Ah, an easy one. Though watch as I answer in my typically sideways fashion.
I'd never had this happen until recently. My guess is it's because of the way I fashion stories. Imagine, if you will, a paleontologist uncovering the fossilized remains of a gigantic dinosaur.
First to appear from the earth are the largest bones, which give us the most fundamental details about the creature. What is the overall shape? How did the body support itself? How did it move around?
The protagonist is the head, and as they teach you in martial arts the body always moves with the head. The protagonist's arc - their interaction with the antagonist - is represented by the shape of the dinosaur's backbone. Can this structure support the weight of the other systems necessary to bring the piece to life?
At this stage, I am attempting to answer the most important facets of "Who?", "What?", "When?", and "Why?"
Then we get more detailed glimpses as we uncover the smaller and smaller bones. Was it predator or prey? Whether herbivore or carnivore, can we ascertain its favoured diet? How did it protect itself? Here, I situate the protagonist and antagonist in their world. In my analogy the proportions of the bones can hint at lung capacity, mobility, specifics of the diet. In my stories I am now placing the characters in their physical settings, and populating these places with the actors that will come to play a role in the narrative.
I attempt to wrap up the "Who?", and "Why?" at this stage, sketch out the salient points of "When?" and "Where?", and fill out just a bit more of the last two, "What?" and "How?"
Finally, if we're lucky, we get into the smallest details, hopefully ones specific to this very creature we're uncovering. What can we deduce about its life and death?
When I'm writing, the entirety of the first stage and a good chunk of the second take place before I'll even draw up an outline. With the outline done, my first draft occupies half of the second and half of the third stages. Subsequent drafts further refine, adding or adjusting additional layers of detail. Rewrites are by far the most time-intensive work, but by the end of the first draft I've typically got 60%-80% of the story in place.
So, all of that to say that the reason it hasn't happened to me before is that in every story I've written but one, I'd already charted a course for all but the most insignificant/character-as-scenery characters before setting pen to paper.
I've seen the act of writing fiction compared to recollecting past events, and it's an apt description for my process. My characters don't often surprise me because I already know what they've done.
None of this actually answers the question, though, so let me tell you about the time it did happen.
In my second novel there is a character that serves as cannon fodder for the antagonist, and dies by the end of the first chapter. His scenes serve to build tension and showcase what the bad guy can do, but he was just a throwaway. Upon further reflection, I'm starting to think that following his story beyond his unlucky encounter might serve as an interesting counterpoint to some of the other threads I follow through the narrative.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
xlvii - Day 18 - Favorite Antagonist
Today I bring you a three part answer because no single one of these characters fulfills the spirit of this week's topic.
My favorite antagonist (that I've written) is Ira Mastema.
I discuss him here(http://thestoriesofix.blogspot.com/2011/07/xl-day-11-who-is-your-favoriteleast.html), so I won't tread that ground again. I don't feel I can offer him as an answer alone because I haven't written enough of him to claim him as a fully-formed character.
My favourite antagonist (from a novel someone else wrote) is Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
His cunning and ruthlessness are traits I always strive to imbue in my arch-nemeses. In my opinion raw intellect will find a way to win most battles - and what's scarier than a bad guy with an agenda and the means to make it happen. By the midpoint of Dune, Baron Harkonnen had destroyed the main character's house and assassinated his father. There's no doubt he'll get his eventually, but this is clearly not a villain to be taken lightly.
Still, I'm hesitant to hold him up as my sole choice because he's not my character and, perhaps more importantly this time, because I think there are a few elements of his characterization that, and it pains me to write this about the author of my favorite book, strike me as downright lazy. He's a red-headed homosexual pedophile with an eastern european name. It's like Herbert drew up a cliched list of "horrible 1960s character flaws" and built an otherwise well executed character into it.
My favourite antagonist (from any print media) is Magneto, from the X-Men series of comics.
He has a lot of the upside of a Baron Harkonnen without many of the telegraphed characteristics. With fifty-ish years of comic book backstory, things are bound to go off the rails, but at his best, he's been written as an extremely compelling character on an almost-but-not-quite noble crusade. I also hesitate to include him as a single response due to his not being my character, and that he's not written in the traditional sense
My favorite antagonist (that I've written) is Ira Mastema.
I discuss him here(http://thestoriesofix.blogspot.com/2011/07/xl-day-11-who-is-your-favoriteleast.html), so I won't tread that ground again. I don't feel I can offer him as an answer alone because I haven't written enough of him to claim him as a fully-formed character.
My favourite antagonist (from a novel someone else wrote) is Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
His cunning and ruthlessness are traits I always strive to imbue in my arch-nemeses. In my opinion raw intellect will find a way to win most battles - and what's scarier than a bad guy with an agenda and the means to make it happen. By the midpoint of Dune, Baron Harkonnen had destroyed the main character's house and assassinated his father. There's no doubt he'll get his eventually, but this is clearly not a villain to be taken lightly.
Still, I'm hesitant to hold him up as my sole choice because he's not my character and, perhaps more importantly this time, because I think there are a few elements of his characterization that, and it pains me to write this about the author of my favorite book, strike me as downright lazy. He's a red-headed homosexual pedophile with an eastern european name. It's like Herbert drew up a cliched list of "horrible 1960s character flaws" and built an otherwise well executed character into it.
My favourite antagonist (from any print media) is Magneto, from the X-Men series of comics.
He has a lot of the upside of a Baron Harkonnen without many of the telegraphed characteristics. With fifty-ish years of comic book backstory, things are bound to go off the rails, but at his best, he's been written as an extremely compelling character on an almost-but-not-quite noble crusade. I also hesitate to include him as a single response due to his not being my character, and that he's not written in the traditional sense
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
xlvi - Day 17 - Favorite Protagonist
Ok, so I did curse myself. It turns out actually having the baby (noting a previous post's caveat about being relegated to spectator status for the genuinely difficult bits, on account of my sex) is a lot more work than I imagined. I've been quite busy.
It's my daughter's two-month birthday today and things are apparently supposed to ease up from now on. There are undoubtedly parts of my life that will never be the same, but I'm holding out hope there are meals and full nights' worth of sleep in my future.
In the meantime I'm rediscovering my ability to string together more than a sentence or two, so it's looking like high time to reassemble the wagon.
Day 17 - Favorite Protagonist
Henry Dorsett Case.
Is that cheating? The "question" isn't specific. I didn't write him. I doubt he'll ever figure in anything I do. Of any character I've read or written, though, he's the one that drew me in the most.
It goes without saying that because I started reading for fun when I was a kid, that I wasn't the most refined reader. So, it didn't hurt that a lot of the stories I read in junior and early high school made liberal use of the "kid of modest origins becomes nigh-invulnerable" trope, but I can't say I identified with the protagonists.
As I made my way through high school that would change. Dune, being another boy-becomes-god story, served as a bridge to science fiction. The first character I developped a rapport with was Paul Atreides, even though the only thing we had in common was our age and general physical appearance.
It wasn't until after my introduction to the depression that would become my lifelong companion that I really clicked with a character. That character, you'd be right to guess, is Case. The broader strokes of his storyline resonated with me at a time that I felt I'd lost something, and that feeling stuck with me.
It's my daughter's two-month birthday today and things are apparently supposed to ease up from now on. There are undoubtedly parts of my life that will never be the same, but I'm holding out hope there are meals and full nights' worth of sleep in my future.
In the meantime I'm rediscovering my ability to string together more than a sentence or two, so it's looking like high time to reassemble the wagon.
Day 17 - Favorite Protagonist
Henry Dorsett Case.
Is that cheating? The "question" isn't specific. I didn't write him. I doubt he'll ever figure in anything I do. Of any character I've read or written, though, he's the one that drew me in the most.
It goes without saying that because I started reading for fun when I was a kid, that I wasn't the most refined reader. So, it didn't hurt that a lot of the stories I read in junior and early high school made liberal use of the "kid of modest origins becomes nigh-invulnerable" trope, but I can't say I identified with the protagonists.
As I made my way through high school that would change. Dune, being another boy-becomes-god story, served as a bridge to science fiction. The first character I developped a rapport with was Paul Atreides, even though the only thing we had in common was our age and general physical appearance.
It wasn't until after my introduction to the depression that would become my lifelong companion that I really clicked with a character. That character, you'd be right to guess, is Case. The broader strokes of his storyline resonated with me at a time that I felt I'd lost something, and that feeling stuck with me.
Monday, August 22, 2011
xlv - Day 16 - Do you write romantic relationships? Are you good with those? Do you write sex scenes?
