New Project

Since I published my newest poetry collection, I've been looking for a new project to work on. I think I'm going to start putting together some of my short stories. I know they say it's easier to sell a novel, but I haven't written one, and who knows if I ever will? I write short things.

I know I read short story collections, but I've noticed some things about them that bug me. Usually, they are all one theme, which is good, but the stories don't seem to fit together logically at all. Does that bother anyone else? I guess most of the collections I've read are multi-author, so it would be hard to make the stories fit together.

I'm actually reading a short story collection right now, and I really enjoyed the first story, which was  lighthearted fun and very short, but the second story was long and slow and dark and just gross. They were the same theme/genre, but had nothing else in common.

I need to go through my stories and see if I have enough to make a book of all stories that have the same feeling/tone as well as genre/theme.

I Write Because...

Sometimes—no, often—writing is much harder than my day job. And it doesn't pay nearly as well. Okay, it doesn't really pay at all right now. So, why do I do it? I spend all this time and energy—and blood, sweat, and tears—on an activity that produces very little measurable worth.

The easy, pat answer is that I write because I love it. And, while that is true, it doesn't begin to cover why I write. I'm not sure I can really articulate it, even though words are my tools of trade. But I'll try.

I write because it's the only time I can truly and fully be myself. While I'm creating fiction, I am the most truthful. Woven into the made up worlds and characters is the most honesty I can articulate. My characters can say things I could never say and, while I don't always agree with everything they say and do, there is ever an undercurrent of my most authentic, genuine self.

I write because it's an outlet for my deepest feelings. When my parents broke up, I wrote poetry. When I fell in love, I wrote poetry. When I lost my mother to cancer, I wrote poetry. In everything in my life that has affected me deeply, writing has been there: a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on.

I write because I must. In some ways, writing is a partner, a significant other, a best friend. If I don't write, I'm betraying one of the closest relationships I've ever had. I don't always want to write, but I have to write. It's not a choice for me.

Why Do I Write Fanfiction?

If you know me well—or if you've followed my blog for any length of time—you know that I am a geek. I love Doctor Who, Sherlock, Lord of the Rings, Big Bang Theory, Harry Potter, and several other fandoms. I don't only watch/read these, however; I also create fanart and write fanfiction based on many of them. I do this because I am creative and artistic, and because I don't want to merely enjoy someone else's work—I want to be involved in the creative process.

I also do this because I love the "what ifs"—what if Anakin Skywalker survived at the end of Return of the Jedi? What if Sherlock and John attended Hogwarts? What if Beru Lars struggled with infertility? What if John Watson found a strange watch in Sherlock's possession? When questions like these strike me, I cannot stop thinking about them until I write what I think would result.

Some people think that fanfiction is at the best silliness, and at the worst a waste of time that could be spent on "real" writing. After all, you can't publish it and sell it for profit. Well, unless you change the names or something. But that's not why I write fanfiction, and I'm not going to get into the ethical questions of taking someone else's world and characters, changing a few things, and then passing it off as your own work.

Some people think that fanfiction is all smut with really awful grammar and spelling. And, definitely, a lot of it is like that. I don't read or write that kind of garbage, though. Even if the grammar and spelling is correct, if the character is acting OOC (out of character), I hate it. The challenge in writing good fanfiction is to keep the characters in character. This usually cannot be done if writing smut—which I define from dictionary.com as "indecent language or publications; obscenity" (not simply writing that includes sex).

I am in the minority among fanfiction writers in that I write a lot of fanpoetry. Unfortunately, poetry is not a very popular genre among fanfiction writers and readers. This is probably because most of it is really awful, and who wants to read a terrible poem? At the risk of sounding conceited, I'll venture to say that I write pretty good poems. I often write within a form as I like the challenge, and because some forms really seem to fit certain topics. For example, the speed and urgency of a blitz poem suits the Doctor; the musical beauty of the villanelle evokes the atmosphere of Middle Earth; and a modified ballad form conjures the innocence lost in Revenge of the Sith.

Some people think that those who write fanfiction aren't taking writing seriously. Maybe not, but so what? I love writing; it's a fun activity for me. I plan on publishing a novel, but I never want to write because I have to, or because I need to make some deadline (I'm going with self-publishing). I write because I want to, and because I enjoy it. Maybe it's not a career for me; maybe it is a hobby. I do love my day job too, and don't want to quit; and why would I want two full-time jobs?

A lot of fanfiction writers keep it secret from even close friends and family. They feel like it's something to be ashamed of, or that no one would understand. If you are a fanfiction writer, I understand. But I'm not ashamed. I write fanfiction. And I am proud of all my writing.

Visit me on:
FanFiction.net
Archive of Our Own (AO3)

Hitting the Mark

My husband Mark just started a blog. He's a musician and a poet. Check him out here: Hitting the Mark

But don't really hit him. It's a joke. :)

Always be a Poet

Charles Baudelaire said, "Always be a poet, even in prose." Although I had not heard this advice until recently, I have followed this all my life. My earliest creative works were songs and poems, and I have always found poetry comes easier to me than does prose. I do love creating a plot and characters and telling their story, but there's something visceral about poetry that touches me deeply.

