Cat Hellisen's Blog, page 4

Character Action and Dialogue

One of the things I’m looking at in the current revision of KotHD is the little details of interaction and action when characters are speaking.

When I first draft (and this goes for many writers), I’m in a zone to get the rough sketch of the scene in place, and one easy way for me to get across mood and tone is by using a kind of physical short hand when characters are interacting with each other. Our personal shorthands may differ, but you’ll notice they tend to be very cliched. People frowning and nodding and grinning and generally behaving like no actual person on earth. Besides these, I also tend to use tea-sipping and fork-clutching. Also people grimacing at empty wine glasses.

All this is fine. IN A FIRST DRAFT. But there comes a point in the revision process where you need to dig deeper as a writer, and convey tone and emotion with a little more complexity and subtlety. This doesn’t mean finding a diffrent way to say ‘He smiled’. A manuscript peppered with variations of  ‘a smile crept across his face’ or ‘one corner of his mouth drew into a smile’ is rarely an improvement.

What it means is really thinking about your characters (all of them in the scene) and the setting and the overacing plot, and how ALL THOSE THINGS INTERACT to delicately build up a better picture; not just of the current mood you’re trying to evoke, but seeding in subtle elements of world-building and characterisation. Having your characters do something natural within a scene cements them as real people in a real world.

Are they two parents talking while doing the dishes? How you write that can tell me so much about their lives and relationship just by the use of small details. Are they loading stuff into a dishwaser or working by hand? Do they have their own “roles” in the wash up? Is one of them doing the dishes while the other yells from the lounge while helping kids with homework? Are they scrubbing some plastic kid-friendly bowls cleaning or delicately wiping Gran’s heirloom china? Is one sitting at the table lamenting over their hard life, while the other silently and brilliantly does all the work?

That’s ONE tiny scenario that gives you so many options for making your world and characters more real.

In KotHD, I have two girl friends, and one of the things I’m doing is going through the moments where they are alone together, and building a layered picture of the depth of their friendship. FREX: In one scene where Character A was originally trying to smother herself with a pillow and Character B was brushing her hair (don’t ask. It makes sense in context), I’ve shifted things so A actually helps B brush all the knots out of her hair first. The reasons for this meant I could bring up some very light description

She may have the most beautiful hair in the world, according to her mother, but it knots if you so much as look at it. There’s a reason I keep my own hair cropped. Why torture myself?

I could set up a moment where A has another vision where she is her own mother brushing her child’s (A’s) hair.

It cements the physical trust between the girls.

It affords place for double-layered dialogue.

Thalema tugs at a particularly nasty snarl and half-screams in frustration. I drop the pillow and get up to take the brush from her. “You’re going to end up bald,” I point out.

“Save me from myself, my hero.”

I snort, and set the brush far out of her reach.

(Later, there will be saving, but both girls will be heroes to each other.)

That moment of closeness makes it easier for A to confess the truth to B about who she really is.

That’s ONE small section where I’ve achieved a lot of things, with something that might look banal from the outside (hairbrushing). I could not have threaded these things in if people were simply staring and nodding at each other.

 

Ruthless is my Middle Name. (actually it’s Lisa, but whatevs)

Today I start work on a read through and light edit of an older novel of mine. It’s one that editors like but not enough as it is. Yay! So, while I do my read through to make notes on the story threads that need re-stitching, I’m also pretending this is not my work, and leaving myself comments and being generally ruthless and mean to Imaginary Other Writer.

Ruthless and mean for a good cause. A cleaner, tighter manuscript. A better chance of editorial interest.

And I can’t afford to be precious with words when revising, no matter how much I may imagine that my prose is perfect and wonderful and above compare. (It’s not.)

Here’s a rather embarrassing sample of what I’m doing to myself.

 

I mean, dear sweet baby cheeses, will you look at that original opening sentence? I’m mortified.

(also, ignore the US spelling. My agent is in America and she subs to US publishers. As much as I hate ‘gray’ and ‘color’ and ‘honor’, I must grit my teeth and pretend they look right.)

Q and A with Nerine Dorman (and Moi!)

It’s our joint book birthday today, and to celebrate we’re talking about our inspirations and writing choices. The conversation began over on Nerine Dorman’s blog, where we discussed liminal characters, facing adversity, magic and monsters. Now we’re looking at a bit of world-building, mythology, heritage and religion.

