Jade Varden's Blog, page 22
November 27, 2014
Song of the Sea: Trailer
I'm pleased to announce the title of my newest book, to be released in December. Song of the Sea is the first book in a brand-new trilogy called Saltwater Secrets. What's it about? Watch the trailer!
Best of Books on Film: Miracle on 34th Street
The holiday season is a special time of year, and plenty of writers have used that to their advantage. Stories about Santa Claus, believing and the holiday spirit are always going to be popular. But few are destined to gain the sort of love and popularity enjoyed by Miracle on 34th Street, one of my all-time favorites. You've probably seen the movie, but what do you know about the book?
The Book
Valentine Davies wrote Miracle on 34th Street in 1947, as a companion novelette for the film released the same year. It was actually published by 20th Century Fox, who also made the film, but it's managed to stand on its own and has sold millions of copies. The book introduces readers to Doris Walker, a rather cold career woman who works for Macy's. She's managing personnel for the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and must fire the Santa Claus she's hired at the last minute when he turns up drunk. She hires bystander Kris to take his place, an elderly gentleman who looks the part. He's so good in the parade that Toy Department head Mr. Shellhammer suggests that Kris play the department store's in-house Santa for the duration of the holiday season. Kris accepts the job and goes to work at Macy's, on 34th Street in New York City.
Doris has a daughter, 6-year-old Susan, who has been raised in a world without fairy tales, dreams or fantasies. Doris doesn't believe in illusions; apparently she already got her fill of them with her former husband (Susan's father). Once the parade is over she goes to fetch Susan from the apartment of Fred Gailey, a lawyer who lives in the same building, and he manages to wrangle an invite to Thanksgiving dinner with Susan's help. Gailey is single, Doris is pretty, and he's hoping the dinner will only be the beginning.
The dinner goes well, but Doris's next workday does not. It seems that Kris thinks he actually is Santa Claus, like the real one, and this is cause for concern. He is taken to Macy's company psychologist Albert Sawyer, who takes an immediate dislike to Kris. Meanwhile, Kris has managed to strike up a friendship with Fred Gailey, and together the two of them plan to unthaw Doris and Susan. Gailey will work on opening Doris's icy heart, and Kris will teach Susan how to be a child with an imagination she's not afraid to use.
But Sawyer proves to be a fly in the ointment. He manages to get Kris committed to Bellevue, the famed insane asylum, without Doris's knowledge. Gailey signs on as his lawyer in order to prove that he's sane and get him out of the place.
Gailey comes up with a truly unique defense. Instead of finding a way to prove that the man who calls himself Kris Kringle is sane, he decides to prove -- in a court of law, mind you -- that Kris actually is Santa Claus. And maybe he is. It's the holiday season, and anything's possible...as Susan will learn at the end of the story.
The Film
The story beautifully comes to life on film, which makes since as the book was created to complement the movie. Natalie Wood stars as the adorable Susan, Maureen O'Hara is gorgeous as Doris, and Edmund Gwenn is Kris Kringle/Santa Claus. He was so good in the role, young Wood actually thought he was Santa, and the Academy agreed. He won an Oscar in the role.
The movie opens with Kris window-shopping on Thanksgiving, where he corrects a store clerk who has put the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh in the wrong positions. The audience is this taken into the bustling middle of the parade, where Doris is putting out several different fires. We know at once that she's a strong, capable career gal. We find out soon that she's also a single mother who does her best to keep her daughter firmly grounded in reality.
My favorite scene occurs early in the film, when Gailey takes Susan to Macy's to visit Santa. She matter-of-factly tells him that she doesn't want anything for Christmas -- "whatever I need, my mother will buy me, if it's sensible and doesn't cost too much." But when he speaks fluent Dutch and sings a song with a little girl who believes he is Santa, even Susan is touched. I just love it. Another great moment comes later in the film, during the trial, which is filled with absolutely fabulous moments. One of the best is when Gailey calls the prosecutor's own son to the witness stand to testify that Santa does, indeed, exist -- "because my daddy told me so." I adore trial scenes, and the one in this flick is worth watching again and again.
What Got Adapted?
Very little changes from book to film in this one, for obvious reasons. As the story goes, it was originally written around 1944. Davies later adapted the work when Fox thought it would make a great screenplay, and she worked on both the novel and the script with other Fox writers.
The AFI ranks the original film in their Top Ten of classic American films, and it's part of the National Film Registry. Several remakes of the movie do exist, but the 1947 version is still the best by a country mile. Now is the season to watch it, so go and watch it! This story is a delight, both on the page and on the screen.
