Chris Sarantopoulos's Blog, page 16

Inspiration prompt 11

What do you think a person, who spends most of his or her time at a place like the one in the picture, gets to see each day? Weird or normal things? What kind of man do you think he is? How would the voice of said man change the style of the story? Is he a bitter man, annoyed by the indifferent and sometimes hard faces that go by him? Or is he a philosopher? Does he do what he does because he chose it or because he was forced? The way the character forms in my mind (and so far I only have the character in my head. A place like the subway – or any train platform or airport – will have more than just one story to tell), is that of an observer, one who tells stories, and accompanies them with his music, whenever he needs to emphasise something from the story.

What about you?

Filed under: Inspirational Prompts Tagged: inspirational prompt, novel, saxophone, short story, writing

The past 10 days or so

The past ten days or so have been a nightmare, with regards to writing.

Remember my post from a few weeks back when I said I had to delete a plot arc that stretched for 25 or so chapters? I thought once I rewrote these 25 chapters (keep in mind please that my editing process involves rewriting the draft in the first place, so that would be rewrite #2), every piece of the puzzle (for the sake of argument let’s call the puzzle, STORY) would fall into place. And it did. Up to a certain point.

The particular arc I had to remove, however, extended like a ripple in a calm pond. It occurred to me about ten nights ago (once again, just as I was about to fall asleep) that since that arc was out of the way, a certain character’s importance lost its value. Said character was supposed to be the big bad guy (in the original draft that evil character fooled the MC, and lead him right into the wolves’ den). Allow me to clarify something here: the adversary in my story was never that person. The enemy was my main character’s attitude and perception (spawned partly but not limited to his madness – another reason I had to shift the voice and style to more “literary” with more inner thoughts), and the environment which kills humans (the Darkening is a post apocalyptic story, in case you forgot). So the big bad guy was originally there to take my main character to the last location the story would unfold, and all the unresolved plot arcs would come to an end. He served shall we say, as a bridge. Lo and behold, said bridge was also part of the plot arc I wanted to remove. Which made the big bad guy’s existence rather unimportant.

In my attempt to guide my characters from one location to another, I had come up with a weak solution (don’t worry, I paid for it), instead of choosing the most obvious option, though not necessarily the one the MC wanted to take. It was there in front of me the whole time, and all I did was run away from it! DOH!

But I did mention of ripple effects, yes? And that is none other than the big bad guy’s presence. He is no longer needed. He no longer serves as a bridge to take the MC from location A to location B, he no longer deceives the MC of his role. Now all he has to do is just be at location B and be the bad guy, who has his reasons for being the bad guy (if he didn’t, he’d be a very flat character, and we don’t want that, do we?).

So the question I’ve been trying to answer is whether or not I should delete him altogether and how am I going to change the rest of the story. Can the bad guy (who, as I said is NOT the main adversary) have a reason to exist in a story, where he’s introduced in the third act, with such a small role to play, yes or no? To remove him completely would probably mean I would have to change the entire story and plot, which means delete the whole thing. At least that’s what I think. For the past ten days I’ve been trying to come up with patches that would fill in the plot holes the deletion of that one minor plot arc created.

I won’t lie to you, I was on the verge of mental breakdown. I even thought about giving up completely. Add this to a series of rejections for some of my short stories that knocked on my door (or rather came through email) and I certainly did not want to see, and you can understand why I doubted my ability to write.�� Even when I step back from the story I still can’t see how it will work in the long run. I don’t want to have a story full of plot holes.

Despite all this, I think (and I stress the word think) I managed to patch things up. The problem is I won’t know until I finish everything and give it to someone else more experienced than me to read it. If I had a kingdom, I’d shout “my kingdom for an affordable developmental editor!” Preferably one that offers free patience lessons along with the feedback. Alas, I don’t.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: editing, editors, Plot, plot holes, story, story arc, The Darkening, writer, writing, writing problems

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Querying as a Debut Author

Chris Sarantopoulos:

I won’t lie to you, the closer I get to finishing the first round of edits the more I think about the AFTER, the agent hunt, the stress and the uncertainty that entails. I guess all debut authors feel it and I’m no different.

If you’re like me, the rebloged article may help you. I’ll be honest with you, I had no idea that what’s stated at #4 actually happens, but she’s the professional, so I guess it does. Despite all the stress the agent hunt brings to debut writers, I think the process will be enlightening and one that will show (to me at least) if I’m up for it. I don’t want to miss learning something from the process.

Originally posted on Carly Watters, Literary Agent:

I really enjoy��talking about debuts.

