Rachel Neumeier's Blog, page 134

Progress report

Okay, so, I started this week by repeatedly opening my laptop, starting whatever, and promptly falling asleep. Took me longer than I expected to adjust to sleeping in catnaps and waking up to check on a cheeping puppy. This is probably because Morgan had a bout of stress colitis and needed to go out every hour on the hour from dusk Friday to midday Saturday. She is fine now! I had a chat with my reproductive vet and put her on a lot of things suitable for a nursing mother and she was much better by Saturday night. It is so useful to have a well-stacked pet medication cabinet. I even had antibiotics sitting here, which I don’t always. Anyway, Morgan is doing just fine now.

The puppies are also doing just great. The smallest is gaining about 25 grams per day, an excellent rate of growth that looks paltry only in comparison with all the others, who are gaining from 30 to 45 grams per day. I’m too cautious to say anything about smooth sailing, but, well, they are certainly doing beautifully so far. Fastest litter to take off since my E litter, and that wasn’t a C-section.

So, during the run up to Puppy Day, of course it was hard to work on anything. I did stuff related to the Tuyo series … I have about 140 pages written for Keraunani, 30 for Tasmakat, and 15 or so for a related story from Tano’s point of view. Don’t know if that last will go anywhere. We’ll see.

I’m much (much) less stressed now, though, and making good progress on revising No Foreign Sky. You may recall that is a finished SF novel I hope might be traditionally published. (If not, you bet I will self-publish it in a year or two.) Anyway, this kind of revision takes … Not more brain power or attention, but a different kind, than the Tuyo series. I hope I will get that in shape to send back to Caitlin in ten days or so.

After that … Not sure. Can you believe it’s June? Hard to believe it’s June! Maybe I should pick up the next two Black Dog novellas next.

Regardless of my next writing project for the year, here are my current black dogs, plus their sister:

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How to write a book when you can’t write a book

Here’s a quite amazing post about writing a book when you are stuck. Obviously the exact, detailed methods described here won’t work for everybody. But this is still a fascinating post to read.

I couldn’t write the book. I had to write the book. Readers had bought the first two of the series on the promise that Kim and Will would get their HEA in book 3, and in the romance world, that promise is the kind you sign in your own blood at a crossroads at midnight. I had to write the book. I couldn’t write the book.

OK, so on to the part you’ve been waiting for: What did I do about it?

I will be very brief. Much more at the linked post:

a) Switch to using a visual mapping strategy for essential plot elements.

Here is the realization that generated:

This was the point I realised I’d been incredibly, catastrophically wrong about having the romance plot under control. … Laid out in this format, it was glaringly obvious that something huge was missing. There was not nearly enough blue because nothing was really changing or developing in my heroes’ relationship, and what the hell good is that in a romance? No wonder I hadn’t felt like my early efforts were working: they weren’t. I hadn’t dug into the romance at all because I’d got so obsessed with fixing the suspense plot. What a pillock. (It’s fine, this is only my literal job.)

This was interesting because, with different plot elements laid out in color, it IS truly glaringly obvious that half the romance plot must be missing.

b) Make plotting decisions and stick to them.

c) No fixing, no checking

I wrote scenes that were completely incompatible with earlier scenes. I wrote lines that required foreshadowing to be laid down, and left it undone. I wrote jarring transitions and clunky dialogue and lacklustre scenes and truncated bits to fill in later. It was a mess, and every word felt forced and dead and awful, but I wrote the forced, dead, awful bastards down.

Ouch! I have only ever done this when I was VERY close to the end and REALLY wanted to get there. And even then I don’t think I felt everything was this bad!

But, she got it done, and:

 And by the time I reached The End, I knew three things:

I had a terrible book.I had a book.I can edit books.

d) Editing

Editing stage, oh my God. Shall we just not talk about this, okay.

All right, fine. I went through it slooooowly and fixed all the dangling horrors and inconsistencies. That took, approximately, forever. I went through it again to pick up everything I’d missed the first time and build up the things I’d skimped and work the scene transitions and all that. Then again, taking thinning scissors to the parts where I was explaining the plot to myself, and again, and again, till it began to read like it was written by a competent professional

This so reminds me of the time when I was calling the Tenai novel — now the Death’s Lady trilogy — The Neverending Revision From Hell. I never actually made that the working title, but I don’t know why not. That’s certainly what I called it for months.

e) Series of beta reads

And then the final conclusion:

f) So after ten months, multiple false starts, and and maybe thirty editing passes, my trilogy is complete. Kim and Will get their stroll into the sunset together, and I haven’t torpedoed my romance reputation quite yet. Talk about a happy ending.