The Book
Valentine Davies wrote Miracle on 34th Street in 1947, as a companion novelette for the film released the same year. It was actually published by 20th Century Fox, who also made the film, but it's managed to stand on its own and has sold millions of copies. The book introduces readers to Doris Walker, a rather cold career woman who works for Macy's. She's managing personnel for the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and must fire the Santa Claus she's hired at the last minute when he turns up drunk. She hires bystander Kris to take his place, an elderly gentleman who looks the part. He's so good in the parade that Toy Department head Mr. Shellhammer suggests that Kris play the department store's in-house Santa for the duration of the holiday season. Kris accepts the job and goes to work at Macy's, on 34th Street in New York City.
Doris has a daughter, 6-year-old Susan, who has been raised in a world without fairy tales, dreams or fantasies. Doris doesn't believe in illusions; apparently she already got her fill of them with her former husband (Susan's father). Once the parade is over she goes to fetch Susan from the apartment of Fred Gailey, a lawyer who lives in the same building, and he manages to wrangle an invite to Thanksgiving dinner with Susan's help. Gailey is single, Doris is pretty, and he's hoping the dinner will only be the beginning.
The dinner goes well, but Doris's next workday does not. It seems that Kris thinks he actually is Santa Claus, like the real one, and this is cause for concern. He is taken to Macy's company psychologist Albert Sawyer, who takes an immediate dislike to Kris. Meanwhile, Kris has managed to strike up a friendship with Fred Gailey, and together the two of them plan to unthaw Doris and Susan. Gailey will work on opening Doris's icy heart, and Kris will teach Susan how to be a child with an imagination she's not afraid to use.
But Sawyer proves to be a fly in the ointment. He manages to get Kris committed to Bellevue, the famed insane asylum, without Doris's knowledge. Gailey signs on as his lawyer in order to prove that he's sane and get him out of the place.
Gailey comes up with a truly unique defense. Instead of finding a way to prove that the man who calls himself Kris Kringle is sane, he decides to prove -- in a court of law, mind you -- that Kris actually is Santa Claus. And maybe he is. It's the holiday season, and anything's possible...as Susan will learn at the end of the story.
The Film
The story beautifully comes to life on film, which makes since as the book was created to complement the movie. Natalie Wood stars as the adorable Susan, Maureen O'Hara is gorgeous as Doris, and Edmund Gwenn is Kris Kringle/Santa Claus. He was so good in the role, young Wood actually thought he was Santa, and the Academy agreed. He won an Oscar in the role.
The movie opens with Kris window-shopping on Thanksgiving, where he corrects a store clerk who has put the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh in the wrong positions. The audience is this taken into the bustling middle of the parade, where Doris is putting out several different fires. We know at once that she's a strong, capable career gal. We find out soon that she's also a single mother who does her best to keep her daughter firmly grounded in reality.
My favorite scene occurs early in the film, when Gailey takes Susan to Macy's to visit Santa. She matter-of-factly tells him that she doesn't want anything for Christmas -- "whatever I need, my mother will buy me, if it's sensible and doesn't cost too much." But when he speaks fluent Dutch and sings a song with a little girl who believes he is Santa, even Susan is touched. I just love it. Another great moment comes later in the film, during the trial, which is filled with absolutely fabulous moments. One of the best is when Gailey calls the prosecutor's own son to the witness stand to testify that Santa does, indeed, exist -- "because my daddy told me so." I adore trial scenes, and the one in this flick is worth watching again and again.
What Got Adapted?
Very little changes from book to film in this one, for obvious reasons. As the story goes, it was originally written around 1944. Davies later adapted the work when Fox thought it would make a great screenplay, and she worked on both the novel and the script with other Fox writers.
The AFI ranks the original film in their Top Ten of classic American films, and it's part of the National Film Registry. Several remakes of the movie do exist, but the 1947 version is still the best by a country mile. Now is the season to watch it, so go and watch it! This story is a delight, both on the page and on the screen.
November 26, 2014
Best of Writing 101: My Unhealthy Relationship...with Writing About Food
I'm in a toxic relationship. It's not easy to admit or to talk about, but there it is. I have such a bad relationship that it seeps into everything I do...and almost everything I write. And as a writer who's having this toxic relationship, it's impossible for me to write about this relationship without giving readers a skewed, distorted viewpoint. But I know that I can't fix this toxic relationship...so I've found a way to make it work with my writing. If you have a personal issue or some strange quirk, you can't ignore it. You can't write around it. All you can do is embrace it...just like I have.
