Today's post is over at Writer Unboxed. I only get to post there three times per year, so please please please go check it out! And thank you in advance.
Orange Rinds and Apple Peels - Finding Comfort In Your Own Skin
Hard to tell from the title (sorry but I am a sucker for form rather than function when it comes to my WU post titles) but the post is about how to be yourself and aid your career through social networking.
See you there!
~Lydia
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Your Questions Answered, Part I: Keeping Short Fiction Short
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions to my first open thread! I will be posting open threads periodically from now on, but you can really ask me anything at any time, via email, twitter, or here on the blog, and I will always do my best to answer.
Some of the questions require their own post, in order to answer as thoroughly as I can. Some of them might be combined into one post. I won't know until I actually sit down to answer each question. So the answers to the open thread has now officially become a series. Whether that's a good thing or not, I'll let you decide.
Annie asked:
I get asked this question a lot, especially by unpublished novelists. And even more especially by unpublished novelists who write sf/f.
First, I want to make something very clear-- you do not have to have short fiction publication credits to get a novel published. Many novelists write short fiction, too, but many of them have tried to and just can't.
Not everyone has the ability to write short and long stories. So if you give it your best effort and you're still not getting the hang of it, or you're not enjoying it at all, then there is no shame in admitting you're just not one of those people who can do both. Pick the one that makes you happy and stick with it.
Okay. Now that that's out of the way, let's answer the actual question of how to keep things short. Everything I'm about to say is just my own experience and viewpoint. Every author is different.
I have a million and one story ideas to choose from at any given time, and a million more that could pop into my head at any given time. Some are more appropriate for short stories and some have more potential to be developed into novels. My "story brain" never shuts off. In fact, just last night, Aprilynne Pike posted an interesting photo in her Google+ stream that gave me an instant, fully formed story arc.
That's the first sign that I know an idea is good for short fiction. I can make any short story of mine into a full-blown novel if I wanted to. But sometimes you don't feel the need to go that deep into a story, to create extra subplots and explore the nuance of every character relationship, and so on and so forth.
Sometimes, you just want to tell a single story thread. When I get that feeling, that the story would be better in short form than in novel form, the first thing I do is decide how many words I need to convey the story in my head.
If you're entering a contest or competition, the word count is mandated for you. This is what I personally recommend doing if you're just starting out in short fiction. The benefits of entering a contest/competition are (1) you are forced to keep things under a certain word count, (2) you are often confined to a certain theme or content. The more boundaries you are given, the less room your brain has to take your idea and run with it. Don't enter a short story contest with the intent to win (not your first few, anyway). Enter with the intent to learn.
However, if you're just writing something that popped into your head because you like the idea and you think it might work in short form (and just to be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this), you'll have to come up with the word count limit on your own. And this is where the novelist-who-wants-to-write-short-stories usually makes their first mistake-- NOT mandating a word count limit from the get-go.
Think about this for a moment. When you set out to write a novel, you usually have a final word count range in mind for the genre and type of novel you're going to write. And you often refer to that (at least I do) while writing, just as a way of checking yourself, to make sure you're still in line with where you need to be for the final draft (and this is one area in which plotters have an advantage over pantsers, and hello! structure structure structure... but that's another post for another day).
It's no different for short stories. The problem is, most writers who are just starting to get into short fiction have no clue how long their final draft should be, so they just start writing the story and (no surprise) the story gets away from them, demanding deeper emotion, more intricacies, yadda, yadda, yadda, pile on the wordage.
So how do you know how many words you need? It's different for every story, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, if you're not planning on getting the story published, and this is your first attempt at short writing, I'd cap it off at around 10,000 words. Just to see if you can do it. Then for your next one try 7,000. And keep decreasing and decreasing, and adjusting, until you find a range that feels comfortable. If you're feeling really brave, try flash fiction (1000 words or less-- and yes, a full story arc, not just a vignette).
If you ARE planning on getting the story published, then it's a bit more involved than that.
1. Do you have a specific market in mind that you want to write for? If so, word counts, themes, and anything else you need to know before you start writing are usually detailed in the submission guidelines. Follow that.
2. Do you read enough short fiction in your area of interest? This will help you get an idea for what your personal comfort zone is (regarding word count, pacing, use of prose, etc.) and how to make it work. As you do with novels, study the short fiction that you enjoy. This also helps you see what editors are looking for now, and you can somewhat cater to that.
3. Do you want to acquire an SFWA credit? If so, they have specific word count ranges for different types of short fiction. "Short stories" are less than 7500 words. But you also have things called "novelettes" and "novellas", which I personally group under "short fiction" as well, even though a novella can technically be sold as a single title, like a novel. And sometimes novellas are published in anthologies... novellas are a tricky beast, both in writing them and in trying to get them published. I don't recommend them for beginners.
So. Let's say you have a word count limit in mind and a great idea, and now you're ready to start writing. But then you're about 5000 words into a 7500-word story and you're positive you haven't reached the middle yet.
That's a problem. And there are a few things that might be the cause of it.
1. You're writing your short story with the same approach you would your novel. You just can't do that. In a novel, 7500 words could very well be a single scene or chapter, one brushstroke on a painting. In a short story, that's the full story arc, the whole picture. Something's gotta give.
That something is your word choice. Snip snip snip anything that doesn't move the plot forward. Keep the dialogue as snappy and relevant as possible. If you're noticing a lot of long sentences and big blocky paragraphs, rewrite the hell out of it. Rewrite rewrite rewrite until you find the best way to say the same thing in less words.
For more on how to do this, click HERE.
2. You don't know, or purposely don't use, story structure. Like I said above, that's an entirely different post that I can't even get into here. In fact, it's a series of posts. I spent most of November 2010 blogging about the different aspects of story structure (final post in the series is HERE, links to the other posts are listed at the end). Larry Brooks devotes his entire blog to story structure.
This is a big deal. If you don't know structure, you are unnecessarily handicapping yourself in the publishing game.
I use the same basic structural outline for my short stories as I do for my novels. The only difference is that you have less room to develop each point. But it really is exactly the same... inciting incident, catalyst, midpoint, all is lost, act I, act II, act III, climax, denouement... it's all there, just condensed.
The midpoint, especially, is helpful during the first draft of a short story. If you know what should happen in your story by the midpoint, then you can easily gauge how you're doing once you reach the half-way point of your word count. And yes, it's okay to check on that during a first draft. That's how you stay focused.
3. Too many subplots, not enough subtext. It would take another entire post to explain this fully, but the non-understanding of how to use subtext is a common amateur writer mistake, even in novel form. It's part of that whole "honing your craft" part of writing. It takes time and practice.
You don't always need a subplot to prove a point, convey an idea, create understanding, etc. Subplots have their own arcs, and they will unavoidably add wordage.
Subtext is one of the main things that makes short stories so fabulous, really. It's what makes it possible to write a full story arc inside of 4000 words and have the reader come away from it feeling just as awed/ inspired/ satisfied as they would after reading a novel. It is the point of the story translated through its undertone-- what you're really trying to say through the story events and dialogue without actually saying it.
(I feel a post on subtext coming in the near future, as I'm just now realizing that in two years of blogging about writing I'VE NEVER BLOGGED ABOUT SUBTEXT. WHAT?! Stay tuned for that. Maybe sometime next month.)
Okay. Are we good?
I think I've covered more in this post than all of my other posts on short stories combined. But if you have more questions (anyone, not just Annie), please feel free to ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer at the time that I see the question. I won't make you wait a week for it. :-)
Happy (short) writing,
~Lydia
Some of the questions require their own post, in order to answer as thoroughly as I can. Some of them might be combined into one post. I won't know until I actually sit down to answer each question. So the answers to the open thread has now officially become a series. Whether that's a good thing or not, I'll let you decide.
Annie asked:
How do you keep a short story...short? I keep wanting more, and before I know it, BAM. Hello novel, goodbye short story.
