S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 139

For Whom the Bell Toils

I always have mixed feelings about writing how-to books; many are okay, some are good but only a very few are excellent. There are only five I've recommended without any reservation; among them is The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. Now after reading his elements of writing fiction book, Conflict & Suspense, I have to change that to six.

I've tried explaining conflict and suspense to other writers, so I know a bit about how tough they are as topics to define and explore. Conflict is one of those primary novel writing elements that is deceptively simple; it's also a huge part of storytelling. I consider conflict as important as characterization, because without it a novel is The Village of Happy People no one wants to visit. Suspense ties in with conflict, and is more about story structure and writing style, but it's also quite vital to learn. It's not enough to hook readers; you have to keep them reading, and suspense is like the line attached to the hook; you use it to reel them in to the very last page.

James Scott Bell knows both elements, and he explains them in this book in his clear, no-nonsense fashion. He covers conflict so well and so thoroughly that he's pretty much ruined me for other how-to writers. Be warned; James doesn't pat us on the head and tell us to be good writers of conflict and suspense; he throws down on us and demands we put some real thought and effort into developing our understanding and our skills.

This book is littered with ideas and pathways to finding powerful conflict and building plausible suspense, sustaining it by following through, relating them to other story elements and in general taking your fiction to the next level. If you struggle with conflict, this should be your new bible. As for me, now that I've read two of James Scott Bell's books and put both on my no-reservation how-to keeper shelf, I think he could publish his grocery shopping list and I'd buy it, just to find out what the guy eats for breakfast.

Bottle

This one is simply lovely -- and dedicated to my friend and fellow scribe Rick:

Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

Meme Nick

It's always fun to pilfer a meme, and this is one I nicked from Shiloh:

1. What the working title of your book?

I never give out titles until they're chiseled in publisher stone.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Shane Adams and a red rose get the blame for this one.

3. What is the genre of the book?

It'll probably be marketed as paranormal romance or urban fantasy.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Other than Shane Adams, have no idea.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

I think I'll keep this under my hat for the time being, too.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher?

It’s in the pre-proposal stage at present but (unless she hates it) the novel will be represented by my agent, Robin Rue at Writer's House.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I'm still working on it, but so far I've logged in about two months.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I don't do that.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

See answer to #2.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

In the story I never once use the word pique.

If you'd like to steal this meme for your blog, I don't think Shiloh would mind, and you have my blessing (if you would be sure to blame her for it with a link, too.)

Writer Trades Roundup

I'm off on a road trip this week, and since most of the time I will be unplugged from the internet I'm going to disable comments until I get back (I will enable them on my return, I promise.) I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this causes.

It's been quite a few months since I purchased any writer mags, so while I was out shopping for books I invested in a few to read on my trip. Here are some thoughts on the four I picked up:

I've never subscribed to a magazine published outside the U.S., but reading the marvelous December issue of the UK trade The Writers' Forum convinced me it's time. In this issue I read not one but five articles that were directly helpful to me as a working writer, discovered a couple dozen new markets and contests, and enjoyed a sense of being spoken to instead of being peddled something (the kind of class that disappeared from U.S. mags ten years ago.) Since I'm a Yank it will be a bit more expensive, but I think it's worth it. I'm also worried my BAM will stop carrying it and I'll be cut off from one of the better sources of writer info that I found last year.

According to the 11/5 issue of Publishers Weekly, 22% of all book spending in the second quarter of 2012 went to purchasing e-books. Since their source for the stat is Bowker Market Research you can probably bank on it. Jim Milliot has a piece on the Random Penguin merger and how it will work that is mostly PR but has a couple of promising promises. Otherwise this issue's theme of the best books of 2012 is literary-spawned, genre-snubbing, and really not worth the $5.99 newstand price.

Alix Ohlin has an interesting article on silence in fiction in the December issue of The Writer's Chronicle, and explores how to make the most of the parts of your story when none of the characters are talking. I haven't been through more than that so I'll read the rest of the issue on the road.

Benjamin Percy's article Don't Look Back in the Nov/Dec issue of Poets & Writers takes on the issue of backstory with a vengeance, and I'll quote here: When my students as me how much backstory they're permitted to include in a story, I say, "How about none?" None is a good start. (He actually doesn't suggest we abandon our backstories, but he does make some very good points on how to use it effectively versus piling it around in heaps or glutting the story with it.) As with the Chronicle I haven't read any more than that, but I'll review the market and contest listings while I'm away and see if there's anything fee-free that I can glean for a future sub ops post.

Wishing You

Best of PBW 2012

Every year I look back through the archives to see how things went, what I accomplished and where I might improve things with PBW and my writing life. It's a helpful exercise and it always surprises me in some way.