The Girl with the Most Cake
Those of you who follow my colleague Annalisa Crawford may be aware that I've been engaged in a battle with my toxic relationship for years. I am winning, but not without casualties. My toxic relationship is with food. We've been having a torrid love-hate relationship since...well, perhaps since I was born. Me and food just can't love each other the way we want to, and so we find ourselves constantly at odds instead.
This all makes it very difficult for me to write about food in a way that seems reasonable to people who don't have my hang-ups. You see, I'm deeply in love with food. I want to do nothing but eat it all day. And I'm not talking about lettuce. I want fried things, and battered things, and sweet baked things...and frankly, I want it all to be chocolate-dipped and covered with sugar, too.
But, I've been on a decently strict diet (some would say insanely strict) for about three years now. Iron-handed control is the only way I've been able to successfully manage my weight. But all this food obsession has given me a very off-kilter perception of food and eating and what normal people eat. Lucky for me, I know that I've got this issue.
And I know that I can't write about food normally. My characters can't go out to eat dinner as average people would, nor can they eat regular meals and snacks that other everyday people eat. They can't do this because I don't do this, and I don't know how to write about people who do because all my experiences with food border on the psychotic. So when I write about food in my books, it's always in the extreme.
In the Deck of Lies series, there is a character who's constantly eating diet foods and terrible-sounding, low-calorie stuff. This is me. There's another character in the series who's always craving "real" food. This is also me. In Hope's Rebellion, one character completely devours all bread she can find. This is who I want to be. See how it works?
If you're weird about something, write weird about it because that's what you know and that's where you'll shine. I don't try to write about people with normal food habits, because I'm not at all familiar with that. So I write about people with weird food habits, because that's me. If you have an unhealthy relationship or an obsession or a hang-up or even an unreasonable fear, use it. Don't try to avoid it or write around it or ignore it. It's yours, so find a way to put it on the page. These are the kinds of quirks that give your writing its unique voice, and make your work unlike anyone else's.
The Girl with the Most Cake
Those of you who follow my colleague Annalisa Crawford may be aware that I've been engaged in a battle with my toxic relationship for years. I am winning, but not without casualties. My toxic relationship is with food. We've been having a torrid love-hate relationship since...well, perhaps since I was born. Me and food just can't love each other the way we want to, and so we find ourselves constantly at odds instead.
This all makes it very difficult for me to write about food in a way that seems reasonable to people who don't have my hang-ups. You see, I'm deeply in love with food. I want to do nothing but eat it all day. And I'm not talking about lettuce. I want fried things, and battered things, and sweet baked things...and frankly, I want it all to be chocolate-dipped and covered with sugar, too.
But, I've been on a decently strict diet (some would say insanely strict) for about three years now. Iron-handed control is the only way I've been able to successfully manage my weight. But all this food obsession has given me a very off-kilter perception of food and eating and what normal people eat. Lucky for me, I know that I've got this issue.
And I know that I can't write about food normally. My characters can't go out to eat dinner as average people would, nor can they eat regular meals and snacks that other everyday people eat. They can't do this because I don't do this, and I don't know how to write about people who do because all my experiences with food border on the psychotic. So when I write about food in my books, it's always in the extreme.
In the Deck of Lies series, there is a character who's constantly eating diet foods and terrible-sounding, low-calorie stuff. This is me. There's another character in the series who's always craving "real" food. This is also me. In Hope's Rebellion, one character completely devours all bread she can find. This is who I want to be. See how it works?
If you're weird about something, write weird about it because that's what you know and that's where you'll shine. I don't try to write about people with normal food habits, because I'm not at all familiar with that. So I write about people with weird food habits, because that's me. If you have an unhealthy relationship or an obsession or a hang-up or even an unreasonable fear, use it. Don't try to avoid it or write around it or ignore it. It's yours, so find a way to put it on the page. These are the kinds of quirks that give your writing its unique voice, and make your work unlike anyone else's.
November 25, 2014
Best of Writing 101: Food in Books
Food and books go well together. When you're nice and full from your Thanksgiving feast, there's nothing as sweet as curling up with a good book. They seem to encourage snacking, and sometimes a book is so good it's difficult to pull one's eyes away to bother with looking at dinner. Why not cut right to it, and add food directly into your books?
Even Characters Have to Eat
Everybody eats. It's one of the universal truths that ties all human beings together. I live in Kentucky, in the United States, and passionately love books and basketball. But when it comes to food, I'm not so different from the boy working on a farm that has no electricity in Asia -- because I eat it, too. And that brings us right back to why you want to add food to your books.
