We're experiencing a couple of technical blips behind the scenes, so bear with us. Today's giveaway entry period will be extended until noon tomorrow, and the link for the e-book should go live as soon as we can get the blasted thing to upload. Your patience is much appreciated. Added: Links to worldbuilding notebook are (finally) live, see below.
The winners of the VW#3 giveaway are:
ArtWish: Sarai
Goodie Bag: Rob
Winners, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get these prizes out to you.
I. If You Build It, They Will Read
The single most awe-inspiring activity involved with writing is world-building. The writer who world builds becomes Master of the Universe. In true Omnipotent Being fashion, the writer begins with nothing but a vision of What Could Be. They wave their magic hands over the keyboard and suddenly, there are words that shine like an unwavering light upon a whole new world, complete with fascinating people in exciting places doing incredible things.
Well, maybe we do a little more than wave our hands over the keyboard. Okay, a lot more. And there's no magic involved (that comes later, we hope, for the person reading the story.) No mystical light or omnipotent power goes into play, either. To be frank, a writer takes two elements -- imagination and words -- and employing only those two raw materials, writes a story about a fictional world.
Sounds really simple, doesn't it? Imagine it, write it, you're done. But between the imagining and the writing, the writer has to do a couple of other things.
II. What We Build, and Why
The very first time I built a new world, I bombarded roughly half of the land surfaces of this planet with nuclear weapons. The initial detonations wiped out about 40% of the population, and fallout from the bombs quickly poisoned another 30%. Over the next decade, about half of my survivors were blamed for the nuclear war and sent to a remote, radiation-tainted prison where most of them died. Grim does not begin to describe how truly awful my post-Apocalyptic vision of the world was. Only when I had brought the human race to the brink of extinction did I begin to rebuild Earth into a kind of quasi-Jurassic Park wonderland, complete with a full resurgence of dinosaurs.
My reason for building such a terrible world was the state of the world in which I lived. I was born during the Cold War. Every world power had ICBMs ready to be launched while they snarled and bitched at each other. Castro very kindly parked a number of nuclear warheads about a hundred miles from my house. My older siblings had actually practiced nuclear attack drills by hiding under their desks in school; people who had built bomb shelters in their backyards would not be considered crazy for another decade. When I imagined my first future world, I built it on what I expected the future world to be: a decimated, radioactive wasteland.
As for the dinosaurs, well, I was twelve. I thought they were cool.
I wanted to share my vision of the future, too, so I turned in this horrific little gem to my seventh grade English teacher. He kept it for two weeks, gave me some extra credit and, when I asked him to give back my story, told me that he threw it in the garbage.
The moral of the story? Before you build a world, remember it's going to be shared by others. And before you let anyone read a story, especially an squicky English teacher who wears a replica Billy Jack hat to cover his lousy comb-over, make a copy of it.
III. The Foundation
Whether it's real or imagined, building a world first requires something to inspire that world. Like me, you may start with a character and build around them, basing your choices on the demands of the characterization and the story they have to tell. If you prefer to build first and populate later, you still have to center your construction on something. Your foundation may be a setting, a concept, an event – it doesn’t matter, as long as it inspires you.
Once you've decided what your inspiration is, that character or setting or conflict should always serve as the foundation for all your construction. When in doubt, always return to the foundation to determine what best serves your original inspiration. A world without a strong, solid foundation that connects in some way to everything in the story generally collapses under the weight of too many pointless elements.
Example: Akela, our friend from Part I of the workshop, is the foundation of Red Branch story construction. Everything in the story relates to her in some fashion, because everything in the story was custom-built based on her characterization. The way she fights, the weapons she carries, even the animal she rides were all designed with her in mind.
This is not to say that everything I wrote in Red Branch suits Akela. On the contrary -- I threw a lot of conflict at her that she wasn't prepared to deal with at all. At times Akela felt like her world was falling apart. She had to make decisions and adapt as things she had always taken for granted abruptly changed. She didn't like the changes, and in fact wanted nothing to do with them, but she had to deal with them. For me this is the heart and soul of any protagonist’s tale: not what caters to them, but what compels them to change.
IV. The Blue Prints
Once you’ve broken ground and created the foundation for your world, the next step naturally is to build the rest of it. But before you begin creating societies and lexicons and global conflicts, you might consider putting together a rough outline of your story’s plot, i.e.:
Akela is sent to find Jalon, and bring him back to her Queen.
Danu sends mercenaries after Akela, who kills them.
Akela meets Jalon, who is a male version of her Queen.
Akela teaches Jalon how to fight the Queen.
Danu brings his pregnant daughter to Akela, who delivers her Spinner infant.
Akela, Jalon and the infant return to the Queen.
Jalon telepathically overpowers the Queen and prevails.
From my outline of Red Branch, I knew in advance what portions of this world I would need to build. I needed the characterizations for Jalon, the Queen, Danu, the mercenaries, his daughter and the infant Spinner. I had to describe Akela’s physical journey, including the inn where she slept and the darkmare she used for transportation. I had to do the same for Jalon’s current living situation, his home and his life among the humans who had raised him. I invented the manner in which Spinners fight, deliver infants and use telepathy. Finaly I put together the showdown between Jalon and the Queen.
Using an outline of your plot as a building plan, you can create with purpose as well as efficiency. It may not be as much fun as free-building whatever you like, but building only what you need may help prevent unnecessary characters, details and other elements from choking the life out of your story.
V. Building Code Violations
There are some fairly common mistakes I see other writers make when world-building, but one that seems to be almost universal these days is when a writer sets up and then immediately violates some unbreakable rule of their world construct. In paranormal romance, for example, this is usually when an unfathomable attraction for a human heroine causes an immortal hero to defy the rules of his deity (who forbids him to trifle with human chicks), expose his own existence (which is supposed to be kept strictly concealed from humans) or break a vow of celibacy (because if he has sex with a human, the world as we know it will come to an end.)
I’m not a fan of the breaking the unbreakable rule plot device. I like the flexible rule, the old rule hardly anyone pays attention to anymore, and my personal favorite, the rule that everyone agrees is stupid and stops using long before the story begins.
Other things that can wreck your construct:
The gigantic hole in your world: let's say, for example, you have aliens in your story who use their superior intelligence and technology to invade Earth unnoticed, infiltrate our society, and begin snatching our bodies without anyone catching on until it’s far, far too late. So tell me, why would they not have the means to conceal the single tell-tale physical sign that they are possessing a human body? They’re capable of interstellar travel and world domination, but they can’t pop in some contact lenses?
A skimpy little excuse does not cover a gigantic hole in the world; it only draws attention to it. Fill in your holes properly, or rebuild that element of the story until it works correctly.
Thinly-veiled grindstones: If the insane, brutal, bloodthirsty war-mongering sadistic dictator in your novel is named G’e Orgeb Ush, and he’s defeated by a group of wise, thoughtful but weary philosophers who subsequently outlaw religion but spread benevolent Socialism among the grubby masses, you're probably not voting for McCain this fall, am I right?
Trotting your cleverly disguised personal griefs with the government back and forth in front of your reader is about as tasteful as dropping change on the lunch room floor so you can look up some girl's skirt. It's also offensive and annoying. Spare your reader from the armchair politics, please.
The Just Because Anomaly: A writer builds a world that is completely logical and realistic, except for this one thing -- in SF, usually some sort of life form or technology -- that is completely out of whack with the rest of the construct (remember my dinosaurs from Nuked World?) This one thing is never explained or justified. It's just there, like a big honking magical wart on the story.
If you want me to believe that there's an elephant in the living room, you're going to have to show me the circus caravan it escaped from, the pasture fence it knocked over, and the wall it smashed through to get into the house.
Auld Lang Syners -- the story features an inactive element (i.e. a dead character or a long-gone civilization) that is way more interesting than the present elements. For the reader, this is akin to the author plopping an Egyptian pharaoh’s undiscovered tomb down in the center of a trailer park and then saying to them “Ignore that tomb. You’re only allowed to watch what happens in the trailers.”
I cannot say this often enough: if your backstory is more interesting than your current era, you're writing the wrong story.
Babeling -- the story features an invented language that is used so often that the reader cannot follow the dialogue.
I love languages, and I'm a bit of a snob myself about explaining/translating them for the reader, but even I know cer a'denai etfi calhadre gemot tursavey. Sure, I may understand every word of that, e ylulo ceres gibbor frenza. So when you put invented language in your story, remember that e ylulo (the reader) needs a point of translation, like a definition in context (all these ey ylulon do is sit around and read books) or a glossary of some sort (e ylulo: one who reads extensively.)
VI. Finishing Touches
There is always a point toward the end of my world-building when I feel like I'm ready to write the story. It's like having an itch inside the brain and writing is the only way to scratch it. I'll start jotting down lines of dialogue or paint a second version of a setting. But before I write a single word of story, I perform a thorough inspection of the construct.
What I look for:
Necessities-- have I fleshed out everything I'm going to need to know while I'm writing? If my protag is going to be swinging a sword around, have I decided the type of sword he uses, and how he learned to swing it? If he's a poor peasant boy who came from the Village of the Dull, how did he get that sword and who taught him how to use it?
Logic -- Do I have anything in the story that the reader is not going to understand? Do I need it, or is it one of those Just Because dinosaurs that I thought was cool?
Balance -- are all the world elements developed in a harmonious way? Did I skimp or go overboard with anything? Does anything in the backstory overshadow the present? Is there anything that is the equivalent of a Pharaoh's tomb in the trailer park?
Clarity -- is this a world anyone can visit, or does my reader need to go to back to college and major in psychology, astrophysics or sociology before they touch a page? (Or, is Mom going to call me after she reads it and say, "Honey, I really liked it, except for that part in the laboratory, and that computer thing, and the weird alien with the two heads that did that funny little dance at the end. What was that all about?")
To help you with the next world you build, I've uploaded a world-building notebook here on Scribd* (please note: cover art has mysterious lines running through it for reasons we're not yet able to fathom or fix) and here (in .pdf format, with line-free cover art.) Please feel free to adapt it to your building needs and to share it with other writers who might find it useful. *Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed my free library from their site, and no longer use or recommend using their service. My free reads may be read online or downloaded for free from Google Docs; go to my freebies and free reads page for the links. See my post about this scam here.
VII. Before You Build
The most important world-building decision you'll probably ever make is one you're probably not aware that you've even made. It may be decided before you jot down one note or type a single line. It's the answer to this: for whom are you building this world, yourself, the reader, or both of you?
A world designed with only you in mind is probably going to be one only you and a few people like you can appreciate. A world built according to what you think the reader wants is going to look like a lot of other worlds they already like. I think the best worlds are those that are as unique as the builder but that remain accessible to anyone who wants to come and take the tour.
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) --The original watercolor I painted for the cover of my workshop companion e-book, It Only Took God Six Days ~ World Building within Reason, signed and framed, along with signed copies of my StarDoc novels Rebel Ice and Omega Games and my Darkyn novels Dark Need and Twilight Fall.
2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned copies of:
Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos (hardcover)
Steal the Dragon by Patricia Briggs
Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti
The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
In Danger by Alison Kent
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
Unleashed by Kristopher Reisz
Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
plus signed copies of my novels Omega Games and Twilight Fall, as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before noon EST tomorrow, August 1, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and the other the painting and books. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links -- new links are being added every day, so keep checking the list for new workshops (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Worldbuilding with a Wiki by Sandra Barret -- Architecting your world using a free wiki.
Brainstorming by Jove Belle -- A discussion on brainstorming.
E-Courtesy by Joely Sue Burkhart -- Simple ways to protect yourself with courtesy on the internet.
The Anatomy Of Sex Scenes by Jaci Burton -- Writing sex can sometimes be the most uncomfortable part of writing the book. But it doesn't have to be. A few key pointers that may help charge up your sex scenes and drag the writer out of their 'discomfort' zone.
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
Sound Effects--consonance, assonance, alliteration by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Research for Writers by Bianca D'Arc -- a librarian/writer's view of where to find the best information and strategies for how to use it.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?Also: All Authors Should Be Wordsmiths
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Cover Art: From Form to Finish by Mandy M. Roth -- Tips and tricks for filling out your cover art forms, the steps and stages a cover goes through, the finished product and a walkthrough on using your cover to make your own static banner ad.
When Only the Right Word Will Do by Shannon Stacey -- Using word choices to add humor, help you show instead of tell, strengthen your voice and heighten characterization in deep POV in your second draft.
Hey Fatty (Or Does Your Character Need That Flaw) by Amie Stuart -- I’ll be blogging about Characterization, flaws and motivation all week, using TV, movies, books and my own writing for examples.