There may come a day when I stop dissecting these questions, but today is not that day. Once again, I feel as if the direction my imaginary interviewer has taken is contrary to the one I'd be taking myself. For today's batch of questions I can't help but think "romantic relationships" is intended to be viewed through the lens of Hollywood or Harlequin bodice-rippers. I don't write romantic relationships in this context. There was a time at the height of my "woe is me, I can't get a girlfriend" phase (i.e. high school) that I may have veered off into adjoining territory, but I've never seriously tried to write that kind of romance.
Romance hasn't figured in the short stories I've written since I decided to take writing seriously. It doesn't factor into the shorts I like to read, so naturally it doesn't in the ones I produce. I don't think that's likely to change, but one of the magazines I'm trying to get into seems to print a high enough volume of stories with gratuitous hookups. If once I've got a dozen stories under my belt I still haven't got a publication credit to my name, I may see what happens if I try to follow that formula.
My longer stories, on the other hand, will have a place for romantic relationships. I use the future tense because I intend to have a romantic element to the overall story arcs in both my novels, but haven't written it yet. In my fantasy novel I have the seeds of a love triangle that I intend to use to influence the events in the second novel and onwards. The currently unfinished draft of my second novel (a supernatural mystery/thriller) will have a romance based on betrayal. Because neither are on paper our official answers to questions 1 and 2 are "not yet" and "we'll see".
I'm going to ignore question 3. Why? Because my mom currently amounts to a significant percentage of my readership. Because I haven't found a workshop yet. And because I don't have an editor to advise me on the pros and cons of showing my characters getting it on. Until these three things change, I'm gonna have to plead the fifth.
Romance hasn't figured in the short stories I've written since I decided to take writing seriously. It doesn't factor into the shorts I like to read, so naturally it doesn't in the ones I produce. I don't think that's likely to change, but one of the magazines I'm trying to get into seems to print a high enough volume of stories with gratuitous hookups. If once I've got a dozen stories under my belt I still haven't got a publication credit to my name, I may see what happens if I try to follow that formula.
My longer stories, on the other hand, will have a place for romantic relationships. I use the future tense because I intend to have a romantic element to the overall story arcs in both my novels, but haven't written it yet. In my fantasy novel I have the seeds of a love triangle that I intend to use to influence the events in the second novel and onwards. The currently unfinished draft of my second novel (a supernatural mystery/thriller) will have a romance based on betrayal. Because neither are on paper our official answers to questions 1 and 2 are "not yet" and "we'll see".
I'm going to ignore question 3. Why? Because my mom currently amounts to a significant percentage of my readership. Because I haven't found a workshop yet. And because I don't have an editor to advise me on the pros and cons of showing my characters getting it on. Until these three things change, I'm gonna have to plead the fifth.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
xliv - Day 15 - A writer you admire, whether professional or not!
I'm actually quite surprised how complex this seemingly innocuous, simple question is turning out to be. It turns out "admiration" isn't a concept I think is particularly useful in defining my concept of writers.
Let's take a slight detour and define a writer as someone who follows Heinlein's rules of writing. I personally like Robert J. Sawyer's version with an additional rule. To paraphrase: 1) Write something; 2) Finish it; 3) No, seriously, stop messing with it; 4) Submit it; 5) Re-submit it until it's sold; and, 6) Goto 1. (Sawyer has a full version on his site, available HERE)
You may now have an inkling as to why the word "admire" isn't particularly useful in this context. The act of writing with the honest intention of having the work published is often agonizing, meticulous work. We haven't even touched on the utterly humbling experience of putting something out there. In all my reading about writing, I've yet to come across any published author who doesn't make a point of pointing out their pile of rejection slips.
Even for writers I think are doing a disservice to humanity by virtue of what they write, that they've commited to the act of writing itself warrants no small measure of admiration on my part.
None of this leaves you with a workable answer to the question, though.
So: Frank Herbert.
Why? His style was clear, and he was capable of writing intelligently without hiding behind convoluted language. Not to mention being the author of the most recognized work of modern science fiction. He wrote, he wrote well, and he was successful.
Let's take a slight detour and define a writer as someone who follows Heinlein's rules of writing. I personally like Robert J. Sawyer's version with an additional rule. To paraphrase: 1) Write something; 2) Finish it; 3) No, seriously, stop messing with it; 4) Submit it; 5) Re-submit it until it's sold; and, 6) Goto 1. (Sawyer has a full version on his site, available HERE)
You may now have an inkling as to why the word "admire" isn't particularly useful in this context. The act of writing with the honest intention of having the work published is often agonizing, meticulous work. We haven't even touched on the utterly humbling experience of putting something out there. In all my reading about writing, I've yet to come across any published author who doesn't make a point of pointing out their pile of rejection slips.
Even for writers I think are doing a disservice to humanity by virtue of what they write, that they've commited to the act of writing itself warrants no small measure of admiration on my part.
None of this leaves you with a workable answer to the question, though.
So: Frank Herbert.
Why? His style was clear, and he was capable of writing intelligently without hiding behind convoluted language. Not to mention being the author of the most recognized work of modern science fiction. He wrote, he wrote well, and he was successful.
Interlude, Again
You know what takes up a lot of time? Having a baby.
"But," you may be thinking to yourselves, "you're a man. Your part of the process is a mere fraction of the total effort needed in producing a child." Which is quite right, so I offer this revision:
You know what takes up a lot of time? Getting ready to have a baby.
I've been glued to a computer monitor for most of my adolescent and adult life. Well, I was until a few weeks ago. It's been an incredibly busy summer as my wife and I prepare the house for an autumn arrival. Outside of work, where I -ahem- normally spend my time working, I've been on my PC a grand total of about 15 hours since June.
It got busier 2-3 weeks ago, and the reason I'm writing this entry is to apologize for the slowed pace of posting entries. The room from which I used to type out my posts is now a nursery and I'm still working to assemble a suitable space in a new room, but there's still a lot of prep work to be done before I become a dad.
Things have calmed down a bit (I know I've just cursed myself...) and the PC is back online, so I'm going to be working to get these back on schedule.
"But," you may be thinking to yourselves, "you're a man. Your part of the process is a mere fraction of the total effort needed in producing a child." Which is quite right, so I offer this revision:
You know what takes up a lot of time? Getting ready to have a baby.
I've been glued to a computer monitor for most of my adolescent and adult life. Well, I was until a few weeks ago. It's been an incredibly busy summer as my wife and I prepare the house for an autumn arrival. Outside of work, where I -ahem- normally spend my time working, I've been on my PC a grand total of about 15 hours since June.
It got busier 2-3 weeks ago, and the reason I'm writing this entry is to apologize for the slowed pace of posting entries. The room from which I used to type out my posts is now a nursery and I'm still working to assemble a suitable space in a new room, but there's still a lot of prep work to be done before I become a dad.
Things have calmed down a bit (I know I've just cursed myself...) and the PC is back online, so I'm going to be working to get these back on schedule.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
xliii - Day 14 - How do you map out locations, if needed?
I had a visual arts teacher in my last year of high school that insisted we reference real-world models or examples of everything we were going to commit to paper. Up until that point I had a romanticised idea of how artists worked: they had an idea, and without ever leaving the comfort of their own minds, somehow that idea materialised of its own volition. It had never occurred to me that if someone wanted to paint or draw a rock, that one would actually look at real rocks or pictures of rocks. It seems self evident now, especially when I put it that way, but there's an undeniable mystique about the creative process.
I'd been interested in writing for years, though I had mainly done it by myself for fun. My English teachers had been very supportive of the interest, but I hadn't received any real education in writing beyond the basics all high school kids get: spelling, grammar, and the fundamentals of composition (primarily academic). Having someone, even if it was in another discipline, outline a distinct process was a pivotal step in my development.
So, how do I map out locations? I borrow or steal outright from the real world.
There's no reason not to rip the sign off the front of the pub I used to visit in university and pop my characters into it. For the places I can't just insert, there's a reasonably good body of work about our environment (both natural and manufactured) and why it is the way it is.
Extrapolation is a key skill in the creation of speculative fiction. Whether I'm any good at it or not, there's no reason not to try to keep at least one foot on the ground when I'm making up places for my characters to visit.
Monday, July 25, 2011
xlii - Day 13 - What's your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
Please accept my apologies. Once again, I failed to register the difference between "Save" and "Publish" so that this post sat in my queue for a week. I'll post the next day's question and answer tomorrow!
I have to address my first impression of this question before trying to answer it at face value.
