Rani Divine's Blog, page 44

Three Days

By now I’m fairly certain that some of you have grown tired of hearing this. But rather than spend this week talking about a genre that I know very little about (since we've already covered my top four), I’d like to take this time to talk about something which means a great deal to me. And if you’ve been reading Too Many Books to Count for any significant amount of time, then it’s probably something you’ve heard before.

As of today, there are three days left to submit your work for publication in Mavguard Magazine.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve noticed that a lot of creatives need to be constantly reminded of deadlines. I don’t know if it’s because we’re a little chicken of getting rejection letters, if we’re too busy to pay attention to what’s going on around us, or if we’ve given up entirely on the notion of publication. But either way, I’m not having it.
Mavguard wants to publish you.
We really do.
No matter your age, your background, your style of art or writing.
We want to publish you.
But we can’t do that unless you send something in. You’re inhibiting yourself by not submitting, by staying on the sidelines and neglecting to do your part.
What’s the point in art if you keep it locked in a closet and never allow anyone to see it?
The whole point of art is to be seen an enjoyed. For writers, that means letting someone else read what you’ve written. For artists, it means showing someone what you’ve created. For all of us, it means sending stuff in for publication.
And I know it can be scary. I know rejection letters are harsh and hard to take. I even know that publishers are incredibly intimidating. I work for one. Of course I know.
But I also know that Mavguard is different.
Our goal is to publish people.
We don’t care if you’ve been published before. We don’t care if you’re nine or ninety-nine. All we look at is your work, with the goal of publication. And we’ve published ninety some percent of all our submitters. Those are pretty high returns, if you ask me.
Want to get published?

Then it’s time to send something in.

Submissions window closes midnight, June 30.  www.MavguardMagazine.com
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Fantasy, Part 3

Now that we’ve dealt with the boring stuff, the what is it and the don’t do this with it, it’s time we get into the fun stuff.
What do we do with Fantasy?
1. Have fun!
This is the first and foremost thing that you should be doing with Fantasy. You should be using it to have the most fun known to your own consciousness. Writing it should be like an escape from the real world, a plunge into the depths of a land where all these things are really possible and these creatures really exist. It should be fun. For the most part, anyway. You’ll still need to have an antagonist, etc. but really, try to have fun. And yes, you will have to put some effort into that.Writing isn't always fun, there are sometimes things we don't want to write, that need to go in the story. So you'll have to make it fun as you go along.
2. Play
People don’t talk about this very much when it comes to writing, but a lot of it is like a game. It’s like rolling the dice to create a story, something that will be interesting and fun at the same time, something both you and your readers enjoy. Play with it, explore new realms and new possibilities, bend your own mind until you come up with something so beautiful and fantastical that even you beam to think of your created world.
3. Invent
This one is big for both Science-Fiction and Fantasy. Use your thinker and invent some new things, push the boundaries to develop something unlike anything you’ve read before. Invent, whenever the opportunity strikes you. Make a new creature, a new form of magic. Blow your reader’s minds. Invent things until your head hurts, until you don’t think you can do it anymore, and then keep inventing.
And never regret anything you create. Never, ever. Even if it’s utterly ridiculous and silly, don’t regret it. Learn from it. Use it.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Fantasy, Part 2

Heyo! Monday we started this week’s discussion in A Study of Genreby talking about Fantasy. It’s an incredibly fun genre, both to write and to read. If you ask me, it’s one of the most fun genres out there. And today, I’m here to tell you three things I’ve learned not to do with it.
Don’t.
1. Don’t make it cheesy
That’s one of the biggest things with Fantasy. A lot of writers try too hard with it, they take it way too far into the realm of… well, cheesy. If you put in too much magic, nothing is real. If there’s too many creatures, it’s hard to follow the story and see what you’re supposed to be seeing. And if you do both of those things, it just gets weird and nobody wants to read it. So try to make it real, in that your readers can see what you’re describing, not in that it ends up not being Fantasy at all. At the same time…
2. Don’t make it too realistic
Yes, I just said to make it realistic. But I also said that you should be walking a fine line between realistic and whimsical. It’s one of the biggest selling points of Fantasy, that it can be both whimsical and deadly at the same time. So try to make a blend between the realistic and the completely new and unheard of to anyone. Your readers will like it.
3. Don’t go over the top
Essentially, this is what points one and two boil down to. Don’t go too fantastical, but don’t go too realistic. Don’t be cheesy, but don’t be too vivid. Extremely vague, isn’t it? Annoying? Yes. I agree. But it’s the best advice I can give you.
You have to find your own blend between fantastical elements and those that relate easily to the real world—and really, you have to find a blend that works best for your own story. If it takes place on Earth, you’ll probably want more realistic elements. If it’s on a world that you made up, then you might want to limit those elements.
Once you start writing Fantasy, you’ll see. It’s all about walking that line and trying not to fall off.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Fantasy, Part 1

