I've been doing lots of editing today in order to prep my chapters for my editing group. I find that straight up writing has been eluding me for the past few days. Its a shame, since I have lots of time on my hands.
Its always when you're busy that you have the most inspiration.
Still, editing continues to be a rewarding experience. It feels as if my work is rising in quality with ever little error I correct. Not to mention those who have given me edits have great suggestions that have helped me improve upon my novels.
I'm beginning to think NaNoWriSe won't be as fruitful as I might have hoped in the writing category but I think it will be in the editing end of things. Even if I don't write six books, I should get a few rough drafts done at least. That's enough for me.
Writing is such a long, seemingly endless process. You have to wonder sometime why so many of us enjoy it so much. Are we masochists or do we genuinely love each moment we spend hovered over our keyboards, typing away.
I'd like to believe the latter is true. If I didn't enjoy this with every fiber of my being, I wouldn't be doing it. There is no love hate relationship with writing. There is only love.
The love-hate relationship is reserved for querying, but you can't adore EVERYTHING you do.
Keep following my journey, all you who are out there (That is of course, assuming anyone reads this blog). I imagine I'll have some success by the end of it.
Showing posts with label my books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my books. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
NaNoWriSe Day 9 (Predicaments galore)
Funny enough, only a day after posting my break through post, it turned out that a lot of people liked my prologue and first chapter. I don't know how much I like it but they liked it.
However, I want to continue to see what my editing group thinks of my book as is before changing everything.
The main issue that comes with my book, Children of Ink, is POV. I hate confining POV to one character but I like the intamacy that a first person POV provides. The result is me choosing one character for first person and everyone else's POV being in third person. This is a bit unorthodox but that is how Children of Ink is written. it really can't be confined to one POV to tell the story it needs to. If all else fails I'll have to make it straight third person or straight first person. Both will be difficult for me.
For now, let's see how my editing group takes the odd POV mash up. Maybe they'll like it. Who knows?
Now off to editing! (This really is turning into a month of more editing than writing. Ah well... as long as something is getting done.)
However, I want to continue to see what my editing group thinks of my book as is before changing everything.
The main issue that comes with my book, Children of Ink, is POV. I hate confining POV to one character but I like the intamacy that a first person POV provides. The result is me choosing one character for first person and everyone else's POV being in third person. This is a bit unorthodox but that is how Children of Ink is written. it really can't be confined to one POV to tell the story it needs to. If all else fails I'll have to make it straight third person or straight first person. Both will be difficult for me.
For now, let's see how my editing group takes the odd POV mash up. Maybe they'll like it. Who knows?
Now off to editing! (This really is turning into a month of more editing than writing. Ah well... as long as something is getting done.)
Friday, June 21, 2013
NaNoWriSe Day 8 (Break through!)
So I'm back after a two day absence. Sorry about that.
I was feeling relatively dry of words but I participated in an editing group with two of my complete projects. I figured if I couldn't write, I could edit. With one of my projects, a Young Adult Urban Fantasy, I've had problems with the beginning and the POV for awhile. I love the project and the characters but the beginning is just tough.
But finally, I found light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow, one of the edits someone gave me caused an explosion in my mind. A break through! I knew exactly how to fix my problems with the beginning AND the POV to make it easier to swallow. This should end up tightening the novel as a whole. It will require rewriting half of the book but I don't care! If it makes it better, I'm all for it.
Thanks editing group. You have opened new doors. And now: Off to writing!
I was feeling relatively dry of words but I participated in an editing group with two of my complete projects. I figured if I couldn't write, I could edit. With one of my projects, a Young Adult Urban Fantasy, I've had problems with the beginning and the POV for awhile. I love the project and the characters but the beginning is just tough.
But finally, I found light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow, one of the edits someone gave me caused an explosion in my mind. A break through! I knew exactly how to fix my problems with the beginning AND the POV to make it easier to swallow. This should end up tightening the novel as a whole. It will require rewriting half of the book but I don't care! If it makes it better, I'm all for it.
Thanks editing group. You have opened new doors. And now: Off to writing!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
NaNoWriSe Day 5 (World building)
Oh, editing. You are such an untamable monster that hides behind corners and waits to gobble me up. You snicker in the shadows saying "Authoress, you forgot to think about this. Authoress, your world building needs work!"
The latter item was the issue today as I discovered I don't have a clear timeline for past events that happened before my book is set. The years are kind of important because they have to coincide with the ages of characters and their jobs and education and all of that good stuff.
Fortunately I nailed down my timeline today. The problem will be implementing it and making sure all of my dates are consistent.
That will be for tomorrow though. On the plus side I've joined a writing group for Speculative Fiction so I hope to get some editing done on some of my first chapters of my books. I'm excited about that. That will help me through the editing process a bit and allow me to focus on the writing part of NaNoWriSe.
Another only semi productive day down. And now, it's time for sleep. Happy NaNoWriSe everyone!
The latter item was the issue today as I discovered I don't have a clear timeline for past events that happened before my book is set. The years are kind of important because they have to coincide with the ages of characters and their jobs and education and all of that good stuff.
Fortunately I nailed down my timeline today. The problem will be implementing it and making sure all of my dates are consistent.
That will be for tomorrow though. On the plus side I've joined a writing group for Speculative Fiction so I hope to get some editing done on some of my first chapters of my books. I'm excited about that. That will help me through the editing process a bit and allow me to focus on the writing part of NaNoWriSe.
Another only semi productive day down. And now, it's time for sleep. Happy NaNoWriSe everyone!
Friday, June 14, 2013
NaNoWriSe Day 3 (Some progress)
Got back from Disney World at 12:00 yesterday and immediately crashed without writing, but who can blame me?
Fortunately there were some helpful plot bunnies today. I wrote a fight scene that I'm rather happy with. Fight scenes can often be difficult, given that some moves are difficult to translate into words. This one turned out well though.
The subject of progress today was my Young Adult Fantasy. The working title is Double Edged Blades but that could very well change. I'm certainly enjoying my characters but I think the most difficult part will be keeping the plot moving along.
Still, every chapter I complete is another step towards a finished manuscript so I shall trek on. I plan to wake up earlier tomorrow to get a jump on the day.
In the mean time, happy NaNoWriSe everyone!
In the mean time, happy NaNoWriSe everyone!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Parents (Which I sort of already did but whatever)
Number 1: Yes, I know I haven't updated in a little while. Life happens :P
Number 2: I know that I've already sort of talked about this character in my post about mothers but hey, fathers should be thrown into the mix as well.
Parents are tricky in all genres of fiction, but especially in Young adult. That's because most people think that the best way to capture the mind set of a teenager is to pit them against their parents who totally don't understand them. They're, like, so old fashion.
This gets under my skin, of course, but that's not to say it can't be done well. So let's take a look at stereotypes vs. 3D characters for parents!
Stereotype: This can go several different ways. First, the parent can be there just to be a part of the conflict. They hold the MC back, cause drama in their life, or just don't understand. This usually falls short when the issues they get in fights over are trivial, as opposed to something really debilitating (Like physical and emotional abuse). Bad parents in fiction aren't bad, per say unless their arguments with their child are trivial and, like, so old fashion. (Ok I'll stop with the 'like' bit).
