the most serious of times and in the most serious of novels, make your character joke. I promise it won't do any harm.

A Brief but Bewildering Experience with Romance

2012-01-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

As many of you know I'm not much of a romance fan. In fact I've been known to be enraged by stories claiming to be fantasies, but are really undercover romances. Therefore you should all be surprised when I willing read a "Romantic Fantasy." Oh yes. Me. A romantic fantasy.

In all fairness, I hadn't realized it was a romance when I picked it up, but then when I got home I realized the author was a romance author. I threw caution to the wind though, in the spirit of reading new things, and decided why not?

So I read it. It was the most bewildering thing I've ever read. Not to mention hilarious. And, here's the kicker, in a way, an extremely fascinating study into a realm of escapist romance that I had previously had little experience.

To start with, the plot in this book was...odd. In that it was kind of hard to follow. Not that it was complex, oh no, far from it, but rather it kept sorta...disappearing. No lie. Even the characters kept forgetting about it, to the point that I had to remind themselves why they were on a quest in the first place. Then, the male MC would come up with charmingly convenient and silly reasons to stay with the company so that the author could build more romance time. I didn't buy it, but at the same time I was fascinated by how ballsy the author was to say "Hey, I know this is cliche and contrived, but I'm going to write it anyway, just for fun."

What was absolutely bewildering though was that the plot would resurface at random times and we would suddenly be reminded, that, oh yeah, there was an antagonist! And our "heroes" were in danger because bad guys would randomly ambush them.

Now this was okay though, because the fight scenes would only last one sentence. And they would read, I kid you not, "They dispatched them all easily."

LOL

Any good fantasy would take more time on a fight scene like that. Not only because its important to the plot but because it helps build tension and danger and makes you want to turn the page. In a romance, I suppose, its not so much the danger that's the page turner, but the love story that makes you want to keep reading, so you don't have to spend as much time with the fight scene.

Still I expected more than such a, ah, descriptive sentence.

The descriptions were another thing that was bizarre in that there weren't many of them. The evil attacking creatures were only described as 'not quite humanoid.' Having no way to visualize these enemies I just imagined they were banana slugs.


FEAR ME!! photo credit

The MCs were also not described, which I thought odd, but then I realized that perhaps this was purposely done so that the reader could project themselves and the man of their choice in the lead roles.

The weirdest thing was the ending because there was absolutely no resolution to anything. I know this is part of a trilogy, but nothing was resolved and the characters were right back where they started. Which was even weirder for the non existent plot because you'd think, since nothing had been done to stop the antagonist, the kingdom would be in worse shape than it started out. But it wasn't. It was perfectly fine. Which makes no sense for me as a fan of logic.

The book did end however with the male and female MC not getting along, so clearly you need to read the next book in the trilogy to see how they make up.

Normally, books like this would annoy me, but I realized that this book wasn't necessarily supposed to be good. It is just supposed to be simply escapist literature. And in its own way it was charming in its silliness.

And here's the kicker: I'm going to read the rest of the trilogy. Not because it was good, not because I'm taken by the romance (which is pretty cringeworthy), not because I like the characters, but because it is the most baffling and perplexing story I have ever read. It does things I would never ever do in writing, nor do I value in good books. But I have to see what other random things happen. I have to see if the fight scenes get shorter, I want to know if the villains are described. I have to know if there is ever an ending or if more random nonsense happens.

Reading this book is like venturing into a foreign land full of humor and nonsense. I can't see what happens next

The Book of Heroes

2012-01-17T21:27:00.000-05:00

I just finished 'The Book of Heroes' and it left me very unsatisfied. And a little irritated. In fact, it did something I've never really encountered in a book and it left me a little put out. So, what did I think of it?

The Good: The imagination in this book was lovely. It could almost be the love child of Haroun and the Sea of Stories and The Neverending Story. The attempt at the concept was very good too, looking at the dark side of heroism. I appreciate looking at multiple levels, especially in fantasy.

The Bad: There are many of them.

First of all was the writing itself in that it was just.so.plodding.and.BORING. Here though, I can't really blame the author. This book is actually a Japanese novel and so the english version is naturally a translation. Translating is hard and getting the authors tone and voice in a novel is even harder so I bet my opinion on the writing would change had I read it in its original language.

I can't, though, blame the translation for the authors incessant need to explain every little detail of something unfamiliar. Seriously. Whole pages of explanation that broke up the plot and made me not care. The worst part about the explanations, though, was that when you really thought about them, they were filled with logical fallacies. In the end, I couldn't accept the world because I found the reasoning and statements too filled with holes. In addition to the fallacies there were some blatant contradictions which didn't help matters. For example, at one point, the characters are talking about The Hero (good) and the King in Yellow (bad) and that they are two sides of the same coin. Black and White. But then, a few sentences later, someone mentions 'oh but there are shades of gray too. Where do you draw the line?" This is an extremely good point and puts in serious question what the people believe about the good and the bad....BUT THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. The statement is totally ignored, despite the fact it calls into question the foundations of the whole concept!!

The WTF: The ending. Oh boy the ending. I just...I'm still a little speechless by the ending. Not only speechless but unsatisfied. You see, through the entire book we, the reader, and the MC are led to believe that the MC is trying to save her brother from the antagonist. And when I say the whole book, I mean all the way until the last 20 pages or so. There are no clues to say otherwise. Then, all of a sudden, at the end of the book--nope! You weren't saving your brother at all! Here's the ending to the real plot! Hope your satisfied even though all themes and characters were built up around the OTHER plot line. How the hell am I supposed to be satisfied then?!

I have no idea why this was done. I'm not saying an author can't keep plot points hidden, or misdirect the attention of their reader--in fact that is an important tool of the author. However, when you spring a new plot on us, out of the blue, at the very end of the book, it ruins everything that was built before AND puts a sour taste in the reader's mouth. It felt like a deliberate break in a reader's trust just for a gimmicky ending.

Not a fan, not a fan.

I don't really recommend this book, and don't plan on ever rereading it. It has its high points, but between books with similar plots, I'd choose Haroun and the Sea of Stories instead.

Rar rar rar

2012-01-15T15:56:00.001-05:00

Ever get to that point when you're writing, and you lose all faith in what you're writing. You think its boring or the writing is mediocre or no one will want to read it?

Yeah that's where I am right now with my current short.

So instead I'm playing with these:

And watching Top Gear.

Problem (not really) solved.

Honor's Paradox and What I learned About World Building from Cowriting

2012-01-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

I finished Honor's Paradox yesterday and it was fantastic. As fantastic as all the other books in Hodgell's series with this time really exploring that question of honor, especially as it applies to the Kencyr. That's another reason I love fantasy, it allows you to really explore deeper questions and ideas. Anyways I've raved about these before but every time I read them I'm reminded of the incredible complex world building that goes into these books. And the most complex part about it I think is not the geography or ecology, but rather the history of Rathillion and the Kencyrath.

And I'm insanely jealous of her skills.

And it got me thinking of how I had, years ago, failed miserably at trying to write a novel length work because of the world building.

Now, after reading Hodgell's stuff, its sort of whet my apetite to eventually try to write a trilogy or series or something where more world building is involved and this time I know how to do it. Or at least I feel more prepared. And for that, I think, I can thank my cowriters.

You see, before I didn't know how to go about writing a story in a new world. I felt as if I had to know everything about every culture and every part of the world ahead of time, got bogged down and gave up. Or just stopped caring because I just wanted to start writing and ended up lost and confused.

I didn't realize what I was doing wrong until I started writing with other people. In our group written project, we started with a world created by one of the authors. But the key I needed was that it wasn't fully developed. The history was created, the basic geography, the basic races were created. But there were many details and many things we ended up writing when we got to them because they only made sense when our characters had to interact with their environment.

In other words, a basic foundation was laid and the history was created so other details could follow logically behind. Creating that foundation is still difficult, but its easier than trying to tackle every little thing at one time.

I still wouldn't really consider myself a world building, but now that I think I understand it better, I'm excited to play with it more. And that's the fun of writing :)

Last thing I want to mention has nothing to do with world building...but rather the book cover of Honor's Paradox. Really cover artist? I really doubt Jame could be mistaken for her brother Torisen, and Torisen be mistaken for Jame so often if Jame's rack was so big. Unless there's something about Tori that we don't know o.O

Help Me with My Reading List!!

2012-01-01T11:08:00.001-05:00

True to my word I did my best to compile a 'to read' list for 2012. And its kinda short. As in it only has 10 books on it--although one spot is reserved for a series that a friend of mine recommends and, well, I can't remember the name of the series or how many books are in it. So maybe I do have 50 books. Who knows!

Anyways, I'm not trying to completely fill my list but I really really need some recommendations!! So anyone out there...help!! What books do YOU recommend for me to read??

As a note, I do prefer fantasy, but if there's a book you believe in and want me to read---or there's a book you want to torture me with--please let me know. I'm ready, willing, and excited to try something new! I'll read anything from kids to adults.

My own list is below:

1. Honor’s Paradox

2. A Dance with Dragons

3. Prelandra

4. That Hideous Strength

5. YA fantasy series that is recommended by friend

6. The Wise Man’s Fear

7. The Book of Heroes

8. The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairy Land in a Ship of her Own Making

9. Brave Story

10. The Hunger Games

Looking back at 2011, looking forward at 2012

2011-12-31T13:02:00.000-05:00

Wow it's been quite a year. I've been dorking out all week, reading those 'best of 2011' lists, or '2011 in pictures,' and thinking to myself, wait a sec...that happened this year? Then I realize how much really has happened and I'm just amazed.

Looking back at my own 2011, I'm pretty happy. The past two years were pretty tumultuous for me so to have a year like this one has been...well...just so nice.

Looking back at 2011:

The good:

My first publication: Autumn in the Shenandoah
My second publication: Flowers for Clockwork Street
An interview at Flash Fiction chronicles
A Pushcart Prize nomination
Finished a rough draft of my first novel length work

The bad:

The bad isn't really so bad, rather stuff that I really didn't do or accomplish. And I feel bad about it.

Reading: I barely read at all this year. It's pretty embarassing. Next year, starting tomorrow, I'm going to make an effort to try to read 50 books in 2012

This blog: It was lacking in posts this year, mainly due to the fact that I wasn't reading. Okay and I moved halfway across the country and started a new job. Still, there could have been more updates.

I'm not much of one for New Years Resolution, being the kind of person who believes that you should always be trying to better yourself, but this year I'm setting a reading goal and making a reading list which I'll post here tomorrow.

Look out 2012, I'm going to read the heck out of you!

One reason I love Fantasy

2011-12-26T12:22:00.000-05:00

"It was in fairy-stories that I first divined the potency of the words, and the wonder of things, such as stone, and wood, and iron; tree and grass; house and fire; bread and wine." ~ J.R.R Tolkien in On Fairy Stories

Of Flash and Shorts

2011-12-12T19:56:00.000-05:00

It was finals week last week for my classes. Finals week is a double edged sword for me: on one hand I end up with a mountain of grading, on the other I have plenty of time to think as I walk around the classroom and pretend to pay attention to make sure the students don't cheat.

Don't worry, we professors and instructors have other ways of making sure cheating doesn't happen. Secret ways. We're kind of like ninjas that way.

Anyways, as I made my rounds, I was really thinking about my new short story I'm working on. As of now I"m pleased with it and the direction its taking. Of course there are parts I'm frustrated with--right now there is a transition that's annoying me so much I wish I could set it on fire--but I like the idea and couldn't help comparing it with the past two works I've written, both flash pieces.

It's amazing how different a few thousand words can make to the experience of a story. Writing a longer short story made me realize how much flash is a concentrated story, its this sudden strong sweet bitter burst of story. It's this quick flash of emotion so strong it can knock you on your back. It's like lightning. It's pure, raw, story.

A short story is a slower dance, a longer romance, a different complex twining of threads. It builds and like a fine aged wine gains richness from each layer you add to it.

I had forgotten that difference at first and wondered, with my short, if it would get boring. But then I remembered both kinds of stories require different mindsets, different approaches, and one isn't necessarily better than the other, they are simply different. I can't get frustrated by those differences and just write the story as needs to be written.

In other words, while you can compare flash and short stories, both on content and quality, it's important to realize that the experience you get from the two will be different just by the essential nature of what they are.

A Nomination!

2011-12-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

I found out this morning that the good people over at Every Day Fiction have nominated 'Flowers for Clockwork Street," for a Pushcart Prize!!

Wow I am super stoked and couldn't be more excited and honored. They nominated it along with several other excellent EDF stories including two of my favs: Shades, and A Widow's Tale.

I'm in great company :D

An Update

2011-11-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

Oh my poor neglected blog! I don't really know why I haven't had an update for a few weeks. Really I have no good excuse. So lets catch up.

First: I finished the rough draft of my novel length work. Hooray! I decided to take a few weeks off from it so I can come in with a fresh perspective on the first draft.

In the meantime though, I've started a short story. After 'Flowers' I had a minor panic attack thinking 'oh crap I have to come up with something else now! I'll never be able to do that!" Then Leolin walked into the picture. Leolin who, at the age of six, killed a man with his voice and ever since has only spoken through puppets for fear of harming someone.

Second: These things came into my life

Llyan--a lot smaller than her namesake-- and Roo have been with me a week and have been full of playing and kitten snuggles. They have also walked all over my laptop and at one point deleted a chunk of my Leolin story (luckily I recovered 99% of it).

Third: getting back to reading. I'm finally forcing myself to sit down and read some more. I go through these weird reading dry spells which aren't good for a writer, so I'm trying to break it.

That's all from my little corner of the world. I hope all you writers and readers out there are making and reading some excellent stories!

Almost Finished

2011-10-22T18:46:00.002-04:00

I’m almost finished with the rough draft of my first novel length manuscript! It’s pretty exciting, but I think it’s one of the times I’ve been filled with the most doubt.

Have I tied up all the loose ends? Did I tie them up too quickly? Do the characters suddenly know everything? Does it make sense why the characters know the things they do? Should more have been discovered earlier on? Was stuff discovered earlier on and now I’m just repeating? Does it make sense?

Gah! Stress. Very much stress. I think partly because I’ve been avoiding figuring out the details and now I have to figure them out. So it seems to me, as the writer, that too much is suddenly being revealed in the end. It also doesn’t help that I can’t remember everything I’ve written in this manuscript.

But there is a reason this is the rough draft. The rough draft is supposed to be like this, I have to keep telling myself. It’s supposed to be my roadmap, my version of the outline. Now I can see where the problems are, now I can say to myself, “Okay go discover this point earlier. Make that point clearer. Work this background in sooner.” It’s supposed to help me see the clear, obvious flaws, so that the first draft is solid and strong, and so that my second draft is stronger still.

It’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s not supposed to be good. And that’s the hardest thing to accept.

I’ve got that itch. You know, the itch, the twitch when you know something is off? But I can’t quite fix it right now. I cant. I won’t have the holistic view of the story I need to transform it into the solid tale I know it can be.

Torture. That’s what it is. Torture.

Ah well. At least I’m finishing of length, and that is something to be said :)

Exciting things for Saturday

2011-10-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful fall day! I love fall and I wish I was outside enjoying it. Instead, I am spending my time cleaning my apartment and grading midterms. Oh happy days. Luckily though, writing will take place tonight. :D

Anyways, on to the exciting things!

1) A new online ezine has launched today! Check out Fender Stitch HERE. It's a really cool ezine. Why is it so cool?

Format: The format is awesome and unlike a lot of other zines out there on the web. It's set up to present stories as a flip book which makes the stories interactive.

Illustrations! Oh yes, you read that right. They actually design a personalized illustrated 'skin' for each story they publish! I would love love to have them publish a story of mine will an illustration of sorts. Especially as I have the drawing ability of an apricot.

Pay rate: They pay really well. 5 cents per word for short stories.

Lastly its an evolving ezine and it publishes all genres, 2 stories per month. Check 'em out! I know I plan on submitting something.

2)My second exciting thing is that I'm getting close to FINISHING the rough draft of my novel length story!! I have never, ever written something that's novel length. I had never tried before because, well, I think, somewhere in my mind, it seemed like such a grand goal. It was something that other people did and something that I could never be capable of.

But I thought that about getting published too. I was never sure I would be able to get published--even though it was always a dream or goal--and never, ever, dreamed of all the positive reactions I've gotten--and am still getting--to my writing. I can't begin to describe the feeling of joy I have seeing my stories living in other places were people can enjoy them.

3) My third and final exciting thing is that I made some amazing pear and apple soup! Yum yum! I love fall :)

Live Chat on Queries

2011-10-11T12:49:00.000-04:00

I just read something exciting and worth mentioning over at The Sharp Angle.

This Thursday, Lydia Sharp and a few others will be live panel on writing query letters! I've always respected Lydia's eye for queries and her ability to write an excellent query so you can bet I'll be turning in to hear and get some tips. I am no where near the query stage, but that's no excuse for not taking advantage of valuable information when it comes around.

Interested? You can find more information over at The Sharp Angle or simply click HERE

Thoughts on Trend and Identity

2011-09-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

I've never been a big fan of trends in writing, or following trends or anything like that. To an extent, as right or wrong as it may be, I've always considered it gimmicky and I don't like gimmicks. Also, I tend to ignore them because I'm confident in my writer identity. I know my point of view and I'm confident in my style, views, and techniques. I know I don't like to write things over the top, and I know I like to use simple statements to make an impact. I know I like to use adjectives and adverbs and whatnot to build up a tone and use the tone to support the simple statements that give them more of an impact.

I also know I like to write fantasy. I like to write an enchanting sort of fantasy, and I tend to steer away from classic epic sword and sorcery. I'm also not a fan of dark or urban fantasy. This does not mean that I do not appreciate these other sub-genres, but I realize it's simply not who I am as a writer.

Recently, though, I've realized/discovered something that's probably really obvious: writing with some of these trends is an interesting experiment in self discovery. Or rather its interesting to see how you take elements in say, dark fantasy, supernatural, urban, steam punk, etc., and how, when you write, you make them you're own.