I get asked this question a lot, especially by unpublished novelists. And even more especially by unpublished novelists who write sf/f.
First, I want to make something very clear-- you do not have to have short fiction publication credits to get a novel published. Many novelists write short fiction, too, but many of them have tried to and just can't.
Not everyone has the ability to write short and long stories. So if you give it your best effort and you're still not getting the hang of it, or you're not enjoying it at all, then there is no shame in admitting you're just not one of those people who can do both. Pick the one that makes you happy and stick with it.
Okay. Now that that's out of the way, let's answer the actual question of how to keep things short. Everything I'm about to say is just my own experience and viewpoint. Every author is different.
I have a million and one story ideas to choose from at any given time, and a million more that could pop into my head at any given time. Some are more appropriate for short stories and some have more potential to be developed into novels. My "story brain" never shuts off. In fact, just last night, Aprilynne Pike posted an interesting photo in her Google+ stream that gave me an instant, fully formed story arc.
That's the first sign that I know an idea is good for short fiction. I can make any short story of mine into a full-blown novel if I wanted to. But sometimes you don't feel the need to go that deep into a story, to create extra subplots and explore the nuance of every character relationship, and so on and so forth.
Sometimes, you just want to tell a single story thread. When I get that feeling, that the story would be better in short form than in novel form, the first thing I do is decide how many words I need to convey the story in my head.
If you're entering a contest or competition, the word count is mandated for you. This is what I personally recommend doing if you're just starting out in short fiction. The benefits of entering a contest/competition are (1) you are forced to keep things under a certain word count, (2) you are often confined to a certain theme or content. The more boundaries you are given, the less room your brain has to take your idea and run with it. Don't enter a short story contest with the intent to win (not your first few, anyway). Enter with the intent to learn.
However, if you're just writing something that popped into your head because you like the idea and you think it might work in short form (and just to be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this), you'll have to come up with the word count limit on your own. And this is where the novelist-who-wants-to-write-short-stories usually makes their first mistake-- NOT mandating a word count limit from the get-go.
Think about this for a moment. When you set out to write a novel, you usually have a final word count range in mind for the genre and type of novel you're going to write. And you often refer to that (at least I do) while writing, just as a way of checking yourself, to make sure you're still in line with where you need to be for the final draft (and this is one area in which plotters have an advantage over pantsers, and hello! structure structure structure... but that's another post for another day).
It's no different for short stories. The problem is, most writers who are just starting to get into short fiction have no clue how long their final draft should be, so they just start writing the story and (no surprise) the story gets away from them, demanding deeper emotion, more intricacies, yadda, yadda, yadda, pile on the wordage.
So how do you know how many words you need? It's different for every story, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, if you're not planning on getting the story published, and this is your first attempt at short writing, I'd cap it off at around 10,000 words. Just to see if you can do it. Then for your next one try 7,000. And keep decreasing and decreasing, and adjusting, until you find a range that feels comfortable. If you're feeling really brave, try flash fiction (1000 words or less-- and yes, a full story arc, not just a vignette).
If you ARE planning on getting the story published, then it's a bit more involved than that.
1. Do you have a specific market in mind that you want to write for? If so, word counts, themes, and anything else you need to know before you start writing are usually detailed in the submission guidelines. Follow that.
2. Do you read enough short fiction in your area of interest? This will help you get an idea for what your personal comfort zone is (regarding word count, pacing, use of prose, etc.) and how to make it work. As you do with novels, study the short fiction that you enjoy. This also helps you see what editors are looking for now, and you can somewhat cater to that.
3. Do you want to acquire an SFWA credit? If so, they have specific word count ranges for different types of short fiction. "Short stories" are less than 7500 words. But you also have things called "novelettes" and "novellas", which I personally group under "short fiction" as well, even though a novella can technically be sold as a single title, like a novel. And sometimes novellas are published in anthologies... novellas are a tricky beast, both in writing them and in trying to get them published. I don't recommend them for beginners.
So. Let's say you have a word count limit in mind and a great idea, and now you're ready to start writing. But then you're about 5000 words into a 7500-word story and you're positive you haven't reached the middle yet.
That's a problem. And there are a few things that might be the cause of it.
1. You're writing your short story with the same approach you would your novel. You just can't do that. In a novel, 7500 words could very well be a single scene or chapter, one brushstroke on a painting. In a short story, that's the full story arc, the whole picture. Something's gotta give.
That something is your word choice. Snip snip snip anything that doesn't move the plot forward. Keep the dialogue as snappy and relevant as possible. If you're noticing a lot of long sentences and big blocky paragraphs, rewrite the hell out of it. Rewrite rewrite rewrite until you find the best way to say the same thing in less words.
For more on how to do this, click HERE.
2. You don't know, or purposely don't use, story structure. Like I said above, that's an entirely different post that I can't even get into here. In fact, it's a series of posts. I spent most of November 2010 blogging about the different aspects of story structure (final post in the series is HERE, links to the other posts are listed at the end). Larry Brooks devotes his entire blog to story structure.
This is a big deal. If you don't know structure, you are unnecessarily handicapping yourself in the publishing game.
I use the same basic structural outline for my short stories as I do for my novels. The only difference is that you have less room to develop each point. But it really is exactly the same... inciting incident, catalyst, midpoint, all is lost, act I, act II, act III, climax, denouement... it's all there, just condensed.
The midpoint, especially, is helpful during the first draft of a short story. If you know what should happen in your story by the midpoint, then you can easily gauge how you're doing once you reach the half-way point of your word count. And yes, it's okay to check on that during a first draft. That's how you stay focused.
3. Too many subplots, not enough subtext. It would take another entire post to explain this fully, but the non-understanding of how to use subtext is a common amateur writer mistake, even in novel form. It's part of that whole "honing your craft" part of writing. It takes time and practice.
You don't always need a subplot to prove a point, convey an idea, create understanding, etc. Subplots have their own arcs, and they will unavoidably add wordage.
Subtext is one of the main things that makes short stories so fabulous, really. It's what makes it possible to write a full story arc inside of 4000 words and have the reader come away from it feeling just as awed/ inspired/ satisfied as they would after reading a novel. It is the point of the story translated through its undertone-- what you're really trying to say through the story events and dialogue without actually saying it.
(I feel a post on subtext coming in the near future, as I'm just now realizing that in two years of blogging about writing I'VE NEVER BLOGGED ABOUT SUBTEXT. WHAT?! Stay tuned for that. Maybe sometime next month.)
Okay. Are we good?
I think I've covered more in this post than all of my other posts on short stories combined. But if you have more questions (anyone, not just Annie), please feel free to ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer at the time that I see the question. I won't make you wait a week for it. :-)
Happy (short) writing,
~Lydia
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday Tunes on Monday
Because I'm feeling kind of backwards like that today.
First off, THANK YOU to those who posted questions in the open thread. I hadn't realized short fiction was such a foreign topic for some of you. I take for granted sometimes that I can write both novels and short stories, and I'm more than willing to discuss it more here on the blog.
There is still plenty of room for more questions (which I will be answering in Wednesday's post) so please check it out and ask whatever is currently on your mind regarding writing and publishing. Link is HERE.
Second order of business? I don't think I can live without Tuesday Tunes anymore.
Seriously.
I miss it.
Does anyone else here miss it, or is it just me?
I don't know... I'm reconsidering my decision to remove it, so another rearranging of the posting schedule may be in order soon (big surprise there, I know). Stay tuned.
In the meantime, here is something I've been listening to A LOT lately while writing--
RainyMood.com
It's great just by itself, to create some amazing white noise. Plug in your earbuds and voila! the child-induced noise suddenly disappears. You won't have to wait until the kids go to sleep or go outside to get your writing time in. I love my son, but... yeah. He can be loud and distracting sometimes/all the time during summer.
I'm one of the rare (read: weird) writers who can listen to songs with lyrics and not have it mess up my thought process and word flow.
So. Try this. I love it.