The other stereotype is the dead parent... yeah. YA books have crazy 'kill off the parents' syndrome, often because they just don't want to have to deal with writing their characters. This can work too, so long as it has purpose in the story. Like the death of the MC's parents come into play or effect them throughout the book.
3D characters: This can go several ways as well. First of all, if you're going to make your parents emotionally or physically abusive, they should have a reason. No one is abusive just to be abusive (Outside of psychopaths but we will get to them later) so every parent who hurts their child must have some kind of reason to do so. There should be an attempt at understanding why the parent does what they do. They shouldn't just be villainized.
The dead or missing parent should also have a reason, as I said, for being dead or missing. At the start of my book, the father is dead and left the MC at a young age. But he plays a really major role in the story both plot wise, and in developing my MC's character.
Or, crazy thought, you could make the parents nice.
Mind blown? I'll give you a moment.
Done? Ok good.
You see, I like reading books about genuinely helpful parents. I love Mo in Inkheart as he is such a carrying, awesome dad. I love Molly Weasley. I like Tris' mom in the Divergent books. Nice parents can be really awesome. They don't have to be the source of conflict. They can help the MC.
That's jut my personal thoughts on 3D vs. stereotypical characters. Of course your opinion is your opinion and I can sometimes be guilty of that 'dead parent' stereotype.
In other news I got another partial request, and then rejection. True I've gotten two partial rejections, but at least I got requests in the first place!
Now I'm kind of a contest guru. I'm obsessively entering in whatever I can find, so fingers crossed for good results!
Not sure what my next special will be on but see you then!
-Authoress Anonymous
Number 2: I know that I've already sort of talked about this character in my post about mothers but hey, fathers should be thrown into the mix as well.
Parents are tricky in all genres of fiction, but especially in Young adult. That's because most people think that the best way to capture the mind set of a teenager is to pit them against their parents who totally don't understand them. They're, like, so old fashion.
This gets under my skin, of course, but that's not to say it can't be done well. So let's take a look at stereotypes vs. 3D characters for parents!
Stereotype: This can go several different ways. First, the parent can be there just to be a part of the conflict. They hold the MC back, cause drama in their life, or just don't understand. This usually falls short when the issues they get in fights over are trivial, as opposed to something really debilitating (Like physical and emotional abuse). Bad parents in fiction aren't bad, per say unless their arguments with their child are trivial and, like, so old fashion. (Ok I'll stop with the 'like' bit).
The other stereotype is the dead parent... yeah. YA books have crazy 'kill off the parents' syndrome, often because they just don't want to have to deal with writing their characters. This can work too, so long as it has purpose in the story. Like the death of the MC's parents come into play or effect them throughout the book.
3D characters: This can go several ways as well. First of all, if you're going to make your parents emotionally or physically abusive, they should have a reason. No one is abusive just to be abusive (Outside of psychopaths but we will get to them later) so every parent who hurts their child must have some kind of reason to do so. There should be an attempt at understanding why the parent does what they do. They shouldn't just be villainized.
The dead or missing parent should also have a reason, as I said, for being dead or missing. At the start of my book, the father is dead and left the MC at a young age. But he plays a really major role in the story both plot wise, and in developing my MC's character.
Or, crazy thought, you could make the parents nice.
Mind blown? I'll give you a moment.
Done? Ok good.
You see, I like reading books about genuinely helpful parents. I love Mo in Inkheart as he is such a carrying, awesome dad. I love Molly Weasley. I like Tris' mom in the Divergent books. Nice parents can be really awesome. They don't have to be the source of conflict. They can help the MC.
That's jut my personal thoughts on 3D vs. stereotypical characters. Of course your opinion is your opinion and I can sometimes be guilty of that 'dead parent' stereotype.
In other news I got another partial request, and then rejection. True I've gotten two partial rejections, but at least I got requests in the first place!
Now I'm kind of a contest guru. I'm obsessively entering in whatever I can find, so fingers crossed for good results!
Not sure what my next special will be on but see you then!
-Authoress Anonymous
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Bullies (Those soulless brats we deeply resent)
Let's face it: Writers love throwing in bully characters for the sole purpose of humiliating them. Probably because a lot of us were made fun of in school so we want to get back at those bullies by making fun of them for all of the world to see.
Believe it or not, I don't hate this one, depending on how it's done. If the stereotypical bully is a recurring, important part of the plot I will hate their guts. And not in a good way. I don't like one dimensional recurring characters. If you're going to keep the bully around, give them some development.
However sometimes bullies are very minor parts of a story and only present for a few scenes. In that case, I'm willing to overlook them.
So let's take a dive into the stereotype and the 3D character.
Stereotype: This all depends on the gender. The male bully will usually be a popular jock who everyone loves but who is so mean and evil and shallow and all that bad stuff we're supposed to dislike. He beats up on the male MC, teases the female MC and is just a bastard. He doesn't have any real motivation for doing this outside of maybe, I don't know, the MC is new or different or something.
Same with the female bully except they are usually a super popular, beautiful gossip who uses emotionally crippling scenarios to ruin the MC. (Though wouldn't it be funny to see it the other way around? The male who gossips and the female who beats people up? But I digress) Whatever their gender or their look, they are pure evil.
The 3D character: Again, this depends on handling the bully. If the bully is a small part of your story, why spend time developing him? I personally have a bully around for two scenes and both are used to establish the violent personality of my MC's best friend. He's a tool and I didn't really mean for him to be an important part of the story.
But if the bully is a long term thing, give them something to redeem them. Tragic back story, motivation, it doesn't matter but they need a reason for hating you MC so much. Maybe the MC reminds them of their sibling who died in an accident they caused and because of their crushing guilt they feel a need to pick on the MC for bringing up such terrible memories.
That's just an idea, but I don't want to spend a huge portion of a book with a character who is jut cruel. I know that some kids really are cruel. I knew kids like that. But there's always a reason and that reason should be explored.
Bottom line, keep the bullies in but try to put a new twist on them. Depending on how you use them, they can be very interesting tools.
-Authoress Anonymous
Believe it or not, I don't hate this one, depending on how it's done. If the stereotypical bully is a recurring, important part of the plot I will hate their guts. And not in a good way. I don't like one dimensional recurring characters. If you're going to keep the bully around, give them some development.
However sometimes bullies are very minor parts of a story and only present for a few scenes. In that case, I'm willing to overlook them.
So let's take a dive into the stereotype and the 3D character.
Stereotype: This all depends on the gender. The male bully will usually be a popular jock who everyone loves but who is so mean and evil and shallow and all that bad stuff we're supposed to dislike. He beats up on the male MC, teases the female MC and is just a bastard. He doesn't have any real motivation for doing this outside of maybe, I don't know, the MC is new or different or something.
Same with the female bully except they are usually a super popular, beautiful gossip who uses emotionally crippling scenarios to ruin the MC. (Though wouldn't it be funny to see it the other way around? The male who gossips and the female who beats people up? But I digress) Whatever their gender or their look, they are pure evil.
The 3D character: Again, this depends on handling the bully. If the bully is a small part of your story, why spend time developing him? I personally have a bully around for two scenes and both are used to establish the violent personality of my MC's best friend. He's a tool and I didn't really mean for him to be an important part of the story.
