The contest officially ends at midnight central time. An email has been sent to everyone who has entered so far. If you are a recipient, please reply to that email, thanks. So... last and final chance for all the last minute people ;)
Winners will be announced on December 21st, only 6 days from now. I don't know about you, but I'm excited. :D
And now for the excellent news! I decided to take a bit of a sabattical from any online stuff (blog, Facebook, etc) so I could concentrate on my current novel. I just wrapped up chapter 17 and I'm now 2/3 finished the story. I roughly estimate about 10 more chapters until the end. It won't be long now!
Showing posts with label current writing project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label current writing project. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Giving Birth
Don't worry, this post won't involve any gross descriptions. The title is figurative only.
I've finished both chapter 13 and chapter 14. I'm way past the half-way point of the story. I'd say about roughly 2/3 finished the storyline. The events of the storyline from this point until the end will be fairly fast-paced, so it wouldn't surprise me if I get caught up and write like a maniac until I have a complete manuscript. Nope, wouldn't surprise me at all.
Chapter 14 was a major turning point in the story. Finally getting to this point was like giving birth after being 10 months pregnant. A huge relief to say the least. What's also interesting to me, is I've done enough research at this point that I seriously doubt anymore research will be needed to finish writing the rest of the story. All pieces have been created, it's just a matter of putting it all together now.
Getting past the gooey, indescribable middle (10 months pregnant) part is a job within itself. I've seen numerous aspiring writers describe their woes over how to write that middle bridge to connect the rest of the story. The short, slightly patronizing answer is to just not have a middle bridge.
Easier said than done.
The slightly longer answer that involves more work is practice, practice, practice. That has been the only way to get to the point where the gooey middle part doesn't confound me anymore. With enough practice, at most that middle bridge might give me pause, but it won't stop my writing dead in it's tracks like it would have back in 2002 when I first started writing.
Outlines help, too. I've noticed when I write outlines there isn't a middle bridge because it all flows naturally. So yes, it is true the answer is to just not have a middle bridge. But the long answer is to practice enough until you get to the point that a middle bridge goes unnoticed to the author. It just happens. The story flows from beginning to end. The End.
And now, I need to write the ending, or rather, the 1/3 part of the story...
I've finished both chapter 13 and chapter 14. I'm way past the half-way point of the story. I'd say about roughly 2/3 finished the storyline. The events of the storyline from this point until the end will be fairly fast-paced, so it wouldn't surprise me if I get caught up and write like a maniac until I have a complete manuscript. Nope, wouldn't surprise me at all.
Chapter 14 was a major turning point in the story. Finally getting to this point was like giving birth after being 10 months pregnant. A huge relief to say the least. What's also interesting to me, is I've done enough research at this point that I seriously doubt anymore research will be needed to finish writing the rest of the story. All pieces have been created, it's just a matter of putting it all together now.
Getting past the gooey, indescribable middle (10 months pregnant) part is a job within itself. I've seen numerous aspiring writers describe their woes over how to write that middle bridge to connect the rest of the story. The short, slightly patronizing answer is to just not have a middle bridge.
Easier said than done.
The slightly longer answer that involves more work is practice, practice, practice. That has been the only way to get to the point where the gooey middle part doesn't confound me anymore. With enough practice, at most that middle bridge might give me pause, but it won't stop my writing dead in it's tracks like it would have back in 2002 when I first started writing.
Outlines help, too. I've noticed when I write outlines there isn't a middle bridge because it all flows naturally. So yes, it is true the answer is to just not have a middle bridge. But the long answer is to practice enough until you get to the point that a middle bridge goes unnoticed to the author. It just happens. The story flows from beginning to end. The End.
And now, I need to write the ending, or rather, the 1/3 part of the story...
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
What do you think of Filler Chapters?
I finished chapter 13, that went rather fast. I'm eager to start chapter 14 which will involve some major action and turn of events. I love it when the potential excitement of story makes me excited.
Chapter 13, as I predicted, is a much needed transitional chapter. I was thinking about transitional and filler chapters in novels. You know, when the author suddenly switches perspective and tells a different story, then eventually goes back to the regularly scheduled program.