As I mentioned yesterday, my theme for 2012 was coloring outside the lines, and I made some serious progress with that by stepping outside my comfort zones, trying new things and pushing myself almost daily to be more creative. I was also very public about it, which is not the usual thing for me, but I think it helped to share the process. I can't say I was 100% successful in always coloring outside the lines, as I ended up dodging a few things I really intended to do, but overall I'd say I did well with the challenge.

Several people have mentioned to me that I wasn't as funny this year on the blog as I have been in years past. With all the self-improvement projects I've been working on (and the related stress) I think I probably have been too serious. Thus one of my goals for 2013 is to remember to be more entertaining on a regular basis.

The world didn't end in 2012, so a lot of Doomsday theorists have egg on their face. I'm proud to have been one of the people who lobbed some eggs. The world did change, however, and not always for the better. No year will ever be entirely happy, and we shouldn't expect that. What I hope is that what caused so much hatred and ugliness in 2012 will inspire us to come together in kindness and generosity, and do what we can to help each other more often. Silly, I know, but a girl can dream, right?

To summarize the rest, here is a list of:

Ten Things I Did in 2012

Lost a friend and an inspiration.

Decided to make a thousand pieces of art in a year (and did it.)

Discovered my fiction had become reality again.

Laughed at myself.

Read lots of great books.

Resurrected the second series I've had killed by a publisher.

Snapped some neat photos.

Sold a new series in a new genre.

Survived yet another Apocalypse.

Took an online art class.

Wrote a novel, and posted it online while I was writing it, and won NaNoWriMo in the process.

As for the blog, here are the posts I think were the best of PBW 2012:

January: Mistake Me For, Depression, Despair and Do Nothing, Domain Explained.

February: The 8-Track Mentality, The eBrush, Fiction Becomes Fact II.

March: Shopping for Vampires (guest post at Silk and Shadows blog), Carry On, Next Stop Irony.

April: Ten Things That May Indicate You've Written a McQuery, Unveiling Your Characters, EuroSPAMmed.

May: Ten (Weird) Things That Happened Last Week, Balloons, City in the Sky.

June: Ten Excuses for Your Paranormal Heroine Not to Have Sex with Your Paranormal Hero, Short Story Sins, Seeing Story.

July: LEGO® Logic, Ten Things That May Indicate You've Written a McOpener, Ten Things I Saw on My Trip to Savannah.

August: Wordsmithing, See for Yourself, Must Chuckle.

September: Poetry Sparks, Writers Visual Dictionary, Rio.

October: Mr. Ray Persists, Ten Things I Hate About Cover Copy, Making It Work.

November: Character Art, Making It, Battling.

December: Dreaming in Emerald, You Might be a Writer if . . . , Creative Collisions.

Welcome 2013. May you bring more good luck than bad for all of us.

Next Year

Finishing the last major project of 2012 has me thinking about the new year. My inclination is to plan out every second of everything, of course, but aside from a couple of deadlines I haven't. In fact, I haven't even bought my 2013 desk planner yet (disclaimer: I usually wait until after New Year's, when they're marked 75% off.)

I think I did okay with 2012's theme of coloring outside the lines. I took an art class, started and finished the 1000 Cards Project, sold a new series in a new genre and joined a literary penpal club (yeah, I know, but it's actually been pretty cool.) I also got involved with NaNoWriMo in a major way, started working with two new and very interersting guy editors (Hi Adam and Tim), both of whom helped me to expand my writing horizons -- all very different for me.

2012 wasn't all sunshine and happiness, and I certainly didn't accomplish everything I wanted to do, but I'm not interested in rehashing or dwelling on the negative. It's like backtracking over and over on a story trying to make it perfect when you should be writing something new. I'd rather write something new.

2013 will be a landmark year for me in a couple of ways. This is my fifteenth year working as a full-time professional writer. My fiftieth novel will be published in August. It would be easy to kick back and take it easy and think I've proven myself, but writers are only as good as their last novel. I'm not kicking back for anything; I have books to write.

What's ahead? I'm not sure. The universe, which over the last couple of years has been pretty active in guiding me in certain directions, hasn't exactly dropped a sign on my head lately. I'm kicking off the year with a road trip, so I'll keep my eyes open, but I think for me 2013 will be a bit of a mystery year. We'll see.

Are you making a New Year's resolution, or going with a new theme for 2013? Let us know in comments.

1000 Cards Project Finished

Last stitch in the very last card finished, as of 1:30 am this morning.