But if the bully is a long term thing, give them something to redeem them. Tragic back story, motivation, it doesn't matter but they need a reason for hating you MC so much. Maybe the MC reminds them of their sibling who died in an accident they caused and because of their crushing guilt they feel a need to pick on the MC for bringing up such terrible memories.
That's just an idea, but I don't want to spend a huge portion of a book with a character who is jut cruel. I know that some kids really are cruel. I knew kids like that. But there's always a reason and that reason should be explored.
Bottom line, keep the bullies in but try to put a new twist on them. Depending on how you use them, they can be very interesting tools.
-Authoress Anonymous
Saturday, September 29, 2012
The kid character (Just to start small)
Let's talk today about 'that kid character'. Now depending on what you are writing, this could mean different things. If you're writing fiction for children then your kid character is most likely the main character. But in this case I'm referring more to Young Adult and Adult books. This is the adorable character who often draws affection from most of the good guys. They are innocent, eager, and totally unaware of the harsh reality of life. So let's dive in and see the stereotype and the three dimensional character.
The stereotype: The child is a generic, cute younger sibling, friend or child of the main character, made either for the purpose of showing a harsher characters soft side or giving you a taste of the main characters normal life. Later on in the story they will likely be put in some kind of horrible danger (Kidnapped or something of that sort) and the main character will have to save them. We want to see them succeed because we don't want to see a kid get hurt or killed.
The problem with this kind of character, however, is that they're not really a character. They're more a tool to pull out feelings from the main character or motivate them to do something. Outside of a bubbly, innocent exterior, they are a plot device. And you never want your character to just be a plot device.
The 3D character: A kid becomes a character when they start making contributions on a deeper level. Maybe they help the main character out, maybe they make an emotional contribution outside of just making the readers go "aw!" Maybe they actually have some insight into a situation that adults couldn't see. The kid should have an arc like anyone else. It also helps if you don't just put them in there to be kidnapped.
A good example of a stereotype turned 3D in books is Prim Everdeen from the Hunger Games. She did basically start out as an innocent, adorable motivator to get Katniss into the Hunger Games. But later on in the books she contributes more. We get to see her connect more with her sister. She's a good nurse and she really wants to help people. Plus she's a little older than a typical younger sibling which allowed for a little more depth.
In anime, a character named Edward is a good example of a 3D kid character. She is from Cowboy Bebop (Yes I said she.) and she is bat s*** crazy insane. However, she's a genius, and can hack practically anything which helps the rest of the adult crew when they're trying to catch bounty heads. She is never kidnapped and she rarely is any danger at all. But she's still very helpful and her character doesn't need that 'Oh no! She's in danger!' aspect to make her awesome. Edward is still one of my favorite characters of all time.
In my book I have a character a little similar to Edward, except for she is more of a twelve year old stuck with a six year old mind. She isn't a hacker, but she can shape shift into a cat, which gives her the opportunity to spy on the villains. She contributes and she rarely gets into fights with them. I actually play with the idea of kids just being innocent because that's what a lot of the other characters think about her to. When things start getting darker, they want her to stay out of it, so she decides to prove she is useful to them. Even though she's young, she's not stupid.
And that's the key. Children aren't just innocent, adorable balls of fun. They are very smart and perceptive and they understand more than some people think. They can be a great tool so use them to your advantage!
-Authoress Anonymous
The stereotype: The child is a generic, cute younger sibling, friend or child of the main character, made either for the purpose of showing a harsher characters soft side or giving you a taste of the main characters normal life. Later on in the story they will likely be put in some kind of horrible danger (Kidnapped or something of that sort) and the main character will have to save them. We want to see them succeed because we don't want to see a kid get hurt or killed.
The problem with this kind of character, however, is that they're not really a character. They're more a tool to pull out feelings from the main character or motivate them to do something. Outside of a bubbly, innocent exterior, they are a plot device. And you never want your character to just be a plot device.
The 3D character: A kid becomes a character when they start making contributions on a deeper level. Maybe they help the main character out, maybe they make an emotional contribution outside of just making the readers go "aw!" Maybe they actually have some insight into a situation that adults couldn't see. The kid should have an arc like anyone else. It also helps if you don't just put them in there to be kidnapped.
A good example of a stereotype turned 3D in books is Prim Everdeen from the Hunger Games. She did basically start out as an innocent, adorable motivator to get Katniss into the Hunger Games. But later on in the books she contributes more. We get to see her connect more with her sister. She's a good nurse and she really wants to help people. Plus she's a little older than a typical younger sibling which allowed for a little more depth.
In anime, a character named Edward is a good example of a 3D kid character. She is from Cowboy Bebop (Yes I said she.) and she is bat s*** crazy insane. However, she's a genius, and can hack practically anything which helps the rest of the adult crew when they're trying to catch bounty heads. She is never kidnapped and she rarely is any danger at all. But she's still very helpful and her character doesn't need that 'Oh no! She's in danger!' aspect to make her awesome. Edward is still one of my favorite characters of all time.
In my book I have a character a little similar to Edward, except for she is more of a twelve year old stuck with a six year old mind. She isn't a hacker, but she can shape shift into a cat, which gives her the opportunity to spy on the villains. She contributes and she rarely gets into fights with them. I actually play with the idea of kids just being innocent because that's what a lot of the other characters think about her to. When things start getting darker, they want her to stay out of it, so she decides to prove she is useful to them. Even though she's young, she's not stupid.
And that's the key. Children aren't just innocent, adorable balls of fun. They are very smart and perceptive and they understand more than some people think. They can be a great tool so use them to your advantage!
-Authoress Anonymous
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Characters (And the Joys they bring me)
Well it's been a little while since I did a series on something. I've done a series of posts on romance and a series of posts on women in fiction and now I'm just going to do a series on characters in general.
A little while back I did a post on my favorite characters in books and movies and how predictable they often are. Well now I'm just going to talk about every kind of character. And I mean every type. These posts will be categorized by stereotypes but will also verge into the characters that really go the extra mile to become less of a category and more of a real person.
So as a preface to this series, I'd like to talk about what characters mean to me.
I may have said it already on this blog but characters are my absolute favorite thing about both writing and reading. To create identifiable people who are almost as real as people in real life is a real treat. I like to fall for characters, become obsessed with characters, memorize every iota of the characters back story and rant about it to whoever will listen. When a character doesn't have a back story, I make it up, because I can.
In my own books I take character very seriously, to the point where I will do hundreds of character activities just for fun. I want to get to know my characters beyond what I write about them on a page. I know some things about my characters that most people will never know.
And that is a wonderful thing. Somehow I think characters reach people even better than a plot or a theme. Characters are the things we can relate the most to and the aspects of a novel that pull us the most into the book. They must be carefully constructed or you don't really have a novel.
Take as much care with your characters as you do your world and your theme. Because it's only through people that said plot and theme can really come across.
-Authoress Anonymous
A little while back I did a post on my favorite characters in books and movies and how predictable they often are. Well now I'm just going to talk about every kind of character. And I mean every type. These posts will be categorized by stereotypes but will also verge into the characters that really go the extra mile to become less of a category and more of a real person.
So as a preface to this series, I'd like to talk about what characters mean to me.
I may have said it already on this blog but characters are my absolute favorite thing about both writing and reading. To create identifiable people who are almost as real as people in real life is a real treat. I like to fall for characters, become obsessed with characters, memorize every iota of the characters back story and rant about it to whoever will listen. When a character doesn't have a back story, I make it up, because I can.
