No, not this blog! No, not the soda machine! I wrote a chapter for my upcoming WiP - you know, the urban fantasy one I talked about the other day on this blog - out of order. This chapter will occur somewhere toward the end of the second third of the book. This is an important chapter that results in the climax of the main conflict, but does not end the story.
What did I learn by doing this?
Well, I learned that if I don't carefully lead up to this chapter, set all the pieces in place, it will come across as contrived. You know how I hate contrived. Blech!
Out of context, the events of this chapter seem contrived.
Out of context, the events of this chapter are going to make the reader go what the heck??!!!
Yeah, I know, my future readers aren't going to read the chapter out of order. The possibility still exists, if I'm not careful, for the chapter to come across as contrived. I don't want that.
In a way, by writing out of order, this one simple chapter, I have outlined . . . in my own crazy way. I now know what stones I need to set to create the path through the enchanted forest to get my characters to the point of this out of order chapter.
So, my point is: writing out of order isn't a bad thing . . . at least not in this instance. I know what I have to work toward so an allegedly spontaneous, pivotal, moment doesn't appear as, well, an allegedly spontaneous moment. This is definitely a good thing.
What about you? Have you ever written chapters out of order? Does this give you a pathway, so to speak, of where you need to go with your writing? Does this create more chaos than order for you, the writer? Comment away!!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Backstory - Again
Last night, I worked on backstory for a WiP that's somewhat in progress, but not totally. Huge, large, infinite chunks of backstory that I'm going to throw into something called a Prologue!!
Kidding.
Since this next project, partially started, slumbering for now, is urban fantasy, well, there's a bit of backstory necessary. I mean, I have magical objects after all, a race of protectors, among other things . . . and these things aren't self-explanatory.
Backstory is necessary.
But, as I've mentioned before, I'm more likely to intersperse bits and pieces of backstory throughout the first few chapters rather than have a Prologue or weigh down the first chapter.
Such will be the case with this urban fantasy WiP. There will be a bit here, a piece there, but just not everywhere!
Oh, and there'll be some great flashbacks, perhaps whole chapters. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding about the flashback chapter thingy. It's, well, necessary.
Yeah, I know, flashbacks and backstory go hand-in-hand as definite things not to do in excess when writing. Oh, well, such is life. I'm a rebel like that at times.
So, last night, I wrote a few pages of backstory about one aspect of this urban fantasy I'm somewhat working on right now, but will work on more in-depth later. The backstory will then be broken into pieces to fit throughout the first few chapters, or even stretched so far throughout the first half, maybe entire, manuscript.
The interesting thing about this project, at least for me, is the basic premise for the project. Nope, not telling you that, though Lady Glamis knows. The inspiration created a retelling of sorts that morphed into something else. This was one of the projects I posted about earlier in the year when I had three projects coming at me from all sides and couldn't decide which one to work on. Well, one project took precedent and I wrote it from start to finish while the other two projects slumbered fitfully in the recesses of my mind.
Well, this one project is beginning to stir, more and more each day, and I know that soon it will awaken fully and I'll have to write the story, from beginning to end. Woo-hoo!
S
Kidding.
Since this next project, partially started, slumbering for now, is urban fantasy, well, there's a bit of backstory necessary. I mean, I have magical objects after all, a race of protectors, among other things . . . and these things aren't self-explanatory.
Backstory is necessary.
But, as I've mentioned before, I'm more likely to intersperse bits and pieces of backstory throughout the first few chapters rather than have a Prologue or weigh down the first chapter.
Such will be the case with this urban fantasy WiP. There will be a bit here, a piece there, but just not everywhere!
Oh, and there'll be some great flashbacks, perhaps whole chapters. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding about the flashback chapter thingy. It's, well, necessary.
Yeah, I know, flashbacks and backstory go hand-in-hand as definite things not to do in excess when writing. Oh, well, such is life. I'm a rebel like that at times.
So, last night, I wrote a few pages of backstory about one aspect of this urban fantasy I'm somewhat working on right now, but will work on more in-depth later. The backstory will then be broken into pieces to fit throughout the first few chapters, or even stretched so far throughout the first half, maybe entire, manuscript.