I realise that my answer to “How do I write the book?” boils down to, basically, “Write the book”. Unfortunately, I have so far not identified any way of achieving a finished book that doesn’t involve writing it. If you have one, let me know. But I hope this post might at least promise a glimmer of light in what can feel like an endless tunnel.

So, very good post, a useful and entertaining look at the immense struggle particular novels may become. With a happy ending, which is certainly desirable in finishing a novel, as in a romance. By all means click through and read the whole thing, particularly if you’ve got a novel where you’re stuck.

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What makes a book high fantasy?

Here’s a Twitter thread that starts with that question. Or almost that question:

C.L. Polk@clpolk·May 18 question for you writers and readers of fantasy today! What would you say are the “must-haves” of high/epic fantasy? The things that have to be there or it just isn’t high/epic fantasy

So that’s always interesting. As you see, CL Polk believes that high and epic are essentially synonymous terms. I don’t agree.

I know what I think makes a novel high fantasy as opposed to epic fantasy or adventure fantasy or sword-and-sorcery or something else.

I absolutely do not agree with the definition that high fantasy = secondary world fantasy and low fantasy = contemporary world fantasy, full stop. I see that definition from time to time, and I expect it will be presented in that twitter thread (I haven’t looked yet), but no. Just no. The best terms for those categories are secondary world vs contemporary world. THOSE are clear terms that cannot easily be misunderstood.

As far as I’m concerned, high fantasy is NOT is defined by scope, size, big goals, big consequences, plus a quest structure to the narrative. That is epic fantasy. I very definitely don’t think the two terms are synonymous, though a lot of people do use them that way.

Adventure fantasy can be much smaller scale. It’s just what it sounds like — people having adventures, maybe to save the world, maybe to fulfil some smaller quest, maybe because they got hurled into adventure willy-nilly.

High fantasy is set in a secondary world — that much I agree with. It’s just that there is a vast ocean of secondary world fantasy that is not high fantasy.High fantasy isn’t defined by size, scope, or events. It can be either an intimate story or a broad, sweeping saga.

Along with a secondary setting, high fantasy is defined by tone and style.

The story is told in elevated language — not necessarily flowery or poetic, though it certainly can be; not necessarily Tolkien-esque; but in largely formal language. That’s the style.

High fantasy is not gritty. It can be dark, but it’s not grimdark. It’s not horror though it can grade into dark fantasy. The tone as well as the style is elevated.

Examples of intimate high fantasy: The Shape-Changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. The Keeper of the Mist.

Examples of epic high fantasy: The Lord of the Rings. The Fionavar Tapestry. The Eternal Sky trilogy. Winter of Ice and Iron.

So that’s what defines high fantasy as far as I’m concerned: secondary world, told in elevated or formal or poetic language, not gritty, not grimdark.

Let’s see what the answers to the Twitter thread suggest …

Berry Quite Contrary@berrysbramble·20h Replying to @clpolkMagic. World/country/society wide issues. For example, the chapter with the Shire being invaded isn’t high fantasy by itself, but fits into a larger picture of societal upheaval and invasions portrayed in the books.

This, for me, is a definition of epic fantasy.

Sandstone@quartzen·23h Replying to @clpolkHigh fantasy: magic, secondary world, less grittiness/”realism” (the deaths are poetic rather than random), I’m inclined to typically say dealing with the affairs of the wealthy and powerful but not sure that’s essential Epic: it’s about scope, conflicts with more than two sides

This is a definition that agrees with mine — not surprising — @Sandstone and I share a LOT of tastes in fantasy and are probably in broad agreement about most definitions.

Didi Chanoch@didic·May 18 Replying to @clpolkFor high fantasy: Not our world, lots of magic and/or magical beings. For epic fantasy: Big story. Large scope. high stakes.

You see, there’s the secondary world vs primary world definition. I definitely expected that to appear, and here it is.