In my own books I take character very seriously, to the point where I will do hundreds of character activities just for fun. I want to get to know my characters beyond what I write about them on a page. I know some things about my characters that most people will never know.
And that is a wonderful thing. Somehow I think characters reach people even better than a plot or a theme. Characters are the things we can relate the most to and the aspects of a novel that pull us the most into the book. They must be carefully constructed or you don't really have a novel.
Take as much care with your characters as you do your world and your theme. Because it's only through people that said plot and theme can really come across.
-Authoress Anonymous
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Music (And the inspirational qualities it possesses)
I love music. I'm envious of it in fact. I'm envious of it's elusive ability to capture the realm of emotion with such perfection. Music can accomplish with emotion what words never can.
But as annoying it is that musicians can so accomplish what we authors cannot, it can also be inspirational. I know that I personally have created several playlists for my writing. Songs for action packed, epic scenes, songs for characters, songs for happy tones and depressing tones. But especially songs for pure emotion.
I find instrumental songs to be the best for this category. Songs that do not use words and are thus, somehow beyond a plain of existence we can totally understand.
I often turn to one composer in particular for my instrumental needs. Her name is Yoko Kanno. Ms. Kanno is a Japanese composer who can literally compose for every single genre. From heavy metal to beautiful classical pieces that fully capture emotions from joy and exhilaration to heartbreak and agony. Her work that isn't instrumental is sung in anything from English to Japanese to a language that she just... made up herself. I know. Don't you just love those people?
She has music for just about every genre and every mood so I highly recommend checking her out. Look up Yoko Kanno playlist on youtube and you'll have a lot to work with.
What kind of music do you use for inspiration? Let me know.
But as annoying it is that musicians can so accomplish what we authors cannot, it can also be inspirational. I know that I personally have created several playlists for my writing. Songs for action packed, epic scenes, songs for characters, songs for happy tones and depressing tones. But especially songs for pure emotion.
I find instrumental songs to be the best for this category. Songs that do not use words and are thus, somehow beyond a plain of existence we can totally understand.
I often turn to one composer in particular for my instrumental needs. Her name is Yoko Kanno. Ms. Kanno is a Japanese composer who can literally compose for every single genre. From heavy metal to beautiful classical pieces that fully capture emotions from joy and exhilaration to heartbreak and agony. Her work that isn't instrumental is sung in anything from English to Japanese to a language that she just... made up herself. I know. Don't you just love those people?
She has music for just about every genre and every mood so I highly recommend checking her out. Look up Yoko Kanno playlist on youtube and you'll have a lot to work with.
What kind of music do you use for inspiration? Let me know.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
That special moment (When you almost die of joy)
So, I don't know if you've been keeping up, but since going on submission, I haven't been getting a lot of positive feedback. Just form rejections. I was starting to feel a little discouraged, as everyone gets, and even starting consider all the reasons my project wouldn't get represented. I was thinking about moving on and trying again later with this manuscript. This afternoon I half heartidly sent out a few more queries.
Then one agent (Who apparently has an 8 week response time) asked for the first 100 pages within two hours. And I. Just. Died.
First came the shock. The "Am I really seeing this" moment. It lasted for about two blinks. Then I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. I was such a ball of energy in that moment that I could have won the Olympics in track. So I ran about my house, shouting my news to the world. Then I collapsed on the floor of my bed room, muttering incoherently.
Familiar with this feeling? If you're not, I hope you will be soon.
The funny thing is, even if this isn't the agent I end up signing with, it doesn't matter. This was just the right sign I needed to know my idea is worth pursuing. Maybe my writing still needs work or the actual book needs fixing but I have hope.
And hope is a great thing.
But it would be nice to sign with this agent too.
-Authoress Anonymous
Then one agent (Who apparently has an 8 week response time) asked for the first 100 pages within two hours. And I. Just. Died.
First came the shock. The "Am I really seeing this" moment. It lasted for about two blinks. Then I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. I was such a ball of energy in that moment that I could have won the Olympics in track. So I ran about my house, shouting my news to the world. Then I collapsed on the floor of my bed room, muttering incoherently.
Familiar with this feeling? If you're not, I hope you will be soon.
The funny thing is, even if this isn't the agent I end up signing with, it doesn't matter. This was just the right sign I needed to know my idea is worth pursuing. Maybe my writing still needs work or the actual book needs fixing but I have hope.
And hope is a great thing.
But it would be nice to sign with this agent too.
-Authoress Anonymous
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wow... I haven't blogged in awhile (What to talk about...)
It is beyond me how a blog continues to get hits despite the fact that it has not been updated in several weeks. But hey, apparently people are interested. (Accidentally stumbled across someone quoting me... that was an interesting experience)
I suppose I should do a report on how the publishing journey is going. I'm still on submission for agents and haven't gotten requests yet, but I'm not discouraged. I decided to revise my query letter completely so maybe that will turn in different results.
I've also decided to do a complete overhaul edit of book 3 in the series. Just for a little back ground info, the history of my book 3 has been an interesting one. I ended up making a huge plot change last spring which was going to make the book much longer. I decided to break up book 3 into two books because I didn't want the third book to be too much longer than the other two (I'm a consistency person, what can I say? I'm the same way with the lengths of my chapters)
But dividing the book into two was spreading the plot too thin. It seemed like I was needlessly dragging out scenes, taking too long with the plot, and writing too many scenes that weren't required for the plot to move forward. So I decided to combine two books into one again. With that I will have to delete several scenes, condense others and get the book moving more quickly. It's certainly not easy but it will be worth it in the end. I think it's better for a book to be packed with drama and turmoil than stretched too thin and moving at a boringly slow pace.
I've planned out my edit but have yet to enact it. So, (Wipes brow and takes a deep breath) wish me luck!
-Authoress Anonymous
I suppose I should do a report on how the publishing journey is going. I'm still on submission for agents and haven't gotten requests yet, but I'm not discouraged. I decided to revise my query letter completely so maybe that will turn in different results.
I've also decided to do a complete overhaul edit of book 3 in the series. Just for a little back ground info, the history of my book 3 has been an interesting one. I ended up making a huge plot change last spring which was going to make the book much longer. I decided to break up book 3 into two books because I didn't want the third book to be too much longer than the other two (I'm a consistency person, what can I say? I'm the same way with the lengths of my chapters)
But dividing the book into two was spreading the plot too thin. It seemed like I was needlessly dragging out scenes, taking too long with the plot, and writing too many scenes that weren't required for the plot to move forward. So I decided to combine two books into one again. With that I will have to delete several scenes, condense others and get the book moving more quickly. It's certainly not easy but it will be worth it in the end. I think it's better for a book to be packed with drama and turmoil than stretched too thin and moving at a boringly slow pace.
I've planned out my edit but have yet to enact it. So, (Wipes brow and takes a deep breath) wish me luck!
-Authoress Anonymous
Friday, August 10, 2012
Death Scenes (And my love hate relationship with them)
Since I'm back from the lovely writing workshop I suppose I'd better blog about what I've learned I'm good at. You know, my greatest strengths in writing. I have a lot of weaknesses too but there are a few things that just flow more easily onto the page when I type.
One of those things is death scenes.