The interesting thing about this project, at least for me, is the basic premise for the project. Nope, not telling you that, though Lady Glamis knows. The inspiration created a retelling of sorts that morphed into something else. This was one of the projects I posted about earlier in the year when I had three projects coming at me from all sides and couldn't decide which one to work on. Well, one project took precedent and I wrote it from start to finish while the other two projects slumbered fitfully in the recesses of my mind.
Well, this one project is beginning to stir, more and more each day, and I know that soon it will awaken fully and I'll have to write the story, from beginning to end. Woo-hoo!
S
Monday, April 12, 2010
Breaking the Rules
This one's for you, Lady Glamis!
As aspiring, or even published writers, we all know there are tons of rules out there! Tons, people, tons.
No adverbs.
No adjectives.
No repetition.
No this . . .
No that . . .
No this or that . . .
And so on and so on and so on . . . ad nauseum! Arrrrrrrrrrrghhhh.
Then, there's the old saying rules are made to be broken! I love that rule. In fact, that's pretty much my motto.
Now, the folks over at Write It Sideways have an excellent post about breaking rules. Check it out here. Some very famous and successful authors have broken the rules and . . .
. . . the world as they, or we for that matter, know it did not end.
Agents heads did not explode upon reading the prose from these talented individuals.
The main question asked in the post (please tell me you've clicked over and read it) is: how did these authors get away with breaking the rules?
Well, to simplify things, I'm posting here . . . but . . . go read the post here:
There are a number of reasons why these authors managed to achieve success regardless of breaking the rules.
1.There are exceptions to every rule. Not every rule applies to every book. It takes experience and discernment to know when to follow them, and when to throw them out the window.
2.Story trumps all. The storytelling in each of these books is good enough to cancel out any rule-breaking annoyances.
3.The rules change. What was publishable 50, 100, 200 years ago, might not be publishable today.
4.Selective breaking. Getting away with breaking one or two of these rules isn’t difficult, but too many at once becomes a problem.
Now, pay close attention to #3: rules change. Still, the best advice I can probably give is don't go nilly-willy breaking the rules. A bit here, a bit there, just not everywhere is probably the best advice I can give any writer, aspiring or published. Or, in the words of Timm Gunn from Project Runway: make it work!
I make it work for my writing. Sometimes, I use adverbs. Sometimes, people laugh softly and my characters are going to laugh softly or loudly, for that matter. Sometimes, I end a sentence with the word it. Yes, I do! I have started projects with dialogue. I love dialogue, so why shouldn't I start a project with dialogue? I write lengthy novels . . . sometimes. I'm in the process of eliminating words to get down to a more workable format so I can start querying. Should I have to? Well, probably not, but I'm doing it anyhow just to give myself a better chance of not getting auto-rejected because my brilliance is 130,000 words versus an acceptable 100,000 words. Le Sigh!
What rules do you love to break? Why do you break them? Are you like Elana who puts tons of backstory in her first chapter? Ha! Do you amply (sorry, couldn't resist a little adverb humor) use flashbacks in your story? Start with dialogue? Write in first person present tense? Write backwards? C'mon, people, give me some rule breaking in the comments section.
S
As aspiring, or even published writers, we all know there are tons of rules out there! Tons, people, tons.
No adverbs.
No adjectives.
No repetition.
No this . . .
No that . . .
No this or that . . .
And so on and so on and so on . . . ad nauseum! Arrrrrrrrrrrghhhh.
Then, there's the old saying rules are made to be broken! I love that rule. In fact, that's pretty much my motto.
Now, the folks over at Write It Sideways have an excellent post about breaking rules. Check it out here. Some very famous and successful authors have broken the rules and . . .
. . . the world as they, or we for that matter, know it did not end.
Agents heads did not explode upon reading the prose from these talented individuals.
The main question asked in the post (please tell me you've clicked over and read it) is: how did these authors get away with breaking the rules?
Well, to simplify things, I'm posting here . . . but . . . go read the post here:
There are a number of reasons why these authors managed to achieve success regardless of breaking the rules.
1.There are exceptions to every rule. Not every rule applies to every book. It takes experience and discernment to know when to follow them, and when to throw them out the window.
2.Story trumps all. The storytelling in each of these books is good enough to cancel out any rule-breaking annoyances.