RealismAnything that makes your characters feel more real to readers is a good thing, and there's nothing like food to do that for you. Have your character eating pizza with friends or stopping at the fast food burger joint; we've all done that, so we can all relate. Use food to help me relate to your characters, because it'll work.
Descriptive writingFood also allows you to be really descriptive, and that's exactly what you want your writing to be. Describe the smell, the texture, the taste. Put me right there in that moment -- in that booth, eating pizza. Put me at the dinner table, cutting into the steak.
Introduce something newBooks allow readers to go to new places, to meet new people...to try new things. Why can't one of those things be food? It can be exciting to read about a food that I've never tasted, to learn about some new dish. I read one book that actually gave me a recipe, and I was delirious about it. I went straight into the kitchen once I got to the end of the chapter, no kidding. Use food to give your readers something new and different, and it will make your writing more memorable and enjoyable.
Food and Books
Add food to your books, and your readers will eat it up (pun intended). It brings more flavor to the page, and your fans will end up being hungry for more of your writing. I could do this all day, but now I'm the one getting hungry. So think about ways to add more food to your writing while you're eating today, and have a happy Thanksgiving!
Even Characters Have to Eat
Everybody eats. It's one of the universal truths that ties all human beings together. I live in Kentucky, in the United States, and passionately love books and basketball. But when it comes to food, I'm not so different from the boy working on a farm that has no electricity in Asia -- because I eat it, too. And that brings us right back to why you want to add food to your books.
RealismAnything that makes your characters feel more real to readers is a good thing, and there's nothing like food to do that for you. Have your character eating pizza with friends or stopping at the fast food burger joint; we've all done that, so we can all relate. Use food to help me relate to your characters, because it'll work.
Descriptive writingFood also allows you to be really descriptive, and that's exactly what you want your writing to be. Describe the smell, the texture, the taste. Put me right there in that moment -- in that booth, eating pizza. Put me at the dinner table, cutting into the steak.
Introduce something newBooks allow readers to go to new places, to meet new people...to try new things. Why can't one of those things be food? It can be exciting to read about a food that I've never tasted, to learn about some new dish. I read one book that actually gave me a recipe, and I was delirious about it. I went straight into the kitchen once I got to the end of the chapter, no kidding. Use food to give your readers something new and different, and it will make your writing more memorable and enjoyable.
Food and Books
Add food to your books, and your readers will eat it up (pun intended). It brings more flavor to the page, and your fans will end up being hungry for more of your writing. I could do this all day, but now I'm the one getting hungry. So think about ways to add more food to your writing while you're eating today, and have a happy Thanksgiving!
November 24, 2014
Best of Writing 101: Writing 101: Writing About the Holidays
The holiday season makes people feel excited for something, anxious and happy. It's a thrilling time, and it's a time when everyone's wallet is a little more open than usual. So writing about the holidays is tempting. After all, doesn't the Hallmark channel need new movies about Christmas every single year? Obviously holiday stories are in demand. So why shouldn't you write about them?
Don't worry -- I'm going to tell you why.
My Thanksgiving with YouTube
Let me start by telling you a story, since I am a storyteller. I was planning a pretty big event about three years ago, and I was so into it I was barely sleeping at night. So a few days before Thanksgiving, I found myself cruising forums at 3am. It's not as bad as it sounds -- it was a party-planning forum. And there was a link to a YouTube video, and I'm a sucker for those.
It ends up being a video diary of this Australian guy who was getting the wrong email. Apparently, he had the same name as an American and he was on the family mailing list in lieu of the correct person. This is how he became aware of an intriguing discussion about Thanksgiving. He read about deviled eggs, and turkey, and stuffing and gravy and all sorts of different back-and-forth. It was fascinating stuff, so much so that he launched a YouTube campaign in order to find this family.
They contacted him, and he traveled all the way to America to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. He posted videos of his entire adventure, and I spent the entire holiday avidly watching. You see, this was special because they don't have Thanksgiving in Australia.
It's unique to the United States, because it's a holiday that was originated by the Pilgrims. Those kinds of things never occur to me, when I'm in the midst of the holiday season. I assume everyone is shopping pumpkin pie recipes and thinking about stuffing on the fourth Thursday in November, but that's just not the case.
And that's the point of my rather long story: writing about the holidays can alienate a huge audience. Write about a holiday that's unique to a country (like Canada's Boxing Day, or the Fourth of July in America) and you're going to be writing about something that's foreign to many readers. That means you have to write about the holiday really well. Explain what it's about, why it's a holiday, all of that stuff -- and do it without screwing up the narrative of the story. Otherwise, your readers may just sit through the story scratching their heads and that's no good for anyone.
