Cameron Darrow's Blog, page 13
September 4, 2020
(Small) Book IV Update
I've gotten my first round of feedback on Book IV, and have been hard at work on rewrites this week.
I cannot overstate how valuable good feedback is for authors, especially those of us that write novels, especially especially a series. It is so easy to get lost in the maze of your creation that you just don't see certain things. They will look super obvious in the final version, and my imposter syndrome will have a right old guffaw about it, but perspective is incredibly hard to generate yourself, even with time.
This book was very much like that, and though it needs surgery, the book will not only be better, it will probably be out sooner! Sounds counter intuitive but it's true. I don't know when, it depends on how long the rewrites take, then another round of editing, and so on.
You've been very patiently waiting, but I need just a little more. It's not vaporware, it's just a lot of work. I swear I could write another book just about the writing of this book, but a) that would get in the way of... writing this book, and b) isn't something I can really talk about until the series is done. Some of the reasons it's taken so long are quite spoilery.
I will work very very hard to have it out by the end of the year, but I know that is also the epitaph of everyone who's ever written a series. But it's in such a better place than it was even a week ago, I'm feeling optimistic. When I have an idea of the date, I will announce the title, but not just yet, sorry.
There are other announcements coming, too! Exciting stuff is afoot, I just can't talk about it. There are three months left in the year, and I intend to see it out with a bang!
Back to work!
I cannot overstate how valuable good feedback is for authors, especially those of us that write novels, especially especially a series. It is so easy to get lost in the maze of your creation that you just don't see certain things. They will look super obvious in the final version, and my imposter syndrome will have a right old guffaw about it, but perspective is incredibly hard to generate yourself, even with time.
This book was very much like that, and though it needs surgery, the book will not only be better, it will probably be out sooner! Sounds counter intuitive but it's true. I don't know when, it depends on how long the rewrites take, then another round of editing, and so on.
You've been very patiently waiting, but I need just a little more. It's not vaporware, it's just a lot of work. I swear I could write another book just about the writing of this book, but a) that would get in the way of... writing this book, and b) isn't something I can really talk about until the series is done. Some of the reasons it's taken so long are quite spoilery.
I will work very very hard to have it out by the end of the year, but I know that is also the epitaph of everyone who's ever written a series. But it's in such a better place than it was even a week ago, I'm feeling optimistic. When I have an idea of the date, I will announce the title, but not just yet, sorry.
There are other announcements coming, too! Exciting stuff is afoot, I just can't talk about it. There are three months left in the year, and I intend to see it out with a bang!
Back to work!
August 28, 2020
Investing in Future Me
So I mentioned last week that I'm struggling to get another project off the ground while Book IV is away, and that has held true this week, unfortunately. Not a lot of writing happened, but some ideas did, at least!
But what I mostly did this week is a bunch of stuff that isn't all that fun, but will need to be done at some point. Formatting, research, stuff like that. I learned what a fleuron is! (The little decorative things between scene changes instead of using ~ or ***) Now that I know they have a name, I taught myself how to make them, and plan to abuse them in my next standalone book. I also invested a ton of time into things I can't talk about yet, but will be announcing shortly. All of it would have taken up time later (when I didn't have it), but now I can just slot what isn't finished into what I just did, and it will be in your hands all the sooner! (Hint!)
I, like many people, tend towards the procrastination end of the spectrum, so doing all of these things early has felt really good, even if it won't pay off for a while. I wish I could just write all the time, but as an indie author that just isn't an option, so taking the time when the juices aren't flowing to get the non-writing stuff done still lets me feel like I've accomplished something, and future me will thank past me for getting it done when I did.
The hard part starts (hopefully) tomorrow, when I should be getting my first round of feedback on Book IV. Only then can I think about things like release windows and title announcements and all the fun ramp-up stuff.
I won't hit my goal of having three books out this year, but that doesn't mean there aren't other exciting things in the works! More on them soon!
But what I mostly did this week is a bunch of stuff that isn't all that fun, but will need to be done at some point. Formatting, research, stuff like that. I learned what a fleuron is! (The little decorative things between scene changes instead of using ~ or ***) Now that I know they have a name, I taught myself how to make them, and plan to abuse them in my next standalone book. I also invested a ton of time into things I can't talk about yet, but will be announcing shortly. All of it would have taken up time later (when I didn't have it), but now I can just slot what isn't finished into what I just did, and it will be in your hands all the sooner! (Hint!)
I, like many people, tend towards the procrastination end of the spectrum, so doing all of these things early has felt really good, even if it won't pay off for a while. I wish I could just write all the time, but as an indie author that just isn't an option, so taking the time when the juices aren't flowing to get the non-writing stuff done still lets me feel like I've accomplished something, and future me will thank past me for getting it done when I did.
The hard part starts (hopefully) tomorrow, when I should be getting my first round of feedback on Book IV. Only then can I think about things like release windows and title announcements and all the fun ramp-up stuff.
I won't hit my goal of having three books out this year, but that doesn't mean there aren't other exciting things in the works! More on them soon!
August 21, 2020
Shifting Gears
While Book IV is still with its initial readers, I wanted to really dive into my next book, and use the time I'm not able to use on Book IV to make as much progress as I can on another project.
It's really hard. A goal I set for myself was to try to have two projects in the air at the same time, in different stages of development, but it's turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be. While there's nothing I can really do to Book IV until I get feedback on it, it's not actually done. It's still in my head, and I can't shake the voice I use for those books. I know I'm going to be diving right back into it shortly, and my brain refuses to shift over into something else. If you've read Midnight Magic and the Ashes books, you know that they are very different tonally, and I'm finding it hard to use a different voice while Book IV is unfinished.
