Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 186

... IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

(Jody Feldman's Take on October's Theme)
I could talk about things spooky, I could talk about things creepy, but there may be no greater mystery than the mind; especially how  the mind (at least mine) tends to work on several levels at once without really alerting you it’s doing that. Here’s a for-instance.

I finished a first draft of a new middle-grade novel this past Wednesday. Now, saying it’s a first draft may be insulting to any other first draft I’ve even written. Many of the details currently look like this: ADD A HISTORICAL FACT. Or SOLVE PROBLEM HERE. I’m almost terrified to go back and count the number of all-cap instructions this one has. Another issue—and one much more major— is story’s totally lack of consistency in the arcs of both the plot and the main character.

And because nothing builds as it should, the perfect ending—one that magically came to me before I had written the first chapter—didn’t have that chest-rumbling, gut-smiling satisfaction I expected. It’s not the ending’s fault. I hadn’t yet done the necessary work to do it justice.

And then came the internal dialogue:It’s a first draft, right? I can still fix it.
Are you sure? Are you sure you can fully integrate the true life story of one kid with that of a totally made-up, off-the-cuff plot of another? Seriously?
I think I might be able to fix it.
But where are the parallels between the two kids? What if there are none?
Um.
Didn’t you think to plot that out first? Didn’t you think to outline the true story on half the paper then craft the fictional portion on the other half to see if the two stories could satisfactorily coexist?
Yes, but each time I sat down to do that, something told me to move forward with the story instead.
Some mystery force just moved your fingers on the keyboard like it knew what it was doing?
Something like that.
And how’s that working for you?
*Shakes head.*
Say what?
*Shakes head again.*
Maybe you need to scrap it. Maybe you need to start over.
*Shakes head harder.*
Yep. Start over.
*Grabs pen; turns over used envelope.*
Ha! Starting over. Yes!
*Jots down thoughts.*
Two minutes later.
Ha to you! Look. Eight parallels! The timing may be off a little, but there they are! They exist!
You got lucky. They magically appeared. It's voodoo, I tell you. Or some mysterious force of nature.
Exactly.

October Theme: The Fast—and the TerrifyingBy Marcia Thorn...

October Theme: The Fast—and the TerrifyingBy Marcia Thornton Jones
I love roller coasters. Not a thing scary about them. But what I find absolutely terrifying are Ferris wheels and chairlifts. Why is it that I rush to line up for rides that hurtle me through time and space, but flee from those that leave me hanging?
The answer, of course, has to do with suspense. Having time to consider what might happen while I’m ‘suspended’ in air with nothing but a few clanking cables to keep me from plummeting to my certain demise is what freaks me out. It has nothing to do with the ‘what is’ and everything to do with the ‘what if’.
The same goes for writing. The buildup is what creates page-turning suspense for me. It’s not about the fangs of a werewolf ripping into its prey…it’s the slobbery snarl at the back door, the click of claws on floorboards downstairs, the smell of wet fur in the hallway outside my bedroom door. It’s about the what-ifs, what-could-bes, and what-might-happens. About the shadows…and foreshadows.
So here’s my question for writers: how do you go about ‘suspending’ action in order to build suspense that terrifies—or at least that keeps readers turning pages?

INTERVIEW WITH DALE KUTZERA

Today, we're joined by Dale Kutzera, who's sharing what it was like to indie publish his book ANDY MCBEAN AND THE WAR OF THE WORLDS.