Read the rest of this discussion here [link]

Cat: Let’s talk worldbuilding and symbolism. We’ve both lived many years in the same area in South Africa. I can recognise it in your writing, but can you explain a little more about how where you live influences your worldbuilding in your (gorgeous!) setting for The Firebird.

Nerine: The Firebird was, in fact, inspired by my visit to Mauritius many years ago, but I draw heavily also on my regard for nature. I think [laughs] both of us often use the images of birds in our writing – and birds themselves are liminal creatures, said to travel between worlds. Many years ago I was hiking in the Karoo at twilight (my favourite time of day, really) and I went through a little wooded dip. Right in front of me was a nightjar, and there was one of those moments that you remember forever, where I looked the bird right in the eye before it took to wing – and it was one of those moments that seemed to last for an eternity, a sort of mental snapshot. From what I understand, they’re pretty difficult birds to see – so it was one of those defining moments in my life I’ll carry with me to my grave. Obviously I’ve been itching to use a nightjar in a story for ages, and it wasn’t that difficult to construct a mythology behind it. The birds themselves are often associated with ill omen … and my imagination provided the rest.

I realise I indulged quite heavily in symbolism related to nature with this story – more so than most, I suspect. Unia is very aware of the world around her, and has an almost mystical connection to it – though she’s been in denial about it for very long. (As we all are, I suspect.)

Now, let’s get back to one of my favourite characters from Empty Monsters – Tabeth. Her magic is also very much connected to nature, and at a glance she is the obvious “monster” if you take Ade’s point of view at first. And bringing her together with Ade is almost a recipe for disaster. The world seems to have no place for her (though historically, she would have been considered royalty.) Empty Monsters to a degree (I believe) is about reclaiming one’s heritage and remaking it. Am I going into spoiler territory when we discuss Tabeth’s relationship with her magic?

 

Cat: No, I love that the idea of Tabeth being the initial monster worked, and she was such a difficult character to write. It would have been easy to write her as simply misunderstood, and not to have her bargain with Ade (which is…iffy to say the least) and instead have her find some wholesome heroic way of achieving her end goal. But I felt that would have been unfair to her as a character. She is not simplistic, she is not an easy character to love. She is flawed, and driven, and resentful, and scared, and powerful. Her magic is what made her a monster in the view of society, but it is how society treated her that made her “monstrous”.

And reclaiming heritage and along with it, your own sense of self, is a huge aspect of the Hobverse books in general, I think.

But the use of magic and monsters brings me back to Unia’s story. You have your “demons”, your evil forces that the Fennarin are trying to eradicate. And then you have The Firebird – without spoiling, there’s a lot packed into your novella that deals with power, the price we pay for it, and control. There is a lot of hypocrisy threaded through the story, and I love that. Nothing is ever simple, and the choices characters make have nuance. There’s no easy “good” choice. There were obvious nods to the blindness of following religious leaders, but talk to me about Unia’s conflicts, and how she seems to have two different desires/motivations that pull her apart.

Nerine: Yeah, I loved the fact that Tabeth has this goal that’s not really all that altruistic. Like nearly every living being, she wants her place in the world and she’s prepared to go to great lengths without any guarantee of a final payoff. And even then, what I appreciated about the story is the way characters like Ade and Tabeth constantly have to re-evaluate their motivations – there are no clear rights or wrongs, especially in a society that is in effect post-colonial. Where do you draw the line when it comes to restitution? Not an easy question to answer and one that I think we often have to ask.

We can break power down to a very basic explanation: the ability to create change. Unia, as a daughter of an orchid farmer, whose future may have been to marry a man and continue her family’s matrilineal line … or become a scribe … it wasn’t ever cast in stone. She felt powerless, and yet when she was younger, she saw the monks in the Fennarin order, and she wanted what they had – perceived power. Only she hadn’t realised what she’d lose in the process: family, a sense of personal identity not subservient to the dogma of the pseudo-religious order to which she eventually belongs. Her brother is the opposite: in order to embrace freedom for himself and his long-subjugated people, he opens himself up to a partnership (or possession) with supernatural forces. How this resolves … well. No spoilers. I think we’ve said enough.

Empty Monsters: The End is Nigh

I’ll soon have my final copy in hand, and e-ARCS are already winging their way to prospective reviewers, so I am super excited to announce that a new, stand alone HOBVERSE novel will be available in print and ebook format on the 27th February 2018.