Open RainyMood in a separate tab. It plays rain sounds on a continuous loop. Then play the song below AT THE SAME TIME. The rain sounds make an awesome background for this song, especially (but I'm sure it works for a lot of other songs, too).
Love love love.
Happy Monday!
~Lydia
First off, THANK YOU to those who posted questions in the open thread. I hadn't realized short fiction was such a foreign topic for some of you. I take for granted sometimes that I can write both novels and short stories, and I'm more than willing to discuss it more here on the blog.
There is still plenty of room for more questions (which I will be answering in Wednesday's post) so please check it out and ask whatever is currently on your mind regarding writing and publishing. Link is HERE.
Second order of business? I don't think I can live without Tuesday Tunes anymore.
Seriously.
I miss it.
Does anyone else here miss it, or is it just me?
I don't know... I'm reconsidering my decision to remove it, so another rearranging of the posting schedule may be in order soon (big surprise there, I know). Stay tuned.
In the meantime, here is something I've been listening to A LOT lately while writing--
RainyMood.com
It's great just by itself, to create some amazing white noise. Plug in your earbuds and voila! the child-induced noise suddenly disappears. You won't have to wait until the kids go to sleep or go outside to get your writing time in. I love my son, but... yeah. He can be loud and distracting sometimes/all the time during summer.
I'm one of the rare (read: weird) writers who can listen to songs with lyrics and not have it mess up my thought process and word flow.
So. Try this. I love it.
Open RainyMood in a separate tab. It plays rain sounds on a continuous loop. Then play the song below AT THE SAME TIME. The rain sounds make an awesome background for this song, especially (but I'm sure it works for a lot of other songs, too).
Love love love.
Happy Monday!
~Lydia
Friday, July 22, 2011
LYDIA'S FIRST OPEN THREAD
We are out of town for the weekend, so I'd like to try something I've never done here before. I'm going to open up the comments section of this post to questions. ANY QUESTIONS you want to ask me (Lydia) that are in some way related to writing, reading, and publishing. Questions can be serious or "just curious", or even a little off-the-wall. If it's something I can answer publicly, then I will.
For example, you may ask...
...anything about my personal writing process -- either novels, short fiction, blogging, co-blogging, book reviews, etc.
...anything about the differences (and/or non-differences) between writing adult fiction and young adult fiction
...anything about the craft of writing (structure, plot, character development, description, etc.)
...anything about the process of getting a short story published (I've had three pubbed in the last two years and currently have one under contract that has not been released yet, and also one on sub)
...anything about communicating with agents, querying agents, etc. (I rode the query-go-round twice in 2010, the second time it resulted in requests and feedback from agents (one agent is still reading) -- I do not have an agent yet, but I can tell you about my experience thus far)
...anything about my personal revision process and/or how I work with my main critique partner (or even if you just want to know how we established this current relationship because we've actually never met each other in person)
...anything about my personal approach to and/or views on social networking for authors
...anything about anything else you can think of that you've been wanting to ask me but for some reason haven't yet, like... why do you change your blog background so much?
Now's the time. Get it out. Anything and everything. Let 'er loose.
I'll go over the questions on Monday and Tuesday (you can add more on those days if you want to, I'll see them) and post my answers on Wednesday.
Have a great weekend everyone!
~Lydia
For example, you may ask...
...anything about my personal writing process -- either novels, short fiction, blogging, co-blogging, book reviews, etc.
...anything about the differences (and/or non-differences) between writing adult fiction and young adult fiction
...anything about the craft of writing (structure, plot, character development, description, etc.)
...anything about the process of getting a short story published (I've had three pubbed in the last two years and currently have one under contract that has not been released yet, and also one on sub)
...anything about communicating with agents, querying agents, etc. (I rode the query-go-round twice in 2010, the second time it resulted in requests and feedback from agents (one agent is still reading) -- I do not have an agent yet, but I can tell you about my experience thus far)
...anything about my personal revision process and/or how I work with my main critique partner (or even if you just want to know how we established this current relationship because we've actually never met each other in person)
...anything about my personal approach to and/or views on social networking for authors
...anything about anything else you can think of that you've been wanting to ask me but for some reason haven't yet, like... why do you change your blog background so much?
Now's the time. Get it out. Anything and everything. Let 'er loose.
I'll go over the questions on Monday and Tuesday (you can add more on those days if you want to, I'll see them) and post my answers on Wednesday.
Have a great weekend everyone!
~Lydia
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Selecting the Proper Hook
There are as many articles about hooking your reader on the first page as there are writers, and many of these articles are just saying the same thing in slightly different ways, accompanied by a dry list of do's and don'ts. Which does nothing but frustrate anyone who is innocently trying to learn the craft.
I stopped paying attention to these "how to hook your reader" articles a long time ago, even the ones written by highly successful authors. Why? Because writing is an art. There is no set formula for success.
Every writer is going to have a different approach to their first page, dependent upon...
(a) the type of story
(b) the writer's individual style
(c) the intended audience
A shark fisherman is not going to have the same tools in his tacklebox as a bass fisherman. And two fishermen can use different techniques from each other and both have success.
Hooks come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. As far as writing is concerned, there is no right or wrong. The only rule? Keep the reader reading. But what works for one reader isn't necessarily going to work for the other.
The following examples are all openings from books I've labeled as "favorites."
From Good Grief by Lolly Winston:
This story opens with absolutely no clue who is speaking, where she is, or what she is currently doing. Also, the second sentence is totally run-on. Why does this opening work? Because it presents clear conflict in the character's life through a situation that is, to her, abnormal.
This novel was a NYT bestseller and won various awards, and it opens with veiled backstory, what some "experts" might call throat clearing. How did this author get away with that? Because she isn't really "getting away with" anything. If backstory includes conflict and tension, and is relevant to the frontstory, it's perfectly okay to start with.
Anyone who tells you otherwise has either not read widely enough, or believes their personal opinion is law.
My next example, The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh, starts with overt backstory:
What hooked me with this one was also the clear presentation of conflict within the viewpoint character. At this point the reader doesn't even know if the character is male or female, young or old, etc., etc. But the fluidity of this author's prose and the conflict--the conflict--is what got me. Then the tension is heightened, like a taut fishing line, and it reeled me in.
Well, that's all well and good for adult fiction, you might say, but what about YA? The younger the audience, the shorter the attention span, the higher the pace. Which is all true (for the most part). But that doesn't mean you have to employ cheap gimmicks for your opening sentences.
From Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins:
Wow. Can you say infodump? Actually, no, that isn't what I'd say. But a lot of the people out there who want to tell you how to write would call this an opening that breaks all the rules. Again, we have no clue who the viewpoint character is or what he/she is doing. We can guess that maybe he/she is in France, but it isn't entirely clear. So why does this work?
Character, character, character. This opening is teeming with voice. Study it. Study it hard.
A similar approach was used in the opening for Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer:
Who is this person? Where is this person? Why should I care about his/her thoughts on someone's voice shattering glass? Maybe you don't care, but for someone like me who has a musical background, this opening is stellar.
Also noteworthy -- yes, you can use "big" words in YA, like theoretically. Even on a first page. So long as it's proper for the character's voice.
Okay, okay, you're thinking. Fine. You can open like that with contemporary fiction because it thrives on character. But SF/F readers expect more physical action on the first page, or at least some dialogue.
Perhaps. But not always.
For example, Blue Fire by Janice Hardy is fantasy written for middle grade/tween readers (ages 10 & up). The first page includes no dialogue, and only one sentence portrays physical action. That sentence is in the third paragraph. The first paragraph reads:
Did you notice that just about every example I used begins with an inner conflict? That's because those types of stories--the ones that have a balance of internal and external conflict--usually end up being my personal favorites (not all of my favorites begin with internalization, but most do). If the conflict is not apparent in the first paragraph, then a unique voice is an effective hook for me, too. Both together? Even better.
But I am just one reader. You may not have liked any of the examples above. The point is, that's okay. Don't let the differences in readerly tastes frustrate you as a writer.