I also love reading good poetry; one of my favourites is John Donne. I once read one of his poems and didn't notice it was several pages long until after I finished. I usually prefer shorter poetry though, as I find that it is usually stronger. In my own poetry, I tend to write as few words as possible.

I have not written a lot of poetry lately and this saddens me. I have been focusing on short stories and flash fiction--which I do love--but I am going to return to my first love: I am joining October Poetry Writing Month (OctPoWriMo). I will try to write an poem a day for the entire month of October, and I will post them here on my blog.

If anyone is interested in the Blog Challenge, click here to sign up. I'm looking forward to it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Do Absurdities Work?

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End!

I recently re-watched the 3rd Pirates movie, and I was struck by an absurdity near the end. The rest of the movie is strong storytelling. I like how the writers threw so much at Will and Elizabeth, and had them questioning their love and trust for each other. This made their characters stronger and more realistic.

And I love all the twists and turns in the story. As a voracious reader, who has read thousands of stories, nothing is more boring to me than a plot I've seen again and again with an ending I can see coming a mile away. Even watching it through for a second time, I was surprised by twists I hadn't remembered.

I don't have a problem with the tragic nature of the ending. Things don't always turn out well, and often I prefer stories that don't have a traditional "happy ending." There's something terribly romantic about how they get married, and then he dies, and then he comes back but now he's the captain of the Flying Dutchman in Davy Jones' place.

The part that bothers me is summed up in the following exchange:

'Bootstrap' Bill Turner: This ship, it has a duty. And where we are bound, she cannot come. One day at shore... ten years at sea. It's a heavy price for what's been done. 
Will Turner: Depends on the one day. 

Ten years??!! Seriously? It would have been tragic if it was one year. Ten is completely over the top. In ten years so much could happen. If they happen to conceive a child during that one day, that child will be ten years old before s/he sees his/her father. Will may not age now that he is immortal, but Elizabeth will. And in ten years, she will age a lot. Say she's twenty at the beginning of this--she'd be sixty by the time they have their fourth day together. It's absurd.

But does it work? Writers are often given the advice to throw as much adversity as you can at your characters because that is what shows their character. Is there such a thing as too much? Is ten years apart too much? What do you think?

When I Don't Like Reading

I have always been a voracious reader. I learned to read when I was four years old, and I read my first novel (Anne of Green Gables) when I was seven. For the most part, I've enjoyed reading everything I could get my hands on. However, there have been a few times when reading felt like slogging through waist deep wet sand, where it became painful to continue reading. When this happened, I used to force myself to finish anyway, for I felt that I should finish what I started. And maybe--just maybe--it would get better. It usually didn't, but I could pat myself on the back and brag that I read The Scarlet Letter and Dracula.

As I've gotten older, and I have more demands on my time, I find that I have less patience for such things. I recently downloaded a free ebook called The Last Ringbearer which purports to be the story of The Lord of the Rings told from the other side of the war. Intriguing idea, I thought. I didn't even finish the second chapter before I set that one aside. I've done this with a couple of other books lately as well. What with my dayjob, my writing, and the books I actually enjoy reading, I just don't have the time or inclination to plow through something that doesn't grab me or, even worse, is painful to read.

For me, a book that is painful to read is one that is written like a history textbook. Things happen, maybe even exciting things, but the style of writing is such that I'm bored. This includes long telling passages, info dumps, and distance from the main characters. I want to be inside the MC's head, seeing what s/he is seeing, feeling what s/he is feeling. This is the way I try to write.

What do you find painful to read? Do you plow ahead anyway, or do you abandon the book?

Scribophile

I've recently joined a writing critique site called Scribophile. I've tried a couple of other similar sites, but didn't find them all that helpful, or well-laid out--or they charge you money to post your work (I'm a starving artist, so I can't afford that). Scribophile is different. They have two levels of accounts, free and paid, but you don't have to pay to post your work. In order to post, you need karma, and to get karma, you critique others' writing. However, you can't just write whatever in a critique to farm karma, because you'll get it reported as a bad critique. All the critiques I've gotten so far have been very helpful, and I've enjoyed reading others' writings.
You can also join the forums and groups to get to know the community. I think this is the site's greatest strength. Once you get to know people, they'll be more likely to critique your writing, and the discussions--while sometimes just crazy--can be very helpful. And the crazy is fun.
If you're looking for a place to get some really helpful critiquing and maybe get to know some other writers, come visit me at Scribophile. Click on the picture below or the button on my sidebar.

Show and Tell

I've been reading a lot of self-published, or indie, books lately. I've also been reading some as-yet-unpublished manuscripts and a lot of flash-fiction on blogs. I really enjoy the creativity and the different voices and genres I've been exposed to through this. However, (you knew there was going to be a "however," right?) I've noticed a trend towards "telling" rather than "showing." By "telling" I mean dry description of the kind you'd see in a history textbook, and by "showing" I mean making us feel the POV character's emotions and giving us the descriptions through their eyes.