Even international holidays, like Halloween, are pretty tricky stuff. Many of these holidays aren't related to a country, but they are related to religion. Christmas is a prime example of this. It's a holiday associated with Christians, so some of your readers may be unable to relate to this story. How can you write it in a way that's relatable to everyone? That's another one of the challenges that come with writing about holidays.
It's difficult, but it's doable. Take extra care to explain the event, and what's unique about it, so your readers can fully understand what's going on. Find the common themes in the story that make it relatable to everyone, in spite of their religion or origin. A story about the holidays that's well-written can become a timeless classic. After all, A Christmas Carol was just another story, once.
Don't worry -- I'm going to tell you why.
My Thanksgiving with YouTube
Let me start by telling you a story, since I am a storyteller. I was planning a pretty big event about three years ago, and I was so into it I was barely sleeping at night. So a few days before Thanksgiving, I found myself cruising forums at 3am. It's not as bad as it sounds -- it was a party-planning forum. And there was a link to a YouTube video, and I'm a sucker for those.
It ends up being a video diary of this Australian guy who was getting the wrong email. Apparently, he had the same name as an American and he was on the family mailing list in lieu of the correct person. This is how he became aware of an intriguing discussion about Thanksgiving. He read about deviled eggs, and turkey, and stuffing and gravy and all sorts of different back-and-forth. It was fascinating stuff, so much so that he launched a YouTube campaign in order to find this family.
They contacted him, and he traveled all the way to America to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. He posted videos of his entire adventure, and I spent the entire holiday avidly watching. You see, this was special because they don't have Thanksgiving in Australia.
It's unique to the United States, because it's a holiday that was originated by the Pilgrims. Those kinds of things never occur to me, when I'm in the midst of the holiday season. I assume everyone is shopping pumpkin pie recipes and thinking about stuffing on the fourth Thursday in November, but that's just not the case.
And that's the point of my rather long story: writing about the holidays can alienate a huge audience. Write about a holiday that's unique to a country (like Canada's Boxing Day, or the Fourth of July in America) and you're going to be writing about something that's foreign to many readers. That means you have to write about the holiday really well. Explain what it's about, why it's a holiday, all of that stuff -- and do it without screwing up the narrative of the story. Otherwise, your readers may just sit through the story scratching their heads and that's no good for anyone.
Even international holidays, like Halloween, are pretty tricky stuff. Many of these holidays aren't related to a country, but they are related to religion. Christmas is a prime example of this. It's a holiday associated with Christians, so some of your readers may be unable to relate to this story. How can you write it in a way that's relatable to everyone? That's another one of the challenges that come with writing about holidays.
It's difficult, but it's doable. Take extra care to explain the event, and what's unique about it, so your readers can fully understand what's going on. Find the common themes in the story that make it relatable to everyone, in spite of their religion or origin. A story about the holidays that's well-written can become a timeless classic. After all, A Christmas Carol was just another story, once.
November 20, 2014
Writing 101: Talking With Myself
How often do you speak your more intimate thoughts aloud to an empty room? Probably not often, but writers use this little trick all the time. And frankly, it's bad writing. Don't do this, I beg of you. Many people do not have conversations with themselves aloud, so I don't know why so many authors are making their characters do it.
Disclaimer
Don't get me wrong. I have talked to myself. Catch me in a store during the Christmas season, and you may even see me having a rather animated talk with myself. But rarely do I ever stand in the middle of a room and pour my heart out to the walls. When I'm talking to myself, it's much more "didn't I buy that last year?" and "Well, if I knew what her size was..." It's not "I always wanted Ronnie to love me. I don't understand why he doesn't. Maybe it's because I talk to myself so much." See the difference?
Intimate Thoughts
Obviously, having a character talking to themselves is a good way to reveal the character's feelings on a page. There are some instances where it's just not possible to step inside a character's head, so a little dialogue makes things easy. But writing books is not supposed to be easy, and most people don't share their deepest feelings with empty air. Charters shouldn't, either, and I'm not saying that to make it harder. I'm saying that for all the readers out there who are sick of it.
There are other ways to show a person's innermost thoughts and feelings without engaging empty air. Maybe they write a letter and end up tearing it up. Maybe they say a prayer aloud, which makes more sense. Maybe they have a conversation with someone who is dead; a big somber cemetery scene is much more meaningful than standing in the department store trying to pick the right candle. What? I don't do that.
The point is, there are ways to have a one-sided conversation that make sense...and then, there's the other option.