Usually during this time, I do all the brainstorming for my next book, but I already did that when Midnight was at this stage, so that work is largely done. I just have to sit down and bash out the words. But the voice isn't there, and I'm having trouble finding it. Maybe it's good, a sign that my narrative voice is really strong in each book, or maybe it's bad, and I can't get work done as quickly as I want to when I have the chance. I don't know, it's weird.
What about Book V, you say? Well, I can't say I burned myself out writing Book IV, but I did scorch myself pretty good. I needed perspective on it more than any of the others, and for good reasons, but ones I can't share until the series is done completely.
But this is all temporary! I should be hearing back soon on Book IV, and then I'll have a better idea about everything going forward (like title reveals and release date... windows... and such).
Just a little glimpse into the weirdness of creativity and my process (at the moment). It seems to change every book, and none of this may even hold true next week! We'll see.
Take care, and thank you for reading.
It's really hard. A goal I set for myself was to try to have two projects in the air at the same time, in different stages of development, but it's turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be. While there's nothing I can really do to Book IV until I get feedback on it, it's not actually done. It's still in my head, and I can't shake the voice I use for those books. I know I'm going to be diving right back into it shortly, and my brain refuses to shift over into something else. If you've read Midnight Magic and the Ashes books, you know that they are very different tonally, and I'm finding it hard to use a different voice while Book IV is unfinished.
Usually during this time, I do all the brainstorming for my next book, but I already did that when Midnight was at this stage, so that work is largely done. I just have to sit down and bash out the words. But the voice isn't there, and I'm having trouble finding it. Maybe it's good, a sign that my narrative voice is really strong in each book, or maybe it's bad, and I can't get work done as quickly as I want to when I have the chance. I don't know, it's weird.
What about Book V, you say? Well, I can't say I burned myself out writing Book IV, but I did scorch myself pretty good. I needed perspective on it more than any of the others, and for good reasons, but ones I can't share until the series is done completely.
But this is all temporary! I should be hearing back soon on Book IV, and then I'll have a better idea about everything going forward (like title reveals and release date... windows... and such).
Just a little glimpse into the weirdness of creativity and my process (at the moment). It seems to change every book, and none of this may even hold true next week! We'll see.
Take care, and thank you for reading.
August 7, 2020
Four is Better Than Three
Acts.
One thing I struggled with when I was starting was the three act structure. Acts I and III I understood, but it was always Act II that felt hard to get my head around. If you don't know, Acts I and III are each usually around 25% of a story. Do a little math and you realize that that means Act II is half the book! And I, like a lot of people trying to understand structure, felt like it was a big chasm you had to fill in with whatever would get you across it. We all know the beginnings and endings of our stories, right? What about that big bit in the middle? Again, half the story?
There's what's called 'saggy middles' and there are 'second act backstory dumps', and other less-than-savory names for things that are done to fill up all this space. But even when you read books about craft, you still end up with clunky things like 'in the first half of the second act, X happens, while in the second half of the second act...', it all gets mushy and complicated.
So, I took some advice long ago to not think about it in terms of three acts, but four. You split Act II in half, so you have four acts that are each 1/4 of the story. Each one has a goal to accomplish, and are bookended by your traditional story points, giving you several shorter bridges with obvious ends to work with, rather than one massive one in the middle.
I won't go into all the details, because then I'd just be writing a book about writing, but if you're a writer, and have been struggling with structure and the actual craft, I highly encourage you to look into how to break a story down into four acts rather than three.
A good place to start is K.M. Weiland's website, https://www.helpingwritersbecomeautho.... She doesn't specifically break it down into four acts, but she makes the three super clear as to what you're supposed to do and when things should happen. I just re-labeled Act II into two parts. Her books on outlining made a huge difference for me, and I hope they can help you, as well. It's just a starting point! Not the be-all, end-all. I have no connection to her, nor have I gotten any money or anything, I just want to share with you a resource and a way of thinking that helped me quite a bit.
Novels, like a lot of things, get easier when you break them down into manageable chunks, and the smaller the better.
***
As a note, I will be taking some much-needed time off next week, so no blog post! And I will (hopefully) not be around on the Twitter, either. Talk to you again in two weeks! Thank you for reading.
One thing I struggled with when I was starting was the three act structure. Acts I and III I understood, but it was always Act II that felt hard to get my head around. If you don't know, Acts I and III are each usually around 25% of a story. Do a little math and you realize that that means Act II is half the book! And I, like a lot of people trying to understand structure, felt like it was a big chasm you had to fill in with whatever would get you across it. We all know the beginnings and endings of our stories, right? What about that big bit in the middle? Again, half the story?
There's what's called 'saggy middles' and there are 'second act backstory dumps', and other less-than-savory names for things that are done to fill up all this space. But even when you read books about craft, you still end up with clunky things like 'in the first half of the second act, X happens, while in the second half of the second act...', it all gets mushy and complicated.
So, I took some advice long ago to not think about it in terms of three acts, but four. You split Act II in half, so you have four acts that are each 1/4 of the story. Each one has a goal to accomplish, and are bookended by your traditional story points, giving you several shorter bridges with obvious ends to work with, rather than one massive one in the middle.