When I wrote 'Flowers for Clockwork Street,' I wanted to experiment with steam punk since it was something I had never read or even tried to write before. Clearly the story I wrote wasn't steam punk, but it had elements of steam punk in it that I think helped to elevate the story. I, without realizing it, took the things I liked about steam punk and gave them my own voice and style. As a result, I think it made the story a bit unique.

Therefore, writing with a trend or something that's trendy may not actually give you a story that's on trend but rather a story that feels more creative and unique. It's a test for your identity as a writer too, and to see how you can "cross-genres" and still be able to make something that's clearly yours. That clearly has your views, your styles, your trademarks.

I wonder, too, if you still haven't found your identity as a writer, if this experiment would work. If you don't know the things that you like to write, that you find important to write, that you find makes a story wonderful, and then you write to a trend, will you just produce another smattering of hollow trend literature? Is it this writer identity that gives good stories within trends depth and texture?

That's an interesting question to throw out into the void: Looking at trend novels, do writers with a strong and confident identity write a better novel than those that are just writing with a trend and don't know their point of view?

I honestly don't know.

Bam!

2011-09-17T15:13:00.000-04:00

Lookie what comes out in December!!

YES!! Just in time for Christmas!

This is so exciting. Bound in Blood was so good, giving us the answers we knew were there and whetting our appetites with more mysteries that will develop and be answered in this new novel. I remember reading in Ms. Hodgell's blog a while ago that Tori was set to do something dumb in this. Sad because I love love love Tori, but I understand. It's kind of necessary. Tori needs a push...in some direction.

So exciting.

I wish they had cover art though that didn't make Jame look like such a slut :/

I've Been Interviewed!

2011-09-16T13:20:00.000-04:00

Check out my interview with the lovely Gay Degani over at Flash Fiction Chronicles!

My story, Flowers for Clockwork Street, was the highest rated for the month of August at Every Day Fiction, so I chatter about that, writing, and a little bit of science :)

What I Did Today

2011-09-15T17:39:00.001-04:00

I just signed for two boxes of nano materials.

And they weren't mine.

It's been a very odd day.

In other news more related to the purpose of this blog, I had to return Wise Man's Fear unfinished. I ran out of time. The first part is slower than I was expecting. More on that to come.

For now though I have to teach another class and then hope my heat is back on in my apartment. And make more plans for a balloon fiesta.

Did I mention it's been a very odd day?

Tools

2011-09-10T15:40:00.000-04:00

Back when I lived in Virginia, once a month I would go to a local C.S. Lewis book club. It was one of the only book clubs in town and any chance to get some mental stimulation AND discuss literature is an opportunity I can never turn down. Anyways, each month we would all read a book by C.S. Lewis and then meet to discuss it--just like any normal book club.

During my turn to lead, we were reading a copy of Lewis's 'Studies in Words.' It's a fascinating book, if you ever get the chance to read it, if a little dry. It basically covers what almost seem like a series of lectures on individual words and their use. This book actually allowed our book discussion to veer away from the book itself and instead focus solely on words.

Great topic for those of use who like to write, huh?

Anywho, we ended up discussing words in writing, and one person said something along the lines of the following:

Adjectives are the weakest part of speech. I went to hear {insert name of some author I've never heard of here}speak and that's what they said.

After I picked my jaw back up off the floor I said immediately responded:

Then that person had no idea how to use adjectives.

I'm sorry, I don't care who you are, but I personally believe that's one of the sillies things I've heard. Okay--maybe 'hey! I think I'll run in front of on coming traffic!' or 'I believe this piece of rancid meat will be delicious' is sillier but...you get what I mean.

Words are tools and they all serve a function and it is up to us as writers to learn how to use those tools in the right way to make the most of them in our own piece of writing.

I was hanging pictures the other day. I used a hammer. I didn't use my wrench. I could have used my wrench but I chose not to. I chose not to not because the wrench was a weaker tool, it was just different and could serve a different and better purpose. It's the same with adjectives. They are a different part of speech than a verb or an adverb and different isn't bad, nor is it, weak, it's simply different.

I contend adjectives contribute to the mood of a piece. That's the main purpose I actually use adjectives for anyways. Also, adjectives help establish setting so you know where a character is. Do you always need adjectives? No, but that doesn't mean they're weak.

I can understand how people can get frustrated. I've read pieces where I found the adjectives a distraction. But that doesn't mean the adjective was weak, the use of the adjective was weak. Perhaps that spot didn't need the adjective, or maybe it was simply the wrong adjective, but again, it's not the poor little adjectives fault.

It's our job as writers to look at words, look at all of them, and try to use them in the best way we can. You learn nothing by blaming the a word, and you don't improve yourself by blaming a word. So use your words wisely, writers, and become better writers for it.

And...as an unrelated side note, I had to represent my department today at a college open house. Naturally, I turned my table into an epic dinosaur battle.

Win.

New story published at Every Day Fiction

2011-08-30T10:06:00.000-04:00

Hooray!

My flash piece, Flowers for Clockwork Street, is up today at Every Day Fiction!

It does have a romantic slant to it. *gasps!* I know. I'm not the sort of person to wake up and think, "Hmm, I know. I'm going to write a romance today!" but that was just how the story unfolded. In fact, it wasn't even supposed to be a romance. The original thought rolling around in my head was that the girl was going to be evil somehow. I didn't quite know where the plot was going or what it even was until I had to identify the girl and the words 'The Daughter of the Earl of Clockworkstreet' just sort of plopped out onto the paper. It all just sorta...clicked from there. I think that's important to note because the romance is, in a way, a little stock, but I think the setting really pulls it together and is a good example of how transformative the element of setting can be.

And, as a side note, I promise, despite the evidence presented, I do know how to spell lightning :)

A Small Dose of Thursday Science Awesome

2011-08-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

From NASA

Black holes blow my mind.

Remembering Reading

2011-08-20T17:20:00.001-04:00

For a while, I had nothing new to read. You see, I just moved, and I need to save my money until my first paycheck, and I couldn't get a library card until I got my new license. So, for the past few weeks, this was a pretty good representation of my face:

No books for me

Good news is though, I finally got all my documents, got my new license and went right over to the town library and picked up The Wise Man's Fear. Yay! I love me some Patrick Rothfuss!

Anyways, during these past few weeks, I've been trying to work on my rough draft and its been, for lack of a better word, a struggle. The words weren't coming and I felt so...detached from the story. It was as if I forgot how to write, or rather the things I loved so much about stories that drove me to write.

Then I began reading and it all came flooding back.

With characters, how they feel, how they act, why they do the things they do. The small daily things in a characters life that make them human, or even unhuman. The small elements of character interaction and what those elements say about the larger world as a whole. The world building, and being transported to a new place, exploring that new place. Creating, expressing, and making everything come alive.

And then, sure enough, it was easier to write. It was as if I needed that jolt, that reminder of what it was in a story that made it good, that made it work.

It's so important for writers to read. It's as important as writing or studying writing. I know for me, if I stay too far from words and stories I forget the texture of them, the little things from syntax and description that fill that hunger for a good tale. I learn from other writers, I find the things I like and the things I don't like. I discover what works and what doesn't work, in my opinion, and I feel as if other writing speaks to that storyteller in me--as odd or weird or creepy as that sounds--and wakes it up.

I think reading reminds me how much I love a good story. And that's the most important thing of all.

So, to all the writers out there in the giant void of the internet, the world, wherever you might be lurking, don't forget to read! It's good for your soul.

The Many Mood Swings of Thorin Oakenshield

2011-08-12T20:15:00.001-04:00

Here I am! In my new place all safe and sound AND with cable and internet. It wasn’t always so—the cable and internet part I mean. So, I filled my hours of unpacking and sorting listening to—oh yes—The Hobbit. I love the Hobbit to what I hope is not an unhealthy extent.

Anyways, every time I listen to it on tape I keep realizing different things. One time it was Gandalf’s hidden jerkface nature, another it was the stupidity of dwarves, this time I realized that, if Thorin was a woman, he would be accused of being on a constant period.

Seriously! This character swings from arrogant to noble to selfish throughout the whole story more times than Bilbo longs for something good to eat (and you all know that means it happens a lot).

One moment its: “I’m the great Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain and I was wronged in the past but because of my great awesomeness you must be impressed by my very existence! Listen to me make a grandious speech and do not interrupt!” The next moment its, "Oh you are a great and wonderful Hobbit and watch me be humble!"

And the thing is, I don’t think it helps with Thorin’s believability as a character. Or rather, during his swings toward noble, I just don’t think I can believe it since I’m stuck on his arrogant, self-serving mood he was just in.

I mean, I never thought of Thorin as a noble, pure, character. I think that’s one of his ‘charms.’ He really is spoiled, self-centered, and arrogant, and the dwarves as a whole serve as a foil to Bilbo himself. However, he’s not supposed to be so spoiled all the time, or at least I don’t think so. He’s supposed to have his flashes of goodness. For example, during the Battle of Five Armies, he and his men charge out of the Lonely Mountain to help defeat the Goblins. At different points throughout the book he would say to the hobbit how valuable he was, or how noble he was, or how he had misjudged him.

Then, when he dies, I think we, as the reader, are supposed to care because he wasn’t so unlikeable all the time.

The problem is, I didn’t care. It meant nothing to me and I felt nothing because I didn’t really like Thorin. Despite his swings toward nobility, I could not forget the arrogant Thorin that made himself at home in Bilbo’s hobbit hole that first night.

Perhaps there is the problem. We were introduced to Thorin in a downswing—when his character was in ‘noble arrogant I-want-everything dwarf prince’ mode. It’s a character we understood and was established in our minds and, in fact, it took a while to get to when Thorin had a random upswing. As such, we had a harder time associating any sort of true goodwill with Thorin, and the good will we saw we weren’t quite sure about.

It didn’t help that those good patches of mood didn’t last long which made Thorin seem, to me at least, a little fake, as if there was a sudden veneer covering his true character.

I mean, I can understand this character, and I don’t think it was truly a veneer, even though it felt that way. It’s more a character who isn’t very self aware, and so when they have these feelings, they come off looking fake and as if the character has another motive.

I don’t know if Tolkien meant for us to believe these true flashes of goodness, or if he meant that to just be the way Thorin’s character was: moody. But, unfortunately, I never really liked Thorin, and I think, all in all, that was a direct result of those moods. Both the bad moods, and the good moods.

I guess, in the end, it doesn’t really matter all that much since Balin was the coolest anyways.

Just Some Friendly Strangers

2011-07-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

I just finished day one of a three day move to a new place halfway across the country where I get to start my new teaching gig (yays!)

The trip was going smooth...for the most part...


Oh Noes!

Thanks to a friendly tow guy, we found out that the car was still driveable and even without the muffler, the car isn't that loud. Excellent! So we kept driving until...

Well, hell!

We pulled off to try to fix the now dragging tailpipe, when a random friendly trucker showed up who was an awesome super magical car fixing genius and did an amazing job of rigging up the tailpipe/exhaust with wire! So friendly and so nice.

Which of course got me to thinking, why don't more random friendly strangers pop out of no where to help main characters in fantasy? I mean, okay, sometimes they do. You have random wise people chilling in huts in fantasy worlds everywhere ready to help, or sometimes a nice guy with a cart but for the most part the random friendly strangers are either a) evil b) become part of the story c) are part of a larger story/world, like Elrond in LOTR.

I know, I know, you have to have events like that be plot points, otherwise its to 'convenient,'....but, you know, random strangers *do* just show up in life for no reason than simply to help, and then move on. So instead of being convenient, isn't it just realistic?

Or maybe there are more random strangers than I remember and the answer is just that simple :)

Putting the "Science" in Science Fiction

2011-07-25T18:55:00.000-04:00

Lately I’ve come across people discussing/a few posts/ general comments regarding science in science fiction. More specifically: how detailed should the science in science fiction get?

What a fascinating problem!

At first, I thought it was a straight forward answer, but as I started writing (and rewriting) this post, I found myself thinking more and more of my own opinions on the matter, and what a truly interesting issue this was.

Too much detail, and you get something akin to a technical manual (don’t forget the fiction part of science fiction), too little detail and people have no idea what’s going on. It’s a delicate balance so how can a sci-fi writer meet that balance and not confuse or bore their readers? In other words, how can you get the science “good enough” so that the reader maintains his or her suspension of disbelief?

I’m not a sci-fi writer, nor am I a sci-fi reader (for the most part) but I am a scientist and so this topic interests me, thus I tried to figure it out for own little self.

The first thing I did was eliminate the obvious. I don’t think anyone out there needs to be told that too much detail is a bad thing. When I think of science-y detail, I think of allll those peer reviewed articles that, while on one hand are really cool, is not something you want to write a fiction novel out of. It can be boring, convoluted, and your reader can forget that there is a story buried in there somewhere. Also, with all details exposed, you run a higher risk of people (you know, those people) trolling for accuracy.

So, with that point put aside I asked myself two questions that I hoped would allow me to understand my thoughts on the subject:

1)How is science introduced/used in published science fiction to be made acceptable

And

2) Under what circumstances do I get annoyed, as a geoscientist, with science in fiction.

To tackle the first question, I thought of the few sci-fi books I’ve read over the years, and it helped that I just finished Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, so that sci fi was fresh in my mind. It seems to me that a lot of the science in sci-fi operates on basic scientific principles and also builds on itself in a scientific way.

By basic scientific principles, I mean scientific theories or premises that the general public has a handle on. Good examples are gravity, the laws of motion, evolution, laws of thermodynamics, etc. The general public may not understand these in great detail but they understand them well enough that if an author uses it as a foundation for say, space travel, or world building (in terms of evolution), the general populace will get what the author is saying without the author having to go into detail.

For example, in Out of the Silent Planet, the ship Ransom, Watson, and Devine travel in is circular and has a gravitational center. The side that faces towards the sun as they travel is hot, while the side that faces away is cold.

When I read this, I didn’t really spend my time questioning it, or questioning how they created gravity in the ship or any of those other details because it made sense in a general way. It is set up similar to the way the earth functions and that was enough to suspend my disbelief.

The key here, however, is that the point of the story wasn’t about the gravity on the ship or how the ship functioned. In fact, the only time I saw a high degree of technically explanation in sci-fi is when the science in question was specifically important to the storyline.

Now science can be sort of important to the story line in a lot of science fiction, but readers can accept it because the science/technology/alien creatures build on these basic scientific principles in a logical way. Science is all about following something to a logical conclusion, so once an author establishes a few basic principles, be they real (gravity, evolution) or made up, and follows them logically then the reader is less likely to nitpick or get confused.

This last realization led me to my answer for question 2.

My question to myself was when have I gotten annoyed at science in fiction.

I have to really focus more on fantasy, since that’s what I mainly read, but I think the same conclusions can apply. If I’m dealing with a fantasy world, I tend to go easy on landscape development because I think to myself ‘Hey, it’s a made up world. They can do what they like.”

The only time I found this attitude didn’t apply was when an author strayed from the principles they established in the beginning.

I’m talking about that insulting book A Darkness Forged in Fire. I reviewed it a while back and among the many things I hated about it, was the laziness of the author in terms of his concept.

The author introduced a forest of metal trees that fed on the ore beneath the mountain to grow. Now of course we know in the real world this is impossible, but it was acceptable initially to me because you make things out of metal from ore. Galina is the ore of lead, bauxite is the ore of aluminum, so I could accept that there was magic involved in making these trees.

Then I ran into a problem with a line discussing one particular tree:

"Glinting, obsidian-shelled acorns covered the ground beneath [the tree]."

*sputters*

Okay this is obsidian:

Thanks cool geology site!

This is where obsidian comes from:

Metal is in no way related to obsidian. How on earth would a metal tree make obsidian acorns?? Especially since he explained how those trees grew—by feeding on ore in the mountains. If you’re going to acknowledge certain basic principles of how materials are formed, i.e. how metals come from ores, then you can’t just ignore the other principles of geology and toss them out the window.

It struck me as lazy, as if the author said to himself ‘Hey! Obsidian sounds cool! Let’s just add that here.’

That annoyed me. In that instance, when established principles weren’t followed through, I found the science to be ridiculous.

So I think, as a sort of summarized conclusion, I think, for me at least, to keep a reader’s suspension of disbelief in terms of sci-fi, a writer has to keep focused on the story, not get too bogged down in nitty gritty details, and most importantly, establish principles that the reader can grasp and follow through logically with them.

Exciting things for this week!

2011-07-08T09:55:00.001-04:00

I actually have one non-exciting thing, which is that I have to leave to visit relatives this weekend. Where it's hot. And humid. Ugh.

But that's not exciting and no one really wants to read about that. So! On to more exciting things!

1) This coming Tuesday, July 12, A Dance with Dragons is FINALLY going to come out! I know I am among the multitude of folks who have been waiting years for this sucker. The sad thing is I can't get it until I finish my move halfway across the country. I already have 6 flat rate boxes of books ready to be shipped and I can't allow myself to buy more. BOO.

2) Writerly friend has a publication up at Every Day Fiction! Its not the kind of story that can be taken at face value and there's sort of a bitter humor to it that, if you do take it at face value, you miss. It's clever, so go take a read!

That's all the exciting things I have! Have a great weekend!

Book Review: The Blue Sword

2011-07-06T12:14:00.003-04:00

Frustrating.

That’s the only way I can describe my feelings on this book in one word.

In a few words I would say: Beautiful world building, but the writing let it down.

