Ransom Noble's Blog, page 21

The Great "Said" Debate

I never would have known there was much conversation about this if I hadn't gone to the writer's festival. I remember taking a correspondence course years ago, where my mentor sent me one of the many articles about using said and only said – where necessary.

The article mentioned Tom Swifties and how many times an author can unintentionally cause humor through the use of some of those phrases. Even in occurrences where the author is giving more information about how the speech is, it can be at best distracting to always have another word about how something pops out of a character's mouth.

I know in my writing group when the subject comes up, one of the guys always begins a spiel about beats and tags. He starts with how saying "she said" or anything along those lines is a tag, while something like "She sipped from her coffee mug." would be a beat. In both instances, assuming proper paragraphing, the reader instantly knows who's speaking.

However, one of our lecture series speakers took the opposite side and for the first time let me see the debate behind the word said. She spoke at length on how much more detail can be added when you use descriptive words like whisper and murmur and exclaimed. I might be skeptical, but I still took notes.

She had a lot of interesting things to say about details and how to describe. Her points also included how to give depth to your work and gave us reasons to think about being clear through our words. It's not a choice to just be clear or be deep. Every word a writer puts down on paper draws a different story; some are neither clear nor deep. Others might be both.

Back to the dialogue question, said is an invisible word to readers, meaning we pretty much gloss over it. It's enough to tell me that it's Nickolas speaking instead of Henrietta or Fred. Maybe style is what's going to give us more detail at that moment.

Example: From "Qui's Contract" in Ruins Metropolis. At this point the main character finds a small group of lost people who are speaking among themselves. POV is 3rd person attached/limited, so I would not be able to get into the head of the speaker.

A. "This isn't on the map," said the woman. "We must've gotten off-course avoiding the sandstorm."

B. "This isn't on the map," murmured the woman. "We must've gotten off-course avoiding the sandstorm."

C. "This isn't on the map," murmured the dark-skinned woman, clearly in charge of navigation. "We must've gotten off-course avoiding the sandstorm."

D. "This isn't on the map." A map dangled loosely from the woman's hand. "We must've gotten off-course avoiding the sandstorm."

Example A is as published in the short story. I gave it a tag to identify the speaker and keep the conversation moving. For Examples B and C, I tried murmured instead to give an idea of what she was saying. I prefer said. It does say earlier the main character doesn't know whether or not the group knows she can hear them. In Example D I show a beat, where you know [especially if I tell you there was only one woman in the group of lost humans] who is speaking without using a said – or whatever other word - tag. Perhaps someone else could argue for a tag where she proclaimed it or she declared it. I don't remember a time I used a tag other than said or a beat to identify my speakers in stories.

At that point the argument could expand to figure out whether the strength of the words alone is enough, or if I have to add more narrative to make the reader figure that out. In my mind, if I use the words themselves to make a character real, that's showing who that character is and how s/he reacts. If I need to add that much description to how it was said to convey my meaning, I'm telling you how it happened.

I like to try to choose words in the dialogue that make me feel the character is really speaking. Sometimes I have trouble creating distinctive speaking voices for each character, but that's one thing I work on in rewrites. Mostly I use said, even when a character asks a question.

Where do you fall with the word said? Are you the type to let the invisible word do its job? Or is there another way to look at the reasons behind using the other words?

Feeling Creative

I know it's from an entire week of doing almost nothing but reading, writing, and critiquing. Almost nothing, because while I abandoned my family responsibilities I did call home twice a day to talk to my two year old. I think she appreciated it.

Having the focus and the deadlines made me do much more toward writing than I do in my normal life. I read every day, though it isn't much. I write more often than not. [I know I'm supposed to say I write every day here, too, and I'm working on it. I'm on a 23 day streak at 750words and I wrote more than that most days of the class. Not quite every day, but I'm getting closer.]

I read a lot of excerpts and short stories I might not have found otherwise. I'm still working on organizing my list of books to read. I went to two readings at Prairie Lights, too.

During lectures sometimes I had to write down questions, little sparks of information that might turn into interesting stories. Probably will, but who knows when? It's just a great week to start thinking about everything that everyday life seems to push to the side.

Which brings the inevitable spark of guilt about that novel I've been rewriting. The short story I'd like to keep a short story threatens to become another novel draft. Okay, it'd be a good novel, but I need another novel to write like I need a flat tire. Please, don't let me be tempting fate with that statement because I still remember having issues with flat tires. Cross your fingers for me.

