Thoughts on Writing

I was recently loaned a copy of "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card.  As someone who enjoys writing and has read many of his novels I figured I would love to read what he had to say. I've enjoyed Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" and found David Farland's "Million Dollar Outlines" to be a great learning tool.  Going into this new book I secretly wanted to read more about Ender's Game.

I can honestly say that I haven't been disappointed and have learned something early on about the series I love.  The idea for the battle came to him in the mid-late sixties yet he didn't write it until the mid-seventies.  How many of us can't remember where we put our keys? How often do we misplace something we were just using? Yet to remember and develop an idea for over almost ten years is amazing.

I've had a few ideas which have stuck with me and developed for a while. The idea for the villain of my serial "A Wolf in Patchwork Clothing" came to me while I was driving to Oregon almost six years ago.  The villain, which started off as a truck driver/serial killer, felt stagnant.  It was an observation which came to me about the Twilight movies which gave the idea roots.  It was a complaint that I had due to the lack of variety in some of the classic horror movie monsters.

At that time the major horror bad guys seemed to be zombies, vampires (twilight being an exception to the horror part), and ghosts. As an avid D&D player I know that there are many different types of undead.  Ghouls, wights, liches, and other spectral menaces. This seemed to work well with the traveling serial killer, someone who was afraid to stay in one place for fear of being discovered.  A creature moving among us that none of us would like to meet in a dark alley. I was struck at how well his own ideas seemed to mirror my own, the idea needing time to get its own legs and develop before becoming a story.

Another thing which he said, and something that I can really agree with, is that you have to define the rules of your world. If there is something which can kill your villain, then you need to know it.  If there is a fantastic element whether it be magic, super science, or some perpetually reappearing monster, you need an explanation of how it works.  If you don't pay attention to these details the story won't hold water or carry the readers attention.

I have a novel which is currently unfinished with the working title Legacy.  In Legacy, there is a fantastic element that I was developing as I was writing.  I never sat down and defined it, I said it was a "trickster spirit" or a "creature of chaos" and left it at that.  Now I'm at a fulcrum point into the story where I will be building into the final climax of the book but it's stalled.  The problem is, these spirits were still fuzzy to me. It is hard to write what you don't understand.

It wasn't until I was reading this section of his book that I realized this was the problem. It has been two or three months where I've been unable to work on that and I couldn't figure out why.  But my writers block is due to my own negligence. Had I put my ducks in a row at the beginning of the story, then I wouldn't have suffered this now so close to the end.

The overall point that I was going for in this blog is a lesson I seem to need to learn again and again.  Sometimes we need to read something we normally wouldn't.  I consider myself a horror writer, so reading a book about Science Fiction and Fantasy didn't seem like a fit.  Yet by reading a book that a friend handed me I was able to solve a problem. It doesn't hurt to get out of your comfort zone, to take advice that you didn't know for certain if you'll need. I think I'll take this advice and look for other words of wisdom from other sources.  Perhaps read some non-fiction, or a cook book, or perhaps even some classic literature.  Something new to add to take me out of my comfort zone, who knows what I'll learn. Hopefully it will be something I can apply to make myself a better writer.

An overdue post

I haven't posted on the blog in a while because I've been busy working on the serial short story that I've been posting. There has also been editing and rewriting on the novel I'm working on right now.  I realize that some people care more about the stories than about the thoughts of a writer but I feel that I have neglected it.

What I'd like to address is that I've had several people point out typos in one of my stories that I published in Escaping Sanity.  The story is called, "Rapture" and it is the second story in the anthology.  I don't want to give spoilers but I wrote the story after I had just experienced a loss.

While I was dating the woman who is now my wife she adopted a dog.  The dog was just a beautiful animal and one that I came to love.  She was a part of our life in a way that I wouldn't have expected.  She was there for us during our wedding, for the birth of our first child, and she was an integral part of our family.  That was when she got sick, that was why that story is so hard.

I've tried reading through the story with intent to edit but it brings me to the verge of tears.  It is surprisingly hard to edit something so emotional, many friends have felt depressed after reading it.  There is something about the story which carries emotional weight I hadn't intended.  I want to go back, to fix the typos, but to open that story brings memories to light that I want to keep buried for now.

I'm happy that my writing was able to bring such emotion to a story.  I was able to present a story which could change a mood, even if it was to make someone sad, which was flattering.  But try as I might I'm not sure I'm willing to go fix it.