The Blue Sword has a classic fantasy plot. At the death of her father, a young woman named Harry is sent to join her brother at an obscure desert outpost in the farthest reaches of the Homeland. There she lives with a well to do important family, makes some friends and hears the legends of the people that inhabit the nearby Hills which was once the ancient land of Damar. However war is brewing in the North and the Homelanders need the cooperation of the mysterious Hill tribes: a group of ancient people who have magic called the Gift. As negotiations with the Hill King, Corlath break down, Harry catches Corlath’s eye. Or rather she catches his Gift, and his Gift drives him to kidnap her and train her in the Hill people’s ways. Harry learns to speak, ride, live, and fight, like a warrior of Damar, before becoming a King’s Rider, and obtaining the blue sword of the legendary Aerin, then riding into battle to help defeat Damar’s enemies.

For me, to be very blunt, great world, boring writing.

*winces* I know. Harsh. But true.

Let's start off on the positive. The delicious, tasty world building. the world building was spectacular. Mckinley created a place I wanted to visit again and again, with all the small details of a culture—from clothing, to customary forms of politeness—that allow a world to come alive, and she did it without making the read boring. The details were effortlessly woven in with Harry’s training which, in my opinion, was the most interesting part of the book. As Harry learned about the culture, so did the reader. I wish I could give Damar and its Hill people a giant hug because it reminded me of all the things I love about fantasy. Bravo and an A+ for world building.

The characters were...good. Corlath was very strong, especially as we could see him and his feelings change over time. He was fascinating and engaging and I wanted to read about him and hear his point of view. Granted he was also a Hill person and that was the strength of the novel so...

Anyways, once we get away from Damar, things get to be kinda...Meh. Like the heroine: Harry. Harry was…a heroine. She was a strong character, but I really don’t feel like she had a strong personality and there are many many heroines like her. She fades, I think, in contrast to other characters. At the time the book was written, I’m sure she stuck out more but now I could lump her in with a whole host of female characters that have come along since its publication. I wasn’t disappointed in her, but I wasn’t impressed either. I felt, “meh!” about her.

Of course there was a romance between Harry and Corlath and that was a sort of Meh thing as well. At least, I have to say, it was done properly. The romance certainly did not take center stage and, although the reader could see it coming, McKinley progressed it logically as a natural result of events that take place within the book. As a romance should be. It didn’t feel forced. I didn’t feel deeply involved in it, however, and I think that comes down to my feelings about the characters involved. I have to admit, there were definitely some cute points to it, but that came as a result of Corlath and because I cared about Corlath, those parts of the romance really struck me. Most of it, however, I just sorta...accepted. I didn't roll my eyes at it (which is an achievement), but it didn't do anything for me. If I was more emotionally invested in Harry, or if Harry were stronger, I really think I would have enjoyed the romance aspect to this novel.

Okay, and now, I have to talk about the let down: the writing and writing style. I didn’t find the writing itself to be engaging. It didn’t suck me in and there were times when I just skimmed paragraphs. And I’m not a skimmer. Other times, although I liked the plot and characters, I just got bored reading and had to put it down and go do something else. Then I would forget I was actually reading it. Not a good thing at all. I remember when I read The Name of the Wind, I almost went without dinner because I didn’t want to stop reading. It was kind of the opposite with this book.

Additionally, the author had the annoying and frustrating habit of switching POV in the middle of a paragraph without any warning and no reason. Now, you can do this if it adds to the reading experience. In this instance, however, it just made things confusing and I would have to go back and reread a paragraph just to figure out who was talking. Sometimes, the author would introduce something foreign and wouldn’t explain it until pages later where it seemed out of place. And still other times, I felt as if the author just assumed you knew something that hadn’t been explained, which made things even more frustrating.

As a result of the writing I had to do a lot of rereading, which of course knocked me out of the story and ruined my experience.

What’s frustrating about The Blue Sword is that there are so many good points. I am so in love with the world and the people I would reread it just to read about the hill people again. I could care less about Harry and her sword. The Hill people carry this and they have a timelessness and a quality to them, and a sort of ‘this is a good fantasy’ feel. I would recommend reading this book ONLY for the sake of being introduced to Damar and its people.

Something I Learned about C.S. Lewis

2011-06-24T14:33:00.002-04:00

Two days ago I was killing time browsing through one of our bookstores when this book caught my eye:

WANT!!

It's a scholarly work on the development of The Hobbit manuscript, and since the Hobbit is my favorite Tolkien work I was uber excited. Seriously, this is like putting a delicious dinner for my brain right in front of me.

Anyways, I opened it and read a few pages. Of all the interesting things, the one that stuck out was actually a little tidbit about C.S. Lewis. As we all know, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien were good friends and they would read each others works. Upon hearing about this new book Tolkien was working on, Lewis requested to see the early draft of it. And then...he accidentally destroyed it! Twice! I mean, I don't know what's worse, the fact that Lewis was so careless twice, or the fact that Tolkien was stupid enough to give it to him the second time! My goodness!

I guess the moral of this story is, if the ghost of C.S. Lewis comes and wants to see the draft of your potential master work, don't give it to him.

Lesson learned.

Three Things That Excited Me Today

2011-06-21T13:03:00.001-04:00

I've been on a road trip to Pennsylvania, the state where people randomly think I'm from. No joke. I'm not from Pennsylvania but people, for some reason, think I am. It's not as if they ask me if I'm from PA, they just randomly assume it, as if its a given.

...why??

But I digress. That is not one of my exciting things.

What is exciting is that when I came home, I stopped by the library and picked up my first exciting thing.

1)

Now this is exciting for me because....I HAVE NEVER READ THIS BOOK!! Travesty! I've known McKinley is classic and I have read 'The Hero and the Crown,' which was cute, and tried to read 'Spindel's End,' which I didn't really like, but never ever 'The Blue Sword.' And its a classic fantasy! You can even see its shiny award on the cover. So, exciting thing number 1 is I finally picked this up.

2) While at the library I picked up a Lloyd Alexander book that I have never read before, The Beggar Queen. This book has one of the most amazing opening lines I have ever read:

"King Constantine IX of Regia had been killed three times and was bored with it."

Amazing! It raises all kinds of questions AND sets the tone immediately! Plus its fun. It's no wonder Lloyd Alexander (who I always picture as Christopher Lloyd due to them sharing the name "Lloyd') has the reputation he does. Compounded on this awesome thing, I discovered a whole list of Lloyd Alexander books I haven't yet read!

3)The third and final exciting thing is that Terri Rochenski has her new flash fiction piece up at Every Day Fiction. Stop by and give her a read!

That's all for now! Happy first day of summer!

Currently Reading...

2011-06-08T13:36:00.001-04:00

I'm currently reading...

*drumroll*

BAM!!

Tee hee.

I know, not very fantasy oriented but I forgot how great these books are. They're so simple, yet I can't put them down. Such great writing, such great books.

That is all.

(I know, my sidebar is such a liar)

On the Value of Perceived Useless Words

2011-06-01T15:28:00.000-04:00

This is actually inspired by a couple of people on a critique I got. This is in no way an attack on the valuable critiquers but rather got me all excited for something to talk about in my blog. Critiques, even ones that I end up not using are great because they help me become a better writer. When I get a critique, I read each one and really think about them. I try to see the other point and decide if they work/don’t work in the context of the piece of writing. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, but in each instance, I always try to determine a why. This ‘why’ helps me understand myself better as a writer, helps me understand writing better AND helps me decide if the critique applies to my work.

Many times, I turn down some critiques simply out of a stylistic basis, other times, though, I think there is an interesting and very logical reason for turning down a critique. That is the idea behind today’s blog topic.

On a small scale, when only looking at a sentence or two, there are words that seem to repeat an idea or theme and someone will say ‘you don’t need this.’ On a small scale of basic meaning and placement they may be right. However, on the larger scale of things like theme, tone, and mood, these words actually become very important and they serve a function that no longer seems useless or redundant.

What do I mean?

I got a fantastic example in a piece I just had critiqued. The sentence is:

“I nodded, mutely.”

I had two critiquers argue that nods are mute/mute forms of communication and so I didn’t need the word ‘mutely’ added. They do have a point and are completely right on the small scale of things.

However the word ‘mutely’ actually adds important things to the story.

1)A nod, the noun, is most definitely silent, however nodding, the verb isn’t always. Someone can nod and speak at the same time, so mutely adds a bit more to the action.

2)Just because a nod is considered ‘mute,’ doesn’t mean that’s the first thing a reader thinks. If you say a character nodded, the first, main, and probably only thing a reader will get when the read the word ‘nod,’ is that the character is agreeing. While it is probably implied that the agreement is silent, the reader won’t really care, or even think about the silence factor and thus any sort of importance the silence has will be lost. Therefore, you, as the writer, need to emphasize the silent part of the assent to get a point/feeling/idea across. In this case, adding a word like ‘mutely,’ will help call attention and highlight the silence, and, in this case, the silence is more important than the assent.

Writing is about leading the reader where you want them to go, and an extra words sometimes makes all the difference, as long as you understand why.

Example two:

“How do you know?” she asked.

A while back, I was picked on, and I mean that in the fondest sense, a few times for using ‘asked’ when the sentence was already a question. On one hand, yes, you technically shouldn’t need the word ‘asked.’ Or in this case queried, or questioned, or verbs of the questioning sort.

The thing is, choosing to say ‘asked,’ or leaving a tag out completely has a profound effect on the way you read something and how conceptualize a story. There’s a big difference in seeing a question mark and then actually reading ‘asked.’ The emphasis with the dialogue tag is put on the fact a question is asked, and, in terms of style, adds or changes the cadence of a sentence. Both of those things, in my humble opinion, are more important than the perceived redundancy of a question mark followed by the word ‘asked.’ In other words the combination serves a more important function than simply being a dialogue tag.

Now, of course, sometimes this combination is not necessary. Sometimes it is better to leave them out in terms of style or how you want a reader to see a sentence, but again, you have to look at all scales when working on a story and really understand why you use a word where you do. What may seem useless, valueless, and redundant, may really be more important than you realize.

From Here to There and Back Again

2011-05-07T10:19:00.000-04:00

Last week, I read about half of The Name of the Wind. Then I stopped. Not because I lost interest, far far far from it, but rather other exciting things in my life started happening.

I had a phone interview and in less than a week I was invited for a campus interview, which will take place in the upcoming weeks. When I wasn't jumping around squealing, or fidgeting, or over stressing myself for really no good reason (a skill I am particularly good at), I came to realize just how far this place was away from the valley I know and love.

It's 20 hours away, in a completely different part of the United States. The 20 hours is not only a distance in travel time but a distance in ecology and mindset as well. It seems like an adventure and I'm ready for it. Now, because I'm nosy, I spent lots of time on Google Earth scoping out locations, places to hike and camp, etc, and found out its 7 hours to some famous landmarks and parks. 7 hours within the same state.

I'm not sure about you guys, but it takes about 4 hours to go across the state of Virginia. I could leave from my house (about 11 miles from the border with West Virginia) and drive to Virginia Beach, and come back all in about the same amount of time it takes for me to go across this new state once. That's just a little bit mindboggling. And what's worse is that there are states that are even bigger!

Now, I know, what does any of this have to do with literature and writing.

Well the places we live, grow up in, etc, have a huge impact on our sense of distance and travel. When I told my British friend's my drive to grad school was only about 7 hours, they goggled, since that was the distance it took to drive from London all the way to Edinburgh, almost the length of the UK. When I was living in Europe, it would be no problem to walk to the next village because the next village was less than half a mile away linked by a footpath, a trip that would take me maybe fifteen minutes. Here, I have to get in the car and drive to the next town because it would take me several hours on foot.

So, in other words, what we think of as close or far is very different from what others may think, and that sometimes can cause a disconnect when we are writing.

The best example I can think of occurred for me when I was reading The Hobbit. When Bilbo wakes up after the Dwarves--being their useless selves--made a mess of his house and after trying to have a nice morning anyway, Gandalf the jerkface chastises him for not cleaning behind the mantle. There, behind the mantle, is a note which tells Bilbo he has to meet the dwarfs at the neighboring village of Bywater in something like, 10 minutes.

Now I could never, ever figure out how he made it to Bywater in ten minutes, no matter how fast he ran. It was a bit of a mystery to me because, before I traveled around Europe, my concept of 'where the next village was' was molded by how long it took to get places in the U.S. It was a complete disconnect. Even now, when I do understand this whole village distance concept, when I write, I still don't imagine villages as close together as someone from Europe would.

As a result, it would either take my characters longer to get somewhere, resulting in more adventures, or a large gap in time, which could possibly result in a bit of a disconnect for someone across the pond.

Now I don't really think this is a bad thing, more of an interesting thing. Something to keep in mind as we read and write, especially in our globalized society where we do not read things that solely are written in our countries.

Early comments on The Name of the Wind

2011-04-25T22:47:00.000-04:00

In the course of one week, I had five different people recommend The Name of the Wind to me. Five! In one week! It was as if the fantasy literature gods were harassing me.

Well, after a long struggle to get the book, I now have it in my hands.

And…I’m only on page 18 and I already have to talk about this book. Don’t believe me?

See? Page 18. I am ridiculous.

I have to talk about it because this book excites me. And its weird because its not normally something I’d think I’d get excited about. I like high fantasy, but I can get tired of it quickly. The writing can be bombastic, the characters clichéd, the language intricate.

This is like none of the above.

This is a book that explores the humanity of a legend. At its very depths it explores a person, what it is like to live, and more importantly what it is like to live with the life you have lived. Which is something everyone can connect to and is something we are fascinated with at a very deep level. This idea of exploring a life and it’s journey is very clear by the last line of the first chapter: It was the patient cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.

So, being a sucker for that kind of depth, I’m totally entranced.

And then it gets worse because the writing style is wonderful! While its not lyrical, it has lovely descriptions that just fit perfectly with the tone. It’s not stilted nor over the top. The best way I can describe it is comforting. It’s absolutely comforting and easy to read. It feels, instead of reading I feel as if I’m being read to. It’s just this strangely gentle, comforting string of words that just makes me happy. Honestly, I think it’s the writing style for me that makes the story.

Another fascinating thing is that this is a book full of tropes, plot points and characters I’ve seen before, but the author clearly embraces those, and teases out the strengths of them while leaving the weaknesses behind. He recognizes what makes certain things fascinating. And he makes things fascinating.

That jerk.

I’m such a sucker for the fascinating, the strange, and the interesting. And he sprinkles them in the book like sugar. Like that chest sealed with a lock that could not be seen.

*swoons*

Kote, or Reshi, or Kvothe, of the many names, with his calm, haunted presence, both embracing and avoiding who he is. He is just interesting and mysterious enough to avoid being irritating.

And then he has these things I love anyways, like stories, legends, chroniclers.

It’s a biography of a high fantasy hero. It’s refreshing and lovely in its difference.

And as of page 18 I am a fan.

Also...I have to note that this is Mr. Rothfuss's first book. And it is really awesome.

You, sir, are a jerkface.

Inspiration Tuesday

2011-04-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

Space is such an amazing, beautiful, peaceful, mind blowing place

Flash Fiction published at Every Day Fiction

2011-04-15T12:38:00.001-04:00

Every Day Fiction

Clicky clicky. The exercise is good for your fingers! *nods*

A flash fiction piece of mine was published today at Every Day Fiction, which is super exciting. And I am shocked and humbled by the positive response.

:D

And now a very appropriate picture of the mountains in the fall.

Just Caaalm Down Everyone

2011-04-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, breathe. So someone used an adverb and you read somewhere that adverbs were no-nos. Just relax and listen for a moment.

There is nothing wrong with an adverb.

There. I said it. And I’m going to say it again.

There is nothing wrong with an adverb.

Just like anything in writing: everything is good for your writing, everything is bad for your writing, everything in moderation. Adverbs are no different from anything else.

Adverbs are an essential part of writing. They add tone to a story, texture to a style—heck even help give something style. They are important to descriptions because, after all, they describe a verb. When people say ‘don’t use adverbs’ they mean don’t over use them, especially in dialogue!

The “rule” of ‘don’t use adverbs’ I’d suspect grew out of people over using adverbs, primarily as dialogue tags. Thus, for beginning writers, people say ‘don’t use adverbs’ to help stop a problem before it starts. However, the problem has arisen where some people take it to mean all adverbs everywhere, all the time, no matter what.

I understand cutting back on adverbs. If you’re only using adverbs as part of dialogue tags, or all your dialogue tags have adverbs, or all your verbs have adverbs then your adverbs stick out and become meaningless. I mean come on, who wants to read a page of:

“I don’t know,” he said quickly.

“Maybe if you thought about it,” she replied scathingly.

He snarled angrily, “Don’t talk to me like that!”

She turned dizzyingly and stormed wrathfully away.

No one. That’s who wants to read that.

But…this rule of too much is true of a lot of parts of language and writing. In fact EVERY part of language and writing. Picking on adverbs alone is just silly.

So really, it doesn’t do anyone any good trolling for adverbs, or avoiding adverbs in writing. It’s useless and not helpful, because using an adverb isn’t necessarily wrong. Instead, it’s more helpful to find why an adverb in a particular place doesn’t work, just like you would with anything else in writing.

Don’t just follow a rule. Understand the why.

Growth

2011-04-10T17:49:00.000-04:00

Photo by: Mackenzie Grimes

You’re always growing as a writer. Always growing, always changing, always learning things, no matter how long you’ve been writing.

I can’t remember how long I’ve been writing. It’s been a part of me and a part of who I am for so long that separating ‘writing’ from me and putting a timeline on something that seems to be so much of me is just odd and strange. Since I’ve been writing for so long, I’ve been secure with myself as a writer for a while.

Lately, though, I’ve been looking at what I’m writing now, thinking about myself as a writer, and looking back over the past few years and thinking to myself: Whoa. I’ve learned a lot.

I’ve spoken before on how writing in the sciences is very different from writing fiction, and also how the process of writing a thesis is similar to the process of writing a book, but it didn’t really hit me until recently how much I learned from the entire process. And how much I gained from it.

Writing something for length has never been something I’ve been good at. I think, now, that I tried to follow what other people said to do, I worried about perfection, I worried about this, I worried about that, and I ended up over thinking and failing spectacularly:

Boom!