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- Planetary Primer, The Inner Planets, The Gas Giants, Planetoids: Pluto and the Asteroids (the third in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Time Management by Charlene Teglia -- the third in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
Short Stories & Novellas- Workshop Day II - Characterization by Shiloh Walker -- the second in a series on writing short stories and novellas.
VOICE: The Magic Behind The Words by Sasha White -- Advice to help you discover and strengthen your personal voice and style, and show you the way to the magic behind the words.
Workshop is in 5 sections. A new section each day this week.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
VW#3: World-Building I
The winners of the VW#2 giveaway are:
Writing Books Stack: Leah Braemel
Goodie Bag: seanachi
Winners, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get these prizes out to you.
I. Introduction
Welcome, everyone, to World-Building Within Reason. Today I have a special guest here at PBW to help me present the first part of this two-day workshop. Akela, why don't you introduce yourself?
Because there are no sisters here, and I don't waste my time talking to humans.
You talk to me and I'm human.
No, we have conversations in your mind and I'm really not sure what you are.
Never mind about me. Your king is half-human. So are you, in a manner of speaking. Now stop baring your chelicerae and introduce yourself.
Oh, very well. I am Akela of Branif Keepe, King's Consort and first among the Black Branch. Laugh or disrupt this workshop and I will take your hides.
Ah, Akela, did you forget all the rules I gave you this morning?
No. You told me that I may not bite them, blind them, hunt them like the vermin they are or feed them to my darkmare. You said nothing about skinning them.
Right, well, you can't do that, either. Look, just go sharpen your throwing blades or something until I need you, okay?
Hurry up. After this I have to go and kill something for dinner.
II. The World According to You
Building a world requires a starting place. Many writers build the world first and then populate it with characters; as usual I do things completely backward -- I start with the characters and build the world around them. I don't think either method is wrong, it's just the way the process evolves for the writer. It also has something to do with personal storytelling style as well. If your stories tend to be character-driven, that's probably where you'll start building. If you're more into setting or situation, that'll be where you break ground.
As you've already seen, Akela is quite a character. She's the protagonist of my fantasy short story Red Branch, and both she and her story were born one day when I was reading an old mythology book. As I was skimming, this old illustration of Arachne snagged my attention.
According to the official myth, Arachne was a poor but gifted human weaver who kicked Minerva's ass in a weaving contest, and ended up being turned into a spider. As it happens I don't particularly like spiders, and I've never liked the story of Arachne, so the image of the prostrate half-spider half-woman really got to me.
At the time I already had an idea for a story about an assassin simmering in the back of my head; I had planned to base my description of the protagonist on a female warrior I'd seen in an old Luis Royo print. The Arachne illustration and the Royo warrior merged and became Akela, armed to the fangs and ready to tell me her story.
Since Akela actually lives in the world I built, I'm going to let her take it from here (and please, be patient with her; she's still dealing with some hostility issues.)
III. The Section in Which I Teach You to Build Something Useful for a Change
I do not have issues with humans. Not for long, anyway. Now, as for the rest of you: pay attention because you're not telepathic (for which I am eternally grateful) and I haven't all day to pound this into your heads.
To craft an imaginary world, you must properly define it for your readers. Like you, they are not telepathic or particularly clever, so you must write with clarity and purpose. You may sit and daydream about your pathetic imaginary world all you wish, but when you tell its story, you must use those details that directly relate to the characters and the events that are happening in the story. Otherwise you'll simply muck it up like everything else you do.
First, define the world itself with the following: name, history, time period, major players, origins, history, cultures and languages, habitats, socio-political status, current time period's major conflicts/encumbrances/achievements, biosphere including major flora, fauna, other, and climate conditions, available technologies and who uses them, and timeline of story plot. All of these definitions should relate to the characters and events in the story.
You will need examples. Of course. Goddess forbid you understand something immediately. My world is called Ravelin; from a human word used to refer to a type of medieval fortification. Ravelin's various human infestations date back some fifty thousand years, but due to all the problems caused by letting too many of them breed and squabble and spread like vermin across the land, the current era is still quite choked with backward and underdeveloped human settlements; roughly equivalent to that of your twelfth century on Earth. Although there are a dozen different lands and hundreds of settlements on Ravelin, only two relate to my story: my noble Sisterhood, and the humans who continually annoy us.
As for defining the multitude of infestations in your world, well, all you humans look alike to me, but you must identify and organize the ones fouling your story. Draw a map, decide how your characters squabble with each other, which are enemies and which pretend to be allies, what plants and animals they attempt to cultivate, what manner of sun and rain fall on their heads, if they have any useful weapons or tools that can keep them from being massacred or starving, what portion of your world's history will be taking place during this story, and so forth.
IV. The Section in Which I Teach You Not to Populate Your Story with More Idiots than You Need
It seems you must have one central troublemaker, known as the protagonist. For this fool you must create a personal profile (name, description, personal history, relatives, current life situation, past details, strengths, flaws, goals, how s/he relates to the world, how s/he relates to other characters in the story, how s/he reacts and responds to conflict.
Before you plague me with more questions, I will use myself as an example. If you have forgotten, I am Akela. My name was inspired by the species name Aksellan, which are the noble arachnid miners in my writer's StarDoc novels. Why she does not kill off all of the other characters and simply write about them, I cannot say. Perhaps she is human after all.
I am a black-skinned female Spinner with a bald head, four limbs, fangs and poison sacs. I am first among the Black Branch, the Sisterhood's assassins, as I am very good at what I do and never make mistakes. I am the only daughter of my mother and I have not yet bred myself. Until I met my King, I was not precisely content with my life. I was not sure I wanted a child. Even in the company of my sisters, I felt lonely. I also despise humans and, if not for my King, would still use you for target practice.
Once you have created details such as these for your protagonist, you must do the same for the antagonist. Once this is accomplished and your tiny brains have not exploded, then create simpler profiles for the supporting characters and any other idiots stinking up the air in the story. Beware of over- or under-populating your story. All of the characters should do something beside stand around and look stupid. See to it that they do.
V. The Final Section, Thank the Goddess
Once you have done as I've told you, you have but to finish by deciding on what details about your world that you will incorporate into the story. Choose the most interesting aspects, I beg you; if humans become any more boring than they already are I may break my vow to my King and slaughter a few villages.
For this task, you must select and develop a reasonable number of the most interesting and relevant cultural aspects to highlight in the story. You may decide which these are by their similarities or contrasts to the counterparts in your own world. Also you must define your characters' most unique personal qualities to make use of those as well. I doubt they have any, but try.
Some final examples: My Sisterhood would have nothing to do with humans (other than occasionally killing them to relieve their boredom.) One of my sisters, however, was injured while out hunting and forced to spend a winter among humans. She became so bored she actually mated with one of them and bore a half-human male child. As soon as she could she returned to the Sisterhood, but left the child behind. It appeared deformed, and they wouldn't permit her to do the proper thing and eat it.
The child, called Jalon, grew and in adolescence began to show the markings of the Red Branch, the deadliest of my kind. This made Jalon the first male Queen. Since all of our other males are all soft, mindless things only useful for breeding and eating, this was a singular event in the history of the Sisterhood. I was sent to find and bring back Jalon so that my Queen could fight him. There may be only one Red Branch at a time to rule over the Sisterhood, you see. Being raised among humans, Jalon did not despise them or use them for practical purposes, but he could not communicate with their puny minds. Like me, he was lonely.
If you must know the rest of our story, you may go and read it. I must attend to my King now. Tomorrow Lynn will teach you the next part of this workshop, which will set a schedule for your efforts so that you actually achieve something as well as how you may address the usual mistakes you make.
Farewell, humans. And do try not to make a mess of your world, will you? My sacs only produce so much poison per day . . .
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) --An ArtWish (a $50.00 U.S. gift certificate from Art.com)
2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned copies of:
The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle (hardcover)
The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs
Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
Creepin' edited by Monica Jackson, with stories by L.A. Banks, Donna Hill, Monica Jackson, J.M. Jeffries and Janice Sims
At Risk by Alison Kent
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
plus signed copies of my novels Omega Games and Twilight Fall, as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before midnight EST today, July 30, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and grant the other an ArtWish. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Worldbuilding with a Wiki by Sandra Barret -- Architecting your world using a free wiki.
E-Courtesy by Joely Sue Burkhart -- Simple ways to protect yourself with courtesy on the internet.
The Anatomy Of Sex Scenes by Jaci Burton -- Writing sex can sometimes be the most uncomfortable part of writing the book. But it doesn't have to be. A few key pointers that may help charge up your sex scenes and drag the writer out of their 'discomfort' zone.
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
Wednesday: The Forgotten Senses
by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Cover Art: From Form to Finish by Mandy M. Roth -- Tips and tricks for filling out your cover art forms, the steps and stages a cover goes through, the finished product and a walkthrough on using your cover to make your own static banner ad.
When Only the Right Word Will Do by Shannon Stacey -- Using word choices to add humor, help you show instead of tell, strengthen your voice and heighten characterization in deep POV in your second draft.
Hey Fatty (Or Does Your Character Need That Flaw) by Amie Stuart -- I’ll be blogging about Characterization, flaws and motivation all week, using TV, movies, books and my own writing for examples.
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- 1,000 Suns (and then some), The Birth of a Star: Star Fields, Binary Stars and Star Systems, Size Matters - How Stars are Classified, Size Matters, pt.2 - The Life and Death of a Star (the second in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Know Your Goals by Charlene Teglia -- the second in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
Short Stories & Novellas- Workshop Day II - Characterization by Shiloh Walker -- the second in a series on writing short stories and novellas.
VOICE: The Magic Behind The Words by Sasha White -- Advice to help you discover and strengthen your personal voice and style, and show you the way to the magic behind the words.
Workshop is in 5 sections. A new section each day this week.
Writing Books Stack: Leah Braemel
Goodie Bag: seanachi
Winners, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get these prizes out to you.
I. Introduction
Welcome, everyone, to World-Building Within Reason. Today I have a special guest here at PBW to help me present the first part of this two-day workshop. Akela, why don't you introduce yourself?
Because there are no sisters here, and I don't waste my time talking to humans.
You talk to me and I'm human.
No, we have conversations in your mind and I'm really not sure what you are.
Never mind about me. Your king is half-human. So are you, in a manner of speaking. Now stop baring your chelicerae and introduce yourself.
Oh, very well. I am Akela of Branif Keepe, King's Consort and first among the Black Branch. Laugh or disrupt this workshop and I will take your hides.
Ah, Akela, did you forget all the rules I gave you this morning?
No. You told me that I may not bite them, blind them, hunt them like the vermin they are or feed them to my darkmare. You said nothing about skinning them.
Right, well, you can't do that, either. Look, just go sharpen your throwing blades or something until I need you, okay?
Hurry up. After this I have to go and kill something for dinner.
II. The World According to You
Building a world requires a starting place. Many writers build the world first and then populate it with characters; as usual I do things completely backward -- I start with the characters and build the world around them. I don't think either method is wrong, it's just the way the process evolves for the writer. It also has something to do with personal storytelling style as well. If your stories tend to be character-driven, that's probably where you'll start building. If you're more into setting or situation, that'll be where you break ground.
As you've already seen, Akela is quite a character. She's the protagonist of my fantasy short story Red Branch, and both she and her story were born one day when I was reading an old mythology book. As I was skimming, this old illustration of Arachne snagged my attention.
According to the official myth, Arachne was a poor but gifted human weaver who kicked Minerva's ass in a weaving contest, and ended up being turned into a spider. As it happens I don't particularly like spiders, and I've never liked the story of Arachne, so the image of the prostrate half-spider half-woman really got to me.
At the time I already had an idea for a story about an assassin simmering in the back of my head; I had planned to base my description of the protagonist on a female warrior I'd seen in an old Luis Royo print. The Arachne illustration and the Royo warrior merged and became Akela, armed to the fangs and ready to tell me her story.
Since Akela actually lives in the world I built, I'm going to let her take it from here (and please, be patient with her; she's still dealing with some hostility issues.)
III. The Section in Which I Teach You to Build Something Useful for a Change
I do not have issues with humans. Not for long, anyway. Now, as for the rest of you: pay attention because you're not telepathic (for which I am eternally grateful) and I haven't all day to pound this into your heads.
To craft an imaginary world, you must properly define it for your readers. Like you, they are not telepathic or particularly clever, so you must write with clarity and purpose. You may sit and daydream about your pathetic imaginary world all you wish, but when you tell its story, you must use those details that directly relate to the characters and the events that are happening in the story. Otherwise you'll simply muck it up like everything else you do.