Sometimes I hear the clock ticking, like I need to be finished with this project or other by a certain date. I don't like having so many projects unfinished. How many writing projects can one person juggle? And that one person better not be one of those machine-authors who has a couple books out a year. I think they must use interesting devices to play with time or not need sleep or something else out of a speculative fiction book.

How many writing projects can you handle? Do you make them wait their turn in line or do you let some of them skip the queue if they're insistent? Maybe I'll make them fight it out in my dreams or something and let the winner get written – even though that would totally be unfair to have a half-human fighter against some random teenagers. Of course, the teenagers have their own posses, so perhaps the better money would be on them.

I suppose I'll find out soon enough. Happy writing to all.

The Summer Writing Festival

It's been a blast so far, two and a half days down and three to go.

I went to a poetry reading last night, and the books piled on the counter make me wonder about how we'll sign them when the naysayers get their way and we have ebooks. Will there be a way to digitally tag them? Will it matter when we meet the authors? What will they buy when they listen to us read?

It's not today's problem, and it's supposedly better not to borrow trouble before you need to.

I finished today's homework. It takes time to read all the stories and make comments. I have gathered a reading list that doesn't include all the things I've encountered, but I'm working on it. I won't finish it by Christmas, and I'm only halfway through the week.

The other writers around here are great. Some of them seem in awe about the science fiction writers in our class and ask things like how do we ever manage to come up with those ideas? One of them was from a really nice lady taking a class called "Write what you don't know."

It's better than one student got from another session, with the writers there expecting a raygun because she wrote something speculative. Oy, rayguns!

I'm enjoying the focus on speculative writing. Some of them also love YA like I do, so it feels like I'm among people who understand why I'm drawn to it.

The pace isn't what I'm accustomed to – since there's a lot of mental things to do with writing assignments and critiquing, when my usual day is spent chasing a toddler. It's fun, just different. So while I'm tired, I also get up the next morning excited to go. And missing my little girl, of course. Today marks the longest time I've been away from her. At least we get to chat on the phone.

Off for another day of learning.

Motivation

What motivates your character?

I know it's one thing to stay inside when the heat index tops 100 degrees, but on a balmy spring day the reasoning would be different. It changes if your character suddenly loses air conditioning or a threatening snowstorm hovers on the horizon.

First you have to make certain you know the motivation not just of the main character but also those around her. It's fine if you know that Jane is a runner through any kind of weather, but something about her might also tell you she's sedentary the rest of the time. What if she also hates running, but does it because her sister goaded her into a daily race as a kid that she's still trying to win?

That doesn't just tell you about Jane but also gives information about her sister. Who's the girl who prodded Jane to run for so long that it became an ingrained habit? What makes her run?

Maybe you don't want to figure out the tangled web of Jane's past, but if her sister randomly shows up on Jane's doorstep in Chapter 17 – it might be nice to have some idea who she is and what she's doing there so it doesn't completely contradict something from the previous parts of the story.

I know a lot of writers who like to 'write by the seat of their pants' or just discover it as they go. It works well for so many, but then you have to find the motivation later. Weaving it into a rewrite is definitely fair game.

Motivation just isn't something that can be skipped. Characters behave irrationally. It makes sense once you know how their minds are working, but until we put those pieces together a reader only sees the irrationality. Some characters are supposed to be irrational and possibly lack the ability to be rational, but that, too, can be shown through other characters. Even an unreliable narrator gives clues that you can't count on everything you see through her eyes.

Sometimes that motivation is lacking as the events come tumbling by. Yes, I see there are toads in your backyard, but why? What happened? Are you just watching their antics on the swing and down the slide? Where do they go when they're done, and is this just a one-time thing, or are they special in your neck of the woods? I want to know if you call someone to get rid of them or if you decide toads are okay in your backyard so long as you don't step on them. Why are you just sitting there watching the toads if they're doing what they do every night anyway?

And tomorrow night's backyard intruders might be spiders or pumas instead of toads, so I suppose we'll ask them when we find animal telepaths. It doesn't mean we can't personify them a little and put something in there about the setting to explain why my backyard is so tempting and Dave's yard across the way isn't. Perhaps Dave's backyard is actually blue AstroTurf and no animal sets foot in it unless there is no other choice.