Now, on the other side of graduate school, I find myself actually writing something of length and not having the troubles I had before. And this I attribute to writing my thesis, going through the process, and learning how I needed to write something of length. The process I need to go through to make it work for me.

1) Write first, edit later.

When writing my thesis, I had deadlines to meet to get drafts or sections into my committee. I was always worried about content and organization. Did this piece of information go into the introduction or the discussion? Was this the best way to explain my data or should I do it another way?

The committee member who helped me the most with the writing part told me something that I will always remember: Just write it out so you can see all the parts and where its going and then we’ll have know if the layout is right. If it's not we'll move it around.

It was perfect advice because then I was just able to get out on paper what was in my head, and, once out on paper, I was able to see the thread of the research much more clearly. Did I have to rewrite sections? Oh heck yes, but it was a lot easier once I had the words out on paper, and the final result was a better much better product than it would have been otherwise.

This advice carried over into story writing process. When I write something of length, I really don’t know exactly where its going when I start. I have a general idea and then I muck about in the plot line, going this way and that, skipping back to earlier sections to add a character or an entirely new scene. I know that some sections don’t match up exactly, or that I’ll need to go back and rewrite another section to account for a character change. In my current WIP, I know I’m going to need to go back and add probably 5,000-10,000 words at the beginning. But that’s okay, because I now know that it’s part of the process. And I know once I finish the rough draft, I’ll have a much clearer and better idea of what those 5,000-10,000 words need to say.

2) A rough draft or first draft is really just that.

This really sounds like common sense, but I don’t think I truly understood it until I wrote my thesis. My first draft looked nothing like the bound and beautiful copy that is now sitting on my dining room table.

The first draft of my thesis was 90 pages long, but the final was trimmed to a nice 63 and the content, while still the same at heart, was also clearer and more concise after going through several drafts worth of rewrites.

Keeping that in mind as I write is so helpful, because it keeps reminding me that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, which was a worry that slowed me down a few years ago. I don’t have to worry about everything fitting or going back and redoing a section over and over because, hey! It’s just a rough draft. They're supposed to be messy.

I’ll make notes to myself as I go along: Get rid of this plot line,concentrate on this relationship, add more backstories here. Those are important points, but they can be added later. Those the stylistic things, the character things, the meat on the skeleton of the story, are important but they can wait. They won't matter, after all, if that first draft doesn’t get written.

3) Trust yourself.

I knew this before, but the concept has really been hammered home the past few years. The internet is full of people who like to write, and you’ll hear people from all quarters saying ‘do things this way, do things that way.’ Some of this advice can be helpful, but some of it may not apply to you, and you may struggle to fit yourself into a writerly mold that isn’t you. And that does so much more harm than good. If your writing process is different, that’s okay, because that’s what works for you. Just because a writer you like an admire outlines the pants off of their novel, doesn’t mean you have to either. You have to get words on paper the best way YOU know how. Trust yourself and your process because it’s all about you in the end.

RIP Diana Wynne Jones

2011-03-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

August 1934-March 2011

The world of fantasy lost one of its greats today. Diana Wynne Jones lost her battle to cancer at a very well lived age of 77. Author of numerous novels, including her well known Chrestomanci series, Ms. Jones has been one of 'the names' in fantasy, specifically childrens and young adult fantasy, for as long as I can remember. She's won multiple awards, including Mythopoetic Fantasy award, Locust Award, and was honored with the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement.

Even though I only was really familiar with 'Howl's Moving Castle' (thanks to Miyazaki and studio Ghibli), I always held her in high regard. Her books sounded stunning and full of the imagination I love in fantasy. She gave us some great stories in her time with us.

Thanks Ms. Jones.

A random rampage on fantasy names

2011-03-26T11:30:00.001-04:00

Every couple months, if I’m not paying attention, my iron levels get really low. As a result I get ridiculously lazy, tired, and sluggish, and my brain just doesn’t want to work. I don’t feel like reading, I don’t feel like writing, I don’t feel like updating my blog, and instead spend most of my time sleeping. Then, I usually wonder why I’m so tired. It takes a week before it dawns on me what the issue is and I say to myself “Hey, dummy. Take an iron pill.” Then everything is fine and I’m back on track.

Last week and a half or so this happened, but I finally corrected my idiocy. Unfortunately, I haven’t read anything. Which is sad. So today I trekked to my library to pick up some books.

And that brings me to a secret…

I haven’t read Dune

Shhhh don't tell.

I know, cazy right? This is one of those books I should have read long ago but never did. In my defense, I’m very solid fantasy girl, which is why I never had it high on my “To Read’ list. However Dune seems to be one of those speculative fiction books that straddles the line between Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so really I am running out of excuses to read it.

Anyways, after picking up Dune, I was looking through the fantasy section, searching for a second book. I was attracted by the cover of a book by R. Scott Bakker. Pulling it out, I read the jacket and the first name I read was this:

Anasûrimbor Kellhus

What the hell is that?

That’s not a name. That’s someone sneezing on a page and thinking it looks like a name.

And then there was this one:

Cnaiür urs Skiötha

Really now? Really?

This is something I hate about fantasy sometimes: ridiculous names. In more recent days, I think authors have calmed down, but you still find the random names filled with impossible to pronounce names with weird combinations of consonants, umlauts, angstroms, carons, and, of course, apostrophes.

I honestly can’t understand why writers do this. Here’s the thing, if no one can pronounce your name, then why write it that way?

I know when I read an unpronounceable name, I always pronounce it in my head a way I know is wrong. However, every time I come across it, I stumble. It breaks up the reading experience. It may look "interesting"--(Hold on,those quotes deserve to be bigger)--“interesting” (much better)

But I think I’d rather read something smoothly than admire an authors exciting new uses of punctuation.

I think sometimes writers get out of control and also that they lean on making their name cool as a crutch to make up for either a not very fantasy feeling world, or a not deep enough character to exist on his/her own. They are hoping their reader will think “Ah, a cool name that I would never encounter in the real world. The character must be awesome if he has three exclamation points in his name!”

The thing is, this book could be good. It could be great. But I’m not sure if I want to wade through names that are clearly meant to impress me and but don’t. Because they’re hard to read. And if you're a writer, you shouldn't be making your book hard to read.

And they’re stupid.

There’s that fact too.

A Dance with Dragons

2011-03-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

Coming July 12, 2011

It's about damn time.

Looking Back

2011-03-06T17:43:00.001-05:00

I have a list of things I don't like. Things like Ed Hardy T-shirts, and small dogs wearing human clothing, and palmetto bugs.

UNNECESSARY!

Also on that list is when my brain doesn't work. And not just 'doesn't work' but seems clogged and doesn't want to be creative. It really is the worst and its been happening to me for the last few days. It's apparent in my last lackluster, rather boring review of Haroun and the Sea of Stories--a book that really deserves better.

The review was not only 'blah' but contained such stunning literary sentences as:

The Gups are responsible for asfa,

Really Jenny? Responsible for asfa? What does that even mean?

*rolls eyes*

Anyways, I don't trust myself to do any sort of real entry and I'm not about to let that review be the first thing people see when they come to my blog SO I'm going to instead rewind the clock and look at some entries I actually like.

Oh yes, that's right. It's 'Greatest Hits' time!

I know, I know, control your excitement.

One of my favorite blasts from the past was a rampage I did directed at those people who believe published authors are the only authors who should be taken seriously. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

Another, very old one, is a topic I want to revisit in the future.

And of course there was the time when I realized Gandalf's true colors.

There we go, three entries that are much better than the one I did Wednesday. Or at least I think they are. Hopefully it will wipe away the stain of my nonsense.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

2011-03-02T12:20:00.000-05:00

I only heard about this book a few months ago which is tragic because I feel as if I should have heard about it years ago. It's a delightful romp through the imagination, that's both creative and deep and written both for kids and adults.

In the sad city of Alifbay, Haroun lives with his mother, and his father Rashid, a legendary storyteller. Then, one day, his mother disappears, convinced by a neighbor that stories were useless things, and Rashid finds himself no longer able to tell stories. Haroun then sets forth on a journey to get his father's story telling abilities back, which results in a journey through a magical land and a struggle against the shadowy forces who seek to stop story telling and inspiration by poisoning the Sea of Stories where all stories come from.

There are a few things about this book that struck me as very special. The first is obvious: a discussion of the importance, intricacies, and imagination of storytelling. As a lover of stories and storytelling myself, I was completely taken by some of the shear creativity. Stories, in Haroun, come from the Sea of Stories. The Sea of Stories begin at a spring where the oldest stories are, then as the stories circulate they are processed and changed and remade into new stories in an eloquent explanation of how stories work in general. The stories get to earth in a Process Too Complicated to Explain, as the colorful cast of characters explain.

Oh the characters. Besides humans Haroun and Rashid, we meet a water genie, a Hoopoo bird, and the two races of Gups and Chups. The Gups are responsible for asfa, while the Chups, stuck in eternal darkness, are ruled by a dictator who has decreed silence and tries his best to poison the Sea of Stories, in an obvious allusion to censorship.

This leads me to the other special thing about Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Salmon Rushdie wrote this book for his son while he was in hiding during the time the Ayatollah of Iran placed a fatwa on his head for writing The Satanic Verses.

Wow.

Knowing that, I think, gives the reader a second level of understanding when we see the plot of a son trying to recover storytelling ability for a father who can't tell stories. Then, the importance of stories too, and the ability to tell them, completely gets a new meaning.

I would completely recommend this book, both for adults to read and for kids to read. Wonderful and enchanting.

Nerdspiration

2011-02-28T18:22:00.000-05:00

Look at that cleavage! Who says geology isn't sexy?

Oh awesome coolness! The other day, I read about how a team of scientists in the UK cut/manufactured a calcite crystal in such a way that it refracted light and made things invisible!

There are a few I got from this:

1)If anyone asks why should anyone study geology, respond with the fact that they will likely to be the first to get invisibility suits. Invisibility: another reason to be a geologist.

2) How neat would that be to work into a story? I'm not really a sci-fi writer or anything, but I could totally see this working in some sort of techy way to cloak a ship or a person.

Oh science, you're not just for scientists.

Another nerd thing that sparked my imagination today were THESE PHOTOS.

How freakishly cool?! A volcanic hellscape, a place where you could expect Sauron to pop out and say 'What's up guys?"

We are Plentimaw Fish

2011-02-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

"Iff replied that the Plentimaw Fishes were what he called 'hunger artists'--'Because when they are hungry they swallow stories through every mouth, and in their innards miracles occur; a little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, when they spew stories out they are not old tales but new ones. Nothing comes from nothing, Thieflet; no story comes from nowhere; new stories are born from old--it is the combination that makes them new."

~Haroun and the Sea of Stories

I think this is a really awesome explanation of the way stories work. Writers are Plentimaw fish to an extent. They derive inspiration from old stories, but the magic is how those old plots and ideas are rearranged and put together. Oh, of course you can argue, and I would agree, that some ideas come from other places, but I think the spirit is still there.

Hooray for Plentimaw Fish!

Destiny

2011-02-10T12:16:00.000-05:00

I have a four year old niece, who, like most four year olds, is full of ridiculousness.

This is my niece. She’s shy.

The other day, when I was visiting, she scrawled some letters on a piece of papers and told me that what she had written was my destiny. When I asked her what my destiny was she responded:

“Your destiny is…to…get…a sticker?”

Behold my destiny!

Honestly, that’s not too bad as far as destinies go. It could be worse. A lot worse. And of course, as I started thinking about destiny in general my thoughts wandered to literature and what an important place destiny serves in the world of fantasy. Destiny, kismet, fate, whatever you want to call it, is found throughout fantasy literature, from all eras of the genre. Although common, the idea of destiny is handled in multiple ways which gives us an insight to the writer’s personal thoughts on the subject.

For example, in some cases destiny is presented to the main character in the form of prophecy. A child of prophecy will do ‘x, y, z’ and their fate is bound, predetermined, and there is no way to get out of it. Sometimes this fate is marked by certain powers, and these powers are bound up with that fate and that destiny. The character knows the prophecy and knows their fate and the story is about the character either overcoming obstacles to accomplish his/her destiny, or the struggle of the character dealing with their destiny and usually a combination of both. This sort of destiny plays of the idea that the character as predetermined, inevitable end point.

In other cases, destiny is much more subtle. A character may have a strange feature or a strange power gifted to them. Strange things happen to them, perhaps they have dreams, or visions and through the course of the story they realize that they are a certain person who, if they choose, can destroy a monster, destroy a kingdom, defeat the bad guy. They usually choose to do the positive and so their destiny is sealed.

The difference between these two types of destiny is usually the matter of choice.

What is written, however, is where things get interesting. For whatever path the author chooses, and how they choose to handle this concept of destiny says a lot about their personal feelings on the matter.

An author who doesn’t feel strongly about destiny, or doesn’t want to make a point about destiny, or just doesn’t like the idea of destiny but still wants to use it, may choose the second example. Thus, instead of the focus being on destiny, the focus is on other aspects of the story the writer wants to bring out. Destiny still exists, serving as a glue and a point of interest, but it is not the biggest factor affecting the character.

Those who choose the first example, and want to deal with destiny head on, can show their personal feelings in a variety of ways and aren’t necessarily held to the final end point.

Some like destiny in its complete form. Some follow the concept completely out and use the idea of a characters’ destiny to highlight a struggle and the idea of not having a choice. Some authors simple like the idea of having a prophecy or a predetermined destiny. There is something so particularly fanciful, entrancing and so very fantasy about the idea of a prophesized person and its this idea alone, and not necessary and obsession with destiny, that draws some authors to write about it. Usually these works focus less on destiny and more on the prophecy itself.

Others can use the first example as a kind of commentary. A prophecy can be in place and a character will be destined to do something, but that something may not be what everyone is expecting. Sometimes, authors who like prophecy but believe in giving a character a bit of choice, make their prophecies forked where a character’s destiny changes based on the character’s choices. Still others use a character’s choices to show that their ‘destiny’ doesn’t truly exist. The presence of choices in destiny illustrate that the author finds that element of life important and it influence what they write and what they choose to write.

As for me, personally, I’m not a big fan of destiny. I don’t like being predetermined with no say in the matter, and I want my characters to have choices. As a result you don’t see much of it in my writing. I usually go for example two if any destiny at all. If you did see destiny in my writing, however, it would be more as a social commentary of how being ‘destined’ to do something would change a person, or allow for a person to make all sorts of excuses. But, that’s me, and I know clearly how my personal opinion on the matter affects my writing, which is an important thing for any writer to know.

How about the rest of you? Any feelings on destiny?

RIP Brian Jacques

2011-02-08T11:04:00.002-05:00

June 15, 1939-February 5, 2011

I had a completely different post in mind for today, except when I got online today I saw the sad news that Redwall creator Brian Jacques had died.

I think I was in fifth grade when I first read Mossflower. We had a bunch of his books because my mom and my brother were Redwall fans before I was, so I could go from Mossflower to Redwall to Mariel of Redwall without having to pause, which was a good thing because I adored those books. I remember a librarian at my middle school asking me what they were about and finding it hard to explain how books with talking animals could seem so adult, so absorbing, so adventurous, and could capture the imagination of a picky fantasy reader. That, I think, was some of the magic of Redwall. Brian Jacques could capture something so human in animals, yet make a world in which only animals could live.

No one could write about food like Mr. Jacques. The first time I went to England I was excited to try elderberry juice and clotted cream and wished I could actually find half the other tarts and cakes and jams they ate at Redwall Abbey.

Brian Jacques left behind a great legacy, one that celebrates his life and one that that I am sure he is proud of. I, for one, am glad to have experienced it. He will be missed.

Dear Narnia

2011-02-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

If you can't keep track of all your lords and princes, maybe we should just take them away from you.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 7 lost lords
The Silver Chair: 1 lost prince

That's 8 people in a rather short time span.

Really Narnia, if you can't take care of your things, maybe you shouldn't have them at all.

The Bards of Bone Plain

2011-01-27T10:45:00.001-05:00

I like finding what's lost...Or rather what's forgotten, since nothing I find is truly lost. I like piecing people's lives together, knowing what they made, where they kept it. It's like searching for the beginning of a story. You keep going back and back, and the beginning keeps moving ahead of you, always older than what you hold in your hand, always pointing beyond what you know.

McKillip is back in full form. I had some doubts in the beginning, wondering if this was just the same stuff I’ve seen before, but as the story went on, it found its feet, its voice, or maybe I just stopped worrying or caring. Who knows. I think this is her best in a long time. McKillip lost me completely with Solstice Wood—I decided, for me at least, that it was a fluke—The Bell At Sealy Head was better, but still not up to work she has done previously, but this one, The Bards of Bone Plain…we’re back with classic McKillip. Love. It.

McKillip’s characters are good. Phelan, who doesn’t understand his father, Jonah. And whose lack of understanding suddenly makes sense and is understood by the end. Zoe, the young bard with the powerful voice, and of course Nairn, who you can’t help feel compassion for as he is drawn into something he doesn’t fully want to be a part of and yet can’t help himself due to his own insecurities and wants.`

Unlike some of her other words, Bards of Bone Plain is more plot driven than character driven. We have two stories: one that occurs in the present day city of Caerau and one telling the story of Nairn, in fable form, who exists in the stories and legends of the land and whose tale we follow before Caerau is even founded. We see the parallels of Zoe and Nairn as they find secrets in the Circle of Days and play the magic of the land in their wild voices. Then, in the modern day tale, we see Beatrice and Jonah Cle digging up artifacts from Nairn’s day, trying to determine what secrets they hold, and what became of Nairn, who disappeared after the great bardic competition. Then, of course, there is Phelan, Jonah’s son, who has chosen to research the mysterious Bone Plain for his research topic, a plain we see flashing again and in again in Nairn’s own tale.

The parallels become more and more apparent as the story progresses, finally tangling together at the end.

There is a common trope in folklore: stranger coming to a contest called by a king, of no family, of no wealth. He is usually the good guy and wins and finds glory, but what if he’s the bad guy?