I won't go into all the details, because then I'd just be writing a book about writing, but if you're a writer, and have been struggling with structure and the actual craft, I highly encourage you to look into how to break a story down into four acts rather than three.
A good place to start is K.M. Weiland's website, https://www.helpingwritersbecomeautho.... She doesn't specifically break it down into four acts, but she makes the three super clear as to what you're supposed to do and when things should happen. I just re-labeled Act II into two parts. Her books on outlining made a huge difference for me, and I hope they can help you, as well. It's just a starting point! Not the be-all, end-all. I have no connection to her, nor have I gotten any money or anything, I just want to share with you a resource and a way of thinking that helped me quite a bit.
Novels, like a lot of things, get easier when you break them down into manageable chunks, and the smaller the better.
***
As a note, I will be taking some much-needed time off next week, so no blog post! And I will (hopefully) not be around on the Twitter, either. Talk to you again in two weeks! Thank you for reading.
July 31, 2020
When is a Book Done?
There are a couple of different answers to this, and it depends on what you mean by 'done'. For me, there's two types of done: when you are ready to show it to others (ie, beta readers, editor, et al), and when you are ready to publish it. The latter is only really true for indie authors, as it's solely up to me when that is.
For the 'show others' category, one of two things usually happens that tells me that it's ready for other eyeballs. The first is when the book reaches the point of semantic satiation. What's that, you say? It's the point at which the words stop making sense. You can read it, but derive no meaning from the words because you've read them so many times. I distinctly remember this happening on 'Remember, November' because it was my first novel and I didn't know that such a thing could happen. But you read your book again and again, and eventually (I, at least) reach a point when you go back to the beginning to start again and your brain just gives up. It's a weird feeling, and not a good one, but it is a signal that you've reached the point of diminishing returns. Either let someone else look at it, or stick it in a drawer for a few weeks until you can make sense of it again.
The second is when you're just sick of it. You've read it so many times, always tweaking, changing, thinking, going over it again and again, until you eventually snap and just say 'Get this thing out of my house!' It sounds harsh, and I suppose it is, but every parent needs a break from their children now and again. I love my books, and I love my characters, but they really are like children, in many ways. Sometimes you just need to call a babysitter and go out for a while. But if you get to this point, never ever just palm off a book full of problems and say 'fix this for me', that's not cool. It's your story, and up to you to tell it. But sometimes you can simply no longer be objective about things and need help. I fix everything I know is wrong, but I will occasionally leave in things that I'm not sure about (more often than not it gets cut, see my other posts about cutting stuff). The whole point of beta readers is to get perspective. They will see things you don't (you use this word a lot, you already talked about this, this tone shift is jarring, why all the semicolons?), so they are invaluable. When it goes from *sing-song voice* 'My book!' to *disgruntled* 'This f*cking thing,' again, get perspective somehow (other readers, time). You're no longer objective about it.
As for when it's ready to publish? Honestly, I just feel like I know. Once all the beta feedback is incorporated and the typos (as best I can) are stamped out, it's usually ready. I'm not a perfectionist, but I don't settle for 'good enough' either. It will never be perfect, but you can be happy with it. Once you're just tweaking around the edges for the sake of it, just stop. It's done.
You may be wondering, 'Hey, aren't you working on Book IV? Are you trying to tell us something?'
It's... in one of the above stages. But since I haven't revealed the title or release date, you can probably eliminate one of them. Just something I've been thinking about!
For the 'show others' category, one of two things usually happens that tells me that it's ready for other eyeballs. The first is when the book reaches the point of semantic satiation. What's that, you say? It's the point at which the words stop making sense. You can read it, but derive no meaning from the words because you've read them so many times. I distinctly remember this happening on 'Remember, November' because it was my first novel and I didn't know that such a thing could happen. But you read your book again and again, and eventually (I, at least) reach a point when you go back to the beginning to start again and your brain just gives up. It's a weird feeling, and not a good one, but it is a signal that you've reached the point of diminishing returns. Either let someone else look at it, or stick it in a drawer for a few weeks until you can make sense of it again.
The second is when you're just sick of it. You've read it so many times, always tweaking, changing, thinking, going over it again and again, until you eventually snap and just say 'Get this thing out of my house!' It sounds harsh, and I suppose it is, but every parent needs a break from their children now and again. I love my books, and I love my characters, but they really are like children, in many ways. Sometimes you just need to call a babysitter and go out for a while. But if you get to this point, never ever just palm off a book full of problems and say 'fix this for me', that's not cool. It's your story, and up to you to tell it. But sometimes you can simply no longer be objective about things and need help. I fix everything I know is wrong, but I will occasionally leave in things that I'm not sure about (more often than not it gets cut, see my other posts about cutting stuff). The whole point of beta readers is to get perspective. They will see things you don't (you use this word a lot, you already talked about this, this tone shift is jarring, why all the semicolons?), so they are invaluable. When it goes from *sing-song voice* 'My book!' to *disgruntled* 'This f*cking thing,' again, get perspective somehow (other readers, time). You're no longer objective about it.
As for when it's ready to publish? Honestly, I just feel like I know. Once all the beta feedback is incorporated and the typos (as best I can) are stamped out, it's usually ready. I'm not a perfectionist, but I don't settle for 'good enough' either. It will never be perfect, but you can be happy with it. Once you're just tweaking around the edges for the sake of it, just stop. It's done.
You may be wondering, 'Hey, aren't you working on Book IV? Are you trying to tell us something?'