It occurred to me, I don't write filler chapters. I thought I did, but just wrote meaningful filler that's there for a very good reason. But then I realized that's not a filler chapter, which are usually nothing more than a distraction, a way to mark the passage of time in order to continue with the main story, though sometimes will involve important content (like American Gods by Neil Gaiman, for example). I've seen filler chapters used shamelessly as a rather cheap trick, which is unfortunate (completely unlike American Gods).
If needed, I'll write transitional chapters, where it's just a slight pause in the main story. Let's stop and think about things for a bit while we wait for everyone to catch up with the story. I find transitional chapters are a rather nice breather and give readers ample opportunity to go as fast or as slow as they want. I personally find it aggravating when an author attempts to decided my own free will for me. Don't need that, don't want it, thank you very much.
I'm curious what others think. How do you feel about Filler Chapters?
Chapter 13, as I predicted, is a much needed transitional chapter. I was thinking about transitional and filler chapters in novels. You know, when the author suddenly switches perspective and tells a different story, then eventually goes back to the regularly scheduled program.
It occurred to me, I don't write filler chapters. I thought I did, but just wrote meaningful filler that's there for a very good reason. But then I realized that's not a filler chapter, which are usually nothing more than a distraction, a way to mark the passage of time in order to continue with the main story, though sometimes will involve important content (like American Gods by Neil Gaiman, for example). I've seen filler chapters used shamelessly as a rather cheap trick, which is unfortunate (completely unlike American Gods).
If needed, I'll write transitional chapters, where it's just a slight pause in the main story. Let's stop and think about things for a bit while we wait for everyone to catch up with the story. I find transitional chapters are a rather nice breather and give readers ample opportunity to go as fast or as slow as they want. I personally find it aggravating when an author attempts to decided my own free will for me. Don't need that, don't want it, thank you very much.
I'm curious what others think. How do you feel about Filler Chapters?
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Unraveling Mysteries
Yes, I'm on a roll today. Two blog posts for the price of one.
As many of you already know, I don't write fluffy romance or Disney fairy tales. I'm not a Young Adult author either. Why? Because I'm just not any good at it, and no other reason than that.
To use the boring, mass-market term, I write Thrillers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not Tom Clancy and I'm not trying to be the next Tom Clancy. I'm just Lily. I write intricate stories for the modern reader full of intrigue, suspense and mystery. Sometimes there will be strong Horror elements, sometimes just looking at the darker side of human nature. The subject will vary. My characters could be anything from humans, ghosts, zombies, even fairies – all with a strong human element.
Up until this point, I had been focusing on not doing any Big Reveals for the mystery of a story until toward the end. However, the novel I'm working on is rather complex. There are A LOT of intertwined mysteries in a post-apocalypse fictional universe. For Chapter 12, I decided to start revealing some mysteries rather than continuing to build up mysteries. The time was right to start revealing, so I did.
I was very concerned about revealing mysteries at roughly the half-way point in a story, mainly because I had never done that before. I wrongly thought revealing a mystery long before the end would lose the suspense of the story. And I'm so glad I was wrong.
Here's what I've learned: Unraveling mysteries can be as intriguing, sometimes more so, than building up mysteries.
Seriously, no suspense was lost at all. I'm very pleased with that. And now I know. Sometimes revealing mysteries much earlier than toward the end can be a very good thing.
I can't help but wonder if this is what goes wrong with various Thriller novels that end up being a disappointment – waiting too long to reveal mysteries can render the suspense useless and make the story boring and repetitious. And we can't have that in my writing, goshdarnit. *nods*
As many of you already know, I don't write fluffy romance or Disney fairy tales. I'm not a Young Adult author either. Why? Because I'm just not any good at it, and no other reason than that.
To use the boring, mass-market term, I write Thrillers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not Tom Clancy and I'm not trying to be the next Tom Clancy. I'm just Lily. I write intricate stories for the modern reader full of intrigue, suspense and mystery. Sometimes there will be strong Horror elements, sometimes just looking at the darker side of human nature. The subject will vary. My characters could be anything from humans, ghosts, zombies, even fairies – all with a strong human element.
Up until this point, I had been focusing on not doing any Big Reveals for the mystery of a story until toward the end. However, the novel I'm working on is rather complex. There are A LOT of intertwined mysteries in a post-apocalypse fictional universe. For Chapter 12, I decided to start revealing some mysteries rather than continuing to build up mysteries. The time was right to start revealing, so I did.