Why indie pub?
I wrote screenplays for a number of years and anyone who has worked in
the entertainment industry understands the inherent lack of control writer have. Your script may or may not sell. They may or may not make it. If they do make your story into a film or television program, they might take liberties you never anticipated. They could make your story far better than you expected, or much worse. There are similar hurdles in the world of traditional publishing, where authors gives up a good deal of control to editors and publishers. Not so with self-publishing. To quote old TV show, "The Outer Limits," I control the horizontal and I control the vertical. I really like that.
Tell us about the illustrations—which are incredible and fun.  What was the process of creation like?  Or, can you tell us about your artist Joemel Requeza?  How did Requeza come to do the illustration work for ANDY MCBEAN?
I have fond memories of reading classic stories like Swiss Family Robinson, The Mysterious Island, and Treasure Island in additions with wonderful illustrations. I felt that "Andy McBean" would also benefit from illustrations. They will clarify the action and help lure in young readers. I found Joemel Requeza the old fashioned way…via the internet. He responded to a post I made for an illustrator and had a style that I really liked.  I knew what scenes I wanted illustrated, and drew rough sketches of what I was after. Then Joemel worked his magic. Everything is digital these days. Joemel lives in the Philippines, created the artwork digitally, and emailed me the files.
Why MG?
Good question as I've learned the real money is in Romance! I chalk this up again to a feeling of being liberated by the world of independent publishing. There is no one saying, "No, that idea won't work." If an idea pops into my head and sticks there, it sort of demands to be written. It won't take no for an answer. My first novel was a Hollywood crime story, and I thought it would be nice to write something youthful and innocent, fun and exciting. 
You’ve got a cinematic background.  Tell us about it.
I wrote stories from a very young age, and I liked to paint and draw. These two passions melded into the world of filmmaking. I made short films through high school and college and eventually moved to Los Angeles where I wrote about film for magazines and wrote screenplays and teleplays. I was fortunate to work on two shows, "Strange Frequency" for VH-1 and "Without a Trace" for CBS. I also made the anti-war satire "Military Intelligence And You!" which had a small theatrical distribution. Like the song says, "It's nice work if you can get it."
Did that background help or hurt the process of writing an MG novel?  How so?
There's no doubt that writing prose is different from writing a screenplay.  Screenwriting is often about imagining the finished film and then making notes as you're watching the film in your head. That doesn't work with a novel. I had to remember that (aside from the illustrations) I just had words to deal with. I do feel, however, that screenwriting is good training for breaking a story, keeping the action moving, and not larding the book up with a lot of extraneous details. 
Did you have an interest in space when you were young?
I had a great interested in space movies. Just like Andy, I had model space ships hanging from my ceiling, but I never wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to create other worlds and make movies about them.
Tell us about the relationship between Andy and Been’Tok.
The book took a few drafts to get right, in large part because I discovered that relationship grew more interesting with each draft. The novel is almost entirely from Andy's perspective. We see what he sees and feel what he feels. Here and there, however, there are smaller passages - not long enough to be official chapters - from the alien's perspective. I wanted both characters to learn from the other and bring out the best in each other. That is part of growing up and this is very much a book about a boy growing up and understanding the bigger world around him.
What was the reason or inspiration behind choosing a hearing impaired / ill character?
I have to come clean there and say that Andy's illness was a calculated decision on my part to build sympathy for the character. I knew what kind of kid he was, but didn't really know why and the idea of having him survive leukemia gave me that explanation. It also motivated his parents to be over-protective and that was another hurdle for him to overcome. And it explained how, in some ways, he's a bit socially awkward and behind his peers. In short, it added a host of interesting complexities.
What were the influences behind the creation of Been’Tok?
The project started, obviously, as a reinterpretation of H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds." One part of Wells' text that stuck with me was his description of the aliens.  In particular, he compared them to a bear. A careful reading of Wells story will show that he was referring to the size and color and not to fur, but for some reason the idea of a furry alien stuck with me. The other aspects of the character stemmed in part from the famous mechanical tripods. I figured that an alien race that makes three-legged vehicles may also have three legs, and maybe three eyes.  I doodled a lot on the look of Been'Tok, and even hired a handful of different artists to send me concepts. 
What’s ahead for you?
THE SEQUEL!  It may be a bit mercenary, but the conventional wisdom is books in series sell better. I was very focused on giving that theory a test, and so I'm busy finishing the second Andy McBean book. I'm happy to report Joemel Requeza has contributed a half-dozen illustrations and they are terrific!

ANDY MCBEAN is available for .99 for a limited time at Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.

Those Long Seconds Before... (October Theme)

by Naomi Kinsman

Yesterday, I visited a Young Inklings writing class. Many of the young writers were creating scenes in which a series of increasingly terrifying events happened. One after the other. For instance, first, Mr. Bob might fall through a dark portal. Then, he might find himself in a vampire bat forest. Next, he might face a fire-breathing, spike-tailed dragon.