A writer shouldn't try to write "cultures", a writer should try to write "characters". Individuals. Influenced, of course, to lesser or greater degrees by their own culture and any they might encounter on their journey, but, and I can't stress this enough, independent actors. To think of culture without focusing it through the lens of character strikes me as a recipe for cookie-cutter (or clichéd) characterisation at best or unquestioning acceptance of discriminatory stereotypes at worst.
Of course, it would be hypocritical of me to pretend it couldn't happen to me. One of the reasons the human mind is remarkable to me is its ability to seamlessly fill holes in the "big picture". Without even knowing it, we grab pieces of information and stuff them into the lattice work of our understanding of the world. There may come a time when my own untested assumptions are brought to light, and it's going to be at least a bit embarrassing. After all, I'm undertaking an art form intended to shine light into those holes.
But that's not addressing the question. I can, in fact, answer it in the way I'd like to believe it was intended.
I created a culture for my fantasy setting based on elements cherry-picked from various points in French history. Social structure and dress influenced by the Franks, and the regional dialects influenced by Old French. Environmental and other influences made the people compact and mean, like wolverines. In retrospect, they answer the question of what it would be like if a whole people had a Napoleon Complex.
The reason I think they're so fun to write is because stories are about conflict, and this particular people has conflict at its very core. Each and every interaction with them, even between themselves, has such potential to go in any direction that it just opens up possibilities having them around.
I have to address my first impression of this question before trying to answer it at face value.
A writer shouldn't try to write "cultures", a writer should try to write "characters". Individuals. Influenced, of course, to lesser or greater degrees by their own culture and any they might encounter on their journey, but, and I can't stress this enough, independent actors. To think of culture without focusing it through the lens of character strikes me as a recipe for cookie-cutter (or clichéd) characterisation at best or unquestioning acceptance of discriminatory stereotypes at worst.
Of course, it would be hypocritical of me to pretend it couldn't happen to me. One of the reasons the human mind is remarkable to me is its ability to seamlessly fill holes in the "big picture". Without even knowing it, we grab pieces of information and stuff them into the lattice work of our understanding of the world. There may come a time when my own untested assumptions are brought to light, and it's going to be at least a bit embarrassing. After all, I'm undertaking an art form intended to shine light into those holes.
But that's not addressing the question. I can, in fact, answer it in the way I'd like to believe it was intended.
I created a culture for my fantasy setting based on elements cherry-picked from various points in French history. Social structure and dress influenced by the Franks, and the regional dialects influenced by Old French. Environmental and other influences made the people compact and mean, like wolverines. In retrospect, they answer the question of what it would be like if a whole people had a Napoleon Complex.
The reason I think they're so fun to write is because stories are about conflict, and this particular people has conflict at its very core. Each and every interaction with them, even between themselves, has such potential to go in any direction that it just opens up possibilities having them around.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
xli - Day 12 - In what story did you feel you did the best job of world-building?
No contest, it has to be my first novel, the fantasy I wrote several years ago. Before even recording my characters' first steps, I'd already taken weeks upon weeks building the world they were going to travel.
I once heard a joke that fantasy stories always seem to start with the author scribbling a map. I'm not sure if it's true, but my first novel definitely did. It started as a rough outline of continents, and then piece by piece I added elements. Based on (admittedly very high level) research about Earth, I sketched out tectonic plates and the corresponding mountain ranges. Then currents, both air and water, based on which I extrapolated climate. I spent a few weeks immersed in atlases, sifting through temperature and precipitation charts.
With the broader geographic strokes taken care of, I moved on to populating the world. Plants would correspond to earth equivalents, with regions reminiscent of Northern Europe having vegetation much like the vegetation of, you guessed it, Northern Europe. I've also heard a joke that fantasy is like science fiction but with trees instead of space ships. Granted, there are definitely more trees (lots) in my story than ships (none), but it's not a story about trees, so if it walks like a maple and talks like a maple, I may as well just call it a maple and tell you all about the character that got shot by a crossbow next to it, instead.
Animals followed the same reasoning, though with more room for improvisation. A few made-up beasts roamed the pages, creatures conceived with plausibility in mind. At some point in the late eighties or nineties someone in Hollywood decided to rationalize how dragons could exist and that approach to fantasy wildlife stuck with me.
The cultures started off as small tribes, one chosen by each of the seven deities. From that point I charted their evolution and expansion, noting the major events in each culture's history that would influence its progression and shape its interaction with its neighbours. Their means of dress and methods of subsistance were drawn from cultures from across our own globe. Then, their relationship to the supernatural, their gods, and most importantly, their view of magic.
Strangely, the only concept I hadn't fleshed out completely was the nature of magic, how it functioned. I knew how everything was tied back to the magical forces in the world, but I hadn't decided on how it was going to be manipulated, but that started coming to me as the story progressed.
I once heard a joke that fantasy stories always seem to start with the author scribbling a map. I'm not sure if it's true, but my first novel definitely did. It started as a rough outline of continents, and then piece by piece I added elements. Based on (admittedly very high level) research about Earth, I sketched out tectonic plates and the corresponding mountain ranges. Then currents, both air and water, based on which I extrapolated climate. I spent a few weeks immersed in atlases, sifting through temperature and precipitation charts.
With the broader geographic strokes taken care of, I moved on to populating the world. Plants would correspond to earth equivalents, with regions reminiscent of Northern Europe having vegetation much like the vegetation of, you guessed it, Northern Europe. I've also heard a joke that fantasy is like science fiction but with trees instead of space ships. Granted, there are definitely more trees (lots) in my story than ships (none), but it's not a story about trees, so if it walks like a maple and talks like a maple, I may as well just call it a maple and tell you all about the character that got shot by a crossbow next to it, instead.
Animals followed the same reasoning, though with more room for improvisation. A few made-up beasts roamed the pages, creatures conceived with plausibility in mind. At some point in the late eighties or nineties someone in Hollywood decided to rationalize how dragons could exist and that approach to fantasy wildlife stuck with me.
The cultures started off as small tribes, one chosen by each of the seven deities. From that point I charted their evolution and expansion, noting the major events in each culture's history that would influence its progression and shape its interaction with its neighbours. Their means of dress and methods of subsistance were drawn from cultures from across our own globe. Then, their relationship to the supernatural, their gods, and most importantly, their view of magic.
Strangely, the only concept I hadn't fleshed out completely was the nature of magic, how it functioned. I knew how everything was tied back to the magical forces in the world, but I hadn't decided on how it was going to be manipulated, but that started coming to me as the story progressed.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
xl - Day 11 - Who is your favorite/least favorite character to write?
On the surface this one's a bit tricky because I don't exactly have a stable of recurring characters. There are only two, at least at this point, who appear in more than one story I've written. You've already been introduced to Ira Mastema, the other is Richard DiFalco. Both are important characters in the novel I belted out in November and re-appear in the short story I finished just over a month ago.
Fortunately for me, Mastema, or at least Mastema at different points of his evolution, answers both questions.
Mastema was the second character I developed for SALIGIA, after Sam Benson, the protagonist. This happens quite frequently in my writing. Villain and hero share a connection and as a result, the two characters are developped in tandem, or one immediately after the other. Throughout the process of writing the novel, I had enough of a grasp of Mastema to know how he would be propelling the plot forward, but came to realise I didn't know why.
It didn't matter that much when my main focus was making the plot work. A while after finishing the first draft of the novel, I decided to flesh out part of the back story. Mastema made another appearance, and again the hows were easy enough to lay out, but the whys eluded me. Trying to make a living, breathing character out of a complete question mark is frustrating, to say the least.
I can't remember the moment it changed, but change it did: while poking around his back story, I started to realise what made the man tick. There's some interesting material in that back story, and I think I can turn him into an interesting and engaging "bad" guy. But up until that point it felt like I was trying to navigate a block of solid concrete through an obstacle course.
Fortunately for me, Mastema, or at least Mastema at different points of his evolution, answers both questions.
Mastema was the second character I developed for SALIGIA, after Sam Benson, the protagonist. This happens quite frequently in my writing. Villain and hero share a connection and as a result, the two characters are developped in tandem, or one immediately after the other. Throughout the process of writing the novel, I had enough of a grasp of Mastema to know how he would be propelling the plot forward, but came to realise I didn't know why.
It didn't matter that much when my main focus was making the plot work. A while after finishing the first draft of the novel, I decided to flesh out part of the back story. Mastema made another appearance, and again the hows were easy enough to lay out, but the whys eluded me. Trying to make a living, breathing character out of a complete question mark is frustrating, to say the least.