Every writer has an audience out there somewhere, they just have to find it. And the best place to look is within yourself, study your own tastes. If the "hook" that works for you is getting published, then don't feel bad or wrong about using that technique in your own work.
Published novels are very often better text books than any "how to" article. One of the beautiful things about being a fiction writer is that you get to choose your own course of study and your own workbooks. And once you achieve a certain level of understanding and skill, you'll be able to reach into your writerly tacklebox with confidence that you've selected the proper hook.
Happy writing,
~Lydia
I stopped paying attention to these "how to hook your reader" articles a long time ago, even the ones written by highly successful authors. Why? Because writing is an art. There is no set formula for success.
Every writer is going to have a different approach to their first page, dependent upon...
(a) the type of story
(b) the writer's individual style
(c) the intended audience
A shark fisherman is not going to have the same tools in his tacklebox as a bass fisherman. And two fishermen can use different techniques from each other and both have success.
Hooks come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. As far as writing is concerned, there is no right or wrong. The only rule? Keep the reader reading. But what works for one reader isn't necessarily going to work for the other.
The following examples are all openings from books I've labeled as "favorites."
From Good Grief by Lolly Winston:
How can I be a widow? Widows wear horn-rimmed glasses and cardigans that smell like mothballs and have crepe-paper skin and names like Gladys or Midge and meet with their other widow friends once a week to play pinochle. I'm only thirty-six. I just got used to the idea of being married, only test-drove the words my husband for three years: My husband and I, my husband and I... after all that time being single!
This story opens with absolutely no clue who is speaking, where she is, or what she is currently doing. Also, the second sentence is totally run-on. Why does this opening work? Because it presents clear conflict in the character's life through a situation that is, to her, abnormal.
This novel was a NYT bestseller and won various awards, and it opens with veiled backstory, what some "experts" might call throat clearing. How did this author get away with that? Because she isn't really "getting away with" anything. If backstory includes conflict and tension, and is relevant to the frontstory, it's perfectly okay to start with.
Anyone who tells you otherwise has either not read widely enough, or believes their personal opinion is law.
My next example, The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh, starts with overt backstory:
I lost my twin to a harsh November nine years ago. Ever since, I've felt the span of that month like no other, as if each of the calendar's thirty perfect little squares split in two on the page. I wished they'd just disappear. Bring on winter. I had bags of rock salt, a shovel, and a strong back. I wasn't afraid of ice and snow. November always lingered, though, crackling under the foot of my memory like dried leaves.
What hooked me with this one was also the clear presentation of conflict within the viewpoint character. At this point the reader doesn't even know if the character is male or female, young or old, etc., etc. But the fluidity of this author's prose and the conflict--the conflict--is what got me. Then the tension is heightened, like a taut fishing line, and it reeled me in.
Well, that's all well and good for adult fiction, you might say, but what about YA? The younger the audience, the shorter the attention span, the higher the pace. Which is all true (for the most part). But that doesn't mean you have to employ cheap gimmicks for your opening sentences.
From Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins:
Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amelie and Moulin Rouge. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, although I have no idea what the function of either actually is. Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, and a lot of kings named Louis. I'm not sure what they did either, but I think it has something to do with the French Revolution, which has something to do with Bastille Day. The art museum is called the Louvre and it's shaped like a pyramid and the Mona Lisa lives there along with the statue of the woman missing her arms. And there are cafes or bistros or whatever they call them on every street corner. And mimes. The food is supposed to be good, and the people drink a lot of wine and smoke a lot of cigarettes.
Wow. Can you say infodump? Actually, no, that isn't what I'd say. But a lot of the people out there who want to tell you how to write would call this an opening that breaks all the rules. Again, we have no clue who the viewpoint character is or what he/she is doing. We can guess that maybe he/she is in France, but it isn't entirely clear. So why does this work?
Character, character, character. This opening is teeming with voice. Study it. Study it hard.
A similar approach was used in the opening for Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer:
I saw an old commercial once where famous singers used their voices to shatter glass. So I looked into it last year for a project in physics class, and it didn't take much of a Google search to find out the whole thing is pretty much a myth. Theoretically, the sound waves created by vibrating vocal chords could break a crystal goblet if they resonated long enough at just the right pitch, but finding and holding a note like that is incredibly difficult. The human voice, it turns out, just isn't that strong.
Who is this person? Where is this person? Why should I care about his/her thoughts on someone's voice shattering glass? Maybe you don't care, but for someone like me who has a musical background, this opening is stellar.
Also noteworthy -- yes, you can use "big" words in YA, like theoretically. Even on a first page. So long as it's proper for the character's voice.
Okay, okay, you're thinking. Fine. You can open like that with contemporary fiction because it thrives on character. But SF/F readers expect more physical action on the first page, or at least some dialogue.
Perhaps. But not always.
For example, Blue Fire by Janice Hardy is fantasy written for middle grade/tween readers (ages 10 & up). The first page includes no dialogue, and only one sentence portrays physical action. That sentence is in the third paragraph. The first paragraph reads:
Responsibility was overrated. Sure, it sounded good--take control of your own life, make your own choices--but that also meant you had to pay for your own mistakes. And if your life and choices hadn't gone the way you'd planned, well, then your mistakes might reach deeper than your pockets could afford.
Did you notice that just about every example I used begins with an inner conflict? That's because those types of stories--the ones that have a balance of internal and external conflict--usually end up being my personal favorites (not all of my favorites begin with internalization, but most do). If the conflict is not apparent in the first paragraph, then a unique voice is an effective hook for me, too. Both together? Even better.
But I am just one reader. You may not have liked any of the examples above. The point is, that's okay. Don't let the differences in readerly tastes frustrate you as a writer.
Every writer has an audience out there somewhere, they just have to find it. And the best place to look is within yourself, study your own tastes. If the "hook" that works for you is getting published, then don't feel bad or wrong about using that technique in your own work.
Published novels are very often better text books than any "how to" article. One of the beautiful things about being a fiction writer is that you get to choose your own course of study and your own workbooks. And once you achieve a certain level of understanding and skill, you'll be able to reach into your writerly tacklebox with confidence that you've selected the proper hook.
Happy writing,
~Lydia
Monday, July 18, 2011
Envisioning a Full Character Scope
When we write a story, no matter what the length, it most often only covers a slice of the character's life. Much of what we focus on to write an accurate portrayal of characters is (a) the character's present life, and (b) the character's past life. Which are both highly relevant.
But how often do we stretch that character scope into the future? When writing about kids and teens, especially, who tend to only think "in the moment" and have very little experience to draw on, it can be easy to forget that they have a vast future ahead of them.
When I was a teen I used to think a lot about what would happen to everyone after they graduated, where would each of our lives take us. Would we ever cross paths again in our adult lives? I think this was emphasized in my mind much more than the average teen because I moved into a completely new area and changed high schools at age 15. So I thought a lot about my friends from my old school and the kids I grew up with in my old neighborhood in terms of "I wonder what they're doing now..." Everything became a big "what if" game, because I never knew how long it would be until I saw any of them again. I tried to envision the things I'd miss that didn't happen yet.
Do you ever think about that for your characters? Obviously, this isn't going to be part of your story, but if you can envision the twists and turns a character's life might take, based on their present actions and viewpoints, you're one (huge) step closer to understanding your character thoroughly enough to portray them as accurately as possible in their story.
So just take a moment and reflect, not on the past, but on the future and all of its possibilities--both good and bad. You might be surprised with how it affects your work-in-progress.
Happy writing,
~Lydia
Today's post brought to you by The Offspring's classic of classics, "The Kids Aren't Alright" (go 90's):
But how often do we stretch that character scope into the future? When writing about kids and teens, especially, who tend to only think "in the moment" and have very little experience to draw on, it can be easy to forget that they have a vast future ahead of them.
