Before you ask, no, my writing is not going well.
Don't you love it when you realize that something is far harder than you remember? NaNoWriMo is basically ten days away after this post from being over. So, I'll basically have to ignore the world to meet my quota. My word count is steadily growing, but at the same time, I want to start reading as much as I'm writing. NetGalley is great for this, allowing me to beg publishers for their books before they release them. Of course there is this recurring problem that I'm facing. It keeps showing up while I'm writing and stares me down when I'm reading. These books are great and all. I swear.
It's just too bad that I have to get past the same opening over and over again.
Recently I've begun reading Mystic and Uprooted. At the same time, Hunger Games is still fresh in my mind with the last movie having been released. Each opens with a girl being picked for something that she, as well as her whole villagee, never though she could be picked for. It's like a kid getting a multiple choice test.
What counts as a fruit?
A: Cucumber
B: Bread
C: Gary
D: Tomato
But then the kid goes ahead and makes up his own option, calls it letter E and tells the teacher to deal with it.
E: I don't like fruit
Only the Hunger Games seems to subvert the problem in that Katniss negates the choice already given and offers herself up as tribute, showing a good deal of character in the process. I still don't like the Hunger Games for other reasons, but that scene does stick out and is a defining point of the series for the book and the movies. It played so many times that it was the moment signaling for me to start caring about the plot.
When the trope is played straight, it means that you know what's coming after the girl is picked. Shock, horror, denial and acceptance. Eventually the main character has to accept the call as it is driving force of the plot. Without it, she won't go risking her life by being forced to experience something she would've altogether avoided. I say she because this is typical of woman in YA. Also, the three books I listed all have female protagonist. Can this happen to a boy? Of course! What's different here is that boys in fantasy will most likely jump at the call, salivating at the prospect of leaving his no name village to learn magic and summon dragons.
The whole reason for this is that I said I would discuss my story with you guys. Obviously not chapter by chapter or using the actual plot, but on how I construct it; the typical opening being one of them. For me, I went with what would usually be a waking up chapter. You know how it plays out. The character opens his eyes to a new world. You follow him around for a day. You see his life, village and typical best friend who's always more interesting than him. Wait a few chapters and that village will go up in flames and the adventure will begin. That's the most cliche version of a heroic or epic fantasy opening I could muster on the spot.
First and foremost, it's a little hard doing the above when you're writing science fiction over fantasy. Try to burn something when the great god known as science has invented extinguishers and fire retardant material. I went through three iterations of him waking up in a strange place. I canned them all in minutes. I know how I write well enough to know that I wasn't capturing the scene. Plus, I made it more horror than anything. Throw in a bit of humor and it was a different story entirely. By the third I saw not only how he could be waking up, but how he could recall doing so as he focused on understanding his surroundings.
The chances that I'll keep the scene are minimal right now. In fact I've already written past it and think about it in passing, occasionally going back to see what would be better. What I do know, is what I want the future to feel like in my world. That the future should have technology that at least feels alien to us, much like fantasy does, is a feeling I'm struggling to portray. Conveying that message can be a tough trip and for many writers. In the process of worrying about it, you end up developing a paranoia about the beginning of a book.
An opening chapter has a lot to say in a limited way. Speak too much on setting up the scene and you've lost the reader. Speak too little and the reader doesn't know what you're trying to convey. The three books I listed way back in the beginning prove that the opening won't completely destroy or make your book. What matters is that you give a hint of what's to come. In Uprooted I saw my first hint when the Dragon was more irritable than malevolent. In Mystic I looked past the very cliche beginning to see something growing in the titular myst. Into what it was, I did not know. Hunger Games speaks for itself with its popularity, although I will one day write a post as to why I don't like it as much as I wish I did.
The opening of a book does matter, but what really counts is the rising action. Read your opening to yourself and if the first question you think a reader will ask is about what happens next, then you've got a keeper.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
The Overly Late Start to NaNoWriMo Guide
Great, just great. I can't wait to start writing my book at a word count that's only about thirteen hundred words. No, I'm not going to do the math for how many words a day I have to do in order to reach the impossible peak of fifty thousand words. Not to mention that most books are way longer than that staggering word count and I haven't even begun to reach a fifth of that.
Oh, and here's the best part, I don't care.