I was very concerned about revealing mysteries at roughly the half-way point in a story, mainly because I had never done that before. I wrongly thought revealing a mystery long before the end would lose the suspense of the story. And I'm so glad I was wrong.
Here's what I've learned: Unraveling mysteries can be as intriguing, sometimes more so, than building up mysteries.
Seriously, no suspense was lost at all. I'm very pleased with that. And now I know. Sometimes revealing mysteries much earlier than toward the end can be a very good thing.
I can't help but wonder if this is what goes wrong with various Thriller novels that end up being a disappointment – waiting too long to reveal mysteries can render the suspense useless and make the story boring and repetitious. And we can't have that in my writing, goshdarnit. *nods*
The Unpredicatable Nature of the Craft
I have good news! After being completely burned out from trying to participate in NaNo and unable to write for weeks, I've fully recovered! Chapter 12 is now finished.
I absolutely love this chapter. If I could hug and snuggle this chapter, I would. Which is kinda funny if your humor is as black as mine. It happens to be the most violent chapter I've written thus far. Funny in an ironic way, I suppose.
So here's a hypothesis. 5 day writing marathon (NaNo) results in 3 weeks of recovery time. That makes sense to me, though I didn't expect that at all and never would have predicted a 3 week recovery time. I swear, I will never do a writing marathon like that again...
Now moving on the chapter 13!
P.S. Don't forget to enter the Mid-Winter contest and tell all your friends. New sharing links on the right *points to the right under profile picture).
I absolutely love this chapter. If I could hug and snuggle this chapter, I would. Which is kinda funny if your humor is as black as mine. It happens to be the most violent chapter I've written thus far. Funny in an ironic way, I suppose.
So here's a hypothesis. 5 day writing marathon (NaNo) results in 3 weeks of recovery time. That makes sense to me, though I didn't expect that at all and never would have predicted a 3 week recovery time. I swear, I will never do a writing marathon like that again...
Now moving on the chapter 13!
P.S. Don't forget to enter the Mid-Winter contest and tell all your friends. New sharing links on the right *points to the right under profile picture).
Friday, November 12, 2010
Horror vs Sci-fi - solution found!
I had been struggling with this for awhile now. My current writing project is post-apocalypse, set in the near future. It's very important to respect genre above all else, which I detailed in previous posts, so you already know about that. In a blinding flash of enlightenment, I realized what was holding me back and what was confusing me on the whole debate.
This story is not sci-fi, in the sense of Star Trek. No aliens, no new species, no new languages, or anything like that. However, the story does involve a decent amount of science and medical fiction. But it's not sci-fi...?
And then I realized what I use in this story is actually nature science. Something that I personally find fascinating, especially combined with the psychology of human behaviour.
Alas, Nature Sci-fi is not a genre. Maybe it will be invented once I finish this project and publish ;) But for the meantime, that genre doesn't exist.
So! I've decided it's best to call the project Post-Apocalypse Horror, sub-genres of Nature Sci-fi and Human Psychology.
I feel so much better now :D
And no one knows what the hell I'm talking about... *twiddles thumbs*
P.S I'm working hard on revisions for my website so I can announce the next contest very soon.
This story is not sci-fi, in the sense of Star Trek. No aliens, no new species, no new languages, or anything like that. However, the story does involve a decent amount of science and medical fiction. But it's not sci-fi...?
And then I realized what I use in this story is actually nature science. Something that I personally find fascinating, especially combined with the psychology of human behaviour.
Alas, Nature Sci-fi is not a genre. Maybe it will be invented once I finish this project and publish ;) But for the meantime, that genre doesn't exist.
So! I've decided it's best to call the project Post-Apocalypse Horror, sub-genres of Nature Sci-fi and Human Psychology.
I feel so much better now :D
And no one knows what the hell I'm talking about... *twiddles thumbs*
P.S I'm working hard on revisions for my website so I can announce the next contest very soon.
Monday, November 1, 2010
In Honor of NaNo
Word Count: 4011
Every November I always tell myself, this time I'm going to participate in National Novel Writing Month. And every November I'm always too busy writing to focus on NaNo. It's terribly ironic. So this year I've decided to post a daily word count on the top of each blog post. I challenge all of you to see if you can out-write me! I dare you! :D
The above word count started at 12:01am November first. Just for the record, I do sleep, but I write even in my sleep. For me, it's 24/7. Good luck trying to out-write me ;)
It just so happens the timing does work out for me. I fully intend to finish the first book in my current writing project by the end of November, at the latest.
