Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 30

Spring is Coming

Believe it or not, there are other things in my life besides revising The Tale of the Drakanox. One of them is my garden. As the days slowly get longer, I can look forward to my favorite season truly unfolding.

I already have a rough sketch of what I want to plant and where. Initially I wanted to add food to the table, and I grew all the vegetables I could. However, I noted that my husband, who does the cooking, would ignore my beautiful vegies and buy ones from the store. That’s a bit discouraging, so I’ve been switching over to more flowers.

I’m also re-orienting our total landscape toward native plants. The eventual goal is to replace our lawn and avoid a lot of the work involved. I’m also interested in microfauna (insects) and want to provide food sources for them. I do stuff like sunflower counts, where you set a timer and watch a sunflower, keeping track of what insects visit. Part of my spring routines is to look back at who visited, research their needs, and try to add a few things that will help them thrive.

My big thing I probably need to do is take apart my native bee houses and give them a good cleaning. That way the parasites don’t overwhelm them. Not my favorite chore, but it needs to be done!

If you’ve read Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts, you might remember Tisha describing a spring ritual where her family danced in their orchard and sang a song to call the earth worms out of hibernation. I won’t go that far, for fear of alarming the neighbors, but it’s a small part of my life that feeds directly into my fiction.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Backstory, Part 2

Continuing my internal debate about giving a character’s backstory, I wonder if this is partly an issue of pacing. With a lot of fiction, we have internalized expectations about how quickly the plot will move. Anything that seems to slow the pace is regarded as a problem.

I’m not saying this expectation is bad or wrong. We’re just so used to a fast pace that we’re unsettled by a different approach.

For example, if you watch a lot of anime, you’ll notice that the pacing is handled very differently. In Japanese storytelling, they’ll start an episode with a fight of some kind, but then the action pauses while one of the characters will stop and think back about a formative experience that led to them being in the fight. They’ll also mix in briefer bits where someone talks about which technique they’re about to use and how it’s their family heritage or some such.

As a result of this approach, it can take three or four episodes to resolve just one fight in an anime. That pace is glacial compared to American animation, where the whole fight will take just a few minutes on screen. However, the Japanese fight will often end with a feeling of empathy toward the losing side, which would never happen in an American show.

Reflecting on this, I may be inclined to experiment a bit with my pacing and the amount of backstory. After all, The Tale of the Drakanox is about the characters grappling with their past. The backstory isn’t just set dressing, but an important facet of their growth. Besides, if I feel like it’s too much, I can interrupt with other action to space things out.

But, I promise, nobody will stop the action to explain how their special technique is a family treasure!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Backstory

Revisions on The Tale of the Drakanox have begun! The main comment that’s sticking with me from my husband’s reading (besides that it made him cry) was “too much explaining.” When I followed up on that, he read me the opening of what he thought was a better way to start a novel. Immediately I noticed that it contained zero backstory. So I think what he noticed was me trying to weave in the backstory for characters from previous novellas.

At least he didn’t say it was an info dump!

This is always a question for authors writing a series. My husband’s book is part of a series and he has read every previous one. He didn’t need the back story. But, is that true for every reader? If I took out all/most backstory, will the story make sense for readers who might pick this book up first? I do have expectations for my readers. Should I just expect them to keep up without the details?

This is where I open the floor. How should an author handle backstory later in a series? I look forward to hearing from you!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Woman At Work, March/2023

What’s Happening? I’m feeling pretty good about the resolutions I had set out for this year. So far I’ve already completed one (the re-issue of Masters of Air & Fire, see sidebar) and made steps toward two more (my RadCon appearance and writing a short story). Onward!

What I’m Working On. My husband finished reading the first draft of The Tale of the Drakanox. He found the ending scattered, so let the revisions begin!

What’s Next? While completing the second draft of Drakanox, I also realized I need to edit a video on my web site that shows off my books. Some of what’s in there is no longer in print. I’m also poking at a short story collection that’s possible for later this year.

Fun and Games. Currently I’m playing Skyrim’s 10th Anniversary update, with new houses, gear and quests. This game is a longtime favorite and I’m enjoying a chance to revisit it. Of course, I’m also playing Animal Crossing as well. There is a furniture set I just have to complete!

Hope you’re all safe and sound with the winter storms this week!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

RadCon 2023, Part 2

So! How did it go? I meant to write this post last Wednesday, but then my husband told me The Tale of the Drakanox made him weep and my train of thought jumped the tracks. Anyway, here are my impressions.

I did have too many panels. Most of my time was spent either in panel rooms or mentally preparing for my next panel. This left less time than usual for talking with friends, cruising dealers and art show, etc. That said, I did enjoy the panels I was on and felt I had valuable things to say. There’s always that one person who wants to talk about themself or wants to grind on something negative. I made it my mission to tactfully redirect and make sure other panelists got to talk.