Also, I understand that i'm late on last weeks story.  I apologize for this, but I discovered that a sinus headache from a head cold is horrible for concentration. To make up for this expect two stories in the next week. I'll be cranking it into overdrive and hope to have the first up by Tuesday at Midnight MST.  So look forward to that.  If you haven't read any of "A Wolf in Patchwork Clothing" then start at the beginning and enjoy.

 

Short stories versus Novels

I love to write short stories. It seems that every time I want to try something new that is where I turn.  There is something that is lovely about a short sweet story that lets you explore a new idea or style.  When I wrote my short story Rapture it was to try to help cope with my recent loss of a beloved family pet. My story Save the Last Dance was a trial of meshing a dystopian story with a contrasting image.  In the case of this story it was the song and dance of Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.

While I love to write short stories I have found that I struggle to read short story collections, anthologies, and even those in magazines.  I find it refreshing to sample something small without committing to an entire novel.  It's like the free samples at the grocery store, all the flavor with none of the obligation of buying a twenty pound box of frozen tacos.  Yet if you have too much of the same subject, writer, or style it can become stale rather quickly.  This is why I can go through a novel in a week yet it can take me up to a year to get through a short story collection.

So as I was sitting at home sick this last week, unable to write, unwilling to read for fear of my brain acting up with fever dreams, I had something to ponder.  I began to wonder why it was that the short story collection I was working on still had at least one hundred pages left, I'd only been reading it for about a year.  In the same time I had read probably at least twenty novels, if not more.

The conclusion that I came up with is that there is a thread of continuity in a novel which keeps us reading.  While a chocolate sampler is nice from time to time we generally have recipes and foods we eat weekly.  We go back to the same treats, cakes, or dishes that makes us happy time after time.  This is what the novel does, it prepares us something that we like just with some new developments, twists, or characters.

Let's use macaroni and cheese as our example as most people have polarizing feelings towards it.  There is something nostalgic about going back to our childhood with hot dogs and mac and cheese.  You can dress it up by making it from scratch, adding four, six, even eight types of cheese.  You can throw a curve ball at us by adding something like bell pepper, bacon, or even some sun dried tomatoes to the mix.  In the end though it is still something we know and are comfortable with deep down inside.

When you look at the stories of your favorite authors many of them fall into very similar plot patterns. These are our comfort foods, the foods for thought.  For Stephen King I'd say it's a slow burn horror, the story builds pressure like a pressure cooker, and in the end you are never sure if you'll find the ending really satisfying.  I know the characters are going to be well developed, and that I will find myself passionately questioning whether they really should have made key decisions.  I love Stephen King and when I'm in the mood for something like this it is the first place I turn.  Yet even when I find a collection of his like Four Past Midnight or Different Seasons I can't seem to read straight through it.

There is something to be said about the beauty of a novel.  When done right it'll make you turn pages in the way an anthology won't.  When it's done you feel satisfied and can walk away happy (most of the time) as though you'd just left an all-you-can-eat buffet.  You've had your meal and you don't have a bunch of stuff still on the plate, as it often is with anthologies.  The story is ready to be digested and you can start deciding what you want for dinner.

With this revelation I'll probably still read short story anthologies, but I won't plan to get through it as fast as I would a novel.  Sometimes you just want a sample, sometimes you want the full meal.

The importance of reviews.

I have been wanting to write this blog for a while now, probably since I started the blog.  I had just published a collection of short stories and came to the realization that reviews are important.  They're not important in a way that you can pay some guy to read your book and quickly crank out a review, it is something that needs to be heart felt.  

I realize that I am probably as guilty as everyone else in this.  I read a book, get to the end, talk about how good the book is and move on with my day.  Yet in today's market with the self-publishing options that are available to us a good review is the difference between someone buying your book or passing.  

We've all been eyeing products online, or even at the store when we ask someone what they think of it. We already have a good idea of what we'll like, but we have that little nagging voice in the back of our head of self-doubt.  What if the television's picture isn't as sharp as I think it is?  What if there is a newer model of the phone out in two weeks that'll make anyone who owns this one look like a chump?  What if we're not the educated consumer that we all pretend to be at the stores?  

Suddenly, our decision is placed on Jon Doe #476 who just happened to be in Best Buy to see if they had the new Call of Duty game in stock. But what kind of feedback does he give?  

"Eh, that TV's okay, but I went with the sixty inch because I have nothing better to spend my money on."  he says and we're suddenly amazed that we hadn't thought of that astounding option.  That decision which was almost formed is now cast back into the nebulous thought cloud to reform as something with a sixty inch TV in mind.  

That's why I want to address the guidelines I use when I review books on Goodreads.  This basically will tell you what you're getting if you look at my ratings.  I never usually take the time to write a review as I'm usually busy writing all sorts of other stuff, but we'll do etiquette after.  