Many debut authors are nervous about their credentials (do I have enough? do they mean anything?), their contacts (who do I have to know? what if I don���t ���know��� anyone?), and their book (what if it���s not good enough? what if it���s the best I���ve got?).

I think it���s time debut authors gained their confidence and started to tap into the excitement that agents feel for them.

Here are 5 Things You Didn���t Know About Querying as a��Debut Author:

1. Agents look forward to your work. Any agent who is building a list is looking for work. Not all agents are building a list however, so save yourself the heartbreak and query agents who advertise that they���re looking for new talent.

2. Your credentials aren���t holding you back. No bylines? No problem. I never brush off writers who haven���t been published in literary journals or���

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One year anniversary and Inspiration prompt 10

It’s been a year since I started this blog, and 150 of you have followed me and my weekly ramblings. Thank you all for the support and the advice you have offered!

For the past two years, when I decided to put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keys), I feel like I’ve stepped through the threshold of another world. A nice world, not without difficulties and disappointments, but certainly with a lot of fun.

I think the following image relates to that. It reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Wouldn’t it be fun if we could enter different realities or worlds by just opening doors and stepping through them?

Filed under: Inspirational Prompts Tagged: ideas, inspiration prompt, inspirational prompts, novel, short stories, story, storytelling, writing

Dreaded point

I have reached the point I dreaded the most. Despite my planning and all the outlining I did a year ago when I started drafting the Darkening, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have to delete part of the plot. I was just about to finish editing chapter 25 (past the midpoint of the book) when I realised that a part of the plot was weak, irrelevant and as such it had to go. Now I have to go back and re-revise and re-rewrite 25 chapters (I’ve been rewriting and revising for the past 4 months, so…), and change some of the causes and their effects that make up the plot, so the project makes sense again. The funny thing is, chapter 25 was supposed to be the place where that particular plot arc would come to an end. What was that you said? Better late than sorry? Well, it couldn’t get any later than that! Actually, it could, but I’d rather not think about it. Remember last week when I said I hoped I’d have the MS ready for the betas by the end of summer or early autumn at the latest? Yeeeeaah…. no.

Anyway, it’s Easter Sunday for us Greek Orthodox, which as far as festive days go, it’s the biggest and most important. I’m off to continue with the celebration :)

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: editing, editing problems, novel, Plot, plot arc, revisions, rewrites, The Darkening, writing

Status update

I’ve been editing/revising my novel The Darkening for a few months now and I’m one chapter short of reaching the midpoint. So far, I’ve rewritten every single chapter. If I was to copy/paste the sentences that didn’t get altered, I doubt they would fill more than maybe two A4 pages. Maybe. So, technically, I’ve spent the last few months writing. Or rewriting, whichever way you want to see it.

It’s really amazing how much my style has changed in just one year, but I think the current version is better. *Chris leans over and whispers in your ear, “much, much better.”* The sentences are tighter, I’ve tamed my former nemesis of constantly using�� “as” and “-ing” (but still not as much as I’d like), and the word count has dropped significantly (in some cases by as much as 1200 words per chapter, though I have to tighten it even further). I have also added more of the main character’s mood and voice through the prose. So far, nothing major story-wise has changed.

If everything goes as planned, I should have it ready for my two betas by the end of summer or early autumn. If they have any ideas about the story and other plot changes I should make, I will do them afterwards, during the second round of edits.

Other than that, I’ve started accumulating a few rejections for some new short stories, so I guess it’s business as usual :P

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: editing, edits, literary magazines, novel, revision, rewrites, The Darkening, writing

Inspirational prompt 9

It’s been two years since I started writing.�� I never thought I’d enjoy it this much.�� Back then, a single image triggered all sorts of stories and characters to come to life in my head (it’s still does, I just make sure it has all the necessary elements – interesting characters, twist, etc – before I write anything down).

So here’s an image I hope it does the same to you.

Today I submitted a story for two contests (thumbs up for all markets with simultaneous submissions). Wish me luck folks :)

Filed under: Inspirational Prompts Tagged: creative writing, inspirational prompt, novel, short story, writing, writing competitions

Worldbuilding

When the idea behind The Darkening formed and I visualised the story’s details, I thought it would be best to spend as much time on world building as possible. The basic rules of my post-apocalyptic world took shape at that stage, as well as the time frame for the main event. But a lot of the world and the problems it would create took shape as I started writing the story.