Fifty Away

This week I've been working on an art project I started back in January, which involves making artist trading cards. ATCs are basically any sort of art which measures 2.5" X 3.5". Here's one I quilted out of batik cloth, batting, copper holographic thread and some beads; all material and scraps leftover from other projects.

This quilted card took about an hour and a half to make. It was too cold to work out on the porch, so I sat in the garage and listened to some music while I sewed. I let the card come together as it wanted to; I didn't have any specific design in mind. I also thought about an upcoming road trip, plans for my kid's birthday and visualized a few scenes for my next novel.

Seems like a lot of effort for such a small piece of art. By itself the ATC barely covers half the palm on my hand. It's a little crooked at the corners and a couple of the quilting stitches are skewed. When I look at it I see another three projects I made but no one else will make that connection. I like how the thread catches the light, but I probably could have done something fancier with the beading. Luckily I'm more into expression than perfection.

On the back of my ATC I wrote a few things: a title, the date I made it, the name of the project, the card's number, my signature and the category it belongs to. The title of this one was inspired by the card's number.

Once I finished the card I added it to this little box in which I'm keeping all the cards I've made in December. Most of them are made from recycled materials like gift wrap, old calendars, Christmas cards from last year and the like. A friend sent me some cute little scented stickers; those are decorating a couple of cards and make my box smell deliciously of chocolate. In that pouch are cards with all of my favorite Asian poems collaged on my old 2012 desk calendar. For this month I also used an old letter I wrote to Santa, a dinged-up copy of my favorite quotation of all time, and two pieces of music my daughter was going to toss in the garbage. It doesn't look like much, I know, but it's just one month's worth of cards.

I don't often think about the rest of the project. I photograph whatever I have finished once a month and then stow it away in a trunk. Mostly I think about the art I'm going to create today because that's the work I have to do. When I finish I do plan to take out everything and photograph the lot. Which is a lot; as of tonight 950 ATCs. I'm fifty cards away from my goal of making 1000 cards in a year. To give you some idea of how much art that is, if you wanted to lay out my cards end to end in a straight line you'd need to use a football field to do it.

I know, to you they're just a bunch of cards. To me they're my art, my paintings, my quilting, my poetry, my sculptures, my collages, my letters, my creations. My wisdom and my stupidity. My failures and my triumphs. A year of my life spent immersed in beauty whenever possible. My heart in (almost) a thousand pieces.

I've never made a thousand of anything, and I probably put a couple thousand hours of hand work into it. There were times this year when I was ready give up on it, too. Twice I gave myself a month off from it; once so I could mourn a friend, and the second time so I could write a book. This project has reduced me to tears, spawned more than one temper tantrum and made me face all my inadequacies as an artist. It's also been with me every single day of 2012, either in my hands or in my thoughts, and pushed me to try things I might never have otherwise attempted. I've called myself an artist before now -- once already in this paragraph, but this past year is the first time I've really felt it was true. And that's why I did it -- not merely to challenge myself, learn new techniques or create something the size of a football field, but to discover who I am as an artist. Now, after a year, after making almost a thousand pieces of art, I can honestly say I'm just beginning to know.



I'm showing this to you because I know there is something inside you, something like my project, something waiting to be discovered. It could be a painting or a song or a story. It could be a lot of them. It's in that place where you keep your dreams, where you hold onto them and promise yourself that someday you will get to them. There is a new year just around the corner, and it's filled with 365 somedays. My wish for you in 2013 is that you keep one of those promises, and make one of your dreams happen.

SF Sub Op

I spotted an interesting SF sub op over at Ralan's place that I wanted to pass along in the event anyone has some SF they want to sub:

World Weaver Press has an open call for their upcoming antho Far Orbit: Speculative Space Adventures, and is looking for "modern space adventures crafted in the Grand Tradition. We are not looking for slavish imitations of past classics. Rather, we would like to receive stories that establish a new tradition in the much maligned sci-fi adventure genera — smart, modern stories built around the classic traditions. We are looking for adventure stories that are creative, readable, and memorable. We are also looking for midnight indulgences; exciting stories that transport you from the everyday grind and leave you wondrously satisfied. All adventure-based sci-fi genera are welcome but stay away from fantasy elements unless they are genetically engineered or cybernetic. Stories can begin on Earth but the major action should happen out there, beyond the edges of our blue marble. Dystopia (Mad Max) and fantasy-like adventures (John Carter of Mars) have to be very special to be included in this anthology. Please, no fan fiction." Length: up to 10K; Payment: $0.01/word. On reprints: "Previously published stories are acceptable but we will not publish stories that have been previously anthologized." Electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Submission period opens January 1st, 2013; Deadline March 31, 2013.