3.The rules change. What was publishable 50, 100, 200 years ago, might not be publishable today.
4.Selective breaking. Getting away with breaking one or two of these rules isn’t difficult, but too many at once becomes a problem.
Now, pay close attention to #3: rules change. Still, the best advice I can probably give is don't go nilly-willy breaking the rules. A bit here, a bit there, just not everywhere is probably the best advice I can give any writer, aspiring or published. Or, in the words of Timm Gunn from Project Runway: make it work!
I make it work for my writing. Sometimes, I use adverbs. Sometimes, people laugh softly and my characters are going to laugh softly or loudly, for that matter. Sometimes, I end a sentence with the word it. Yes, I do! I have started projects with dialogue. I love dialogue, so why shouldn't I start a project with dialogue? I write lengthy novels . . . sometimes. I'm in the process of eliminating words to get down to a more workable format so I can start querying. Should I have to? Well, probably not, but I'm doing it anyhow just to give myself a better chance of not getting auto-rejected because my brilliance is 130,000 words versus an acceptable 100,000 words. Le Sigh!
What rules do you love to break? Why do you break them? Are you like Elana who puts tons of backstory in her first chapter? Ha! Do you amply (sorry, couldn't resist a little adverb humor) use flashbacks in your story? Start with dialogue? Write in first person present tense? Write backwards? C'mon, people, give me some rule breaking in the comments section.
S
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Name Game
No, I'm not talking about Robyn, bobbin' bo bobbin, fee fi fo Robyn! but rather the naming of a character.
Most times, I don't struggle with character names. They just sort of come to me. There are other times, when I have to really struggle with the names. I've had one character go through numerous - NUMEROUS - name changes throughout the revision period. In another instance, since the project was about here and now, and included margaritas, well, I had to make sure that not a single name in the project was that of someone I knew in this life. Trust me, that was hard, very, very hard. Not that I was writing about people I know. Surely not! Ha!
Now, I have another project in the works - basic idea, mini-outline, four to five pages of notes, and I wrote the first four chapters a few months back while the idea was burning bright in my mind. I spent an afternoon researching Celtic names for my characters. I don't know why, Celtic just seemed the right choice. I assigned a list of names to each of the three main characters. I pretty much picked out - hours later - the name of each character. I was happy with the names.
Or so I thought!
Then today, on the way home from work, I totally changed the name of one of the main characters. TOTALLY! I love, love, love the new name, and her clever, oh so clever, last name that ties into the whole inspiration of the story. In fact, her last name makes me chuckle . . . in a good way.
So, how do you go about naming your characters? Do you stick with the initial name? Do you make sure you don't name your characters after people you know? I mean, I love the name Jack, but I know quite a few Jacks, so I really don't feel comfortable naming a character, well, Jack. Same goes for Eric. I have two really good friends named Eric. Well, one is Eric, and the other Erik, but you get my point. So, Eric, and/or Erik, is out of the running. Anyhow, back to my questions . . . where do you get the inspiration for your character names? How set in stone are those names? Do they change frequently? Not so frequently? Do they remain the same from beginning to end?
S
Most times, I don't struggle with character names. They just sort of come to me. There are other times, when I have to really struggle with the names. I've had one character go through numerous - NUMEROUS - name changes throughout the revision period. In another instance, since the project was about here and now, and included margaritas, well, I had to make sure that not a single name in the project was that of someone I knew in this life. Trust me, that was hard, very, very hard. Not that I was writing about people I know. Surely not! Ha!
Now, I have another project in the works - basic idea, mini-outline, four to five pages of notes, and I wrote the first four chapters a few months back while the idea was burning bright in my mind. I spent an afternoon researching Celtic names for my characters. I don't know why, Celtic just seemed the right choice. I assigned a list of names to each of the three main characters. I pretty much picked out - hours later - the name of each character. I was happy with the names.
Or so I thought!
Then today, on the way home from work, I totally changed the name of one of the main characters. TOTALLY! I love, love, love the new name, and her clever, oh so clever, last name that ties into the whole inspiration of the story. In fact, her last name makes me chuckle . . . in a good way.
