Reality in Fiction

Realty isn’t so simple.  A lot of time is spent on making decisions, neither of which is clearly the “right” one.  Most of the time when someone opens one door, they close another, and there is a certain amount of regret when that door is closed.  Sometimes fiction makes choices far too easy.  There is always a right choice, and once it is made, the characters can live happily ever after.  This lack of reality can sometimes frustrate me.  But at the same time, if I wanted to read something realistic, I would simply read non-fiction.  The question of how much reality to incorporate in fiction is still very important though.  Fiction can’t be completely unrealistic; it needs elements of reality for us to connect with it.  I just feel fiction allows us to touch upon reality without having it banged over our heads.

I write mostly fantasy.  One of things I like best about fantasy is that characters are often placed against nearly impossible odds, but are given tools to fight those odds.  A skinny, little boy can hold incredible power, enough to combat even the most frightening enemy.  Whereas sometimes in our world, no matter how big or small someone is, impossible odds are often crushing.  This means, I guess, that I love happy endings.  I wish they happened more in real life, but I certainly happily anticipate them in the books I read.  I would feel really disappointed to read a book without a happy ending, but I also don’t want the happy ending to come too easily.

So how do you find the right balance between a fantasy world with a happy ending and reality?  In truth, I’m still not entirely sure.  I guess I just feel that if I read the book and believe the characters struggles, the book has enough reality for me.  What about for you?  How do you know when you’ve found the right balance?

Time for a change…

Notice anything different this week?

Uh-huh, that’s right. I changed the day my posts go up on my blog.  I like Wednesdays so I moved my Saturday blog dates to Wednesdays.  Everyone needs something at that mid-point of the week, just a little sometin’ sometin’ to get them thru…

Don’t worry, if you miss it, it’ll come back around like that damn one armed Free Range Zombie of Eeries that I keep chasing out of my yard so Hellhound won’t gnaw on it’s femur.  Free Range? Really? The only Free Range those shambling corpses do is through my yard, taunting my poor Hellhound with the tease of a free bone.

No worries, I’ll send my Muse and her new sidekick over to “politely” let Eerie know his pets need to limit their range!

Onward…

We’ve had some great guest posts and I’m hoping to fill up the rest of the year with even more, so stay tuned.  On April 24th we’ll be hosting the marvelous Kelly Meding, the creative genius behind the Urban Fantasy titles of the Dreg Series and the Meta War series. Mark your calendars, you don’t want to miss out!

I’ll catch you up on what I’ve been doing.  Shadow’s Moon is still out making the rounds.  It’s managed to make a positive impression with a few notables, but no invites yet.  I’ll keep you posted.

The Knight and I decided to take an adult time out in the City of Sin.  It was fun, oh yes it was, but like they say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” so long as you manage to avoid Twitter and Facebook. The Garden Gnomes and the Prankster Duo managed to hold the shack down, so we were good.

Writing wise, I’m working on a new book complete with new character.  Interestingly enough, this is the fourth title I’ve undertaken, but I can honestly say that practice helps. Every time you sit down and put your pen to paper, your creative skills get just a smidge better.  Every blog you read, every writing class you take, every book you read, it all increased your mastery of writing.  Just don’t fall into the trap of trying to revise your old projects instead of using your new and improved skills on a new one.

I started this particular title before Shadow’s Moon, but set it aside because Xander and Warrick were a lot more pushy and demanding their time. So being the supportive creator I am, I gave them their book. Now, however, this character is making sure she has my complete, undivided attention. Re working the first draft, I’ve realized that everything I’ve learned from other authors is coming in handy. I know the whole basic plot of this book, start, middle, end, a huge accomplishment for a pantser.  Plus, my character motivation is clearer, earlier on.  Instead of stumbling around and trying to make sense, it’s clicking fairly well.

Of course, I may have just jinxed it ,but still.

So I wanted to ask you all…what technique/skill have you recently learned that is helping in your current WIP?

–Wicked

Editing Requires Motivation

Lately, I’ve been having trouble focusing on just one thing.  I think, mainly, because I am avoiding my book.  You see, I just recently “finished” the first book in my new series, but as pointed out by some of my group members, there are a couple of big things I need to fix.  These things will require a great deal of patience, and a great deal of editing.

I know it needs to be done, but I’m struggling with doing it.  This is because during Nano I also started on the second book in my series, which is still at that glorious beginning stage when everything is just about writing and creating, not about editing.  I’ve also started working on a couple of short stories.  They were exercises in trying new and different writing styles, and I feel they are valuable projects, if nothing else, to expand my writing abilities.  All of this, however, gets me back to my main issue: I think I might be avoiding my first book.