Also folklore is riddled with challenges that the hero wins. But what happens to those that lose?

I feel as if those were some of the questions that inspired this book. They formed the first foundations and bones of it and then the flesh was built around it in the themes and words that McKillip is most comfortable with. I saw bits from her other books: this was from The Riddle Master of Hed, that was from Alphabet of Thorn, and still all of this was found in most of her books and even some short stories.

If I could critique any part of this magical work, it would be that there were some abrupt character revelations at the end. Beatrice’s and Phelan’s relationship seemed to almost sprout from nowhere to the point where I just didn’t buy it. I understood why it was important to the plot, but beyond that I just didn’t buy it. There were parts too, at the end, that seemed rushed in a way that I just can’t seem to put my finger on.

Of course, maybe this was because my eyes were glued to the page, trapped as they always are with McKillip, with words.

The Bards of Bone Plain, a must read and maybe another World Fantasy Award nomination.

Show and Tell isn’t all about Adjectives: A Show and Tell WIN

2011-01-26T12:08:00.000-05:00

Last week, I talked about another form of the classic ‘show v. tell’ debate, i.e. telling your reader one thing, and showing characters do the opposite. I also showed how this concept could result in a literary failure when you’re trying to convince your reader of a solid truth about your character. For example, in The Crimson Sword we are told that Jarom is mature, elected to be his village defender, and takes the role seriously, however what we see is him goofing off, whining, and not doing any of the things that would back up the assertion that he was worthy of said position.

This is something to be wary of, if you want your reader to know something special about your character, you have to be sure your character actually lives up to what you say.

Today, I want to talk about the importance of show and tell when it comes to misdirection. Yes, we want to mislead our readers sometimes if we want to hide a secret, establish a twist ending, or simply not have them figure out the entire plot of the story beforehand. Misdirection can be an absolutely essential skill to have because if you want to surprise your reader, you can’t let them figure out the ending. However, you also can’t have an ending come out of nowhere and you have to scatter clues throughout the book so the ending—or whatever you want to make a surprise-- makes sense.

To do this, you have to divert attention from what you are showing using your telling skills.

A lot of authors do this, but the example I am going to use is John Snow’s parentage from George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire. *SPOILER* If you haven’t figured out John Snow’s parentage and don’t want to know, or don’t want to know in general, then you may not want to read this. Now, I have to admit, it hasn’t been revealed for sure who the parents are, but to me, its freakishly obvious by this point that I really really really doubt I’m wrong.

Show and Tell Win:

Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

For those of you unfamiliar with Martin’s series Song of Ice and Fire it’s a fantastic, albeit tragic, book series. It is complex with multiple characters, but really well done and well written. It follows the Stark family, one of whom is John Snow, who is told to us to be the bastard son of Eddard Stark. John lives with the Stark children, however, and is treated by the family as if he is completely one of their own.

Now John Snow is introduced to us as Eddard’s bastard. We are told that, and then we are immediately introduced to the back handed sniggering about Eddards affair, Eddards wife’s mixed feelings about the whole thing, and the rumors swirling over who John’s mother was because Eddard refuses to say.

This is the misdirection. And it is very very well done. Martin directs his reader’s mind to where he wants it to go: to try to figure out who the mother could be. He even offers up names and possibilities so the reader focuses solely on trying to figure out his mother’s lineage. It’s important he does this because if the reader’s mind strays away to the mother and questions Eddard Stark himself, then they’ll see the disconnect between what we’ve been told and what we’ve been shown and the reader can figure out John Snow’s lineage early on in the first book.

What’s this show and tell disconnect? Well, if there is one thing the reader knows for certain about Eddard Stark through seeing his words and deeds in the book—aka what we’ve been shown—we can see that he is honorable to a fault. With this in mind it makes no sense as to why he would cheat on his wife. What we’ve been told makes no sense with what we’ve been shown with his character. Therefore the logical explanation of this affair is that he didn’t have one.

Once the reader understands that, other clues we have been shown—and will be shown as the books continue—fall into place.

For example, John Snow has white hair. There is a woman who has white hair who was offered up in the beginning as having been Eddards mistress, but there is also the royal Targaryen family who had white hair, and were deposed in a coup before the book began. Since we have dismissed the mistress idea, and it makes no sense for Eddard to harbor some random women who the author tells us really nothing about, it’s clear that one of John’s parents is a Targaryen.

But why would Eddard Stark harbor a Targaryen child?

The other thing we know about Eddard Stark is that he loved his sister Liana more than life itself, and according to what we were told Liana was raped and killed by Rhaegar, a Targaryen prince. It makes sense then that Eddard is harboring his sister’s son as his own, and hiding it because John would be killed if it were known he was part of the Targaryen line.

What makes this conclusion even more compelling comes back, again, to show and tell. We see in flashbacks when Eddard finds his sister dying. And, honestly, it’s a very odd scene for a rape. She’s surrounded by flowers, and there’s blood, and she makes Eddard promise her something. The promise makes perfect sense to be taking care of John, giving another reason he’s harboring him. But the scene, the flowers, the blood with no actual wound mentioned—and if you’ve read Martin you know he doesn’t skimp on details—doesn’t sound like a rape/murder scene. Now, we’ve been told again that Rhaegar was a monster, hence him raping Liana, but when we meet Rhaegar in a flashback, he is rather gallant, and just as honorable as Eddard. Plus he and Liana are flirting like whoa. So again, what we’ve been shown does not match the vision of rapist/murderer. Therefore, if we ignore what we’ve been told we can see that its very likely that Rhaegar did not rape Liana and its far more likely that Liana died in childbirth. Which would account for the blood but no wound, and the flowers.

So you see, if we ignore what we’ve been told and look solely at what we’ve been shown, all the pieces really fall into place. However, Martin’s skill of misdirection in the beginning completely leads people off track, and focus instead on who the mother could be, so, when John’s lineage is finally revealed—whenever that is—it will be much more of a surprise BUT everything will make sense because the proper clues, the proper showing was there.

Showing v. Telling Isn’t Just About Adjectives: A Show and Tell FAIL

2011-01-19T14:52:00.002-05:00

I think any writer who has ever put pen to paper has heard about showing v. telling when writing a story.

But there’s another kind of Showing and Telling that is often times unseen, unheard of, or neglected, which is sad because it can cause flaws in writing OR can serve as a very useful tool for writers if done properly.

So what sort of showing and telling am I talking about? Well, it has to do more with characters and plot i.e. telling me one thing about your character, but having the character do the opposite (showing).

This can be detrimental in that if you, as a writer, are trying to make me like a character, or understand something about a character, but the character doesn’t back up that assertion, then the character becomes unbelievable and nonsensical. It also seems almost as if the writer is begging me to believe them. That I'm supposed to believe that there is something good about their unruly child, as if telling me certain things about them will completely hide them and their flaws from view.

Tee hee you can't see me!

I mentioned that this 'show and tell' can be a tool too. If done well, and appropriately, a writer can shield truths and answers to mysteries by misleading a reader with what they are telling them. What they are showing however is subtly different and hopefully subtle enough that the reader is too distracted by what is being told to them. Thus, at the end, when all is revealed, the reader (hopefully) didn’t quite see a twist or an answer coming BUT it all makes sense with what’s been shown.

I’m going to give two examples, one where show/tell of characters doesn’t work, and one where it does. For where it doesn’t: Jarom in the Crimson Sword, and where it does: John Snow’s parentage in George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire.

SPOILER: If you haven’t figured out John Snow’s parentage yet and don’t want to know, then don’t read the next entry on this subject—hopefully to be posted in the coming days!

This post though, will be concerning the fail.

Show and Tell FAIL:

The Crimson Sword by Eldon Thompson

When I snarked on the Crimson Sword before, I touched on this show/tell problem. Eldon Thompson gives us paragraphs describing the wonders of his character, Jarom, and how noble and perfect he is. To illustrate this, I took a section from the Crimson Sword. It’s a smidge long but bear with me, and try not to vomit in your mouth:

More importantly, he and no other wore the mantle of Fason, the Village Shield, guardian of Diln. It was up on his shoulders that the burden of safety of the village and its inhabitants rested…

Jarom smiled and said nothing. Allion had indeed shot down three of the four marauders. Then again, not even Allion could have brought them all down and prevented one of their band from slicing off the woman’s throat. It was Jarom who had offered himself up as the distraction that had saved her life. But Allion could tell the story as he saw fit. Jarom was no more interest in the adoration of youngsters than he was in the praise of adults. His pride was rooted not in the opinions of others, but in his own sense of fulfillment. In this instance, he was satisfied with his efforts and Allion’s in a job well done.

…But Allion’s recitation was for Allion as well. Whatever else, the hunter was here and now the center of attention, garnering recognition for his words and deeds, seeking approval for one half his age.

Jarom was more mature than that, or so he preferred to believe, a necessary side effect of his role as village peacekeeper. Granted, the position as largely ceremonial…

Nevertheless it was his responsibility, entrusted to him more than a year ago at the age of eighteen—younger than any other who held the position before. Jarom viewed therefore as a trust to be taken seriously. He worked diligently to meet and exceed the expectations of those who had asked this of him, but mostly to meet and exceed the expectations he held for himself, which precluded the kind of grandiose behavior being displayed now by his friend.

Okay first off, on a craft level, it’s clear that this is a chunk of telling. Which is fine in some regards, and would work if the only thing you had read of this novel were these paragraphs. Unfortunately for the author, I read up to this point and a little bit after and I felt annoyed and insulted that he tried to make me like his character who was clearly a whiny, immature, worthless, undeserving creature.

We are told, as this quoted section starts out, that Jarom is the defender and protector of the village and its made crystal clear that he takes his responsibility seriously (see last quoted paragraph). Now none of this makes sense to me as the reader because in the chapter before this, when we were first introduced to Jarom he was dicking around in the woods somewhere shooting at targets.

That’s right. Was the defender of the village scouting the perimeter? No. Was he checking up on the local militia or guards? No. Was he doing anything regarding the position that I am told he takes so super seriously? No. What was he doing instead? Shooting at things somewhere in the forest no where near his village. Just like a ten year old boy does when he sees something stuck in a tree.

Now, because of what I have been shown in this scene, I find it hard to believe that he was appointed to this defender position, and have no idea why someone would have appointed him to this position. I also find it hard to believe he takes this role as seriously as the author claims, or even if he has any idea what taking a role seriously means. As a result of that, I find it arrogant and hypocritical for the criticizing of his friend…as only a mature adult would do! But more on that point in a moment.

Something that’s talked about in the example I pulled, is Jarom and Allion’s encounter with a gang of marauders. As they were dicking around in the woods shooting at things like ten year olds with a new toy, they hear the sound of hoof beats and find a woman being chased down by four marauders. They kill the marauders and bring the woman back to their village.

If you hadn’t actually read this event, it sounds as if Allion and Jarom did a sort of equal job and that Allion’s part my look larger and he himself is making it sound larger than it actually was—actually killing three of the four bandits. It also sounds as if Jarom held a pretty important role, distraction, bait, etc, forming the second half of a perfectly orchestrated event.

Unfortunately, the author either forgets that I actually read what happened, because, oh, I don’t know, I’m THE READER?? or else he is hoping that if he RE-tells it in a way that makes his MC sound better, I’ll forget the previous battle.

What really happened was this: Jarom and Allion get to the scene as the marauders catch up to the woman. They hide in the brush while the marauders grab the woman and the woman bites her captors wrist causing him to scream and let go.

What does our serious, young village peacekeeper do? For someone put into the role at such a young age, as we were told, we would think he would, oh, know what he was doing. But no. Instead of getting a weapon, or shooting from the brush, Jarom rushes into the middle of the group like an idiot and attacks the man the woman already bit.

That’s right. He goes after the already wounded guy. Who was wounded…by a woman. While surrounded by other enemies. With no weapon.

Why the hell is this guy village peace keeper?

So Jarom is wrestling on the ground with this guy when he suddenly realizes “Damn…probably should have gotten a weapon before I charged in here like a moron,” gets up—leaving his enemy on the ground, not even slightly more wounded than he was before, and realizes, oops, there are other soldiers surrounding me.

These other soldiers—remember there were a total of four, three are now surrounding him since Jarom tackled one—watched probably in shock wondering who this bockhead was, now realized that “oh just some idiot we can easily take care of.’

Of course Jarom just stands there while Allion, still in the bushes LIKE ANYONE WITH ANY SENSE WOULD DO picks them off. As he would done whether Jarom was there or not. So this nonsense as Jarom serving as a distraction—although yes he was a distraction—really is a moot point because Allion could have picked them off as easily whether Jarom was there or not. In fact, Jarom just made things worse because now Allion had to save, not only this woman, but his friend.

Essentially, Allion then kills three with arrows, while the guy Jarom was wrestling with (who he turned his back on when he got up, as any good defender or protector would do!) gets up and tries to kill Jarom, but Jarom fights him off…with a tree branch. A guy with a heavy sword v. a tree branch. Yes, in that battle I’m sure a tree branch would win every time. *thumbs up*

So, as you can see, this sudden assertion that Jarom played an essential role and that Allion was being over dramatic I find a little insulting. "Offered himself up?" Jarom did no more 'Offer himself up," to these guys, than a skunk offers himself up to a car when crossing the road. What we are now being told is not what we were shown and as the reader I don’t like being treated like I’m a fool. When Jarom says ‘he was satisfied with his efforts and Allion’s in a job well done,’ yeah you had better be satisfied Jarom, Allion saved your worthless life and if that’s your best effort as the village peace keeper than I fear for your village.

Another thing I want to talk about are the inherent contradictions in what I’m told about Jarom’s character and that whole ‘Jarom is wonderful’ speech above.

We’re told how mature Jarom sees himself, and how seriously he takes things and how seriously he takes his job. We’re led to believe he’s this low key, serious, hardworking good guy, yet the entire time he/the author is totally trashing Allion! Allion is playing with kids and telling them stories, and being a healthy vital part of the village. Jarom is sitting on the steps of a building moping. If you’re so serious and mature than stop judging how others behave. Maybe it’s not Jarom, maybe it’s the author doing the judging to make Jarom look good because one moment Jarom’s judging, and the next he’s going “but that’s okay!’ It’s as if the character has two personalities rather than the one that Eldon Thompson is trying to force on his readers.

Lastly, pages following this just show how inaccurate this whole explanation of Jarom’s character is. We find out some nonsense about Jarom being a kings son. What does mature, serious, doesn’t care about other’s opinion character do? Instead of manning up, taking thing seriously, and asking questions like the man we’re lead to believe he is, he acts like a whiney kid and then mopes around. In fact, what does he say like an angsty teenager? “My entire life is a hoax!” Whaa waah waah, grow up and get out of puberty Jarom.

The thing is, I wouldn’t have been so hard on, or so disappointed in Jarom, if I had not been told who he was supposed to be. If those paragraphs had just been left out and I was able to see the character than some of this would have made sense. Instead, I’m left believing that the MC is an irritating moron, and that the author is trying to force me to see him as something he’s not.

I’m a scientist, I like to have evidence, and I do not appreciate this kind of apparent writing short-cut to make your character appear awesome when you have shown me he is not.

A Brief and Sudden Thought on Evil

2011-01-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

Conflict, an antagonist, the presence of evil in your novel does not simply exist for the character to struggle against, and I think we do a disservice to a character and to a story if we, as writers, see evil in that light only. No, I think we must see the importance of evil and evil events in the light transforming and shaping your character. Evil isn’t a wall that your character throws him or herself against, beating and beating until they have conditioned their body, but rather something that is consumed, something that intwines throughout the hero until they are morphed and changed as a reaction to it.

Phantastes

2011-01-10T12:17:00.002-05:00

'Thus I, who had set out to find my Ideal, came back rejoicing that I had lost my Shadow.' ~Phantastes

If I were to teach a class on Fantasy literature, George MacDonald’s Phantastes would be a definite read. This book, in many ways, seemed to be like a linking element, joining together the myth and folklore of past eras to more modern day literature. After reading it, I can see clearly why C.S. Lewis said that after reading this story he felt ‘as though his imagination had been baptized,’ and why it has been a source of inspiration for authors like Lewis, Tolkien, Carroll, Stevenson, and others.

Phantastes, written 1857/8, the story follows the tale of Anodos through the mystical realm of Faerie. Through his travels he meets friends, enemies, sees wonders and comes upon a greater understanding of himself. The book of full of layers, double meanings, symbols, and what I consider a completely delicious combination of imagination and folktale—and let me tell you I am a sucker for folktale.

Phantastes doesn’t have a concrete plot in the way we think of them. There is no obvious antagonist to start out with and Anodos doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in Fairyland except for travelling East. For what point and purpose, we don’t know, although there is religious symbolism in the choice of direction. However, while not having a concrete obvious plot made up of actions in hopes of coming to a distinct end point, the book has a subtle plot of character growth. The antagonist and the hero is one and the same: Anodos himself. Only in searching, discovering, and conquering himself and his own failings and faults can he truly ‘win.’ Phantastes is, in fact, actually described, from the German as a Bildungsroman, or a story of personal development.

This story of personal development, or this Bildungsroman, I believe is what good stories should be at their root. An author may forget that to their detriment.

One of the most amazing things while reading this work was seeing the obvious inspiration and parallels to other classic works of literary fiction. Fairy Land, for example, sort of forms itself around Anodos, so that he enters it in a passive way. To me, this is very representative of how the children often entered C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. Additionally, the entire Narnia arc can be seen as having similar beginning and end points to Anodos adventures throughout Fairy Land, and many of the people Anodos meets have parallels in Narnia. One can draw clear lines of inspiration from Phantastes to Lewis Carroll. MacDonald saw mirrors as places that not only reflect, but hold a form of reality, an idea Carroll drew upon in Through the Looking Glass. Additionally, the white rabbit of Carroll fame has one of his first appearances early on in Phantastes.

