Christine Amsden's Blog: Christine Amsden Author Blog, page 59

Once Upon a First Page

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Last week, I said that the goal of the first sentence is, quite simply, to get the reader to move on to the second. This week, I'm going to give you some thoughts on what will keep people reading.

Before I begin, however; I must mention this: There is nothing more subjective in the writing world than what hooks a reader. What hooks one reader may repel another, and there is only so much you can do about that. Here are a few guidelines that I find useful:

1. Make it relatable. No matter how complex your world or your story, you will have to find a way to make it meaningful to your readers, and the best time to start is right at the beginning. So try to give us something we can handle. Your intergalactic war may be too big for us right now, but your main character losing his brother is infinitely understandable. (And it is readily understandable even if we have not personally lost a brother.) There are universal sympathies — loss, betrayal, fear, love, hope, anger. It doesn't have to be big or earth-shattering — you can draw us in with an adolescent fighting over curfew — it just needs to be something that most people will get and, more subjectively, care about. Then, with your hook firmly planted, you can build your case for the rest of the story.

2.Keep it simple. Complex stories are great, but complex openings are difficult. The less you have to explain in order for us to understand what is going on in those first few paragraphs, the better.

3. Introduce conflict. Not action (necessarily), but conflict. There is a distinct difference between the two. Action involves movement. Conflict involves emotions. Action without conflict is not dramatic in any way, no matter how many people are getting shot. In fact, I have rarely seen a violent fight work as an opening because until I know why they're fighting, it's just so much noise. It's neither relatable nor simple. Conflict is the why, not the what. Why are these people fighting? Why is Sarah so sad? Why is Beth angry?

4. Make it about someone. This is just another way to make things relatable, but basically, most people care about people, not scenery. I know some will disagree with me on this, but little bores me more than the panoramic opening focusing on the forest before zeroing in on the people hiding in the trees. Since I tend to ignore description that I don't find relevant, I will often forget anything you say before I have a conflicted character with which to sympathize.

5. Remember, we know nothing. When the reader picks up a book, assume they haven't even read the back cover. You're at zero. Well, technically, your reader has a large set of preconceived notions and prejudices that you can draw upon (when you make it relatable), but they know nothing and the second you say anything, that will be the whole of what they know.

6. Trust the story to speak for itself. This is how you avoid information dumping. An information dump is when you provide information that is either not necessary or goes on far too long. Don't be tempted to over explain, just let the characters have their heads and drop in details as they become necessary.

7. Don't hold back. On the other hand, don't hold out on us. If we need to know something, spit it out. I'm sometimes amazed at how often a one-sentence explanation would turn a first page from chaos into perfection. Don't be so afraid of the information dump that you won't tell us what we need to know. Remember:An information dump is either unnecessary or over-explained information. If Sarah spends the first page in tears, it is not an information dump to tell us that she just broke up with her boyfriend and in fact, a few details about the relationship might be in order as well.

After that, if you're still not sure what hooks, all you can do is find yourself some wise readers and ask. I do.

Copy Edits Are In!

Got my second round of editorial feedback for The Immortality Virus last night, so that will keep me busy for a few days. The first round of edits involved a little copy editing, but focused more on content, which luckily didn't need much. This time, I got a thorough copy edit, which will help make sure that the final product is clean and professional. It will actually go through one more round of edits after this to help minimize those embarrassing typos that come from rushing a book to print. (You sometimes see those in books by established authors whose popularity demands rush jobs — I assure you, they need a copy edit as much as the rest of us!)

I'm also talking to my publisher about cover art possibilities. After some thought, she asked me to rethink my first idea — a graveyard — because she wanted to draw out the science fiction element of the novel. I guess graveyards give more of a mystery or horror feel? I don't disagree with her, but I have to admit I'm stumped for the moment. Hopefully, there will be some good news on the cover art front soon.

Once Upon a First Line

I've heard a lot of theories about what makes a first line great. I've read a lot of compelling first lines and tried to imagine how I could pull off a similar effect. I've read countless stories by other writers, including many novices, who are obviously trying to find this magic and usually, trying too hard.

What I've come to realize is this: The purpose of your first sentence is to get people to read the second.