It's... in one of the above stages. But since I haven't revealed the title or release date, you can probably eliminate one of them. Just something I've been thinking about!
July 24, 2020
Killing Your Darlings
This is a often-used term amongst writers that refers to cutting things from your work that you really like, but have to for whatever reason. The imagery of it is a bit violent, but it's for a reason. It hurts. You can expend so much effort, emotion and time in writing something, so to have it wind up essentially meaningless is not a great feeling. But your first job as a writer is to serve the story and the characters, and if the scene doesn't do either of those things, then it doesn't belong, and it has to go.
Now, I've written a few times on this blog how good it feels to cut stuff, and most of the time it does! But there are times where it's just a huge bummer. Everything I cut, however, I save, just in case there are bits of it I can use later. A bit of description, an encapsulation of a feeling, a good line of dialogue, whatever. Never throw anything away! It takes up minimal space on your computer, and it may be useful in the future. There are things that I wrote for Ashes Book II that are now in Book IV! I have thousands of words for Book V that I cut from Book IV!
How to avoid this? Outlining first is the best way. If you outline a story well, there won't be any surprises, and you won't waste time writing things you don't need. But that doesn't always work. Sometimes there are gaps, and you need to fill them in, but it doesn't work. Exposition is my most frequent victim. I'll write a scene full of it, and only later figure out a way to seed it better across multiple scenes, or make it more organic than 'two characters sit down and explain the thing.' Sometimes those scenes help me figure out a character's mental state, though. Working things out 'in real time,' as it were, can clarify their position or feelings on something, and I can use that (better) later. Another bugbear is tone. I know a scene needs to exist, but written in isolation it can 'feel' wrong, and sometimes it's easier to just blow it up and start over than it is to try to turn that battleship.
It's all part of the process, and thankfully, part that you'll never see! Stuff is always cut for a good reason, even if, out of context, it's wonderful and amazing and all that. I've cut stuff that's made me cry, I've cut stuff that's made me proud, and I've cut stuff that should be fired into the sun. Most of the time, my instincts are good enough that I know to do it before anyone else sees it, but sometimes, you need perspective, and only another pair of eyeballs can see what you can't. You have to be receptive to it, otherwise why did you ask them to read your work? If it needs to go, it needs to go. You can't be too precious about things, or the work will suffer.
But you have to keep going! Write, cut, revise, feedback, revise, revise, revise, get sick of it, take a break, revise... did I say revise?
Now, I've written a few times on this blog how good it feels to cut stuff, and most of the time it does! But there are times where it's just a huge bummer. Everything I cut, however, I save, just in case there are bits of it I can use later. A bit of description, an encapsulation of a feeling, a good line of dialogue, whatever. Never throw anything away! It takes up minimal space on your computer, and it may be useful in the future. There are things that I wrote for Ashes Book II that are now in Book IV! I have thousands of words for Book V that I cut from Book IV!
How to avoid this? Outlining first is the best way. If you outline a story well, there won't be any surprises, and you won't waste time writing things you don't need. But that doesn't always work. Sometimes there are gaps, and you need to fill them in, but it doesn't work. Exposition is my most frequent victim. I'll write a scene full of it, and only later figure out a way to seed it better across multiple scenes, or make it more organic than 'two characters sit down and explain the thing.' Sometimes those scenes help me figure out a character's mental state, though. Working things out 'in real time,' as it were, can clarify their position or feelings on something, and I can use that (better) later. Another bugbear is tone. I know a scene needs to exist, but written in isolation it can 'feel' wrong, and sometimes it's easier to just blow it up and start over than it is to try to turn that battleship.
It's all part of the process, and thankfully, part that you'll never see! Stuff is always cut for a good reason, even if, out of context, it's wonderful and amazing and all that. I've cut stuff that's made me cry, I've cut stuff that's made me proud, and I've cut stuff that should be fired into the sun. Most of the time, my instincts are good enough that I know to do it before anyone else sees it, but sometimes, you need perspective, and only another pair of eyeballs can see what you can't. You have to be receptive to it, otherwise why did you ask them to read your work? If it needs to go, it needs to go. You can't be too precious about things, or the work will suffer.
But you have to keep going! Write, cut, revise, feedback, revise, revise, revise, get sick of it, take a break, revise... did I say revise?
July 17, 2020
I'm Gonna Name Names
Last week I mentioned doing a post on names, so I thought I would do it this week before I forget.
Names are super important, and can make or break a character when you're first introduced to them. As a fantasy reader/writer, I'm especially conscious of this, as I've had more than one book need to do extra lifting to get me past the ridiculous names. I realize that saying that leaves me open to criticism about my name choices, and that's fine! I know Victoria and Pretoria are too similar, but I made that choice with my eyes wide open.
But let's talk about Pretoria as an example. As I mentioned last week, I didn't even know that was used as a name until I went poking around for names used in 1900. I knew roughly how old she was, and baby name popularity lists go back at least to the 19th century, so I had a look. When I saw that name, I immediately wanted to use it. It's a good, strong name, and was only popular briefly (as in for a few months), so it would lend an extra sense of time to her story. I didn't want to use any of the old-timey names from that period like Esther, but I ended up doing it anyway, since that name is unique to that period! It did take me a while to completely decide, though. Having a Victoria and Pretoria together is a bit... much. But Latin names are cool!