Ah, death scenes. How I both love and despise you. What is it about you that makes me such a time bomb of emotional instability?
Well it's the reader and writer at war inside me of course. The reader in me is screaming, "HOW COULD YOU?! YOU ARE A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING AND YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" But the writer is saying, "Good, good! Make your readers cry! Squeeze every drop of depressing you possibly can out of these words. Dance puppets, dance!"
This is all going on at the same time while I write death scenes. I can't help but feel both self hatred and joy when I write because I am good at death scenes. I don't know what that says about me as a person but I'm good at making people cry.
So this year at the workshop I decided to try an experiment. I met a friend while I was there who was very empathetic and easily prone to tears. She cried at everything... well not everything... but she got easily invested in characters so when it came time for them to die she was sobbing. It was a kind of empathy that I really admired in her (Being a cold, heartless, cynic myself)
So I decided to try an experiment. I had written a death scene for my current project that was undoubtedly the saddest thing I ever wrote. It was so brutal I was crying when I wrote it and I don't really cry at books. So I wanted to take this scene that my friend had no prior emotional investment in and see if she would cry.
She did. Hard. And she screamed at me. Even though she didn't know this character. And I couldn't stop smiling because, well, SUCCESS!
Now, that's just my empathetic friend but imagine if she had been with these characters for four books. The reaction would be much more intense.
It's interesting that this is my talent because I've never witnessed death. The people I've known who have died I haven't been particularly close to. I don't know what it's like to feel that empty and can't right from experience. I just create it in my head somehow. I imagine the feeling. According to people who have read my stuff I'm pretty close.
Death scenes are also difficult for me to write in an emotional sense because I always seem to kill off my favorite characters. In fact in my top ten characters for my book every single one of them dies, almost dies or is psychologically tortured. Or sometimes more than one of these. It's just because I love them that much I guess.
What are your strengths in writing? What scenes come the easiest to you?
-Authoress Anonymous
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Creative explosions (What happens in a void of creativity)
So I've been gone for the past... oh... three weeks. I didn't intend for that to happen at all. I was fully planning on updating at least every two days. Clearly that didn't happen.
You see for the last three weeks I have been entrapped in a void where time and space have no meaning; a void where reality doesn't exist. I was at a two week long creative writing workshop and then at a close friend's house for the next four days. I just got in last night.
In this workshop, which shall remain nameless in hopes of protecting my identity (An endeavor that I doubt will succeed for long), about fifty five aspiring writers were split into five groups of eleven. The first week we created our very own fantasy world together. And I mean the whole thing. Religion, species, gods, environment, cultures, politics, economy, fashion. Everything all in one week. And it's not like we were locked in to our groups either. When we weren't in our groups we were listening to lectures by visiting writers, eating meals and talking non stop with each other, taking trips to the local book store etc. And of course we were writing in our spare time.
In the second week, we began writing our short stories. They had to be 3,500 to 8,000 words. Which may seem like plenty of room but in two days, I hit 9,200 words and I had to cut 1,200 words out of my story. Exactly that amount. In the end my work was exactly 8,000 words.
The short stories were then critiqued in a few days by the visiting authors and we got some wonderful feedback on our strengths and weakness. I made so many wonderful and true friends there that I was very sad to leave. It's a good sign when you feel like you've known the people for months rather than days.
So, as you can see, I was in a creativity void, in which I am often prone to creative explosions. I pumped out over 9,000 words in two days which is much faster than my usual rate. Everyone else thought I was psycho too.
"So how much do you have so far?"
"Oh I just broke the minimum."
"I've got 4,000 now!"
"Oh that's good! What about you?"
"I have 9,200."
"...Seriously?"
"...Yeah..."
Usually I'm more of a 2,000 words a day kind of girl but that's what this workshop does to me.
My point is, workshops are wonderful opportunities. Opportunities to form lifelong relationships, opportunities to connect on what you love to do (Because even though a lot of us are quiet, when someone is listening to us we love to babble on and on) and an opportunity to really let yourself go. You can't worry about outside distractions so you just write.
It's definitely worth the money.
-Authoress Anonymous
You see for the last three weeks I have been entrapped in a void where time and space have no meaning; a void where reality doesn't exist. I was at a two week long creative writing workshop and then at a close friend's house for the next four days. I just got in last night.
In this workshop, which shall remain nameless in hopes of protecting my identity (An endeavor that I doubt will succeed for long), about fifty five aspiring writers were split into five groups of eleven. The first week we created our very own fantasy world together. And I mean the whole thing. Religion, species, gods, environment, cultures, politics, economy, fashion. Everything all in one week. And it's not like we were locked in to our groups either. When we weren't in our groups we were listening to lectures by visiting writers, eating meals and talking non stop with each other, taking trips to the local book store etc. And of course we were writing in our spare time.
In the second week, we began writing our short stories. They had to be 3,500 to 8,000 words. Which may seem like plenty of room but in two days, I hit 9,200 words and I had to cut 1,200 words out of my story. Exactly that amount. In the end my work was exactly 8,000 words.
The short stories were then critiqued in a few days by the visiting authors and we got some wonderful feedback on our strengths and weakness. I made so many wonderful and true friends there that I was very sad to leave. It's a good sign when you feel like you've known the people for months rather than days.
So, as you can see, I was in a creativity void, in which I am often prone to creative explosions. I pumped out over 9,000 words in two days which is much faster than my usual rate. Everyone else thought I was psycho too.
"So how much do you have so far?"
"Oh I just broke the minimum."
"I've got 4,000 now!"
"Oh that's good! What about you?"
"I have 9,200."
"...Seriously?"
"...Yeah..."
Usually I'm more of a 2,000 words a day kind of girl but that's what this workshop does to me.
My point is, workshops are wonderful opportunities. Opportunities to form lifelong relationships, opportunities to connect on what you love to do (Because even though a lot of us are quiet, when someone is listening to us we love to babble on and on) and an opportunity to really let yourself go. You can't worry about outside distractions so you just write.
It's definitely worth the money.
-Authoress Anonymous
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Historical Fantasy (A new direction for me)
Since my novel is currently on submission I find myself sampling some of my other projects, trying to see if something will catch my interest. There's quite a lot to choose from. In addition to the novel series I've finished I also have ten other solid story beginnings. Many are different genres with different messages and audiences. Take a look at the sampling:
1 YA post apocalyptic
2 YA Dystopian (And they're VERY different in premise)
1 Adult Sci Fi
1 YA Fantasy
1 Middle Grade Fantasy
1 YA Fantasy/ Horror
1 YA Dark Contemporary
2 Adult Thrillers (Very very different)
1 Historical fantasy
1 YA romance (That has a slightly religious message going with it. It's like the two things I always avoid in writing: Religion and romance. Heck if I know why I got this idea)
So... ok that's actually 12 ideas. It's grown since I last counted I guess. Long story short, I like a lot of genres and I get a lot of ideas in said genres. The one I'm looking at today is the historical fantasy.
I should point out that I totally didn't expect it to be historical fantasy when I came up with the idea. It was just going to be urban fantasy in a modern day setting. But two nights ago I had a revelation (Don't you love those) and suddenly thought: "This would be so much cooler if it was set in early 1900s England."