First, define the world itself with the following: name, history, time period, major players, origins, history, cultures and languages, habitats, socio-political status, current time period's major conflicts/encumbrances/achievements, biosphere including major flora, fauna, other, and climate conditions, available technologies and who uses them, and timeline of story plot. All of these definitions should relate to the characters and events in the story.
You will need examples. Of course. Goddess forbid you understand something immediately. My world is called Ravelin; from a human word used to refer to a type of medieval fortification. Ravelin's various human infestations date back some fifty thousand years, but due to all the problems caused by letting too many of them breed and squabble and spread like vermin across the land, the current era is still quite choked with backward and underdeveloped human settlements; roughly equivalent to that of your twelfth century on Earth. Although there are a dozen different lands and hundreds of settlements on Ravelin, only two relate to my story: my noble Sisterhood, and the humans who continually annoy us.
As for defining the multitude of infestations in your world, well, all you humans look alike to me, but you must identify and organize the ones fouling your story. Draw a map, decide how your characters squabble with each other, which are enemies and which pretend to be allies, what plants and animals they attempt to cultivate, what manner of sun and rain fall on their heads, if they have any useful weapons or tools that can keep them from being massacred or starving, what portion of your world's history will be taking place during this story, and so forth.
IV. The Section in Which I Teach You Not to Populate Your Story with More Idiots than You Need
It seems you must have one central troublemaker, known as the protagonist. For this fool you must create a personal profile (name, description, personal history, relatives, current life situation, past details, strengths, flaws, goals, how s/he relates to the world, how s/he relates to other characters in the story, how s/he reacts and responds to conflict.
Before you plague me with more questions, I will use myself as an example. If you have forgotten, I am Akela. My name was inspired by the species name Aksellan, which are the noble arachnid miners in my writer's StarDoc novels. Why she does not kill off all of the other characters and simply write about them, I cannot say. Perhaps she is human after all.
I am a black-skinned female Spinner with a bald head, four limbs, fangs and poison sacs. I am first among the Black Branch, the Sisterhood's assassins, as I am very good at what I do and never make mistakes. I am the only daughter of my mother and I have not yet bred myself. Until I met my King, I was not precisely content with my life. I was not sure I wanted a child. Even in the company of my sisters, I felt lonely. I also despise humans and, if not for my King, would still use you for target practice.
Once you have created details such as these for your protagonist, you must do the same for the antagonist. Once this is accomplished and your tiny brains have not exploded, then create simpler profiles for the supporting characters and any other idiots stinking up the air in the story. Beware of over- or under-populating your story. All of the characters should do something beside stand around and look stupid. See to it that they do.
V. The Final Section, Thank the Goddess
Once you have done as I've told you, you have but to finish by deciding on what details about your world that you will incorporate into the story. Choose the most interesting aspects, I beg you; if humans become any more boring than they already are I may break my vow to my King and slaughter a few villages.
For this task, you must select and develop a reasonable number of the most interesting and relevant cultural aspects to highlight in the story. You may decide which these are by their similarities or contrasts to the counterparts in your own world. Also you must define your characters' most unique personal qualities to make use of those as well. I doubt they have any, but try.
Some final examples: My Sisterhood would have nothing to do with humans (other than occasionally killing them to relieve their boredom.) One of my sisters, however, was injured while out hunting and forced to spend a winter among humans. She became so bored she actually mated with one of them and bore a half-human male child. As soon as she could she returned to the Sisterhood, but left the child behind. It appeared deformed, and they wouldn't permit her to do the proper thing and eat it.
The child, called Jalon, grew and in adolescence began to show the markings of the Red Branch, the deadliest of my kind. This made Jalon the first male Queen. Since all of our other males are all soft, mindless things only useful for breeding and eating, this was a singular event in the history of the Sisterhood. I was sent to find and bring back Jalon so that my Queen could fight him. There may be only one Red Branch at a time to rule over the Sisterhood, you see. Being raised among humans, Jalon did not despise them or use them for practical purposes, but he could not communicate with their puny minds. Like me, he was lonely.
If you must know the rest of our story, you may go and read it. I must attend to my King now. Tomorrow Lynn will teach you the next part of this workshop, which will set a schedule for your efforts so that you actually achieve something as well as how you may address the usual mistakes you make.
Farewell, humans. And do try not to make a mess of your world, will you? My sacs only produce so much poison per day . . .
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) --An ArtWish (a $50.00 U.S. gift certificate from Art.com)
2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned copies of:
The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle (hardcover)
The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs
Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
Creepin' edited by Monica Jackson, with stories by L.A. Banks, Donna Hill, Monica Jackson, J.M. Jeffries and Janice Sims
At Risk by Alison Kent
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
plus signed copies of my novels Omega Games and Twilight Fall, as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before midnight EST today, July 30, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and grant the other an ArtWish. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Worldbuilding with a Wiki by Sandra Barret -- Architecting your world using a free wiki.
E-Courtesy by Joely Sue Burkhart -- Simple ways to protect yourself with courtesy on the internet.
The Anatomy Of Sex Scenes by Jaci Burton -- Writing sex can sometimes be the most uncomfortable part of writing the book. But it doesn't have to be. A few key pointers that may help charge up your sex scenes and drag the writer out of their 'discomfort' zone.
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
Wednesday: The Forgotten Senses
by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Cover Art: From Form to Finish by Mandy M. Roth -- Tips and tricks for filling out your cover art forms, the steps and stages a cover goes through, the finished product and a walkthrough on using your cover to make your own static banner ad.
When Only the Right Word Will Do by Shannon Stacey -- Using word choices to add humor, help you show instead of tell, strengthen your voice and heighten characterization in deep POV in your second draft.
Hey Fatty (Or Does Your Character Need That Flaw) by Amie Stuart -- I’ll be blogging about Characterization, flaws and motivation all week, using TV, movies, books and my own writing for examples.
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- 1,000 Suns (and then some), The Birth of a Star: Star Fields, Binary Stars and Star Systems, Size Matters - How Stars are Classified, Size Matters, pt.2 - The Life and Death of a Star (the second in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Know Your Goals by Charlene Teglia -- the second in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
Short Stories & Novellas- Workshop Day II - Characterization by Shiloh Walker -- the second in a series on writing short stories and novellas.
VOICE: The Magic Behind The Words by Sasha White -- Advice to help you discover and strengthen your personal voice and style, and show you the way to the magic behind the words.
Workshop is in 5 sections. A new section each day this week.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
VW#2: Eff the Editing
The winners of the VW#1 giveaway are:
BookWish: Robin Connelly
Goodie Bag: Nicole
Winners, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com (Robin, please also let me know the title and author of your BookWish), and I'll get these prizes out to you.
Before I start today's workshop, two of our LB&LI workshop writers, Karen Duvall and Alison Kent, have very kindly made up some very cool graphics for use by other writers who are participating in LB&LI on their blogs. As they've given me permission to use them, I've posted them on Photobucket at the following links:
Karen Duvall: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/LynnViehl/LBLIGraphic.jpg
Alison Kent: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/LynnViehl/lbli.gif
I think Karen's graphic would be good for blogs with dark or black backgrounds, and Alison's graphic would be the same for blogs with light or white backgrounds. To post either graphic on your blog, use the HTML code < img src = " " > with the spaces removed and the URL of the graphic pasted in between the quotation marks.
And now -- let's workshop!
I. The Editing Dance of Doom
Aspiring novelist Jane Duoh has an amazing story idea. Maybe she's thought it through, or perhaps it just hit her like a thunderbolt. Doesn't matter. She's ready to make writing! She sits down to write what will surely this time be the One She Sells to NY.
Jane has great fun writing her first page, but backreads and notices it doesn't exactly start off with a bang, which she knows she needs to get an editor's attention, so she fixes that. Have to jump on these things right away so they don't kill the momentum, she thinks. Happily she finishes the first scene, but backreads again just to be sure it's topnotch writing. And it isn't, so she changes some things here and there, and backreads again to check her revisions, and makes a few more adjustments. But no problem, Jane is still having fun, and is now ready to write the next scene.
About halfway through scene two Jane gets the sense that the new stuff is not meshing with scene one, but she really needs it to lead into the car chase scene she has planned for Chapter Four, so she backreads and finds the trouble spots and makes those changes. Then, of course, she has to do a little retuning of the first scene to make it fit properly with the new material, and alters the beginning because that doesn't exactly fit now. Jane's not really having much fun anymore, not with all the work she has to do to fix her screw-ups, but after a few more backread-and-change, backread-and-change sessions, she's finally ready to continue work on scene two and get to that car chase scene, where she's sure everything will pick up nicely.
Only it doesn't. As Jane writes, she will repeat these steps a couple of dozen times, until around the middle of chapter three, she's no longer having any fun at all. She's exhausted. This, she thinks, was a stupid idea. Jane is so sick of rewriting that she doesn't even care about the car chase scene anymore. And if she looks at that opening line one more time she's going to hurl. All this work! Obviously her amazing idea wasn't all that great, and she's wasting her time trying to make it work.
At this point Jane is now primed for a distraction, and sure enough, another brighter, shinier idea will pop into her head, and she'll dump these hopeless, useless chapters and begin a new project with the new idea. And the cycle will start all over again.
I don't mean to kick Jane in the teeth. She's probably a good writer, works hard, and is at the keyboard every day of the week. She's likely got some great ideas, too. But if Jane doesn't make some serious changes, in a few years all she'll have to show for her pains is a nice, big collection of partial manuscripts she's never finished. Why? Because Jane is doing what I call the Editing Macarena. She can't finish anything because she's too busy standing in place and dancing the same three steps, over and over: backread, change, repeat.
II. Breaking the Cycle
I was at a New Year's Eve party the first time I saw a writer dance the Macarena (literally.) The demonstrator told me she had learned it on a vacation cruise. It was, quite possibly, the dumbest dance I've ever watched (and I've seen dumb; I grew up in the time when everyone was obsessed with mastering The Hustle.) It certainly popped right into my head the minute I searched for an analogy to the endless loop of editing doom that so many writers get stuck in.
Editing your work is a basic part of the writing process; one of the less pleasant tasks involved with creating a story that sells. I know a few writers who do very little editing of their work, and I've heard of those gifted wordsmiths who never need to edit and refuse to let anyone change so much as a punctuation mark. In the real world of Publishing, however, learning how to effectively and efficiently edit your work is just part of the job.
To be a professional writer, you have to present a product that is written at a professional level, and you will almost always have to re-edit that work when an editor requests revisions or a copy editor rips through the ms. It is in your best interests to learn how to avoid dancing the Editing Macarena and find a method of effective, efficient self-editing so that you can finish your stories. A finished ms. is one you can sell. You'll never sell just three chapters that have been edited to death.
III. The Five Effs of Effective/Efficient Editing
For this workshop, I came up with a five-step editing plan that I think can put an end to all the editing macarenas being danced out there. And in honor of how much we all love to edit, each step is represented by an eff word:
Find - Fix - Fine-tune - Follow up -- Finalize.
Here's how it works:
1. Find: With your favorite highlighter and editing pen, read through a workable section of the WIP that you've printed out on paper. Using your editing pen, circle any typos, grammar problems, punctuation mistakes or other technical blips. With your highlighter, highlight any word, sentence or paragraph that needs work. Do this through the entire section you're editing.
2. Fix: Pull up your WIP on your computer and go through the section you've edited, correcting all the technical errors you circled with your editing pen.
3. Fine-tune: Go back and read the highlighted sections of the WIP. One by one, decide what's wrong with them and handwrite in a revision or correction (if a large amount of text needs fine-tuning, you can do this on the computer ms. to save time.) Once you have all your rewrites written in on the paper copy, transfer them to your computer copy.
4. Follow-up: After you take a break from the ms., review the edited piece to make sure you've made the changes you want, spell check the piece, and then save.*
5. Finalize: When you've finished editing the entire story using the first four steps of this process, and have taken a break from it (I recommend at least 48 hours if possible), repeat the first four Fs, but this time do it for the entire manuscript.
Each of the first four steps is performed one time and one time only for the section of the story you are editing. Once this edit is done, you do not backread or change anything. You move on and write new material.
When you have edited the entire story, you then perform the fifth, Finalize step, but do this only once. Once you have completed all five steps, you are finished self-editing.
*If you've made changes that affect earlier portions of the WIP, you have two options.
1. If it's a simple fix, such as changing the name of a character from John to James, make the change by performing a search-and-replace on the entire WIP.