Motivation is what takes the character in one direction instead of all the other options. Letting your readers see into his head, even if he doesn't understand his actions yet, helps them get closer and get more invested in the story. Good luck on getting to know the next character that pops into your head. I love teasing the information out of mine.

Free Short Story

Turning a new page always means putting something else out there, doesn't it? So I want to share my work, and I'm joining a bunch of authors who are giving something away for free.

My friend Sarah Holroyd and I have been working out the details all weekend, between figuring out a copyright page and writing a new biography. The cover photograph is courtesy of NASA. It makes me wonder where it was taken – how far away from us is that place?

The story is available in MOBI (Kindle), EPUB, and PDF formats. I think between those everyone can find something compatible with their electronic devices.

I'd love to hear from you after you read the story. It doesn't have to be more than you liked it (or not). I'm simply curious. Remember it's good to try to keep up with the writer – I'll likely do this again.

Don't think I'm doing this in lieu of getting published in magazines. My focus right now is to get a novel polished and be ready to go to the Iowa City Summer Writer's Festival next week, though I'm not taking the novel there. I'll definitely be sharing more about that later. A friend of mine just got back and said it was like his work had been a pinata, but now he's ready to go get published. I hope he does! It worked for him last year.

Here's the story: Burning Bright. Enjoy!

Strong Points

Have you noticed, as a writer, there does not seem to be a lot of separation of tasks? I mean, sure, we write, we rewrite, we edit, we polish, which all supposedly falls under the umbrella of writing. The writers I know often seem to be better at one side than the other as far as the writing and the editing go. Some people race through rough drafts with the ease of a knife through butter, and others can polish a sentence to the shine of a mirror in one pass.

None of that goes with the rest of what the writer has to do – be visible. Does it take an awesome writer to gain visibility? Answers may vary, but the short answer is no. You can say all you want about what makes a great writer, but those talents are not the same as the ones to get you noticed by your audience. All of that is about publicity.

Publicity takes different strengths entirely. You can't be afraid to be noticed or to have people look at you. It's silly because most of the writers I know are fairly shy people. A lot of them wouldn't mind at all if you locked them in a tower and bounced their manuscripts off to be published somewhere – but it doesn't really work that way.

Once you gain some notoriety, then there are both good and bad ratings of your work. Well, this gives the sensitive writer something else to be shy about. One always hopes there will be something good to say about the work in question, but someone out there is always willing to dash your hopes.

There are published books out there about the rejection letters other writers received. I think these books are supposed to be inspirational, but how much rejection is one supposed to take? Once the book comes out and an author waits for reviews, they might be good and might be bad. Plus, even financial success and movie deals won't stop an amateur or even a non-writer from saying how the book could have been better or saying that the author isn't good.

Do you ever stop and say, really? First, they tell you not to go into the field because it's cutthroat. Second, they tell you to expect you're getting better if you get a hand-written rejection. Third, even getting a book deal with a major publishing house and sharing your vision of character and plot with all the readers and getting your name to be recognized and you still need to deal with the naysayers? Does anyone know when s/he's reached success?

I know if I believed everything they told me I probably wouldn't keep writing and submitting my work. Part of why I do it is just to share them with people who would like to read them. In keeping with that goal, I'm posting a story on this site for free within the next week or so. Ironing out the last few kinks in the electronic formats with a copyeditor friend of mine. Don't be afraid to comment whether you like it or not – partly I want to know that you're reading it. If you want to send me feedback, please do so to my email. I would dearly love to hear from all of you.

Part of surviving the writing business is knowing where you're strong and emphasizing those points. I'm not the best at promotion, but I am learning as I go and definitely figuring things out. Enjoy the freebie. I haven't decided if I'm going to make it a regular thing, but that is definitely something I wouldn't mind doing if the response is good. [A good response being a lot of people want to read it, not just a lack of death-threats for me to stop writing in my inbox.]

Happy reading.

Stay-at-Home Mom?

I read a lot about SAHMs. For a time, I might even have been one. It's just an interesting term because, in my experience, one rarely stays "home." I suppose you could, and many do, but there's only so much to do in the house.

So how do you decide if you're staying at home or not? Does it count if you pack up the kid and take her with you at least five days a week? Does it matter if we're headed to the gym or a playgroup or just out grocery shopping? Yes, that would be a lot of groceries, but it's a place to go. Don't forget the pool and the library to mix in with the other errands that should only take 5 minutes each, right?