I pulled up next to a few of the writers to discuss strategies to turn these chains of events into scenes that might make a reader sit at the edge of her seat. As I struggled to wrap words around the concept of suspense into words, I remembered my second grade year. At the time, many cereal boxes had toys inside them, a common toy being these fake spiders that one might throw against a wall. Made of sticky rubber, the spiders would creepy-crawl down any wall.

Now, I wasn't the bravest of second grade girls, and one of the things I hated most was spiders. Between my fear of spiders and my tempting long hair, the boys in my class realized that I was the perfect target for the spider game. Here's how it worked. I would be sitting at my desk minding my own business, or out at recess reading a book, and one of the boys would catch my eye and open his palm. There, ready to throw, was one of those spiders. My stomach would drop, my body would seize up, and I couldn't do anything. Not one thing. I couldn't move. The boy would take aim, and the seconds would slow. One second, two, three... and then that spider would catch hold of my hair and start traveling toward my shoulders.

The moment the spider struck was terrible, of course, but the seconds between were worse. That's where the creepy lives... in the stretched-out moments before the event.

One of my favorite parts of working with young people is that while I may intuitively know to do something in my writing, I may not realize why I'm doing it. Finding a visceral memory, a clear example of feeling a specific emotion, not only helps me explain a writing strategy to a young writer, but also helps me understand what might be going wrong in my own work. Why isn't the moment scary enough? Take a look at the moments before.

Can you remember an event that truly scared you as a young person? Can you put your finger on the exact moment in the event when you were most afraid? That's a powerful tool for your writer's toolbox. At least it is for me!

INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT BLY + GIVEAWAY

Today, we're joined by Scott Bly, author of SMASHERS.   