Kingfisher & Wombat@UrsulaV·20h Replying to @clpolkI write high fantasy but not epic fantasy, as far as I can tell, because writing big battle scenes would be way too exhausting.

That made me laugh! I agree. Ursula Vernon / T Kingfisher does write some high fantasy, but not epic fantasy. Not sure what I would call her romantic fantasies, other than “romantic fantasies.” That adds another detail to my personal definition: high fantasy can certainly include romance, no problem there, but if a story is as light in tone as Swordheart, it’s not high fantasy.

Also, I sympathize. The big battle scenes are hard for me, and seldom if ever my favorite part.

Kelsey@thefancyhatlady·19h Replying to @clpolkI wouldn’t refer to anything as high/epic fantasy that didn’t have a secondary-world setting. I feel like high fantasy requires a lot of magic to be present, which I wouldn’t necessarily say is a requirement for epic fantasy.

Well, I’m not sure! How about you all, do you think high fantasy must include a good deal of magic? I believe I would say no. The Goblin Emperor was one that sprang to mind for me, and there isn’t a lot of obtrusive magic in that one. Here’s another that hits that question:

Simone Sturniolo@SturnioloSimone·10hReplying to @clpolkHigh fantasy: magic has to be present, obviously real, important, powerful, and possibly soft. Magic with rigid rules is just science by another name (which is fun on its own, but becomes almost sci-fi). Low tech is a consequence, as magic would make tech unnecessary.

I believe I might agree with the “possibly soft” idea. Maybe not! But it’s true that if magic is treated too much as a science, the tone is probably wrong high fantasy.

Simon fae Standingstone ::::@simon_brooke·21hReplying to @clpolkThe things which make for high/epic fantasy are largely extremely regressive things — like hereditary rights and powers, predestined heroes, and personified evil — which have no place in thoughtful fiction. Avoid them.

Ouch! Oh, that’s almost funny. Obviously I don’t agree that ooh, hereditary kings are BAD in fantasy. Oh no, a predestined hero! I guess this person wouldn’t care for, say, The Fionavar Tapestry. That is striking me as funnier and funnier as I think about it. I don’t imagine GGK gets accused of writing non-thoughtful novels very often. There’s actually a lot of potential for discussion there: Fate as presented in TLotR vs The Fionavar tapestry, go! One could get more than one blog post out of that. I certainly would not describe either work as lacking in thought.

All right, that’s enough! By all means click through to read more responses if you wish. In the meantime, what do you think:

High fantasy: secondary world; maybe a lot of magic; maybe “soft” magic rather than magic-as-science; told in formal, perhaps poetic language; “high” in tone, which means not gritty, not grimdark, but also not too light.

That’s what I’m going with for now!

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Puppies!

I won’t post much about them until they are older and thriving, but in case anyone wondered, yes, puppies have arrived.

We had an urgent but not emergency C-section yesterday; puppies ranged from six to seven and a half ounces. All are doing well so far, though I may tube-feed one or two later today if their weight does not start to head in the right direction. Most maintained well overnight. Morgan is being a very good mother.

Two tricolor girls, one tricolor boy, one ruby girl who stands out amid the sea of blackness in the whelping box, one black and tan boy. He is the smallest and the only one whose weight slipped overnight. All the tris are very heavily marked, two are what we call blanket tricolors, but have nice face markings.

I will be too tired to get much work done for the next day or so. Then I will be both stuck in the house and hopefully much less tense and should make good progress on a couple of projects.

I scheduled a handful of posts ahead, but not enough, so posting will be light the first week of June.

I’m going to try to add a picture, but that can be tricky using my phone, so here goes —

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Things that make me happy, speaking as an author

I’ve realized something that is, first, maybe a bit surprising; and second, not a bit surprising.

Along with all the extremely obvious things that make me happy as an author —

— finishing a draft

— finishing a revision

— getting nice comments from a beta reader

— getting comments that make it clear a reader loves the scenes I most love personally

— seeing nice reviews get posted online

— seeing sufficient progress with royalties from self-publishing that I can imagine a day coming where I can perhaps write full-time if I choose

Anyway, all of that is completely predictable and entirely unsurprising.

But here’s something I’m adding to this list, that I don’t think I saw coming:

When a reader says in a review: “I don’t know if I want to read NIKOLES … I mean, no Ryo!” — that actually makes me happy.