Some of them used to take 5 or 10 minutes, before I started dragging the munchkin with me. If it isn't her meandering path that takes three times as many steps as we'd need, it's someone else stopping us to talk about how cute she is or how old she is. It's not that I mind the attention or begrudge her the exploring time, but nothing takes 5 minutes anymore. Except things that used to take a minute or less, like climbing the stairs.

Assume that it's going to take half an hour when I stop somewhere, and I'm a lot closer to reality. I grab a diaper bag and the toddler and pack them in the car, along with my purse and keys. Still haven't figured out the best way to keep my stuff and her stuff in one bag and have it organized and useful, so I carry two and keep the bare minimum in both. Then the garage door goes up, because she's excited enough about going outside that I can't open the door before I pack her in the car. So I wait, then back out. There's five minutes or more already, depending on how cooperative she's feeling about going wherever we're going.

That kind of activity just keeps going, in reverse for getting her out. Sometimes I can direct her to go where she's going, but most of the time I make sure she's last out of the car so she doesn't wander off without me. It hasn't happened yet, but there's no reason to let the first time be in traffic.

I have been thinking that not working full-time means I'm a stay-at-home mom. So I try to say that with an introduction, but then I keep addending it. I mean, I'm also a writer. While that may not be a paying gig most of the time, I do have paying jobs in tutoring math and teaching yoga. Both of these are part-time, but it still means I need to go somewhere at a specific time and place for a specified duty.

Which of those parts means I'm not a SAHM? I'm not exactly sure, but I think the answer is a little of all of them. You can find me outside the house nearly every morning (Sundays being the exception) and between two and four evenings a week. Suddenly it doesn't feel like I'm at home that much.

I have made it a high priority to be home during naptime, or if not with me then let the little girl rest with someone I trust. She's much less cranky when she gets her scheduled nap. I also put her to bed at a specific time and she generally wakes within a few minutes of the same time every day. I can't say it's the best for every kid, but I know it works for mine.

I know all mothers are full-time mothers, but I wonder if I'm not the only person who tries to define the quality of staying at home by whether or not the mother has a full-time job. There has to be a different way. What do you think defines a SAHM?

Piles of Books

In my home, I have a small library. By this I mean one and a half walls are lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I'd keep covering them, but I run into resistance from my husband and the vents on the floor. This library also houses my desk (complete with computer setup and printer), two filing cabinets, and two smaller bookshelves.

It is a blessing and a curse to have so many books on so many topics. Okay, seriously, this is me. It's all blessing. The only curse is trying to figure out how to organize them. I'm a little too obsessive to let them populate the shelves as they may, and I'm also not forward-thinking enough to leave room on shelves where I may or may not purchase more books.

Who am I kidding? I always purchase more books. Yes, I read ebooks, too, but I have this thing about print books. I love paper and everything associated with it – books blank or printed, office supplies (I have to stop myself from buying index cards until I use the ones I have), graph paper, bookmarks…

So this week I decided it bothered me enough to make a new system. The old system is still there, not yet dismantled as I figure out what I'm dealing with. Two major systems of organization are Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress. Both of them are probably a little too hardcore for me, though it'd be so much fun to figure it out. I asked my book-loving friends, but most of them organize by author and title. I just haven't figured out how to happily associate fiction and nonfiction and the various topics and still find the exact book I'm looking for when I want it.

I look at the backs of the nonfiction books. Some of them proclaim different subjects to be filed under like Health or Science / Astronomy or Psych / Self-Help. It seems to be the start of a system, until you look at one subject and wonder why they're not lumped together. Would you classify a book about intelligence tests (filled with exercises to increase your brainpower) under Health, Body Mind Spirit, Games / Humor, or Reference? Because I have at least one in each category.

These discrepancies from the back of the book bother me. It bothers me enough to explain the piles everywhere as I figure out what books I have and where I want them to go. I have a further constriction of shelf and book size to manage.  I've had all my writing reference books together for a while, and it's nice that if I have something I need to figure out, I only go to one spot.  I love being able to find what I need.

I'm excited my science books seem to fit on one shelf. I have applied technical books and natural science books mixed together, but if I ever snag the rest of my engineering books from storage, that would account for another section entirely.