But if you want your character to talk to themselves because that's the truth you want to show, that's fine. Just make sure you do it more than once, and establish that this person already has a penchant for talking to themselves. This way, it will feel a little more natural. Otherwise, you should always try to make your characters act in a real, relatable way.
Disclaimer
Don't get me wrong. I have talked to myself. Catch me in a store during the Christmas season, and you may even see me having a rather animated talk with myself. But rarely do I ever stand in the middle of a room and pour my heart out to the walls. When I'm talking to myself, it's much more "didn't I buy that last year?" and "Well, if I knew what her size was..." It's not "I always wanted Ronnie to love me. I don't understand why he doesn't. Maybe it's because I talk to myself so much." See the difference?
Intimate Thoughts
Obviously, having a character talking to themselves is a good way to reveal the character's feelings on a page. There are some instances where it's just not possible to step inside a character's head, so a little dialogue makes things easy. But writing books is not supposed to be easy, and most people don't share their deepest feelings with empty air. Charters shouldn't, either, and I'm not saying that to make it harder. I'm saying that for all the readers out there who are sick of it.
There are other ways to show a person's innermost thoughts and feelings without engaging empty air. Maybe they write a letter and end up tearing it up. Maybe they say a prayer aloud, which makes more sense. Maybe they have a conversation with someone who is dead; a big somber cemetery scene is much more meaningful than standing in the department store trying to pick the right candle. What? I don't do that.
The point is, there are ways to have a one-sided conversation that make sense...and then, there's the other option.
But if you want your character to talk to themselves because that's the truth you want to show, that's fine. Just make sure you do it more than once, and establish that this person already has a penchant for talking to themselves. This way, it will feel a little more natural. Otherwise, you should always try to make your characters act in a real, relatable way.
November 19, 2014
Writing 101: Knowing When to Stop
So, I got all excited about writing this particular story. It completely fired my imagination; I found myself shirking other responsibilities just so I could research. Who does that? Anyway, I was thrilled about it so I started writing it. But then, something just didn't feel right. I tried forcing more chapters, but it just didn't sit well with me. Eventually, I had to put the book aside...and ended up writing an entire other novel instead. Then, just the other day, all the answers came to me out of nowhere. Knowing when to stop is a big part of being an indie author.
Hitting the Brakes
There are going to be times when you've got writer's block. There are going to be scenes in your book that are difficult for you to write. There are going to be times when you're physically and emotionally exhausted, and writing feels impossible. There are moments when you've got to force it and get the writing done. But then, there are times when you really do need to walk away. Knowing how to tell the difference is something every author has to learn.
When every sentence is a struggle and every word is a nightmare and nothing feels right, forcing it isn't going to help. You know, as an author and as a reader, when something isn't working. Don't ignore that feeling. Don't say "well, it's just a first draft," or "it'll get better when I get past this chapter." If you have to talk yourself into writing a book, maybe you should be writing a different book.
I know this from experience, because if you keep forcing those words when you know they're wrong you're going to have a lot more stuff to rewrite later. I have to rewrite three chapters because I kept trying to force a story that wasn't working. But then I stepped away, and I wrote something else. And out of the blue, I figured out what was wrong with that other story in the first place. Now, I know how to fix it.
Knowing when to stop is particularly hard for some authors, like me. But it's a skill we all need to learn.
Hitting the Brakes
There are going to be times when you've got writer's block. There are going to be scenes in your book that are difficult for you to write. There are going to be times when you're physically and emotionally exhausted, and writing feels impossible. There are moments when you've got to force it and get the writing done. But then, there are times when you really do need to walk away. Knowing how to tell the difference is something every author has to learn.
When every sentence is a struggle and every word is a nightmare and nothing feels right, forcing it isn't going to help. You know, as an author and as a reader, when something isn't working. Don't ignore that feeling. Don't say "well, it's just a first draft," or "it'll get better when I get past this chapter." If you have to talk yourself into writing a book, maybe you should be writing a different book.
I know this from experience, because if you keep forcing those words when you know they're wrong you're going to have a lot more stuff to rewrite later. I have to rewrite three chapters because I kept trying to force a story that wasn't working. But then I stepped away, and I wrote something else. And out of the blue, I figured out what was wrong with that other story in the first place. Now, I know how to fix it.
Knowing when to stop is particularly hard for some authors, like me. But it's a skill we all need to learn.
November 18, 2014
Writing 101: What's Your Angle?
