Mark Graham's Blog, page 2

NET WARRIORS THE FIVE PORTALS

Net Warriors-The Five Portals

Who knew the fate of the Data Dimension would fall to a 6th Grade boy with a mop of golden blonde hair, watchful green eyes, and a mischievous grin that sometimes made you forget about his razor sharp mind and unquenchable thirst for adventure.

Jack MacTavish, fresh out of 5th Grade with the prized Blythe Award in hand, expects to spend summer vacation in London with his mom and sisters. He is wrong.

Jack thinks he is going to McCoy’s Corner Drug Store with his good friend Tommy to celebrate the last day of school, but Professor Konrad Kincaid – with his archaic tweed coat, perfectly knotted bow tie, and mysterious black eyes – has other plans for Jack’s summer break. The Data Dimension is in jeopardy, and, after 32 years of warding off intruders, the old man needs help. He needs someone with an adventurous spirit, just like Jack’s Grandpa Elliot. That someone is Jack MacTavish. (Read More)

MAGIC AND FICTION

What is magic?  Sometimes we use the expression, “That was magical,” and what we mean is, “That was special.” Then there is the paranormal version, defined as the apparent power to influence things or events using mysterious or supernatural forces. There is also the art of illusion, which can also be described as a process of making something appear to be happening that actually isn’t. Like sawing the beautiful assistant in half or pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

All three of these very cool views of magic apply to fiction. For instance, if you were asked to list your favorite five books of all time – for me such unforgettables as Ordinary People or Old Man in the Sea – you could easily describe them as “magical.” The story, the characters, the voice, tone, and style of the author’s words; all come together in a magical way. 

Just as magic in our second description is all about influencing things and events, so also does the practiced writer of fiction. He or she pushes characters into unexpected areas of conflict and jeopardy, pits them against opposing views and motives, and, if all goes well, produces a story that is as unexpected and satisfying as the unexplained forces of nature.

And then there is slight of hand, an author’s best friend when it comes to building tension in his or her story. Where will the plot take you? Who will suffer? Who will triumph? Who will we root for or against? Good fiction is not predictable. And while the last thing you want to do is deceive your readers, you do want to keep them on the edge of their seats. Bottom line: engaging your readers is magical. And that’s what good fiction does.

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POETRY AND FICTION

Poetry comes from the soul. It nourishes the heart.  It flows like a chaotic river from deep within and finds expression in the tips of your fingers, words scrawled on a piece of paper, appearing at times like the sun peeking out from behind a cloud or a deer flashing through the forest trees in the last light of evening.

Like poetry, the best fiction is most effective when the author doesn’t over think things.  You plan your story, but you believe in it even as it is developing in that untidy but vibrant connection between head and heart. Too much head and things become wooden. Too much heart and things get lost in the choppy water of the river.

To be honest, poetry, because it comes from a place deep inside the poet, can often be esoteric, elusive, or effusive. Great qualities for poetry, but that is why readers come away from some poetry asking, “What in the hell was the poet trying to say?”

Esoteric, elusive, or effusive don’t often work in great fiction. It’s great when readers are intrigued by your plot, even mystified to a degree, but you don’t want them saying, “What the hell is going on?” You may have a character or two who are esoteric, elusive, or effusive, but all of your characters can’t demonstrate those traits.

Poets have a license to be obscure. Writers of fiction do not. Poetry tugs at the imagination. Good fiction stimulates the imagination. Both can be beautiful. Both can be painful. Both can be perfect for a cozy chair in front of a roaring fire. A great poet can also be a skilled fiction writer. Advocates of great fiction can also be supporters of moving poetry. Both art forms can deliver something magical, and that’s all you can ask for.

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MAPS AND FICTION

Most of us are fascinated by maps. If you’re like me, a map is a way of connecting with the rest of our planet, tracing routes to new and exotic places, and feeding lyrical parts of our imaginations. A map is a way of visualizing a journey you might be planning or one you may never actually take. A map brings us closer to foreign lands and people who live by a different cultural mean.

When I think of fiction, there are many possible routes a story can take and many paths our characters can travel, but a well-mapped trajectory is like a wave carrying the reader along these routes and down these various paths with gusto. An author with a strong eye for plotting knows that momentum and pace are invaluable allies. A reader should be excited to move from one chapter to the next, even as the author weaves the fabric of his or her tale.