I can't remember the moment it changed, but change it did: while poking around his back story, I started to realise what made the man tick. There's some interesting material in that back story, and I think I can turn him into an interesting and engaging "bad" guy. But up until that point it felt like I was trying to navigate a block of solid concrete through an obstacle course.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
xxxix - Day 10 - What are some really weird situations your characters have been in?
And we are back with our regularly scheduled programme. It hasn't been a terribly productive week, well, at least not for writing. Final preparations for a kitchen renovation ate up the early part of last week, and then repairing my laptop and re-installing all the software made short work of what was left. I think I'm mostly done, so hopefully the cart stays upright from now on.
This week we have another hard question. The way the question is written immediately brought to mind the sort of gimmicky and contrived stories teenagers write. I shy away from creating deliberately weird situations. Weirdness should serve the purpose of the story, rather than being the basis for the story. If not constructed carefully, it ceases to be about character development or progression, veering instead into a series of unconnected, implausible accidents.
I have to admit my gauge for this kind of thing isn't the same as most people I've known. Being a fan of science fiction doesn't help, either. Would meeting a race of sentient glass that communicates musically (by manipulating the frequency, harmonic content, and amplitude of a series of tones) be considered weird in the context of a science fiction story? By definition the genre pushes beyond human experience and so a baseline weird exists every time you set out to write that kind of story.
In another of my stories, the protagonist refines a theory proposed by his parents and travels back in time. Unfortunately on his first "successful" attempt, he manages to rewrite his family history, which leads to him jumping through time, having to ensure successive generations of his ancestors are introduced to each other. Kind of a tongue-in-cheek Quantum Leap meets Back to the Future thing.
This week we have another hard question. The way the question is written immediately brought to mind the sort of gimmicky and contrived stories teenagers write. I shy away from creating deliberately weird situations. Weirdness should serve the purpose of the story, rather than being the basis for the story. If not constructed carefully, it ceases to be about character development or progression, veering instead into a series of unconnected, implausible accidents.
I have to admit my gauge for this kind of thing isn't the same as most people I've known. Being a fan of science fiction doesn't help, either. Would meeting a race of sentient glass that communicates musically (by manipulating the frequency, harmonic content, and amplitude of a series of tones) be considered weird in the context of a science fiction story? By definition the genre pushes beyond human experience and so a baseline weird exists every time you set out to write that kind of story.
In another of my stories, the protagonist refines a theory proposed by his parents and travels back in time. Unfortunately on his first "successful" attempt, he manages to rewrite his family history, which leads to him jumping through time, having to ensure successive generations of his ancestors are introduced to each other. Kind of a tongue-in-cheek Quantum Leap meets Back to the Future thing.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Interlude
This week I'm going to bring you something a little different. The last four days have been interesting in a potentially pivotal sort of way, and I felt it was worthwhile to record the events for posterity. We'll resume the usual Q&A meme next week.
It all started about three weeks ago. In the last few days of May I put the "final" touches (after all, "Art is never finished, only abandoned" according to Leonardo Da Vinci) on a story I intended to submit for publication. It's the first story, as far as I can recall, that I've ever submitted with the end goal of getting paid for it. My first choice has an electronic submissions system, so on the evening of June 1st, I submitted my words to the ether and began the excruciating process of waiting for a reply.
It was excruciating. Some of the anxiety was expected: it was my first attempt, and I'm not good at waiting in this kind of circumstance. The projected 4-8 weeks turnaround seemed like an eternity when all I wanted was an answer. But I was completely unprepared for the extent of my vulnerability. Imagine, if you will, a feeling like when you skin your knee. Only it's inside your head, and it's formed around your entire psyche.
As an aside to any of my younger readers: when you're making a wager, make sure the payout for winning is worth the pain you'll endure in earning it. My pride got the better of me and when my wife bet I couldn't go two weeks without checking the online tracking offered by the publisher, I accepted the challenge without bothering to work out any of the important stuff, like, you know, stakes. I can't in clear conscience say it would have been better had I been able to track the submission through the system. I can say it was hard not to be able to.
At any rate, I won the bet. Well, mostly.
They rejected the story on the 13th day, which was this past Thursday. Deep down I knew I had no right to expect them to take my first submission, and I didn't. What I was aiming for was a "rejection-plus". The usual form letter with a few words of constructive critique/encouragement straight from the editor's desk. I didn't get that either. Why? Who knows? From what I've read the process of getting published is like trying to sink baskets from beyond the 3-point line while blindfolded. Practice as much as you can to refine your technique, take your shot, and then hope for the best.
Meanwhile, there was a simmering unrest within the postal service. Contract negotiations hadn't gone well and twenty four hours after I lobbed my creation into the unknown, the union started rolling strikes across the country. Twelve days later - two days before the rejection e-mail - the service would lock out its workers, shutting down all mail services.
This is important because the only other markets I know for my story don't accept electronic submissions yet. Under normal circumstances, I would print the story, bundle it into an envelope and ship it to its next destination. That's hard without a postal service. I suppose I could use a courier service, but that seems like overkill, especially for a complete unknown like me.
So, with Plan A on hold until the strike is over, Plan B is to prep a second story for submission. The idea was that I would go home that night and after doing some research, to see if I could dig up clues to help my second submission's prospects, I'd plow into my second tale.
Can you guess what happened next? It's been well telegraphed, I think. You don't know the details, of course, but it will come as no surprise that my hard drive died on me. Approximately 30 seconds into my online recon, the screen froze in a way I've never seen. After a few failed reboots and a smartphone-enabled Google search, I was ready to eulogize my dearly departed technology. It wasn't exactly a child-friendly tribute. So much for Plan B.
As another aside to my younger readers: when prompted to make recovery disks for a proprietary computer system, DO IT. I don't have any media with which to re-install an operating system on the new drive I have to buy. The postal strike means I can't expect to receive the disks the manufacturer will kindly ship me for the bargain price of an arm (no leg) any time soon. Had I taken just an hour a year ago, I'd have a working machine this evening. As it stands, I'm hoping the 6+ year old backup PC I have doesn't blow its last circuit.
The net result of my misadventures was that my primary time sink, for either distraction or productivity, was gone. I was going to need alternative activities. Last minute coordination for the kitchen renovations my wife and I are having done took up a good part of the weekend.
Fortunately, my lovely wife noticed a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" - which I'd mentioned wanting to read a few months ago - in one of the stores we were zipping through. That took care of the remainder of my free time this weekend. It's an interesting read. I won't go into any detail here, but I recommend it to anyone interested in a study of the mechanics of success.
Right about now you're probably wondering why I've gone to all this trouble to set up the book. (If you weren't, you definitely are now!) Naturally, as I was reading, I applied the concepts to my own experience. A pretty clear picture formed: I've got the other bases covered to varying degrees, the only thing I'm missing is the hours.
So I'm going to undertake an experiment. Gladwell postulates that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to achieve mastery in a discipline.
2 down. 9,998 to go.
It all started about three weeks ago. In the last few days of May I put the "final" touches (after all, "Art is never finished, only abandoned" according to Leonardo Da Vinci) on a story I intended to submit for publication. It's the first story, as far as I can recall, that I've ever submitted with the end goal of getting paid for it. My first choice has an electronic submissions system, so on the evening of June 1st, I submitted my words to the ether and began the excruciating process of waiting for a reply.
It was excruciating. Some of the anxiety was expected: it was my first attempt, and I'm not good at waiting in this kind of circumstance. The projected 4-8 weeks turnaround seemed like an eternity when all I wanted was an answer. But I was completely unprepared for the extent of my vulnerability. Imagine, if you will, a feeling like when you skin your knee. Only it's inside your head, and it's formed around your entire psyche.
As an aside to any of my younger readers: when you're making a wager, make sure the payout for winning is worth the pain you'll endure in earning it. My pride got the better of me and when my wife bet I couldn't go two weeks without checking the online tracking offered by the publisher, I accepted the challenge without bothering to work out any of the important stuff, like, you know, stakes. I can't in clear conscience say it would have been better had I been able to track the submission through the system. I can say it was hard not to be able to.
At any rate, I won the bet. Well, mostly.
They rejected the story on the 13th day, which was this past Thursday. Deep down I knew I had no right to expect them to take my first submission, and I didn't. What I was aiming for was a "rejection-plus". The usual form letter with a few words of constructive critique/encouragement straight from the editor's desk. I didn't get that either. Why? Who knows? From what I've read the process of getting published is like trying to sink baskets from beyond the 3-point line while blindfolded. Practice as much as you can to refine your technique, take your shot, and then hope for the best.