1.       1. Your bio indicates that you went through nine drafts before you finished.  What made you decide number nine was the final?
I actually have trouble even counting with numbers higher than eight, so I was already pushing it.  I figured I was better safe than sorry.  At a certain point, my editor and I both read it and knew it was right.  Of course, you could continue tinkering forever, but when it feels right, the pacing is right, etc, then it’s there.
2.       In recent years, the concept of “bullying” has received a lot of attention.  Do you feel it is more prevalent today?
Not that I’m an expert on the subject or have any kind of sociological studies to back up my opinion, but I think it’s receiving more attention now than it used to.  Bullying stories go back as far as the big guy kicking sand in the wimpy guy’s face.  Just think of the comics from the olden days.  So, to me, bullying is nothing new.  What is new is the twenty-four hour news cycle, social media and constant connectivity.  Forty years ago if a kid was bullied, the only people who knew about it were the family and the local school officials.  A terrible story might get some kind of local news coverage.  These days the story can spread like wildfire across the Internet, bloggers can pick it up.  National news organizations can as well.  And of course, that turns up the magnifying glass effect for the bullying victim so that it feels like everyone in the world knows they’re a victim.Is the actual act of bullying more prevalent?  It’s certainly possible.  There is so much mean spiritedness on television now, and it is so popular, that the hero worship that was once reserved for James Dean or Sally Field or whomever, now happens with Snookie or the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, just as an example.  And I think that the behavior of these people is just train wreck TV.  Adults that are self-aware enough to realize what’s happening watch out of shock and morbid fascination.  But kids pick up on those behaviors and model them.  And that mean spiritedness feeds into mob mentality and popularity battles and everything else.I don’t know if that equates an increase in the prevalence of bullying, but it certainly seems like fertile ground.
3.       The concept that the young people of today are the key to the future of mankind is one at the center of education.  Was this your intended message?
I think that message is at the center of every story that involves kids and moral or ethical choices.  Some stories deal with it explicitly and others deal with it implicitly as part of the backdrop.  If kids make bad choices they grow up bad and become part of the problem.  The opposite choices hopefully result in a positive outcome.  If you run the decisions characters make in any kids story out far enough, the themes play out in such a way that social problems of the “future of mankind” sort become exacerbated in a vicious cycle.  Or if the good guys win we would hope we get to see a virtuous cycle play out.
4.       How did the fact that you teach young people play into the idea of keeping language contemporary?  Help with vocabulary?
I’ve personally never been a big fan of stories wherein the author spends a great deal of time trying to force characters into a particular dialect.  If it’s not critical to the story, then it simply gets in the way.  In the case of SMASHER, Charlie would have been speaking approximately late Middle English, right?  I read some Chaucer in high school, and we spent multiple class sessions simply practicing what was essentially a foreign language.  The educational goals I had with this book didn’t really involve teaching middle school students Chaucer.I wanted a story that teaches kids about technology, even if it wasn’t direct.  My hope is that kids who enjoy this story find themselves intrigued by a lot of the technical details, 99% of which are completely real, and they want to dig deeper on all of that.  To have focused on some semblance of Charlie’s language having a middle-english flair just wasn’t part of my objective.Additionally, while I don’t want to give away anything, there’s a little more to the language story than just what is indicated on the book jacket.  This is a time travel book, and it involves multiple questions of identity and belonging.  Hopefully I will have the opportunity to reveal more of the story one day.  But time travel introduces a great many complications to what might otherwise appear to be a straightforward narrative.  Right in chapter one, Felton Thadwick, who does speak in a stylized fashion, mentions Charlie’s “stupid accent”.  Hmm.  Curious, no?
5.       Given the money crunch in education—and the rate technology moves forward—do you feel we’re doing an adequate job of making sure our high school graduates are technologically savvy?
I think we have a huge problem in technology education.  It’s masked by kids’ general literacy in the use of technology that exceeds the adults.  But being able to post to Instagram is a far cry from rocket science.  I think that high school graduates are not in any way being prepared for the kind of technology-centered economy that we have, and will continue to have in the future.  Just keeping the conversation focused on high school graduates, not even discussing dropouts, we have a tremendous gap between the kinds of technical skills that are needed by even vocational-technical job candidates and the skills that kids leave high school with.Right here in Santa Monica, a very solid school districtwith plenty of money available in the community, we have a profound lack of computer education at the high school level.  I’ve consulted with the school district about some of what is happening, and they’re aware, but it’s a long process.  And other school districts that are truly cash strapped are in even worse shape.  Sadly, just throwing a computer lab onto a campus doesn’t solve the problem, either.  It’s about teaching fundamental logic skills and building from there.  When I was teaching elementary school kids, I had students who would go home and teach their technology-literate parents how to fix their computers.  I think that’s the kind of technology literacy and logical troubleshooting skills that everyone should have.And college-bound kids aren’t necessarily in much better shape.  Their technology skills are focused toward research and word document type stuff.  Maybe they get some additional time on the computer working with art programs or media.  This is good, and helps encourage the use of technology as tool for creativity.  But it doesn’t get at the real root of the problem we have nationally, which is a lack of math, science, engineering and computer majors at the college level.  Programming is arguably the most valuable and creatively relevant skill that any young person could possibly learn in today’s world.  Most kids aren’t exposed to computer programming at all.  And those who are probably don’t see programming as anything other than a tedious exercise.  It’s a very similar problem to what I see in math education.  Calculus was the first time I found anything exciting about math – it can be applied to the real world.  But I was a senior in high school before I even got to calculus.  There are really exciting possibilities in the world of STEM based education, and I hope that things move in a positive direction.
6.       Charlie isn’t a hero.  Most kids aren’t.  A lot of kids can lay claim to the fact that they don’t have “school” friends.  Is this driving them toward their computers—and away from physical social interaction?
I disagree, actually.  I do think Charlie is a hero.  And I think most kids are, or at least have the opportunity to be.Charlie is not a sword swinging, save the princess type of hero.  He’s faced with difficult choices and makes the brave one, the difficult one.  Kids are faced with difficult choices every day.  Do I cheat on a test to get the grade?  Do I make fun of the awkward kid who wears bad clothes?  Making the strong choice, the right choice, that’s daily heroism.  And it’s real heroism to the kid who would otherwise have been picked on, in the bad clothes example.  Not becoming the villain is just as heroic as defeating one.I think that loneliness is driving a lot of the online interaction that we see with kids.  And I think that’s just another example of lost opportunities for daily heroism.  The chance for a kid to reach out to another in person, to be brave enough to take the chance on friendship – I think that is a step on the road to heroism that is equal to a sword fighter learning a new parry.
7.       Were your computer games a driving force in the development of Smasher?
I actually did spend a lot of time playing games to make sure I knew what was out there today.  I played almost obsessively as a kid, but as an adult I had stopped playing video games.  Returning to them, in preparation for some of the interactive development that we’re working on, was a lot of fun.
8.       Were you a puzzle freak as a kid?
I enjoyed brainteasers and tests and what not.  I don’t think I was a freak about them though.  That said I’m sure anyone who didn’t like them would have a different idea about my freakiness.
9.       How interested are you in time travel?
Interested enough to write a novel about it!  In college I wrote a paper on the difference in time travel philosophy between the Back to the Future movies and the Terminator movies.  And while I didn’t get to play around much in SMASHER with some of the finer points of time travel, I do look forward to getting deeper into the time travel stuff soon.
10.   Charlie wonders at one point if technology really is a change for the better.  What are your thoughts?  Did the character of Geneva, a robot, help you express your feelings regarding technology?  How so?
I think technology is absolutely a change for the better.  That said, much like the industrial revolution in which machines started making work more efficient, we have the same thing happening now in the technology industry.  Information workers are given the opportunity to be more efficient as computers take over more and more of the repetitive and computational workload.  This results in bigger profits for companies, but fewer jobs.This circles back to your previous question about high school graduates.  Without proper tech skills, kids are going to be left further and further behind.The other side of this is that as the technology has spread from the workplace to everyday communications and leisure time, we have a disconnect as people interact with their tech toys more than each other, which was your other previous question, and is a complicated issue in and of itself.Barring some kind of cataclysmic event that puts us back in the dark ages due to the failure of electricity on a planetary scale, the technology we use today is here to stay and will likely only continue to accelerate in advancement and change.  So I believe the important thing to keep in mind as we become a more and more techno-centric society, leading the way for developing nations in some regard, is for the social constructs around these technology issues to keep pace.  Kids need proper tech education for this technical world.  Social skills need to be developed to supplement what was once completely natural.  And of course there’s the sustainability side of it all.  Server farms that run all of the cloud technologies we use consume an unbelievable amount of electricity, which factors into global warming, etc. So there are very, very big picture issues that need to be addressed on that side of things as well.And as for Geneva’s role in expressing my views on technology – I really enjoyed using Geneva’s voice as my own for computer education.  There are whole chapters that were cut out, which will make their way to the web or e-publishing in which Geneva teaches Charlie whole tech lessons.  Those were very much the way I like to teach classes of kids!
11.   Charlie takes Pandora’s Box home with him—which I find intriguing.  If technology no longer has to fight the evils of the world, how would it be different?
I’m glad you like that part.  I think the role of technology is to make the world a better place, to accentuate the good that is out there being done by people every day.
12.   Charlie takes Callaya, the rescued puppy, home with him.  It seems like the absolute perfect ending for a middle grade reader: save the future and the puppy!  Your book hits the “sweet spot” in MG fiction—you just seem so tuned in to readers of this age.  What’s next in the book department?
Thanks so much!  It helped to never mature beyond the 8thgrade.  I’m very nearly done with a draft of a sequel to SMASHER, which goes in directions I don’t think anyone will guess.  As I mentioned earlier, I’m prepping a number of short stories that go along with SMASHER as a kind of episodic prequel, as well as some additional story from the time frame of the book.  I’m very excited about two other novels that I’m about to dive into as well.  As for what will see the light of day first, we’ll just have to wait and see!