A beautifully designed map allows a traveler to plot his or her final destination. It also has the glorious advantage of providing side trips to hidden gems along the way, those pleasant and exciting detours that add texture to the journey, surprise to a well laid out plan, and possibility of getting lost just for a while. The key is not to go too far astray.

Don’t think fiction is all that different. The writer is often tempted by back-story and hidden clues, biographical asides and clever character insights. All well and good as long as these temptations contribute in meaningful ways to the story and the development of character without – and this is the linchpin – losing the reader’s interest.

Just as there are endless places to travel, there are books aplenty on the market, and you don’t want your readers giving up on your story because you weren’t getting them to their destination with sufficient flurry and effect.

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COFFEE AND FICTION

Every night I set up the coffee machine before heading upstairs for a date with the sandman. It starts brewing at 5:30 the next morning. I’m up at 5:45 or so whether I want to be or not. The reward is the hot cup of French Roast waiting for me downstairs.

The anticipation of the coffee is almost as enjoyable as the act of drinking it. Almost. But it is the pleasure of this fine elixir’s taste and the inevitable stimulation that heightens the anticipation. I like my coffee. I look forward to it. You may know the feeling. A semi-addiction? Probably. Am I looking to kick it any time soon? Hardly.

The best fiction, like that first cup of coffee, is filled with anticipation. The anticipation begins long before you sit down with the actual book or switch on your Kindle or Nook. If the book strikes you the way, say, The Eye of the Needle or Ordinary People did me the first time I read them, then the anticipation is inevitable. You can’t wait to get back to the book once the workday is over. Or maybe you even sneak in a few pages during the day when no one’s looking. That’s what a good story will do for you.

Then there is the actual reading experience. Anticipation is a writer’s best friend. The question “What’s going to happen next?” is what drives a reader from one page to the next. The jeopardy you create, the conflict you weave, the obstacles you instill: they relate to every situation and every relationship, good or bad. How will the characters react? How will they change? How will the story evolve? If you hook your readers with these, you’ll have them reaching for your book at the same time they’re pouring that first cup of coffee.

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SPRING AND FICTION

In my part of the country, the arrival of the first crocus is cause for celebration: spring is right around the corner. If that first blossom doesn’t bring a smile to your face, then you don’t live in a climate beset by four months of frigid temperatures and habitual snowfall. I’m not complaining about winter in Colorado – I love the changing seasons – but the season of rebirth trumps them all. The crocus gives way to daffodils and tulips, and the flowering of apple and pear trees is not far behind.

The first five pages of a good work of fiction are like the sprouting of the first crocus; you know you’re in for something special if the author does his job. In five pages, your readers will know whether or not they like your style of writing; sounds simple, but I’ve given up on any number of books because I wasn’t taken by the author’s use of words.

In five pages, a good writer has set the hook. No, the reader might not know exactly where your story is going, but he or she is captivated enough to move beyond those opening pages with a certain amount of enthusiasm.

With the arrival of the crocus and it’s hardy, delicate bloom, the changing of the season is a given. Sure, a late snow or two might still rock the ship a bit, but your mind is all spring: you’re planning your garden, thinking about the hikes you’ll take, and throwing your tennis racquet into the back of the car.

As a writer, when you hit a homerun with your first five pages, you’ve set the hook. Your readers are all in: they’re already thinking about when they can sneak in a couple of more pages during the day; they’re already anticipating their bedtime read. You’ve got them. And that’s a great feeling, both for the writer and the reader.

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Valentine’s and Fiction

Valentine’s Day can go two ways, in particular when we’re talking about the often fickle game of romance. It can be the perfect day for an honest display of your affection for the man or woman in your life, or it can snare you in web of deception.  When you’re madly in love, Valentine’s Day is that special occasion to go overboard with whatever it is you like to go overboard with: candy or flowers, diamonds or rubies, a night out on the town or a weekend in Aspen. Here’s the flip side. When a relationship is floundering, in flux, or otherwise in a place of uncertainty, many of us have been known to use Valentine’s Day as a means of holding on when maybe we shouldn’t be holding on or sending out what is essentially a false vibe.

Fiction can also go two ways, in particular when we’re talking about the dangerous game of plotting. Some plots just fit. There is a story with natural conflicts and resolutions that make sense. The plot twists are neither forced nor contrived, two of the nastiest words in the writing world. Too often, however, we writers want to make our stories travel down certain paths so badly that we’re overcome by the temptation to engineer twists and turns that push our plots in that direction no matter what.