I know I said yesterday I'd post the details of the next contest, but I have a lot going on, so it'll have to wait. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some extra time.
Every November I always tell myself, this time I'm going to participate in National Novel Writing Month. And every November I'm always too busy writing to focus on NaNo. It's terribly ironic. So this year I've decided to post a daily word count on the top of each blog post. I challenge all of you to see if you can out-write me! I dare you! :D
The above word count started at 12:01am November first. Just for the record, I do sleep, but I write even in my sleep. For me, it's 24/7. Good luck trying to out-write me ;)
It just so happens the timing does work out for me. I fully intend to finish the first book in my current writing project by the end of November, at the latest.
I know I said yesterday I'd post the details of the next contest, but I have a lot going on, so it'll have to wait. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some extra time.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Nirvana
While reworking the first couple of chapters in the 3rd person, in a flash, I realized something very interesting and very important. I get it now!
The difference between Character Development and Story Development.
First, a little personal history. Eden Fell is the first story I wrote. I was shocked to find after only 2 months, I had a completed novella. I was lucky with Eden fell, that's one story that pretty much wrote itself. I was dealing with a very strong main character and by describing this character in the 1st person, the story just happened.
Obviously, I had been spoiled and got into bad habits.
Character development is never a problem for me. Though I wasn't aware, what I was doing with any story I wrote after Eden Fell, including the incomplete ones, was relying on the character development to tell the story. Although this can work, if you have a strong character who sees everything, like Eden, but this doesn't always work for every type of story. Because sometimes the story needs development.
It needs it's own personality, history, gender even. The story needs to be fully developed and become real as much as the characters or anything else.
Plot development isn't the same thing as Story Development. I can work on an outline, make all the tweaks I want, but it will always be nothing more than the skeleton of a story. Not fully developing the story is what's been holding me back. Eden Fell was a unique experience, but I'd never write another story like that one unless I come up with the exact same character as Eden.
Now I know why some authors end up writing the same story for the rest of their writing career. They'll have a set formula of a fully developed story, and that's it. I always thought it was just a marketing scheme, but I know better now. Never mind characters or plot, Story Development is damn hard work. Once you have it, you don't want to let it go.
For novels, I'm going to write in the 3rd person only from now on. For novellas or short stories, I'll decide as it comes. I've written short stories that works best in 1st person, others work better in 3rd person. Novel writing is a different form of expression. To express my writing fully, 3rd person brings out the Story Development.
Story Development... wow... I can't believe this didn't occur to me sooner.
I feel... enlightened.
The difference between Character Development and Story Development.
First, a little personal history. Eden Fell is the first story I wrote. I was shocked to find after only 2 months, I had a completed novella. I was lucky with Eden fell, that's one story that pretty much wrote itself. I was dealing with a very strong main character and by describing this character in the 1st person, the story just happened.
Obviously, I had been spoiled and got into bad habits.
Character development is never a problem for me. Though I wasn't aware, what I was doing with any story I wrote after Eden Fell, including the incomplete ones, was relying on the character development to tell the story. Although this can work, if you have a strong character who sees everything, like Eden, but this doesn't always work for every type of story. Because sometimes the story needs development.
It needs it's own personality, history, gender even. The story needs to be fully developed and become real as much as the characters or anything else.
Plot development isn't the same thing as Story Development. I can work on an outline, make all the tweaks I want, but it will always be nothing more than the skeleton of a story. Not fully developing the story is what's been holding me back. Eden Fell was a unique experience, but I'd never write another story like that one unless I come up with the exact same character as Eden.
Now I know why some authors end up writing the same story for the rest of their writing career. They'll have a set formula of a fully developed story, and that's it. I always thought it was just a marketing scheme, but I know better now. Never mind characters or plot, Story Development is damn hard work. Once you have it, you don't want to let it go.
For novels, I'm going to write in the 3rd person only from now on. For novellas or short stories, I'll decide as it comes. I've written short stories that works best in 1st person, others work better in 3rd person. Novel writing is a different form of expression. To express my writing fully, 3rd person brings out the Story Development.
Story Development... wow... I can't believe this didn't occur to me sooner.