Last week we talked about Science-Fiction, and this week, we’re taking the logical progression into Fantasy. This is another of my favorite genres. In fact, a lot of my book collection is comprised of fantasy novels, from various authors. It’s also the genre of the Druid Novels, which I hope all of you have been enjoying.
What is Fantasy?
First and foremost, it’s a sub-genre of Science-Fiction. It’s like squares and rectangles. All Fantasy is Science-Fiction, but not all Science-Fiction is Fantasy. 
But technically speaking, Fantasy is a literary genre that involves either magic or a supernatural element. So, the Druid Novels are Fantasy because of the Vartes and the deity’s relationship to the people on that world. But it’s Science-Fiction, because it takes place on another world. Telekinetic is Science-Fiction, because it takes place on post-apocalyptic Earth, where people have powers created through technological advancement—not through magic or a deity.
Make sense?
I know, these two can be confusing if you’re not utterly accustomed to working with them.
Fantasy is also well known for having various creatures, some of which are also magical in nature. Think nymphs and fairies, if that helps.
To me, the best way to think of Fantasy is as a bridge between writing for children and for adults. A lot of kids’ books tend to take place in a fantastical world with fantastical creatures and magic galore. Ever notice that? Well, that’s Fantasy too. It’s just that those books were designed for youngsters, while straight up Fantasy deals with more mature themes within the same realms of magic and supernatural abilities.
And before any of you ask the question, no, Fantasy does not have to take place on a different world. But more often than not, it does. It’s just easier to write stuff in this genre when we don’t have to make it fit in on Earth.
Trust me.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Sci-Fi, Part 3

Happy Friday, all!
Today, I’ve put together the top three things I recommend for you to do with your science-fiction writings. Remember, this is a genre I’ve been writing in since the beginning. Though I also spend a lot of time in fantasy, science-fiction is my home. I hope some of you are that way, too.
Make it so.
1. Mirror the real world
This is the biggest point I want to stress here. The best science-fiction novels are the ones that mirror the real world. Not to the point that it’s no longer sci-fi, but to the point that your readers all easily relate to everything you’re talking about. We, as writers, can make huge statements about the world at large, by creating a different but similar world that mirrors the way things are going on here.
2. Go deep
Shallow writing is the bane of all writers. Especially in sci-fi, do not go shallow. Don’t make your characters the last thing on your mind, but don’t spend so much time on them that the story suffers. Divide your time appropriately, make your world as real as you know how to do, and write something people will actually want to read. Yeah, that’s what we’re always trying to do, but in a genre like science-fiction, it’s extra important to keep these things in mind. Sometimes we’re so focused on the cool factor that we forget people are actually going to be reading this.
3. Make it cool
Forget everything I said in point two. At least, from time to time. One of the biggest “selling points” of science-fiction is that it’s downright cool. There’s spaceships, aliens, technology that people nowadays can only dream about. There’s all sorts of things involved in sci-fi that are not a part of the real world, and for that, science-fiction is just freaking cool.
Don’t forget that.
[love]
{Rani Divine]