But it's not just looking at a list and picking one, it has to sound right, and more importantly, read right. It has to look good in text, and be easy on the eyes. But by sound, I don't just mean pronunciation. Cadence is important too. Victoria Ravenwood. Say it out loud. 4 syllables and 3 syllables, two little bumps of emphasis. It's satisfying. Or it is, to me. Pretoria Ferguson, same thing. Millie Brown. 1-2-3. Bam. Sounds good.
Now, Russian names were much harder, since I didn't know much. I had to research, and I uncovered a lot more than I thought I was going to. Take Katya, for example. Her full name is Yekaterina Konstantinovna Gurevich. The middle name in Russian comes from the father's name, which meant I had to decide what her father's name was just to finish her name! (It's Konstantin) And I had to, because I learned that to other Russians she doesn't know that well, she would be addressed as Yekaterina Konstaninovna. Only non-Russians would call her Yektaerina Gurevich at first. Then the nicknames. Wow. I didn't know there was a system for it, or that there were so many. I don't to speak out of turn, so I recommend looking it up yourself, but it's fascinating. Names are so important and flexible in Russian, and it will come up again in Book V. Yes, V. You'll see. Ahem.
Midnight Magic was completely different. As a full-on fantasy novel, I could name characters whatever I wanted, which was can be intimidating. Usually with names I'll start with the first letter, since you don't want characters with names that start with the same letter. (Again, how names look is important. Your eyes just skim over things a lot of the time, so when you see 'V' you know it's Vimika and not Seris or Delica). Aurelai was easy. That name just came to me one time and I kept it. But the other wizards all have long, convoluted names. That was deliberate, it's a cultural thing for them, but they had to sound right. Have a certain kind of musicality. Vimikathritas Malakandronon is a mouthful, but sounds sort-of, kind-of, barely-if-you-squint-real-hard Greek... ish. (Actually, it's a very roundabout homage to Kethry, from Mercedes Lackey's 'Vows and Honor' books, whose full name is Kethryvaris, which is my favorite fantasy name of all time. They look way farther apart in text than they sound in my head.) On top of that, V and A are sort of inverted versions of one another, and Vimika and Aurelai each have three syllables, and... it's sweet to me!
First letter, syllables, appearance, mouth feel, memorability, similarity to other names, cultural significance. Notice 'meaning' isn't on there? It's not important to me. It may be different for you, but it's such a secondary concern that so very few will ever pick up on that it's not worth it, and can become a little too clever if you try to push it. Sveta and Millie's conversation about the meaning of their names in Book II is an outlier, and I had to look them up after the fact.
Now, having said all that, there are some little extra things I think about, but I don't want to give away everything! Some names are more important than others, and had a little more thought put into them. Others are little easter eggs. For example, Katya, Sveta and Inga all have very deliberately chosen surnames, but you deserve the joy of discovery for figuring it out yourself!
So that's a little window into how I think about names. Probably a little scattershot, and certainly not comprehensive, but I have a lot of books I want to write, I don't want to hand out a whole road map to puzzle over!
Hope you enjoyed it. Stay safe, and thank you for reading!
Names are super important, and can make or break a character when you're first introduced to them. As a fantasy reader/writer, I'm especially conscious of this, as I've had more than one book need to do extra lifting to get me past the ridiculous names. I realize that saying that leaves me open to criticism about my name choices, and that's fine! I know Victoria and Pretoria are too similar, but I made that choice with my eyes wide open.
But let's talk about Pretoria as an example. As I mentioned last week, I didn't even know that was used as a name until I went poking around for names used in 1900. I knew roughly how old she was, and baby name popularity lists go back at least to the 19th century, so I had a look. When I saw that name, I immediately wanted to use it. It's a good, strong name, and was only popular briefly (as in for a few months), so it would lend an extra sense of time to her story. I didn't want to use any of the old-timey names from that period like Esther, but I ended up doing it anyway, since that name is unique to that period! It did take me a while to completely decide, though. Having a Victoria and Pretoria together is a bit... much. But Latin names are cool!
But it's not just looking at a list and picking one, it has to sound right, and more importantly, read right. It has to look good in text, and be easy on the eyes. But by sound, I don't just mean pronunciation. Cadence is important too. Victoria Ravenwood. Say it out loud. 4 syllables and 3 syllables, two little bumps of emphasis. It's satisfying. Or it is, to me. Pretoria Ferguson, same thing. Millie Brown. 1-2-3. Bam. Sounds good.
Now, Russian names were much harder, since I didn't know much. I had to research, and I uncovered a lot more than I thought I was going to. Take Katya, for example. Her full name is Yekaterina Konstantinovna Gurevich. The middle name in Russian comes from the father's name, which meant I had to decide what her father's name was just to finish her name! (It's Konstantin) And I had to, because I learned that to other Russians she doesn't know that well, she would be addressed as Yekaterina Konstaninovna. Only non-Russians would call her Yektaerina Gurevich at first. Then the nicknames. Wow. I didn't know there was a system for it, or that there were so many. I don't to speak out of turn, so I recommend looking it up yourself, but it's fascinating. Names are so important and flexible in Russian, and it will come up again in Book V. Yes, V. You'll see. Ahem.