I feel... enlightened.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Freaking Out
For the past few days, I've been slowly but surely freaking out. This is a higher level than a mere self-doubt. A complete and full freak out.
It's about chapter 10, you see. Yet another chapter, as I was trying to work it out, seemed to be more than one chapter. I actually started thinking maybe it should be three chapters. Three!
And then I thought, if this keeps happening, maybe I should write in the third person rather than first person. Which would mean a complete rewrite. Rewriting everything!
But splitting it up into three chapters, or switching perspectives, would not only defeat the purpose of just writing until the story is finished, but also push everything ahead. If I wrote three chapters, or rewrote everything, for the purpose of finishing one chapter, I'd never finish this. At least, that's how it felt to me.
Too many ideas!
But then I realized it just wasn't needed. Sure, I could write tons more, and maybe I will, but AFTER I've at least completed the skeleton of the story. Fleshing it out can always happen later.
I'm still panicking a bit, but I'm calming down. It's only chapter 10 after all, and I've outlined roughly 25-30 chapters. In a lot of ways, I'm still at the beginning. Maybe when I'm at the halfway point, I can make decisions like splitting up chapters, though it would be best to wait until the story is complete, as in has a beginning, middle and end, before making such decisions.
One step at a time. *nods*
This is why I feel outlines are important. In essence, I do already have a finished book with a beginning, middle and end. It's just in the form of an outline. So really, no need to panic or freak out (though I do it anyway). I just have to remind myself I already have a book and it's just a matter of writing it out, putting one word after another. That's all.
No more freaking out.
Really.
I'm okay.
It's about chapter 10, you see. Yet another chapter, as I was trying to work it out, seemed to be more than one chapter. I actually started thinking maybe it should be three chapters. Three!
And then I thought, if this keeps happening, maybe I should write in the third person rather than first person. Which would mean a complete rewrite. Rewriting everything!
But splitting it up into three chapters, or switching perspectives, would not only defeat the purpose of just writing until the story is finished, but also push everything ahead. If I wrote three chapters, or rewrote everything, for the purpose of finishing one chapter, I'd never finish this. At least, that's how it felt to me.
Too many ideas!
But then I realized it just wasn't needed. Sure, I could write tons more, and maybe I will, but AFTER I've at least completed the skeleton of the story. Fleshing it out can always happen later.
I'm still panicking a bit, but I'm calming down. It's only chapter 10 after all, and I've outlined roughly 25-30 chapters. In a lot of ways, I'm still at the beginning. Maybe when I'm at the halfway point, I can make decisions like splitting up chapters, though it would be best to wait until the story is complete, as in has a beginning, middle and end, before making such decisions.
One step at a time. *nods*
This is why I feel outlines are important. In essence, I do already have a finished book with a beginning, middle and end. It's just in the form of an outline. So really, no need to panic or freak out (though I do it anyway). I just have to remind myself I already have a book and it's just a matter of writing it out, putting one word after another. That's all.
No more freaking out.
Really.
I'm okay.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Decennial
I freely admit the title of this post is for geeks who know a little Latin. Or, for those who do a google search ;)
I'm very happy to report I'm now working on chapter ten. Insert Kermit-style Yaaaay here. I'm quite relived to get to this point. I would say I'm past the quarter point and working toward the middle. It's a great feeling knowing I've gotten past all introductions and can let the story flow from here.
I have no idea if this is just me or not, but I can always tell where I am in the story based on what I've written so far. Granted, following a rough outline helps a lot with that. But I don't just mean the outline. I can tell based on how the story feels. Perhaps it's an intuitive thing. I've long since gotten to a point with my writing where some things I just know. Like, for example, I'm definitely past the quarter point *nods* How did I get to this point in my writing? Practice, practice, and more practice. Oh, and lots of practice.
While dedication is important, I'm also finding myself distracted. It's not easy having a vivid imagination and a background in graphic design. There's a lot to be said for having only one skill, at least your sanity is retained much better that way. My imagination is all over the place. Novel writing, screenplay, movies, graphic novel, cover design... sigh. Alas, there's only so many hats I can wear at any given time, and I can focus much better when I wear one hat only. Though truth be told, wearing a lot of hats at once can be so much fun...
Or maybe I just like play dress-up. I digress.
Even though I'm saving a lot info for the newsletter, I just wanted to post a couple of reminders.