My first book needs work, as most first drafts do.  I need to sit down with it for a few hours at a time and read it from beginning to end, working out any inconsistencies, timeline issues, character motivations, and even making certain that the relationships work.  This is the part of editing I really don’t enjoy.  I don’t mind combing through a book for grammatical issues, but it is adding these essential things, in just the right amounts, that tends to stress me out.

I know there are probably more organized, less time consuming, ways to go about editing a novel, but this seems to be the only way that works for me… if only I don’t avoid the mountain of work awaiting me.

The Plague has arrived…

The Swamp has been hit with the plague, so I’ve been huddling inside a salt circle warded by every known repulsion spell I can possible conceive of.  First it raced past the beautiful gardens at Dreamer’s place and left foliage carnage in its wake. Snarky managed to curb its insatiable appetite with a few well-aimed licks of her whip of displeasure.  I haven’t heard from Smokey, the haze is pretty deep, but I think that’s what’s keeping the plague in check for him.  As for Quirky, nope, he tried, but in the end he too fell.  Red managed to put a whole ocean of water between him and the feared virus carrier.  Eerie and Mischievous? Well, they headed up Troll Mountain and let the frigid temps discourage the plague’s forward momentum.  For a while it looked like Mighty Dwarf was going to escape, but then this week, she finally succumbed, swearing and cursing all the way. We’re experimenting with a few medicinal drams in an effort to weaken the stupid bug, but so far all it does is knock the victim out, leaving them to roll around in bed with a few weak moans. 

Even here in our humble shack we haven’t been totally immune.  Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor went down a few days ago.  Supportive spouse that I am, I vanquished him to another room as far from me as possible, because, let’s face it, I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME TO BE SICK.  Oh no, with the Prankster Duo at full steam, demands from that pesky job that pays the bills, edits to finish, queries/synopsis to compose, the Blogger Book Fair to prep for and preparing to start the next WIP in February, there is not a lot of time to be laying around moaning. Unless of course those moans are because my brain is on the verge of imploding under the massive to-do list that haunts my nightmares. 

Until this harbringer of aches and fevers removes its shadow from the Swamp, I’m staying put, hunkering down and ignoring the anquished moans of suffering.  I’m fairly certain that’s the only way I’m going to make it!

Besides the Blogger Book Fair starts in two weeks and none of my highly anticipated visitors want to dodge the plague!

If the plague has found you, my sympathies, but please don’t be offended if I say that from wayyyy over here!

Until next week….

Wicked

Ripping Apart Your Story…

It’s been a busy holiday here at the Swamp.  I did manage to finish my first draft of Shadow’s Moon, wrangled some interviews with really cool peeps (check out the Guest Post tab), clean out the pits known as the Prankster Duo’s rooms, and took a small breather from the job that pays the bills.  Now  as I wait to finalize guest post dates and prepare for the Bloggers Book Fair in February, I’m reading back through Shadow’s Moon and utilizing my red ink scalpel to finesse my creation before sending it out into the big, bad publishing world.  Currently I’m hiding out in my office of solitude, now graced with a gorgeous shiny 27 inch Apple, while Nerf bullets fly throughout our humble shack.  Knight in Slight Muddy Armor is holed up reveling in the adventures of a high school teacher who chooses to engage in a “questionable” job opportunity.  Even the  Garden Gnomes are hiding in their garden from the heated exchange of foam bullets wielded by five preteen males. Ah, yes, the year is off to a rousing start!

I’ve been asked a few time what my editing process is–the simplest answer: BRUTAL.  It never fails, I finish a story, type END and then feel like a limp dishrag.  I set it aside for a couple of weeks while I recover my strength and confidence.  I’m not sure about every writer out there, but I know that once I finish a story I’m suddenly plagued by insecurities.  Will anyone really like this story? Are my characters deep enough, real enough for readers to connect to? Does my plot resemble a colander, leaking story elements into the ether? Did I add extra arms/legs/body parts where they weren’t needed? The worries are endless and tend to get stuck on a mental loop that make that blindly bright white jacket with buckles look oh so inviting.