Midnight Magic was completely different. As a full-on fantasy novel, I could name characters whatever I wanted, which was can be intimidating. Usually with names I'll start with the first letter, since you don't want characters with names that start with the same letter. (Again, how names look is important. Your eyes just skim over things a lot of the time, so when you see 'V' you know it's Vimika and not Seris or Delica). Aurelai was easy. That name just came to me one time and I kept it. But the other wizards all have long, convoluted names. That was deliberate, it's a cultural thing for them, but they had to sound right. Have a certain kind of musicality. Vimikathritas Malakandronon is a mouthful, but sounds sort-of, kind-of, barely-if-you-squint-real-hard Greek... ish. (Actually, it's a very roundabout homage to Kethry, from Mercedes Lackey's 'Vows and Honor' books, whose full name is Kethryvaris, which is my favorite fantasy name of all time. They look way farther apart in text than they sound in my head.) On top of that, V and A are sort of inverted versions of one another, and Vimika and Aurelai each have three syllables, and... it's sweet to me!
First letter, syllables, appearance, mouth feel, memorability, similarity to other names, cultural significance. Notice 'meaning' isn't on there? It's not important to me. It may be different for you, but it's such a secondary concern that so very few will ever pick up on that it's not worth it, and can become a little too clever if you try to push it. Sveta and Millie's conversation about the meaning of their names in Book II is an outlier, and I had to look them up after the fact.
Now, having said all that, there are some little extra things I think about, but I don't want to give away everything! Some names are more important than others, and had a little more thought put into them. Others are little easter eggs. For example, Katya, Sveta and Inga all have very deliberately chosen surnames, but you deserve the joy of discovery for figuring it out yourself!
So that's a little window into how I think about names. Probably a little scattershot, and certainly not comprehensive, but I have a lot of books I want to write, I don't want to hand out a whole road map to puzzle over!
Hope you enjoyed it. Stay safe, and thank you for reading!
July 10, 2020
Research
I was recently asked on Twitter about how I do research, and since Twitter is a crap way to try to have any sort of intelligent conversation, I thought I would elaborate here.
The From the Ashes of Victory series takes place in Britain just after the end of WWI, so there's quite a bit of information I needed to convey that properly. I think I mostly succeeded, but I'm sure anyone who was around then would disagree. Then I pull the 'alternate universe' card and run.
First, I chose that time period not only because of its dramatic potential, but because I had an interest in it. Or maybe I saw the dramatic potential because I already had an interest. I don't know, creativity is weird. Anyway, the point it I already had a baseline to start from, and an active interest. Both of those things make a world of difference! You already have a 'feel' for it, and a place to start from, which makes it a lot easier, and more fun, since you might learn things you wanted to know anyway.
What to look for? This one is trickier, but it's usually as simple as answering 'I don't know' to something. I knew that airships were popular in this time period, and I knew they were big, but I didn't know how big. That was an easy answer to find, since it's just a number: 600 feet long. As for something like names? Also simple, I Googled 'Popular British baby names 1890s' and compared the lists I got. I would have never found Pretoria unless I went looking, since her name was only popular for one summer in 1900. Knowing that, I got her mixed feelings on it, too! It instantly dates her. There are no Pretorias (or very very few) born outside that window.
Russian naming conventions were a fun hole to dive into. It's wonderfully complicated, way more than I thought, and 'Yekaterina' in particular has between nine and fifty ways to shorten it, depending on who you trust. I'm going to save names for its own post, but I tried to look at sources written by actual Russians.
Is the asylum in Remember, November real? No. Did I look up Victorian mental asylums and pick one that had a layout I could remember? Yes. My imagination took over from there. Does Millie talk about her education? Not really, she mentions getting in fights, but that's it. I still had to look up the Scottish education system to know if she would have learned to read or not! Turns out, England and Scotland had different education systems at that time anyway! How common was electricity then? I learned enough so that Millie is not shocked by it (ha!), but she does lament the change when she goes into the pub in Book I. That one little thing helps lay the groundwork for one of the big themes of the entire series: change. I use these small things to inform big things. I honestly don't care how many buttons Victoria's shirts have, but I do care that having short hair makes her a rebel. Short hair was a giant middle finger to the status quo in the 1920s (which I already knew) so I used it to show how ahead of her time Victoria is.
Character. All of this stuff I do funnels down into character. There's a ton of stuff you the reader will never see directly, but do see indirectly through the characters and why they are the way they are. They, like us, are shaped by the times in which they live. I knew about the white feather girls before I started this series, but I used it to inform one particular character, and shape the course of her entire life with it. What you do with it matters as much as what you find!
But it's not all facts and numbers, it's also the feeling of the time, so yes, I took notes when watching Downton Abby (the white feather girls show up!). Visual stimulation helps me a lot, so silent movies and documentaries using footage from the time are also drips that fill up the jug that I draw these stories from. Inspiration comes from everywhere once you start researching, so be open to what you find and willing to change things when you do!
Don't let yourself get sucked into it too far though, and don't use it as an excuse not to write. Have a research 'time budget' and stick to it. Know what you want and find it, fall down the rabbit hole later. Your story isn't going to be told if you don't write it, and fixing that third act reveal is more important than what the salad forks are made of.
Also keep in mind that my series is an alternate universe with magic and real witches in it, so I'm not too much of a stickler for things. I try to be faithful to what happened and respectful of the people who went through it, but it's also a jumping-off point to something different a lot of the time, as well. I'm not the one to ask for hardcore historical novel research methods.
But overall, love what you're writing, and who you're writing, and you'll want to do find out as much as you can. Most importantly, start from the right place and have a passion for it.