Meanwhile, there was a simmering unrest within the postal service. Contract negotiations hadn't gone well and twenty four hours after I lobbed my creation into the unknown, the union started rolling strikes across the country. Twelve days later - two days before the rejection e-mail - the service would lock out its workers, shutting down all mail services.
This is important because the only other markets I know for my story don't accept electronic submissions yet. Under normal circumstances, I would print the story, bundle it into an envelope and ship it to its next destination. That's hard without a postal service. I suppose I could use a courier service, but that seems like overkill, especially for a complete unknown like me.
So, with Plan A on hold until the strike is over, Plan B is to prep a second story for submission. The idea was that I would go home that night and after doing some research, to see if I could dig up clues to help my second submission's prospects, I'd plow into my second tale.
Can you guess what happened next? It's been well telegraphed, I think. You don't know the details, of course, but it will come as no surprise that my hard drive died on me. Approximately 30 seconds into my online recon, the screen froze in a way I've never seen. After a few failed reboots and a smartphone-enabled Google search, I was ready to eulogize my dearly departed technology. It wasn't exactly a child-friendly tribute. So much for Plan B.
As another aside to my younger readers: when prompted to make recovery disks for a proprietary computer system, DO IT. I don't have any media with which to re-install an operating system on the new drive I have to buy. The postal strike means I can't expect to receive the disks the manufacturer will kindly ship me for the bargain price of an arm (no leg) any time soon. Had I taken just an hour a year ago, I'd have a working machine this evening. As it stands, I'm hoping the 6+ year old backup PC I have doesn't blow its last circuit.
The net result of my misadventures was that my primary time sink, for either distraction or productivity, was gone. I was going to need alternative activities. Last minute coordination for the kitchen renovations my wife and I are having done took up a good part of the weekend.
Fortunately, my lovely wife noticed a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" - which I'd mentioned wanting to read a few months ago - in one of the stores we were zipping through. That took care of the remainder of my free time this weekend. It's an interesting read. I won't go into any detail here, but I recommend it to anyone interested in a study of the mechanics of success.
Right about now you're probably wondering why I've gone to all this trouble to set up the book. (If you weren't, you definitely are now!) Naturally, as I was reading, I applied the concepts to my own experience. A pretty clear picture formed: I've got the other bases covered to varying degrees, the only thing I'm missing is the hours.
So I'm going to undertake an experiment. Gladwell postulates that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to achieve mastery in a discipline.
2 down. 9,998 to go.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
xxxviii - Day 09 - What's your favourite genre to write? To read?
Let me answer the second question first.
I've always been a big fan of "speculative fiction". For those who aren't up on current genre definitions, that's what has become of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Sometime in the 90s, they were merged into one all-encompassing genre along with not-quite-Earth stories like "magicians in NYC" or "what if the Nazis won WWII?"
I like these stories because custom-building a setting allows the author to really focus on and highlight specific facets of the human condition. All the while the (would-be) fearless explorer/reader gets to go on safari in exotic locations. I would absolutely love to walk the surface of another planet and science fiction is the closest I'll ever get to that.
In a not distant second, I also like mysteries and thrillers. In smaller doses. And by smaller doses I mean short stories if they're set in the "real world", or if woven into exotic and usually imaginary settings in the case of a novel.
As to which genre is my favourite to write, there are two ways I could interpret that: What genre are you most comfortable writing? Or, what genre would you like to write the most?
At this stage I'm more comfortable writing mysteries. I think this is primarily because writing about stories set "in the real world" allows me to focus more on storytelling and characterization. The setting's background details can be researched rather than invented. I also quite enjoy the logic-problem feel of researching and constructing a mystery.
When I'm ready, after having had a chance to practice the fundamentals on stories set in the here & now, I'll try to expand my skill set and incorporate more speculative into my fiction. Extrapolation is the name of the game here. Every unknown needs to be justified to a greater or lesser degree, to be made believable. Oftentimes the settings themselves play important roles and need to be fleshed out with the same care that's dedicated to the main characters.
I've always been a big fan of "speculative fiction". For those who aren't up on current genre definitions, that's what has become of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Sometime in the 90s, they were merged into one all-encompassing genre along with not-quite-Earth stories like "magicians in NYC" or "what if the Nazis won WWII?"
I like these stories because custom-building a setting allows the author to really focus on and highlight specific facets of the human condition. All the while the (would-be) fearless explorer/reader gets to go on safari in exotic locations. I would absolutely love to walk the surface of another planet and science fiction is the closest I'll ever get to that.
In a not distant second, I also like mysteries and thrillers. In smaller doses. And by smaller doses I mean short stories if they're set in the "real world", or if woven into exotic and usually imaginary settings in the case of a novel.
As to which genre is my favourite to write, there are two ways I could interpret that: What genre are you most comfortable writing? Or, what genre would you like to write the most?
At this stage I'm more comfortable writing mysteries. I think this is primarily because writing about stories set "in the real world" allows me to focus more on storytelling and characterization. The setting's background details can be researched rather than invented. I also quite enjoy the logic-problem feel of researching and constructing a mystery.
When I'm ready, after having had a chance to practice the fundamentals on stories set in the here & now, I'll try to expand my skill set and incorporate more speculative into my fiction. Extrapolation is the name of the game here. Every unknown needs to be justified to a greater or lesser degree, to be made believable. Oftentimes the settings themselves play important roles and need to be fleshed out with the same care that's dedicated to the main characters.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
xxxvii - Day 07 - Do you listen to music when you write? What kind? How do you relate music to your writing?
Yes, but not always. Generally speaking, the earlier in the process and the less solid my ideas for whatever I'm writing, the more likely it is that I'll be listening to something while I write.
In the early, purely creative stages of writing, chances are good that I'll play something that mirrors the feel of the scene/section I'm trying to write. I'm not sure if I'm actually projecting what I feel onto the page, but at the very least, I find having the music primes me to write the kind of scenes I want to be writing. So, the writing may not capture my frame of mind, but I'm in the right frame of mind to write. With the amount of press given to vanquishing The Blank Page, I figure any strategy that helps me put down words is a good strategy.
As I move along in the process, the less likely I am to press play, until, sometime before final edits are underway, I'm not listening to anything other than the sound of my fingers on the keyboard. Music isn't a distraction at that point, but I'm working other parts of my brain, more careful and considered parts, having sound on in the background would be at best irrelevant and at worst a distraction. Chances are, I haven't even thought about it in the midst of tweaking sentence structure and fine-tuning the details.
In the early, purely creative stages of writing, chances are good that I'll play something that mirrors the feel of the scene/section I'm trying to write. I'm not sure if I'm actually projecting what I feel onto the page, but at the very least, I find having the music primes me to write the kind of scenes I want to be writing. So, the writing may not capture my frame of mind, but I'm in the right frame of mind to write. With the amount of press given to vanquishing The Blank Page, I figure any strategy that helps me put down words is a good strategy.
As I move along in the process, the less likely I am to press play, until, sometime before final edits are underway, I'm not listening to anything other than the sound of my fingers on the keyboard. Music isn't a distraction at that point, but I'm working other parts of my brain, more careful and considered parts, having sound on in the background would be at best irrelevant and at worst a distraction. Chances are, I haven't even thought about it in the midst of tweaking sentence structure and fine-tuning the details.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
xxxvi - Day 06 - Where are and you most comfortable writing? Use the 5 "W"s.
I'm going to interpret this one to mean "Where and when are you most comfortable writing?" Though I have to admit there's a big part of me that finds it funny the author really whiffed on a question pertaining to comfort while writing.
WHO
Unsurprisingly, I'm most comfortable writing when I'm alone. The usual reason applies: not having anyone nearby vying for one's attention leads to a better ability to focus on the task at hand. In addition to concentration, consideration plays a part. Though I'm passably good at ignoring people if I want to, I usually feel terrible for doing it. Being alone eliminates the biggest external and internal roadblocks to my productivity.
WHAT
Most of my writing takes place at the computer. I used to like the feel of writing longhand, in pencil on lined paper, but then I learned to type. The time differential between having the thought and recording the thought is just too great when I try to go longhand, so for anything more than a few sentences my preferred method is to type it out.
I've typically done revisions on printed copies, but I'm trying to break out of that habit. I don't like generating waste paper, but I find it quite helpful to be able to break out of the ritual of writing, and do edits on work breaks, etc. Even a few dozen sheets of paper are more portable than my laptop. Some of what I need to do can be accomplished now that I've got an e-reader and a decent epub converter. On my next story I'll see about making digital draft versions instead of physical ones.