I’m sharing a book birthday with long-time crit partner and fellow South African fantasy writer Nerine Dorman. Her Afro-fantasy novella THE FIREBIRD will be out on the same day as EMPTY MONSTERS, so that should be a fab day for readers of our genre.

 

Aden Onnery is the eldest son of a family of midwives who use their power to eradicate magic. As a boy, he was never meant to take on the Onnery mantle, but an accident of birth has left him marked and strange. His whole life he has believed that the Onnerys destroy the monsters that will bring the end of his people, until he is forced to enter into a bargain with a magical survivor.

In order to save his sister from the harsh law of the colonial powers, Aden chooses to enter the world outside his experience and go against everything he has been taught to believe. He must help save the very thing his family are meant to exterminate—a magical lineage in his people. In doing so, Aden will confront the truth that the monsters are his own family.

EMPTY MONSTERS weaves magic, family, and love into a bitter tonic about growing up and accepting that even the best intentions can exact a terrible price, and love is never simple.

If you’ve been a Patron, you are almost at the end of the serialised novel, and I’ll have a wee surprise in store for you on release day to say thank you. I can’t wait. 

Ow my knee and other sad stories

So on Sunday when we went in to skate, the car died (luckily very close to Murrayfield, so we just managed to limp into the car park). We figured, on the plus side, we’d at least get to skate.

Lol nope. We attempted dance class (in which coach Robert was like LOL WTF WHY ARE YOU SO AWFUL TODAY. I love him as a coach, he pulls no punches. He basically said, i’m going to pick on you today, and I said “because I’m shite?” and he said yes), then did some Exhibition practice, then had to go home because Younger Spawn was sick.

Anyway, we also had to abandon our car in Edinburgh and get a train home. So yeah.

Anyway, ffwd to Tuesday, and we go in (hoping the car is still there), to get it towed to a mechanic. Yay! Car is still there! Ya! Mechanic fetches it! Yay! We are at Murrayfield so might as well skate, yes?

Editing Chatter with Nerine Dorman

One person who almost always has a read-through on my manuscripts before they go to my agent is the wonderful Nerine Dorman.

I’ve known her for many years and watched her move from a career in journalism to writing. As an editor, she’s got a sharp eye for errors and a strong feel for story and character that makes her someone I really trust with my writing.

Since many of the writers I know are looking at self-publishing as part of a hybrid career, and know it’s always worth the expense of getting your work professionally edited, here’s one whip-cracking, red pen-wielding editrix I’d definitely recommend.

We had a brief chat about the kinds of things she sees as an editor, some words of advice, and what she loves about working with clients.

Q: You’ve been editing many years now, is there a moment in working on a client’s manuscript where you feel like your input has really made a difference and makes the effort all worth it?

A: Oh, I have a few of those every once in a while; I adorably call them my little sponges. They’re usually new writers who’re serious about knocking their manuscripts in shape, and they take what I have to give, absorb it and apply it. There have been moments when I feel that my epic editor letter may have chased them away, but then they’ve come back a few months later with a novel that’s vastly different (and greatly improved) than the one they initially laid down on my desk. They offset the authors who seem to pay me to tell them that their little darlings are perfect, who respond to my suggestions with a “thanks, but I like the novel the way it is”. This is also their prerogative, but I’m a voracious reader on top of my work that I do as editor, so I’d like to think that I’ve a good feel for a number of different genres, and can offer advice based on years of experience that may be of some use.

Q: What’s the single biggest error you see coming up time and again in the work you edit?

A: Most often, this would be point-of-view issues, which is usually the case with the newer writers who often write as though they’re watching a movie instead of a work of fiction (which once again brings home the idea that not enough would-be authors are devoted readers who have a natural feel or flair for the written word). While omniscient third isn’t wrong, I see (very) few authors get it right. Go read Terry Pratchett, see how he handles it. I’ve seen sex scenes written from both partners’ points of view… Which can be interesting, and not in a pleasant way. My advice to authors is Resist the Temptation of showing everything. Sometimes having a limited, unreliable narrator in first person or a deep third makes all the difference. (Less is more, in other words.) Write only what that character can hear/see/taste/touch/feel/think … Give readers a chance to wonder before you reveal important truths.

Q: I know you have edited your fair share of kinky erotica, do you ever, while editing, have to contort your body to work out how the characters got into *that* position?