That is, I don't care about that now that I'm done feeling sorry for myself. The fact remains that I need to write this book in basically twelve days. It's not that I can't space out this time among the rest of this year or maybe just plan better next time around. Don't worry, there's no evil genius with a gun to my head demanding that I write this book. There are no bills that are desperately waiting to be paid unless I get a book published this instant. Nation Novel Writing Month isn't about that. At its core, it's about having the willpower to try. That's it. There's not even a reason to cheat since all you'll win is a certificate. You could cheat in order to grandstand, but its the effort you put into it that makes NaNoWriMo something that has become something of a tradition.
So from here on out I'm going to type up a blog post every damn day to explain how well I'm doing, my story, characters, and when my inner editor begs me to change something instead of writing like how I'm supposed to.
Since this is my first post on the matter, how about I give you a few tips that I should've followed in the first place? Sound good? Yeah, I know, it's genius.
START ON TIME!
Yes, it's the most obvious one and also the most important. Writers have a tendency to put off writing, even when for most, if not all of us, it's our dream job. Toss aside the research, editing and any outside influence, and just writing isn't that hard, so we have a tendency to do so when it suits us. The problem only really seems t present itself when you keep pushing the start date further and further back. There are so many stories out there that we may never get to read because they didn't sit down in front of the screen and fill it with words.
Best case scenario has you sitting in front of your computer with a scarf draped around your neck, tea and a crumpet (never had one) at your side while in a deep writing trance that takes you to the end of your word count and beyond to literary stardom. In this scenario you also have an agent, a mansion and you're also the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. You aren't. Stop it. If you can do you word count in one sitting, that's great. I usually set my own word count over three or four sessions with my final one usually going over. Break the problem down until you can see how to solve it.
Hmm, maybe I should be writing instead of telling you guys to do so... nope.
Jot other Story Ideas down and move on
I hope I'm alone in this, but this is a big one for me. I'm a scatter brain. When I think of one thing, ten more sprout from it, pushing me to use this idea here and there while simultaneously thinking up ways to make another book. I don't want to stop that. It's why I know I want to be a writer. I manage my imagination by letting it out on another sheet of paper or in the worst/best case scenarios I make up a story on the side and quickly put ti away for later. There's nothing worse to me than coming up with any element of a story and then forgetting it. You can even make a little outline for it. Not the in depth play by play that tells you how many periods will go in your paragraph, but the kind that gives suggestions for later use.
I usually use dashes to indicate when I want something else in added in.
Chapter 1: Jake finds his father's knife wrapped in his death mother's hands.
-knife is reminiscent of a bird's wing or fish's head
-Mother's face was at peace
-Father was watching from beneath the floor boards the entire time.
See, little things like that can be added in later after the story is done without slowing you down. Personally, I struggle with changing a story after I'm done writing it. I've written it, plotted it, filled it with characters and that's that. I should be done with it. Little did I know that writing comes in layers. As you do one thing, you check them all. Change one and you have to make sure the story runs smooth because of it. With a few reminders I make sure to keep it my story stable.
It's only the first draft
The first time I completed NaNoWriMo I was so proud of myself until I realized that I turned off the spell check because those jagged red lines get a bit distracting at times. I turned them on and I swear to all gods that every other line was filled with mistakes, baiting me to rage quit out of my dream job. I didn't complete the second NaNo the following the year because I was too worried about my grammar. Honestly, I'm now able to ignore it up to a point. Instead of holding back until NaNo is over, I check over everything at the end of the day to make sure that the main idea is coming across. Remember, you only do this to the point that the main idea is coming across--being conveyed so that it won't confuse you or your future readers.
The best thing about it, is that grammar wise, I only care about it when I'm writing for pleasure. When it's for school or for work, I could hardly care. I have a bad habit of wanting perfection for my writing because--to be being frank--I care more. Writing is what I want to do. It has a special place somewhere deep down in my psyche that says if I want my writing to matter, then it has to be perfect.
Well, now that I've talked about writing, maybe I should go do some?
Oh, and here's the best part, I don't care.
That is, I don't care about that now that I'm done feeling sorry for myself. The fact remains that I need to write this book in basically twelve days. It's not that I can't space out this time among the rest of this year or maybe just plan better next time around. Don't worry, there's no evil genius with a gun to my head demanding that I write this book. There are no bills that are desperately waiting to be paid unless I get a book published this instant. Nation Novel Writing Month isn't about that. At its core, it's about having the willpower to try. That's it. There's not even a reason to cheat since all you'll win is a certificate. You could cheat in order to grandstand, but its the effort you put into it that makes NaNoWriMo something that has become something of a tradition.
