Laura Brewer's Blog, page 6

Limiting The Scope Of Your Story

For some reason, I woke up  this morning thinking about how stories end. There is a disturbing tendency these days to want to follow a group of characters forever. There are several authors who come to mind that don’t seem to understand that a story needs an end point. No matter how much we may connect with and love the characters, if they are well written we will, the story we are telling about them should have an end to it. Even a long series will have a specific and, hopefully, logical stopping place.

The Harry Potter books come to mind. One for each year Harry was at Hogwarts, with a dramatic resolution of the primary conflict at the end. All the major subplots were resolved in some manner. J.K. Rowling did not try to write another book following the future lives of the characters, though she could have. She did not try to continue the story indefinitely, nor make it so convoluted that there were major plots and conflicts that were dropped, never to be heard of again. She set limits on the story. She knew how to say “The End”.

Contrast that with Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. The final book had to be finished from his notes posthumously. I think it was #12, but I’m not certain. I refused to read anymore after about #7 because, while I really liked the basic story, his writing style, and his fabulous world building, he kept developing elaborate conflicts and dropping them without any real resolution. He also seemed to have no idea how to actually end the story. It just kept getting more and more complex as it spiraled outward to encompass more and more of his world. I’m sorry if this steps on the toes of some his fans, but I have to call them like I see them. About book 5, I remember thinking, that he needed to learn how to say “The End”.

There are two significant reasons to limit the scope of your story. One is the resolution of conflicts and the other is sticking to the story. Resolving the conflicts in a story is a contract that we have with the reader. When we present a problem in a story, we are obligated to give a solution to it. They’re important even if they are bad, or unpleasant, resolutions, like a young man’s bride dies in his arms and destroys what he had worked for during the story, or the hero fails and the world explodes. Now, in the second scenario, one would hope the author would have a few refugees that escaped somehow; that’s our nature. The main thing is that the conflicts must be resolved.

The second part is tied up in world building and plotting. I think Robert Jordan’s problem was that his world building was so solid, he kept folding in this society and that little conflict to the point it became too ponderous to handle. He tried to write the story like life, exploring all the side paths that presented themselves to his pen and folding them into the main story.

You simply can’t do that. Think about any story in the news. Events are always connected to other events, other people and other ideas. If you took any news story and went deeper, you’d discover those connections and if you were capable of following any story far enough it would connect to everything and every one – eventually. History books can’t even begin to do more than scratch the surface or follow a few connected threads, so why do some authors think they can do it?

The best answer I have ever seen to exploring those other side roads is what Andre Norton, among others, did with world building. The Witch World books were stand alones. Some dealt directly with the original conflict and/or characters and some didn’t. Nearly all were in some way connected to those conflicts, in the way that major events affect everyone and send out different kinds of ripples. This way, she wrote numerous books that explored little corners of her created world. She did the same thing with her Sci/Fi universe. If I have a single long term goal in writing, it’s to develop my Sci/Fi universe in a similar way and explore peoples and worlds that have not yet come to light, but are certainly out there waiting.

How far do you go in writing subplots? That is a question I can’t answer, but if your story keeps wandering in different directions like chasing butterflies, you probably need to think about limiting it and follow those side paths later.

My Favorite Comfort Foods

Plunging temperatures have my mind firmly on comfort foods. We all have our favorites, but they have one thing in common. They make us feel better. They warm us up in when we’re cold and wet; they cheer us when we’re down; they cool us off in the summer. Sometimes, they are things we associate with specific events, like Fourth of July or Christmas.

I’m fairly serious about my cooking and my list reflects this.

#1 Bread – There is nothing in all the culinary world to compare with the fragrance, taste and texture of homemade bread, hot out of the oven. All it needs is a little butter. It’s sure to make anyone feel better.

#2 Chicken Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – I make my soup with linguini for the noodles and the sandwiches are on thin sliced homemade bread with sharp cheese. With lots of veggies in the soup, it’s a wonderful warm up on a cold, rainy night.

#3 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – Anywhere, anytime. What else is there to say?

#4 Cheesey Grits -Cozy on those cold mornings when you really didn’t want to get out of bed. Top it with bacon for a special treat.

#5 Pizza – Winter or summer, my family would probably revolt if I didn’t make this fairly regularly.

#6 BLT’s – It’s a special favorite in the summer with fresh from our garden tomatoes.

#7 Fresh Cherry Tarts – My personal version of toaster pastries. I started making these when we had old fashioned, sour cherry trees and they became an instant favorite.

#8 Homemade Ice Cream – Usually chocolate, always made with real cream.

#9 Any fresh picked fruit – because it’s never with you long and nothing from the store will ever be as good, or as fresh, as what you pick yourself.