WHERE
The "where" isn't hugely important, as long as it's comfortable and allows for a sufficient level of isolation.
Currently, there's a desk in our middle bedroom that serves as a writing space. It's a pretty simple set up. There's a chair, a desk lamp, enough desk space for a computer, a place to write notes and a few candles. I have this romanticised vision of a writer, hunched over a typewriter in a dark room with just a small lamp or candle providing illumination. So, though my own candle may not be bright, I try to live the metaphor.
Of course, most of my writing in the last several weeks has been at work, on lunch or break. Like I said, the "where" isn't of prime importance.
WHEN
Left to my own devices, writing comes most naturally in the later evening, going into the night. I am a night owl, and feel most alert when the sun goes down.
Recently I've come to realise my job provides a great deal of motivation to do something more creative, so I find I'm able to put stuff on paper during the day, during the aforementioned breaks and lunches. If something comes across my desk I'm not keen on having to deal with, taking a 10 minute mental break to put down some words definitely helps me deal with issues with a cleaner slate.
WHY
At first I thought I'd have a hard time answering this one, but it turns out I won't. The reason my ritualised process exists is because, as an activity I feel is worth taking seriously, and one worthy of being one's life goal, writing deserves special treatment. Rituals are a time-honoured way of showing reverence or respect.
On the other hand, but also because it is a task worth doing, it's also worth trying to take time out from the normal flow of the day to try to fit it in, and thus the "stolen moments" approach.
WHO
Unsurprisingly, I'm most comfortable writing when I'm alone. The usual reason applies: not having anyone nearby vying for one's attention leads to a better ability to focus on the task at hand. In addition to concentration, consideration plays a part. Though I'm passably good at ignoring people if I want to, I usually feel terrible for doing it. Being alone eliminates the biggest external and internal roadblocks to my productivity.
WHAT
Most of my writing takes place at the computer. I used to like the feel of writing longhand, in pencil on lined paper, but then I learned to type. The time differential between having the thought and recording the thought is just too great when I try to go longhand, so for anything more than a few sentences my preferred method is to type it out.
I've typically done revisions on printed copies, but I'm trying to break out of that habit. I don't like generating waste paper, but I find it quite helpful to be able to break out of the ritual of writing, and do edits on work breaks, etc. Even a few dozen sheets of paper are more portable than my laptop. Some of what I need to do can be accomplished now that I've got an e-reader and a decent epub converter. On my next story I'll see about making digital draft versions instead of physical ones.
WHERE
The "where" isn't hugely important, as long as it's comfortable and allows for a sufficient level of isolation.
Currently, there's a desk in our middle bedroom that serves as a writing space. It's a pretty simple set up. There's a chair, a desk lamp, enough desk space for a computer, a place to write notes and a few candles. I have this romanticised vision of a writer, hunched over a typewriter in a dark room with just a small lamp or candle providing illumination. So, though my own candle may not be bright, I try to live the metaphor.
Of course, most of my writing in the last several weeks has been at work, on lunch or break. Like I said, the "where" isn't of prime importance.
WHEN
Left to my own devices, writing comes most naturally in the later evening, going into the night. I am a night owl, and feel most alert when the sun goes down.
Recently I've come to realise my job provides a great deal of motivation to do something more creative, so I find I'm able to put stuff on paper during the day, during the aforementioned breaks and lunches. If something comes across my desk I'm not keen on having to deal with, taking a 10 minute mental break to put down some words definitely helps me deal with issues with a cleaner slate.
WHY
At first I thought I'd have a hard time answering this one, but it turns out I won't. The reason my ritualised process exists is because, as an activity I feel is worth taking seriously, and one worthy of being one's life goal, writing deserves special treatment. Rituals are a time-honoured way of showing reverence or respect.
On the other hand, but also because it is a task worth doing, it's also worth trying to take time out from the normal flow of the day to try to fit it in, and thus the "stolen moments" approach.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
xxxv - Day 05 - By age, who are your youngest/oldest characters?
Coincidentally, both my youngest and oldest characters, at least for now*, are from the same setting.
The youngest, whom I've yet to gift with an actual name, is the protagonist's nephew in my latest manuscript.
I'd like to interject and say at this early stage, it seems strange to admit I've got the better part of two novels drafted. Not ready for publication by any means, but the structures and major players are all in place. Anyway, back to the question.
In the backstory for my latest novel, the nephew's mother disappears. The protagonist - her brother - feels a great deal of guilt for his part in the events that lead to her vanishing. That guilt drives the main subplot in the story, with the kid serving as a reminder of what the protagonist has lost. The idea is to use him only sparingly, but make those appearances count.
The oldest, Ira Mastema, is a major player in the same story, and at the time the events in the novel unfold, a friend and trusted mentor of the protagonist. He very much fits the "wise elder" archetype, but with a twist I hope proves to be interesting. This isn't a straight-up Obi-Wan or Gandalf type character, but one with his own motivations, and goals that don't necessarily line up with the protagonist's. Still, his influence is instrumental in the hero's story arc.
* In the fatasy setting I developed, the resident gods/demi-gods interact with mortals, taking a page from the way gods interacted with humans in Greek mythology. One of them makes an appearance in the first book, but I haven't nailed down her age. Though one of the ideas I have for a fantasy setting is to have godlike beings with mortal life spans, I'm not sure if I'll implement it in that story. So, for now, it's safe to say Mastema is my oldest character.
The youngest, whom I've yet to gift with an actual name, is the protagonist's nephew in my latest manuscript.
I'd like to interject and say at this early stage, it seems strange to admit I've got the better part of two novels drafted. Not ready for publication by any means, but the structures and major players are all in place. Anyway, back to the question.
In the backstory for my latest novel, the nephew's mother disappears. The protagonist - her brother - feels a great deal of guilt for his part in the events that lead to her vanishing. That guilt drives the main subplot in the story, with the kid serving as a reminder of what the protagonist has lost. The idea is to use him only sparingly, but make those appearances count.
The oldest, Ira Mastema, is a major player in the same story, and at the time the events in the novel unfold, a friend and trusted mentor of the protagonist. He very much fits the "wise elder" archetype, but with a twist I hope proves to be interesting. This isn't a straight-up Obi-Wan or Gandalf type character, but one with his own motivations, and goals that don't necessarily line up with the protagonist's. Still, his influence is instrumental in the hero's story arc.
* In the fatasy setting I developed, the resident gods/demi-gods interact with mortals, taking a page from the way gods interacted with humans in Greek mythology. One of them makes an appearance in the first book, but I haven't nailed down her age. Though one of the ideas I have for a fantasy setting is to have godlike beings with mortal life spans, I'm not sure if I'll implement it in that story. So, for now, it's safe to say Mastema is my oldest character.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
xxxiv - Day 04 - Your first stories/characters
As with many budding authors, my first stories were by and large fan fiction. I've already mentioned the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings short stories I wrote in high school.
There was also the not even thinly veiled rip-off of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I wrote in eighth grade. Imagine, if you will, the story re-written, with exactly the same characters - they had different names, of course - by a thirteen year old kid. Don't try too hard, though, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. Let me just say it was pretty bad.
A high point was an original short story I wrote in Grade 10, set in Japan and based on Japanese myths. The main character was a Lone Ranger styled ronin who wandered the countryside righting wrongs. In this story he comes to a village beset by misfortune at the hands of a cruel daimyo. The ronin traces the root of the trouble back to a group of mischievous imps (though I can't for the life of me remember what they were called). He rids the daimyo of their influence, the villagers rejoice, etc, etc, and then he wanders off into the sunset.
There was also the not even thinly veiled rip-off of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I wrote in eighth grade. Imagine, if you will, the story re-written, with exactly the same characters - they had different names, of course - by a thirteen year old kid. Don't try too hard, though, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. Let me just say it was pretty bad.
A high point was an original short story I wrote in Grade 10, set in Japan and based on Japanese myths. The main character was a Lone Ranger styled ronin who wandered the countryside righting wrongs. In this story he comes to a village beset by misfortune at the hands of a cruel daimyo. The ronin traces the root of the trouble back to a group of mischievous imps (though I can't for the life of me remember what they were called). He rids the daimyo of their influence, the villagers rejoice, etc, etc, and then he wanders off into the sunset.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
xxxiii - Day 03 - How do you come up with character names?
It depends on the importance of the name itself within the story. Some characters will get special hand-picked names if I want there to be special significance or symbolism attached to the character. In these cases that special characteristic is integral to the character and by extension some facet of the story, so it's not hard to match the character with the name. Sometimes I'll play around with a few different variations on a theme, but eventually one stands out as the better choice.