1.  5 Star Review- This is the most coveted review and should, in my humble opinion, be reserved for those books which changed your life.  The one that suddenly made you want to go seek out the author and kiss them just for bringing those characters into your life.  This is not just some flimsy review, this is enshrining the book in a museum for all the world to see. Example:  Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
2. 4 Star Review - This is the kind of book I'll recommend to a friend if they've already read my five star's.  The book is good, no it's awesome, but it didn't make me want to suddenly go live in that world.  This review means I really enjoyed the book and can't think of anything bad to say, but it just didn't pass that threshold into amazing.  Example: The Crimson Shadow by R.A. Salvatore 
3. 3 Star Review - The three star review for me is a sign that I've read and enjoyed the book.  The book was satisfying and didn't come across as so boring that I couldn't finish it. Now, I wouldn't necessarily go out and read it again right away, but at least its on the list of books I've read.  Example: A Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein.   
4. 2 Star Review - This is the kind of book that I would designate as assigned high school reading. They are books that someone told you to read, but really you find yourself almost making excuses to not read anymore of it.  You know that there is supposed to be a lesson, but really, you don't know what it is supposed to be and don't really care.  Ex: For Whom The Bell Tolls by Hemmingway
5. 1 Star Review - This is the one that I reserve only for the worst kind of book I've ever read.  The book that went nowhere and I derived no satisfaction from it what-so-ever.  Above I've mentioned Hemmingway as a two star option, but as I finished For Whom The Bell Tolls I felt satisfaction at knowing that at least something had happened.  At some points the characters acted on their plans and so with some conflict being resolved I was able to accept it as done.  The one star books don't even give you the satisfaction of that, they are the ones that should you find yourself in hell you'll probably be reading it for all eternity.  I can only think of one book that has fallen so low that I felt it deserved one star... Catcher in the Rye.  

I know that gives you my feelings on some books as well as how they should be rated and I understand that you might not agree with me.  That's okay, the last thing I want to bring up is etiquette in your review.  It is sad that some of these things need to be said but the biggest no-no is don't give spoilers.  Another thing, if you're going to pan the book and give it a one star review give a reason.  

These are my two biggest pet peeves when it comes to reviews, the spoilers because it destroys the joy I might have at a well crafted ending or plot turn.  The lack of a good reason because I've read books that people found horrible and loved them.  Perhaps you don't like a book because of the language or the gore described inside.  Please tell us that so that we can understand your rating.  If you rated a book one star because it had lesbian vampires that sparkled and took tea in the sunlight every afternoon while discussing the politics of the court, tell us! I know people that would be intrigued by a Vampire version of Little Women or Pride and Prejudice, though the lesbian aspect would be entirely new.  But this means that you give the author/artist/musician the best chance to succeed.  

The spring becomes a fountain.

It seems in our world that more and more we worry about running out of resources.  We're going to run out of fossil fuels, trees, animals, oxygen, space, and just about everything else you could conceive of.  But it seems to me that there are a lot of things that we'll never run out of.  

There is something about what we do as humans that is amazing, if we work at something we get more of it.  The more I run the more distance I'll be able to do next time.  The more I lift weights, the more I'll be able to lift in the future.  The more I eat, the more I'll be able to.  (All right, that last one wasn't the best example)  

It is surprising that we see physical achievement and improvement as different than mental improvement.  Society seems to have the idea that you can improve your muscles, improve your stamina, or improve your physique.  Yet when it comes to your mental improvement your intelligence isn't as important. 

What if the problem is the perception of the world is it is better to be physically fit than mentally fit?  You could be the worlds strongest man if you work out enough, but you can't be the worlds smartest man because you weren't born a genius or a prodigy.  If we were to work towards changing the picture of society that instead of valuing bulging biceps and a washboard abs we instead valued someone who could solve calculus differentials.  What kind of a picture would it create for us?  

I suddenly see beer commercials where engineers, and scientists are flocked over by women.  I see a Chess Championship as something which draws as big a crowd as the Super Bowl.  It is an interesting picture of the world, where it's not survival of the fittest but survival of the smartest.  

Why did I go through this long rant?  Because I've been amazed at the changes that occur in a mind when you begin to work towards something and practice at it consistently.  In many writers circles they talk about you need to write every day.  That the important thing is that you continue to train your mind in order to produce the ideas and to form the stories in the way you want them.  

Ten years ago I made my first attempt to write a story as a novel.  It came down to three pages of pencil written words that seemed to gloss over ideas but never really explored them.  It was a fantasy story that I felt I could write and would explore a world where reality is based entirely on some kind of group consensus.  That was when I first realized that writing was hard and set it aside. 