Plainly I would hope that everyone will eventually buy and read NIKOLES. I mean, of course. But I am so happy that some readers find Ryo such an appealing protagonist that they resist picking up a related story because he isn’t the protagonist. That is so … how shall I put this … it’s such an affirmation for TUYO and for Ryo. It gives me a warm feeling every time I see or hear this.

I just mention this because, first, you might wonder. No, it doesn’t bother me a bit. Entirely the reverse. Especially since I’ve heard enough affirming comments about NIKOLES too that I’m happy with that story as well.

But I also mention this because, second, I’m making good progress on KERAUNANI. I hope you will all enjoy the story, which I am enjoying immensely myself. It’s not nearly as dark-edged as NIKOLES, so that’s something that many (most) (nearly all) readers will probably appreciate.

I kind of had to start actually putting words in a row for this one. It made me just too uncomfortable to say, “forthcoming in 2022 — two Tuyo novels!” when neither was even started. I feel much happier about saying that now. KERAUNANI is so far moving just about as fast and easily as everything else in this series.

But it’s fine with me if everyone in creation prefers Ryo and the main trilogy within this series. More than fine! It’s literally a positive thing to hear that!

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A field guide to fantasy animals

From Book Riot: A field guide to fantasy animals.

Fantasy animals — always a popular topic! A field guide is a little different. In theory, a field guide is the sort of book that lets you rapidly identify animals in the field; eg

This is the book which I flipped through to create names with a consistent sound for the Death’s Lady trilogy. Lots of bats in Borneo, I will add, in case you wondered about that. Of course there are a lot of bats nearly everywhere, as there are about 1400 species altogether.

Anyway! Line drawings and/or color images, with brief descriptions of identifying characteristics. That’s what I expect of a field guide. A bit odd to think of something like that for fantasy animals. Most of us can identify a cat, unicorn, or griffin when we see one. Granted, it can be hard to tell a magical cat from a non-magical cat on first sight. A gray cat with green eyes is probably magic, in my experience.

So, let’s take a look!

Well, not at all to my surprise, this post is not at all a field guild. It’s just a list of some of the author’s favorite animals in fantasy novels. That’s fine, but not at all out of the ordinary.

RACE THE SANDS BY SARAH BETH DURST. That’s a book I either have on my TBR pile or plan to get eventually. Sarah Beth Durst is an author who’s a bit unusual for me. Some of her books I really like, some don’t particularly grab me, and it’s not generally clear to me why any given book of hers works or doesn’t work.

KINGDOM OF EXILES BY MAXYM M MARTINEAU. “Leena Edenfrell has a bestiary and she is not afraid to use it. She loves her beasts, but ever since her exile, she has been forced to sell them on the black market…”

No no no! Wow, that sentence is a major, major turn off for me. Nothing could force me to sell any of my dogs to a bad home, which is what that sentence is making me think of. I mean, nothing imaginable in the real world. I am utterly out of sympathy for this person. I’m not interested in what dire circumstances might have put her in this position. No. Absolutely not.

I see that selling her animals like that is a crime. Good. It should be. Regardless, I’m not touching this book.

Moving on:

THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER BY ANDREA STEWART

It’s funny, in a way, that nothing in this book’s several trigger warnings is remotely as triggering for me as the situation above. Oddly, there is no actual description of the important animal companion found in this book. That is mysterious! Is it that hard to describe? Would describing it constitute a spoiler? I’m baffled. Let me take a look at the description on Amazon … hmm. I see no one is describing this animal companion in any terms other than “bizarre.” I must admit, that’s intriguing.

Quite a few others. Hmm. Six more books listed at the linked post.

Of the lot, this one sounds the most interesting to me:

SHADOW OF THE FOX BY JULIE KAGAWA

Yumeko is a kind troublemaker who has a way with fantastical Oni but has never left the monastery. That is until she must protect an ancient scroll. Tatsumi is a deadly warrior who is tasked with killing the world’s monsters and his latest assignment is to retrieve a scroll…

Yumeko appears to be a kitsune. I have a definite soft spot for kitsune. As it happens, I also like assassins. I think I’ll add a sample to my kindle. I may read actually try that sample sometime this year; who knows?

Click through to read the whole post.

Meanwhile: MY top five animal companions in fantasy:

1)Jhereg, by Steven Brust.