When I finally come back to the story, I sit down and read it from beginning to end, armed with my red ink scalpel and begin to answer all of those questions.  Add here. Slash there. Rewrite there because there’s no way in hell that character would EVER say that.  For almost two solid weeks I’ll immerse myself in the story, smoothing the edges, filling the holes until it shines.  Then I send it out.  Once my editor gets ahold of it, she sends it through at least three more brutal rounds in the editing ring.  Bloody and beaten, it will triumph, in the end unbowed but oh so much stronger than when it stepped into the ring.  I honestly don’t think a writer ever feels like a story is ever “perfect”.  Even if it’s out there, being consumed by readers, I know that if I sat down to read Shadow’s Edge or Shadow’s Soul now, I would change things.  Not that they need it, but because writers are constantly honing their skills.  That’s why you shouldn’t go back to what’s out there, but put those skills to work in what’s ahead or currently in front of you.

Snarky shared this awesome post this week with me.  It’s from one of my favorite writers, Chuck Wendig and his Terrible Minds blog.  When you have the time, check it out. It’s worth reading.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a quote from his post: How Chuck Wendig Edits a Novel:

“Writing is when we make words.  Editing is when we make the words not shitty.”

Until next week!

–Wicked

NANO, Just Writing

The plan for NANO (National Novel Writing Month) is to just write, not edit, not outline, just write.  But how do you just write?  What does that even mean?

When I begin writing, I naturally crave some kind of structure, some kind of guidelines to follow.  Often my characters take me off my decided path, but then, a new path is created based upon what my characters want.  Does that make any sense at all?

BUT, this month I am just writing.  I am creating words on a page, without my usual obsessive compulsive behavior.  I am not going to re-read my work (at least I’ll try not to).  This plan, however, really worries me.  I think I might end up creating more work for myself in the end by doing things in such an unorganized way.  But at the same time, I am really looking forward to trying a different writing process.  Hey, I may even realize I like this way of writing better!

What do you think?  Does writing without a plan simply cause more problems in the long run?

Creating Complex Characters #2

Why did he do it?  His father hit him.  Why did he lie?  We all saw it.  He was scared.  His eyes begged us for help.  But he lied, and the police left… left him there to endure it again.

The next day at the bus stop, he shoved another kid.  He grinned and laughed with his friends, but the laughter never reached his eyes.  Normally, I intervened.  I stopped him from hurting other kids, but today I wasn’t a participant in this story.  I was an observer, an analyzer.  I wanted to understand his motivation for his actions.

This is our job as writers, to fully understand our characters, even if most of what we know about our characters never reaches the page.  The boy may truly love his father, and this is the reason for his silence.  He may have been too afraid to speak up, the classic issue for victims.  Or perhaps he worried for his mother, who would stay with the man, even if he were taken away.  The reader may never learn his reasons, but the author should understand them.

He shifted in his chair, always the last to complete every assignment.  His brows are drawn low over his dark eyes, and I’m surprised by the feeling of pity that coursed through me.  Pity?  I used to enjoy watching him struggle in class.  I used to think, ha, that’s what happens to bullies.  But now, I long to help him, to ease away the stress of this multiplication test, so his life is just a little bit easier.

Who are we learning about here?  The narrator, or main character, is being revealed just as much as the bully is, through her reactions to him.  Remember that authors don’t need to spend all their time describing their characters, hand-feeding information to the readers.  This does both your reader and your characters an injustice.  Your readers should learn about the characters just as they move through the plot, discovering more about them by the ways they react to different characters and different situations.

Creating complex characters is not an option if you want to write a truly remarkable book, because creating a complex character means that you are creating someone real for your readers to root for.

Creating Complex Characters

People are complex.

There is the childhood bully, who isn’t a person to you until the day you see his dad hit him.  You hear the neighbors talk, words you, as a child, have never been privy to.  This isn’t the first time he’s been hit; it’s not the first time the police are called.  The neighbors hear the yelling, they see the boy, and the adults understand him and his situation better than us children.  We only saw him as a bully.  I only saw him as a bully, until that day, and then, he became a victim in my eyes.

People are complex.  So, why are characters often so simple?

Character= Personality + Relationships + Motivations + Experiences

People could be broken down in the same formula, but there is more to people, and should be more to characters, than this.  We, as the writers, should understand our characters better than they understand themselves.  They might not know why the possibility of love terrifies them, but we should.  They might not know that even while they are afraid, they have an inner drive, an inner spirit, that keeps them fighting, but we do.  The problem is that many writers reduce their characters to stereotypes, and guess what, characters deserve more.