I could add more to the list, but then the problem would be where to stop What are your favorite comfort foods?

Looking Back

My youngest son is looking for a part time job, now that he’s old enough, and it brought back some memories. Growing up, we kids made a little extra cash doing all sorts of things. I remember being about 7 or 8 and selling extra vegetables in the neighborhood with my best friend. There was one elderly lady in particular who was always happy to see us. She could no longer garden and really appreciated our sharing. She’d even give us requests. We didn’t make more than, maybe, ice cream money, but boy did we feel important. We were earning our own money! A few years later, my early entrepreneurship was followed by selling seeds in the Spring and personalized Christmas cards in the Fall. The boys thought they had it made with cutting grass, but I had two seasons to work.

Both my parents grew up on farms during the Depression. Not long ago, mom told me about her father giving her and each of her siblings their own plot of land to do whatever they wanted with and they got to keep the profits. A couple of her brothers raised a calf, some planted cotton. All worked hard and made some money for themselves. They learned the value of work in the best possible way.

These days, kids have a hard time just setting up a lemonade stand. Some places it’s even illegal. The only thing they get to sell is usually fundraising efforts for school or other groups. What is wrong with our kids learning first hand how to take care of themselves? Or learning how to create their own jobs? That’s essentially what we did, find a need and fill it. It’s a skill in and of itself that is becoming rare.

Maybe we need a few more lemonade stands and a few less video games.

Winter’s Fickle Sun

Brittle ice yields

To the morning sun

Warmed earth

Can feel Winter’s breath

Waiting

Swiftly to return

Warm fire beckons

Image Courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, freedigitalphotos.net

Elements Of A Good Critique

Anytime someone asks you to give a critique of their fiction, there are some basic things to keep in mind that will make it easier. There are two main areas to look at – technical and content. They should be handled separately if possible, since one is mostly objective and the other is largely subjective.

Technical is the obvious -grammar, spelling, etc. It is also the less obvious such as dropped plot threads or order of events errors. These errors tend to throw the reader out of the story. The technical part should not be treated lightly, particularly since it is the easiest for the author to miss. It is amazing how many times I have typed the wrong word and never seen the error because my mind reads what I intended to type, not necessarily what I actually typed.

Content is more subjective and sometimes difficult to express. You don’t like the way a scene reads, but you may not see why you don’t like it. Things like characterizations, descriptions, and how the story flows fall into this category. It’s important to make sure your thoughts are stated as opinions. There are as many ways to tell a story as there are people to tell it and no one is going to like every approach. Keep that in mind. Also keep in mind the overall intent of the author and their style.

Here is a list of some questions to answer about a completed draft. The list could be longer, but this covers the basics. Most of these will also be useful when looking at chapters too.

Technical:

Is the spelling correct, including consistent character/place names?

Is it grammatically sound in all areas, including punctuation?

Is the phrasing clear and concise?

Does it have strong word choices, particularly verbs? I put this in here because it really is more a matter of grammar than personal writing style.

Is the voice consistent? If the writing is in 1st person, present tense, it should stay that way unless the character is relating something from the past to another character or thinking about past events. Likewise, 3rd person, past tense should be consistent throughout except in actual dialogue.

Is the Point of View (POV) consistent. If the story has multiple POV’s, the shifts must be logical and clear as to just who’s head you are in at any given time.

Does the dialogue flow naturally? Are the speakers clearly indicated through the use of a combination of dialogue tags, gestural pauses, and descriptive fragments as needed?

Are events and descriptions consistent? Unless there are time warps going on, something that happened on Tuesday should not later be said to have happened on Saturday. That assumes one character is not lying to another, of course. Scene descriptions should also be consistent, if building A is to the right of building B, it should stay there, unless a tornado has moved it.

Content:

Are the characters, setting and plot believable within the context of the story?

Does the plot work?

Are the conflicts clear or murky? Are the main conflicts resolved satisfactorily? Note, that doesn’t necessarily mean a happy ending, it means they aren’t left hanging. Even a series will have a sense of closure at the end of each book.

Is the story arc developed in a logical way? Does the story begin at the beginning? If not, is the flashback sequence both smooth and reasonable? (Very few experienced authors can pull off starting in the middle of a story. I have never seen a novice do it, but there’s always a first time.)

Is the author’s writing style consistent? If it starts off humorous and turns darkly suspenseful, there is a problem.

In short, this is where you let the author know what works and what doesn’t work for you as a reader. Remember, it is at least as important to let them know what works as it is to point out problems. What works well is what the author needs to build on.

