Ransom Noble's Blog, page 19

Speaking of Time

I'm sure it means I come from an overly technical background when I regularly have discussions and debates with my husband about how pregnant I am in months. It isn't about whether or not the time is relative – 24 weeks is 24 weeks no matter what scale you use. [No, I'm not opening debate about how pregnant I am; I can be perfectly fine with the one the doctors use.]

But here's where the debate lies: is 24 weeks equal to 6 months? My husband's overly technical answer is no. He insists there are 4.3 weeks per month and that must be taken into account. I suppose he's got a point, since there are 52 weeks in a year and 6 months is half a year, so 26 weeks, right? The issue there is that there are supposed to be 4 weeks in 1 month. Isn't that what we learned when we were young? And 6 times 4 is 24. Feels like there ought to be wiggle room.

Then you add in the pregnancy thing being 40 weeks, give or take, and you get a messy tangle. Do you count that as ten months? Do you start the count from a different week to make things more confusing, but less difficult to say "I'm five months pregnant." Do you ever wonder why we allow such discrepancies? Can't it be fixed to say one month is so many days and so many weeks?

It's probably just as easy as switching to the metric system. Something that is resisted in this country yet would make things easier once completed.

It also makes me think of time in books. Often I read science fiction and fantasy. Rarely is another time system used that isn't based on Gregorian calendar. Many fantasy books turn months into moons, and it changes the pace and tone, but it's a similar system. Science fiction often uses something along the same lines. Star Trek uses a stardate, but it's simply a different way to state it.

One series I read by Gayle Greeno, The Ghatti's Tale, had a system with eight days per week. At the time it made me wonder why more authors didn't try something like that. Time and its passage isn't a main focus in these novels or it might have become a problem. Like creating a new language and having to understand all the rules involved, time has its own issues. We think in terms of calendars we know. Once a reader has to convert all of the references into something that has no common point to the popular system of time measurement, it might give the reader a chance to check out and put the book down.

What do you think? Have you ever tried to create a time system for a book that didn't have large similarities to the Gregorian calendar? Did it become a gargantuan task to keep everything straight in your head and your readers? How many books have you encountered that significantly altered the way time was measured for the story and did it change your opinion of the book?

For the Love of Words

I'm a writer, so it makes sense I'm also a word lover. I have an interesting group of friends that also appreciates words. Some of them are writers, and most read voraciously. We regularly have conversations with words that don't come up often otherwise.

So sometimes when I encounter a student that doesn't know a certain word that seems like it should be beneath his level, I wonder. How many of these words did the people in my peer group pick up from their reading habits? There are many thousands of words in the English language. I'll admit I don't know a fair chunk of them. Only one visit to Save The Words convinced me that there are many words in danger of extinction because the majority of the populace doesn't use them.

How does someone figure out what level a word is? Sure, a word like blue is in the vocabulary of most with a high degree of understanding, with the exception of the percentage of population who are blind or color-blind in the blue spectrum.

An interesting thing at Word Count is that it counts instances used in our language. While it may not be a good measure of the difficulty of a word, since some large words are used a lot in business settings or to make fun of manager-speak – it can give insight into the exposure a person might have to a certain word.

A somewhat random sampling of their ranking includes:

the – 1

and – 3

blue – 973

navy- 4252

cerulean – 69082 (For those who don't know, it's a shade of blue.)

conquistador – 86800 (And the last word listed at the moment.)

It kept me busy yesterday finding the approximate relation of all the rainbow colors. It also helped me understand why some people might have a common vocabulary in the beginning stages, but learn words sporadically as the rank increases.

What direction would you wander in to find the relative difficulty of a word? How do you choose which words to use for whatever level of reader you want to target in your writing? How often do you use some strange word because it's exactly the one you need even if it requires someone to check in a dictionary? The word lover in me is poised on the edge of my chair to know.

Home From the Reunion

It might seem odd to some, that I went to a high school reunion this weekend for a school from which I didn't technically graduate. However, I moved there for the last bit of third grade and stayed to the end of tenth grade, and we were more well-known to each other than I could manage from any other school I attended K-12. (There were six others. It's probably a wonder I managed to stay in one place so long.)

It was disappointing that more of my classmates couldn't make it, but I was pleased to see some of our elementary school teachers. One fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teacher were in attendance, only one of them still a full-time teacher. I suppose that ought to remind me how long ago elementary school was. While I wasn't in that particular fourth grade section, I had both the others.

When I saw them (and it took a little bit for us to recognize each other), I remembered how many stories I made them sit and read through in my journal at the time. I always wanted to be a writer. It wasn't understood to me at the time that I was a writer – one who writes. I filled the journal even then at different paces, some days filling in pages with my messy scrawl and others barely the minimum requirement. I don't think they watched me too much on the minimum. I'm glad I got the chance to thank them for reading all that stuff I was so intent on spinning out.