What prompted said revelation? I watched Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows for the umpteenth time. I was really struck by the tone and setting of the movie and I could totally see a lot of the events of my story taking place in that kind of setting. It just looks so dynamic and cool. I think the cinematography also played a hand in that (Honestly, the cinematography is just incredible in that movie... I'm such a film nerd) but the places and buildings themselves also did. I love cobblestone streets and horse drawn carriages. I love how the buildings look elegant and yet really dirty and gritty. I love how busy they were with people and the little shops and markets.
You know what else? I love the costumes. I think men look awesome in those waist coats and hats and canes. The women's fashion is fun to play with too as it was just starting to move away from the traditional bodice and suffocating corset and moving towards more freeing and comfortable fashions. They still looked very elegant though.
There's also a lot of interesting events going on in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Great Britain. Beginning of World War I, a change in the influence of young intellectuals, Jack the Ripper etc. Plenty of good fodder for conflict and intrigue. Not to mention Historical Fantasy is a lot less common right now next to Urban fantasy. I think it would be an interesting experiment.
Of course, what interests me one day will be something different the next. I have the attention span of a flea. But if something does capture my interest I write like crazy on it (That book that's on submission? It's first draft was completed in just under a month. Yup.)
What genres are you sampling right now?
-Authoress Anonymous
1 YA post apocalyptic
2 YA Dystopian (And they're VERY different in premise)
1 Adult Sci Fi
1 YA Fantasy
1 Middle Grade Fantasy
1 YA Fantasy/ Horror
1 YA Dark Contemporary
2 Adult Thrillers (Very very different)
1 Historical fantasy
1 YA romance (That has a slightly religious message going with it. It's like the two things I always avoid in writing: Religion and romance. Heck if I know why I got this idea)
So... ok that's actually 12 ideas. It's grown since I last counted I guess. Long story short, I like a lot of genres and I get a lot of ideas in said genres. The one I'm looking at today is the historical fantasy.
I should point out that I totally didn't expect it to be historical fantasy when I came up with the idea. It was just going to be urban fantasy in a modern day setting. But two nights ago I had a revelation (Don't you love those) and suddenly thought: "This would be so much cooler if it was set in early 1900s England."
What prompted said revelation? I watched Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows for the umpteenth time. I was really struck by the tone and setting of the movie and I could totally see a lot of the events of my story taking place in that kind of setting. It just looks so dynamic and cool. I think the cinematography also played a hand in that (Honestly, the cinematography is just incredible in that movie... I'm such a film nerd) but the places and buildings themselves also did. I love cobblestone streets and horse drawn carriages. I love how the buildings look elegant and yet really dirty and gritty. I love how busy they were with people and the little shops and markets.
You know what else? I love the costumes. I think men look awesome in those waist coats and hats and canes. The women's fashion is fun to play with too as it was just starting to move away from the traditional bodice and suffocating corset and moving towards more freeing and comfortable fashions. They still looked very elegant though.
There's also a lot of interesting events going on in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Great Britain. Beginning of World War I, a change in the influence of young intellectuals, Jack the Ripper etc. Plenty of good fodder for conflict and intrigue. Not to mention Historical Fantasy is a lot less common right now next to Urban fantasy. I think it would be an interesting experiment.
Of course, what interests me one day will be something different the next. I have the attention span of a flea. But if something does capture my interest I write like crazy on it (That book that's on submission? It's first draft was completed in just under a month. Yup.)
What genres are you sampling right now?
-Authoress Anonymous
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Trip of a lifetime (And what I've learned)
Finally I have returned from the unknown of the Baltic: That mysterious, overseas land in which I could not use my cell phone or email or facebook or any other messaging device, less I risk paying an arm and a leg for them.
But seriously, the lack of communication with the outside world did not at all hamper my experience of that wonderful place. I am eternally blessed to have been able to see eight different countries in just ten days. I can add eight more countries to my extensive list of places I've been (A list that only included America until quite recently.)
Since the vacation is fresh in my mind I thought I might talk about what I learned while I was there. Specifically: What I learned about writing.
Settings are fun.
Yeah, that's a bit of a weird thing to learn. But I've never been a particular fan of describing the scenery in minute detail. I'm more of a characters person. The setting is just kind of there. Now that's not to say that I don't love it when older books go into minute detail about their settings. I'm just not very good at it. Description of settings is probably one of my biggest shortcomings in my writing.
Maybe it's because the settings were never solid in my mind. Maybe it's because I've never been to the place I'm writing about because it's fantasy. That all changed when I went to Bornholm (This little island off the coast of Denmark). I remember thinking to myself as we drove through the small town (That contained buildings older than America) "Hey, this could be the setting of this book!"
And the trend continued. I found inspiring buildings, towns and, especially, churches all throughout Europe. From the quaint old town of Tallin to the modern Russia. And I took pictures of EVERYTHING in order to solidify my memory of these amazing places. I hope to use these pictures when I describe my scenery in the future. Maybe it will improve.
It is a shame that many books don't take time to describe their scenery anymore because so many editors, agents and publishers have told us to start with action and GO, GO, GO! I kind of want to see more stories really take their time and linger in the setting. Because even if it's not my strongest point, it can be an amazing tool in the hands of a master.'
-Authoress Anonymous
But seriously, the lack of communication with the outside world did not at all hamper my experience of that wonderful place. I am eternally blessed to have been able to see eight different countries in just ten days. I can add eight more countries to my extensive list of places I've been (A list that only included America until quite recently.)
Since the vacation is fresh in my mind I thought I might talk about what I learned while I was there. Specifically: What I learned about writing.
Settings are fun.
Yeah, that's a bit of a weird thing to learn. But I've never been a particular fan of describing the scenery in minute detail. I'm more of a characters person. The setting is just kind of there. Now that's not to say that I don't love it when older books go into minute detail about their settings. I'm just not very good at it. Description of settings is probably one of my biggest shortcomings in my writing.
Maybe it's because the settings were never solid in my mind. Maybe it's because I've never been to the place I'm writing about because it's fantasy. That all changed when I went to Bornholm (This little island off the coast of Denmark). I remember thinking to myself as we drove through the small town (That contained buildings older than America) "Hey, this could be the setting of this book!"
And the trend continued. I found inspiring buildings, towns and, especially, churches all throughout Europe. From the quaint old town of Tallin to the modern Russia. And I took pictures of EVERYTHING in order to solidify my memory of these amazing places. I hope to use these pictures when I describe my scenery in the future. Maybe it will improve.
It is a shame that many books don't take time to describe their scenery anymore because so many editors, agents and publishers have told us to start with action and GO, GO, GO! I kind of want to see more stories really take their time and linger in the setting. Because even if it's not my strongest point, it can be an amazing tool in the hands of a master.'
-Authoress Anonymous
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Mothers in Fiction (An Advancement or not?)
Anyone noticed this lately? An overpowering working mother with no time for her kid because she's too busy making her place in the world?
How about this? The mother that just doesn't understand her child because she's SO old fashion
And how about an evil step mother?
I must admit I don't really like the rep a lot of mothers are getting in YA fiction, particularly in contemporary pieces. (And in fantasy half the time the suffer from off screen death)
So lets look at a few mothers done right.
Molly Weasley: We all know this woman. It's too bad because a lot of people considered her to be a typical housewife rather than a progressive female character. In fact a reporter (Female reporter, might I add) even told J.K. Rowling "But she's just a mother."