So from here on out I'm going to type up a blog post every damn day to explain how well I'm doing, my story, characters, and when my inner editor begs me to change something instead of writing like how I'm supposed to.
Since this is my first post on the matter, how about I give you a few tips that I should've followed in the first place? Sound good? Yeah, I know, it's genius.
START ON TIME!
Yes, it's the most obvious one and also the most important. Writers have a tendency to put off writing, even when for most, if not all of us, it's our dream job. Toss aside the research, editing and any outside influence, and just writing isn't that hard, so we have a tendency to do so when it suits us. The problem only really seems t present itself when you keep pushing the start date further and further back. There are so many stories out there that we may never get to read because they didn't sit down in front of the screen and fill it with words.
Best case scenario has you sitting in front of your computer with a scarf draped around your neck, tea and a crumpet (never had one) at your side while in a deep writing trance that takes you to the end of your word count and beyond to literary stardom. In this scenario you also have an agent, a mansion and you're also the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. You aren't. Stop it. If you can do you word count in one sitting, that's great. I usually set my own word count over three or four sessions with my final one usually going over. Break the problem down until you can see how to solve it.
Hmm, maybe I should be writing instead of telling you guys to do so... nope.
Jot other Story Ideas down and move on
I hope I'm alone in this, but this is a big one for me. I'm a scatter brain. When I think of one thing, ten more sprout from it, pushing me to use this idea here and there while simultaneously thinking up ways to make another book. I don't want to stop that. It's why I know I want to be a writer. I manage my imagination by letting it out on another sheet of paper or in the worst/best case scenarios I make up a story on the side and quickly put ti away for later. There's nothing worse to me than coming up with any element of a story and then forgetting it. You can even make a little outline for it. Not the in depth play by play that tells you how many periods will go in your paragraph, but the kind that gives suggestions for later use.
I usually use dashes to indicate when I want something else in added in.
Chapter 1: Jake finds his father's knife wrapped in his death mother's hands.
-knife is reminiscent of a bird's wing or fish's head
-Mother's face was at peace
-Father was watching from beneath the floor boards the entire time.
See, little things like that can be added in later after the story is done without slowing you down. Personally, I struggle with changing a story after I'm done writing it. I've written it, plotted it, filled it with characters and that's that. I should be done with it. Little did I know that writing comes in layers. As you do one thing, you check them all. Change one and you have to make sure the story runs smooth because of it. With a few reminders I make sure to keep it my story stable.
It's only the first draft
The first time I completed NaNoWriMo I was so proud of myself until I realized that I turned off the spell check because those jagged red lines get a bit distracting at times. I turned them on and I swear to all gods that every other line was filled with mistakes, baiting me to rage quit out of my dream job. I didn't complete the second NaNo the following the year because I was too worried about my grammar. Honestly, I'm now able to ignore it up to a point. Instead of holding back until NaNo is over, I check over everything at the end of the day to make sure that the main idea is coming across. Remember, you only do this to the point that the main idea is coming across--being conveyed so that it won't confuse you or your future readers.
The best thing about it, is that grammar wise, I only care about it when I'm writing for pleasure. When it's for school or for work, I could hardly care. I have a bad habit of wanting perfection for my writing because--to be being frank--I care more. Writing is what I want to do. It has a special place somewhere deep down in my psyche that says if I want my writing to matter, then it has to be perfect.
Well, now that I've talked about writing, maybe I should go do some?
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Evolution: Genesis by Lissa Kasey Review
A copy of this book was provided digitally to me by Net Galley
Evolution: Genesis was a first for me in a lot of ways.
It was my first male on male, romance driven, vampire, phoenix book with the main character part of a band that was just starting to become famous. So much was pounded into this book from the beginning that it had to at least be exciting to read. Well, while it had a lot to work with, Evolution sadly didn't make use of its tools to the fullest extent. Did I mention there are a host of other demons out there too? Succubus included. Doesn't really matter though.
The reason this book was a first for me in so many different ways is because I was warned about all of these cliches early on in life. Avoid books with romance because of the oncoming love triangle. Look out for vampire books where it's nothing but angst and loneliness even though their lives are usually pretty awesome. If I were to sum up most vampires for you hailing from today's fiction who wouldn't choose to be one? And for God's sake, why is there always a clear-cut dominant one paired up with a too naive main character? The latter, Genesis, even has hair that changes color throughout the novel while I can't even picture the vampire with anything but a black coat draped over a black shirt with darker than night pants shielding boxers the color of the void itself.