Scott's offering an incredible giveaway!  Use the form below for a chance to win a signed hardcover, poster, bookmark, stickers, and button!  Check out Scott's events calendar to find out where you can catch up with him.
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October Theme by Deborah Lytton: Finding a Villain's Heart

Our October theme is all things creepy and strange.  And I can't say that my writing features a lot of creepy or strange characters.  But I do have villains in my stories.  And sometimes they can be scary and creepy.  Writing a villain is more difficult than writing a hero or a sidekick.  Because to make a villain real, they need to have a heart.  I learned this lesson in acting class many years ago.  My favorite acting coach taught me that when playing an evil character, the actor cannot step into the role by judging and disliking the character.  Because the character might not dislike herself.  Rather the actor has to find the heart of the character.  Because it is in that fragment of humanity that lies the truth of the performance.  I have applied this same lesson to my writing.  Every story needs a villain, but that villain cannot be merely negative.  The villain must have dimension and back story--and sometimes even a heart.  Recently, my girls and I have been watching episodes of ABC's "Once Upon a Time."  This show is a wonderful example of the back story and dimensions of a villain.  Even the Evil Queen can have a heart, sometimes.  So when writing villains, try to imagine something they love, even if what they love is creepy or scary.  It will make the character more fully dimensional and maybe even more frightening.  Good luck!