For characters' whose names aren't noteworthy in and of themselves, I use a combination random name generation/hand picking approach. I've got a few applications that mash together lists of names based on what kind of theme I need (e.g. first/last names pulled from a phone book, syllables suggesting a particular flavour, etc.), from there I'll pick the names that have the most resonance. Most of the time it works well, as by the time I'm giving characters names I've got a good grasp of the character concept.
For characters' whose names aren't noteworthy in and of themselves, I use a combination random name generation/hand picking approach. I've got a few applications that mash together lists of names based on what kind of theme I need (e.g. first/last names pulled from a phone book, syllables suggesting a particular flavour, etc.), from there I'll pick the names that have the most resonance. Most of the time it works well, as by the time I'm giving characters names I've got a good grasp of the character concept.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
xxxii - Day 02 - How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
That first question is a strange one. I would imagine anyone who's been writing for more than about a year has "lots" of characters. "Lots" meaning a boatload of nameless extras, fewer but still numerous secondary characters, and a few (dozen) main characters. Average it up for each story and it looks like a pyramid. One (ish) protagonist at the top, tons of one-throwaway-line supporting cast at the bottom.
Let's say I have 15 short stories under my belt, as well as the 1 3/4 drafts for two novels. Ignoring those one-line characters with no speaking parts, it's safe to say there are 6 main/secondary characters per short and 12 per novel, on average. That might even be a conservative estimate for the novels. At any rate, that puts us at 90 characters in my short stories and 24 more in my novels. So, over a hundred.
The second question makes more sense to me, but it's harder to answer. I'll bypass the obvious smart-ass response. I don't have a preference when it comes to writing males vs. females. I do tend to really sink into my characters when I'm writing them, which means a lot end up being male by default rather than by design in the first run through a story. That usually sorts itself out as I concentrate on intra-character interactions on subsequent passes.
Let's say I have 15 short stories under my belt, as well as the 1 3/4 drafts for two novels. Ignoring those one-line characters with no speaking parts, it's safe to say there are 6 main/secondary characters per short and 12 per novel, on average. That might even be a conservative estimate for the novels. At any rate, that puts us at 90 characters in my short stories and 24 more in my novels. So, over a hundred.
The second question makes more sense to me, but it's harder to answer. I'll bypass the obvious smart-ass response. I don't have a preference when it comes to writing males vs. females. I do tend to really sink into my characters when I'm writing them, which means a lot end up being male by default rather than by design in the first run through a story. That usually sorts itself out as I concentrate on intra-character interactions on subsequent passes.
Monday, April 25, 2011
xxxi - Day 01 - Your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with.
Sorry about the late post. Apparently "Saving" =/= "Publishing", so it sat in limbo for a day.
Anyway, you're going to get the patented half-answer on this one. If we draw the line at "published work", well, you don't get an entry. So, everything is fair game, including any and all writing exercises I may have completed in high school.
I won't burden you with the text in question, mainly because I no longer have it. Let's pretend, instead, that I want to take mercy on my audience and not subject you to my earliest fumbling attempts. There are two pieces that immediately spring to mind when I mull over the topic for today. Both were put to paper in my first years of high school, and if my memory serves me right, would have been written in the 9th and 10th grades.
Like many young would-be science fiction or fantasy writers of my generation, I dabbled a bit in fan fiction. The answer therefore to the implied question: the Star Wars universe and Middle-Earth.
For the former I wrote a short cloak-and-dagger yarn about a double agent in the employ of the Empire, whose family was killed in the orbital bombardment of a rebellious planetary government. Nothing earth-shatteringly innovative there, but I got to play around in Star Wars for a while, which was a lot of fun.
Another year and another writing assignment later, I wrote a short piece about a patrol under Faramir wandering Ithilien. This one was written diary-style from the perspective of one of the soldiers tasked with guarding the area. It was mostly an exercise in creating atmosphere, trying to meld the sense of wonder I got from reading the trilogy with the sense of impending danger as the shadow of the enemy grew into the west.
Obviously neither of those settings are mine, but it was a lot of fun to get to play around in them for a while.
Anyway, you're going to get the patented half-answer on this one. If we draw the line at "published work", well, you don't get an entry. So, everything is fair game, including any and all writing exercises I may have completed in high school.
I won't burden you with the text in question, mainly because I no longer have it. Let's pretend, instead, that I want to take mercy on my audience and not subject you to my earliest fumbling attempts. There are two pieces that immediately spring to mind when I mull over the topic for today. Both were put to paper in my first years of high school, and if my memory serves me right, would have been written in the 9th and 10th grades.
Like many young would-be science fiction or fantasy writers of my generation, I dabbled a bit in fan fiction. The answer therefore to the implied question: the Star Wars universe and Middle-Earth.
For the former I wrote a short cloak-and-dagger yarn about a double agent in the employ of the Empire, whose family was killed in the orbital bombardment of a rebellious planetary government. Nothing earth-shatteringly innovative there, but I got to play around in Star Wars for a while, which was a lot of fun.
Another year and another writing assignment later, I wrote a short piece about a patrol under Faramir wandering Ithilien. This one was written diary-style from the perspective of one of the soldiers tasked with guarding the area. It was mostly an exercise in creating atmosphere, trying to meld the sense of wonder I got from reading the trilogy with the sense of impending danger as the shadow of the enemy grew into the west.
Obviously neither of those settings are mine, but it was a lot of fun to get to play around in them for a while.
Monday, April 18, 2011
A New Meme
As promised, in the interest of generating regular content, I present the next in a series:
30 Day Writing Meme
Day 01 - Your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with.
Day 02 - How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
Day 03 - How do you come up with character names?
Day 04 - Your first stories/characters
Day 05 - By age, who are your youngest /oldest characters?
Day 06 - Where are and you most comfortable writing? Use the 5 W’s.
Day 07 - Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? How do you relate music to your writing?
Day 08 - What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
Day 09 - How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.
Day 10 - What are some really weird situations your characters have been in?
Day 11 - Who is your favorite/least favorite character to write?
Day 12 - In what story did you feel you did the best job of world→building?
Day 13 - What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
Day 14 - How do you map out locations, if needed?
Day 15 - A writer you admire, whether professional or not!
Day 16 - Do you write romantic relationships? Are you good with those? Do you write sex scenes?
Day 17 - Favorite protagonist.
Day 18 - Favorite antagonist.
Day 19 - Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight.
Day 20 - What are your favorite character interactions to write?
Day 21 - Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?
Day 22 - Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written.
Day 23 - How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story?
Day 24 - How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it?
Day 25 - Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Day 26 - Do you draw your characters? Do others draw them?
Day 27 - Do appearances play a big role in your stories? How you go about designing your characters.
Day 28 - Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities?
Day 29 - How often do you think about writing?
Day 30 - Best source of inspiration?
(Taken from From: http://30daymemes.tumblr.com/)
Here's where I apologise for seeming presumptuous. I'm just starting out, you see, and I can understand a certain cynicism on the part of my audience. Why, you might ask yourself, does this particular Internet phantom with no publishing credits to his name feel the need to burden us with his opinions?
The answer is simple: I'm no one, yet. That's not to say I'll be published in X, Y, or even Z years, but somewhere in the back of my mind a switch got flipped and I've decided to stick with this desire of mine. Who knows how successful I'll be, but I'm going to continue putting words to paper. Thus, a thought dawned on me last week. There are stories I can't tell you, for whatever reason. Sometimes, as was the case when I wrote about my parents, the story is not mine to tell. In other cases, it's because I need to save my best material for a (hopefully) paying audience.
There is one story I can share, though, and that is the story of me becoming a writer. I can't tell you if it has a happy ending or not. But if by chance at some point in X, Y, or Z years, someone comes along with the same dream, hopefully what I have here can serve as some small piece of advice: "beware, these are the methods of an unpublishable hack," or, of course, preferably, "herein lies a seed of wisdom of one who is paid to make up sentences."
30 Day Writing Meme
Day 01 - Your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with.
Day 02 - How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?
Day 03 - How do you come up with character names?
Day 04 - Your first stories/characters
Day 05 - By age, who are your youngest /oldest characters?
Day 06 - Where are and you most comfortable writing? Use the 5 W’s.
Day 07 - Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? How do you relate music to your writing?
Day 08 - What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
Day 09 - How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.
Day 10 - What are some really weird situations your characters have been in?
Day 11 - Who is your favorite/least favorite character to write?
Day 12 - In what story did you feel you did the best job of world→building?
Day 13 - What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
Day 14 - How do you map out locations, if needed?