Please, take a moment to look at the image on this post. What do you see when you look at it? You may think you're seeing a box. You may take it one step beyond, and call it a moving box. It's the holiday season. Maybe it's a gift box. Maybe you're morose, and you see someone's home when you look at it. But I'm here to tell you that this is not a box. This is the box that was used to move the very first kidney used in the very first transplant in the country. And I want to tell you the story of that box.
When you're a writer, you have to know how to take a regular box and turn it into a story. But a regular story of an ordinary moving box isn't enough. I have a question to ask you: what's your angle?
More Than Four Sides
If you write nonfiction articles or blog posts professionally, then I am probably not the first person to ask you that all-important question. What's your angle? It's something that I have to deal with every day in my other writing life, and I've found that it's something for indie authors to consider as well. If you can come up with multiple angles on a story, it can help you improve a great deal as a creative writer.
The angle on a story is the way you approach it, like the box example I used above. Now, if I were to tell you that this box was donated to the Salvation Army full of ugly Christmas sweaters and I want you to write about it, what would you write? Believe it or not, there are a ton of good story ideas right here. First, you can write about who donated the box. Why did they do it? Who are they? Where did they get the sweaters? To that end, why not make the story about the sweaters instead? What are the sizes, the designs? What are they made of and what is the Salvation Army doing with them and how long have people been wearing Christmas sweaters and why was this box of them dropped off? Or what about focusing ont he Salvation Army? How can I donate to them? What can I donate to them? Who will these sweaters help?
That's three different angles on the same exact box of sweaters. The sweaters didn't change at all, but that story did three different times. That's what it means to find a angle. And as a writer, it's your job to find a unique one.
Tell a vampire story, if that's what you want to do. But discover your own unique angle on that story, and tell it in a brand-new way. That's what it means to find an angle, and if you can find one that no one else has found then you're doing your job as a writer.
When you're a writer, you have to know how to take a regular box and turn it into a story. But a regular story of an ordinary moving box isn't enough. I have a question to ask you: what's your angle?
More Than Four Sides
If you write nonfiction articles or blog posts professionally, then I am probably not the first person to ask you that all-important question. What's your angle? It's something that I have to deal with every day in my other writing life, and I've found that it's something for indie authors to consider as well. If you can come up with multiple angles on a story, it can help you improve a great deal as a creative writer.
The angle on a story is the way you approach it, like the box example I used above. Now, if I were to tell you that this box was donated to the Salvation Army full of ugly Christmas sweaters and I want you to write about it, what would you write? Believe it or not, there are a ton of good story ideas right here. First, you can write about who donated the box. Why did they do it? Who are they? Where did they get the sweaters? To that end, why not make the story about the sweaters instead? What are the sizes, the designs? What are they made of and what is the Salvation Army doing with them and how long have people been wearing Christmas sweaters and why was this box of them dropped off? Or what about focusing ont he Salvation Army? How can I donate to them? What can I donate to them? Who will these sweaters help?
That's three different angles on the same exact box of sweaters. The sweaters didn't change at all, but that story did three different times. That's what it means to find a angle. And as a writer, it's your job to find a unique one.
Tell a vampire story, if that's what you want to do. But discover your own unique angle on that story, and tell it in a brand-new way. That's what it means to find an angle, and if you can find one that no one else has found then you're doing your job as a writer.
November 17, 2014
Writing 101: What Other People Think
Remember when you were growing up and your parents or parental figures told you "just be yourself?" When you become an indie author, you've got to disregard all that advice. In a way, the author's career hinges upon the opinions of others.And that means the last thing you really want to do is be yourself. What other people think is very, very important...and it's going to be harder to face than you think.
What I Think...
What other people think of you as an author is important, and if you don't use a pen name then how you act in life becomes a part of the picture as well. I always advocate using pen names because it's the easiest way to keep your true self and your author persona separate. As an author, you can't get political or religious or express too many opinions. That might affect your readers. The exception is, of course, if you write political or religious books. But if you write ordinary genre fiction, you've got to keep it buttoned up during election season. It feels impossible. I know it's hard for me. But what other people think is always going to matter when you're an author. It matters even more when you're an indie.
Other people may think indie authors are a joke, or that you personally are. They may think you're too young, too old, too fat or too thin. It's going to hurt. You're going to read things you wish you hadn't, and regret writing tweets that you already posted. You're going to find yourself thinking more about what other people think than you ever thought possible, particularly once the reviews start to roll in.
What other people think does matter, because you want to sell books. Sometimes, you will be able to win those people over. Stay professional, stay kind, and be receptive toward them and they may find that you're not so bad after all. But then there are times when you have to listen to what other people think...and then disregard it. It matters, but you can't let it dictate how you're going to write.