Young Writers

I'm stretching the theme of creepy here, so bear with me. On Wednesday night I went and did a presentation at Prince Memorial Library in Cumberland, ME. The librarian there, Lauren Isle, is working really hard to get teens and tweens using the library, and she has a lot of terrific programs going on. I spoke to the kids about my writing process, the importance of "What If" questions, and challenged them to write their own stories.

One member of the audience has already taken that challenge. Devin participated in NaNoWriMo last year, and self-published the outcome, a book about a girl who sprouts fairy wings. What was amazing to me was hearing Devin talk about her writing process. Her least favorite part? The middle. "It's boring," she said. She prefers wrapping up the end. Me, too! In fact, that's what most writers I know would say. As for whether her peers should compete in writing contests as she has? She had a measured response. She thought they were good motivators, but of course you don't always win, and you can't let that get you down. Devin is in 4th grade and has already learned that essential writing skill: rolling with rejection.

So, in honor of Devin, and this creepy theme, I am going to share one of my early writings, from about the time I was Devin's age (when, incidentally, I had the exact same haircut she does now).

Oh Halloween, what a night!Trick or treating in the pale moonlight.But I'll be careful 'cause there just may beA little ghost following me.
Big dreams start small, and I wish Devin -- and all the other young writers out there -- much success and the joy of words!

Creepy Poem by Irene Latham

Okay, all my writer-friends, this poem is for you!


Creepy Poem
This poem startles you awakeat 4 a.m.,
it slithersand scurries,it goosepimplesyour skin.
It hauntsand it tauntsuntil yougive in –
so grabsome paper,pick upyour pen.
The onlyway to lighta fearsome night

is to write!
- Irene Latham

Contemplating the Strange and Creepy ... By Ann Haywood Leal

I have a love-hate relationship with things that are strange and creepy.  I am both intrigued and terrified in a can't-quite-pry-my-eyes-from-it way.
The dark always held the top spot on my kid fear list.  When I was five, my dad tried really hard to dispel it.  He took me out to the front yard and pointed out all the familiar landmarks. "See."  He nodded at our maple tree by the curb.  "That's the same one that's there when it's light out, isn't it?"
But I wasn't going to be fooled.  Those tree branches were spiky in the dark. And what was that moving in the top leaves??
I clung to him so tightly, he probably still has reduced blood flow to his arms.
Being afraid of the dark and having a longish list of ThingsIAmModeratelyTerrifiedOf is like a badge of honor for a fiction writer.
Many of us writer and artist-types, if we are willing and able to admit it, have items on that childhood list that quite smoothly carried over into adulthood.  For example, how many of you still . . .. . . (casually, of course) check behind the shower curtain before you brush your teeth at night?. . . take more than the required leap to get into your bed?. . . wonder if that Trick-or-Treater at your door dressed like a character from The Walking Dead might actually be a real zombie whose only day to roam the neighborhood freely is October 31st?
The fact is, we are looking for the strange and creepy.  We yearn for it in a way, because we are on a quest for the hidden story behind just about everything . . . the what might be.  The possibilities are endless.
So all of you scaredy pantses out there be proud.  There's a novel waiting for you .  You just have to venture out into the strange and creepy dark and grab it.

SMACK DAB NEWS

THE SECRET HUM OF A DAISY

HUM was an ALAN pick for September! “Holczer’s beautiful words and insights resonated on each page. The Secret Hum of a Daisy not only takes you on Grace’s journey, but on your own journey through childhood, friendships, and the meaning of home.”

TSHofaD was also chosen as an ABC Best Book of 2014.

In cover news, I saw a mock-up of the paperback coming next summer and am in love! Oxeye daisies galore. Can't wait to show it off when the cover is finalized!