Which understandably irked J.K. Rowling. She didn't see what was so wrong about a woman choosing to raise a family and not throwing herself into the working world. In fact Rowling is a mother herself, adding insult to injury.
This little encounter was one of the things that led J.K. Rowling to the infamous "Molly kills Bellatrix scene." She was going to have Molly do something strong to show she was just as powerful as the men, even if she did choose to raise a family. And I respect her for that. Molly Weasley was a kind and caring mother who worked hard and cared deeply about her children. And that is not a crime. It's a choice.
Rachel Morgan: Heard of her? She's from the Gallagher Girl series. And this is one of the few series where I've seen a teenager who totally looks up to her mom and wants to be like her. A typical conflict is "My mom doesn't get me. So old fashion. I never want to be like her." Rachel Morgan however, is portrayed in a positive light.
She's a very strong woman (And a spy) and she cares about her daughter just as much as any mother so we don't have the "Strong working woman neglects her family scenario". And because Cammie likes her, we like her. I like the portrayal of strong mother-daughter relationships.
Natalie Prior: This is the mother from Divergent. And before we go any further, I would like to mention that I strongly dislike this book and most of the characters in it. Honestly. But that's going to a review for another time. Natalie Prior is one of the few characters I like because she was both selfless and kind but also brave so you could see why she transferred from Dauntless. And the lengths she was willing to go to to protect her daughter are quite admirable. She's also very smart and wary of the danger Abnegation faces. I mainly just like her for being a strong character who seemed submissive and classic "gentle woman" but turned out to be very brave. She was one of the only characters in that book who actually surprised me.
Which is why it's a shame that her daughter showed so little emotion towards her... but that's a review for another time.
In my book: Admittedly, my mother character doesn't have a huge role in the book because she doesn't get as much page time but I made an effort to make a good relationship between her and the main character, her daughter. I'll go ahead and say: Her name is Christina, since that's not really giving anything away. Christina is a working woman but she still cares about her daughter. She is strong and sharp tongued and doesn't cry much though this is largely due to the fact that she tries to be strong for the main character. And while she is still flawed (Because she sort of keeps a lot of secrets) she wouldn't give up her daughter for anything.
I wanted to see more positive mother-daughter relationships so I wrote one.
So that's my schpiel on mothers and making them three dimensional characters in YA fiction. Tomorrow I think I'm going to talk about villainous and their prose and cons. (But the Bella Swan rant is coming... oh it's coming)
Thanks for reading!
-Authoress Anonymous
How about this? The mother that just doesn't understand her child because she's SO old fashion
And how about an evil step mother?
I must admit I don't really like the rep a lot of mothers are getting in YA fiction, particularly in contemporary pieces. (And in fantasy half the time the suffer from off screen death)
So lets look at a few mothers done right.
Molly Weasley: We all know this woman. It's too bad because a lot of people considered her to be a typical housewife rather than a progressive female character. In fact a reporter (Female reporter, might I add) even told J.K. Rowling "But she's just a mother."
Which understandably irked J.K. Rowling. She didn't see what was so wrong about a woman choosing to raise a family and not throwing herself into the working world. In fact Rowling is a mother herself, adding insult to injury.
This little encounter was one of the things that led J.K. Rowling to the infamous "Molly kills Bellatrix scene." She was going to have Molly do something strong to show she was just as powerful as the men, even if she did choose to raise a family. And I respect her for that. Molly Weasley was a kind and caring mother who worked hard and cared deeply about her children. And that is not a crime. It's a choice.
Rachel Morgan: Heard of her? She's from the Gallagher Girl series. And this is one of the few series where I've seen a teenager who totally looks up to her mom and wants to be like her. A typical conflict is "My mom doesn't get me. So old fashion. I never want to be like her." Rachel Morgan however, is portrayed in a positive light.
She's a very strong woman (And a spy) and she cares about her daughter just as much as any mother so we don't have the "Strong working woman neglects her family scenario". And because Cammie likes her, we like her. I like the portrayal of strong mother-daughter relationships.
Natalie Prior: This is the mother from Divergent. And before we go any further, I would like to mention that I strongly dislike this book and most of the characters in it. Honestly. But that's going to a review for another time. Natalie Prior is one of the few characters I like because she was both selfless and kind but also brave so you could see why she transferred from Dauntless. And the lengths she was willing to go to to protect her daughter are quite admirable. She's also very smart and wary of the danger Abnegation faces. I mainly just like her for being a strong character who seemed submissive and classic "gentle woman" but turned out to be very brave. She was one of the only characters in that book who actually surprised me.
Which is why it's a shame that her daughter showed so little emotion towards her... but that's a review for another time.
In my book: Admittedly, my mother character doesn't have a huge role in the book because she doesn't get as much page time but I made an effort to make a good relationship between her and the main character, her daughter. I'll go ahead and say: Her name is Christina, since that's not really giving anything away. Christina is a working woman but she still cares about her daughter. She is strong and sharp tongued and doesn't cry much though this is largely due to the fact that she tries to be strong for the main character. And while she is still flawed (Because she sort of keeps a lot of secrets) she wouldn't give up her daughter for anything.
I wanted to see more positive mother-daughter relationships so I wrote one.
So that's my schpiel on mothers and making them three dimensional characters in YA fiction. Tomorrow I think I'm going to talk about villainous and their prose and cons. (But the Bella Swan rant is coming... oh it's coming)
Thanks for reading!
-Authoress Anonymous
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Start with a friendship (Then maybe happen on a romance)
I guess I'm just in a romance kind of mood, aren't I? It's funny that I get so passionate about this kind of thing since I'm not a fan of romance... maybe that's why.
I want to talk for a moment about romance in Harry Potter and how little there was of it in comparison to adventure, magic and FRIENDSHIP.
I put emphasis on friendship because that's how I like my relationships done. They start as friendships and they happen to be something more. They progress slowly. Like most relationships. Throughout the Harry Potter books the focus was on Ron, Harry and Hermione as friends. There were some moments of sexual tension between Hermione and Ron but it wasn't obvious until the 6th book (In my opinion). Then it developed.
And it made sense because they had been friends for six solid years. That's a long time to know someone and when you're that close to them, it's natural to start feeling something more. Before the 6th book, Hermione could have just as easily gone with Harry. Likewise, Ginny and Harry's relationship made sense too. It started out as a crush, then Harry saved her life and then eventually feelings developed when they were older.
Not only is this realistic but, as Tex said in his recent comment, it leaves possibilities open to the readers to play with pairings in their minds. (And readers get into that stuff. They have WARS. And I always pick the wrong guy but that's a post for another time)
I'm going to go back to my books for a minute. There are actually three romantic relationships that end up happening in these books. But at the start of my writing I only knew that one of these was going to happen.
I'm not going to give names because I don't like spoilers but I'll label them: the main character, was always going to end up with boy 1. I was going to have it progress slowly because they didn't have enough page time in the first few books for be to develop the relationship outside of a crush. But I did have it planned.
However I had another relationship that just sort of... happened. Main character's best friend (Who is a very violent, stubborn and impulsive character) get's into trouble a lot and this other character always happened to be around when it happened. We'll call him boy 2. Boy 2 doesn't like to see others hurt when he can do something about it so when MC's Best friend is getting kicked around, he ends up saving her and almost gets the crap beaten out of himself (Cause he's kind of a wimp. But I still love him to death).