2. Larger changes that require reworking or rewriting should carried on as changed through the new material of the ms. but be noted on the page where you first change them, i.e. [from here Jessica has red hair and is an orphan from Albany instead of a brunette from Miami.] When you go to do your Finalize step and come across these notations in the ms., then go back over previous sections and make the necessary changes.
IV. But We Love to Dance the Macarena!
Some of you are sitting there reading this and thinking, "That's not nearly enough editing. She's nuts." You know that you need to edit your ms. over and over and over or it will turn out to be garbage because you write a crappy first draft, and a second, and a third, and a fortieth or whatever. Or you will have other excuses that explain why you have to take so much time. If there's one thing writers do very well, it's finding very good reasons not to write.
If you're still not convinced, consider the benefits of streamlining your editing process. Not only will it make you a more productive writer, but it will compell you to improve your drafts. If you know in advance you're only going to get two chances to edit whatever you write, you will naturally be more meticulous when you create that first draft. Think of it as anti-sloppiness training. Having that preset limit on the amount of times you can edit is also excellent practice for what happens when you're turn pro, because we only get about three shots at editing (during the revisions, copy-edit, and galley stages) before what we write ends up in print.
If you don't feel comfortable testing out my formula on a book-length project, try it for one scene or chapter and see if it cuts the amount of time you spend editing and still improves the WIP. If it does, try it for a larger portion of the story, and see what happens. I think you'll be surprised by what you can accomplish.
A couple of you still don't agree with me, I know. You need those extra two or three hundred editing passes, and you're going to keep dancing the editing macarena no matter what I tell you. That's not to say all hope is lost if you do. True story: I once sat next to a very respected literary author at a Publishing luncheon. Very Respected was a nice man and had a lot of inspirational things to say about our craft. I'd never heard of him or any of his books, but I liked his easy-going personality and his hair. For a guy writer, he had great hair.
When Very Respected got up to speak (he was also the GoH) he mentioned taking ten years to write his last book. As my jaw fell into my mystery chicken entree, Very Respected explained how carefully he wrote and edited and rewrote everything, and how much every single word meant to him. He was, without a doubt, the unacknowledged Master of the Editing Macarena.
I would have asked Very Respected more about what it's like to spend ten years writing a single novel, but he had to leave the luncheon immediately after his speech to go back to his non-publishing day job.
However you decide to edit your work, keep in mind the most important eff word in regard to any working writer's WIP: Finished.
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) A stack of my favorite how-to writing books -- unsigned copies of:
Adair Lara's You Know You're a Writer When . . .
Joseph Campbell's Oriental Mythology ~ The Masks of God
Rich Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman's Author 101 ~ Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents
Lee Lofland's Police Procedure & Investigation
Dr. Eric Maisel's A Writer's Space
Richard R. Powell's Wabi Sabi for Writers
Todd A. Stone's Novelist's Boot Camp
Ralph L. Wahlstrom's The Tao of Writing
A signed-by-me copy of Philip Martin's The New Writers Handbook 2007 (I have an essay in this one) and a signed/ printed copy* of my own how-to e-book, Way of the Cheetah.
2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned copies of:
Death Angel by Linda Howard (hardcover)
Steal the Dragon by Patricia Briggs
Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
In Danger by Alison Kent
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Charlene Teglia
Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
plus signed copies of Evermore and Twilight Fall by Lynn Viehl as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before midnight EST today, July 29, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and the other the stack of my favorite writing books. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
*As this is an e-book, this copy will be printed out on standard bond paper and placed in a three-ring binder.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Worldbuilding with a Wiki by Sandra Barret -- Architecting your world using a free wiki.
The Anatomy Of Sex Scenes by Jaci Burton -- Writing sex can sometimes be the most uncomfortable part of writing the book. But it doesn't have to be. A few key pointers that may help charge up your sex scenes and drag the writer out of their 'discomfort' zone.
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
The Comparison--metaphor and simile by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Cover Art: From Form to Finish by Mandy M. Roth -- Tips and tricks for filling out your cover art forms, the steps and stages a cover goes through, the finished product and a walkthrough on using your cover to make your own static banner ad.
Hey Fatty (Or Does Your Character Need That Flaw) by Amie Stuart -- I’ll be blogging about Characterization, flaws and motivation all week, using TV, movies, books and my own writing for examples.
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- 1,000 Suns (and then some), The Birth of a Star: Star Fields, Binary Stars and Star Systems, Size Matters - How Stars are Classified, Size Matters, pt.2 - The Life and Death of a Star (the second in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Begin with a business plan by Charlene Teglia -- the first in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
Short Stories & Novellas- Workshop Day I - Plotting by Shiloh Walker -- the first in a series on writing short stories & novellas.
VOICE: The Magic Behind The Words by Sasha White -- Advice to help you discover and strengthen your personal voice and style, and show you the way to the magic behind the words.
Workshop is in 5 sections. A new section each day this week.
BookWish: Robin Connelly
Goodie Bag: Nicole
Winners, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com (Robin, please also let me know the title and author of your BookWish), and I'll get these prizes out to you.
Before I start today's workshop, two of our LB&LI workshop writers, Karen Duvall and Alison Kent, have very kindly made up some very cool graphics for use by other writers who are participating in LB&LI on their blogs. As they've given me permission to use them, I've posted them on Photobucket at the following links:
Karen Duvall: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/LynnViehl/LBLIGraphic.jpg
Alison Kent: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/LynnViehl/lbli.gif
I think Karen's graphic would be good for blogs with dark or black backgrounds, and Alison's graphic would be the same for blogs with light or white backgrounds. To post either graphic on your blog, use the HTML code < img src = " " > with the spaces removed and the URL of the graphic pasted in between the quotation marks.
And now -- let's workshop!
I. The Editing Dance of Doom
Aspiring novelist Jane Duoh has an amazing story idea. Maybe she's thought it through, or perhaps it just hit her like a thunderbolt. Doesn't matter. She's ready to make writing! She sits down to write what will surely this time be the One She Sells to NY.
Jane has great fun writing her first page, but backreads and notices it doesn't exactly start off with a bang, which she knows she needs to get an editor's attention, so she fixes that. Have to jump on these things right away so they don't kill the momentum, she thinks. Happily she finishes the first scene, but backreads again just to be sure it's topnotch writing. And it isn't, so she changes some things here and there, and backreads again to check her revisions, and makes a few more adjustments. But no problem, Jane is still having fun, and is now ready to write the next scene.
About halfway through scene two Jane gets the sense that the new stuff is not meshing with scene one, but she really needs it to lead into the car chase scene she has planned for Chapter Four, so she backreads and finds the trouble spots and makes those changes. Then, of course, she has to do a little retuning of the first scene to make it fit properly with the new material, and alters the beginning because that doesn't exactly fit now. Jane's not really having much fun anymore, not with all the work she has to do to fix her screw-ups, but after a few more backread-and-change, backread-and-change sessions, she's finally ready to continue work on scene two and get to that car chase scene, where she's sure everything will pick up nicely.
Only it doesn't. As Jane writes, she will repeat these steps a couple of dozen times, until around the middle of chapter three, she's no longer having any fun at all. She's exhausted. This, she thinks, was a stupid idea. Jane is so sick of rewriting that she doesn't even care about the car chase scene anymore. And if she looks at that opening line one more time she's going to hurl. All this work! Obviously her amazing idea wasn't all that great, and she's wasting her time trying to make it work.
At this point Jane is now primed for a distraction, and sure enough, another brighter, shinier idea will pop into her head, and she'll dump these hopeless, useless chapters and begin a new project with the new idea. And the cycle will start all over again.
I don't mean to kick Jane in the teeth. She's probably a good writer, works hard, and is at the keyboard every day of the week. She's likely got some great ideas, too. But if Jane doesn't make some serious changes, in a few years all she'll have to show for her pains is a nice, big collection of partial manuscripts she's never finished. Why? Because Jane is doing what I call the Editing Macarena. She can't finish anything because she's too busy standing in place and dancing the same three steps, over and over: backread, change, repeat.
II. Breaking the Cycle
I was at a New Year's Eve party the first time I saw a writer dance the Macarena (literally.) The demonstrator told me she had learned it on a vacation cruise. It was, quite possibly, the dumbest dance I've ever watched (and I've seen dumb; I grew up in the time when everyone was obsessed with mastering The Hustle.) It certainly popped right into my head the minute I searched for an analogy to the endless loop of editing doom that so many writers get stuck in.
Editing your work is a basic part of the writing process; one of the less pleasant tasks involved with creating a story that sells. I know a few writers who do very little editing of their work, and I've heard of those gifted wordsmiths who never need to edit and refuse to let anyone change so much as a punctuation mark. In the real world of Publishing, however, learning how to effectively and efficiently edit your work is just part of the job.
To be a professional writer, you have to present a product that is written at a professional level, and you will almost always have to re-edit that work when an editor requests revisions or a copy editor rips through the ms. It is in your best interests to learn how to avoid dancing the Editing Macarena and find a method of effective, efficient self-editing so that you can finish your stories. A finished ms. is one you can sell. You'll never sell just three chapters that have been edited to death.
III. The Five Effs of Effective/Efficient Editing
For this workshop, I came up with a five-step editing plan that I think can put an end to all the editing macarenas being danced out there. And in honor of how much we all love to edit, each step is represented by an eff word:
Find - Fix - Fine-tune - Follow up -- Finalize.
Here's how it works:
1. Find: With your favorite highlighter and editing pen, read through a workable section of the WIP that you've printed out on paper. Using your editing pen, circle any typos, grammar problems, punctuation mistakes or other technical blips. With your highlighter, highlight any word, sentence or paragraph that needs work. Do this through the entire section you're editing.
2. Fix: Pull up your WIP on your computer and go through the section you've edited, correcting all the technical errors you circled with your editing pen.
3. Fine-tune: Go back and read the highlighted sections of the WIP. One by one, decide what's wrong with them and handwrite in a revision or correction (if a large amount of text needs fine-tuning, you can do this on the computer ms. to save time.) Once you have all your rewrites written in on the paper copy, transfer them to your computer copy.
4. Follow-up: After you take a break from the ms., review the edited piece to make sure you've made the changes you want, spell check the piece, and then save.*
5. Finalize: When you've finished editing the entire story using the first four steps of this process, and have taken a break from it (I recommend at least 48 hours if possible), repeat the first four Fs, but this time do it for the entire manuscript.
Each of the first four steps is performed one time and one time only for the section of the story you are editing. Once this edit is done, you do not backread or change anything. You move on and write new material.
When you have edited the entire story, you then perform the fifth, Finalize step, but do this only once. Once you have completed all five steps, you are finished self-editing.
*If you've made changes that affect earlier portions of the WIP, you have two options.
1. If it's a simple fix, such as changing the name of a character from John to James, make the change by performing a search-and-replace on the entire WIP.
2. Larger changes that require reworking or rewriting should carried on as changed through the new material of the ms. but be noted on the page where you first change them, i.e. [from here Jessica has red hair and is an orphan from Albany instead of a brunette from Miami.] When you go to do your Finalize step and come across these notations in the ms., then go back over previous sections and make the necessary changes.
IV. But We Love to Dance the Macarena!
Some of you are sitting there reading this and thinking, "That's not nearly enough editing. She's nuts." You know that you need to edit your ms. over and over and over or it will turn out to be garbage because you write a crappy first draft, and a second, and a third, and a fortieth or whatever. Or you will have other excuses that explain why you have to take so much time. If there's one thing writers do very well, it's finding very good reasons not to write.
If you're still not convinced, consider the benefits of streamlining your editing process. Not only will it make you a more productive writer, but it will compell you to improve your drafts. If you know in advance you're only going to get two chances to edit whatever you write, you will naturally be more meticulous when you create that first draft. Think of it as anti-sloppiness training. Having that preset limit on the amount of times you can edit is also excellent practice for what happens when you're turn pro, because we only get about three shots at editing (during the revisions, copy-edit, and galley stages) before what we write ends up in print.
If you don't feel comfortable testing out my formula on a book-length project, try it for one scene or chapter and see if it cuts the amount of time you spend editing and still improves the WIP. If it does, try it for a larger portion of the story, and see what happens. I think you'll be surprised by what you can accomplish.
A couple of you still don't agree with me, I know. You need those extra two or three hundred editing passes, and you're going to keep dancing the editing macarena no matter what I tell you. That's not to say all hope is lost if you do. True story: I once sat next to a very respected literary author at a Publishing luncheon. Very Respected was a nice man and had a lot of inspirational things to say about our craft. I'd never heard of him or any of his books, but I liked his easy-going personality and his hair. For a guy writer, he had great hair.