Anyone else have interesting ways to make their book organization system (or lack thereof) fit their needs? Do you randomize them occasionally to mess with visitors (like me) who need to have certain things in order? Do you pile them sideways on the shelves as you run out of room?

My other project will be putting all those owned books into GoodReads. I've been meaning to do it for some time, but it's one of those things that gets away from me. I may be ready to get some of them on the swap list to see if someone wants books I'm willing to part with in exchange for something else I'm ready to read. One step at a time, however.

It's always good to figure out what's there first. And I'm well on my way to that.

Bird by Bird

Anne Lamott wrote Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. It's a book I've seen on many lists for writers to read. I doubt anyone can read all the writing books out there and still manage to find time to write, but many find inspiration or small gems of wisdom between the covers.

Lamott made me think in several places. Her tone is very conversational and lends itself well to letting the reader think she's confiding directly. She amused me when she talked about her successful writer friends and how she felt she couldn't be friends with them after their success and dealing with her own jealousy.

Some things resonated deeper, though. How do you think your life will change after you're published? Maybe it seems like the stars will shine down and everything will sparkle, but it's not going to give you inner validation. She's definitely right when she says it isn't going to change who you are. If you're not enough before, you still won't be.

[This is not saying it isn't awesome. It just isn't everything.]

There's always going to be someone better, too, or more successful, or even less deserving. But there's also a reminder there about why we write. It wasn't just to be rich and famous, was it? Because there seem to be a hundred easier ways to become rich and/or famous besides writing.

Like many others who advise writers, she advocates to write. She employs examples from writing classes and conferences she's led that illustrate how she handles things like criticism and motivating others. How many of us know how to dish out or receive a critique? Have you thought about what you would say to someone who's a much less accomplished writer (and likely new to it) that would help them improve and yet not discourage them? It's one thing to not think you can simply send the story out to be published, but if you crush a beginning writer, what good is that?

After finishing the book, I read the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I think the people who commented either loved it or hated it. Someone gave it a bad review because he (or she, who knows?) received several copies of it. Is that a reason to give a book a bad review? I'm not exactly sure if the commenter even read the book. That seems unfair to me.

But I guess I'd be glad for a lot of reviews on a book of mine. That would mean it was getting read. Like having it in the bargain bin in front of the store – it might be like having the store be completely unconcerned if it got stolen, but it's much better than being remaindered in the dumpster out back.

I'm glad I read the book. I understand why it's recommended for writers to read. I definitely see why many believe it to be inspirational. Something about finding someone who understands our feelings can make us more dedicated to the work. Whatever makes us keep writing seems like a good thing to me.

The Buddy System

Writing is lonely. It makes sense for it to be that way. We create something in our heads and let it grow into a story, a poem, a song, or something else entirely. The solitary nature leads many to get our social fix by doing other things. Sometimes we interact with real people. [Oh, the horror?] In newer times we might get around that with Facebook or Twitter or some other outlet.

I think I'm missing a writing buddy. One thing I love about NaNoWriMo is the atmosphere. Many writers I know are all trying to write at least 50,000 words in a month. Everyone's overflowing with energy and ideas. I like getting competitive with a friend of mine, daring each other to make the next 1,000 words faster.

It's hard to keep up that kind of energy year-round and even harder to find someone on track with writing goals. What I really need right now is a rewrite buddy. I have a bunch of words that just need to be fixed. It's not the same as pouring it out the first time. The project was completed, but now it needs focus and a little tweaking.

750words.com has helped to get me to focus on pouring something new out. Yet I still find myself dragging my feet for editing and rewriting. The other drawback to 750 words is I do have to be self-motivated. I can't pace myself against the same person day after day, though I can see who's leading for the month.

Someone remind me that writing isn't a competitive sport. It doesn't matter how fast the words pour out, but I need to make consistent progress or I feel like I'm slacking on my goals.

Oh. Did I just admit I have goals under there? I just like to hide them so y'all can't call me on my slacking. Maybe that would be my buddy system? How many of you would be willing to come back at least once a week to tell me I need to get moving on my goals if I posted both the goals and my progress on them?

I'm sure it's just a temporary slump. My monkey-toddler keeps me busy with so many creative ways to do things I hadn't thought of, sometimes I just sit after I put her to nap or sleep because it's hard to get up again.

How do you accomplish your goals? Is there someone pushing you, or do you manage just fine with your own motivation?