I spoke of folktale before, and that is really the part of the story that caught me. I have a soft spot for folktale. They always seem so wondrous to me, and how these stories and peoples almost seem to exist in the shadows of our own world, or even a shadow version of our own world. MacDonald brings in dryads, witches, huts with four doors, knights, and even a modified Baba Yaga makes an appearance. Those elements alone kept me reading and kept inspiring me with each page.

Phantastes, I feel, is a must read for any lover, reader, and/or writer of the fantasy genre. Not only to gain a better understanding of the literature it inspired, but to inspiring your own imagination as well.

Back v. 2.0

2011-01-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

I feel as if I’ve been dead for the last few months. Not officially ‘heart stopped in the ground dead,’ but more ‘writing, reading normal self’ dead. With the ending of the last year, I was able to clean up lots of loose ends and now I feel up to actually reading more, writing more, getting back to forums that I have ignored, and emails I just couldn’t respond to, although I hope some of those folks were too distracted by hockey to notice.

I still have one more entry in my travel journal—which was taking up the place of actual entries that required my mind to work—before I get back to real entries on stories. And this last entry, following this, is pretty short. But before that you’ll notice a real sign that I’m back to my normal literary self.

I’ve rearranged my ‘Reading/Upcoming Reads’ list on the sidebar. ‘The Crimson Sword’ is on the backburner because I wanted to read, well, good things. ’Lord Foul’s Bane’ is pushed onto my mental list of books to read simply because I have other books I got that I want to read sooner. Now I’m working on George MacDonald’s Phantastes which is absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to talk about it.

But before that, my last real post from my travel journal.

*******************************

This post is relatively short. In fact the pages of my moleskin are pretty empty if you look at my last full day in Munich. It was taken up mainly with a failed attempt to go to Salzburg, wandering around the city again, a visit to Starnberger See, and another short jaunt to Augsberg—this time in the daylight. None of it is worth recording here. The evening, however, really needs a spot of my time.

It was Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is, of course, an American holiday and it is not something the German’s celebrate. When I studied in Munich in 2007, some of the host parents organized a Thanksgiving dinner for all the students, which at the time ,was awesome. We had been in Germany for months and were all feeling a little homesick, and so getting together at a little café in Neubiberg was just the ticket. We had all made American style thanksgiving dishes, some of which were a challenge. I had a particular issue finding cheddar cheese and instead ended up with a suspicious substance known as Chester Cheese, which worked out fine but I still to this day don’t quite know what it was. Another girl made sweet potato casserole and had to spend weeks looking for sweet potatoes. When she finally made it, one of our German professors looked at the dish, and said to the person next to him “What is that monstrosity!” :D All in all it was really nice, but it illustrating not only outstanding cultural differences, but how diet can make reenacting a favorite holiday pretty difficult.

That was 2007, and now it was 2010 and once again I was in Munich for Thanksgiving. And, once again, my undergraduate program was studying abroad and the host parents had organized a dinner. Although no longer a student, Traudl decided that we should go (naturally) and arranged for our presence at Café Zur Post on Hauptstrasse in Neubiberg.

At 5:45 we left the house. It gets dark in Munich around 4:00pm so it was black by this time and very cold. It had been snowing the whole time and by the time we got into the car, we couldn’t see out the window. Apparently not being able to see when driving, doesn’t matter much for the German’s. We peeled out of the drive way.

Okay, I’m sorry, we couldn’t completely not see. There was a tiny strip at the bottom of the windshield that was clear, so Traudl hunched down in her seat as we hit the mainroad and peered out the tiny little bit of clear glass. Problem solved I guess??

The Café was about 5 minutes from our house, and, as we pulled in, it was clear we were the first ones there. Which, I think, was a good thing. As we went in we were treated to an interesting scene.

For decorations, the people of the cafe had written “Happy Thanksgiving!” on pieces of construction paper and placed them randomly around the room. On the center of each table was a poinsettia, a clump of party balloon’s hung from the ceiling, and, to top off the truly Thanksgiving like atmosphere, the song ‘Eye of the Tiger’ was blaring from the sound system.

Happy Thanksgiving Christmas Birthday Boxing Day maybe? :)

It was cute and they really did try their hardest. I suppose I can’t fault them for that.

The food was good. Instead of a whole turkey, we just had the turkey legs, and the pumpkin pie, made by one of the American professors, was oddly lacking pumpkin. She explained to us, sadly, that pumpkin was not only out of season, but almost impossible to find. It was like the sweet potato experience all over again.

********************

That’s the last entry from my travel journal to Munich. We left the next day, flying out in snow and ice, and leaving Bavaria behind us. I love Munich, and I love Germany, and the secret hidden places in the Alps. If you ever get a chance to go, do it! It’s a magical country, with crazy inhabitants, and you won’t regret your trip.

Through the Alps

2011-01-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

Through the Alps

Going through the Alps, I understand where fairy stories come from, and how so many of them came from this area of the world. I understand it so well how tales of dragons and unicorns and fairies and orgres and mystical creatures can come out of places like this:

It reeks of fantasy in its simple existence and I can really understand by being here the true influence of this place on stories. It’s in the little things too. The delicately carved and scrolled woodwork on all of the houses in the villages, all so small in juxtaposition to the mountains. The woodsmoke among the snow. In the summer, there are window boxes of geraniums. It is a place that seems so…lost in time. Or rather so hidden away that all the dangers it has to contend with are the mountains and the stories hidden away within the knells.

Ahh Deutschland. You inspire me so.

But to backtrack a little. My friend’s biggest wish coming to Germany was to see Neuschwanstein Castle:

This one!

the big white castle that usually plasters most cards and images of Deutschland. I told my host parents this and today we made the trip down towards Fussen. This was awesome for me. In the past, I had made the trip by train, but now, in the car we were able to drive all through the Alps. It was especially awesome because, well… I have a bit of a love affair with mountains.

And to make that load of awesome even more awesome, it was snowing.

We took a scenic route, possibly for a reason other than the scenery. My host parents had been trying to convince us constantly to go to a different castle and it just so happened to be conveniently on our way when we took the scenic route. Imagine that.

Honestly, it didn’t matter. We benefited in the long run.

A road in an alpine valley

Church in the alps. The onion dome is common in Bayern

Snowy trees

Farmhouse

Likely a restaurant or guest house in a village we passed through

I really like the look of German words

Going up one of the mountains, we came to a small village. Peter asks from the front seat:

“There is a monastery here. You want to in?”

Mackenzie and I look at each other, shrug, and respond. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t have to.”

“Okay, we will go.”

We really didn’t care, we were looking forward to getting to Neuschwanstein, but when we pulled off the road and walked under an archway, boy was I glad we stopped.

Deutschland, du bist Schoen

We made it to the castle an hour or two later.

It’s just outside the village of Fussen and apparently, the school day had just ended because little kids in square backpacks were running down the road. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it would be just awesome to go to school in the shadow of a castle. How cool and surreal!

Normally, busses run up the mountain taking tourists from the bottom to the top to visit the castle. Unfortunately today, it was snowing, and because it was snowing and this is Alps—in other words, the slopes are steep—the busses weren’t running.

“No problem!” Traudl says, “we will hike!”

Now, I’m all for hiking in weird conditions. It’s an adventure! But I certainly wasn’t expecting to be hiking through the Alps in the snow in winter. Traudl, however, acting like it was an everyday occurrence and set off at a brisk pace toward the top.

Peter, who has a form of rheumatism, stayed at the bottom. Thus, we were a little surprised when, after a few minutes waiting in the entrance hall for our tour to start, we turn around and BAM there’s Peter, grinning at us.

“I decided,” he says, “I want to walk a little. So I walk a little bit. And then…I walk a little more. And then I am here.”

We didn’t have to wait long before our tour, but before I talk briefly about the castle I have to recount a conversation I had while waiting to go inside.

First, to set the scene, we are waiting with about 30 other people, huddled in the entrance way of the castle waiting for the tour in English to begin. So we are surrounded by English speakers. And children. Got that? Remember English speakers and children.

Traudl and Peter are talking about something in German and I chuckle at it.

Peter: “Ah you like that? What is that word in English? B—bottom?”

Me: “Yes, bottom. The slang term is ‘butt.’”

Peter: “Ah! Ah! I see!”

Traudl: “What else is it…?”

Peter: “Yes, yes, what is the…lower level?”

I kind of blink at them, thinking,’ do they really want me to teach them this’ and ‘oh god everyone around me understands this conversation!’ But Traudl and Peter keep insisting so I lower my voice and say: “Ass.”

Peter *at normal volume*: “Ass?”

Traudl: “Ass!”

Peter: “Ass!”

“Ass!”

Me: *headsmack*

Luckily we went into the castle a few moments later.

Neuschwanstein—literally translated to mean New Swan Stone—was built by Ludwig II at the expense of the Bavarian people. Meaning he bankrupt the country to build it and its sister castles, Linderhof and Herr Chiemsee. Ludwig, to me at least, seemed like a little boy who never quite grew up and liked to involve himself in his own fantasies. Many people thought him to be mad—and maybe he was. But his castles reflected this want for fairy tale and fancy in my opinion. Neuschwanstein is what you’d think of a castle from the outside AND from the inside. It would be completely useless for defense but it was still beautiful to look at. Rich wood carvings, tapestries, architecture…lovely. However, only eight rooms in the castle are actually complete. Ludwig was ousted from the throne before the castle could be completed.

After we completed the tour, we made the way back to Munich on a more direct route. When we reached home, we ate dinner and sat up for hours drinking wine, talking, and me trying to translate back and forth between my friends and my host parents.

Now when it comes to conversation…oh boy! German’s don’t really have the same…restraint I guess is the right word that we do in the states. Nothing really is off limits. It’s common for some of the first questions to be asked by new German friends to be how much you make and what religion you are.

So its no surprise that our conversation ranged from man-boobs:

Peter quote: “When a man gets older, he gets…” *makes gestures in front of his chest* “Yes like a woman. But I like much more on a woman. You know what I mean. When a woman wears a corset, everything drops…up. I like it very much.”

To the Queen of England:

Peter Quote: “The Queen…she is never amused!”

To incontinence:

Traudl quote: You know, when people get older…they cannot hold their pee pee.”

To English pronunciations:

Peter quote: “When German’s speak, it is always with diz, and daz. It is hard to make the ‘th’ sound. The tongue…must look outside.”

To the pictures Mackenzie took that day:

Peter quote: “Ah but that picture is too small! It does not get any of my…special parts.”

Until it was finally time to go to bed.

Peter: “I must go to bed. I sleep like a Princess. A Princess and the…bean?”

Oh boy. And tomorrow is a new day.

Augsburg

2010-12-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

As I got off the train at the Augsburg Hauptbahnhof and stepped onto the dark streets of the city, I realized that I was an idiot.

I had only been to Augsburg once, in the day, with a guide of sorts. Now it was night, cold, misting rain, and I found myself in a European city with the winding streets that have no rhyme or reason to their layout and I needed to find a Christkindlemarkt that was located somewhere within the city . Awesome, Jenny, well planned.

Okay, I thought to myself, this shouldn’t be too bad. The Markt shouldn’t be located somewhere random. It should be in the city center, or by the town hall or something, but now the question was where that was. After a few minutes of wandering aimlessly around the Hauptbahnhof, Mackenzie and I found a shadowy map that we lit with the backlight on my phone. It was easy to read, thankfully, and, according to the map, the main square should be straight down the road in front of us (bahnhofstrasse). We closed my phone and set off.

Despite the cold and the rain, people were out on the streets in Augsburg. Christmas decorations lit the streets, although the ones that were supposed to look like stars ended up looking like giant spiders. Once in a while we came across a collection of the wooden stalls that are found in a Christmas market, but there weren’t enough of them to tell us we had found our destination, and half of them were closed anyways. That last made me nervous. What if we found the market but it was closed? Would we ever get the chance to come back?

As we plunged deeper into the city, there were more lights and more people. A crowd had built up near the Strassenbahn tracks and as we waited for the streetcars to pass, I tried to eavesdrop on the conversation around me, hoping maybe I could figure out if these people were going to the Market.

This is approximately what I heard:

“balidsfnaoidnfaidufadf FACEBOOK! Aaodsfhaodifanfb;f”

That wasn’t very helpful

Once the street car passed we continue down the street until we reached the bottom of a hill where the road split, took a right and circled around to the large town hall. And I breathed a sigh of relief. There it was. The Christkindlemarkt….however all the stalls were shut and the lights were out.

Balls.

We were going to give up and go back, when Mackenzie and I noticed a strange amount of people on the street. Now let me repeat, it was cold. It had to have been hovering around the freezing mark and it was misting rain. In other words, not a good night to be out. But there were still people hanging out under overhangs drinking hot chocolate and coffee. Then we began to notice shadows lurking among the closed stands. Every now and one would zip inside their stand, or slip under the cloth covering as if to arrange a display. A woman walked by us wearing an apron for holding money.

Mackenzie and I looked at each other. Something was up and we were going to find out what.

We found a spot to stand in front of the lighted shop window of a jewelry store. Then we decided it wasn’t a good idea to loiter in front of a jewelry store and moved to loiter in front of another store, which gave no indication as to what it actually was.

It was a cold wait. At first we thought we might be mistaken, but as more and more people began to loiter with us, we realized that no, something was happening. Then a choir came out onto the balcony of the town hall and began to sing.

It was lovely and unearthly. For about 20 minutes. Then I was too cold to care. We continued to wait as the choir sang, then, an announcement came in German, explaining the history of the Christkindlesmarkt. ‘Ah ha!’ we thought, ‘they’re opening it!’

Haha we were silly. We waited another half hour before the announcement came again. Then another half hour. Then at the very random time of 8:37, all the lights came on—on the Christmas tree, on the giant Christmas pyramid, on the buildings on the stalls—and the market was open.

This photo courtesy of Mackenzie

It was magical. The scent of sugared almonds filled the air. People feasted on wurst, and gluhwein. Mackenzie and I purchased some sort of tender pork patty, spiced delicately and deliciously, and we ate as we browsed through the lighted booths.

I didn’t know when we got off the train that we would stumble on the opening ‘ceremony’ of the market, but it was worth it. No one does Christmas like the Germans. After we made some purchases, we found our way back to the bahnhof—getting some gluhwein on the way and having a lovely conversation with a random group of Germans—and made our way back to Munich.

Around Munich: Day 2

2010-12-19T11:32:00.001-05:00

We woke up this morning and talked with my host parents for an hour and a half over breakfast . I love breakfast with my host parents. Traudl makes the BEST jam, homemade, from the fresh fruit bought in the stands in the city. That’s something else I love about Munich—the seasonal fruit stands all over the city. The Turkish quarter outside the hauptbahnhof is especially delicious.

Anyways, we took the bahn in the Munich so I could show Mackenzie around the city properly. We started in Marienplatz, the city center, home to:

The Rathaus

Rathaus=townhall. There is an awesome restaurant in the basement

And the famous Glockenspiel.

The Glockenspiel is a moveable clock and one of the symbols of the city. As it plays, it reenacts several scenes from Munich’s history. The first is a joust celebrating the wedding of Ludwig I and Princess Therese. This is the same wedding which Oktoberfest celebrates and is even held in a meadow named after Princess Therese (Theresianweise). The second scene recreates the Schaefflertanz—or the Cooper’s dance. After the plague left the city, the Coopers were said to be the first out of their homes, dancing in the streets.

The Glockenspiel is really cool to watch, and it draws tourists from all over. But, as a lot of tourist things do, it also might attract pickpockets. Now one of the things I love about Germany, is that its ridiculously safe and people are very law abiding and so I never heard of anyone having anything stolen when watching the Glockenspiel play, BUT the rumor is that that is the best time for thieves. Anyways, now you know!

We stood in Marienplatz for a little, just soaking things in. The Munich Christkindlemarkt (Christmas Market) was going to be starting that Friday, and so people were setting up their stalls and hanging lights. The giant Christmas tree was already up.

If there is something Germany does well, it’s Christmas. It’s like a Christmas explosion. Even when they’re setting up, it feels like Christmas.

Marienplatz at night during Christmas

The little stalls for the Christkindlemarkt are made of wood, some with beautiful scrollwork and decorations. There are other stalls open selling hot roasted chestnuts, and sugared roasted almonds. It’s just yum. And perfect. In fact, nothing is more delicious that those hot sugared almonds in 30 degree weather.

See?

Soon we moved away from the Christmas explosion in Marienplatz and up towards Sendlinger Tor because I wanted to show Mackenzie what I liked to call the random church. Munich is full of really awesome old churches, but the one I wanted to show her was especially awesome. First off, it’s away from any main square and it seems shoved right in the middle of all these perfectly normal shops and businesses. And when I say right in the middle, I mean right in the middle.

One of these things is not like the other.

The inside is just as crazy. It’s ridiculously baroque, and very dark, with lots of random things happening. Like this random skeleton cutting this cherubs hair.

WTF Germany

Luckily Mackenzie had the foresight to snap this photo of the randomness.

As we left the church, we saw this awesome window. Nothing really exciting about it except it’s awesome.

I also took Mackenzie on a mini ‘walk of evil’ tour. Munich was the center of the Nazi movement and when I studied here back in 2007, one of my classes was all about fascism and the rise of Nazism in Munich and we got to see some of famous places and buildings that figured prominently in the Nazi regime.

Odeonsplatz is one of them. It was here that Hitler staged a huge march, was arrested, thrown in jail, which is where he wrote Mein Kampf, which helped, essentially put him on the map. Odeonsplatz has some other awesome things like the Teatinerkirche

And the Rezidence, where the kings of Bavaria lived. According to legend, if you rub the nose of one of the lions at the gate, it means you will return to Bayern.

The next stop on our walk of evil tour was the center of the Nazi government: Koenigsplatz. The Nazi’s really liked the classical greek style of architecture because of their clean orderly lines. As such, all of their buildings in Koenigsplatz reflect this style.