One thing to understand, it is not necessary to like a book or genre to be able to critique one reliably. Be honest and objective, even when commenting on the merits of a particular approach. I have given crits on books I, personally, didn’t like. I am not fond of horror, vampires or zombies, but I do understand the elements that need to be present and can tell if they are well used or not. I have even encountered a few that I actually liked. That makes it good for me too. I get out of my comfort zone. Sometimes, we get the most help from someone who does not normally read the kind of books we write. There is much to be said for a fresh, uncluttered viewpoint.

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

I have been asked that question a lot. Do you ever get up in the morning and find your mind wandering while your drinking your first cup of coffee? You know how your conscious mind is still half asleep and you tend to think in strings of barely related ideas? Maybe you see a photo that triggers one thought that jumps into another and you go from a goat with its horns stuck in a fence to a barely related thought about fences and end up with thinking about asteroid mining. Yes, I have such thought strings, and I bet you do too.

Writers, inventors, any creative thinkers learn to harness some of those random thoughts and ask themselves -

What if? 

That’s probably one of the most powerful questions we can ask. The possibilities are endless. Are they all rational? Of course not, but the way the question stretches the mind is what creates growth and seeds the ground of imagination.

I write Science Fiction, so I’ll throw out a few what ifs in that area.

What if -

We were exploring Mars and discovered intelligent life the size of an ant?

A solar storm erupted powerful enough to fry every single electrical device on the planet?

Someone discovered a way to make glass as strong as steel?

A virus infects a human colony that triggers psychic abilities?

Now think about the possible consequences of any of those conditions. That’s where ideas come from. It’s not that hard. The hard part is taking the seed of an idea and planting it in fertile ground, then nurturing it to make it grow into a story.

I challenge you to keep a list of idea seeds to plant whenever you find the right ground.

New Year’s Resolutions? It’s All In The Words

It never fails. The year turns and, everywhere I look, people are talking about New Year’s Resolutions. It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad to see them making plans to diet, exercise, quit smoking, ad infinitum. Plans they will faithfully keep for two weeks if they are determined. Part of the problem is the word resolution. It conjures images of stoic determination to gut out what ever unpleasantness we have committed ourselves to. See what I said there? Unpleasantness. The very word we want to convey positive feelings about positive changes, in fact, creates an automatic assumption of unpleasantness.

If you look at the root word in the dictionary, particularly the original Latin, the most used meaning is to determine or decide. The word has nothing to do with acting on that decision.

Let’s look at another word, revolution. The root word means to turn around, to change. It’s an active word – less talk, more do. It is more militant, but when changing ones lifestyle, that’s not a bad image is it? We tend to think of revolution in political terms, but we also have the Industrial Revolution, by definition – change. Computers and the internet have revolutionized the way we communicate.

It’s all about taking control of the words we use to take control of the outcomes. Any journalist, politician, or diplomat knows this. They do it all the time and use it to change perceptions of others. It is something we can, and should, use on ourselves. Think about it. Resolve to loose 20 pounds. Engage in a revolt on junk food. Now which of those thoughts is more likely to inspire you in a positive, pro-active way?

For my self, there will be revolutions rather than resolutions. I declared a revolt on junk food and most processed food a long time ago. I’m not certain just what revolt I will wage in the coming year. Probably against idleness, since my current situation discourages exercise. Another possibility would be a revolt on living in a semi-urban environment. I want my woods back

Pecan Brittle Recipe With A Twist

I have something a little different this morning. I love to cook and I love to develop new recipes occasionally. As Christmas approaches I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making things I rarely cook at any other time. Much of what I make is for gifts, a perfect excuse to indulge a little. My real specialty is breads of all kinds, but I do a lot of other things, including candy.

I have never really liked using corn syrup in peanut/pecan brittle, so when I was given a jar of some homegrown molasses, I decided to experiment a little. I’ll have to say it was a fantastic success. I suspect molasses could be substituted agreeably in most recipes as long as it did not cause a flavor clash. Here is the modified recipe. Enjoy and don’t forget to share!

Merry Christmas

 

Pecan Molasses Brittle

Important note – when making candy, you must have clear weather with relatively low humidity or it will not harden properly. Do not try this when it’s raining! It will be a gooey mess.

2 C sugar

1 C molasses

½ C water

3 C raw pecans, whole

1 tblsp. butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsps soda

 

Combine sugar, molasses, and water in a large sauce pan; cook over med low heat until mixture comes to a boil. Add pecans and cook until candy thermometer registers 290 F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add butter, salt, vanilla and soda, mixing well. Spread thinly onto two buttered cookie sheets. Cool and break into pieces. Yield – about 2 pounds

Depending on your stove, you may need to raise the heat setting in small increments to get 290 F. Keep it slow. This both cooks out the water in all the ingredients and roasts the nuts. If you try to cook it too fast, it will burn.