Loiosh is sidekick enough to let Vlad take center stage, but has enough personality of his own that he doesn’t come across as the dreaded Super Obedient Special Robot Animal Friend. Also, this series has some awesome covers.

2) Temeraire by Naomi Novik. In this case, Temeraire is not a sidekick at all, or not for very long. He’s not an animal companion, exactly. He’s a nonhuman companion, with his own priorities and agenda. Someday I may read the rest of this series, but I liked the first books the best and have not felt much urgency to go through the less-good middle books toward those at the end.

3) The trellwolves, in Monette’s and Bear’s A Companion to Wolves. Viradechtis is very much an animal companion in the classic sense. She doesn’t talk. Even though trellwolves are telepathic, Viradechtis is an actual animal, a trellwolf, not a furry person. While I have problems with the believability of some aspects of the social behavior shown by the trellwolves, in story terms, they work very well. I loved the first two books in this series. The third book disappointed me in various ways, though this was largely because I wanted the story to go in directions it didn’t go. Other readers might very well feel differently.

4) Every dog that ever appeared in a story by Robin McKinley, but perhaps particularly suitable for this post, the hellhound that appears in the story of the same name. I like him for this post because he is not exactly a normal dog, and so far all the animal companions I’ve listed are something different from, more than, ordinary animals.

5) Although I eventually got tired of telepathic cats, I do really like the giant telepathic cats in the Raithskar series by Garrett and Heydron. Partly that’s because I read these before I got tired of telepathic cats in fantasy, but mostly that’s because the authors handle these cats really well. This is another example of an animal sidekick, Keeshah, who has a mind and agenda of his own. Mostly obedient to his human, that obedience has limits, particularly when the human’s ideas push too hard against the cat’s own instincts. Quite well done, and the whole series is well put together. I liked it a lot and have read it quite a few times.

Okay! Which animal companion is your favorite? And is the animal companion a true animal, a nonhuman person, or somewhere in between?

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The Long View

A post by James Davis Nicholl at tor.com: Five SF Novels That Take the Long View of History

There are a fair number of SF novels that focus not on individual characters but on the society of which they are a part. Often the novels do so by focusing on the development of those cultures over time. Societies evolve; individuals come and go like mayflies. There’s a narrative, but not the sort of narrative we usually expect to enjoy.

You might think that it would be hard to make such books interesting. (I don’t think that anyone has ever described The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as a cracking thrill ride: “Could not put it down!”) The following five novels show that it is possible to write interesting works that take the long view.

The five Nicholl picks out of the herd:

1) The Healer by F Paul Wilson. That’s a fun choice! It’s been a really long time since I read that. It fits because the protagonist is basically immortal — immortal unless he’s standing at ground zero when someone drops a large bomb on him or something like that. So he lives through a lot of societal change.

2) Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang.

3) The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss.

4) Accelerendo by Stross.

5) Children of Time by Tchaikovsky.

I’ve never read any of these except the first. I’ve got Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang on my TBR shelves, where, at the current rate at which I’m reading those books, it may stay until the sun turns into a red giant.

I’m sure some of you have read others on this list. What did you think? I know Stross isn’t my favorite.

But I immediately thought of a lot of other books that take a long view. I’m certain I can think of another five off the top of my head:

6) Foundation. I never actually liked any of Asimov’s novels, but I’m pretty sure I recall this series taking a very, very broad view of history and the development of societies.

7) The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. Nicholl says, “Because I didn’t care for the Mars trilogy. That’s why I didn’t mention it.” Well, I DID like the Mars trilogy. More than that, I admired it. I’ve read it twice. It’s not something I’ll go back to very often. But imo it’s a legitimately great work and very much deserves to be included in any list remotely like this.

8) The Oankali series by Octavia E Butler. This is a multi-generational series that shows the re-development of human society after a serious crisis. Among other things. This is very much a story that steps back and takes the long view, though it does so through several more intimate stories that are linked. But then, that’s how most (all?) stories like this work. Otherwise, they would be history or sociology textbooks, not novels.

By the way, I notice that the Oankali trilogy is $3.99 right now for the set of Kindle ebooks. I so strongly prefer to read on my phone or Kindle these days, so that I can increase text size, that I’m willing to pick up ebooks even if I already have paper copies, as long as I know I will re-read the books eventually and as long as the price is low. I’m picking these up right now. Done.