When Very Respected got up to speak (he was also the GoH) he mentioned taking ten years to write his last book. As my jaw fell into my mystery chicken entree, Very Respected explained how carefully he wrote and edited and rewrote everything, and how much every single word meant to him. He was, without a doubt, the unacknowledged Master of the Editing Macarena.
I would have asked Very Respected more about what it's like to spend ten years writing a single novel, but he had to leave the luncheon immediately after his speech to go back to his non-publishing day job.
However you decide to edit your work, keep in mind the most important eff word in regard to any working writer's WIP: Finished.
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) A stack of my favorite how-to writing books -- unsigned copies of:
Adair Lara's You Know You're a Writer When . . .
Joseph Campbell's Oriental Mythology ~ The Masks of God
Rich Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman's Author 101 ~ Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents
Lee Lofland's Police Procedure & Investigation
Dr. Eric Maisel's A Writer's Space
Richard R. Powell's Wabi Sabi for Writers
Todd A. Stone's Novelist's Boot Camp
Ralph L. Wahlstrom's The Tao of Writing
A signed-by-me copy of Philip Martin's The New Writers Handbook 2007 (I have an essay in this one) and a signed/ printed copy* of my own how-to e-book, Way of the Cheetah.
2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned copies of:
Death Angel by Linda Howard (hardcover)
Steal the Dragon by Patricia Briggs
Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
In Danger by Alison Kent
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Charlene Teglia
Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
plus signed copies of Evermore and Twilight Fall by Lynn Viehl as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before midnight EST today, July 29, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and the other the stack of my favorite writing books. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
*As this is an e-book, this copy will be printed out on standard bond paper and placed in a three-ring binder.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Worldbuilding with a Wiki by Sandra Barret -- Architecting your world using a free wiki.
The Anatomy Of Sex Scenes by Jaci Burton -- Writing sex can sometimes be the most uncomfortable part of writing the book. But it doesn't have to be. A few key pointers that may help charge up your sex scenes and drag the writer out of their 'discomfort' zone.
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
The Comparison--metaphor and simile by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Cover Art: From Form to Finish by Mandy M. Roth -- Tips and tricks for filling out your cover art forms, the steps and stages a cover goes through, the finished product and a walkthrough on using your cover to make your own static banner ad.
Hey Fatty (Or Does Your Character Need That Flaw) by Amie Stuart -- I’ll be blogging about Characterization, flaws and motivation all week, using TV, movies, books and my own writing for examples.
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- 1,000 Suns (and then some), The Birth of a Star: Star Fields, Binary Stars and Star Systems, Size Matters - How Stars are Classified, Size Matters, pt.2 - The Life and Death of a Star (the second in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Begin with a business plan by Charlene Teglia -- the first in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
Short Stories & Novellas- Workshop Day I - Plotting by Shiloh Walker -- the first in a series on writing short stories & novellas.
VOICE: The Magic Behind The Words by Sasha White -- Advice to help you discover and strengthen your personal voice and style, and show you the way to the magic behind the words.
Workshop is in 5 sections. A new section each day this week.
Monday, July 28, 2008
VW#1: Power Plotting
I. Power to the Story
I've seen story plot defined by writers in a dozen different ways. Some consider plot to be an orderly plan for writing a novel; others see it as an intricate and sometimes confusing tangle of characters, settings, conflicts, running threads, revelations and resolutions. There are pro-plotters out there who won't write a story without first plotting it, anti-plotters who see plotting as beneath them and sniff over anyone who does it, and plot-phobics who avoid plotting like it's got eight legs, poison-dripping fangs and wants to eat their muse alive.
Today I'd like you all to think about plot a little differently. Imagine it working for your story as electrical service does for your home.
II. Why Wire a Story?
If I were to show you how your house is wired for power with individual circuits, it would probably look something like this:
Confused? Don't worry, so am I. Even color-coded and simplified, all those individual circuits bouncing around the rooms make it look like someone just blew up a bubblegum machine in there. Writers face the same sort of dilemma when they try to write a story without having a plan of some sort -- during the creative process, they have so many scenes, characters, storylines and ideas bouncing around inside them that confusion is inevitable.
What we need to do is go back and begin where everything starts; at the source: the main electrical panel for the house. This is where it all begins:
The same is true with plotting a novel. We're going to plot out a story as if it were an electrical panel that provides main power, channels it to the appropriate places, diverts and uses it in various outlets in order to make the entire story system work.
III. The Main
In an electrical panel, the main is where it all begins; the primary source of power for an electrical service. It's why the power company bills you each month, and what they shut off if you don't pay the bill.
In your story, the main is your main conflict. It's the Why? of the story, the reason all of the characters in all of the places do and say all of the things that occur in the story. It's the source on which everything else depends, and it has to be powerful enough to run everything else depending on it.
Choosing your main conflict may be the most important decision you make for a story. A weak main won't carry the entire story; inevitably it collapses under the strain. An unfocused or unstable main will result in story lag and confusion. The main may not be the first decision you make when writing, but it demands you make it a strong, focused statement when you do:
A Russian captain defects with a prototype silent-running missile submarine.
A secret about Jesus Christ is hidden in a Da Vinci painting.
A misfit girl falls in love with a vampire boy at her new high school.
Remember the main in main conflict. If you don't supply enough power to a characterization, or a setting, or an exchange of dialogue, you may lose that part of your story. If your main conflict doesn't have enough power, no matter how great you've wired everything else, you lose the entire story.
IV. Setting -- the Bus Bars
In an electrical panel, the bus bars channel the main power to the breakers. They are the foundation to which everything that needs the main power is attached.
The bus bars of your story are your settings. The Where? of the story may not seem as important as the main, but think of that Russian sub captain trying to defect in the middle of South Dakota, or trying to find the secret of the famous Da Vinci painting in Antarctica, or the misfit and the vampire trying to fall in love in the Sahara desert. Choosing where your story happens channels the power from the main to the appropriate place.
In this part of your diagram, you don't have to get too detailed. Pick the general locations where your story happens according to the scope of the story -- if you're going continent-hopping, select the cities and countries. If you plan to stick in one city or town, use general locations within the city limits. Once you have your locations picked, you know where your story plays out and can do your research accordingly.
Again, this might not be the first decision you make for the story, but it's also one you need to think out carefully. You may love the idea of writing a story set in the middle of Antarctica, but if you've never been there you're looking at extensive research (unless you like penguins, can make the voyage and find a scientific expedition willing to let you tag along so you can get the authenticity via personal experience.)
V. Characters: The Breakers
Breakers are the places in the electrical panel where the power supplied by the main and channeled by the bus bars start to go in different directions. Breakers split the power up to different circuits (all those bouncy lines up there in the household wiring diagram) and provide power to the different outlets.
In your story, your characters take the power from the main conflict through the settings and basically run with it through the story. How many characters you put in your story can affect how well the power of your main conflict is distributed; too few and you don't use your power effectively; too many can cause an overload situation.
Just as a breaker should divert a portion of power to where it's needed, a character needs to do something with the main conflict that serves the story. Look at each of your characters and what purpose they serve in the story. If you've got a lot of characters feeding off your main but they're not doing anything but creating a drain on the system, put them to work or get rid of them.
VI. Main Events: The Circuits
Circuits are the wires that run from the breakers to the outlets; the true "wiring" in "wiring diagram." They run through every part of your house, in the walls, under the floors and through the ceilings. There isn't a room under your roof that doesn't have a circuit in it.
Your story circuits are the main events that happen. You've heard me refer to using timelines for plotting, the main events are what constitute a timeline. Generally the main events follow a logical chronological order: this happens, and then this, and then this, and so on. Or, if you prefer the traditional story construct, beginning, middle, end.
Figuring out your main event circuits can put you into a snarl unless you remember a simple rule that applies to basic wiring as well: deal with one circuit at a time until you've traced it out and resolved it, then move on to the next.
VII. Scenes: Outlets
We've come to the end of the household electrical service system: the outlets. From the main, through the bus bars, divided up among the breakers and running through the circuits, the bulk of the power ends up waiting to be used at these little receptacles called outlets.
In your story, each scene is an outlet. It depends on one of your main event circuits, which was diverted to it by your character breakers, that was channeled to them by your setting bus bars, and empowered to all by your main conflict. The scene is the end of the line for your story elements, because here they all come into play to make the story work.
Scenes are where the magic does or doesn't happen. If you've wired your system properly, at this point they should write themselves. If there's a problem up the line, the scene won't work.
VIII. Hey, We're not Electricians!
I had planned to provide you all with a template for the wiring diagram, but I don't have a photoshop program working on the new monster computer yet (it refuses to take my Photo-It software and I think it ate part of my backup freeware.) Also, as everyone will have different amounts of characters, settings, events, scenes, etc. it would be hard to come up with a one-size-fits-all-stories template. But to at least give you a visual, here's a very simplified example that I made with Word.
(Added: Things are running a bit better this morning, and I was able to upload a better example over on Scribd*; I filled out this one with the plot for John & Marcia's book to demonstrate how it works. Here's a blank version you can use as a template.) *Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed my free library from their site, and no longer use or recommend using their service. My free reads may be read online or downloaded for free from Google Docs; go to my freebies and free reads page for the links. See my post about this scam here.
I remember the first time I looked inside an electrical panel. I was raised to believe that females were not supposed to touch anything with wires. Plus just seeing all those mysterious switches and lugs and knowing high voltage came through this thing -- who in their right mind would mess with that?
I also remember not being able to afford an electrician, and desperately phoning my dad, who talked me through changing out a fuse (this was back in the days before all these nice neat breakers they have now.) After the lights came back on, I felt like running around my neighborhood shouting Look! Look! I fixed the electric! And I'm a girl!
For those of you who want to try wiring your novel, I hope you'll give my diagram idea a test drive. And please feel free to adapt it to your particular writing style and needs.
As for whether a writer needs to plot or not, I've learned to respect writers who say they can write without plotting, because I've seen them do it and produce amazing work. But for most of us who don't have that incredible gift of spontaneous genius, plotting is useful and helpful.
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) a BookWish (any book of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)
2) a goodie bag which will include an unsigned hardcover copy of The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi, and unsigned paperback copies of The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs, Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti, Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione, At Risk by Alison Kent, Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker, signed paperback copies of Evermore and Twilight Fall by Lynn Viehl as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before midnight EST today, July 28, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and grant the other a BookWish. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
Verbs Rule, Adjectives Drool by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- What do you see when you look up? The Sun, The Stars, The Moon, Effects of the Moon (the first in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Begin with a business plan by Charlene Teglia -- the first in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
I've seen story plot defined by writers in a dozen different ways. Some consider plot to be an orderly plan for writing a novel; others see it as an intricate and sometimes confusing tangle of characters, settings, conflicts, running threads, revelations and resolutions. There are pro-plotters out there who won't write a story without first plotting it, anti-plotters who see plotting as beneath them and sniff over anyone who does it, and plot-phobics who avoid plotting like it's got eight legs, poison-dripping fangs and wants to eat their muse alive.
Today I'd like you all to think about plot a little differently. Imagine it working for your story as electrical service does for your home.
II. Why Wire a Story?
If I were to show you how your house is wired for power with individual circuits, it would probably look something like this:
Confused? Don't worry, so am I. Even color-coded and simplified, all those individual circuits bouncing around the rooms make it look like someone just blew up a bubblegum machine in there. Writers face the same sort of dilemma when they try to write a story without having a plan of some sort -- during the creative process, they have so many scenes, characters, storylines and ideas bouncing around inside them that confusion is inevitable.
What we need to do is go back and begin where everything starts; at the source: the main electrical panel for the house. This is where it all begins:
The same is true with plotting a novel. We're going to plot out a story as if it were an electrical panel that provides main power, channels it to the appropriate places, diverts and uses it in various outlets in order to make the entire story system work.
III. The Main
In an electrical panel, the main is where it all begins; the primary source of power for an electrical service. It's why the power company bills you each month, and what they shut off if you don't pay the bill.
In your story, the main is your main conflict. It's the Why? of the story, the reason all of the characters in all of the places do and say all of the things that occur in the story. It's the source on which everything else depends, and it has to be powerful enough to run everything else depending on it.
Choosing your main conflict may be the most important decision you make for a story. A weak main won't carry the entire story; inevitably it collapses under the strain. An unfocused or unstable main will result in story lag and confusion. The main may not be the first decision you make when writing, but it demands you make it a strong, focused statement when you do:
A Russian captain defects with a prototype silent-running missile submarine.
A secret about Jesus Christ is hidden in a Da Vinci painting.
A misfit girl falls in love with a vampire boy at her new high school.