Sci-Fi, part 2

So Science Fiction is a genre for the geeks. We determined that on Monday. We’re all geeks here, nerds who make stuff up for a living. Fun, right?
But there are a few things that throw people off with sci-fi, especially when they’re first starting out. So here I have a list of the top three things you should never do with sci-fi, if only so your work doesn’t fail and it actually does make it to the editor.
The Don’ts
1. Don’t go in blind
First time science-fiction writers often have this problem. I did, in my first novel. Yup, my first was science-fiction. It was also never completed, because it was horrible. Trust me on that. I digress.
The thing with science-fiction is that you have to take the time to describe everything. Because we’re inventing so many new things, because we’re working within a realm that’s usually similar to our own but with massive technological changes, the reader needs to be able to see everything you’re giving them. Also, you need to be able to see it, because otherwise it gets really confusing later on down the line.
2. Don’t try too much
This is another mistake I made in my first novel. I tried to do far too many things, and none of them actually worked. So the book got scrapped before it was even halfway complete.
We need to set realistic standards for ourselves. Don’t try to write like Crichton if you don’t know as much about the topics you're covering. Don’t try to emulate someone you have nothing in common with. Write as much of what you know, make up what you need to along the way, and don’t try to make it so far "out there" that only you will ever be able to understand what’s going on.
3. Don’t force it
Oy, I made this mistake too, in that darned first novel. I pushed myself too hard, tried too hard to make the story deep science-fiction glory—and I was in no way ready to do that.
The point is, you don’t want to push yourself too far. True, you might have grown up watching anything and everything on the Syfy and Science channels, and you might be the next Crichton, but we can’t all start there. Start slow, ease yourself into it, and don’t force a story to go somewhere it doesn’t want to go.
Nothing kills creativity quite like that.
Friday, how to use science-fiction to your advantage.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Sci-Fi, Part 1

In the last two weeks, we’ve discussed both Creative Nonfiction and Fiction, as well as how they should or should not be used. But in case you hadn’t noticed, neither of those genres are my forte. Actually, I’m most fond of the genre we’re talking about this week. Although the Druid novels don’t actually fit into this genre, the books I’m working on right now, the Earth-Space Series, do. And they’re some of my favorites.

Don’t worry, I still have a soft spot for Druids, and there’s still a lot left for you to see of them.

Science-Fiction

The genre is most basically defined as speculative fiction, and deals with imaginative or science-y concepts of technology, space or time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes, and even aliens.
This girl gets very happy when we talk about science-fiction.
Very. Very happy.
See, science fiction is a really fun genre when you want to explore, when you want to write about things you don’t know. Both fiction and creative nonfiction deal with things that you know intimately well, while sci-fi contains a lot more speculation. We’re completely allowed to make stuff up, blow stuff up, and blow your minds in the process. All with science, if you know at least a little bit of what you’re doing. Mythbusters helps with the explosion stuff, if you need any assistance.
For me, science fiction is probably the most fun genre in terms of both writing and reading. Though I split my time pretty evenly between it and fantasy (which is technically a subgenre of science-fiction, which we’ll discuss at a later date), I definitely have the most fun with my sci-fi work.
As a genre, it’s composed of creative people who want to have creative fun doing creative things in a world where that’s allowed. We get to play around, to make up designs for crafts, to design our own alien races, anything and everything within reach is up for grabs.
For some of you, that’s not fun.
For me, that’s bliss.
Check back in on Wednesday to find out my top three things to never do with sci-fi!
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Fiction, part 3