That's it. When you overthink it, trying to make the first sentence some awesome catapult that flings readers through the entire book, things are likely to go wrong. Even when I go back and look at wonderful first lines, none of them will propel me further than a few pages if there isn't something to back them up. In fact, when I teach workshops on beginnings, I have to go look up famous first lines because I almost never remember them later on. The few I do remember are memorable because the book had a rereadable quality to it that caused me to give the story (and the first line) a second look. I assure you that the first line didn't have to create this feeling on its own.

So when you sit down to write your first line, put it in perspective and lift the weight of the world from its thin shoulders. In fact, if you're struggling with that first line, move on to the second and come back later to finesse the first.

As far as what kinds of things will make someone want to read the second line, I'll put some thoughts together next week.

Book Review: Dead Until Dark

Title: Dead Until Dark

Author: Charlaine Harris

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

All right, all right, I enjoyed a vampire book. I couldn't help it. I wanted to dislike this book. I kept looking for reasons to put it down, but it wouldn't let me. So now I have to admit, not that I read a vampire romance novel (which I have done before), but that I liked one.

I picked this book up because I've been on a mission to find good contemporary fantasy and sooner or later, you're going to have to read some vampire stuff. There's just too much of it out there to avoid. I failed to put it down because I loved Sookie and the narrative voice was fantastic — it just drew me right in.

Character. Character. Character. I probably sound like a broken record on these reviews, but there it is. I like strong, smart, vulnerable characters who don't resort to melodramatic stunts that by all rights ought to get them killed.  Sookie was all those things — and she still came close to dying once or twice.

Before I recommend this book, I ought to try to explain why this worked for me where other vampire romances fail: First, there's the world building. Vampires aren't all the same from universe to universe, and they have some pretty extreme differences. On the one hand you have Bram Stoker's monsters, which are frankly my default. They kill people. On the other hand, you have immortals with all of the advantages and none of the pitfalls. Oh, they're not really that bad, they just drink animal blood and act like humans. Ok, then what's the point?  Charlaine Harris has created a workable middle ground. Her vampires are dangerous killers, but they don't have to kill to survive. They can just drink a little blood from a person or even survive on synthetics (though they don't like it).

The second issue I often have with vampire romance is the woman's rationale for hooking up with a walking corpse. I can't think of many reasons to do this, but Sookie has reasons that worked for me.

The final reason I often hate vampire romance is cheesiness or melodrama, neither of which were present in this book. Well, maybe a little cheese — it's hard not to get a little cheesy when you're talking about vampires — but nothing really made me cringe. Everyone behaved in consistent, sensible ways. The danger came from the situation; it wasn't forced onto the page with overwriting or overacting. (I swear even in books characters can overact sometimes.)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Recommended to those who enjoy contemporary fantasy, even if you've had bad luck with vampires in the past.

Idea Generation

Where do ideas come from?

If you're a writer, then someone has probably asked you this question. Likewise, if you're a writer, you probably already have some notion as to the answer. As a frequently asked question, this one has had a strange dichotomy in my life — it is the question most frequently asked by non-artists and it is asked almost not at all by budding young creatives.

Why is it such a mystery to the masses? I can only conclude that many people suffer from blocked creativity, because I refuse to accept the idea that a human being is not creative. This has caused some differences of opinions with my husband, who is a wonderfully creative engineer. He gets this gleam in his eye when he thinks of a new way of doing something or of a new robot he could design. (I'm still hoping for one that cleans the bathroom.)

Creativity doesn't manifest the same way in all people. There's us artsy-craftsy types, but anyone who pays attention to the world around him and makes something of that input is creative. That's what human creativity is — making something out of something else.  Only divine creativity involves making something out of nothing.

So where to my ideas come from? Everywhere. They are the whole of the universe as I experience it, drawn in and shaped by my unique self. All I have to do is get out of the way.

Movie Review: Harry Potter 7 – part 1

I went to see the latest installment of Harry Potter armed with low expectations so that I would not be disappointed. Either my strategy worked wonders or this is the best Harry Potter movie to date.

Don't get me wrong — it isn't the book. It will never be the book. Like all the movies, it is a dramatization of a much loved story, probably difficult to understand or follow without the context provided by the book. And of course, no movie can provide as many details as a book. There simply isn't time.