Remember the main in main conflict. If you don't supply enough power to a characterization, or a setting, or an exchange of dialogue, you may lose that part of your story. If your main conflict doesn't have enough power, no matter how great you've wired everything else, you lose the entire story.
IV. Setting -- the Bus Bars
In an electrical panel, the bus bars channel the main power to the breakers. They are the foundation to which everything that needs the main power is attached.
The bus bars of your story are your settings. The Where? of the story may not seem as important as the main, but think of that Russian sub captain trying to defect in the middle of South Dakota, or trying to find the secret of the famous Da Vinci painting in Antarctica, or the misfit and the vampire trying to fall in love in the Sahara desert. Choosing where your story happens channels the power from the main to the appropriate place.
In this part of your diagram, you don't have to get too detailed. Pick the general locations where your story happens according to the scope of the story -- if you're going continent-hopping, select the cities and countries. If you plan to stick in one city or town, use general locations within the city limits. Once you have your locations picked, you know where your story plays out and can do your research accordingly.
Again, this might not be the first decision you make for the story, but it's also one you need to think out carefully. You may love the idea of writing a story set in the middle of Antarctica, but if you've never been there you're looking at extensive research (unless you like penguins, can make the voyage and find a scientific expedition willing to let you tag along so you can get the authenticity via personal experience.)
V. Characters: The Breakers
Breakers are the places in the electrical panel where the power supplied by the main and channeled by the bus bars start to go in different directions. Breakers split the power up to different circuits (all those bouncy lines up there in the household wiring diagram) and provide power to the different outlets.
In your story, your characters take the power from the main conflict through the settings and basically run with it through the story. How many characters you put in your story can affect how well the power of your main conflict is distributed; too few and you don't use your power effectively; too many can cause an overload situation.
Just as a breaker should divert a portion of power to where it's needed, a character needs to do something with the main conflict that serves the story. Look at each of your characters and what purpose they serve in the story. If you've got a lot of characters feeding off your main but they're not doing anything but creating a drain on the system, put them to work or get rid of them.
VI. Main Events: The Circuits
Circuits are the wires that run from the breakers to the outlets; the true "wiring" in "wiring diagram." They run through every part of your house, in the walls, under the floors and through the ceilings. There isn't a room under your roof that doesn't have a circuit in it.
Your story circuits are the main events that happen. You've heard me refer to using timelines for plotting, the main events are what constitute a timeline. Generally the main events follow a logical chronological order: this happens, and then this, and then this, and so on. Or, if you prefer the traditional story construct, beginning, middle, end.
Figuring out your main event circuits can put you into a snarl unless you remember a simple rule that applies to basic wiring as well: deal with one circuit at a time until you've traced it out and resolved it, then move on to the next.
VII. Scenes: Outlets
We've come to the end of the household electrical service system: the outlets. From the main, through the bus bars, divided up among the breakers and running through the circuits, the bulk of the power ends up waiting to be used at these little receptacles called outlets.
In your story, each scene is an outlet. It depends on one of your main event circuits, which was diverted to it by your character breakers, that was channeled to them by your setting bus bars, and empowered to all by your main conflict. The scene is the end of the line for your story elements, because here they all come into play to make the story work.
Scenes are where the magic does or doesn't happen. If you've wired your system properly, at this point they should write themselves. If there's a problem up the line, the scene won't work.
VIII. Hey, We're not Electricians!
I had planned to provide you all with a template for the wiring diagram, but I don't have a photoshop program working on the new monster computer yet (it refuses to take my Photo-It software and I think it ate part of my backup freeware.) Also, as everyone will have different amounts of characters, settings, events, scenes, etc. it would be hard to come up with a one-size-fits-all-stories template. But to at least give you a visual, here's a very simplified example that I made with Word.
(Added: Things are running a bit better this morning, and I was able to upload a better example over on Scribd*; I filled out this one with the plot for John & Marcia's book to demonstrate how it works. Here's a blank version you can use as a template.) *Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed my free library from their site, and no longer use or recommend using their service. My free reads may be read online or downloaded for free from Google Docs; go to my freebies and free reads page for the links. See my post about this scam here.
I remember the first time I looked inside an electrical panel. I was raised to believe that females were not supposed to touch anything with wires. Plus just seeing all those mysterious switches and lugs and knowing high voltage came through this thing -- who in their right mind would mess with that?
I also remember not being able to afford an electrician, and desperately phoning my dad, who talked me through changing out a fuse (this was back in the days before all these nice neat breakers they have now.) After the lights came back on, I felt like running around my neighborhood shouting Look! Look! I fixed the electric! And I'm a girl!
For those of you who want to try wiring your novel, I hope you'll give my diagram idea a test drive. And please feel free to adapt it to your particular writing style and needs.
As for whether a writer needs to plot or not, I've learned to respect writers who say they can write without plotting, because I've seen them do it and produce amazing work. But for most of us who don't have that incredible gift of spontaneous genius, plotting is useful and helpful.
Today's LB&LI giveaways are:
1) a BookWish (any book of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)
2) a goodie bag which will include an unsigned hardcover copy of The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi, and unsigned paperback copies of The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs, Wild Hunt by Lori Devoti, Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione, At Risk by Alison Kent, Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker, signed paperback copies of Evermore and Twilight Fall by Lynn Viehl as well as some other surprises.
If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, comment on this workshop before midnight EST today, July 28, 2008. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and grant the other a BookWish. Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on August 5, 2008 for a brand new AlphaSmart Neo. All LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Other LB&LI Workshop Links (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day)
Creating Great Beginnings - the Why and How by Sherryl Clark -- If your beginning works, the rest will follow. We're going to look at why it's crucial, what is the contract with the reader, Dos and Don'ts (and why/why not), story questions vs hooks, situating the reader, and writing backwards. I'll also invite readers to send in their first 200 words for feedback.
Verbs Rule, Adjectives Drool by LJ Cohen -- a week of workshops using poetry and poetic techniques useful for novelists (tune in each day this week as LJ presents different poetic tools with examples of how to use them in your own writing.)
Gender Differences for Writers by Cheryl Corbin -- Male and female body language, speech and thinking differences.
Marketing on a Budget by Moondancer Drake -- How to make the most of marketing your book on a limited budget.
Writing Effective Description by Karen Duvall -- a week of workshops on how to write vivid description using all the senses, covering one for each day of the week.
WRITING PROCESS: Conceive, Develop, Write by Jamal W. Hankins -- An overview of my writing progress from story concept to actually writing a story.
The Voices in Your Head by Alison Kent -- When discussing "voice," where and how do character voices fit in?
Everyone has to Edit by Belinda Kroll -- Five steps to edit: putting the first draft away, being brutally honest, showing not telling, telling not showing, and focusing on those nitty gritty details.
Balancing Motherhood and Writing by Dawn Montgomery, Kim Knox, and Michelle Hasker -- How to write a 1000 words in the zen of toddler meltdowns. Motherhood is a full time job and holding a family together is only half the battle. How do you find *your* time to write without losing your mind?
Self-Editing by Emma Wayne Porter -- The things your editor secretly wishes you'd do before submitting, and how to survive Track Changes afterward. Checklists and Stupid Word Tricks included.
Not Going to Frisco Workshop by Joan Reeves aka Sling Words -- Writing Biz Reality
Astronomy for Writers: Look to the Sky
by Suelder -- What do you see when you look up? The Sun, The Stars, The Moon, Effects of the Moon (the first in a five-part workshop series on basic astronomy and how to think about it from a writer's perspective.)
Begin with a business plan by Charlene Teglia -- the first in Charlene's workshops this week on the business of the business.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
SanFran Ten
Ten Things to Do While You're in San Francisco
You'll have to take a boat to get to it, but it's worth the trip to go to Alcatraz Island to take a walk-through tour of the old prison and find out more about the island's history, which dates back to the Civil War.
Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 is definitely one of my favorite places in SF, and the week of RWA Nat'l is Shark Week at the aquarium (I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Ha.)
Chinatown is a wonderful place to visit, but a few safety tips: go in a group, visit during the day, and stick to the areas with restaurants and shops near the Dragon Gate. Saturdays are when most of the tourists descend and the shops are most crowded, so go during the week if you can. Also, animal lovers, be aware that some shops sell animals for purposes other than being pets.
If you plan to visit the Coit Tower, which offers some excellent views of the city, do read this article, which gives some excellent tips on parking and getting there.
It's always great to walk down Fisherman's Wharf, buy some sourdough bread (this you will see everywhere in SF) or some Ghiradelli's chocolate and look out at the bay. It's probably the most tourist-y place in SF, but I never miss it. Lots of fun.
Everything you want to know about Golden Gate Park, courtesy of SF Gate.
Erik Sumiharu Hagiwara-Nagata, the great-great-grandson of the man who created the Japanese tea garden at Golden Gate Park has a web page with a brief history of the lovely spot here.
The Palace of Fine Arts at Presidio is a great place to have a picnic or check out the Exploratorium, which among other things has a team over in Xinjiang, China to record the solar eclipse on August 1st and a bunch of events scheduled for that.
Take a walking tour around the city of San Francisco with SF City Guides (free, although donations are always welcome; see web site for daily schedule.) If you do plan to walk SF, wear very comfortable shoes, joint braces if you need them, and be prepared to be walking either up or downhill for the majority of the walk, as most of the streets in SF are "hilly."
For the dedicated shoppers, try Westfield Shopping Center, which opened last year with 170 stores and specialty boutiques.
You'll have to take a boat to get to it, but it's worth the trip to go to Alcatraz Island to take a walk-through tour of the old prison and find out more about the island's history, which dates back to the Civil War.
Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 is definitely one of my favorite places in SF, and the week of RWA Nat'l is Shark Week at the aquarium (I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Ha.)
Chinatown is a wonderful place to visit, but a few safety tips: go in a group, visit during the day, and stick to the areas with restaurants and shops near the Dragon Gate. Saturdays are when most of the tourists descend and the shops are most crowded, so go during the week if you can. Also, animal lovers, be aware that some shops sell animals for purposes other than being pets.
If you plan to visit the Coit Tower, which offers some excellent views of the city, do read this article, which gives some excellent tips on parking and getting there.
It's always great to walk down Fisherman's Wharf, buy some sourdough bread (this you will see everywhere in SF) or some Ghiradelli's chocolate and look out at the bay. It's probably the most tourist-y place in SF, but I never miss it. Lots of fun.
Everything you want to know about Golden Gate Park, courtesy of SF Gate.
Erik Sumiharu Hagiwara-Nagata, the great-great-grandson of the man who created the Japanese tea garden at Golden Gate Park has a web page with a brief history of the lovely spot here.
The Palace of Fine Arts at Presidio is a great place to have a picnic or check out the Exploratorium, which among other things has a team over in Xinjiang, China to record the solar eclipse on August 1st and a bunch of events scheduled for that.
Take a walking tour around the city of San Francisco with SF City Guides (free, although donations are always welcome; see web site for daily schedule.) If you do plan to walk SF, wear very comfortable shoes, joint braces if you need them, and be prepared to be walking either up or downhill for the majority of the walk, as most of the streets in SF are "hilly."
For the dedicated shoppers, try Westfield Shopping Center, which opened last year with 170 stores and specialty boutiques.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Off to Prepare
I had to juggle a few chainsaws this week, and we won't talk about how horrendously behind I am on e-mail, but all is well at Casa PBW. I'm just going to unplug to get everything ready for the workshops.
See you all on Monday for LB&LI.
See you all on Monday for LB&LI.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Final LB&LI Reminder & Link Info
Looks like there's nine minutes left before the end of today, so I'm extremely tardy, but I still made it. Don't ask why I'm this late. You don't want to laugh that hard; you'll give yourself the hiccups.
Here are the instructions for sending me links to the workshop(s) you'll be holding on your web site or blog during Left Behind & Loving It, the week of virtual workshops I'm having here at PBW from July 28th through August 4th, 2008:
I know some of you are going out of town, so at any time from now until August 5th, send an e-mail to LynnViehl@aol.com with the following information:
Subject Line: Workshop Link
Your name, pseudonym or online handle
The title of your workshop
The topic of your workshop, or a brief description
The URL link to your workshop when it goes live, or what the URL will be when it goes live and the date you plan to post it.
When I post your link on PBW, it will look something like this:
Power Plotting by Lynn Viehl -- how to plot using a novel wiring diagram.
I will also link the title of your workshop to the URL where you're posting it, so my visitors can click on the title, come over and join in. I expect links to come in at any time during the week, so I will be checking e-mail regularly in order to update the link list on my workshop posts.
If you have any questions, please let me know in comments.