My main character lives away from the city, in an abandoned farm house, in its basement. If one could walk in broad daylight (not that it can happen, given the peculiarity of the world) and stood at the top of the house, a nearby city’s skyscrapers are the first thing that would catch the eye. I knew that from the start. I had a clear picture in my head about its appearance. All that remained in my head and none of it appears in the story. I had stories for a few of the residents as well. All these remain in my head and notes. Background story about the world.

Another thing I knew from the very start was that John would have only one prolonged memory, a tormenting one, and it would be of his family in another place. There was no reason to have him in a different place than the one he lives during the events of the novel, other than it just made sense, so I went along with my gut feeling, and I haven’t regretted it since.

However, John’s (my main character’s name) proximity to the city was a last minute addition as I wrote the first draft. I hadn’t thought about it at first, but then a question popped into my mind: what drove him there? If he survived, why leave his house, which had a basement, therefore shelter, to risk going somewhere else? Keep in mind that John has no memory of his past, aside from that one memory. He doesn’t know how he ended up there.

But I somehow had to come up with an answer, so I wouldn’t have readers going: “Hang on! If he had a basement in his home in the city, why is he now in another place?!” I’m doing my best to avoid questions like these, and that’s one of the things my brave beta readers will assist me with. Anyway, this led me to come up with a problem, in order the current state of my main character to appear as the solution to it. Kind of like reverse engineering. And the problem was, lack of food. Deprive a living being of either one of sustenance, water or safety and the environment becomes hostile for that organism. At least that’s what he has surmised so far. Ask yourselves this: should a catastrophic event was to take place, and pockets of survivors endured in the big cities, where would they get food from? Raiding half-demolished supermarkets is one thing, but how long would that last them? What would they do afterwards?

Based on that, I now have an even clearer picture of what the world looks after The Darkening. It no longer revolved around my main character and what happened to him, but at the back of my mind I have the idea of what is happening at the same time in that nearby city, and the rest of the world.

What do you think? What is the mental picture you get when someone tells you “post-apocalyptic world?” Do you think of a nuclear wasteland stretching for miles in every direction? Do you see a lash jungle with no humans because of a lethal toxin or a virus? Or perhaps a pockmarked planet from a meteor shower? What do you think the problems each event would create to the survivors, if any? WIll it be sustenance related or not? Let your imagination run wild and comment below of how you imagine something like that. Don’t be afraid to try a different approach. You might be surprised by the outcome and end up with killer shadows ;)

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: novel, The Darkening, world building, writing, writing problems

Inspirational prompt 8

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” I don’t know where the following image is from, but I think most of us will agree that it’s a strong one, and has a story to tell. Though I’m not a fan of war stories nor do I aspire to write any, the look on this man’s face says so much. From the loss of a fellow soldier/friend, to him carrying out a bad command.

If you don’t write or don’t like war-related stories, forget about the setting of the image, and focus on the face and how he holds his head. What does it tell you? Did he make a bad choice? What were the stakes? Think outside the usual life or death dilemma (and dehumanisation) many war stories have at their core (though one can’t argue it’s strong). Forget about the soot on his face. Think of him in an Armani suit and a silk tie, but with the exact same expression of desperation on his face. Perhaps he’s a businessman and he had to acquire and liquidate a business, because that’s what the CEO he worked for had asked him to do.

Filed under: Inspirational Prompts Tagged: expression, fiction, inspiration, inspirational prompts, novel, story, writing

Post-apocalyptic novels

My mind is full of edits and post-apocalyptic mental images. A few days ago, I finished Walter Michael Miller’s “A Canticle for Leibowitz.” Before that, it was Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” Now I’m reading P.D. James’ “The Children of Men.” Granted the last one isn’t a post-apocalyptic, but a dystopian. Still, the world as James describes it appears to be heading to the inevitable apocalypse, so… Did I mention that in my spare time (as much as that can be) I play “Wasteland 2?” See what I mean?

The reason why I got so caught up with these novels, is because I wanted to be more immersed in the bleakness these worlds create, and thus maintain said mood throughout my novel. The last thing I want for The Darkening is to have a couple of chapters where the characters speak in a light cheerful way as if nothing’s wrong, when in fact the sun is about to rise and kill them. Not unless the story demanded something like that at least.

So I turn to you, fellow readers and writers. I seem to have run out of good post-apocalyptic novels. Have you read any that you’d like to suggest? I’m not interested in dystopian (I will, once I finish with The Darkening, but not at the moment), but if you have a story like The Children of Men, where the future of mankind is about to become its past, then please let me know. Thank you!

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: A Canticle for Leibowitz, Children of Men, novel, post apocalyptic, story, The Darkening, The Road, writing