Tag Archives: Fiction

ROW80 Check-in 10-19-2011

Posted on October 19, 2011 | 7 comments

Well, my first goal was to enter the 50-Word Summary Contest.  Due to the
Nature of the prize, that was my primary focus.  I am happy to say that I took a deep breath and entered.  Thanks to everyone who gave feedback.  Here was my final entry:

Darkness threatens the galaxy from within. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, is chosen by their Goddess to defeat it.  But a tragic accident erases Magellan’s memory.  If he can’t fight Darkness, it will smother the Goddess and the galaxy with her.  Magellan can prevail, if he could only remember.

Wish me luck!

Goal # 2 was to write a short story.  Unfortunately, I haven’t even started it.  I went off on another tangent, but that’s okay.  If you saw my post yesterday, I made a small change to my novel that had a significant change in the overall “effect”.  So my novel, I hope, actually has an ending now.  To me, this was HUGE.

I am mildly concerned about my short story though.  It was perfectly formed in my head while I was camping over the weekend.  I have the first paragraph scribbled into my journal.  My only hope is that I will still be in the right “emotional state” to write it when I finally get to it.  When you are out in the woods camping, your mind works differently than when you are stuck in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

I missed visiting fellow ROWers on Monday, but I made up for it on Tuesday by tripling my efforts.

Although I am not getting done what I originally hoped to do, I feel exhilarated about what I DID do.  Goals have to change, especially in a creative environment where you never know when Epiphany will hit you on the head with a hammer.  **That’s a Thor reference, for those of you who didn’t see  yesterday’s post.  🙂

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Thor: A review from a Writer’s Perspective

Posted on October 18, 2011 | 7 comments

I just watched the movie “Thor” with my husband and son.  My son was so excited.  We checked the “Mommy” reviews, and I decided it would be okay for my oldest son to watch (The younger ones probably could have watched it too.  It was no worse than cartoon violence in most cases, and no cursing, which I appreciate as a Mom.)

Anyway… I wasn’t expecting much.  I really don’t know the story of Thor all that well, and I was just bracing myself for another really bad re-done super hero movie.  Wow, was I in for a pleasant surprise.

Lately, after struggling with plot holes in my novel, I am reading novels and watching movies with a very critical eye.  I knew this was going to lead into the “Avengers” so I figured that it would be open-ended.  I also knew it was a re-telling.

Would they do a good job?  Would they leave it open-ended?  Would it have a concrete beginning, middle and end that left me satisfied that the story was over?  If they do, will I be screaming for more?

Yes, Yes, Yes, and definitely Yes. (Can I buy my tickets NOW?)

Now, if you are a Thor fan, you might have hated this movie.  Like I
said, I don’t know the original story… but looking at this as a stand-alone
story, I think it was great.  Throw this Old God into our world with no power, and have him interact with “normal people”.  Genius.    I have to admit I spit my drink laughing a few times.  There is one character, the Poly-Sci Major, who had me in stitches—and it was all very real… not forced humor… just natural and honest comments that you could relate too.  Great, simple dialog… That is what made it funny.

So, My lesson learned from Thor?  You can write a novel that’s the start of a series that has a CONCRETE ENDING, but that also has enough “open
holes” to suck you into the next installment in the series.  The story is over, but it is “just open enough” that it can start up again in the drop of a hat (or a rainbow bridge, in this case.)

I’ve figured out what is wrong in my novel, now.  And it took me all
but a few hours to fix.  Yes, there are sub-plots that intertwine and draw the story forward into the next book, but I hadn’t made clear the ONE POINT that was the major driver, that DOES CONCLUDE in the first novel.  It did conclude in my head all along, but now, after a little revamping, it does for the reader to.  I just had to elaborate on one point that I did not make clear .

Thanks, Thor, for swinging your hammer and hitting me in the head.
Sometimes you learn things from the most unlikely places.

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Help! What’s my bad-guy’s name?

Posted on October 14, 2011 | 12 comments

I need some input.  My Bad-guy’s name is “Darkness”.  It didn’t really start out that way.  Darkness was just something to be afraid of, and then he developed into a person, and the name stuck.  I know “Darkness” has been used before.  Do you think it’s cliché?

I’ve also been playing with the name “Malice”  What do you think?

I’m entering the 50-word synopsis contest in a few days.  These are the two versions I came up with, depending on the name.