Have you thanked a teacher lately? Especially one who took the time to encourage you when you were younger and make sure you weren't so overwhelmed or lost that you gave up entirely? I know a lot of people think about teachers not as people but as little units of things that ought to get done. Perhaps it just seems that way during union talks or when there are cuts or something like No Child Left Behind. (Don't get me started on that one.) Are there teachers out there you remember who helped you out? Who gave you something interesting to look forward to?

They hadn't heard I was a published author now. Sometimes word travels slow, even in the small towns where I once attended a school that only seems familiar to the locals. Perhaps they'll carry the word onward to the others who might have taught me. My former classmates got to see The Art of Science, too. Some of them have kids that age already, which is hard for me to imagine, since mine are 2.5 and forthcoming.

I'm really glad I went to the reunion. Despite my missing classmates, I did get to catch up with a few I really wanted to see. And here's to all the rest who perhaps missed me there, and maybe I'll catch them in another five years or more.

Blog like No One is Reading?

Seen on Twitter: "Dance like the photo's not being tagged, Love like you've never been unfriended, Tweet like nobody's following." @postsecret from @bythebrooks (via @neilhimself).

Don't you wonder what people have to say if they think no one will read it? Maybe that's why some people quit blogging. If no one out there is responding, they're not about to keep putting themselves out there. Blogs have great tracking features to tell you how many people read your post. Plus you can add feeds for subscribers to increase your readability.

But it doesn't really bring in readers. What you write does. So is what you're saying interesting enough to hold an audience? Only of people who personally know you? Not even then? Even if you have something interesting, humorous, or noteworthy, you might not capture the audience. Perhaps someone will repost one of your thoughts, but never come back again. [I am recently guilty of this.]

I just don't read that many blogs. I haven't yet found the time. It doesn't mean I won't find the time, especially if someone shares it directly with me, but my focus is toward writing: blogs slanted that way, books on the topic, books in genres I write, plus the writing and revision of my own work. It's time consuming. I let it be that way.

Not that I don't pay attention to my family. That's where the rest of my time goes.

I'm not really under delusions about how many people read my blog. If I were WordPress would definitely burst my bubble. It's not about what I'm trying to tell someone else, but it's an expression of something I want to say. I think a blog ought to be something you want to do. I originally started one because it seemed like the thing writers do – they blog. Some do and some don't. Some are successful and some aren't. There is no one way to label a writer or a blog. The expert opinion is to do it if you like it, but that there are plenty of ways to reach an audience other than blogging if that's the author's preference.

It's a long way to say: if you're reading, thanks. It's nice to know someone wants to read it. I'd probably still be blogging anyway – but it makes me happy.

Any Digital Scrapbookers Out There? Giveaway!

My Memories has a digital scrapbooking software. My friend Shawna scored a free copy from the company and got another one to give away!

It's always exciting to first be recognized as a blogger with a giveaway, though we both wonder how a company chooses specific bloggers to participate.

I love how she gives a full review of the software on her site, plus if you buy the software you get a $10 off coupon. How often do you get 25% off something? She doesn't make any stringent requirements like writing an essay about how much you really need digital scrapbooking software or taking a million random pictures of scavenger hunt options – aren't you glad I didn't think up the rules for the giveaway? All you have to do is follow Shawna Skinner Meyer's blog (she gives options) and follow the company (again, options) and let her know about it.

Don't let me be the only one to enter. I don't even scrapbook!

Pets, Continued

I think it was because of a show and tell subject, but when I was five I seriously wanted a tarantula. I know a lot of people aren't fond of spiders, but somehow the larger the better for me. Not that I generally enjoy them crawling on me – I don't. However, if I had a pet spider I'm sure I'd make an exception.

I'm not sure what draws people to exotic pets. Many of us don't think farther than cats or dogs unless we get the cool factor involved or unfortunate allergies. The "cool factor" isn't the best reason to get one, according to exoticpets.about.com.

I knew a woman many years ago who had flying squirrels and chinchillas. She lost a flying squirrel in her car, but I suppose that happens when you take them out of the cage. Never did hear what happened to it.

Many stories don't feature pets. When you do put a pet into a story, it's important to take the time to develop the character and explore what it means for the plot. Sure, it might also just be fun to mention that your best friend has a pet snake, but if it doesn't actually mean anything it might be like the gun that doesn't go off – a distraction that must be dealt with during revision.

If, instead, your friend runs an exotic pet boutique, it might be weird that her home isn't a menagerie of critters. Or it might be the starting point of a short story that she can't handle more life forms to feed and house while she's at home and she made friends (and even named) her plants.