HALLOWEEN CONTEST! DEADLINE OCT. 30TH SO GET YOUR ENTRIES IN! As I put in the last newsletter, entries started coming in at the beginning of September. So don't leave it to the last minute, the judging of entries have already started. Remind your friends and get involved!
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER! SIGN UP NOW! The design of the next newsletter is far superior to the last one. You don't want to miss this. Sign up and be the first to see this info not seen anywhere else, delivered to your inbox!
Okay, that's it. Back to chapter 10...
I'm very happy to report I'm now working on chapter ten. Insert Kermit-style Yaaaay here. I'm quite relived to get to this point. I would say I'm past the quarter point and working toward the middle. It's a great feeling knowing I've gotten past all introductions and can let the story flow from here.
I have no idea if this is just me or not, but I can always tell where I am in the story based on what I've written so far. Granted, following a rough outline helps a lot with that. But I don't just mean the outline. I can tell based on how the story feels. Perhaps it's an intuitive thing. I've long since gotten to a point with my writing where some things I just know. Like, for example, I'm definitely past the quarter point *nods* How did I get to this point in my writing? Practice, practice, and more practice. Oh, and lots of practice.
While dedication is important, I'm also finding myself distracted. It's not easy having a vivid imagination and a background in graphic design. There's a lot to be said for having only one skill, at least your sanity is retained much better that way. My imagination is all over the place. Novel writing, screenplay, movies, graphic novel, cover design... sigh. Alas, there's only so many hats I can wear at any given time, and I can focus much better when I wear one hat only. Though truth be told, wearing a lot of hats at once can be so much fun...
Or maybe I just like play dress-up. I digress.
Even though I'm saving a lot info for the newsletter, I just wanted to post a couple of reminders.
HALLOWEEN CONTEST! DEADLINE OCT. 30TH SO GET YOUR ENTRIES IN! As I put in the last newsletter, entries started coming in at the beginning of September. So don't leave it to the last minute, the judging of entries have already started. Remind your friends and get involved!
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER! SIGN UP NOW! The design of the next newsletter is far superior to the last one. You don't want to miss this. Sign up and be the first to see this info not seen anywhere else, delivered to your inbox!
Okay, that's it. Back to chapter 10...
Friday, October 1, 2010
Suspension of Belief
This topic came into my thoughts recently. Do you believe me? I'm suspending you!
I've concluded several things. One, there's such thing as the wrong use of suspension of belief. Two, there's such thing as the right way to use suspension of belief. Three, in fiction, suspension of belief is often downright necessary. And last, four, suspension of belief is a lost art form.
I blame reality TV shows for fooling today's audience into believing everything has to be 100% original and realistic, otherwise it's a bad story. This is false. If a fictional story was 100% realistic, it wouldn't be fiction anymore. Not to mention the most obvious point, TV and Literature are very different mediums. So there.
We need suspension of belief to fully craft a fictional story. It's what allows a hobbit to go there and back again. Jedi Knights possessing powers and tricks. Aliens to invade earth. Girl Gelflings to have wings. And frogs always know it's not easy being green.
Imagine a world without suspension of belief. There would be no Lord of the Rings. No Star Wars. No War of the Worlds. No Dark Crystal. And no *sobs* Muppets! *bawls*
Fantasy and Sci-fi as genres would cease to exist and it would be a very boring world. No good conversation happens without at least one Star Wars reference, for pity's sake.
Now, having said ALL of that, there's also shameless misuse of suspension of belief. I've seen novels where it was used as a manipulation tactic to fool the readers into not guessing the plot until the bitter end. Because, you know, readers aren't even supposed to know what the hell the story is about *rolls eyes* I've also seen more novels than I can count where the authors used suspension of belief as a shameless excuse to justify their ridiculous plot lines. It's rather sad.
Here's the simple truth to everything in fiction:
AUTHORS: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE POSSIBLE, JUST PLAUSIBLE.
READERS: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE REAL, YOU'RE JUST ALLOWED TO BELIEVE IT'S REAL.
And that, my friends, is all anyone needs to know.
P.S. I finished the next chapter ;)
I've concluded several things. One, there's such thing as the wrong use of suspension of belief. Two, there's such thing as the right way to use suspension of belief. Three, in fiction, suspension of belief is often downright necessary. And last, four, suspension of belief is a lost art form.