When I was a teen I used to think a lot about what would happen to everyone after they graduated, where would each of our lives take us. Would we ever cross paths again in our adult lives? I think this was emphasized in my mind much more than the average teen because I moved into a completely new area and changed high schools at age 15. So I thought a lot about my friends from my old school and the kids I grew up with in my old neighborhood in terms of "I wonder what they're doing now..." Everything became a big "what if" game, because I never knew how long it would be until I saw any of them again. I tried to envision the things I'd miss that didn't happen yet.
Do you ever think about that for your characters? Obviously, this isn't going to be part of your story, but if you can envision the twists and turns a character's life might take, based on their present actions and viewpoints, you're one (huge) step closer to understanding your character thoroughly enough to portray them as accurately as possible in their story.
So just take a moment and reflect, not on the past, but on the future and all of its possibilities--both good and bad. You might be surprised with how it affects your work-in-progress.
Happy writing,
~Lydia
Today's post brought to you by The Offspring's classic of classics, "The Kids Aren't Alright" (go 90's):
Friday, July 15, 2011
Authors Worthy of Respect
Whether you like it or not, once your work is published you are a public figure. And as a public figure, you cannot keep the public from associating your persona with your work. This is true for all public figures -- politicians, actors, even teachers in a public high school. Authors are not exempt from this.
But some authors think it's okay to think too much of themselves, they think it's okay if people think they're stuck-up. For me, it's not okay. Especially since the only reason you reach the success you might reach is because of your readers. Why shut them out?
The authors I respect the most, some of them NYT bestsellers... some of them NYT bestsellers who blog, tweet, facebook, G+, write guest posts on a regular basis, communicate with their agent and editor, go on book tours, go to conferences, have a family to care for, and always write write write... and they still regularly interact with their readers.
How do they do it? Everyone has the same amount of time in the day. The authors I feel are worthy of the utmost respect, and are worth emulating, are the ones who make interaction with their audience a priority.
These are the people who often get comments made about them such as, "I don't know how she does it all!"
They find a way. They are highly organized. They have their priorities straight.
They remind themselves, daily, that they are nothing without the people who support them.
Who do you respect, and why?
~Lydia
But some authors think it's okay to think too much of themselves, they think it's okay if people think they're stuck-up. For me, it's not okay. Especially since the only reason you reach the success you might reach is because of your readers. Why shut them out?
The authors I respect the most, some of them NYT bestsellers... some of them NYT bestsellers who blog, tweet, facebook, G+, write guest posts on a regular basis, communicate with their agent and editor, go on book tours, go to conferences, have a family to care for, and always write write write... and they still regularly interact with their readers.
How do they do it? Everyone has the same amount of time in the day. The authors I feel are worthy of the utmost respect, and are worth emulating, are the ones who make interaction with their audience a priority.
These are the people who often get comments made about them such as, "I don't know how she does it all!"
They find a way. They are highly organized. They have their priorities straight.
They remind themselves, daily, that they are nothing without the people who support them.
Who do you respect, and why?
~Lydia
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Conquering Writer's Block - When the Writing Gets Tough, the Writer Gets Tougher
True story.
---
I just got over a really bad bout of writer's block. But it wasn't your typical writer's block, because I was still writing, just not writing one particularly stubborn scene of my WIP.
I started the scene in January. I just finished it on Monday night. Yes. I do mean Monday this week, as in, less than two days ago.
The sad thing is, I almost let the troubles I was having with this one scene make me quit on the entire novel. Sounds pretty irrational when you see it like that, but it was quite different as I was living it. So here's the breakdown (of what I can remember).
January... ish:
Novel is going great. I'm half-way through my second full rewrite and hit this pivotal middle scene where a new character has just been introduced and things start to shift toward not-so-great in the MC's main relationship.
I start the scene. I can see the whole scene in my head. I know everything that is going to happen, I just have to write it.
Yay!
I write one or two paragraphs. I somehow can't get myself to continue writing.
Hmmm....
Rather than lose my mojo, I set the scene aside and continue writing the novel where it picks up after that scene (even though said scene is not finished, I know what happens so it's okay).
Feburary... ish:
I've written about two or three chapters away from the trouble scene. Go back to it. Write maybe one more paragraph. Delete it.
Nope. Still not feeling it.
Continue on with the rest of the novel.
March... ish:
I am so sick of this novel I want to burn it why did I ever think I could write anything worth anything at all ever!
Why can't I get this scene finished?
Hmmm... maybe I don't need it?
Rethink the plot.
Okay. It really is a crucial scene. If I don't have it, some major elements at the end just won't add up.
Crap shit damn dang it freaking ****!
April... ish:
Completely revamp the entire flow of the novel. Again. Start on a new element that requires writing a bunch of new scenes from the beginning to the 2/3 mark.
Approach trouble scene in the middle, which is still unfinished. It is a page or two in length now, with another page of notes at the end of it.
Why why why why? I know what needs to happen. Why can't I just write it?
Ask for specific ideas about a certain element of the scene on Twitter.
Get some great responses.
Go back to the scene, refreshed.
But still can't get it out.
Okay, forget it. I'm going to set this whole thing aside for a week or two and write a short story.
Take that, novel. Let's see how you like being in second place.
May...ish:
Short story is finished and in the hands of beta readers (how the eff do I finish a complete story arc but cannot not not finish ONE scene?!)
Novel hates being in second place.
Nearly die of not working on it.
Get back to working on it, and write several thousand new words in a week. Plus implement yet another new angle that will (hopefully) make it that much more awesome.
I will not even look at the trouble scene now. We have an agreement of sorts. It hates me. I hate it.
June... ish:
Short story receives its first rejection, but also garners me some amazing feedback from a real live professional editor, who reassures me that YES I CAN IN FACT WRITE STUFF THAT ISN'T TOTAL CRAP.
My goal is to finish this entire novel by the end of summer.
Realize I can't do that if I don't finish the-scene-that-wishes-me-dead.
With my mojo renewed (thank you, editor), I dive in headfirst.
Try.
Fail.
Try.
Fail.
Try.
****!
July:
How is it July already? I only have two months left to get this thing done. What do I do what do I do what do I do?
Forget it. This is ridiculous. If I can't write one stupid little scene, then I don't deserve to get anything published ever.
But...
BUT.
I am not going to let that scene have the last laugh. Even if this novel has been a complete waste of time and effort over the past SEVEN MONTHS, I am not going to go down without a fight. I'm going to finish that scene if it's the last thing I ever do.
I don't care if the writing sucks.
I don't care if it reads like a Kindergartener wrote it.
I am going to FINISH it.
Start reading what I've already written of this scene over the course of this whole year thus far.
Hmm...
Maybe (MAYBE) I could just end the scene right there instead of continuing on like I thought I had to.
Okay, I'll try anything at this point.
Punch in a scene break.
No (erghck!) that's still not right.
*puts on warrior face paint* Type a bit more, just to see what comes out.
Punch in a scene break.
The-scene-that-wishes-me-dead obviously thinks it has won now and mistakenly lets its guard down.
*LIGHTBULB*
Delete a chunk of the opening pargraphs, removing an element that I didn't realize was unnecessary until just now this very moment. Write a short scene after the break that ties the whole chapter together.
Yes there there there now it's perfect. You are the best novel ever!
*hugs laptop* I love you I love you I love you I love you!!!
---
True story.
Happy (insane) writing,
~Lydia
---
I just got over a really bad bout of writer's block. But it wasn't your typical writer's block, because I was still writing, just not writing one particularly stubborn scene of my WIP.
I started the scene in January. I just finished it on Monday night. Yes. I do mean Monday this week, as in, less than two days ago.
The sad thing is, I almost let the troubles I was having with this one scene make me quit on the entire novel. Sounds pretty irrational when you see it like that, but it was quite different as I was living it. So here's the breakdown (of what I can remember).
January... ish:
Novel is going great. I'm half-way through my second full rewrite and hit this pivotal middle scene where a new character has just been introduced and things start to shift toward not-so-great in the MC's main relationship.
I start the scene. I can see the whole scene in my head. I know everything that is going to happen, I just have to write it.