This is now the Egypt Museum haha

If you’re ever in this area of Munich there’s something you have to do, that I don’t think many people know about/do since the tours for tourists usually stay in the city center. Walk up the street, away from the big gate and you come to an intersection. Turn to the left and you will see this balcony:

My pictures of this thing always turn out blurry or crooked. GROWL

This humble, unassuming balcony, now part of a music school, marks Hitler’s office where Appeasement took place. Crazy no?

The last stop on our ‘walk of evil’ tour is one of my favorite memorials. One of the resistance movements in Munich was by a group of students known as the Weisse Rose (White Roses). They were led by brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl. They put up anti Nazi propaganda all over the city and, on the day they were caught, Sophie is famous for taking a whole ream of leaflets and throwing them out over a balcony toward incoming students.

The memorial to them is, to me, just so perfect and moving. It’s very simple, and if you don’t know where to look, it’s hard to find. You have to go to the University, where the Weisse Rose had their headquarters. Stand in front of the university on Geschwester Scholl Platz, on the cobbles, and look down at your feet. You’ll see something like this:

Scattered like leaflets across the cobbles of the entrance are little stone markets, shaped like pamphlets in homage, honoring each member of the Weisse Rose.

It’s insanely moving to me.

It was inching towards 3:30pm by the time we were done with our tour, and, this time of year, it gets dark around 4:00pm and we had a train to catch to the neighboring city of Augsberg. However, there was something very important we had to do first.

I’m about to tell you a secret. A very important secret and an incredibly valuable piece of information.

Are you ready?

There is a free public bathroom, one of the only on the entire U-bahn system, located at Candidplatz.

See? Told you it was important.

Not only is there a bathroom there, but the bahn stop at Candidplatz is super cool.

See?

Anyways, after we made *that* important stop, we climbed on the train, headed for Augsberg.

Back!

2010-12-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

I'm back! Get excited :D . Actually I was back several days ago but had some coming home stuff to take care of first. Over the next week, though, I'll be posting my travel journal here. Starting with the day we--my best friend and I--left/arrived in Munich, Germany.

Go!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is so nice to be back in Munich. I am not German, and I do not wish to be German—I’m perfectly happy being American—however I do love this country and this city. I love Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel in all their beautiful architectural goodness. I love the cheeses and meats and wonderful wonderful bread. I love it all.

But to back track to yesterday morning.

Before I even left, I packed two of my travel essentials

1)

Yes, my Velcro shoes for my feetsies. No, I’m not a twelve year old. I am, though, a person who likes to go through security quickly, and have ease when I travel. Velco shoes are easy to slip on and easy to slip off, not only when going through the security line, but also when you’re on a plane. Plus they add protection for your feet that sandals don't.

2)

The tic tacs are for scale, although they are delicious

I can’t travel without a moleskin notebook. Well…I can, but its one of those things I would rather not travel without. It has to be a moleskin—not because of the name, but for several reasons. The first is size. The smallest size is the perfect size and can readily fit in your pants pocket and is easy to whip out to take notes on. That’s what I bring a moleskin for: notes. Like when I’m in a strange city and I want to look up the name of a building or place when I get home, I make a note. They’re great for writing down train times too. Once I was traveling back from Krakow on a sleeper train, set my alarm for when my stop was supposed to be, but when the alarm went off we were at a completely different stop. Well, I just pulled out my handy dandy little moleskin and was able to figure out late the train was running and how much longer I could sleep.

The best feature of a moleskin, and the reason I choose a moleskin over a regular less expensive notebook, is the hidden pocket in the backflap. Oh yes, you read that. There’s a little pocket in the back where I keep my emergency cash. If I were a thief the last thing I would still is the little notebook. Unless the thief is reading this blog. Hmmm….

Anyways, with my essentials packed we, my best friend and I, left this morning for our regional airport, where we would fly to Dulles, and then from Dulles to Toronto, then from Toronto to Munich. A little round about I know, but it was worth it cost wise. The actual trip was uneventful, but I would be failing if I didn’t mention one point of awesome:

These are the hand dryers at one of the airports. THEY ARE SO AWESOME!!!

We arrived in Munich around 10:00 am and my host parents, Traudl and Peter picked and drove us back to Neubiberg, our little village just to the south of the city. To my surprise they didn’t remember my old roommate Kaitlin or her icky boyfriend Dail. I guess that’s probably a good thing. I also asked them what they thought about the terrorist threats against Germany and they made some noise along the lines of “eh emuh eh,” and sorta flapped their hands. “It is terrible,” they said finally, “but what can we really do? We do all we can.”

Once we got to their house, we went up to the same little apartment that Kaitlin and I shared. There’s this weird European thing, or maybe it’s just a German thing, where they take two twin beds and push them together.

Aww so cute and cozy

It’s as if you have one big bed but…not. It actually works really well and Traudl and Peter have these ridiculously comfortable down filled comforters that are just mmmmmm. We would have slept like rocks but it was only 12:00pm and we were hungry. Traudl told us she would make ‘Lettuces’ (her exact words lol) for lunch. Before we ate our ‘lettuces,’ Peter showed us around.

The house was the same as I remember it, expect for one point which Peter was very excited about.

Yes. This is a toilet. And, as you can see, it is a new toilet with a seat that closes slowly and quietly by itself. Apparently that is a big deal. Then he said “I wish the seat would be blue, or red.” Just for reference, the bottom half of the toilet is a pale yellow.

Oh Peter, artist you are not.

After lunch Traudl asked us what we were planning on doing. We were a little tired but it was only around 1 pm, so I said Mackenzie and I would go and tool around the city for a bit. Traudl decided she would come. Little did I know what an adventure that would be.

Now, I studied abroad in Munich in 2007. I spent a large portion of my time exploring the city. I even had a class on ‘Munich behind the scenes,’ so I do know how things tend to work, what tickets to get, where to get them, what the things are, etc. Now I would have expected Traudl to know just as much if not more. Haha silly me.

First she didn’t know which ticket to get to get us into the city. Munich, like many large cities, as a system of subway trains (U-bahns) and over ground trains (S-bahns), and the tickets you purchase, for the most part can usually apply to both of these. There are many options however but apparently Traudl didn’t know them. And since I didn’t want to offend her by telling her which ones were the best, Mackenzie and I patiently waited in the cold while she figured it out. And then she didn’t even time stamp the ticket..oops! Ah well, we didn’t get controlled and that’s the important thing!

When we got into Munich, Mackenzie and I were just assuming we would sorta wander around slowly. However this is not the German thing. Germans like to have plans. Germans like to get from point A to point B, and Traudl was no exception.

“And now we will go here, and then we will go here. You want to go inside? We will go inside.”

We were almost dragged from Odeonsplatz to Marienplatz to Karlsplatz. No stopping for photographs, no pausing for a break. For the two of us, very exhausted and jet lagged, it was a little much. Luckily, we’re going out tomorrow, sans Traudl, and going back to take pictures and go to all my favorite spots.

We did have a treasure of an experience inside the Frauenkirche though. At this time of year, Germany is erupting in Christmas—more on that later—and there are many Christmas concerts going on. We stopped inside the Frauenkirche, one of the symbols of Munich, and got to hear the choir warming up. It was truly magical. The choir was singing Handel’s Oratorio, accompanied by a full orchestra at the end of the nave in a beautiful gothic church, lit by candlelight.

Then we came home and ate Lebkuchen (german gingerbread) and drank hot tea and ate Christmas cakes.

Beautiful ending :)

Tomorrow we’re exploring more of Munich and heading over to Augsburg for the Christkindlesmarkt (the Christmas market)

Bis spaater, I need sleep.

An Afternoon Trip with Rushdie and a Note for Next Week

2010-11-18T20:12:00.002-05:00

I don’t know what it is about my trip home that always makes me think of blog topics. Maybe it’s because I just have so much to let my mind wander. Especially when people are doing blasting on the side of the road and I’m sitting in traffic for an hour. Hooray!

Anyways, this time though, I got to listen to this fantastic interview with Salman Rushdie It’s a long interview, mainly about his new young adult book, but absolutely worth it. If you’ve got the time while you’re doing dishes or chores, listen.

There are a couple of things in this wonderful interview I’m going to save for blog posts for later, but there are two I want to highlight now.

When discussing children’s literature, he said something that I believe wholehearitly, and hearing Rushdie say it in his own smooth eloquent way just made me feel all fuzzy and go ‘YES EXACTLY’ in my car. He said: You need to write up to children, not down. And can write the same themes for adults and children, but children may enter these ideas through different doors than adults. Another point touched on in the interview which makes me adore this man was that children are attracted to heavier, more serious topics, which is a point I mentioned before

It’s so true and I think this mentality is what helps separate good children’s literature from forgettable children’s literature.

Another thing Rushdie said that I believe was completely on point was that we, as writers, don’t follow a linear path when we come to writing. Our writing and imagination can follow twists and turns, writing adult one moment, children the next. Again, I think this is true. We are, to an extent, swayed by whatever our muses are saying to us at the time.

I bring this up because it leads me to what I really wanted to say today. It’s important to follow that muse and try to write different things, different kinds of things, and experiment with styles and writing forms. It’s an essential part of discovering yourself as a writer. In my writing life so far, I’ve written all sorts of things, from straight fiction, to mystery, to horror, but I’ve settled on fantasy because it feels right. It’s my niche. It’s the genre and style and place I can express myself and my views most freely. And I’m happy not spending time writing in the other genres. Why? Because I feel as if I’ve paid my dues. I know I can write in these other capacities, but I choose not to and I can justify it. Now, within this genre, I will follow different paths for sure but I choose to rarely stray outside of it.

Rarely.

Except for this coming week :)

Now when it comes to writing, besides fantasy, my writing usually consists of this blog, which is writing about fantasy and literature. If I try to blog about anything else, I usually can’t keep it up—maybe again this is the result of straying from my genre. Who knows. But notice I said usually. The only other time I keep any sort of blog or journal is when I travel.

If you do not keep a blog or journal when you travel, you are missing out. Seriously. Keeping an account of traveling is not only good for writing skills, but it is a great resource, and a fantastic souvenir of a trip. I’m leaving for Germany on Saturday and so I’m turning this into my temporary travel blog. Thus look forward to a week of travel related post and random excitement about heading back to a place I consider another home!

Villains and Evil in Shades of Gray

2010-11-13T14:40:00.000-05:00

Fantasy is one of those genres that can walk the line between incredibly good or incredibly cheesy. I know I’ve read several fantasy novels where I close the book and think, “This is why some people mock this genre.” Often these novel are, not only unrealistic when it comes to characters, but completely over the top when it comes to dialogue, plot, and conflict.

Oh conflict.

This, to me, is one of the main things that distinguishes more simplistic over the top dramatic fantasy, from fantasy that has a bit more depth and texture.

Often times, in fantasy, we have a battle, of some kind, of good versus evil. That is no problem. It’s easy for the reader to identify with. There is often an easily identifiable antagonist. However, when the sides are so black and white, so clearly good and so clearly evil, then we have a problem.

Most of the time, the issue is with the antagonist. When the antagonist is completely evil, and so evil that they possess no amount of humanity or characteristic other than ‘ooo let me be evil’ the story weakens. And I’m talking about evil to the point that it almost punches you in the face with how evil it is. Yes, I’m looking at you Chris Evans. You and your evil characters speaking in scary Halloween font. Totally unnecessary.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this author, ~~you’re lucky.~~ I made the unfortunate decision to read—or rather start reading—one of his books about a year ago. I was turned off in the very first chapter mainly by how he introduced the antagonist / the evil in the book. Everything was black and dark, there was no discernable reason for the extent of over the top evilness. In otherwords, no discernable reason for the evilness to be believable.

That’s the key isn’t it. Believability. Believability so the reader can truly feel as if the villain is a person and thus make the final battle more satisfying.

So how do we go about that?

With this book, it was as if the author had drawn a line down the paper and said this is evil, this is good. The thing is, in life, most things aren’t that black and white, as much as we try to make them. Villains have a gray area, and should be defined beyond their ‘evilness’. If the whole purpose of the story is to defeat this clear evilness—an evilness that is simply evil—that’s all well and good but…that’s it?

I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that the point of a story? To defeat evil. Well yes, but the path to defeat that evil is just as important to the plot as the defeat itself. And that plot relies on characterization and tension. Good villains aren’t 100% evil. They usually have a motivation behind what they do, a deeper reason for why they chose the path they did. In fact, the struggle of the villain with their own paths and their own choices adds an additional layer to what is being written and can feed in to the hero’s choices as well.

Look at Narim in Song of the Beast. He was a fantastic character because his motivations were, for what he thought, the greater good. So blinded was he by his own convictions that he made the wrong choices. He was a villain, but he was more than simply evil.

Look at Darth Vadar. The most fascinating thing about him is not that he’s a villain, but how he got to where he was. His past. His life. Again, he’s more of a person than an evil stereotype.

Both of these characters fascinated readers, so they were more than just a stock antagonist. Thus, when the protagonist and the antagonist meet, the battle and the defeat is much much more satisfying. Why? Because the battle is about more than just the clash of the swords, it’s about the two people who are fighting. Who they are, what they have gone through, what they are both trying to achieve. And if one person is a simple caricature of evil rather than a person, than the battle fails.

When the good and evil are so easily defined, and so clearly defined, a little piece of me dies. The happy part. Words coming out of those characters are hollow and, since the villain is an archtype the defeat of said villain is simply not as satisfying as it would be against what a reader would feel is a real villain. A villain with a past and a history. A villain that has reasons for what he does. A villain where evil is not evil simply for evil’s sake.

Almost back but not quite

2010-11-06T17:06:00.000-04:00

My posts have been sparse over the past few weeks, and I truly wish it hadn't been that way. However, I've had to be on a writing hiatus of sorts until my thesis is finished. I defend this Friday, so I should be able to get back to a regular posting schedule after that. Hooray!

I feel really sorry for my poor neglected blog. I can think of several topics I would like to talk about, but when it comes down to putting words on paper, my mind rebels. 'No!' it says, 'you've been using me all week! And all weekend! Do something mindless!' This usually doesn't include a well thought out blogpost. In fact, my blog post on making the hero/villain relationship too black and white is sitting open on my desktop and I can't force myself to work through it. It's a little depressing because I think its a very important thing to realize if you're writing fantasy, especially if you want your writing to be taken seriously.

As much as I want to write it though, I just can't force it, or it won't come out right. That happens with my creative work too. There are all sorts of writing/writers blogs all over the internet, and many say, just write! Get something on the page! The thing is, people and writers are diverse, and I know myself well enough that I know I just can't force something if it doesn't want to be written. It ends up coming out wrong, and then it itches at the back of my mind and drives me crazy. So, if I have to trust myself to be patient and not just force something just because I want it on the page.

This is why it is so important to know yourself as a writer. There are a million books and writing sites and writing blogs and writing columns all giving advice on what to do, on how to write, how to use adjectives, or what to do about pacing and tone. The thing is, not all this advice is the same, and it won't necessarily apply to you. You won't know, however, which advice to take unless you know how you function as a writer, what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are. There is no great all-knowing panel that decides what is correct advice. In the end, that choice belongs to you.

So here we are at the end of a sort of update post/rambling post. I'll be back, in hopefully a more focused mind set after Friday!

A Homely Setting

2010-10-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

November 12, 3:30pm.

Mark your calendars.

It's the day I'll be defending my thesis!

I've been really busy working on thesis related work, but soon, very soon, I'll be able to get back to more weekly updates. I can tell everyone is very excited.

Anyways, the topic for today,

I have to admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for Terry Brooks Landover series. I’m not going to claim it was the best, most classic fantasy series ever written, but it was cute and had its own sort of mild charm. The reason I have a soft spot for it is not because of its cuteness, however, but for one reason and one reason only: the entrance to the magic kingdom of Landover is near where I grew up and the place I still call home.

Home sweet home...

The reason for the entrance location is because Terry Brooks lived for a short time south of my home town and fell in love with it and the secret places of the Appalachian Mountains. In other words, he worked a place he called home into one of his books.

Brooks certainly isn’t the only one who put a touch of home in their work. One of the trademarks of the Hobbit, at least in my mind, is the pure Englishness of it. Here is a fantasy world, where the main character eats seed cakes and participates in the very and uniquely British activity of ‘Walking.’ Not only that, but it is also important, for a hobbit, to invite people ‘round to tea!

The places we grew up influence us and how we look at the world. It’s only natural they sneak into literature and into our own writing. It helps give what we’re writing a sense of authenticity and also a sense of warmth. When we write about a place we love, or call home, we natural imbibe a bit of something extra into our words.

Have any of you written your own home, or parts of it, into one of your stories?

BAM!

2010-10-11T17:33:00.000-04:00

Lookie what comes out 11/30:

Oh yes

And! If that wasn't enough to make my little heart swoon with joy:

I cannot wait! Looks like I now have something for my Christmas list.

Also, on Friday, I posted a contributors post to the SF Scrivener.

Whabam!

It's all about some good old fantasy classics.

Long Overdue

2010-10-07T15:40:00.000-04:00

Two things that are long overdue: A blogpost and the topic of this entry

I know I missed last week :/. I’ve been ridiculously busy lately, and still am, but I’m taking the afternoon off which mean I get to play catch up with my blog. I'm hoping to get another post up this weekend at some point.

So first things first. I’m still working on ‘reading’ the Crimson sword. In fact, its on my windowsill now!

See?

I’ve just been too overwhelmed with the second draft of my thesis and teaching and all that jazz to actually be able to work on reading and snarking. I’ll get to it again, I promise.

Now for the real post. I saw this interview back in April and I’ve been wanting to talk about it for a while:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

David Shields

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

Fox News

So what are your thoughts on this guy?

As for me personally, I have to admit, he annoys the heck out of me. He strikes me as someone whose trying be ‘edgy’ and a ‘rebel’ and 'controversial' but really just reveals his own ignorance of stories and how stories work.