Later in the book there was another situation where boy 2 stopped MC's best friend from doing something she would regret, again almost getting himself killed. This wasn't really because he was attracted to her, just because he doesn't like seeing others in danger. When they started having conversations in book 4 I realized that I really liked them together and it could work. But I built their relationship first on a friendship. That's what I think made it work the best.
The third relationship was a case where I knew the two characters were friends in the past but had a bit of a falling out (Which I'm totally not going to get into because it's a MAJOR spoiler) and writing their conversations I realized that that friendship might have been something more (I love making up things when it actually feels like I'm discovering them). Just the tension in their conversations reflected that.
I wasn't even going to make anything of it on page because I wasn't sure how to do it because these were two of my hardest characters to write. Then my friend, who happened to love both of these character, insisted I write a scene, even if I didn't put it in the book (Because she wanted to read it). I did and it happened to work. So one romantic involvement became three. What do you know?
There's still very little actual scenes for romance because I try to keep the focus on the life threatening stuff. But I find that relationships are not only more realistic, but a lot more fun to write if they start out as friendships. Because then you discover the relationship which is ever so much fun!
-Authoress Anonymous
I want to talk for a moment about romance in Harry Potter and how little there was of it in comparison to adventure, magic and FRIENDSHIP.
I put emphasis on friendship because that's how I like my relationships done. They start as friendships and they happen to be something more. They progress slowly. Like most relationships. Throughout the Harry Potter books the focus was on Ron, Harry and Hermione as friends. There were some moments of sexual tension between Hermione and Ron but it wasn't obvious until the 6th book (In my opinion). Then it developed.
And it made sense because they had been friends for six solid years. That's a long time to know someone and when you're that close to them, it's natural to start feeling something more. Before the 6th book, Hermione could have just as easily gone with Harry. Likewise, Ginny and Harry's relationship made sense too. It started out as a crush, then Harry saved her life and then eventually feelings developed when they were older.
Not only is this realistic but, as Tex said in his recent comment, it leaves possibilities open to the readers to play with pairings in their minds. (And readers get into that stuff. They have WARS. And I always pick the wrong guy but that's a post for another time)
I'm going to go back to my books for a minute. There are actually three romantic relationships that end up happening in these books. But at the start of my writing I only knew that one of these was going to happen.
I'm not going to give names because I don't like spoilers but I'll label them: the main character, was always going to end up with boy 1. I was going to have it progress slowly because they didn't have enough page time in the first few books for be to develop the relationship outside of a crush. But I did have it planned.
However I had another relationship that just sort of... happened. Main character's best friend (Who is a very violent, stubborn and impulsive character) get's into trouble a lot and this other character always happened to be around when it happened. We'll call him boy 2. Boy 2 doesn't like to see others hurt when he can do something about it so when MC's Best friend is getting kicked around, he ends up saving her and almost gets the crap beaten out of himself (Cause he's kind of a wimp. But I still love him to death).
Later in the book there was another situation where boy 2 stopped MC's best friend from doing something she would regret, again almost getting himself killed. This wasn't really because he was attracted to her, just because he doesn't like seeing others in danger. When they started having conversations in book 4 I realized that I really liked them together and it could work. But I built their relationship first on a friendship. That's what I think made it work the best.
The third relationship was a case where I knew the two characters were friends in the past but had a bit of a falling out (Which I'm totally not going to get into because it's a MAJOR spoiler) and writing their conversations I realized that that friendship might have been something more (I love making up things when it actually feels like I'm discovering them). Just the tension in their conversations reflected that.
I wasn't even going to make anything of it on page because I wasn't sure how to do it because these were two of my hardest characters to write. Then my friend, who happened to love both of these character, insisted I write a scene, even if I didn't put it in the book (Because she wanted to read it). I did and it happened to work. So one romantic involvement became three. What do you know?
There's still very little actual scenes for romance because I try to keep the focus on the life threatening stuff. But I find that relationships are not only more realistic, but a lot more fun to write if they start out as friendships. Because then you discover the relationship which is ever so much fun!
-Authoress Anonymous
Friday, June 22, 2012
Side Dishes and Spices (How I like my romance served)
I've stated before that I have nothing against romance in YA. I find it a nice touch if done well. I usually don't go to a book advertised as contemporary romance of course because fantasy and sci-fi are more my cup of tea.
Here's my take on it. If you say your book is fantasy, fantasy should be the main feature. Not that hot boy who's not human. The hot boy who isn't human should be a side plot. Same with dystopian.
Going back to the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job of blending romance with life threatening situations. Because let's face it: When you're thrown into an arena to fight to the death, hot baker boys are REALLY low on your priorities list. As they should be. A revolution to change the world as we know it takes top billing to romance. Because if my life was on the line or everyone was looking to me to lead them, I would not be thinking about boys.
To me, romance in books like these (Books with some sort of higher calling or goal. Life threatening stuff and all that jazz) are like spices. Put on just the right amount and it will taste great but overload them and the spices blot out the taste of the food. They could even make you reach for a gallon of water.
In my own novel (Which is urban fantasy) I do have romance. It just doesn't amount to much until late in the series. No one kisses until book four (the last book). When my main character meets the boy who will eventually be her love interest, she does acknowledge the fact that he is attractive but cocky but she doesn't linger on it too long because HELLO! She's in the middle of an escape attempt and good looking guys are low on the priorities list. A few more references are made but it's more of a typical teenage crush. There's not much time for romance to build.
Same thing in book 2. There are hints of that relationship and I start also building another possible relationship between two other characters. Book 3 the relationships grow more and by book 4, yes some of the romantic tension is finally unleashed. But the romantic plot is smaller. That's the way I like it.
It's all opinion of course. Tell me how you prefer your romance in books! I'm curious.
-Authoress Anonymous
Here's my take on it. If you say your book is fantasy, fantasy should be the main feature. Not that hot boy who's not human. The hot boy who isn't human should be a side plot. Same with dystopian.
Going back to the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job of blending romance with life threatening situations. Because let's face it: When you're thrown into an arena to fight to the death, hot baker boys are REALLY low on your priorities list. As they should be. A revolution to change the world as we know it takes top billing to romance. Because if my life was on the line or everyone was looking to me to lead them, I would not be thinking about boys.
To me, romance in books like these (Books with some sort of higher calling or goal. Life threatening stuff and all that jazz) are like spices. Put on just the right amount and it will taste great but overload them and the spices blot out the taste of the food. They could even make you reach for a gallon of water.
In my own novel (Which is urban fantasy) I do have romance. It just doesn't amount to much until late in the series. No one kisses until book four (the last book). When my main character meets the boy who will eventually be her love interest, she does acknowledge the fact that he is attractive but cocky but she doesn't linger on it too long because HELLO! She's in the middle of an escape attempt and good looking guys are low on the priorities list. A few more references are made but it's more of a typical teenage crush. There's not much time for romance to build.
Same thing in book 2. There are hints of that relationship and I start also building another possible relationship between two other characters. Book 3 the relationships grow more and by book 4, yes some of the romantic tension is finally unleashed. But the romantic plot is smaller. That's the way I like it.
It's all opinion of course. Tell me how you prefer your romance in books! I'm curious.
-Authoress Anonymous
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)