Yay!
I write one or two paragraphs. I somehow can't get myself to continue writing.
Hmmm....
Rather than lose my mojo, I set the scene aside and continue writing the novel where it picks up after that scene (even though said scene is not finished, I know what happens so it's okay).
Feburary... ish:
I've written about two or three chapters away from the trouble scene. Go back to it. Write maybe one more paragraph. Delete it.
Nope. Still not feeling it.
Continue on with the rest of the novel.
March... ish:
I am so sick of this novel I want to burn it why did I ever think I could write anything worth anything at all ever!
Why can't I get this scene finished?
Hmmm... maybe I don't need it?
Rethink the plot.
Okay. It really is a crucial scene. If I don't have it, some major elements at the end just won't add up.
Crap shit damn dang it freaking ****!
April... ish:
Completely revamp the entire flow of the novel. Again. Start on a new element that requires writing a bunch of new scenes from the beginning to the 2/3 mark.
Approach trouble scene in the middle, which is still unfinished. It is a page or two in length now, with another page of notes at the end of it.
Why why why why? I know what needs to happen. Why can't I just write it?
Ask for specific ideas about a certain element of the scene on Twitter.
Get some great responses.
Go back to the scene, refreshed.
But still can't get it out.
Okay, forget it. I'm going to set this whole thing aside for a week or two and write a short story.
Take that, novel. Let's see how you like being in second place.
May...ish:
Short story is finished and in the hands of beta readers (how the eff do I finish a complete story arc but cannot not not finish ONE scene?!)
Novel hates being in second place.
Nearly die of not working on it.
Get back to working on it, and write several thousand new words in a week. Plus implement yet another new angle that will (hopefully) make it that much more awesome.
I will not even look at the trouble scene now. We have an agreement of sorts. It hates me. I hate it.
June... ish:
Short story receives its first rejection, but also garners me some amazing feedback from a real live professional editor, who reassures me that YES I CAN IN FACT WRITE STUFF THAT ISN'T TOTAL CRAP.
My goal is to finish this entire novel by the end of summer.
Realize I can't do that if I don't finish the-scene-that-wishes-me-dead.
With my mojo renewed (thank you, editor), I dive in headfirst.
Try.
Fail.
Try.
Fail.
Try.
****!
July:
How is it July already? I only have two months left to get this thing done. What do I do what do I do what do I do?
Forget it. This is ridiculous. If I can't write one stupid little scene, then I don't deserve to get anything published ever.
But...
BUT.
I am not going to let that scene have the last laugh. Even if this novel has been a complete waste of time and effort over the past SEVEN MONTHS, I am not going to go down without a fight. I'm going to finish that scene if it's the last thing I ever do.
I don't care if the writing sucks.
I don't care if it reads like a Kindergartener wrote it.
I am going to FINISH it.
Start reading what I've already written of this scene over the course of this whole year thus far.
Hmm...
Maybe (MAYBE) I could just end the scene right there instead of continuing on like I thought I had to.
Okay, I'll try anything at this point.
Punch in a scene break.
No (erghck!) that's still not right.
*puts on warrior face paint* Type a bit more, just to see what comes out.
Punch in a scene break.
The-scene-that-wishes-me-dead obviously thinks it has won now and mistakenly lets its guard down.
*LIGHTBULB*
Delete a chunk of the opening pargraphs, removing an element that I didn't realize was unnecessary until just now this very moment. Write a short scene after the break that ties the whole chapter together.
Yes there there there now it's perfect. You are the best novel ever!
*hugs laptop* I love you I love you I love you I love you!!!
---
True story.
Happy (insane) writing,
~Lydia
Friday, July 8, 2011
Trendsetting 101
One of the biggest fears I see expressed by new/aspiring novelists is that their current work-in-progress is too similar to something that is already out there, or too similar to a bunch of somethings already out there -- they worry they will look like they're jumping on a trend, when really, it was only a coincidence.
It's pretty unanimous across the board that jumping on a trend = bad. The main reason being that publishing is so god-awful slow. By the time your novel is ready to sub, a different trend may have taken the reins. So if your sole purpose in writing your particular story was to cater to a popular trend, you're sunk before you even dive into the pool.
The other reason (and maybe these two are tied, equally important) is that you're obviously writing for the wrong reasons. The best fiction comes from the heart, from a burning passion within that you simply must write this story -- your story -- or you will explode, implode, regret it for the rest of your life, etc. If that story happens to be similar to a current trend, it may or may not matter. There are so many factors to consider that they aren't even worth considering.
It's no surprise, then, that the advice you usually end up hearing from veteran authors, literary agents, and editors regarding trends is to (a) don't focus on it, (b) don't write for a trend (unless that was your idea anyway). They basically suggest to ignore trends and just write the best story you possibly can.
Which is good advice. But when it comes time for a serious writer to work on a new project, they usually have a great number of ideas to choose from. How do they decide which one is worth their time and effort? One question they ask themselves is, "Could this idea be the next big thing?"
You want to be a trendsetter. Not a trend follower. The stories/authors that start the trend have the most advantage. Everything that comes after the "amazing fresh idea" will be compared to it as either better, worse, or equally awesome. The trendsetter is the measuring stick.
This isn't to say that you have to come up with something totally new. There are no new ideas, only new writers. But since every writer is different, there are endless ways to put a new twist on the old/classic ideas.
So how do you jump on a trend before it's a trend? How do you become a trendsetter?
It's all in the brainstorming.
One of James Scott Bell's top 20 ways to get hundreds of plot ideas is to "predict a trend." He says you can do this is by reading specialty magazines. The magazines he lists are mostly scientifically/futuristically inclined (Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, Wired), but he also suggests general interest magazines such as Time and Newsweek, because they usually have a lot of special interest articles in addition to current hot topics in world news.
You can do this with any specialty magazine, depending on your individual tastes as a writer. What relates to your writing? There are specialty magazines on just about every topic out there. Use nonfiction to aid your fiction -- many of your readers will overlap.
The point is to see what people in that particular area of interest are talking about now, and then predict where/what that interest could lead to in the near future. Bell then offers a list of questions to ask yourself:
Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (Writers Digest Books, 2004), p. 43
Once you find that initial spark of an idea, you can move on to the "what if" questions of your specific story. And since you are writing with your reader in mind, you already have an audience -- the fact that you found articles printed about the subject proves that it is marketable. It will sell to those who are already concerning themselves with the topic, and perhaps have already asked themselves the questions above, just not with an eye toward fictionalizing it as you are.
The reason this works so well is because, no matter what we write -- sci-fi, fantasy, historical, contemporary, etc. -- the people we are writing for live in the here and now. They are aware of what is happening in the world, so you can use that to your advantage.
This could very well be one of the reasons why Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi has been so popular. It clearly shows what America's gulf region could become due to poor planning and bad decisions made by the government.
One thing that has always fascinated me is how money works. How is it made? How is it used? What or who determines its value? How does a country as powerful as the United States of America get itself into such an ungodly amount of debt? I can take that concept and transfer it into a completely made-up fantasy world. An empire under threat of losing everything it has built up over centuries... why? And how/who will save it from falling? Should it be saved? How does all of this affect the people in high positions? Low positions? People of allied territories? Are there governments with the ability to help, but don't? Won't?
Then you play the "what if" game. What if a new means of financial trade were created? What if, in desperation, the emperor authorizes the use of people as money, his own citizens? What if only certain types of people qualified for use? The more rare their trait/s, the higher their value. What kind of traits? Think beyond the physical. What if your main character is one of those types, and she is constantly exchanged like a dollar bill? What would her life be like? What would she sacrifice to change it?
Now the global problem of your story world has just been given more intensity by making it personal to a specific character. Your reader will feel a connection with this. They will think, "What if my government did that? What if I was that character?" And this is just one aspect of a much bigger story that can be told, using that little nugget of an idea to get the ball rolling.