I blame reality TV shows for fooling today's audience into believing everything has to be 100% original and realistic, otherwise it's a bad story. This is false. If a fictional story was 100% realistic, it wouldn't be fiction anymore. Not to mention the most obvious point, TV and Literature are very different mediums. So there.
We need suspension of belief to fully craft a fictional story. It's what allows a hobbit to go there and back again. Jedi Knights possessing powers and tricks. Aliens to invade earth. Girl Gelflings to have wings. And frogs always know it's not easy being green.
Imagine a world without suspension of belief. There would be no Lord of the Rings. No Star Wars. No War of the Worlds. No Dark Crystal. And no *sobs* Muppets! *bawls*
Fantasy and Sci-fi as genres would cease to exist and it would be a very boring world. No good conversation happens without at least one Star Wars reference, for pity's sake.
Now, having said ALL of that, there's also shameless misuse of suspension of belief. I've seen novels where it was used as a manipulation tactic to fool the readers into not guessing the plot until the bitter end. Because, you know, readers aren't even supposed to know what the hell the story is about *rolls eyes* I've also seen more novels than I can count where the authors used suspension of belief as a shameless excuse to justify their ridiculous plot lines. It's rather sad.
Here's the simple truth to everything in fiction:
AUTHORS: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE POSSIBLE, JUST PLAUSIBLE.
READERS: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE REAL, YOU'RE JUST ALLOWED TO BELIEVE IT'S REAL.
And that, my friends, is all anyone needs to know.
P.S. I finished the next chapter ;)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Doubts
I constantly have self-doubts. There are two kinds.
The first type is where I question the characters and/or the plot line. That kind of doubt will either result in making a few tweaks to the text or I'll conclude it does work, I just have to finish the story.
The second type is where I question myself as a writer. That one is dangerous and can lead to crushing despair. "I'm a woman, a Canadian, what the hell am I doing writing a post-apocalypse story that involves the American military? I'm not a guy, I can't possibly write this shit!" But then I'll re-read my outline, go over what I've written, or do some more research and get re-inspired.
This time around I've fallen in love with this:
The first type is where I question the characters and/or the plot line. That kind of doubt will either result in making a few tweaks to the text or I'll conclude it does work, I just have to finish the story.
The second type is where I question myself as a writer. That one is dangerous and can lead to crushing despair. "I'm a woman, a Canadian, what the hell am I doing writing a post-apocalypse story that involves the American military? I'm not a guy, I can't possibly write this shit!" But then I'll re-read my outline, go over what I've written, or do some more research and get re-inspired.
This time around I've fallen in love with this:
Isn't it beautiful? :D
I've finished the next chapter, by the way, despite all my doubts ;)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
What do You Consider Seductive?
I'm so close to finishing chapter 7. I should stop saying that and just finish the chapter already.
This current project is definitely written for an adult audience. Don't get me wrong, it's not pornographic, just contains some mature ideas. Get your mind out of the gutter, it's not like that! Yeesh.
So, here's my question of the day. What do you consider seductive? I have my own ideas, but I want to see yours. I don't necessarily mean sex (get your mind out of the gutter), but more on a cerebral level. That kind of seduction. Marilyn Monroe seduction, maybe, as an example. Basically seduction without the porn. (Told you to get your mind out of the gutter).
I'm curious and welcome all opinions, regardless of age, orientation or even personal preference. Share with me!
This current project is definitely written for an adult audience. Don't get me wrong, it's not pornographic, just contains some mature ideas. Get your mind out of the gutter, it's not like that! Yeesh.
So, here's my question of the day. What do you consider seductive? I have my own ideas, but I want to see yours. I don't necessarily mean sex (get your mind out of the gutter), but more on a cerebral level. That kind of seduction. Marilyn Monroe seduction, maybe, as an example. Basically seduction without the porn. (Told you to get your mind out of the gutter).
I'm curious and welcome all opinions, regardless of age, orientation or even personal preference. Share with me!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Incomplete Novel From Hell
About 5 years ago, give or take, I had an idea for a horror novel. The story would have been commercial horror fiction and I loved the idea of it, but it's the novel that just doesn't end. In 5 years, I have tried 6 rewrites. I get to about 50 - 60, 000 words and get completely and utterly blocked. There's just something about the story idea that refuses to finish. No way, no how, will never happen.