Hello everyone! I hope your weeks got on well, and that you’re all set for the weekend. For all you writers out there, I’ve prepared a little something for you on what not to do when writing fiction. If any of you try your hand at writing a fresh short story, I hope you’ll consider submitting it to Mavguard! Only twenty days left to get your work in!
Follow the Rules
1. No genre
It may sound obvious, but it’s harder than it sounds. Especially if you’re accustomed to writing in genre. The most important thing you can do when writing fiction is make sure that’s really what you’re writing. Focus on the details, on making the story as real as possible. Don’t add too many embellishments, don’t try to take the story in a genre direction. Just write a plausible story about people who could be real people, doing things that anyone might do in their lifetime.
2. No boredom
For me, this is the hardest part about writing fiction. See, I’m a genre fiction writer. That’s what I write on a daily basis. So when I write things in straight fiction, I tend to get a little bit bored. But when the writer gets bored, they lose the interest of the reader – and that’s the very last thing we can allow. Everything we do is done to keep readers, to attract them and hold their interest. If we lose them, then we’ve failed at our primary duty.
So, don’t get bored. Or at the very least, don’t let anyone know if you do. Keep the interest flowing, the ideas moving, the people as real as possible. Make it fun, make it intriguing and increasingly plausible (or implausible, depending on the direction you’re taking). Just make sure that youdon’t lose interest. As soon as that happens, you’ve lost the battle.
Next week, we’ll get into some of the fun stuff.
And I repeat – submit to Mavguard! Do it! We want to publish you!
[love and publication]
{Rani Divine}

Fiction, part 2

Whew… It’s Wednesday. Happy middle-of-the-week to you all! Still can’t bring myself to say happy hump day – that’s just too weird a phrase for my liking.
On Monday we discussed fiction, defined it as a genre, and I promised the rest of the week would be filled with more info about the genre and things we can do with it. We’re all writers, after all, and we have to side with each other.
Do It.

1. Write what you want
Everybody says that. You should be writing something you like, something you’re interested in, but that’s not what I mean. To me, it’s fun to explore with fiction. So write something about what you want for you, in your future. Or maybe something you wish had happened when you were a child, maybe based on something one of your friends did, or something you saw in a show. Or, even better, a mix of all the above.
See, fiction is great for making realistic stories. So take it and make something beautiful, something lifelike and lovely. Write about something that you like, something you enjoy, but make it into something full of interest and intrigue.
2. Write what you know
Again, everybody says this. This time, however, I pretty much mean it the same way. With fiction especially, it’s very easy to tell when the writer doesn’t really know what they’re talking about. Because everything is so close to being real, readers have a better idea what to expect and an easier time catching the flaws. That being the case, I find it’s best to stick with things you’re familiar with or at least know enough about to get by.
We want to make our fiction into something people will enjoy, but we also want to make it real enough that they find themselves embedded in the story, enthralled by what we’ve written, entranced by the words on the page. Especially if you’re just starting out in basic fiction, the best and easiest was to do that is to write specifically in things that you well know.
Friday, what not to do when it comes to writing fiction!
In the meantime, don’t forget to submit to Mavguard before it’s too late!
[love]
{Rani D.}

Fiction, part 1

Thanks to everyone who came out to support local authors at Page 1 Books on Saturday! I had a lot of fun getting to know you.
Don’t forget to submit to Mavguard while you still can – less than a month left to get your work in!

And now begins the week of fiction. Or rather, a study of fiction.

What is fiction?

Well, the answer isn’t as easy as you might think. That’s because when most of us think of fiction, we think of a particular genre of fiction. Itself, fiction is a blanket term. It covers every form within it, but when we’re talking about plain fiction, we’re still talking about a specific thing.
Confused yet?
Here, I’ll break it down.
Genre fiction is classifications, like science fiction, horror fiction, mysteries, thrillers, etc. They’re forms of fiction, however, and aren’t actually classified as fiction when we’re talking about genre.
Fiction itself is essentially a term that stands for stories about normal people doing normal things in normal lives, except they’re all, well, fictional. Fiction doesn’t involve horror, nor mystery, nor fantasy. It’s just a story, one filled with made up people but real places and real things. When we write fiction, we don’t write about aliens or serial killers or anything of the sort. We write about doctors seeing their patients, mothers caring for their children, people picking out a dog at the shelter.
Coming from someone who writes science fiction and fantasy, it sounds a little boring. But I promise, it can really be a lot of fun. I’ve written a few straight fiction things in the past, and some of them have turned out quite well.
Basically, fiction is a story that’s not biographical or historical, but is based on normal-like people and is set in the real world. There’s lot we can do with that, as you’ll see in the next two posts throughout this week. So don’t forget to stop back in and find out my suggestions on the best ways to use fiction and things you should never try to make it do.
Happy Monday!
[love]
{Rani Divine}