A: I’ll admit to squirming in my chair because some of those positions the BDSM and dubcon authors bring to me involve whips, hooks, broken glass and barbed wire (no, I’m not making this up). That being said, my ladies who write erotica often make me wonder if certain anatomical interactions are possible, but considering the few times I’ve ill-advisably browsed videos in an adult shop, I’ve realised there are many more things possible than would make me comfortable. I’m very vanilla these days for a reason, even though my vanilla meter is long broken. [laughs] From discussions I’ve had with my erotica authors, I gain the impression that they know their stuff in the genre or are themselves immersed in the lifestyle, so I’m yet to call any of their contortions into question.

Q: You have a background in art and design – do you ever envision a time when you offer clients a full package of editing and cover design to save them from Cover Disasters?

A: I do, from time to time, offer a full package, but that’s usually because clients already know that I can design. And then depending on what’s required, it will either be just myself helping out, or a combination of me and the husband creature, who does graphics for the film industry and is an absolute wizard when it comes to photo manipulation and typography. I’ve certainly helped authors in the right direction, and some of the work we’ve done through the Skolion co-operative that I co-founded with a few other authors, we’ve put out some stunning book covers. It’s great being able to advise on a full package, considering I’ve edited the work so have an idea of what sort of style might be suitable. Also, I’m a bloody nit-picker when it comes to the typography on a front cover, and I’ve made graphic designers swear and/or cry. An independently published book must look as good, if not better, than its traditionally published brethren. But…sometimes I also just keep my mouth shut unless I’m asked for an opinion, even though I’m cringing inwardly.

Q: What’s your favourite genre to edit, and why?

A: Hands down, this would be fantasy, preferably the kind that is clever, textured and lush, with characters who’re unusual and drag me out of my comfort zone. I love fantasy because the author is free to mess with the rules of world building, so for me it’s very much about imagining other realities that differ vastly from our own. I love taking a break from the real world. After that, it’s science fiction, horror, romance in all its expressions, and historical. Also, I’m LGBTI friendly – I love seeing works that don’t follow the usual norms. I’m not huge on crime or thrillers, however, but will take on contemporary fiction if the story has an interesting premise.

IF you’re looking for a well-rounded editor at reasonable rates, contact Nerine and chat with her about your editing needs.

The Season Approaches

I guess it looks like I’ve been very quiet recently, and I suppose I have. I’m having a Year, I guess.

In the spirit of looking back at 2017 with a positive frame of mind, here are the things from this year that I’m happy about, or proud of.

The BIGGEST of all: I did not kill myself. It was a close call. Also, I almost always take my meds and I am doing better at talking to other humans.
The Boy and I are learning ice dance, and although trying to follow patterns when you have dyspraxia is a pain in the proverbial, I am doing okay (by my standards, ha). I also have two different colour gloves to help me tell left from right, and that small tip has really made a difference.
I finished writing  my novel The Three Faces, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth and tossing 70k and rewriting in a completely different direction. It’s my “retelling” of Snow White, which like all my retellings, bears no relation to the original. I mean, it’s there, but you may have to squint. The Three Faces is the story of an unwilling step-mother and her relationship with her step-daughter who is more like a younger sister. There’s loads of embroidery and magic, also poison and poisonous lies. And bears. And I’m proud of that book.
I sold my first short story antology to the wonderful NewCon press in the UK, and I’m excited to be working with them.
I made art.
I ran writing workshops
I did editorial work
I’m still here.

Editing and Reader Feedback

I’ve been both beta-reading and offering reader evaluations now for over a decade. My specialities are fantasy and YA fiction. If you’re interested in having your completed novel evaluated and edited for content, I have available slots til the end of the year.

Listed below are my 2017 rates, and you can contact me at cat at cathellisen dot com if you have any further queries.

 

 

 

 

Self-care for Writers (and other lonely creatives)

I’m taking a break from writing. Not for any dramatic reason. I’ve turned in a massive novel to my agent (I threw away half the book and rewrote it before I was happy, so it was a mammoth piece of writing), I have a Hobverse novel that I’m planning to publish with the Skolion writers’ co-op that’s in edits at the moment, I’m waiting on beta-feedback for another novel and I’m just feeling a little flat.

I’ve decided to take a break from trying to force words and rather wait until it’s time to revise the beta-novel. Weirdly, it tends to make me feel guilty when I don’t write, even though I am well aware that simply putting words down in a document is not writing. I need to give myself permission to sit back, let the well refill and my dreaming brain turn over.