Easy, digestible things for you:
A French documentary called 'Women at War, 1914-1918' uses restored color footage and has a ton of good information, and looks amazing! Makes that time feel real. (Bonus, the child care facilities Elise tells the Longs about came from this). I saw it on Netflix, but since I just said that, it's probably being taken down as I type.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast did a six-part series on WWI called 'Blueprint for Armageddon' that is still free, but will go behind a paywall eventually. It's immersive (and long) but really helped to inform the tone of Book I especially. It's absolutely wonderful, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Anyway, I hope this was useful, or at least interesting!
Still doing some research for Book IV, but I can't tell you what it is without spoiling it, so... I won't.
Thank you for reading!
The From the Ashes of Victory series takes place in Britain just after the end of WWI, so there's quite a bit of information I needed to convey that properly. I think I mostly succeeded, but I'm sure anyone who was around then would disagree. Then I pull the 'alternate universe' card and run.
First, I chose that time period not only because of its dramatic potential, but because I had an interest in it. Or maybe I saw the dramatic potential because I already had an interest. I don't know, creativity is weird. Anyway, the point it I already had a baseline to start from, and an active interest. Both of those things make a world of difference! You already have a 'feel' for it, and a place to start from, which makes it a lot easier, and more fun, since you might learn things you wanted to know anyway.
What to look for? This one is trickier, but it's usually as simple as answering 'I don't know' to something. I knew that airships were popular in this time period, and I knew they were big, but I didn't know how big. That was an easy answer to find, since it's just a number: 600 feet long. As for something like names? Also simple, I Googled 'Popular British baby names 1890s' and compared the lists I got. I would have never found Pretoria unless I went looking, since her name was only popular for one summer in 1900. Knowing that, I got her mixed feelings on it, too! It instantly dates her. There are no Pretorias (or very very few) born outside that window.
Russian naming conventions were a fun hole to dive into. It's wonderfully complicated, way more than I thought, and 'Yekaterina' in particular has between nine and fifty ways to shorten it, depending on who you trust. I'm going to save names for its own post, but I tried to look at sources written by actual Russians.
Is the asylum in Remember, November real? No. Did I look up Victorian mental asylums and pick one that had a layout I could remember? Yes. My imagination took over from there. Does Millie talk about her education? Not really, she mentions getting in fights, but that's it. I still had to look up the Scottish education system to know if she would have learned to read or not! Turns out, England and Scotland had different education systems at that time anyway! How common was electricity then? I learned enough so that Millie is not shocked by it (ha!), but she does lament the change when she goes into the pub in Book I. That one little thing helps lay the groundwork for one of the big themes of the entire series: change. I use these small things to inform big things. I honestly don't care how many buttons Victoria's shirts have, but I do care that having short hair makes her a rebel. Short hair was a giant middle finger to the status quo in the 1920s (which I already knew) so I used it to show how ahead of her time Victoria is.
Character. All of this stuff I do funnels down into character. There's a ton of stuff you the reader will never see directly, but do see indirectly through the characters and why they are the way they are. They, like us, are shaped by the times in which they live. I knew about the white feather girls before I started this series, but I used it to inform one particular character, and shape the course of her entire life with it. What you do with it matters as much as what you find!
But it's not all facts and numbers, it's also the feeling of the time, so yes, I took notes when watching Downton Abby (the white feather girls show up!). Visual stimulation helps me a lot, so silent movies and documentaries using footage from the time are also drips that fill up the jug that I draw these stories from. Inspiration comes from everywhere once you start researching, so be open to what you find and willing to change things when you do!
Don't let yourself get sucked into it too far though, and don't use it as an excuse not to write. Have a research 'time budget' and stick to it. Know what you want and find it, fall down the rabbit hole later. Your story isn't going to be told if you don't write it, and fixing that third act reveal is more important than what the salad forks are made of.
Also keep in mind that my series is an alternate universe with magic and real witches in it, so I'm not too much of a stickler for things. I try to be faithful to what happened and respectful of the people who went through it, but it's also a jumping-off point to something different a lot of the time, as well. I'm not the one to ask for hardcore historical novel research methods.
But overall, love what you're writing, and who you're writing, and you'll want to do find out as much as you can. Most importantly, start from the right place and have a passion for it.
Easy, digestible things for you:
A French documentary called 'Women at War, 1914-1918' uses restored color footage and has a ton of good information, and looks amazing! Makes that time feel real. (Bonus, the child care facilities Elise tells the Longs about came from this). I saw it on Netflix, but since I just said that, it's probably being taken down as I type.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast did a six-part series on WWI called 'Blueprint for Armageddon' that is still free, but will go behind a paywall eventually. It's immersive (and long) but really helped to inform the tone of Book I especially. It's absolutely wonderful, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Anyway, I hope this was useful, or at least interesting!
Still doing some research for Book IV, but I can't tell you what it is without spoiling it, so... I won't.
Thank you for reading!
July 3, 2020
Why?
It's the hardest question to answer, and the most satisfying when you finally do.
There is a scene in Book IV that I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out why it hasn't been working for... well, a while now. Ahem. I rewrote it, rewrote it, and it refused to work. I truly didn't know why, but I just could not make it work. So, I had to sit down with it and dedicate time to trying to figure out why without looking at it. I stepped away from my computer and moved to a different environment completely, and gave it a good think. 'What is the problem, why isn't it working?'
Then I figured it out. Explaining would be spoiling, so I won't go into any detail, but it involved taking my own advice, and the problem ended up having nothing to do with the actual content of the scene itself. I simply hadn't done enough work laying the groundwork for it. So I went back and planted some seeds, and now it's much more satisfying. It plays now. It sounds so simple, but novels are massive, sprawling things, with weeks in between events that you the reader bridge in only minutes. It's sometimes hard to keep it all straight, and being on Book IV, even harder still.