You're going to hear a lot of what other people think when you're an indie. You have to learn how to take it in and process the parts that matter. And all the rest? Smile, nod and keep on writing.
What I Think...
What other people think of you as an author is important, and if you don't use a pen name then how you act in life becomes a part of the picture as well. I always advocate using pen names because it's the easiest way to keep your true self and your author persona separate. As an author, you can't get political or religious or express too many opinions. That might affect your readers. The exception is, of course, if you write political or religious books. But if you write ordinary genre fiction, you've got to keep it buttoned up during election season. It feels impossible. I know it's hard for me. But what other people think is always going to matter when you're an author. It matters even more when you're an indie.
Other people may think indie authors are a joke, or that you personally are. They may think you're too young, too old, too fat or too thin. It's going to hurt. You're going to read things you wish you hadn't, and regret writing tweets that you already posted. You're going to find yourself thinking more about what other people think than you ever thought possible, particularly once the reviews start to roll in.
What other people think does matter, because you want to sell books. Sometimes, you will be able to win those people over. Stay professional, stay kind, and be receptive toward them and they may find that you're not so bad after all. But then there are times when you have to listen to what other people think...and then disregard it. It matters, but you can't let it dictate how you're going to write.
You're going to hear a lot of what other people think when you're an indie. You have to learn how to take it in and process the parts that matter. And all the rest? Smile, nod and keep on writing.
November 13, 2014
Writing 101: You Don't Have to Go Home, But...
Every writer has to create a world for their books, even if their books are based in a real time and place. You still have to create that in the reader's mind out of nothing. You may have a reader who doesn't know what living on he beach is like, and that means you have to be the one to tell them. No matter what sort of setting you're creating, do yourself a huge favor. Base it on an actual place that you can find on a map.
Pick a Real Place for Your Setting, Or Else
No matter where your book is taking place, you must give your readers some frame of reference. If you can make me understand that snow is frozen water and it's capable of falling from the sky in soft, icy little pieces, you've done your job as a writer. But you can never make me understand what glub is when it gets on your hands unless you can compare it something I do understand. If you tell me that glub has a slimy texture, I'll get that. You have to do the same sort of thing with your setting. You've got to ground it in something I understand.
You've got to pick a real place, somewhere, and use this as your foundation.
Setting plays a huge part in any story, and you have to treat it almost like another character. Readers need to know what it looks like, what it smells like, what it feels like. Are there animals? Is there vegetation? What are the colors like? What about the sky? There are so many details, so many layers to explore. And you're going to want all of that in your books, because all of that makes your books feel a lot more real.
Make it a lot easier on yourself by picking a spot on this planet that's comparable to whatever fictional setting you're building for your book. Even if your book is set on Mars, you can find real deserts that somewhat mimic that landscape. If you start with a real place, you're taking a lot of stress off yourself research-wise. Using that real place, you can learn more about vegetation and animals, and pick and choose what you'd like to add to your books. All of this information is just more layers that you can add to your stories to make them feel richer and more real.
Find a place on Earth to base your setting around, and a lot of work is already done. When you're in the self-publishing game, anything that can lighten the load is worth pursuing.
Pick a Real Place for Your Setting, Or Else
No matter where your book is taking place, you must give your readers some frame of reference. If you can make me understand that snow is frozen water and it's capable of falling from the sky in soft, icy little pieces, you've done your job as a writer. But you can never make me understand what glub is when it gets on your hands unless you can compare it something I do understand. If you tell me that glub has a slimy texture, I'll get that. You have to do the same sort of thing with your setting. You've got to ground it in something I understand.
You've got to pick a real place, somewhere, and use this as your foundation.
Setting plays a huge part in any story, and you have to treat it almost like another character. Readers need to know what it looks like, what it smells like, what it feels like. Are there animals? Is there vegetation? What are the colors like? What about the sky? There are so many details, so many layers to explore. And you're going to want all of that in your books, because all of that makes your books feel a lot more real.
Make it a lot easier on yourself by picking a spot on this planet that's comparable to whatever fictional setting you're building for your book. Even if your book is set on Mars, you can find real deserts that somewhat mimic that landscape. If you start with a real place, you're taking a lot of stress off yourself research-wise. Using that real place, you can learn more about vegetation and animals, and pick and choose what you'd like to add to your books. All of this information is just more layers that you can add to your stories to make them feel richer and more real.
Find a place on Earth to base your setting around, and a lot of work is already done. When you're in the self-publishing game, anything that can lighten the load is worth pursuing.