So why did I give it two stars and not just put up a DNF for this review while I move on to books I know I'll like? Honestly, it's because Genesis tries,even when I think the book ultimately came up short in the end.
I came into this book without reading the previous entry, but even then I saw hints about the kind of person Genesis--the character--used to be and who he was becoming as the book went on. Unlike other characters who are more than likely to be passed around among lovers of questionable content, he has to fight in order to save who he cares about the most. This mostly came to a head in the second part of the novel in that he's not only the guy trying the hardest, but the only one trying to do anything at all. The rest don't care and when faced with a life not in their favor just give up. The main character didn't and that was sort of great to see. He basically saw problems and tried to solve them. He was an active antagonist for most of the book and I was happier for it.
This book could've easily been over three hundred pages. Genesis can't fill an entire book with nothing but the ability to endure. The music, interviews, world, demons and such could've been expanded upon greatly, but are only really talked about instead of shown. When they say they had an interview and an event took place because of it, we were told about it. I would've loved to read the reactions of some of these characters, filling out the story as a whole because of it.
The world itself is just like ours with some changes here and there. Supernatural creatures can get registered, vampires are known to be real and the world is almost a bit too normal for it. I almost forgot there was a stereotypical religious hate group in there. The fact that the main character is Buddhist is a welcome change and something I again think could've been greater with a little more thought put into it. Still, points for trying something different.
This last point might just be me, but the cover for the first book is way better than this one. The single feather of the former has ten times the detail of the phoenix on this one.
Not the best book, but okay if you want something fast and light. Look at the page count for this book! That's practically nothing.
Evolution: Genesis was a first for me in a lot of ways.
It was my first male on male, romance driven, vampire, phoenix book with the main character part of a band that was just starting to become famous. So much was pounded into this book from the beginning that it had to at least be exciting to read. Well, while it had a lot to work with, Evolution sadly didn't make use of its tools to the fullest extent. Did I mention there are a host of other demons out there too? Succubus included. Doesn't really matter though.
The reason this book was a first for me in so many different ways is because I was warned about all of these cliches early on in life. Avoid books with romance because of the oncoming love triangle. Look out for vampire books where it's nothing but angst and loneliness even though their lives are usually pretty awesome. If I were to sum up most vampires for you hailing from today's fiction who wouldn't choose to be one? And for God's sake, why is there always a clear-cut dominant one paired up with a too naive main character? The latter, Genesis, even has hair that changes color throughout the novel while I can't even picture the vampire with anything but a black coat draped over a black shirt with darker than night pants shielding boxers the color of the void itself.
So why did I give it two stars and not just put up a DNF for this review while I move on to books I know I'll like? Honestly, it's because Genesis tries,even when I think the book ultimately came up short in the end.
I came into this book without reading the previous entry, but even then I saw hints about the kind of person Genesis--the character--used to be and who he was becoming as the book went on. Unlike other characters who are more than likely to be passed around among lovers of questionable content, he has to fight in order to save who he cares about the most. This mostly came to a head in the second part of the novel in that he's not only the guy trying the hardest, but the only one trying to do anything at all. The rest don't care and when faced with a life not in their favor just give up. The main character didn't and that was sort of great to see. He basically saw problems and tried to solve them. He was an active antagonist for most of the book and I was happier for it.
This book could've easily been over three hundred pages. Genesis can't fill an entire book with nothing but the ability to endure. The music, interviews, world, demons and such could've been expanded upon greatly, but are only really talked about instead of shown. When they say they had an interview and an event took place because of it, we were told about it. I would've loved to read the reactions of some of these characters, filling out the story as a whole because of it.
The world itself is just like ours with some changes here and there. Supernatural creatures can get registered, vampires are known to be real and the world is almost a bit too normal for it. I almost forgot there was a stereotypical religious hate group in there. The fact that the main character is Buddhist is a welcome change and something I again think could've been greater with a little more thought put into it. Still, points for trying something different.
This last point might just be me, but the cover for the first book is way better than this one. The single feather of the former has ten times the detail of the phoenix on this one.
Not the best book, but okay if you want something fast and light. Look at the page count for this book! That's practically nothing.
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