I never delete any of my writing, I keep it all in a great big folder on my computer and do regular backups. That horror novel is in another folder with word docs, totalling about 300 - 400 words I've written for one novel idea that I can't finish to save my life.
So then, I'd get another idea for a story and find myself using bits and pieces from the Incomplete Novel From Hell. Lo and behold! I actually finished a story. So far, with every story I've finished or published, each uses little pieces from the Incomplete Novel From Hell. A certain character, a certain scene or subplot, or sometimes just a single line that I really like. It's become my own personal blueprint for writing all other stories so I can actually finish them. But I seriously doubt I will ever finish the Incomplete Novel From Hell.
I've long since given up. Not in the sense of admitting defeat, but simply accepting that it's one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the same. I've also accepted, because I have so much already written, I'm free to use any of it in another story. After all, it's all my original fiction, I can do whatever I want with it.
I was mentally working on a rewrite of the prologue (current writing project that is), sifting through ideas and throwing them out. I just wasn't getting anywhere. Then it occurred to me in one of the rewrites of the Incomplete Novel From Hell, I wrote a version for chapter 1 which has a rather unique style I had never done before. I love it to pieces, but been unable to properly use it before. Now I can! I'm using the exact same style for the rewrite of the prologue. And it works!
I'm happy :)
I never delete any of my writing, I keep it all in a great big folder on my computer and do regular backups. That horror novel is in another folder with word docs, totalling about 300 - 400 words I've written for one novel idea that I can't finish to save my life.
So then, I'd get another idea for a story and find myself using bits and pieces from the Incomplete Novel From Hell. Lo and behold! I actually finished a story. So far, with every story I've finished or published, each uses little pieces from the Incomplete Novel From Hell. A certain character, a certain scene or subplot, or sometimes just a single line that I really like. It's become my own personal blueprint for writing all other stories so I can actually finish them. But I seriously doubt I will ever finish the Incomplete Novel From Hell.
I've long since given up. Not in the sense of admitting defeat, but simply accepting that it's one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the same. I've also accepted, because I have so much already written, I'm free to use any of it in another story. After all, it's all my original fiction, I can do whatever I want with it.
I was mentally working on a rewrite of the prologue (current writing project that is), sifting through ideas and throwing them out. I just wasn't getting anywhere. Then it occurred to me in one of the rewrites of the Incomplete Novel From Hell, I wrote a version for chapter 1 which has a rather unique style I had never done before. I love it to pieces, but been unable to properly use it before. Now I can! I'm using the exact same style for the rewrite of the prologue. And it works!
I'm happy :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
To Prologue or not to Prologue?
Well, time to bring everyone up to speed on what I've been working on.
General idea: Series of books set in the future, around 2035 - 2050
Theme: Post-apocalypse
Main point of this writing project: I have a lot of theories about what could happen in the future, medically, financially, etc. So, I'm compiling all my ideas into a series of books, all within a fictional context. My ideas are plausible, but I'd have no way of proving them. I'm not a scientist. I'm an author of dark fiction. So, I'm writing fiction.
Right now I'm mainly working on the reasearch needed for the backstory. Here are several things I've been researching so far.
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Volcanoes and volcanic ash
- World geography
And here's a treat for you. This is an image I quickly compiled in photoshop, a visual representation of what I have in mind for this story.
General idea: Series of books set in the future, around 2035 - 2050
Theme: Post-apocalypse
Main point of this writing project: I have a lot of theories about what could happen in the future, medically, financially, etc. So, I'm compiling all my ideas into a series of books, all within a fictional context. My ideas are plausible, but I'd have no way of proving them. I'm not a scientist. I'm an author of dark fiction. So, I'm writing fiction.
Right now I'm mainly working on the reasearch needed for the backstory. Here are several things I've been researching so far.
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Volcanoes and volcanic ash
- World geography
And here's a treat for you. This is an image I quickly compiled in photoshop, a visual representation of what I have in mind for this story.
I realize this image might not make sense to anyone else but me. That's okay. This image is all I need to keep things organized.
Now, I do have more than enough research to at least write the prologue for the first book. The first chapter will take a bit more research, though not much. I'm currently trying to decide if I should wait until everything is researched enough or just go ahead and write the prologue. I'm undecided...
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