Darkness has descended upon the galaxy. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, has been chosen by their Goddess to defeat it. There’s one problem…. a tragic accident has erased Magellan’s memory. If he doesn’t regain it in time, evil will prevail. His task is simple, if he could only remember.
.
or
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Malice threatens the galaxy from within. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, has been chosen by the Goddess to defeat it. There’s one problem…. a tragic accident has erased Magellan’s memory. If he doesn’t regain it in time, evil will prevail. His task is simple, if he could only remember.
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So, which one do you think sounds better?

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Posted in Senseless Ranting, Writing Contests

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Lesson Eight from the Manuscript Red-Line: Magically Appearing Items in the Setting

Posted on October 7, 2011 | 2 comments

For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine?

This is really more like an amendment to Lesson Seven, but I figured I’d call it out separately, just to make it more clear.  In Lesson Seven, we discussed how important it is to make sure a character has a reason for doing what they do.

Also watch for “convenient” items popping up out of nowhere.  In a recent writers group meeting we discussed this very topic… making sure that a gun doesn’t suddenly appear in the glove compartment of an eighty year old grandmother from Ohio…  Silly things like that.

It is easy for a writer to place an item somewhere convenient…  but remember to give that item a reason for being there.

Example from my own manuscript:

Meagan has a candle in her room in the end of the novel.  It’s very important.  It’s never mentioned before, but I talk about it like it’s always been there.  I  caught mistake after digesting Lesson Seven.   I just can’t let the candle suddenly appear like that, and act like it’s always been there.

Convenient fix by me:  I needed a new chapter near the beginning of the novel, because I needed a place to SHOW that Meagan realizes that Magellan is supernatural.  (This is to avoid a “telly” section later).  I placed the scene in Meagan’s room, and actually used the candle as the driving force for that scene.  It worked wonderfully, and I killed two problems with one chapter in a neat little
package.  (And only about 550 words)

Like magically appearing characters, suddenly appearing items can be distracting, and make you lose credibility.  Give important items a reason for being where they are, and keep your settings fluid throughout your novel.

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Posted in Gold Mine Manuscript

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Lesson Three from the Gold Mine Manuscript Red Line: Action Action, where is the Action?

Posted on September 13, 2011 | 10 comments

For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine ?

I’ve heard contradicting opinions on this.  Some people say exposition is important.  Some people say don’t start right out with action because you don’t have a character basis of who to “root for” yet.  Personally, when I’m reading something, I want to be slapped in the face immediately with excitement and fill me in on the boring stuff later.  So, when my BP (Beta Partner) had a story that started with tons of talking and setting, I said, “okay, according to what I’ve read, this is okay,” but, being the good beta partner that I am, I let her “have it” and told her I was bored.  But, all the exposition stayed (with some trimming to six pages).   (I’m not saying she trimmed for me…  I believe she has five beta partners, so I’m sure there were a wealth of comments to revise from.)

 Unfortunately though, the publisher found it to be an unnecessary character study and suggested cutting the first five pages completely.  What was after these five pages, was a brief conversation of a dream that actually had relevance to the story (almost a page long) and then the action started.

The publisher’s commented that the first five pages were not engaging.  What I got out of that, was that they didn’t want to see a few kids hanging out and talking.  They wanted something to HAPPEN.  The story actually does, I must admit, start right where they suggested… The dream is a foreshadowing, and then the action that is the catalyst that changes the MC’s life forever happens right afterwards.

***Always start the story as close to the life changing event as possible***

So, what gets lost in the first five pages?  Well, the set up of the friendship between the two MC’s, which can be played out pretty quickly in the next pages, and (ouch) a lot of setting.  To me, that’s no biggie, but my BP is a big setting person.  She likes her imagery.  Now she needs to work in her sweeping mansion and grounds into the action scenes or between them.  It will be a little work.

Moral of the story:  Setting is important, but not too much up front.  Make sure something happens in the first page or so to drag your reader in.

Also see my post on how I changed (and am still changing) my first page after a contest judge didn’t find my first page exciting enough— and there was hardly any setting there at all!

Go back and make your first few pages ROCK!  If you don’t excite the reader right away, they might put your novel down and buy something else.  **GACK**

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Free Professional Writing and Query Help from Real Agents!

Posted on August 16, 2011 | 1 comment

WriteOnCon 2011 starts today and goes through Thursday.  If you haven’t heard about it, it’s a really great place to get gads of information all in one place.  It’s great stuff presented by industry professionals that writers normally would have to know someone or have to jump through hoops to try to get.