So, how do you go about naming your characters? Do you stick with the initial name? Do you make sure you don't name your characters after people you know? I mean, I love the name Jack, but I know quite a few Jacks, so I really don't feel comfortable naming a character, well, Jack. Same goes for Eric. I have two really good friends named Eric. Well, one is Eric, and the other Erik, but you get my point. So, Eric, and/or Erik, is out of the running. Anyhow, back to my questions . . . where do you get the inspiration for your character names? How set in stone are those names? Do they change frequently? Not so frequently? Do they remain the same from beginning to end?
S
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Backstory
Due to popular demand . . . okay, only Lady Glamis and SJ Duval wanted to know this, but, still, what the people want . . .
Pitfall #1: Don't put extensive backstory in your first pages. This is part of the article 10 Fiction Pitfalls by Sam McCarver in the May 2010 issue of The Writer.
In his words . . .
Writer's sometimes provide extensive backgrounds on characters and situations before really beginning their stories. But long narratives can be dull openings. Instead of backstory, take the reader directly into your story. Show your main character facing a challenge in a scene with other interesting characters. Agents and editors must be intrigued by the main character, know that person's goal, and like the story's direction early - or they won't stick around. A writer may say, "It's slow at first, but wait until page 10 - that's dynamite". Put the dynamite up front.
A backstory might begin, "Harry Black inherited a law firm from his father and built it into one of the largest in Boston", then discuss family, home, etc. Instead, begin with action:
Harry Black jumped to his feet, shouting, "Objection! Not supported by fact." Judge Powell glared at Black, saying, "This courtroom has good acoustics, Counselor. So don't shout, and sit down." he gave Black a wry smile. "By the way, your objection is overruled."
Now the story has begun. (p. 26)
Okay, we all know, or should, that backstory is a no-no. Don't bore the reader with extensive backstory in the beginning. Start with action, drama, something other than all the minute details of the main character that led up to the action/drama.
As for me, I try to intersperse a bit of backstory throughout the first few chapters. A tidbit here, a tidbit there, everywhere a tidbit, but not a long narrative passage telling you all about the main character before anything happens to the main character.
I mean, how much better would The Wizard of Oz have been if it had started with the house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East? I mean, picture it, the house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy steps out into Oz and then, throughout the course of the first chapter or two we learn she had run away from home, a cyclone struck, and now she found herself in a magical land. The backstory - everything that happens before she lands in Oz - really isn't important. Yes, it's needed, but not in a huge narrative . . . well, at least not in my opinion.
How do you handle backstory? Long narrative passages? Brief bits here, there, and everywhere throughout the first chapter(s)? Do you inject backstory at all? Can a book exist without backstory? Can Dorothy crush the Wicked Witch of the West, befriend a Scarecrow, a Tinman, a Cowardly Lion and defeat the Wicked Witch of the West all without backstory? Hmmmm . . .
S
Pitfall #1: Don't put extensive backstory in your first pages. This is part of the article 10 Fiction Pitfalls by Sam McCarver in the May 2010 issue of The Writer.
In his words . . .
Writer's sometimes provide extensive backgrounds on characters and situations before really beginning their stories. But long narratives can be dull openings. Instead of backstory, take the reader directly into your story. Show your main character facing a challenge in a scene with other interesting characters. Agents and editors must be intrigued by the main character, know that person's goal, and like the story's direction early - or they won't stick around. A writer may say, "It's slow at first, but wait until page 10 - that's dynamite". Put the dynamite up front.
A backstory might begin, "Harry Black inherited a law firm from his father and built it into one of the largest in Boston", then discuss family, home, etc. Instead, begin with action:
Harry Black jumped to his feet, shouting, "Objection! Not supported by fact." Judge Powell glared at Black, saying, "This courtroom has good acoustics, Counselor. So don't shout, and sit down." he gave Black a wry smile. "By the way, your objection is overruled."
Now the story has begun. (p. 26)
Okay, we all know, or should, that backstory is a no-no. Don't bore the reader with extensive backstory in the beginning. Start with action, drama, something other than all the minute details of the main character that led up to the action/drama.
As for me, I try to intersperse a bit of backstory throughout the first few chapters. A tidbit here, a tidbit there, everywhere a tidbit, but not a long narrative passage telling you all about the main character before anything happens to the main character.