9) Cyteen. In a way, that’s not looking at such a large sweep of time since the majority of the story takes place during a relatively brief period — less than the length of one person’s normal lifespan. But in another way, it absolutely is a story that takes a very long view. That’s what Ari is all about: seeing and shaping the future of her society. Also, tangentially linked: 40,000 in Gehenna is as broad-scale as anyone could wish.

10) Seveneves. The first part is a short-term story, but then the story leaps forward into the new society that’s formed from the paltry remnants of the old. I think that absolutely counts. The novel moves from near-future to pretty far-future in one sharp step, leaving out the intermediate period, but it’s certainly taking a long, long view of societal development.

Here’s one more:

11) The Steerswoman. I realize — I FULLY REALIZE — that this series isn’t finished. Nevertheless, you all ought to read it. It’s soooo good! It also has my vote as single series I would most like to see finished in the next — let’s be realistic — the next ten years, let’s say.

I also realize that the characters do not see the truly amazing, very broad view of the past and future that is clear to the reader. VERY broad scope, here. VERY long view. Also my favorite of the eleven books here, and that’s saying something, because I love both Cyteen and the Oankali series.

What here have you most loved?

What have I missed that belongs on this list?

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Now live: A redesigned books page

Okay! Behind the scenes, a fairly substantial redesign of this website has been taking place. For me, back here, the site looks a bit different. For you, I think most of the site looks about the same, EXCEPT the Books page has been dramatically redesigned.

Click on over to the Books page and see what you think! Every series has its own page, plus the standalone titles have been set into their own categories. I think it should make everything far, far easier for people who perhaps aren’t as familiar with my books as perhaps most of you may be. It should also be both a more attractive and more straightforward presentation.

As an added perk, I’m told the behind-the-scenes part will make it easier for me to add new books myself as I bring them out, which has been a major pain in the neck in the past. I should have multiple opportunities to fiddle with that aspect of the redesign this year, and of course next year and in years to come.

I suspect this redesign will also take care of the occasional problems in which comments don’t show up, or don’t show up unless and until you fiddle around a bit. If anybody still has a problem with that after today, please let me know.

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Your Final Responsibility to Your Story

A post from Jane Friedman’s blog: Your Final Responsibility to Your Story: Creative Stewardship

As writers, it can feel daunting, vulnerable, and impossible when we contemplate sending our own stories out into the world. So when end stage paralysis strikes you, it’s time to step away from your identity as writer, and into your role as creative steward. … You have finished your story. It is now time to acknowledge this beautiful shiny thing as an entity entirely separate from you. To help me detach, I personify a project by giving it a new, friendly, human sounding name. E.g., the book I want to sell right now, The Color Eater, became Gretel. Gretel is entirely her own being, independent of me. By detaching, we take I and me out of the equation, which eliminates the problems of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear of personal rejection.

Oh, that’s funny! I didn’t actually laugh out loud, but I definitely smiled. Can that actually work? Well, I guess this author thinks it works for her. Who is this? Ah, someone named  Jessica Conoley. She is more a writing coach, I guess, than an author, at least so far.

Well, I still think that’s funny. Not necessary a terrible idea — intrinsically silly, but if it works to get someone over that kind of paralysis, then who cares? I have definitely heard from people suffering this kind of can’t-let-go paralysis. I feel that myself, every single time, to a greater or lesser extent. Greater when it’s a book I care a lot about (Tuyo) or a book I think is hard to position, hard to describe, potentially hard to sell (Death’s Lady). Those are the two I’ve felt most nervous about, by a lot. Every book may feel that way to an extent, but not as much as these.

I don’t offhand think that giving them names like Thomas or Danielle would have helped one bit. I’m generally repelled by anything too obviously silly (Pratchett’s character names leap to mind), so that may be why. Or one reason why. But fundamentally, if a book really matters to the author, I don’t think there are any psychological tricks in the universe that will help very much. Seeing a lot of high-star ratings for Tuyo and Tarashana, that’s what helped. I personally don’t really expect Death’s Lady to be rated as highly, especially not the first book — maybe the other two — especially the last, where everything comes crashing together. Nothing to do but wait and see. No wonder authors feel nervous! Nothing could make waiting to see how a new book is received less nerve-wracking, surely.