Here are the instructions for sending me links to the workshop(s) you'll be holding on your web site or blog during Left Behind & Loving It, the week of virtual workshops I'm having here at PBW from July 28th through August 4th, 2008:
I know some of you are going out of town, so at any time from now until August 5th, send an e-mail to LynnViehl@aol.com with the following information:
Subject Line: Workshop Link
Your name, pseudonym or online handle
The title of your workshop
The topic of your workshop, or a brief description
The URL link to your workshop when it goes live, or what the URL will be when it goes live and the date you plan to post it.
When I post your link on PBW, it will look something like this:
Power Plotting by Lynn Viehl -- how to plot using a novel wiring diagram.
I will also link the title of your workshop to the URL where you're posting it, so my visitors can click on the title, come over and join in. I expect links to come in at any time during the week, so I will be checking e-mail regularly in order to update the link list on my workshop posts.
If you have any questions, please let me know in comments.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Virtually Workshopping
I had to deal with NY again yesterday, so I'm running a little behind today. Tomorrow I will be posting all the information on how and when to send me the links for your LB&LI virtual workshops, and I'll repeat this post again on Sunday. I don't want to post it too early as that usually results in people either missing the info or sending it in too early.
A couple of you (you know who you are) have asked exactly how one goes about presenting a virtual workshop. The good news is you don't have to dress up, put on heels, have your hair and nails done or wear pantyhose (unless you have some sort of live webcam thing involved, in which case I recommend not wearing your SpongeBob Squarepants pajamas.)
The basic ingredients of a virtual workshop are 1) a place to hold it (ideally, your blog), 2) a writing- or biz-related topic you know well and can discuss with other writers and 3) a personal spin or approach to your topic that can be a benefit to other writers.
For example: On Monday I'm holding a workshop on power plotting. I am a militant pro-plotter and constantly look for new ways to prompt other writers into giving plotting a try. I also know that a lot of writers dread plotting (almost as much as writing a synopsis.)
I had an idea to use the mechanics of a main electrical panel as a metaphor for how plotting works and what it should do for a story. During my years in the commercial HVAC field, I learned a lot about industrial electrical systems (on which my guy is also something of expert, which gives me an in-house consultant.) I also have some excellent reference books on power service installation and basic wiring. By playing around with some standard electrical wiring diagrams, I came up with a new template to "wire" a story plot.
It's a lot of information to present, so I've condensed my notes, simplified the idea and put together three graphics and a universal template. When I present the workshop, I'll introduce the idea, show how it works, use it to solve some common plotting problems and offer links to other writers' sites with different approaches to plot outlining as second opinions and alternate resources. The rest of the workshop happens in comments, when my visitors ask questions and/or offer their opinions on the topic, I respond, etc.
More things to consider when giving workshops, virtual or otherwise:
1. Talk about what you know, and know what you're talking about. If you have problems with or aren't clear on your topic, that's going to come through during your workshop. Also, there's nothing more embarrassing than a visitor asking a question and all you can answer with is "I don't know."
2. Keep it fresh. One reason I looked for a new approach to plotting is because there has been so much written online about the more traditional methods. Also, much as I love to plot novels, plotting can be a very boring topic.
3. Make it fun for you and your visitors. When I was in RWA, I sat through so many dull workshops that I'm surprised they didn't give me narcolepsy. The best workshops are always those that use humor in some capacity, even if you just offer an ice-breaker with an opening joke that relates to your topic. Something like:
"In English," the college professor said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
One final note -- if it's not your style to use humor or a light-hearted approach when virtually workshopping, don't force it. Do what you're comfortable doing. While I'd rather use humor than get too serious, the two posts on PBW that to this day still bring in the most e-mails from other writers are two that didn't use humor at all: Courage and Mansions.
A couple of you (you know who you are) have asked exactly how one goes about presenting a virtual workshop. The good news is you don't have to dress up, put on heels, have your hair and nails done or wear pantyhose (unless you have some sort of live webcam thing involved, in which case I recommend not wearing your SpongeBob Squarepants pajamas.)
The basic ingredients of a virtual workshop are 1) a place to hold it (ideally, your blog), 2) a writing- or biz-related topic you know well and can discuss with other writers and 3) a personal spin or approach to your topic that can be a benefit to other writers.
For example: On Monday I'm holding a workshop on power plotting. I am a militant pro-plotter and constantly look for new ways to prompt other writers into giving plotting a try. I also know that a lot of writers dread plotting (almost as much as writing a synopsis.)
I had an idea to use the mechanics of a main electrical panel as a metaphor for how plotting works and what it should do for a story. During my years in the commercial HVAC field, I learned a lot about industrial electrical systems (on which my guy is also something of expert, which gives me an in-house consultant.) I also have some excellent reference books on power service installation and basic wiring. By playing around with some standard electrical wiring diagrams, I came up with a new template to "wire" a story plot.
It's a lot of information to present, so I've condensed my notes, simplified the idea and put together three graphics and a universal template. When I present the workshop, I'll introduce the idea, show how it works, use it to solve some common plotting problems and offer links to other writers' sites with different approaches to plot outlining as second opinions and alternate resources. The rest of the workshop happens in comments, when my visitors ask questions and/or offer their opinions on the topic, I respond, etc.
More things to consider when giving workshops, virtual or otherwise:
1. Talk about what you know, and know what you're talking about. If you have problems with or aren't clear on your topic, that's going to come through during your workshop. Also, there's nothing more embarrassing than a visitor asking a question and all you can answer with is "I don't know."
2. Keep it fresh. One reason I looked for a new approach to plotting is because there has been so much written online about the more traditional methods. Also, much as I love to plot novels, plotting can be a very boring topic.
3. Make it fun for you and your visitors. When I was in RWA, I sat through so many dull workshops that I'm surprised they didn't give me narcolepsy. The best workshops are always those that use humor in some capacity, even if you just offer an ice-breaker with an opening joke that relates to your topic. Something like:
"In English," the college professor said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
One final note -- if it's not your style to use humor or a light-hearted approach when virtually workshopping, don't force it. Do what you're comfortable doing. While I'd rather use humor than get too serious, the two posts on PBW that to this day still bring in the most e-mails from other writers are two that didn't use humor at all: Courage and Mansions.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Blasts from the Past
Negotiations continue and will probably take a bit more time to resolve, as these things do, so I'll just wait until I actually have a puppy (or maybe two) before I post any more about it.
One nice bit of unrelated news: my Christian fic publisher, will be repackaging my GCI novel Portraits of the Past in trade paperback for a national wholesale chain. That was one of my favorite stories that I wrote for the series -- the ladies get involved with an art mystery -- so I'm quite happy to see it returning to the shelves.
Jonathan Feinberg's Wordle, the word cloud generator and my new favorite online toy, now has some additional features: you can pop out the applet in a resizable window as well as edit the palette to create your own custom background and font colors.
Finally, one of my Latina friends sent me a link to the cover art for the Spanish translation of If Angels Burn. Not quite what I expected, but very pretty in pink:
I think the translation* is something like Burning the Angel or Angel Burning. Maybe Burns the Angel? Of course my Spanish is so rusty that when I first looked at the title I thought it said Boiling the Angel.
Don't tell me if it actually says that, though, okay?
*Added: I'm definitely wrong on this one -- my Spanish-savvy visitors have some more accurate interpretations in comments.
One nice bit of unrelated news: my Christian fic publisher, will be repackaging my GCI novel Portraits of the Past in trade paperback for a national wholesale chain. That was one of my favorite stories that I wrote for the series -- the ladies get involved with an art mystery -- so I'm quite happy to see it returning to the shelves.
Jonathan Feinberg's Wordle, the word cloud generator and my new favorite online toy, now has some additional features: you can pop out the applet in a resizable window as well as edit the palette to create your own custom background and font colors.
Finally, one of my Latina friends sent me a link to the cover art for the Spanish translation of If Angels Burn. Not quite what I expected, but very pretty in pink:
I think the translation* is something like Burning the Angel or Angel Burning. Maybe Burns the Angel? Of course my Spanish is so rusty that when I first looked at the title I thought it said Boiling the Angel.
Don't tell me if it actually says that, though, okay?
*Added: I'm definitely wrong on this one -- my Spanish-savvy visitors have some more accurate interpretations in comments.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sub Op Ten
Ten Places Where You Can Submit Your Work
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, billing itself as "a new online magazine of literary adventure fantasy", is open to submission of literary fantasy stories 10K or less, will consider longer if attention-holding, pays .05 cents per word (qualifies as professional rate sale under SFWA guidelines), reading period opens August 1, 2008 (don't submit before that date), electronic submissions only with specific requirements, see writer guidelines here.
Double Dragon E-Books is currently accepting novel submissions through August 31, 2008 for their 2009 e-book line-up, presently open to only Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy and Horror novels, no length specified. No advance offered, pays 30% of all net sales, electronic submissions only with very specific format required, see writer guidelines here.
Escape Pod, a weekly audio/podcast SF magazine, buys "quality" SF stories and flash fiction to be read by their performers, length 2-6K for stories, up to 1K for flash, will consider longer if brilliant stuff, pays $100.00 for fiction, $20.00 for flash, electronic subs only with specific requirements, see writer guidelines here.
Gryphonwood Press is currently accepting short SF/F novel submissions for POD/e-book publication, length 60K or less, no advance offered, pays 40% of net. Electronic submissions only, first three chapters/synopsis/cover letter in .doc or .rtf format, some general writer guidelines here.
Necrotic Tissue e-zine has an open call for Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror, a themed horror anthology (see guidelines for specifics on theme and theme requirements.) Length 2-4K for stories, will consider some 100 word flash subs, pays flat fee of $25.00 for stories, $10.00 + contributor copy for flash, reading period July 1st until September 30th, 2008, electronic submissions only, writer guidelines here.
The Pedestal Magazine, which bills its editors as being "committed to promoting diversity and celebrating the voice of the individual" is looking for poetry (submit up to six), flash fiction up to 1K, short fiction up to 6K, book reviews of 850 words-1K, and interviews (query first on the book reviews and interviews.) Pays $30.00 for poems, $.05 per word for short and flash fiction, .02 per word for book reviews, interview payment not specified, electronic submissions only, closed to submission one week out of every month, see more details, writer guidelines and submission schedule here.
Permuted Press is looking for completed novels between 70-110K words (85-90K considered ideal) with Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic tales and/or zombie themes (genres: horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction.) Pays $500.00 advance + 6% royalty, requires exclusive Eng. language rights of 5 years, submit query with synopsis and three chapters in .doc or .rtf format, see writer guidelines here.
Tesseracts Thirteen, a dark fantasy and horror antho to be edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and David Morrell for EDGE and Tesseract Books, is open for submissions of short fiction and poetry only to "Canadians, landed immigrants, long-time residents, and expatriates" (Sorry, Yanks.) Length 5K or less, pays "$20.00 for poetry, $50.00 for stories under 1,500 words, rising to a maximum of $100.00 for stories over 5,000 words." Deadline October 31, 2008 (postmarked); snail mail and electronic subs okay, writer guidelines here.
Norilana Books has posted an open sub call for Warrior Wisewoman 2, a SF anthology for stories about powerful women, length up to 10K (longer stories will have to be exceptional), pays .02 cents per word on acceptance and a pro rata share of royalties plus contributor's copy, reading period begins on August 1, 2008 (don't submit before that date), deadline December 15, 2008. Electronic submissions only, writer guidelines here.
The publisher of my StarDoc series, Ace/Roc Science Fiction and Fantasy, does currently accept unagented subs (e-subs with query + first ten ms. pages, snail mail subs with query, synopsis and first three chapters.) Preferred length 75-125K, pays negotiated advance plus standard percentage royalties, writer guidelines here.
All of the above were found while checking out the latest market listings at Ralan.com.
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, billing itself as "a new online magazine of literary adventure fantasy", is open to submission of literary fantasy stories 10K or less, will consider longer if attention-holding, pays .05 cents per word (qualifies as professional rate sale under SFWA guidelines), reading period opens August 1, 2008 (don't submit before that date), electronic submissions only with specific requirements, see writer guidelines here.
Double Dragon E-Books is currently accepting novel submissions through August 31, 2008 for their 2009 e-book line-up, presently open to only Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy and Horror novels, no length specified. No advance offered, pays 30% of all net sales, electronic submissions only with very specific format required, see writer guidelines here.
Escape Pod, a weekly audio/podcast SF magazine, buys "quality" SF stories and flash fiction to be read by their performers, length 2-6K for stories, up to 1K for flash, will consider longer if brilliant stuff, pays $100.00 for fiction, $20.00 for flash, electronic subs only with specific requirements, see writer guidelines here.