The coolest thing at RadCon was the number of people going about in costumes. One of my good friends who’s a veteran costumer says there are so many more resources for costuming now. You can get specialty patterns instead of having to adapt one, or you can just buy a complete outfit. Honestly, this is something I see at school, too. Kids will show up with part of a Naruto outfit and just wear it around. It’s pretty great.

The second coolest thing was our friends had a balcony overlooking a courtyard. They let us come up and watch some fire dancers performing. It definitely gave me an idea or two for The Tale of the Drakanox.

There were some condition issues with our hotel room, but over all, it was a successful weekend. I sold a couple of books and checked off a step for one of my resolutions. If you ever have the chance to attend a science fiction convention, especially if you can speak on panels, it’s time well spent. (It does cost money, though. Fair warning.)

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Blow By Blow, Part 2

My husband is still reading the first draft of The Tale of the Drakanox. Today he told me he had to stop reading it at work, because it was making him cry.

Now I need to figure out what part was making him cry, so I can know if it was at an appropriate plot turn!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Aunt Ursula’s Atlas

This weekend I’m away at RadCon, supporting my re-release of Masters of Air & Fire, by Lucy D. Ford. This seems like a good time to mention Lucy’s other book, Aunt Ursula’s Atlas. This is a fantasy short story collection for all ages.

Unlike Air & Fire, Aunt Ursula was self-published, so it’s always been available as an e-book through Amazon or Books2Read. Paperbacks are also available directly from me. I can take PayPal or Venmo. Feel free to reach out in the comments if you’re interested in that option.

Aunt Ursula’s AtlasFairy Tales Told by Lucy D. Ford

On a high shelf, in a hidden library,
There is a book of unknown wonders.

Open its pages. Explore mysterious lands.
See for yourself what lies within
Aunt Ursula’s Atlas.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

RadCon Schedule

This weekend I’m set to check one off my resolution to make 3 personal appearances in 2023. I’m going to RadCon in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco and Kennewick, WA). Here is my schedule

Friday, February 17th

2 pm, “Where Do Writers Get Ideas?”

4 pm, “Character Development”

6 pm, “Working With Editors: They can be your best friend or…”

8 pm, “Alternatives to Expensive Websites”

Saturday, February 18th

10 am, “A Conversation Between Writers and Readers of Speculative Fiction”

11 am, “Writing Older Characters” They aren’t all crones of grandpas!

1 pm, “Finding Time to Write”

4 pm, Reading. Will include Masters of Air & Fire and my other books by audience request.

7 pm, “The Role of Dialogue in Moving Your Story Forward”

Sunday, February 19th

11 am, “Bookstores and Libraries” How to present in a professional, credible way.

Yes, I am going to have a busy weekend! Maybe I’ll see a few friends there.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

True Confession, Part 2

To follow up on my last post, about authors changing what they write based on real-life circumstances, this is where I confess that I’ve experienced the same thing. Not as traumatic as fascist uprisings, of course! However, like most of us, I grew up in the story telling tradition where problems are solved with fists/guns/swords. I came to question that approach when I began to work in education.

Think about it: at school, we spend as much time teaching basic civility as we do the Three Rs. We tell kids to use their words and have kindness, while all the shows and games they like are about running amok and taking what you want. This contrast is definitely what I was thinking about when I began work on the series that would become Minstrels of Skaythe.

You could say that it’s silly to worry. Kids know the games aren’t real. And then you hear about first-graders shooting their teachers.

As writers, we can’t just shake our heads about this. There has to be a response that changes the expectation. Instead of shrugging and saying violence is inevitable, we have to work harder to show there is a better way. Nor am I alone in this. There’s been buzz in the past few years about “hopepunk” as a genre with a more positive approach. Minstrels of Skaythe falls right into that category.

It isn’t that I planned to jump on a band wagon. I’m proudly iconoclastic and do things my own way. Still, it’s good to know that other authors reached the same conclusion that I did, and that, together, we are working to tell a different story.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

True Confession

I had an interesting experience of reading recently. It was a second book in a planned trilogy when I pre-ordered it, but by the time it reached me, it was the conclusion of a duology. At first I didn’t realize. I just thought the ending was weirdly rushed. Plot arcs I expected to carry into a third book were cut short, and a hopeful ending felt forced.

Then I read the author’s note, and I understood.

When she started writing the first book, the author said, she was making dark predictions about the kind of future before us if fascism is not rooted out. After that book was released and while she was writing the second, the fascist tactics she had predicted began to happen in real life. She had thought she was being extreme, for cautionary purposes. It it turned out her predictions were mild compared to the actual events.

Watching things unfold was so upsetting that she had to end the series prematurely.

A lot of us can probably empathize with that. After the past five or six years, we may all feel a bit traumatized. Any author or other creative professional who attempts to address these events may feel overwhelmed. We need to be in the present in our own lives and coping with the reality.

What’s unusual, to me, is that the author actually made that decision instead of plowing through a third book anyway. There may be career implications, as she was contracted for three books and only delivered two. I’m sure she can manage, though. She’s a highly esteemed professional. It was just interesting to hear of the events that shaped her storytelling.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.