How would this concept be applied to a space opera? An epic fantasy? A historical romance? A contemporary YA? All would have the same idea, but a different presentation. A concept that is truly trend-worthy can be applied to a broad range of genres and styles. It is the stuff copycats crave.
(Aside: The above was all just a bit of "on the fly" brainstorming while writing this post. You are more than welcome to use that idea if it strikes a chord with you. It's a good idea, but I likely won't use it. Go ahead, take it. Ideas are a dime a dozen. In fact, it may have already been done before, I wouldn't be surprised.)
Real world issues can be applied to pretty much any type of fiction with just a few changes in the details. I'm sure this is how dsytopian SF got started -- by asking the right questions.
Now, that isn't to say that every fresh idea is going to start a trend. There are no guarantees. But at the very least, you will know you have something worth writing, something marketable, something people are interested in because it has already affected them in some way or another. This is why grief stories are so popular (as one example). There are few people in the world who have not been touched by it in real life.
In short, the way to start a trend is to predict one (and this is also the best way to avoid one). As with any prediction, there is always a chance of failure. But if you make an educated guess of what people might want to read about in the near future, through targeted research of nonfiction hot topics, you are more likely to have success. Take what you know (fact) and make it unknown (fiction). Take a global issue and make it personal. Take an old idea and make it uniquely you.
Trendsetting is not possible without first creating a trend-worthy concept.
Happy Writing,
~Lydia
It's pretty unanimous across the board that jumping on a trend = bad. The main reason being that publishing is so god-awful slow. By the time your novel is ready to sub, a different trend may have taken the reins. So if your sole purpose in writing your particular story was to cater to a popular trend, you're sunk before you even dive into the pool.
The other reason (and maybe these two are tied, equally important) is that you're obviously writing for the wrong reasons. The best fiction comes from the heart, from a burning passion within that you simply must write this story -- your story -- or you will explode, implode, regret it for the rest of your life, etc. If that story happens to be similar to a current trend, it may or may not matter. There are so many factors to consider that they aren't even worth considering.
It's no surprise, then, that the advice you usually end up hearing from veteran authors, literary agents, and editors regarding trends is to (a) don't focus on it, (b) don't write for a trend (unless that was your idea anyway). They basically suggest to ignore trends and just write the best story you possibly can.
Which is good advice. But when it comes time for a serious writer to work on a new project, they usually have a great number of ideas to choose from. How do they decide which one is worth their time and effort? One question they ask themselves is, "Could this idea be the next big thing?"
You want to be a trendsetter. Not a trend follower. The stories/authors that start the trend have the most advantage. Everything that comes after the "amazing fresh idea" will be compared to it as either better, worse, or equally awesome. The trendsetter is the measuring stick.
This isn't to say that you have to come up with something totally new. There are no new ideas, only new writers. But since every writer is different, there are endless ways to put a new twist on the old/classic ideas.
So how do you jump on a trend before it's a trend? How do you become a trendsetter?
It's all in the brainstorming.
One of James Scott Bell's top 20 ways to get hundreds of plot ideas is to "predict a trend." He says you can do this is by reading specialty magazines. The magazines he lists are mostly scientifically/futuristically inclined (Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, Wired), but he also suggests general interest magazines such as Time and Newsweek, because they usually have a lot of special interest articles in addition to current hot topics in world news.
You can do this with any specialty magazine, depending on your individual tastes as a writer. What relates to your writing? There are specialty magazines on just about every topic out there. Use nonfiction to aid your fiction -- many of your readers will overlap.
The point is to see what people in that particular area of interest are talking about now, and then predict where/what that interest could lead to in the near future. Bell then offers a list of questions to ask yourself:
- Who would care about this?
- What would that person do about it next year? In ten years?
- What would happen if all of society embraced this?
- What would happen if all of society rejected this?
- Who would it hurt the most?
Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (Writers Digest Books, 2004), p. 43
Once you find that initial spark of an idea, you can move on to the "what if" questions of your specific story. And since you are writing with your reader in mind, you already have an audience -- the fact that you found articles printed about the subject proves that it is marketable. It will sell to those who are already concerning themselves with the topic, and perhaps have already asked themselves the questions above, just not with an eye toward fictionalizing it as you are.
The reason this works so well is because, no matter what we write -- sci-fi, fantasy, historical, contemporary, etc. -- the people we are writing for live in the here and now. They are aware of what is happening in the world, so you can use that to your advantage.
This could very well be one of the reasons why Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi has been so popular. It clearly shows what America's gulf region could become due to poor planning and bad decisions made by the government.
One thing that has always fascinated me is how money works. How is it made? How is it used? What or who determines its value? How does a country as powerful as the United States of America get itself into such an ungodly amount of debt? I can take that concept and transfer it into a completely made-up fantasy world. An empire under threat of losing everything it has built up over centuries... why? And how/who will save it from falling? Should it be saved? How does all of this affect the people in high positions? Low positions? People of allied territories? Are there governments with the ability to help, but don't? Won't?
Then you play the "what if" game. What if a new means of financial trade were created? What if, in desperation, the emperor authorizes the use of people as money, his own citizens? What if only certain types of people qualified for use? The more rare their trait/s, the higher their value. What kind of traits? Think beyond the physical. What if your main character is one of those types, and she is constantly exchanged like a dollar bill? What would her life be like? What would she sacrifice to change it?
Now the global problem of your story world has just been given more intensity by making it personal to a specific character. Your reader will feel a connection with this. They will think, "What if my government did that? What if I was that character?" And this is just one aspect of a much bigger story that can be told, using that little nugget of an idea to get the ball rolling.
How would this concept be applied to a space opera? An epic fantasy? A historical romance? A contemporary YA? All would have the same idea, but a different presentation. A concept that is truly trend-worthy can be applied to a broad range of genres and styles. It is the stuff copycats crave.
(Aside: The above was all just a bit of "on the fly" brainstorming while writing this post. You are more than welcome to use that idea if it strikes a chord with you. It's a good idea, but I likely won't use it. Go ahead, take it. Ideas are a dime a dozen. In fact, it may have already been done before, I wouldn't be surprised.)
Real world issues can be applied to pretty much any type of fiction with just a few changes in the details. I'm sure this is how dsytopian SF got started -- by asking the right questions.
Now, that isn't to say that every fresh idea is going to start a trend. There are no guarantees. But at the very least, you will know you have something worth writing, something marketable, something people are interested in because it has already affected them in some way or another. This is why grief stories are so popular (as one example). There are few people in the world who have not been touched by it in real life.
In short, the way to start a trend is to predict one (and this is also the best way to avoid one). As with any prediction, there is always a chance of failure. But if you make an educated guess of what people might want to read about in the near future, through targeted research of nonfiction hot topics, you are more likely to have success. Take what you know (fact) and make it unknown (fiction). Take a global issue and make it personal. Take an old idea and make it uniquely you.
Trendsetting is not possible without first creating a trend-worthy concept.
Happy Writing,
~Lydia
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
How Thick Is Your Patience?
Have you ever heard the term "my patience is wearing thin"?
It's no secret that publishing moves slower than a slug on an adhesive strip, but how thick is your patience, really? We can say we understand that this is the nature of the business, but what are our actions showing? How long before you start to itch? Before you start to complain? Before you start to wonder... how much longer can I possibly wait?
Patience is needed for every step of the way. You need patience while writing -- especially if you hit a brick wall (we all do at some point). You need patience while revising. You need patience while submitting to agents. You need patience while submitting to editors. You need patience while awaiting your release date. And then it starts all over again with your next book.
You never stop needing patience, so how thick is yours?
How long do you think is too long to finish a novel?
How long do you think is too long to wait for an agent to respond to (a) your query letter and/or (b) your manuscript?
How long do you think is too long to wait for an editor to respond to your short story submission? Your novel submission? Your revisions (of either one)?
My answer? There is no such thing as "too long." If you think there is, then it's time to bulk up your patience. (In most instances, we're talking about weeks or months, not years. For example, ten years would be "too long" to hear back from an agent. That's an extreme.)