So sometimes, pouring energy into endlessly fiddling with something may not be as effective as coming at it from a different angle. But the answers don't always come. If I had less experience, I may not have realized what the problem was. This is Book IV of this series, my fifth novel overall, and it still took me forever to figure out. So don't be too hard on yourself if you can't make something work. Sometimes you can't, and you really do just have to chuck it and start over! (Done that already).
Writing books is a process, and not always the same one every time. Adapt and persevere. 'Why' is hard, but rewarding, and worth asking.
There is a scene in Book IV that I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out why it hasn't been working for... well, a while now. Ahem. I rewrote it, rewrote it, and it refused to work. I truly didn't know why, but I just could not make it work. So, I had to sit down with it and dedicate time to trying to figure out why without looking at it. I stepped away from my computer and moved to a different environment completely, and gave it a good think. 'What is the problem, why isn't it working?'
Then I figured it out. Explaining would be spoiling, so I won't go into any detail, but it involved taking my own advice, and the problem ended up having nothing to do with the actual content of the scene itself. I simply hadn't done enough work laying the groundwork for it. So I went back and planted some seeds, and now it's much more satisfying. It plays now. It sounds so simple, but novels are massive, sprawling things, with weeks in between events that you the reader bridge in only minutes. It's sometimes hard to keep it all straight, and being on Book IV, even harder still.
So sometimes, pouring energy into endlessly fiddling with something may not be as effective as coming at it from a different angle. But the answers don't always come. If I had less experience, I may not have realized what the problem was. This is Book IV of this series, my fifth novel overall, and it still took me forever to figure out. So don't be too hard on yourself if you can't make something work. Sometimes you can't, and you really do just have to chuck it and start over! (Done that already).
Writing books is a process, and not always the same one every time. Adapt and persevere. 'Why' is hard, but rewarding, and worth asking.
June 30, 2020
Thank You
As June comes to a close, I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you. With so much awfulness going on, and with good news in such short supply, I wanted to you to know that there is still some to be had in the far hinterlands of the internet. Here, for example.
Midnight Magic has had by far the best launch I have ever had for one of my books, and I am honestly blown away by it. In the grand scheme of things, and in relation to many of my peers, it might be seen as a disappointment, but to me it is incredibly validating, and motivating like nothing ever.
And through Midnight's launch, people are finding the Ashes books as well, and I feel like they're finally, maybe, fingers crossed, finding their audience. After languishing for two years, the books I put so much of my heart and soul into are being discovered by more people than ever; it feels like they're being seen for the first time, and they've even gotten some sterling reviews! There is so much of me in these books, to know that they're being read and enjoyed is affirming in a way that I've not had much of, and it means a lot.
I wrote my little magic kissing book because it made me happy, and to know that it is making a lot of other people happy through the times we live in is an amazing feeling, and I hope it continues to do so, because it's not just about me. It's what you get out of my books, it's why I write them! I get insomnia and crippling self doubt! Ha, just kidding. Mostly. Kinda. But seriously, if my books make even the tiniest bit of positive difference in your life, then I've succeeded. So please let me know!
On that tick, I must say that I've never gotten any sort of notice before, and now that (at least by my standards) I have, you'll have to forgive me if I'm weird about interacting with you here, or on Twitter. I'm really not used to it, so bear with me as I figure out my own boundaries and develop, for me at least, what professional looks like.
But if you've ever left a review (for anyone, not just me), or reached out to say something nice, or shared my books, recommended them, mentioned them in passing, carved 'M+E' into a tree (don't do that, trees are nice), an extra thank you to you. I'm a nobody indie author, and every little bit of help makes a world of difference. I'm here writing this because of you.
So here's to you, and more books!
Midnight Magic has had by far the best launch I have ever had for one of my books, and I am honestly blown away by it. In the grand scheme of things, and in relation to many of my peers, it might be seen as a disappointment, but to me it is incredibly validating, and motivating like nothing ever.
And through Midnight's launch, people are finding the Ashes books as well, and I feel like they're finally, maybe, fingers crossed, finding their audience. After languishing for two years, the books I put so much of my heart and soul into are being discovered by more people than ever; it feels like they're being seen for the first time, and they've even gotten some sterling reviews! There is so much of me in these books, to know that they're being read and enjoyed is affirming in a way that I've not had much of, and it means a lot.
I wrote my little magic kissing book because it made me happy, and to know that it is making a lot of other people happy through the times we live in is an amazing feeling, and I hope it continues to do so, because it's not just about me. It's what you get out of my books, it's why I write them! I get insomnia and crippling self doubt! Ha, just kidding. Mostly. Kinda. But seriously, if my books make even the tiniest bit of positive difference in your life, then I've succeeded. So please let me know!
On that tick, I must say that I've never gotten any sort of notice before, and now that (at least by my standards) I have, you'll have to forgive me if I'm weird about interacting with you here, or on Twitter. I'm really not used to it, so bear with me as I figure out my own boundaries and develop, for me at least, what professional looks like.
But if you've ever left a review (for anyone, not just me), or reached out to say something nice, or shared my books, recommended them, mentioned them in passing, carved 'M+E' into a tree (don't do that, trees are nice), an extra thank you to you. I'm a nobody indie author, and every little bit of help makes a world of difference. I'm here writing this because of you.
So here's to you, and more books!