A contrived story line is not so different from a vain attempt to use Valentine’s Day to patch a wavering relationship. When a romance falters, there’s usually a good reason, and rescuing it is tough if not impossible. In the world of fiction, if a plotline isn’t working – and we generally know when it’s not – it should be scratched or rebuilt with a new foundation.

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PROMISES AND FICTION

The arrival of the New Year is generally filled with promise and promises. We resolve to make proactive changes, to be more forthright, to be more generous, healthy, and happy. We resolve to follow our dreams, set goals, and pursue our purpose. These are all very good things.  Whether we do them or not is another matter.

Writing fiction is essentially an ongoing promise to your audience. You can lead your reader anywhere as long as you’re consistent. If you introduce a fictitious world based upon werewolves and demons, you can feel confident that the reader will “buy in” as long as you stay true to that world. If suddenly one of your werewolves goes against the grain of the world you’ve created – begins singing at the moon instead of howling at it because it fits some plot twist you can’t resist throwing into your story – then the potential of losing your reader, rightfully so, is high.

The promises we make to ourselves have to come from a place of self-honesty. You can’t change your diet because your wife wants you to; the decision has to be yours. As a writer, you have to be equally as honest with your reader about the plot you’re developing or the character you’re portraying. Yes, the plot still has to evolve and the character must change according to that evolution, but these things have to happen in line with the promised world you’ve created.

Promises require commitment, if in fact you intent to keep them. You set a goal. You write it down. It becomes part of your daily routine. As a writer, you drop your reader into a new world. You set rules for that world.  You stick to those rules. That’s the promise you make to your audience every time you sit down to write.

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CHRISTMAS AND FICTION

Christmas is more than a holiday. It’s that time of year that causes us to explore our inner selves more than all the other seasons combined, and most often we like what we see.

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving; we all know that. But this very special season has a crazy way of opening our eyes to the real power of sharing. When we give – whether it’s a well-thought-out gift, the exchange of an unexpected smile, or an act of kindness either planned or unplanned – we feel a moment of excitement. Maybe it’s joy. Maybe it’s satisfaction. Maybe it’s discovery. Deep down, we all want to be generous. We all want to give of ourselves. Generosity is the bridge the ties relationships together. Receiving is the solidification of that relationship. Interestingly, the receiving doesn’t have to be reciprocal. The warm glow of giving is often enough. A genuine “thank you” is priceless. A hug is like the cherry on top of a perfect sundae.

Don’t think that fiction is all that different. As a writer, the sharing of the hard fought words that come from some unknown well inside you is the most satisfying of all feelings. Spooky, sure. Who knows how someone will react to an eight-line poem that comes from your soul? Who knows what someone will think of a book you labored a year or two or three to write? Oh, yeah, we want people to like what we’ve written, but truly it is the giving of those words that is most meaningful. The gift of your hard work. The sharing of your soul. Your best bet is to have no expectations of the recipient’s reaction of your gift. Treasure instead the joy of sharing. Treasure instead the generosity you’ve demonstrated. And know that the impact you’ve had is undeniable.

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CASTLES AND FICTION

Castles and fiction; some might argue that there’s no connection, but I would beg to differ. Castles, in particular castles of old, have four basic elements that make them unique and, for most of us, a bit magical. First, they were all built as fortifications or strongholds meant to house a king or a queen and to protect them from the predatory forces of the day.

Second, castles were meant to awe, in size, in structure, and standing, as all did, high on a hill or mountain overlooking all who gazed up at it in, well, in awe.

Third, no castle ever stood in isolation. A castle was always part of a community. Actually, two communities: the one within the castle and the other surrounding it. Or, in other words, the real world that made the castle just a little less unworldly.

And lastly, every castle is unique in its architectural design, because every castle was designed to fit the mood of its master, and who knew what the mood of the master might be from one moment to the next.

Fiction is built upon four similarly basic elements: plot, setting, theme, and characters. English 101. Sometimes you can get away without one of these, but most often the reader isn’t fooled.

Plot is the fortification of the novel; without that, the novel crumbles, just as a castle without walls will. Setting gives a good book a certain awe factor, that sense of place that is so indispensable. Theme brings the book closer to the real world, just as the surroundings outside a castle do for the people hiding out inside. And a book’s characters are what make every piece of fiction unique and provide the mood that drives the other three elements.

On the surface, the comparison may seem like a stretch. Look closer, however, and the wondrous castles that still make us smile today are not that dissimilar from the classic works of fiction that never grow old.

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