I mean, how much better would The Wizard of Oz have been if it had started with the house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East? I mean, picture it, the house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy steps out into Oz and then, throughout the course of the first chapter or two we learn she had run away from home, a cyclone struck, and now she found herself in a magical land. The backstory - everything that happens before she lands in Oz - really isn't important. Yes, it's needed, but not in a huge narrative . . . well, at least not in my opinion.
How do you handle backstory? Long narrative passages? Brief bits here, there, and everywhere throughout the first chapter(s)? Do you inject backstory at all? Can a book exist without backstory? Can Dorothy crush the Wicked Witch of the West, befriend a Scarecrow, a Tinman, a Cowardly Lion and defeat the Wicked Witch of the West all without backstory? Hmmmm . . .
S
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Dominant Narration
According to the latest edition (May 2010) of The Writer there are 10 Fiction Pitfalls. Okay, this is according to Sam McCarver who happens to be a writing instructor. I'm not going to list all 10 pitfalls, at least not today. No, today, dear lucky readers of this blog, I'm going to focus on pitfall #2! Yup, #2!
According to Mr. McCarver, Pitfall #2 is: don't let narration dominate your story as a whole.
In his words . . .
Many writers think a story should be largely narrated, in the manner of classic literature. But here's a good rule: Fight the urge to narrate. Entertainment today is visual - movies, television, the Internet, cell phones. To compete, fiction must also be visual, using scenes, action, description and dialogue to show a story, rather than narration to tell it. A Story should consist of one scene following another, connected by narration. Write your story as if it will become a movie. Show it visually - in scenes. (p. 26)
Whoa! First, initial thought: show don't tell! Now, haven't we all heard that somewhere before? Of course we have. It's one of the many rules of writing. SHOW - DON'T - TELL!!
Okay, now that I've gotten past my whoa moment.
This is how I write. I'm more about the snappy dialogue, short scenes that carry the reader from one moment to the next to the next to the next, with shorter passages of narration in between. This is what works for me as a writer. Who knew I was doing something right? Ha!
Now, in no way am I saying or even suggesting that writers abandon narration. Guy Gavriel Kay writes some brilliant narration. The majority of his books are narrative in nature and I wouldn't have his books any other way. I love his long passages of narration that wrap around me like a comfortable blanket and lull me into a comfortable world of narration. This is what works for him. This isn't what works for me.
My only point with this post is to talk about what works for me when I'm writing. Yeah, I have narrative passages, but normally, I have more dialogue than narration. I love me some good dialogue.
How about you? More narration than dialogue? More scenes than narration? More this instead of that? Come on, leave your answers in the comments section.
S
Okay, since I'm feeling generous. The #1 Pitfall: don't put extensive backstory in your first pages. There, I shared! Tune in later this week for another pitfall and my take on said pitfall!
According to Mr. McCarver, Pitfall #2 is: don't let narration dominate your story as a whole.
In his words . . .
Many writers think a story should be largely narrated, in the manner of classic literature. But here's a good rule: Fight the urge to narrate. Entertainment today is visual - movies, television, the Internet, cell phones. To compete, fiction must also be visual, using scenes, action, description and dialogue to show a story, rather than narration to tell it. A Story should consist of one scene following another, connected by narration. Write your story as if it will become a movie. Show it visually - in scenes. (p. 26)
Whoa! First, initial thought: show don't tell! Now, haven't we all heard that somewhere before? Of course we have. It's one of the many rules of writing. SHOW - DON'T - TELL!!
Okay, now that I've gotten past my whoa moment.
This is how I write. I'm more about the snappy dialogue, short scenes that carry the reader from one moment to the next to the next to the next, with shorter passages of narration in between. This is what works for me as a writer. Who knew I was doing something right? Ha!
Now, in no way am I saying or even suggesting that writers abandon narration. Guy Gavriel Kay writes some brilliant narration. The majority of his books are narrative in nature and I wouldn't have his books any other way. I love his long passages of narration that wrap around me like a comfortable blanket and lull me into a comfortable world of narration. This is what works for him. This isn't what works for me.
My only point with this post is to talk about what works for me when I'm writing. Yeah, I have narrative passages, but normally, I have more dialogue than narration. I love me some good dialogue.