Oh, actually one thing can! The right kind of enthusiastic response from beta readers. I wasn’t very nervous about Tarashana, a book I am as attached to as Tuyo, because a couple of you had given it an enthusiastic thumbs up before I brought it out, and if Tarashana worked for you, I was pretty sure it would be well-received generally. It’s at 4.9 on Amazon, so I was right to relax, and thank you, by the way, to everyone who’s taken a moment to leave a review.

Let me see what else Conoley suggests …

There are readers out there who need this story. You don’t know who they are exactly, and you may never know how this story changed their lives—but the readers are out there waiting for an insight this story holds. It will resonate for them at just the right moment in time and unlock a new world for them. It is your duty as a creative steward to give your story the opportunity to connect with these readers.

Oh, I hope so. That’s certainly a nice thought.

Creative stewardship is all about finding the right opportunities for your story. You’ve already mastered the tools you need. Start applying your skills in a new way to give your story the chance to inspire, entertain, or change the world. There are readers out there who need it. Now go, help your story find them.

Well, that’s all very inspirational, but I do think a more accurate term for “creative stewardship” is probably “marketing.” I don’t think all the pep talks in the world will make most authors think that’s fun.

However, the fundamental message of this post is dead right: at some point you have to let your book go, no matter how nerve-wracking that may be.

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Murdering 22,000 Darlings

VERY eye-catching post at Writer Unboxed, highly relevant to this post about bad writing advice.

On Murdering 22,000 Darlings.

One learns a lot about one’s writing habits—and oneself—when cutting almost 19 percent of a manuscript, paring it from 119,000 words (476 pages) to 97,000 words (409 pages).

Oh! That’s not at all the same. That’s just cutting WORDS. Words are not “darlings.” No author falls in love with one word at a time, in isolation. Sentences, maybe. Paragraphs, maybe. But I personally think “darlings” mostly means scenes and perhaps characters.

I mean, if you particularly love a specific sentence, quite likely you can find a way to keep that sentence. Those of you who have read two different versions of one of my books will have seen me shift scenes around, hand a snippet of dialogue to one character and then another, and tuck a particular sentence or three from one chapter or scene that disappears into a different chapter or scene that remains. I don’t save every snippet I love, but I certainly do save a good many. I would bet that the author of this post — David Corbett — did too.

Cutting 19% of a manuscript is a lot, I grant. I feel like I’ve done that. Let me see. Why, yes, that is just about exactly the amount I cut from Tuyo. I’ve cut more than that from time to time, I bet. I think The White Road of the Moon was probably the one from which I cut the most. Come to think of it, I cut The City in the Lake pretty hard. I think. I’m pretty sure I remember cutting that by about 15%.

Anyway:

Overwriting is hardly an uncommon problem. When writing our initial drafts, we’re discovering the story for ourselves, fleshing out the logical contingencies that make the story plausible, describing places and people in great detail to make sure we’re not overlooking something. Often, in the days after writing a scene, we’ll realize we’ve missed something—a nuance, a subtlety, a contradiction—and will go back and fill it in.

When returning to the text for a rewrite, however, much of that exploration proves to be excessive, and determining how little is necessary to convey what we intend—succinctly, powerfully, dramatically—is one of the key focus points of competent revision.

A good point here. Not sure I buy the idea that it’s crucial to leave only as little as absolutely necessary, but it’s fine to frame revision that way. A bigger issue for me personally is either (a) forgetting I explained something, so I explain it again; and (b) not being sure I conveyed something successfully, so I convey it again. Also (c) really wanting to slip in a little more development of the culture or world or whatever, even though it’s not absolutely necessary to the story as such. But as I say, I don’t know that I consider (c) a real problem to worry about and correct, unlike (a) and (b). Spotting and removing repetitive backstory and explanations is certainly something I do in revision. Along with adjusting foreshadowing. It’s a trick, foreshadowing just enough but (hopefully) not too much.

Corbet winds up this way:

The point is reader engagement, and excess writing not only tests readers’ patience by forcing them to wallow through needless verbiage, it also all too often overexplains, making too explicit what they want to infer for themselves. It’s important to realize that often it’s by not saying something that we allow subtext to make the point for us, and the inference of meaning from subtext is one of the great joys of reading.

I think that’s well put.

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