Yes, our time is precious. But our work is precious, too. Personally I would want an agent or editor to take their time carefully reading, thoughtfully considering something I've worked on, daily, for months rather than give it a quick once-over and base their decision on something swallowed without even tasting it.
Writers can be very hypocritical in this regard. They sub to the agents and editors who have the quickest turn-around first, then complain that "they probably didn't even read it" when they get just what they asked for -- a quick response -- but that response is not what they wanted (a rejection) so of course it's the agent's/editor's fault for being too quick.
How does that make any sense?
Then there's the scenario of subbing to an agent who doesn't necessarily have a quick response time but they have a solid track record of outstanding sales. The writer reasons, "I can wait a little longer because it will be worth it." Weeks go by. The writer gets antsy. Months go by. The writer gets angry, assumes they're being ignored.
More likely is that the agent is busy selling, and working with their clients, which is what you would want if he/she was your agent. So how is that a bad thing?
I suppose what it really boils down to is, What is your goal?
Is your goal to be published? You will certainly achieve it then, in one way or another. Especially now, when self-publishing and the digital age have made it all too easy.
Is your goal to be recognized? That is a bit more difficult, but still achievable. Define your focus. Who do you want to recognize you? And what do you want to be recognized as? Unfortunately, this is the kind of goal that rarely leads to happiness because it is too self-serving.
Is your goal to perfect your craft? To produce the best stories you possibly can for your readers? If so, then you no doubt have what impatient people will view as foolishness -- you're willing to wait. Time is your friend rather than your enemy. And you're content no matter what happens because whether you are published or not, whether you are recognized or not (with awards, an outrageous blog/twitter following, etc) as long as you keep writing, improving, applying what you learn, you have accomplished your goal. You've accomplished it even as you are working to accomplish it. You can't lose.
Happy writing,
~Lydia
It's no secret that publishing moves slower than a slug on an adhesive strip, but how thick is your patience, really? We can say we understand that this is the nature of the business, but what are our actions showing? How long before you start to itch? Before you start to complain? Before you start to wonder... how much longer can I possibly wait?
Patience is needed for every step of the way. You need patience while writing -- especially if you hit a brick wall (we all do at some point). You need patience while revising. You need patience while submitting to agents. You need patience while submitting to editors. You need patience while awaiting your release date. And then it starts all over again with your next book.
You never stop needing patience, so how thick is yours?
How long do you think is too long to finish a novel?
How long do you think is too long to wait for an agent to respond to (a) your query letter and/or (b) your manuscript?
How long do you think is too long to wait for an editor to respond to your short story submission? Your novel submission? Your revisions (of either one)?
My answer? There is no such thing as "too long." If you think there is, then it's time to bulk up your patience. (In most instances, we're talking about weeks or months, not years. For example, ten years would be "too long" to hear back from an agent. That's an extreme.)
Yes, our time is precious. But our work is precious, too. Personally I would want an agent or editor to take their time carefully reading, thoughtfully considering something I've worked on, daily, for months rather than give it a quick once-over and base their decision on something swallowed without even tasting it.
Writers can be very hypocritical in this regard. They sub to the agents and editors who have the quickest turn-around first, then complain that "they probably didn't even read it" when they get just what they asked for -- a quick response -- but that response is not what they wanted (a rejection) so of course it's the agent's/editor's fault for being too quick.
How does that make any sense?
Then there's the scenario of subbing to an agent who doesn't necessarily have a quick response time but they have a solid track record of outstanding sales. The writer reasons, "I can wait a little longer because it will be worth it." Weeks go by. The writer gets antsy. Months go by. The writer gets angry, assumes they're being ignored.
More likely is that the agent is busy selling, and working with their clients, which is what you would want if he/she was your agent. So how is that a bad thing?
I suppose what it really boils down to is, What is your goal?
Is your goal to be published? You will certainly achieve it then, in one way or another. Especially now, when self-publishing and the digital age have made it all too easy.
Is your goal to be recognized? That is a bit more difficult, but still achievable. Define your focus. Who do you want to recognize you? And what do you want to be recognized as? Unfortunately, this is the kind of goal that rarely leads to happiness because it is too self-serving.
Is your goal to perfect your craft? To produce the best stories you possibly can for your readers? If so, then you no doubt have what impatient people will view as foolishness -- you're willing to wait. Time is your friend rather than your enemy. And you're content no matter what happens because whether you are published or not, whether you are recognized or not (with awards, an outrageous blog/twitter following, etc) as long as you keep writing, improving, applying what you learn, you have accomplished your goal. You've accomplished it even as you are working to accomplish it. You can't lose.
Happy writing,
~Lydia
Friday, July 1, 2011
What I Learned From Watching CARS
Not a new movie, I know, but my son has been watching it again recently, and it reminded me of a few basic writerly concepts.
1. Every character must be an individual. Even the minor ones. You can individualize characters through their appearance, their mannerisms, their speech, their likes and dislikes, their motivation/goals, and their background, just to name a few.
2. A character with a (relevant) secret enhances the plot. This can up the stakes, increase the tension, create a new roadblock, etc. In Cars, the revealing of Doc's secret past life changes both the course of the story events and also the way McQueen views his own life.
3. Take advantage of every opportunity to emphasize your premise. Just about every scene in Cars includes some kind of tongue-in-cheek reference to car stuff, whether it be an outright joke or simply a clever play on "cars as people." (Another great movie example of this is Gnomeo & Juliet. If you haven't seen that movie yet, go now. Rent it, buy it, DVR it, whatever. Seriously fun and awesome movie.)
4. Circularity in an ending is crucial to showing how the character/s changed because of the story events. The ending scene in Cars is almost identical to the opening -- so the differences are abundantly clear. And it's those differences that make everything else you viewed in the movie before the ending, worth it. The ending satisfies because the point of it all is easily discerned.
5. An unlikeable character can still earn reader/viewer sympathy. In the beginning, McQueen is thoroughly unlikeable. He's self-centered, mainly. But there is no time wasted in showing why we should have concern for this character. He is the main character, after all -- if we don't care what happens to him, we won't watch the movie. The sympathetic qualities start out small, subtle, and then gradually over the course of the story, they become more dominant, so that by the time we reach the climax, we're fully rooting for him.
6. The MC trifecta:
An unlikely best friend
A love interest
A nemesis
Have a great weekend!
~Lydia
1. Every character must be an individual. Even the minor ones. You can individualize characters through their appearance, their mannerisms, their speech, their likes and dislikes, their motivation/goals, and their background, just to name a few.
2. A character with a (relevant) secret enhances the plot. This can up the stakes, increase the tension, create a new roadblock, etc. In Cars, the revealing of Doc's secret past life changes both the course of the story events and also the way McQueen views his own life.
3. Take advantage of every opportunity to emphasize your premise. Just about every scene in Cars includes some kind of tongue-in-cheek reference to car stuff, whether it be an outright joke or simply a clever play on "cars as people." (Another great movie example of this is Gnomeo & Juliet. If you haven't seen that movie yet, go now. Rent it, buy it, DVR it, whatever. Seriously fun and awesome movie.)
4. Circularity in an ending is crucial to showing how the character/s changed because of the story events. The ending scene in Cars is almost identical to the opening -- so the differences are abundantly clear. And it's those differences that make everything else you viewed in the movie before the ending, worth it. The ending satisfies because the point of it all is easily discerned.
5. An unlikeable character can still earn reader/viewer sympathy. In the beginning, McQueen is thoroughly unlikeable. He's self-centered, mainly. But there is no time wasted in showing why we should have concern for this character. He is the main character, after all -- if we don't care what happens to him, we won't watch the movie. The sympathetic qualities start out small, subtle, and then gradually over the course of the story, they become more dominant, so that by the time we reach the climax, we're fully rooting for him.
6. The MC trifecta:
An unlikely best friend
A love interest
A nemesis
Have a great weekend!
~Lydia
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