Day 15 - A writer you admire, whether professional or not!
Day 16 - Do you write romantic relationships? Are you good with those? Do you write sex scenes?
Day 17 - Favorite protagonist.
Day 18 - Favorite antagonist.
Day 19 - Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight.
Day 20 - What are your favorite character interactions to write?
Day 21 - Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?
Day 22 - Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written.
Day 23 - How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story?
Day 24 - How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it?
Day 25 - Do any of your characters have pets? Tell us about them.
Day 26 - Do you draw your characters? Do others draw them?
Day 27 - Do appearances play a big role in your stories? How you go about designing your characters.
Day 28 - Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities?
Day 29 - How often do you think about writing?
Day 30 - Best source of inspiration?
(Taken from From: http://30daymemes.tumblr.com/)
Here's where I apologise for seeming presumptuous. I'm just starting out, you see, and I can understand a certain cynicism on the part of my audience. Why, you might ask yourself, does this particular Internet phantom with no publishing credits to his name feel the need to burden us with his opinions?
The answer is simple: I'm no one, yet. That's not to say I'll be published in X, Y, or even Z years, but somewhere in the back of my mind a switch got flipped and I've decided to stick with this desire of mine. Who knows how successful I'll be, but I'm going to continue putting words to paper. Thus, a thought dawned on me last week. There are stories I can't tell you, for whatever reason. Sometimes, as was the case when I wrote about my parents, the story is not mine to tell. In other cases, it's because I need to save my best material for a (hopefully) paying audience.
There is one story I can share, though, and that is the story of me becoming a writer. I can't tell you if it has a happy ending or not. But if by chance at some point in X, Y, or Z years, someone comes along with the same dream, hopefully what I have here can serve as some small piece of advice: "beware, these are the methods of an unpublishable hack," or, of course, preferably, "herein lies a seed of wisdom of one who is paid to make up sentences."
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Appendix - I'm Not Dead Yet!
Interestingly, this blog is still getting hits even ~2 months after my last post. Ok. ~3 since I last posted regularly, and ~5? since I posted anything other than "I'm writing, really!". Believe it or not, these hits are (mostly) not from my mom. I can tell because Blogger has this neat little tracker that colours in where your visitors are coming from.
Also interestingly, a great many hits to my blog are for the entry I made on October 13th, "Posting Schedule." This leads me to assume that either a) people out there are interested enough in what I had to say that they want to know when I'm supposed to be putting stuff up (please allow me this conceit, even I know it's far-fetched), or b) they're looking for some information on what other people think a proper posting schedule ought to look like.
Actually, it could be c) Google somehow translated the content of that one post into "naked ladies" in a variety of foreign languages. At any rate, and whatever the reason, it got me thinking that posting whenever the urge struck me probably wasn't a winning strategy to maintaining a presence on the Internet.
As my thoughts meandered onward, it also dawned on me that a complete unknown starting a writing blog is a TERRIBLE IDEA. Why? As pointed out in one of the many articles I've stumbled across in my lurching attempts to get the contents of my head on a blank page in some semblance of readability, I can't put anything I want to try to sell on the Internet. The quality stuff I generate (hey, it could happen!) should be making its way to editors.
Where does that leave us?
Well, it means you're going to have to wait until I get published, or thoroughly crushed if what I write is really that bad, to read my fiction. However, I'd be delighted if you decided to stop by from time to time to visit. I'll try to document the perils I encounter as I pursue that loftiest of goals: getting someone to pay me to make things up.
So, I've got a writing-specific meme lined up, and starting next Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter, I'll give you something to look at. It should prove interesting enough while I work on converting "I'm writing, honest!" into "I've submitted, honest!" and beyond.
Also interestingly, a great many hits to my blog are for the entry I made on October 13th, "Posting Schedule." This leads me to assume that either a) people out there are interested enough in what I had to say that they want to know when I'm supposed to be putting stuff up (please allow me this conceit, even I know it's far-fetched), or b) they're looking for some information on what other people think a proper posting schedule ought to look like.
Actually, it could be c) Google somehow translated the content of that one post into "naked ladies" in a variety of foreign languages. At any rate, and whatever the reason, it got me thinking that posting whenever the urge struck me probably wasn't a winning strategy to maintaining a presence on the Internet.
As my thoughts meandered onward, it also dawned on me that a complete unknown starting a writing blog is a TERRIBLE IDEA. Why? As pointed out in one of the many articles I've stumbled across in my lurching attempts to get the contents of my head on a blank page in some semblance of readability, I can't put anything I want to try to sell on the Internet. The quality stuff I generate (hey, it could happen!) should be making its way to editors.
Where does that leave us?
Well, it means you're going to have to wait until I get published, or thoroughly crushed if what I write is really that bad, to read my fiction. However, I'd be delighted if you decided to stop by from time to time to visit. I'll try to document the perils I encounter as I pursue that loftiest of goals: getting someone to pay me to make things up.
So, I've got a writing-specific meme lined up, and starting next Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter, I'll give you something to look at. It should prove interesting enough while I work on converting "I'm writing, honest!" into "I've submitted, honest!" and beyond.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Check In: Week 4
First off: sorry for being gone so long. I've embarked on a 12-week program (The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron), and though part of the program is a daily writing regimen, it's expressly stated that the output is intended to be personal. So, despite my intention not to devolve into this, for the time being you get: "I'm writing! Honest!".
The course itself is interesting, in a new-agey sort of way. So far I have to say the overriding theme is the Jungian concept of Synchronicity. I.e. that if you open yourself up and let the universe show you the way, you'll find by a strange set of coincidences you end up where you want to be. It's a bit wishy-washy from a rational perspective, but the underlying message: "Get out of your own way, dummy!" rings true enough.
I'll have more comments on the three-month trek, well, once I'm done the three month trek. Today I'm smack in the middle of the third day of "Week 4", and the reason I'm gracing this blog with another entry is that in "Week 4", reading is verboten.
Let's take a page out of the suspension of disbelief playbook and ignore that in this digital age not reading for a week is impossible for a working stiff without severe levels of isolation. I like to eat, and planning a vacation on such short notice wasn't really possible, so I've made concesssions in the name of keeping my job (work related reading is okay, 9:00-5:00) and keeping in touch (e-mails and texts, not that I'm good at staying on top of those in "normal" life, but whatever).
It's halfway through Day 3 and I think I'm going to lose it. I'm a ways away from having the spins and cold sweats, but I don't know how I'm going to make it to the other side of the weekend, and the beginning of Week 5. Case in point: in writing this blog entry, I've only used twelve of the 6420 or so minutes between now and when I finally get to close off Week 4.
The marathon of self-imposed illiteracy seems to be having a benefit, though. Even though I haven't really noticed it recently, this week is highlighting how my life is still very much steeped in the written word. Also, the urge to write has been very strong the last few days. Unfortunately it's been either torrents of self-absorbed stream-of-conscioussness blather or agonizing for hours over a few sentences, neither of which are particulary satisfying.
The course itself is interesting, in a new-agey sort of way. So far I have to say the overriding theme is the Jungian concept of Synchronicity. I.e. that if you open yourself up and let the universe show you the way, you'll find by a strange set of coincidences you end up where you want to be. It's a bit wishy-washy from a rational perspective, but the underlying message: "Get out of your own way, dummy!" rings true enough.
I'll have more comments on the three-month trek, well, once I'm done the three month trek. Today I'm smack in the middle of the third day of "Week 4", and the reason I'm gracing this blog with another entry is that in "Week 4", reading is verboten.
Let's take a page out of the suspension of disbelief playbook and ignore that in this digital age not reading for a week is impossible for a working stiff without severe levels of isolation. I like to eat, and planning a vacation on such short notice wasn't really possible, so I've made concesssions in the name of keeping my job (work related reading is okay, 9:00-5:00) and keeping in touch (e-mails and texts, not that I'm good at staying on top of those in "normal" life, but whatever).
It's halfway through Day 3 and I think I'm going to lose it. I'm a ways away from having the spins and cold sweats, but I don't know how I'm going to make it to the other side of the weekend, and the beginning of Week 5. Case in point: in writing this blog entry, I've only used twelve of the 6420 or so minutes between now and when I finally get to close off Week 4.
The marathon of self-imposed illiteracy seems to be having a benefit, though. Even though I haven't really noticed it recently, this week is highlighting how my life is still very much steeped in the written word. Also, the urge to write has been very strong the last few days. Unfortunately it's been either torrents of self-absorbed stream-of-conscioussness blather or agonizing for hours over a few sentences, neither of which are particulary satisfying.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