All right, I'll admit it: I named my house plants for a while. I had three until my husband liberated them from my tender care. By which I'm saying nicely that they held on to survival by sheer willpower. I do better with actual animals. Somehow the blinds were closed and I'd forget to water those poor plants for too long at a time, but they had names!

Probably best if I stick with the child for some time. She's thriving. Someone might even attempt to draw a correlation between the intelligence of the life form I care for and how well I care for it.

Which brings more questions for the writer about the character and the types of pet he or she might choose. What do you choose for your characters? Did a pet ever steal the scene? Do you consider writing animals in or out depending on the needs of the story? What pets other than cats and dogs have you run into or even had the pleasure of owning?

Pets

If you're following me on Twitter or Facebook, you might have already seen these questions: What do you look for when you find a pet? What draws you to pick a certain one, like a cat vs a dog vs a turtle vs an ant farm vs a tarantula?

I found some interesting information on what your pet says about you. ABC reallyworks.org  Even the name can say something about the person who owns the pet.

Most of that pertains to dogs and cats, probably because most people own one or the other, or both. I tend to disagree with the inherited name meaning the owner is too lazy to change it. Perhaps it's better to let the pet retain its identity through a change of home. Of course, some people also rename children when adopting them, so perhaps we think of a lot of things as needing change when entering our home.

It's something to take into account when fashioning a character who has a pet. Right now I am working with a teenager who has a pet cat. He doesn't have a very unique name for her because that isn't in his character. His best friend is constantly pushing her name for the cat – a Shakespearian character she thinks has a beautiful name.

Somehow it also reminds me of another story that pops into my memory here and there, an urban fantasy where some of the species kept humans as pets. What would that say about those types of people? Partly, they feel humans are less intelligent if they can be owned. They were also able to enforce their will through magic.

What is it about a pet that makes a human a good or bad one? I haven't dug into that part yet – my focus centers on a character who is half-human and only has a peripheral view of the pets themselves. But now it makes me want to.

Drat. I didn't need another distraction from my novel rewrite! That's why I'm going to have to be prolific – I just keep getting great ideas.

 

 

 

 

Writing about Writing

How many stories do you read about writers? About the writing process (but in a fictional setting)? About getting writer's block?

All right, I'll admit Misery is staring down at me from the top shelf, but other than that, how many of them do we read from big-name authors? Feel free to put them in my comments.

TV and movies admit there are blocked writers, but the conflict of the story line does not revolve around the writer and whatever tale is attempting to come out. They're more often trying to understand something from life like relationships or another facet of work – like digging deeper when a report doesn't make sense.

So why does it seem amateurs often write about writers writing? Is it the write what we know thing, where that's all the writer has figured out? Or is it more about trying to explain away the obsession of writing to those unafflicted with the disease?

Sometimes a writer is a perfect choice of protagonist to find out certain stories and the things behind them, but if we get too bogged down in the actual writing we will miss the fun conflict of the real story.

A book I grew up with that had a writer at the core was Harriet the Spy. She was never lost for words, however, which ultimately got her into trouble when her notebook was taken and read by her classmates. Even though she wanted more than anything to be a writer and those notes were how she worked on her craft, I'm sure far fewer adolescents reading the book would turn the next page if she agonized over whether to use chartreuse, lime green, or that icky green from the crossing-guard's jacket. I wanted to keep reading because Harriet kept getting in trouble and trying to do something and her observations provided me more information about the story as it unfolded.

Well, it might also have to do with liking writing and also conspicuously carrying around a notebook – but who knows?

Take another look at that drafted novel with the writer at the center who chews on his pencils or crosses out word after word in her notebooks. Are you giving the reader a plot point? Is that word going to be important later? Or are you filling space that could otherwise be used to tell a compelling story that will keep your reader turning page after page? Don't be afraid to cut out the boring stuff, even if it means you don't share with your reader the perfect torture of finding the correct word. If they're writers, they already know. And if they're not, they don't care.

I know it's heartless, but I'm a writer and I still don't care about another writer's search for the right words through writer's block or whatever. I want a story with conflict and all the proper words thrown in without hearing about how the writer got there. I struggle enough with the correct thing to say on my own, thank you very much. Tell me how much you want to hear that here, too.

P.S. For anyone who is a blocked writer out there – the writer's block links all point to fun links to help a writer beat the block.

To Critique

Sometimes the deadlines just make whooshing sounds as they go by. I had a personal goal to try to get the notes made on a story for a critique partner today. I'm not sure I'm going to make it because my schedule keeps changing. [Seriously, who would drive 4 hours away for the weekend and not leave at naptime if given the choice with a rowdy toddler? However, naptime is generally when I catch up with all my personal goals.]