Here is a link to this year’s offerings.  http://writeoncon.com/2011/08/gearing-up-for-writeoncon-2011-%E2%80%93-the-full-schedule/

There are question and answer sessions with agents, chances to submit your pitches, queries, and parts of your manuscripts for agents to look at and give feedback on.  (And if you are one of the lucky ones, they might ask you to submit something to them off-line)

There are also general topics of discussion.  I can’t wait to see the one on writing the perfect opening line.  I am so darn tired of writing my first page I can’t stand it!

What’s great about this, is if you are like me, and you can’t get off from work to participate in the live offerings during the day, the posts will still be there when you get home.  So, even if you are not participating, you can still learn from the agents that are on-line.  It’s a really great opportunity.

So, what are you still doing here reading this blog?  Get on over there and learn a few things from some agents and GOOD LUCK with your querying!

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Posted in General Writing Tips, Senseless Ranting

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Yes! We will publish your novel… If…

Posted on July 30, 2011 | 4 comments

 You toil for years over your story.  It’s very intricate.  It’s brilliant

(I can say this because it’s not mine.  This just happened to a friend of mine Friday)

Your story is a three-part series. Every facet of book one is important to the next two novels, and they are all completely written (at least in draft form)

 You send it out, rejection here, rejection there, partial here, partial there, rejection, and then BAM!  A request for a Full Manuscript from an indie publisher.  The only chink is that they think it is too long, so you need to cut 25,000 words out of it before they will even consider you, and you only have two weeks to do it.  You toil and toil.  You edit till you drop.  Your beta partner reads madly right behind you watching for little plot chinks that don’t work.  Coffee if your friend.  Sleep is optional, but you do it.  You make your deadline.  (And I have to admit, the final draft minus the 25,000 words is AWESOME)

 You wait and wait, and after a few weeks, you get a response.  They are interested.  They just want you to change one little thing that they don’t like.  The problem is that one little thing is extremely important to the next two novels.  They said if she’s willing to change that, they’d read the revised version, and prepare to move forward.

 UGH!  I sat on the phone with her for an hour and a half trudging through how to make it work…  how to take this one facet out, or how to work around it.  A week ago, she was talking about how many of her friends changed their stories drastically just to get published.  Now here she is in the same boat.

 I’m wondering what I’d do.  Little changes everyone expects to make… but something drastic enough to affect your entire series? 

 Positive energy SHOOTING your way, Buddy!  I hope you make the right decision, whatever that is!

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Posted in General Writing Tips, Senseless Ranting

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Technology is catching up to Science Fiction

Posted on July 25, 2011 | Comments Off on Technology is catching up to Science Fiction

Funny, when I started writing my novel a few years ago I came up with this neat little innovation…  these kids on my futuristic planet don’t carry books around to school, they have Datapads.  Imagine my surprise when the iPad became the “in thing” last year.  I just laughed it off.  It still fits in my story, and I don’t wave it around as an “innovation” but I found it amusing.

Today, on Circuitmart, there was an eight-minute video clip about “wearable robots”.  The military has contracted for a firm in the USA to create wearable exoskeletons that will be able to read the wearer’s intent, and increase their strength by twenty times.  Eventually, they speculate they may even be able to make people fly.  (They do other cool stuff, but I don’t want to bore you if you’re not into tech-stuff)

Now, my first reaction was: This is a bad idea… haven’t they read Science Fiction stories?  These things lead to no good!  One of the companies mentioned was even named Cyberdine.  (Very funny in a ‘spooky sort of way’ for all you Terminator fans out there)

Anyway, it made me think… for those of us who are Science Fiction authors, we need to really start reaching into the depths of our imagination as far as technology goes.  It was a lot easier to write in the 50’s when a simple computer was a dream someone had.  Now, all our dreams and wildest fantasies are becoming reality.

We are going to have to work harder to spark the interests of our readers.  Yes, you can say “go for the story… the story will drive them in!”  Well, yes, that’s a given, but in Sci-Fi, I think readers look for a little something “different”.

Story is always a given, but to make our worlds seem “futuristic” we are going to have to start working harder… and faster.  You might just come up with something cool, and someone will come up behind you and actually invent and market the darned thing before you even get published!

If you are into “tech stuff” you can watch the video about the robotic armor at the link below.

(Circuitsmart makes you watch a 30-second commercial, first, and the video will start afterwards)

http://www.circuitmart.com/mart/49531.shtml

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