How about you? More narration than dialogue? More scenes than narration? More this instead of that? Come on, leave your answers in the comments section.
S
Okay, since I'm feeling generous. The #1 Pitfall: don't put extensive backstory in your first pages. There, I shared! Tune in later this week for another pitfall and my take on said pitfall!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Differently
We all write . . . differently!
Some outline.
Some don't.
Some wing it.
Some don't.
Some write snappy dialogue.
Some don't.
Some write huge passages of narration with very little dialogue interspersed between narrative passages - check out my post later in the week about narration.
Some don't.
We're not clones of each other. We're individuals - sorry Traci, generalizing again, you know how I am - and, thus, we do thing in our own individual ways.
We do things in the way that works best for us (differently) as individuals.
There are literally hundreds, possibly, thousands of blogs out there about writing.
This is one of them.
This was one of them. No, people, hold on to your knickers, I'm not closing down the blog. I mean, how in the heck would Robyn give me a hard time on a daily basis if I shut down my blog. Oh, wait, she's a friend on Facebook. Dang my generous nature. Ha!
The thing is, I can't teach any one how to write the most brilliant novel ever. I can point you in the direction of blog after blog that will offer great advice . . . that works for that particular blogger, but not necessarily me, and not necessarily you!
What I can do, is quit generalizing (Traci will be so happy) and start personalizing. I can let you know how I write. Done. Finito. The End.
Okay, I can also share other things I've learned about the writing process, and all that jazz. I mean, knowledge is power, and the more knowledge we have (about writing, etc), then the more power we have. Ooops, there I go generalizing again. It's a 12 Step program to de-generalize!
The important things to remember about writing . . .
Some outline.
Some don't.
Some wing it.
Some don't.
Some write snappy dialogue.
Some don't.
Some write huge passages of narration with very little dialogue interspersed between narrative passages - check out my post later in the week about narration.
Some don't.
We're not clones of each other. We're individuals - sorry Traci, generalizing again, you know how I am - and, thus, we do thing in our own individual ways.
We do things in the way that works best for us (differently) as individuals.
There are literally hundreds, possibly, thousands of blogs out there about writing.
This is one of them.
This was one of them. No, people, hold on to your knickers, I'm not closing down the blog. I mean, how in the heck would Robyn give me a hard time on a daily basis if I shut down my blog. Oh, wait, she's a friend on Facebook. Dang my generous nature. Ha!
The thing is, I can't teach any one how to write the most brilliant novel ever. I can point you in the direction of blog after blog that will offer great advice . . . that works for that particular blogger, but not necessarily me, and not necessarily you!
What I can do, is quit generalizing (Traci will be so happy) and start personalizing. I can let you know how I write. Done. Finito. The End.
Okay, I can also share other things I've learned about the writing process, and all that jazz. I mean, knowledge is power, and the more knowledge we have (about writing, etc), then the more power we have. Ooops, there I go generalizing again. It's a 12 Step program to de-generalize!
The important things to remember about writing . . .
- do it (writing) the best way you know how
- be adaptable, willing to learn, willing to change, to try something different, to experiment
- know your strengths
- know your weaknesses
- learn from your strengths/weaknesses
- know your limits!!!!
- understand that what works for Lady Glamis just might not work for you
- understand that what works for Scott Bailey just might not work for you
- understand that what works for me just might not work for you
If you take every bit of advice out there, try to instill it into your writing routine, well . . . BAM! . . . you just might explode.
All the wonderful, awe inspiring advice in the world is great . . . as long as you take the bits and pieces that work best for you, and apply them to your capabilities.
I've tried outlining, truly I have, but it just doesn't work for me.
I know what works for me with my writing!
I can learn how others write, but, hey, some of their stuff just doesn't work for me!
So, over the course of the next few days, weeks, months, years, you may or may not notice a slight shift in the writing direction of this blog. I'm going to blog about writing, again and again and again, but the writing will focus more on my process and what works for me! I'll also be doing posts inspired by the following magazines: Writer's Digest and The Writer. These are great sources of information and I find myself mentally typing new posts as I read these magazines about writing. Again, they'll be a shift based on my personal experience, rather than an overall generalization.
S
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