In young adult books, the main character is usually someone who has lost their parents, or their support system, and must find a way to survive in an unjust world on their own.  But, the books that truly stand out often have just one quality that makes their character so unique, they seem real to us.  And the more unique, the more you are creating a character that will transcend the pages, and become a real person to your readers.  This is why we as authors need to be fair to our characters, and our readers, and move beyond the stereotypes, to breathe life into our characters.

Body Language #2

I’ve mentioned before that I’m really struggling with body language in my stories.  Since I wrote my last blog, I’ve actually noticed an improvement in my writing.  I think this is because I took the time to analyze how to use body language better.  But, I want to continue improving.

Scene: Three college students studying for a final exam.

        “I think we should start by summarizing all the Shakespearean plays we’ve read this year,” Emily says, pulling out her massive text book and placing it gently on the table.

         Brandon raises a brow.  “What’s all the tabs for?”

         Emily blushes.  “I tabbed pages in the plays where certain themes are present.  The red is love.  The green is nature…”

         Roxanne pulls out her own book and grins, running her hand along her spiked hair.  “I didn’t tab anything, I’ve got it all right here,” she says, pointing to her head.

         Emily returns her smile, but her shoulders are stiff as she opens her book.  “What play do you want to start with, Brandon?”

         He shrugs.  “Whatever you guys want.  I didn’t bring my book.”

        Roxanne glares at him, and then gives Emily her best ‘I told you so’ look.  “Why did you come if you don’t have a book?”

       He sits up straighter, ignoring the barista as she places his cup of coffee in front of him.  “Emily invited me.” 

      He leans towards Roxanne, no doubt hoping his six-foot something frame will intimidate her, but she doesn’t move.  After a minute, he apparently decides to change his tactic, allowing one of his cold, but startlingly handsome smiles, to touch his lips.

     “Come on now, you two wouldn’t know what to do with yourselves, not without me sitting next to you.  I mean, we spent the whole semester next to each other, and you two didn’t seem to mind.”

     “The only reason I let you sit next to us is because she…,” Emily kicks Roxanne beneath the table, and Roxanne’s thoughts move fast enough to stop herself from revealing her friend’s crush, “because she’s nicer than I am.”

Using body language is such an important part of writing, but I often find myself stuck using the same types of body language over and over again.  I think this is why it is so important for us writers to go out in the world and actually observe people, because there are a lot of subtle, and not so subtle, things that people do that tell us their inner thoughts or motivations.  And, we want to utilize this same realism in our own writing.

Showing versus Telling #2

Okay, so last week I discussed the importance of showing versus telling, but this week, I wanted to actually create some examples of this writing skill.  Before I do, however, I want to mention that this is something I’m struggling with, something I’m still trying to improve upon.  If you want to take any of my example sentences and “show” them even more, you are welcome to!

Example #1 (Telling): The couple was obviously angry with each other.

Example #2 (Telling and including the narrator’s feelings): I shifted uncomfortably, trying my best to ignore the arguing couple.

Example #3: (Showing): The woman snapped her napkin open, and then dropped it on her lap.  She reached for her fork, but even after several moments, still hadn’t touched her food.  The man ignored her, staring at the massive TV screen above the bar.  I thought perhaps he’d failed to notice the woman fuming across from him, but every time he chugged his beer, his eyes peered at her from the edge of his mug.  Once our eyes met, but I hastily looked away, shifting in my seat until they were no longer in my line of sight.

This is just one example of showing versus telling.  You can see how when an author shows something, the reader is a part of the journey.  They get to experience the couple’s anger, but more than that, they become involved in the story.  One reader may side with the woman, having experienced the frustration of eating a meal with someone who fails to pay attention to them.  While another reader may side with the man, knowing how frustrating it can be to have the passive aggressive behaviors of a dinner companion ruin their meal.  If the author had simply said, “the couple was obviously angry with each other,” the reader would shrug and accept what the author told them.

One reason I find that I often fall into the trap of telling instead of showing is that the moment or detail doesn’t seem important enough to spend too much time on.  But the truth of the matter is that if the detail isn’t important, it shouldn’t be included in my book.  And, there are ways to show a little more without creating a huge paragraph.

Example #1 (Telling): The house was a mess.

Example #2 (Telling and including the narrator’s feelings): I cringed as I entered the messy home.

Example #3 (Showing): I cringed as a rat scurried between one moldy pizza box and a pile of leftover dishes, and prayed I could leave the sad-excuse for a house soon.

I hope these examples helped to explain showing versus telling a little better.  Taking the time to write this blog, and create my own sentences, definitely helped me to improve in this area.