Writers can be extra-ordinarily bad at self-care, especially those of us who work from home and/or rely on someone else for income support. Not being financially stable can make us feel guilty about everything, like we’re failures at humaning. Almost every writer I know is an anxiety-ridden mess of feels.

 

I can’t tell other people how to take care of themselves. What I can do is share the little things that I’ve found work to keep me a bit more even. So here goes.

Be kind to yourself. It seems so trite and obvious, but creative people are often incredibly hard on themselves and unable to see the worth in what they do. Without art, without imagination, without stories, the world would be a dull and miserable place. We are the line that keeps humans human. Treat yourself the way you treat other creatives.
Make lists. If, like me, you struggle to feel on top of things, use a site like ticktick to make a to-do list. Don’t set yourself up to fail. My to-do list includes daily things like: make my bed, take meds, read for half an hour, eat lunch. I’m serious. Friends of mine who swear by to-do lists also suggest putting fun things on the list to make you more likely to actually face your day. I like this idea and I’m going to start using it.
Limit social media. Even introverts can end up feeling incredibly isolated when working from home. Sure, we like to work alone and uninterrupted and we like to know we can choose who we interact with, but being shut off from others totally can feel a little depressing. I’d suggest adding a hobby (one that gets you out the house) to your life and interact with humans that way, rather than turn to the easier escape of social media. I don’t *hate* social media, but more and more these days it feels to me like a poisonous replacement for proper human interaction. I don’t think it does the mental well-being of many of us any good.
Read for the sheer pleasure of it. I’m going to guess most of us became writers because we were readers. Because stories opened up worlds for us. Too often these days I see writers who only ever seem to read How To Write/Publish/Market books instead of reading for the sheer love of reading. How-to books have their place, but if your reading list looks like a textbook list for a marketing course, it might be time to sit back and remember why you became a writer. What the IMPORTANT stuff really is.
Daydream. Daydreaming, whether while napping or taking walks or running marathons, is the most important thing writers can do. Yes, you need to get those stories down eventually, but if you’re not giving yourself the space to dream them up first, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Try something new. Go do something you’ve always wanted to. Go take singing lessons, adult ballet classes, bag some munros, take a painting workshop or a cooking class. Sometimes we get so caught up in writing out worlds, we forget we also live in one. There are a million things out there for us to do, and interesting things happen to your brain when you try them.
Remember your friends. Call someone you haven’t seen in a while, go have cake or wine, go see a show together. Writing can be a lonely place and we get so cocooned in story threads we forget there are people out there who care about us, people we love and want to be around. Sometimes you need to make time just to be a friend.

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The Divide Between Public and Personal

When I was a kid, I thought all authors were dead. The idea that some of them could actually be writing still, while I was already reading their other work, would never have occurred to me.I’m not sure when the realisation started to sink in, tbh. This was before the days of internet and social media. My contact with authors was only through their words, and then only through the words available to me in my little local public library. Author visits in South Africa during the eighties? HIGHLY UNLIKELY.

And now here I am, far removed from that child who lived only for stories and didn’t give a damn about where the author lived, who they voted for, what they looked like. I just knew there were writers whose work I loved, and if I saw their name I knew I was going to be in for a brilliant read. When I was small, it was things like The Animals of Farthing Wood, then later Watership Down, Duncton Chronicles (you may be spotting a theme here…) and everything Diana Wynne-Jones wrote, then still later David Gemmel, Ursula Le Guin, Mary Gentle, Tanith Lee, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Tad Williams, Jeff Noon, Poppy Z Brite….

And for some reason, all were dead. (Eventually, of course, I realised that they were not.)

Now I’m a writer, and I’m very much alive, and unlike many of the writers from my youth, I don’t have the luxury of being allowed personal anonymity. We are bombarded with the idea that writers must be OUT there, ONLINE, have a MEDIA PRESENCE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE!

And I find it really tiring and occasionally anxiety-inducing. What’s suitable to share, despite being personal, what’s too much? When does “sharing” become monologuing, self-trumpeting nonsense?

It’s a hard question to answer. I’m really not sure what the balance is, and how to reach it and stay there.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you like and/or expect from authors in this time of incessant social media. What you think is too much, what’s not enough?

Perhaps the answer is simply to shut up and go into hermitage, but I don;t think publishers will be thrilled with that suggestion!

 (cross-posted from my Patreon)