Descriptions – When Less Is More

If you look at the writing of many of the best and longest lived (in publication terms) authors, you will find they seldom get bogged down in lots of general descriptions. They seem to treat descriptions, whether of scenery, characters, or actions, as things to be rationed with care. When they do use descriptive words, they choose strong, powerful words that will generate sharp images. They use descriptions that will evoke a feeling or clear grasp of the action or thing being described.

We need descriptions to show us setting, character, and actions, but decent into every minute and trivial detail takes away the strength and focus a scene should have. Attention to detail when a detective is looking at a crime scene or a soldier on patrol is important, but the kind of detail given should be limited to what the character finds important. Minute descriptions of scenery will bore your readers, especially if it has little to do with the story. If you have a person broken down on the side of the road in the desert, all you really need to give the reader a clear grasp of the situation is the blazing sun on his neck, blinding glare of the sand, or similar phrase to convey the feel of being stuck in the desert. You don’t need two paragraphs about how hot he is, the type of cacti present, or details of the rock formations. These things are irrelevant and keep you from catapulting the reader into that desert with the character unless and until they become important to the story.

That is what you want, after all, to put the reader into the character’s shoes and feel what he/she feels. Unless you are writing a milieu story where the setting is the focus, you need to keep the descriptions limited to what’s important. Instead of many flowery or weak words, use a few strong words with powerful images.  Let’s compare approaches.

1. Dan started sweating as soon as he stepped out of the car. A lizard darted across the hot, white sand that seemed to stretch for miles.  In the distance, towering cliffs of barren rock had been sculpted by the wind to resemble monstrous stacks of petrified pancakes. The crystalline glare of sun on powdery sand made it hard to see the tall, alien looking cacti standing sentinels over the smaller, scruffy brush. Rounded, gray pebbles made a path beside the road that would carry the water of infrequent rains. The pebbles shimmered with heat that he felt through his shoes as he walked to the back of the car.

2. The heat struck Dan with physical force as he got out of the car. Sun reflecting off the sand felt like it would blister his eyes. Hell of a place to have a flat tire.

Now, if this was the opening to a story about Dan being stranded in the desert because he didn’t have a spare and trying to survive, the first example would be fine, though I would want to write it more interactive. If he had a flat on the way to pick up his boss at the airport and the incident had little to do with story, the first would be nothing but filler. If a story is full of such descriptions, that may be poetic but don’t have any point, a reader will quickly get bored. The second conveys the essence of the experience without distracting from what else may be going on.

You will also find writers who want to detail action to death. Some fight scenes describe every movement to the point you stop and try to make an exact visual out of the description given and, in the process, loose the sense of conflict in the fight. The same is true with many, if not all, explicit erotic scenes in romances. Minute descriptions of the physical actions actually take away from the emotions and reactions of the characters. I have read very few authors who could pull off using detailed descriptions of any physical actions without it becoming a distraction to the whole purpose of the scene.

Minor characters that appear and disappear are better described by picking out a single trait or article of clothing that will give the reader a quick and dirty feel for the character, always through the perceptions of the POV you are writing from. An innkeeper might approach your MC wearing a crisp, white apron (he/she never gets their hands dirty) or they may be wiping hands on a grimy apron (do you want to eat here?). During an interaction, a few well chosen words can give an identity to even the humblest of walk on characters. If you try to give too much detailed physical description to these characters, you will lead your readers into expecting them to be more important.

In short, any time a description bogs down the story, taking away from the conflict or distracting from what’s happening, it needs to go. It may sound pretty and give a vivid view, or tell every blow and dodge, but it needs to go. Write a poem with the words instead.

Expect The Unexpected

I have come to the conclusion that when writing you might as well expect unexpected things to take you by surprise. It has happened to me on several occasions. It happened again during NaNoWriMo this year and kept me from reaching my goal to finish Warrior Song. Out of left field I discovered there was a group of beings in the enemy camp that were going to have an impact on the end game. Since I had not had any idea these people even existed, I had no more to go on than the character that encountered them. Sigh. Stop everything and figure out the what and why of this society.

I could throw them out of the story, but it looks as if they are going to be important factor in resolving a main conflict. It would have been nice if I had known ahead of time about their existence. I do work with a loose outline for a story, but the way some characters seem to want to determine a different route, I have to wonder if I should be making a tighter one that will cover more details. It might work and it might not. The characters residing in my subconscious are adept at throwing curves in well laid plans, usually just about the time I think I have something all wrapped up and tied with a bow. It isn’t so much that they change the direction of the story, as effect the details on how it’s accomplished.

It’s disconcerting when characters that I invented, who should not have any wills of their own, decide to take over and do things their own way. They only live in my own imagination, right? I would question my own sanity if I didn’t know other authors have had the same experience.

I do think this is the first time I have had a whole new society pop up without warning though. That’s enough to rattle anyone.