Gryphonwood Press is currently accepting short SF/F novel submissions for POD/e-book publication, length 60K or less, no advance offered, pays 40% of net. Electronic submissions only, first three chapters/synopsis/cover letter in .doc or .rtf format, some general writer guidelines here.
Necrotic Tissue e-zine has an open call for Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror, a themed horror anthology (see guidelines for specifics on theme and theme requirements.) Length 2-4K for stories, will consider some 100 word flash subs, pays flat fee of $25.00 for stories, $10.00 + contributor copy for flash, reading period July 1st until September 30th, 2008, electronic submissions only, writer guidelines here.
The Pedestal Magazine, which bills its editors as being "committed to promoting diversity and celebrating the voice of the individual" is looking for poetry (submit up to six), flash fiction up to 1K, short fiction up to 6K, book reviews of 850 words-1K, and interviews (query first on the book reviews and interviews.) Pays $30.00 for poems, $.05 per word for short and flash fiction, .02 per word for book reviews, interview payment not specified, electronic submissions only, closed to submission one week out of every month, see more details, writer guidelines and submission schedule here.
Permuted Press is looking for completed novels between 70-110K words (85-90K considered ideal) with Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic tales and/or zombie themes (genres: horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction.) Pays $500.00 advance + 6% royalty, requires exclusive Eng. language rights of 5 years, submit query with synopsis and three chapters in .doc or .rtf format, see writer guidelines here.
Tesseracts Thirteen, a dark fantasy and horror antho to be edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and David Morrell for EDGE and Tesseract Books, is open for submissions of short fiction and poetry only to "Canadians, landed immigrants, long-time residents, and expatriates" (Sorry, Yanks.) Length 5K or less, pays "$20.00 for poetry, $50.00 for stories under 1,500 words, rising to a maximum of $100.00 for stories over 5,000 words." Deadline October 31, 2008 (postmarked); snail mail and electronic subs okay, writer guidelines here.
Norilana Books has posted an open sub call for Warrior Wisewoman 2, a SF anthology for stories about powerful women, length up to 10K (longer stories will have to be exceptional), pays .02 cents per word on acceptance and a pro rata share of royalties plus contributor's copy, reading period begins on August 1, 2008 (don't submit before that date), deadline December 15, 2008. Electronic submissions only, writer guidelines here.
The publisher of my StarDoc series, Ace/Roc Science Fiction and Fantasy, does currently accept unagented subs (e-subs with query + first ten ms. pages, snail mail subs with query, synopsis and first three chapters.) Preferred length 75-125K, pays negotiated advance plus standard percentage royalties, writer guidelines here.
All of the above were found while checking out the latest market listings at Ralan.com.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Quick Heads Up
There is an order system computer glitch affecting author Elizabeth Bear's new novel, Ink & Steel ISBN 978-0451462091, which is creating distribution problems and preventing the book from getting into stores. If you are looking for the book and can't find it at your local brick & mortar, please ask them to order it by ISBN (evidently it is not in the order system under byline or title.)
I've also had reports (which I've since confirmed are true) that my new StarDoc novel, Omega Games, is now being shipped by B&N.com. Which really isn't a problem except that it's being distributed two weeks ahead of the laydown date. Nevertheless, if you want to get it early, that's where to go.
I've also had reports (which I've since confirmed are true) that my new StarDoc novel, Omega Games, is now being shipped by B&N.com. Which really isn't a problem except that it's being distributed two weeks ahead of the laydown date. Nevertheless, if you want to get it early, that's where to go.
LB&LI Schedule
Next Monday, July 28th, we'll kick off Left Behind & Loving It, my third annual week of virtual workshops here at PBW. For those of you who would like to join in, hold workshops on your blogs and have me link to them, please read this post for all the details.
The schedule of my workshops will be as follows:
Monday, July 28th: Power Plotting -- plotting techniques; how to use my novel wiring diagram to organize your plot quickly and logically
Tuesday, July 29th: Eff the Editing -- my take on editing, and how to keep it efficient and effective
Wednesday, July 30th: World-Building I -- the first part of my workshop on world-building within reason
Thursday, July 31st: World-Building II -- second part of my workshop on world-building within reason
Friday August 1st: Styling -- ways to use your personal style to market your work
Saturday, August 2nd: Brand Me -- creating a memorable brand for your work, your blog, or yourself
Sunday, August 3rd: Write the Life -- avoiding burnout, coping with the biz and living the writer's life that you want
Monday, August 4th: Ask PBW Anything -- Open Q&A where you can grill me on anything writing- or biz-related.
Each day I will be holding a giveaway for my usual LB&LI goodie bags, filled with books, gadgets, and neat writer junk. This year I'll also be giving away:
--A signed set of the Darkyn novels, including an author-generated unbound galley copy of Stay the Night
--A signed set of all the StarDoc novels published to date, including Omega Games, my August 5th release
--The original watercolor I painted for the cover of my workshop companion e-book, It Only Took God Six Days ~ World Building within Reason, signed and framed.
--A stack of my favorite how-to writing books, including a printed & signed copy of my own Way of the Cheetah
--A lapquilt, sewn and signed by me
--A BookWish (any book of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)
--A MusicWish (any CD of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)
--An ArtWish (a $50.00 U.S. gift certificate from Art.com)
Everyone who participates in the workshop by commenting will be entered into the drawing for that day's giveaway (if you don't want to be entered for the drawing, just note that in your comment.) All giveaways will have a 24-hour entry period, and comments will be closed when the next day's workshop is posted. All workshops will be posted at 12:00 AM EST on the date scheduled (unless there's a power failure or some other unforeseen computer problem, in which case, they'll be posted as soon as I can get back online.)
Finally, on Tuesday, August 5th, I will draw one name from everyone who participated during the workshops and send the winner my LB&LI grand prize, a brand new Neo from AlphaSmart.
As always, all of my giveaways during LB&LI are open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
The schedule of my workshops will be as follows:
Monday, July 28th: Power Plotting -- plotting techniques; how to use my novel wiring diagram to organize your plot quickly and logically
Tuesday, July 29th: Eff the Editing -- my take on editing, and how to keep it efficient and effective
Wednesday, July 30th: World-Building I -- the first part of my workshop on world-building within reason
Thursday, July 31st: World-Building II -- second part of my workshop on world-building within reason
Friday August 1st: Styling -- ways to use your personal style to market your work
Saturday, August 2nd: Brand Me -- creating a memorable brand for your work, your blog, or yourself
Sunday, August 3rd: Write the Life -- avoiding burnout, coping with the biz and living the writer's life that you want
Monday, August 4th: Ask PBW Anything -- Open Q&A where you can grill me on anything writing- or biz-related.
Each day I will be holding a giveaway for my usual LB&LI goodie bags, filled with books, gadgets, and neat writer junk. This year I'll also be giving away:
--A signed set of the Darkyn novels, including an author-generated unbound galley copy of Stay the Night
--A signed set of all the StarDoc novels published to date, including Omega Games, my August 5th release
--The original watercolor I painted for the cover of my workshop companion e-book, It Only Took God Six Days ~ World Building within Reason, signed and framed.
--A stack of my favorite how-to writing books, including a printed & signed copy of my own Way of the Cheetah
--A lapquilt, sewn and signed by me
--A BookWish (any book of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)
--A MusicWish (any CD of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)
--An ArtWish (a $50.00 U.S. gift certificate from Art.com)
Everyone who participates in the workshop by commenting will be entered into the drawing for that day's giveaway (if you don't want to be entered for the drawing, just note that in your comment.) All giveaways will have a 24-hour entry period, and comments will be closed when the next day's workshop is posted. All workshops will be posted at 12:00 AM EST on the date scheduled (unless there's a power failure or some other unforeseen computer problem, in which case, they'll be posted as soon as I can get back online.)
Finally, on Tuesday, August 5th, I will draw one name from everyone who participated during the workshops and send the winner my LB&LI grand prize, a brand new Neo from AlphaSmart.
As always, all of my giveaways during LB&LI are open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
This/That Ten
Ten Things You Can Have for Free
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
3D, Basically: Alibre Design Xpress 3D Solid Modeler is "a rich and capable 3D solid modeler for creating mechanical parts, assemblies and 2D drawings - and is free. Alibre Design Xpress equips the person needing basic 3D design capabilities" (OS: Win 98/ME/NT/2000/XP)
Rush the Blog: BlogRush is a free widget that will automatically promote your related blog posts across the internet.
The Art of Time: Clock-Desktop.com has a bunch of colorful/unusual screen saver and widget clocks, all yours for the downloading.
Much Cheaper Than Adobe: doPDF "is a free PDF converter for both personal and commercial use. Using doPDF you can create PDF files by selecting the Print command from virtually any application. With one click you can convert your Microsoft Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents or your emails and favorite web sites to PDF files" (OS: Win 2000/XP/2003)
No-Brainer Templating: Create and customize your own web templates online and then download the codes over at doTemplate beta (link filched from Gerard over at The Generator Blog.)
Really Yell at Your Crit Partner: JDVoiceMail allows you to "send voice email messages to anyone with an e-mail address. JDVoiceMail generates compressed .wav or.mp3 files reducing the size from 16 to 10 times. The recipient doesn't need any special software to listen your messages, by just double-clicking the file, he can listen it using the default audio player." (OS: Win 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista)
Just Don't Print it Out and Drop it on Your Foot: Get your free, 750-page copy of The Newbie's Guide to Publishing, an e-book by author Joe Konrath.
Found it, Finally: Took me a while, but I found out what happened to Papel, a freeware program designer Michael O'Donnell created for writers working on novels back in '06. To quote the hosting site: "The project was unfortunately abandoned and his [Michael's] site taken down; and since there is no source code, it cannot be improved." I know a couple of you were looking for it, and if you click on the link, it will take you to a download for the original version. (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3)
Can We Talk? Yaplet will host a chatroom for your web page or blog for free; all you do is create it and put the link on your page.
Juggle Your Text: ZZEE Text Utility "performs various operations on a text buffer: search and replace, regular expression search and replace, reformat text width, remove email reply quotes, add email reply quotes, remove empty lines, remove duplicate lines, sort lines, randomize lines, replace tabs by spaces, etc. Result is automatically copied to the clipboard. ZZEE Text Utility uses UNICODE and supports various languages" (OS:Win 2000/XP/Vista)
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
3D, Basically: Alibre Design Xpress 3D Solid Modeler is "a rich and capable 3D solid modeler for creating mechanical parts, assemblies and 2D drawings - and is free. Alibre Design Xpress equips the person needing basic 3D design capabilities" (OS: Win 98/ME/NT/2000/XP)
Rush the Blog: BlogRush is a free widget that will automatically promote your related blog posts across the internet.
The Art of Time: Clock-Desktop.com has a bunch of colorful/unusual screen saver and widget clocks, all yours for the downloading.
Much Cheaper Than Adobe: doPDF "is a free PDF converter for both personal and commercial use. Using doPDF you can create PDF files by selecting the Print command from virtually any application. With one click you can convert your Microsoft Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents or your emails and favorite web sites to PDF files" (OS: Win 2000/XP/2003)
No-Brainer Templating: Create and customize your own web templates online and then download the codes over at doTemplate beta (link filched from Gerard over at The Generator Blog.)
Really Yell at Your Crit Partner: JDVoiceMail allows you to "send voice email messages to anyone with an e-mail address. JDVoiceMail generates compressed .wav or.mp3 files reducing the size from 16 to 10 times. The recipient doesn't need any special software to listen your messages, by just double-clicking the file, he can listen it using the default audio player." (OS: Win 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista)
Just Don't Print it Out and Drop it on Your Foot: Get your free, 750-page copy of The Newbie's Guide to Publishing, an e-book by author Joe Konrath.
Found it, Finally: Took me a while, but I found out what happened to Papel, a freeware program designer Michael O'Donnell created for writers working on novels back in '06. To quote the hosting site: "The project was unfortunately abandoned and his [Michael's] site taken down; and since there is no source code, it cannot be improved." I know a couple of you were looking for it, and if you click on the link, it will take you to a download for the original version. (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3)
Can We Talk? Yaplet will host a chatroom for your web page or blog for free; all you do is create it and put the link on your page.
Juggle Your Text: ZZEE Text Utility "performs various operations on a text buffer: search and replace, regular expression search and replace, reformat text width, remove email reply quotes, add email reply quotes, remove empty lines, remove duplicate lines, sort lines, randomize lines, replace tabs by spaces, etc. Result is automatically copied to the clipboard. ZZEE Text Utility uses UNICODE and supports various languages" (OS:Win 2000/XP/Vista)
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