I read the story and enjoyed it. I marked a bunch of places where I want to make more comments. I'm close, but I'm also afraid if I don't finish it before I leave for the weekend that I won't work on it when I'm away, and it's always good to give it back to someone on a weekend, especially if that other person has a day job.

On the other hand, I really don't want to rush it. I want to take some good time to dig into the story and tear it apart the best I can to help the author make it awesome. That does take time. It really help that I've marked the places to comment, but on the overall I keep losing my train of thought. No excuses there – it's an off week around my house and I'm doing good for what I've managed for the week.

Just don't check it against my to-do list. That thing always spirals out of control with the number of things that need to be done. It's like that old saying, "Man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done." Not that it's necessarily man's work versus woman's work, but somehow the domestic chores are never completed.

Probably because they get in the way of the writing.

I'm sure that's not true for every household. Not everyone is a writer tucked away masquerading as a housewife. (Or not, I have too many part-time jobs for that as discussed previously.) But there's always something.

I'd much rather critique a story than do the dishes, which is why my sink is piled high again. And while I catch up with them, I'll be trying to get my larger comments in order to type in before I leave, if I get a chance.

Sometimes it amazes me how many ways we try to critique stories. Most of the groups I have attended take the position of reading the piece aloud, or part of the piece during each meeting, and then taking notes or simply remembering the parts to critique. The turnaround is immediate and there is often little time to think. It took me a long time to get accustomed to the process, and listening actively for that amount of time can be a challenge.

I've also had trouble not grimacing when someone makes up a word like "scramblingly."

Over time, I have learned a bit more from dealing with people online for critiques. Somehow the written word comes through very well and there is plenty of time to figure out exactly the parts that need to be tweaked. It's also easier to take larger chunks at a time without worrying as much about the time requirement for the room.

There are groups out there who hand out pages each meeting, take them home, and discuss them at the next meeting. I haven't been part of that to see how it works, except for the Summer Writing Festival, but I'd like to see more of that in action. The other issue with some of that is finding people who are good at your genre and also local in geography. The in-person group I attend now has very little experience in speculative fiction, as well as a few other things like poetry and children's literature.

What do you do to critique? How do you manage to get around the daily obstacles to get it done? Is it in person? Is it a group? Do you find people online? How have you worked with others within your genre and outside it to make the best of the criticism you receive?

Robot or Guru?

This doesn't seem like something that can be easily confused. It's a natural assumption that a robot wouldn't pass a Turing Test [test your human/robot knowledge here], but how many humans interact the same way – especially in an online setting? When we remove the body language and tone of voice, we lose a great deal in our abilities to communicate. Add on top of that the pressure of being professional and trying to sell a product, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who runs into questions.

I read several different sources when it comes to writing, publishing, and the great ways to get your name out there. I ran into one this week that said (paraphrased) to channel everything you post on a social network to be focused toward your product/platform. I'm struggling with this – because while I do not post whatever I had for breakfast or every stop I made on my day of errands, I have heard from more sources that it's good to have a dose of color in the blend of blogging and social networking.

That dose of color means part of my personality. Maybe not all of it. It depends on your audience and your platform, I'm sure. What I do know is that I appreciate knowing that there's something behind the screen that isn't simply parroting something at random intervals, and I believe that there are a lot of people out there that share my views.

I know I can link my Twitter and Facebook and blog and LinkedIn and a bunch of other sites together so when I post to one, it posts to all of them. Sometimes, when I see fifteen posts in a row about the same thing from the same person (yes, that has happened before) I wonder if each site pulls from the other and cross-posts to the rest in loops. Or if the person forgot all the sites were linked together and posted to all of them. Or if it's really a person at all. So, while I will link a few things, I make sure they don't go more than one direction. I'd rather spend a little more time posting, possibly catering to different sites, than look like a robot.

My other assumption is that if I only talk about my (published) book, my writing, and my platform – I'm going to bore everyone into blocking me to stop the madness. I'll talk about my projects, especially if I hit a milestone like finishing a rough draft or finally figuring out how to fix a plot hole. Those are things meant to be shared. But if I also mention that I have a family and a job(s) and life outside of writing, I'm guessing that might be interest to some who venture here. The blog, the social networks, and all the other stuff are extensions of my bio, which doesn't just include my publishing credits. I am a person and I'm not afraid to share that.

Found, via Twitter, a perfect quote from someone I admire: "Use your blog to connect. Use it as you. Don't "network" or "promote." Just talk." NEIL GAIMAN

My question is to those of you who search online for authors of books you read (regardless of genre): What are you looking for? If you run into an author online, what makes you want to grab that book and read it? What would disappoint you if you did or did not find it in the search for that author?