Yet there were moments when the movie nearly brought tears to my eyes — deaths that barely touched me while I read the book but struck a chord when I saw it on the big screen. Even at the start, there is a truly touching and well-done moment (although one of those that I think would be difficult to understand without the book) in which Hermione erases her parents' memory of her in order to protect them.

The acting has been generally good throughout the series and has only improved as the actors have grown up, especially the main three, though they are supported by a talented group that all play their parts well.

My biggest complaint is a scene in which, just after Ron leaves the group, Harry tries to cheer Hermione up in a way that I found distracting and out of character.I felt that it added a moment of sexual tension between the two that definitely did not need to be there.

I also thought that in some of the slower moment, they could have brought in more of the details from the greater wizarding world — Dean Thomas on the run, for example, Neville and his crew making trouble up at the school.

But of course, when you read and love a book, one of the difficulties with the adaptation to the screen is that each reader takes something different out of the experience — has different moments of importance that others didn't share. So how I would have tweaked the screenplay isn't all that relevant. Far more relevant is how the movie worked as a whole. And basically, yes, it worked. I got to relive my favorite moments from one of my favorite books in a way that made them come to life.

If you haven't read the books, then I have no idea how this movie will effect you, but if you have, then go in expecting a live-action version of some of your favorite scenes and you won't be disappointed.

Movie Review: Harry Potter 7 - part 1

I went to see the latest installment of Harry Potter armed with low expectations so that I would not be disappointed. Either my strategy worked wonders or this is the best Harry Potter movie to date.

Don't get me wrong — it isn't the book. It will never be the book. Like all the movies, it is a dramatization of a much loved story, probably difficult to understand or follow without the context provided by the book. And of course, no movie can provide as many details as a book. There simply isn't time.

Yet there were moments when the movie nearly brought tears to my eyes — deaths that barely touched me while I read the book but struck a chord when I saw it on the big screen. Even at the start, there is a truly touching and well-done moment (although one of those that I think would be difficult to understand without the book) in which Hermione erases her parents' memory of her in order to protect them.

The acting has been generally good throughout the series and has only improved as the actors have grown up, especially the main three, though they are supported by a talented group that all play their parts well.

My biggest complaint is a scene in which, just after Ron leaves the group, Harry tries to cheer Hermione up in a way that I found distracting and out of character.I felt that it added a moment of sexual tension between the two that definitely did not need to be there.

I also thought that in some of the slower moment, they could have brought in more of the details from the greater wizarding world — Dean Thomas on the run, for example, Neville and his crew making trouble up at the school.

But of course, when you read and love a book, one of the difficulties with the adaptation to the screen is that each reader takes something different out of the experience — has different moments of importance that others didn't share. So how I would have tweaked the screenplay isn't all that relevant. Far more relevant is how the movie worked as a whole. And basically, yes, it worked. I got to relive my favorite moments from one of my favorite books in a way that made them come to life.

If you haven't read the books, then I have no idea how this movie will effect you, but if you have, then go in expecting a live-action version of some of your favorite scenes and you won't be disappointed.

Book Review: Up Close and Dangerous

Title: Up Close and Dangerous

Author: Linda Howard

Genre: Romantic suspense

Few authors can put together an exciting and romantic tale the way Linda Howard can. For pure, undiluted entertainment it doesn't get any better, and Up Close and Dangerous is no exception.

Bailey and Cam don't like each other much, but when their small plane crashes on a frozen mountainside, they will turn to one another in order to survive. To make matters worse, it turns out that the crash was no accident. 

The premise is simple and classic, but the execution is fabulous. This is a page turner that won't let you quit.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Recommended to anyone looking for an exciting and entertaining adventure with a bit of situational romance sprinkled in.

Book Review: Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

The final volume in the Hunger Games trilogy left me feeling empty inside, especially after the dark, emotional roller-coaster of the first. I would say I feel disappointed, because on some level that's true, but to be honest the book didn't surprise me much after the direction things took in Catching Fire.

War sucks. There is nothing at all pretty about war. No one wins, lots of innocent people die, and the line between good guy and bad guy is a mile-wide gray blur. This is all true, and it is the message at the heart of Mockingjay.

The first book in the series, The Hunger Games, drew me in with the sheer psychological horror of the situation and with the star-crossed lovers. I was never that interested in the world, which is a little far-fetched, only the people whose lives were directly effected by it.