There are days that I wish I would have kept at it, where I should have pushed the story to five thousand words, to ten thousand.  I would have something that I could look back at now to see how much I've improved in my writing.  Instead it took me another five years before I finally put words to paper in any concentrated effort.  

Now I can look back and see Creativity is like a muscle, the more you use it the more ideas come to you.  The more you work at formulating sentences, at devising plots, and at crafting characters the better they become.  

There are times that I look back at decisions that I made in my life and regret them.  Regret that I didn't realize that if you want to accomplish anything in life you can't take the easy route.  If you want to write, put your butt in a chair, your fingers on the keyboard, and start writing.  Like with sports, if you want to get better you need to practice.  

Edit's underway and Writing Lovecraft

I've finally committed to a few things which i'm hoping will lead to more for you to read.  I'm setting a date to have my first novel ready for Beta-reading by mid-April.  That's a little over a month away and I have to go through it at least once.  Also there are some things I need to rewrite as this was something first written over two years ago.

I know, two years is a long time to sit around without being worked but I haven't felt the fire under me until recently.  I think part of it has to do with the lesson's I'm learning from the Fear Project.  Having a weekly deadline and only a few days to turn around a finished product is tough.  Though I feel my editing and proofreading skills have really started to blossom.

Another thing I've learned from this challenge is that a deadline isn't always a bad thing.  There are days when I can procrastinate like the best of them.  I can find excuses and distractions to keep me busy for weeks.  But alas, that's one thing I love about National Novel Writing Month.  There is a goal, there is a time frame, there is a deadline.

Since I mentioned the Fear Project above I may as well continue to that now.  During this weeks challenge the rules changed.  We received an e-mail earlier in the week warning us that things would be changing this week.  The ideas which were thrown out were vague but all we knew is that everything was about to get more interesting.  

This week we have a guest judge who asked us to write a story where our main character is wet, cold, and in the dark.  Then, to top it all off, he would really like it if we went with the Lovecraft style.  That is something that I struggle with.  It is something that try as I might in the past I've never been able to pull off.  I've tried for the weird, tried for the darkness, tried for his settings.  Yet somehow it has all escaped me.

Now I love H.P.Lovecraft and his style is amazing in my opinion.  He makes wonderful use of the first person.  His work is the stuff of dreams, nightmares, or even just the weird.  I feel like I did well but this week is still young and we have yet to see which of us the judge likes best.

But that is the way that of life sometimes.  All we can really do is hurry up and wait.

Overloaded

So... I completely forgot about last weeks blog post and it is shameful. What's worse, I didn't take the time to let people know that I was too busy and forgot about this until Sunday afternoon.  So for anyone who was missing my update I'd like to take a moment to say, "I'm sorry."

Well, let's take a moment and talk about projects that I have going right now.  Currently I'm working on an edit and rewrite going for the novel, "A Patchwork of Graves." For anyone following me on David Wellington's Fear Project you were introduced to Patch during week three in the story "To Mend A Broken Heart".  Many people showed interest which makes me happy to have created such a bad guy.

There is also the Fear Project which occupies most of my weekends.  From the time the prompt posts at midnight EST Friday until I send in the submission in, all of my free time is occupied by thoughts of my story.  They might be short in length, probably the length of what I've already written, but the wording is so important.  I can honestly say that in the last four weeks of creating these stories I've learned about the importance of word choice.  It has also helped me in analyzing what I need to cut or change in my own stories to focus on the key elements.

This week I posted a story about Nurse Summers who works in a psychiatric ward. When vampires show up trying to turn her patients into a buffet, she steps up to set things right.  I have to admit that I unwittingly have fallen in love with this character. I never thought that I would want to write  a vampire story.  In fact one of the things that inspired Patch was the lack of a good undead alternative.  But it isn't the vampires that make this story unique, this character seems to have a story behind her behavior that makes me want to explore it.

To answer a question which was posted on my comments the last name is a pop culture reference.  The nurse originally didn't have a name, yet I felt having her nameless was cheating.  When I was thinking of a good name for a woman who is a duty bound slayer of vampires I couldn't resist using the last name.  Just think of this as an Easter Egg and move on, the character isn't Buffy and if I decide to write more with her then you'll see just that.

What has been discussed is just about a third of what my project list has on it.  Needless to say I'll be busy for sometime into the future working on getting all of these done.  But on the bright side, at least I won't be a writer who finds himself without an idea after writing one novel.  I will have to say that I've been blessed with a mind full of fun new ideas.