First of all, he starts talking about how ‘all art is theft!’ Well guess what, sir, this is old news. I think everyone knows, or at least many writers know, that most plots have probably been done elsewhere. It’s the job of the writer to then make that plot their own, make that story their own Then through the process of themes and voice and using your own words writing you get your own story as a result. This is why we get a little thing called variety and every title on the shelf isn’t just a copy of ‘The Lord of the Rings.’

Saying ‘all art is theft,’ and talking about how authors use other plots and words is not an edgy statement, nor is it shocking anyone. Rather, I’m shocked it took you, Mr. Shields, this long to figure it out.

Why can the visual arts and music get away with exciting moves and not writing? Because such moves are different and more subtle and the culture of writing is so extremely different than that of the visual arts and music. You experience stories differently than you experience anything else. Stories have to be logical to make sense. There has to be an element of science to stories because you’re presenting an ending, or a conclusion, that you need to carry the reader through using characters and themes (your evidence). If you don’t do this properly, then no one will understand what you’re talking about. With visual art, you don’t have to understand to admire something. With writing, since an in-your-face kind of communication, you sort of have to.

And another comment…19^th century novelistic forms? What the…novels have been around longer than that and the strict 'novel form' not the only form we use, unless this man is talking about something that I'm completely missing. If he's talking about content, stories go back centuries and centuries to when people were telling each other tales around campfires instead of writing them into novels. Plots and characters have made stories tick for generations, that's what makes the book, not the book itself. What exactly is he talking about? And how is plundering quotes a new literary form exactly? It sounds like he’s still following the same form anyone else would when trying to prove a point, he’s just using quotes as his medium. That's not necessarily a form....that's just stupid.

I think he betrays himself in that he doesn’t grasp the concept of story. Now, I do recognize his 'Manifesto' as he calls it, in and of itself, is a work of non-fiction and he used his quote theft to prove a point, so it wasn’t necessarily a story. However some of the plays he mentions in his interview are works of fiction. Honestly, he sounds like he’s trying too hard to be artsy and edgy and I think his argument is weak and ill informed.

But that’s just me.

Thoughts?

Rules (Schmules) of Magic

2010-09-24T14:03:00.000-04:00

I’m a pretty laid back person. Really, I am. There are a few things in this world, however, that really really drive me crazy.

One of those is people who start putting rules on writing before they even put pen to paper. This is especially true for fantasy and it makes me want to kick something. Now, I’m not talking about rules of grammar or punctuation—not the technical stuff—but rather content. Fantasy is fantasy for a reason. It’s a time to let your mind and imagination run wild. If there is anything unique about fantasy, it is that there are no rules. It is completely up to you! However, the moment you think, “things must work a certain way” before you begin to even plan your story, you limit yourself to no end!

For example: your magic has to have rules

I hear this one a lot. And it makes my brain explode a little bit. I call bullshit

Really? Magic has to have rules? Really? Who says? Is there some great infallible committee that dictates how all writing must be that says all magic use must have rules? Where is this coming from?

The reasons people may say this is because they a) can only imagine a society where magic has rules b) prefer that system or c) don’t want the magic to be too powerful.

The last point may seem reasonable, but here’s the thing. Any writer worth their salt knows not to make their magic too powerful. In fact, think how hard it is to write a story where magic will just solve everyone’s problems. When that’s the case, you don’t have a story because you eliminate conflict and tension. Thus using ‘don’t make magic too powerful,’ as a reason for forcing rules on magic is stupid since it probably won’t happen anyways.

The second point I want to bring up is if magic must have rules then how come there are so many successful authors out there whose magically systems don’t seem to have much rule or structure?

What was the magical system and rules that governed Gandalf’s magic in the Lord of the Rings?

What about all the magic in most of McKillip’s books?

What about the magic in Oz?

You see, there isn’t one way to write, and when we lay down a blanket rule on how magic should and should not work, we limit our imagination and show an incredible ignorance stories and plot lines.

Instead of laying down these rules, we should, instead, try to see how using magic in different ways, rules/no rules/some rules, will affect the world and story we write.

If you want your magic to have a system of rules, that’s fine. As a result though, the magic you use will make your society (usually) seem a bit more structured in response and thus effect the tone of the story.

A great example is, of course, the Magic of Recluse series by L.E. Modesitt jr.

On the other end of the spectrum, having no rules, or ill defined rules allows for more flexibility in how it manifests. Not allowing the reader to see all the mechanisms and internal workings of the magic allows a world and tone of the story to seem more mystical and fantastical.

Most of Patricia A. McKillip’s works are this way.

Sometimes, using a combination or not having much in terms of explanation, is great when you don’t want magic to be a big focus or a bit part of the story. Rather you want other things, like character, to be emphasized and the use of magic only helps to establish a tone.

You see? Look how much we learned about writing by actually examining magic instead of establishing absolute rules.

Next time someone tells you ‘magic must have rules’ ask them why. Challenge them. Have a dialogue. See what happens.

Descriptions with a Purpose and a Note from my Nerd File

2010-09-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

Okay, before I talk about something writerly, I need to mention THIS ULTIMATE COOLNESS.

They fitted it out with so many sensors that they’re getting pretty accurate readings. I’ve already friended it on Facebook and its daily updates about photosynthesis and the weather totally make my day!

…Did I mention I was a nerd?

Anywho, in the few spare minutes I had this week, while cruising around the internet I was reminded of something I’ve noticed a lot:

Some people who critique writing just don’t like description. No, scratch that. In truth, they claim they don’t like description. “It’s too much!” they claim. “Just give me the plot. Get rid of all those descriptions!”

The thing is, though, if we stripped out all the descriptions—in a good story—we’re left with something skeletal and uninteresting. You see, people claim they don’t like description, but, in truth, they really do they just don’t know that they like them. You see, descriptions do more than simply describe a person, place, or thing. They help set a mood or a tone or fascinate the readers and support the plot. They help make it meaty and wonderful. Descriptions are much more than just adjectives, they can be verbs or sentences or phrases.

What people see, however, and claim they don’t like, are, usually, descriptions that are used poorly, or focus soley on adjectives. These are often sneak attack descriptions or descriptions that are made too obvious and overshadow the plot.

But wait! What? Obvious descriptions? Huh? Descriptions are descriptions, right?

Well on the surface…kinda. As I see it, in my own humble opinion, that there are two sorts of descriptions: obvious and not so obvious. What is obvious and not obvious depends on the purpose of those adjectives

Obvious descriptions: These descriptions are used when the entire purpose of them is to describe something that you want your reader to see clearly. If you want to describe the man your MC just met, come out and say it! Say:

He was a tall man, with sandy hair and brown eyes. There was something strange about him though, as if the bones didn’t fit into his sallow skin quite right.

The purpose of that paragraph is to describe something the MC is seeing to the reader. Since the MC is seeing this man, and the whole purpose is to describe, you don’t have to sneak descriptions. Just be direct about it. BAM. Here’s what this man looks like.

Not obvious descriptions: This sort of description are the sort where you want your reader to picture a scene clearly, but not get distracted by it that you forget the plot. Not obvious descriptions usually hold a double purpose. They will describe, but they will also tell the reader something else necessary about the scene or explain part of the plot.

Example:

Lirael pushed the door open. Cold air rushed in, so she went through quickly. If there were any other people about they would notice a cold breeze more quickly than anything else. The Clayr might live in a mountain that was half smothered by a glacier, but they didn’t revel in the cold. ~Lireal

This paragraph doesn’t seem over described but it’s full of descriptions. The reason it doesn’t feel over described, however, is because all those descriptions serve a double purpose and are hidden as something else. For example, the cold air lets the reader know that the MC is going outside. The mountain half smothered by a glacier, gives the reader a visual but also gives support to what the author told us about the Clayr. Combine those two thoughts, and we understand that there truly is a danger of Lirael being discovered which gives urgency to the paragraph.

You see, everything works together, complimenting one another. If it weren’t for those descriptions, this paragraph would just be Lirael opening a door and we wouldn’t understand why that was so terrible.

This is why I get annoyed when I hear people warning others in these declarative statements: don’t use too many descriptions! Strip them out! People who say these things clearly don’t understand descriptions, their importance, or the artistry required in writing.

I hope the Talking Tree eats them.

Fear me!

On Group Writing--Horror Stories pt 3

2010-09-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

When you group write, there are several things that you need to do to ensure that you:

a) successfully add to a story

b) gain the respect of the writers you are working with

c) not annoy everyone

Most of these things are common sense, but it’s surprising how many people over look them. What’s worse is you get one person who seems to overlook all of them. This a horror story about this person.

Before I start, I do have to give her a little bit of credit. She wasn’t as bad as some others. She never made our characters do completely off the wall things, like make them drug dealers or change their back story. But she still didn’t do a lot of essential things, like:

Pay attention to setting

At one point, a few of the characters have just recovered from a fight. The group leader’s MC is the leader of a group of people, so, his archers had surrounded the group for protection while they recovered.

This person’s character (let’s call her Dee) then arrives on the scene.

She rides into the circle and dismounts, telling people she senses that “I am still needed here, whether or not you believe it.”

Then suddenly she is attacked from behind and fights off her attacker.

Excuse me.

Remember she’s in the middle of a circle of highly trained archers, who would know if someone was coming. How did this mystery villain get into the circle? Did he just go up and say “Excuse me guys, just let me squeeze by so I can wail on this woman. Thanks.” I don’t think so.

Then, if we pretend this nameless attacker does get by this circle of archers, everyone is just standing around as she’s fighting this guy off!

Then, because, ‘what the hell’-ness of the situation is still in full swing, she turns to the leader’s MC, rattles off a bunch of questions at him and then goes “Do not lie, for I can easily kill you.”

Hokay, you’re threatened a chief while surrounded by his own archers? REMEMBER YOUR SETTING!

But this leads me to another point.

Interact with other characters/its not all about you

One of the challenges involved in group writing is working with other people’s characters. You have to interact with characters that are not your creation and a good writer will try to get their fellow writer’s characters down. It’s hard because you don’t want to mess things up, but if characters don’t interact with each other a story doesn’t happen. Therefore, you have to make your character interact with others, you can’t make the other writers do it for you. Not only that, but you can’t make the interactions solely about you.

I’m sure you can see where this is going.

Most of the time it seemed like this writer was waiting around for other people to pay attention and interact with her. Most of her additions were spent with her character just watching other characters with internal thoughts about how she missed her past and how tragic she was.

The other writers didn’t usually take the bait unless it was good for the story line. The writer actually dealt with her character being ignored very well.

In one memorable addition, the character decides that she doesn’t want to be the other characters anymore and rides off.

The other writers ignore her.

In her very next entry she writes that her character decides to come back because she needs the MC’s protection

That’s it. Two whole entries devoted to that when she could have been advancing the story or plot, instead are devoted to her leaving, and then coming back when she realizes no one is going to come after her.

Now let’s examine this a bit more closely. Remember what I said about paying attention to setting? Well the other characters were nowhere near this girl’s character and so they would have had no clue she ran off. What? Did the writer expect the others to drop what they’re doing and go after her for attention? No, that’s asinine and selfish.

When she actually does interact with characters it’s to try to instigate a romance with the group leader’s male MC. Unfortunately, she does this by making the male MC look at her. Like a creeper. Luckily the group leader quashed that almost immediately and gave her another character that she could use for her sorry romance purposes. Which leads me to…

Romance. Make it believable.

I think that statement speaks for itself. No matter what you’re writing, if there’s romance involved, if its not believeable than it can come off as incredibly bad.

For this girl, she took her stock character and gave us whiplash with the romance.

Her character (Dee) first meets the love interest when (as she herself writes) he comes over and threatens her. Yes. He doesn’t exactly threaten her life but he tells her she had better not to hurt the male MC, his son, etc.

Great start huh?

Their next interaction is where they stand awkwardly next to her and asks if she’s always standing alone. The answer is yes ~~because she refuses to interact with other characters.~~ Some more awkward silence then he asks her why she refuses to love (wtf?). Then she says something about how every time she’s loved someone she’s lost them (gag). More awkward silence occurs and he turns to leave. AND THEN SHE TELLS HIM SHE LOVES HIM.

WHA????

And then they decide to get married. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever read in terms of romance. Even worse than the weird twisted Twilight style love.

Just by reading this summary, I think you can learn from this. DON’T DO THIS WHEN YOU WRITE.

Remember the name of your character

This is my last point. I know. Common sense.

Not for this person.

First, the name of Dee’s horse changes three times. Then the name of her mentor switches from Bard to Galahad to Bard again. Then she changes the name of her own character for a paragraph for no discernable reason.

Yes. This actually happens. I think that sorta speaks for itself.

Okay, the point of all this wasn’t just to complain, but more to point out that it is because of people like these that I have learned what is annoying in a story or a character. I learned what doesn’t work when it comes to writing and why it doesn’t work.

Although, I’d like to point out, that I knew to remember the name of my characters :)

On Group Writing—Horror Stories pt 2

2010-09-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

Next in my series on group writing is another horror story. Oh yes. I can tell you’re excited.

The good thing about group writing is that you learn what not to do, not only with writing, but with character creations and interactions.

Group stories are character factories. They’re great places to start the creation of a character and watch them grow, develop, and evolve. Not only can you watch your own character do this but you can pay attention to other people’s characters. You can analyze and determine, not only what you like, but why certain characters annoy the heck out of you. You see where people make fatal flaws in the creation and development of their characters, flaws that turn them into pointless cardboard. Then you, in turn, can avoid that in your own writing.

This is one of those stories about failures with character.

The Story of Baden

A couple of years ago I joined a group writing story that had a lot of potential. The plot revolved around a small country that was going to be overrun by an evil queen, who would then try to take over the rest of the world. The young daughter of the evil queen thinks this is nonsense and runs away from her mother to try to find some way to stop her. She then hears of a prophecy about a chosen child who will is destined to put an end to her evil mother.

I thought the part about the one character being the daughter of the evil queen was a nice twist. The other thing interesting about this group writing story was that the leader allowed the other writers to design their own nation to fit into the world.

So again, I thought this had a lot of potential. Not only would we get diversity from the characters but also diversity from the different nations, which would in turn allow for a lot of different plot arcs.

Like I said, a lot of potential

I joined and created my character: a wandering prince from a nation of my own creation.

It started off well until on writer joined and, in one entry, made my character a drug dealer.

*blinks*

Yes, you read that right. A drug dealer.

When you’re writing with other people’s characters, check with them before you make their characters do random things. Ask yourself, would I like it if someone did this to me?

There was a silver lining to this whole Baden is a drug dealer fiasco. This person’s entries were so odd and convoluted no one in the campfire had any idea what was going on in them, so we could safely ignore them. Which I did. Later, I had the opportunity to straighten out this issue and inform the writer that there was no way Baden would be given drugs to his subjects.

That mini story is actually an aside from the main point of poorly done characters. But I mean come on, I had to throw that in there. A drug dealer??

Anyways, we’re talking about poorly made characters, right? Right.

So I had my wandering prince character, Baden, and several entries in a new writer joined, and from the start I could tell she was going to be a problem.

How?

Because it was obvious she designed her character for the sole purpose of being Baden’s romantic counterpart.

*headsmack*

While developing romance in group writing is fine, to make good romance, in any setting, you need well developed characters with their own personalities, goals, hopes, and dreams. Love is such a human emotion that your characters need to feel human to the readers (and other writers) to make it work. When one of the characters is only developed for the sole purpose of romance then we lose some of that essential humanity.

In this case, my character had a distinct connection to the physical land of his little nation. It was part of the magic that ran through his House and family.

This other writer created her character to be an elf queen (remember my character was a prince?) who loved nature and had a magical connection to it.

As soon as I read that in her character bio, my writerly senses started tingling….in fear.

Did I also mention that she was very beautiful and fair and everyone loved her? And that she was the chosen child of prophecy as well?

Now doesn’t this description alone make your stomach churn? It did mine. This is the classic case of making a character too powerful and perfect. No one likes perfect people. We don’t like them in real life so why would we like them in characters?

Anyways, let’s move on to the writing. My instincts were correct, she kept trying to make my character be interested in her. However, unlike the writer in my previous horror story, she did not take over my character and get him involved in a ridiculous romance. Instead, she kept hinting at how her character thought my character was handsome and how she felt there was something about him.

Ugh. My character, Baden, did not respond.

The main reason for this was that there was absolutely nothing about her character that would have attracted my character. This was mostly due to the fact that her character didn’t do anything. She spent her entire time trying to be attractive rather than acting like a real person. Seriously. She fainted a lot so she would have to be picked up, she let everyone make decisions for her, she even almost got everyone killed which caused my character and another writer’s character to yell at her. Not exactly the most attractive characteristics, I’d like to point out.

She literally did nothing.

Because she did nothing, my character didn’t react to her.

Now here’s the kicker. I guess she thought that I hadn’t notice how awesome her character was, because in one of her last entries before the group story died out, she devoted two long paragraphs to her character’s pure AWESOME WIN.

The first paragraph was how she had noticed she had changed and had become wise and smart and just and her magical powers were even greater and more awesome than before! The second paragraph was about how much more beautiful she had become. Remember, she was beautiful before, but now she is extra super beautiful! No, she was literally, and I quote “a celestial beauty that seemed to emanate authority tempered by gentleness.”

This leads me to another point. You can’t tell your reader how wise and how beautiful a character is. You see, your reader has been following your characters story and they know what they’ve been doing. It’s not like telling us one thing will erase our memories of who you’re character is and what they’ve done. So, you can’t pretend your character is one thing when you’ve shown us something completely different.

Shortly after this, the campfire died out. Which was probably a good thing. This girl’s character was about to explode with her own wonderfulness.

On Group Writing--Horror Stories

2010-08-31T17:51:00.000-04:00

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

2010-08-29T12:37:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-22T12:12:00.000-04:00

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

2010-08-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

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

2010-08-10T20:22:00.000-04:00

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.