In both the second and third books, I lost that personal connection. Katniss became a pawn, not acting of her own free will in the second book, and though she did make a few key decisions in the final volume, I still never felt as if I understood her motivations nor truly understood her. Much of what she did was purely situational, and what choices she did make  left me wanting more.

But none of that left me with that empty feeling I described, nor truly disappointed me, since the story I loved ended succinctly in book one while another story, one I never felt as strongly about, began in the second. What left me feeling empty inside was the resolution of the one thing that did begin in book one — the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that the conclusion and the journey to it lacked a depth of feeling and character on all of their parts. I just plain didn't get it. I was kept at too much of an emotional distance from the narrator, Katniss, and so never felt convincingly that she loved either one of them.

I'm not going to give this book an overall rating. I'm tempted to give it two stars because of my interest in the love story and my lack of satisfaction along that path, but that's probably not fair. There was a lot more to the story than that, although in all aspects of the story I wanted more of Katniss than she freely gave.

So in lieu of a rating, I will leave you with this: If you have begun the Hunger Games trilogy, and I recommend that you do, especially for the unparallelled story in the original volume, then finish it. It won't leave you feeling good inside, though perhaps it won't leave you feeling as empty as it left me, but you won't regret the experience.

Developing a Thick Skin

Someone out there thinks this sentence sucks. It's as sure as death and taxes, which as someone else has just correctly observed, is a cliche. Or maybe it was the same person. I'm less certain whether these people have a point or if I should edit my post to reflect their ideas, but if I want to improve as a writer I must at least remain open to the possibility.

If you just want to write for yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that, then you may feel free to keep your skin as thin as you like, but if you have any aspirations towards publication, then you need to get tough. Published authors who fall to pieces every time they get a bad review will not survive in the business, and believe me, there will be bad reviews. And you'll want to argue with them. I mean, seriously, did they even READ the book?

A thick skin doesn't mean you feel nothing when someone tells you that your work could be better, or that you shouldn't quit your day job, it just means that you know how to put these comments in their proper place. Destructive comments go in the trash. Constructive comments get filed away, to be acted upon if they resonate with you.

How do you toughen up? Well, for starters, have some pity on your inner artist and know yourself. Are you new to the craft, a little uncertain of yourself and your abilities? Did you just write your first ever piece of fiction and are now curious how it worked? Great job, by the way. That's an awesome first step. Now, does your mother criticize everything you do? Don't show it to her!

Eventually, you're going to have to deal with your mother, or at least people like her, but I don't believe in asking for trouble. Give your poor  inner artist a break. Be careful about who gets to see your early work (or as careful as you can be) and even later on, be careful who gets to see early drafts.

Your potential writing career has two distinct types of enemies. The first, and the more obvious of the two, are the ones who would cut you down before you even begin. You have no talent. (As if anyone is truly qualified to judge this trait.) Don't quit your day job. These comments can be even worse when they come from people you care about — your parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc. Even if you believe that you are prepared for negativity, harsh destructive comments like these given in the early stages of your development as a writer can cause emotional scars that require time to heal. You can't always avoid this and as your career progresses, someone will almost certainly say something like this to you or about you, but hopefully by then you will have built up your defenses.

The other enemy or your potential writing career is the liar. Wow, this is just really good. I love this story. You're a great writer. Not that there's definitely something wrong with saying any of these things if they're true, but you have to wonder about people who say these like this with no suggestions for improvement, especially when you're submitting early work. Don't let pride get in the way of common sense here. You didn't learn to walk in a day. If you let these people convince you that there's nothing wrong with your writing, then how will you ever improve?

So try to find a good source of feedback, someone who will be honest without tearing you down, and then know, really know from the bottom of your heart, that you can be a better writer. Say it to yourself, just like that: "I can be a better writer." Why yes, you have it in you to be a better writer. The draft you just sent off for feedback isn't your audition for the great game of life, it's just for practice. It's not good, or at least not as good as it can be, but you CAN become a better writer.

As time goes on, you will begin to notice that, in fact, you are becoming a better writer. When this happens, your confidence will grow, as will your ability to accept rejection.

There will never be a time in your life when you gain universal acceptance or popularity, nor will there ever be a time in your life when you should stop listening to suggestions for improvement.  You can always become a better writer. You just learn to take what you can use and discard the rest.

That's how you develop thick skin.