For an example, I will use a short passage from my current WiP. If I had written this using "telling," it would look something like this:

When he awoke, he was in his bedroom. It was lit only faintly by a sliver of moonlight that slipped through the heavy drapes. His head ached fiercely. The darkness was a blessing. Even the tiny shred of light hurt his head. He sat up and dizziness overcame him. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

And if I used "showing," it would be more like:

When he awoke, he was in his bedroom, which was lit only faintly by a sliver of moonlight that slipped through the heavy drapes. He felt as if a vise were squeezing his temples, trying to crush his skull. He was thankful for the darkness, as even the tiny shred of light cut into his eyes like a knife. He sat up--and the room spun and swung around him like a pendulum. An involuntary groan escaped his lips as he let his head fall into his hands.

See the difference? It's not that obvious at first glance, and I'm not sure if I'm "doing it right" yet, but I think the second version is a much more interesting read. I've tried to make it flow like thoughts do as, even though it isn't first person, we are inside the MC's head seeing his thoughts and feelings. Even in first person, you can fall into this trap. Eg: "My head ached fiercely. The darkness was a blessing. I groaned." This still doesn't "show."

Also, if you notice, the sentences are much shorter and choppier in the first version. These short sentences don't flow easily. In my humble opinion, the way I've put them together in the second version is much better. Now, I don't mean that longer sentences are always better than short. Sometimes, short sentences can convey the emotion better than long ones. But that's a topic for another blog post. The point is to convey the emotion in a way that keeps the reader reading.

What do you think? Do you find yourself "telling" or "showing" in your writing? Do you find it easy to "show" or not? Do you think it's better to "show"?

I Just Made My First Novel Outline

When it comes to writing, I've always leaned more towards being a pantser. I often have something of an outline in my head, but I've never written one out on paper. However, I've also never finished a novel. For Camp NaNoWriMo, I've been writing all over the place--I have the story in my head, and I write whatever scene grabs me each day. Ergo: not in order. I realized that I have no idea how it's going to end, and I'm not even sure what order some of these scenes should go in. So today, I got some index cards, and I sat down with a pen and wrote one scene on each card. (I haven't written some of these scenes yet, so this also helped me know what I still need to write.) Then I shuffled them around until I figured out what order they should be. I looked at the last card, and realized that could be the ending of the novel!

I will never be the type of writer who creates a detailed outline of all plot points, but I realized today that some structure appeals to me. I'll probably use this method when writing future manuscripts as well.

What about you? What method works for you? Do you need a detailed outline? Do you--like me--need a little bit of structure to help you know where you're going? Or do you just fly by the seat of your pants?

I DO Have Time to Write!

Camp NaNoWriMo is teaching me so much. I used to think I would write a novel some day, when I have the time. But why would I think that the future will be so different than today? Why would I have more time to write "some day" than I do now? Having a goal with a time limit in which to complete said goal is very motivating. I'm finding that I do have time to write--or rather, I am making time to write.
I also found my own personal writing style: I put the computer away, get a pen and a notebook, and do it old school. This is a very visceral way of getting words out, and they flow so easily. The pen feels like an extension of my hand. I'm a very fast touch typist, so I wouldn't have thought it, but the keyboard gets in my way. It doesn't feel natural. I'm also way too tempted to revise while typing. I'll type my novel up later, after Camp is over, and I'm ready to start revising.
For those of you who are also Camping this month, what is Camp NaNo teaching you about yourself and your personal writing style?

Plugging Slowly Away

So I got over 2000 words today for Camp Nano. I'm sitting at 2477. At this rate, I'll finish in August. Ah well. I'm not that fussed over the 50,000 word goal. If this is a novelette rather than a novel, that's fine with me. I always write shorter than word counts anyway.
This is great fun, though. And I'm learning how to be dedicated to writing regularly--and how to find the time to write in my busy day. I'm surprising myself at how much writing I'm actually getting done. :)

NaNo - NaNo

Sorry - I couldn't resist :)

Dust it Off Bloghop - What I Learned

Day 1 - Pitch
Day 2 - Excerpt


Dust it Off Bloghop Day 3 - Post what you learned from this WIP. We become stronger, more rounded writers with each project we take on, and we want to know what you learned from writing Ol' Shelvy!!

What did I learn from the writing The Guardians? I learned that writing a novel is a lot more involved and takes a lot more time and energy than I could have imagined. I learned that I have a tendency to "vacuum" my setting, leaving my characters standing on a dark stage with a spotlight illuminating only them, giving my readers little to no clue where the action is taking place. I learned that I need to write more description. I learned that I am good at creating characters.

I am a poet, and therefore I put as much meaning as possible into as few words as possible. Writing a novel is a completely different animal. I'm not sure I can write a traditional NaNoWriMo of 50,000 words; maybe I am meant to write short stories and novellas. I'm never going to stop writing though.

I leave you with a poem I wrote for The Guardians:
"When Darkness and Death come against us
One who is two shall save us
Eyes as the day and hair as the night
No evil shall escape his might
He bears the mark of one and two
Left and right upon his back
Darkness shall fall but Death will take all
'Til but one shall remain of the two."

Dust It Off Bloghop - Pitch

Dust it Off Bloghop Day 1: Post a 1-2 sentence pitch as to what Ol' Shelvy was about.
My working title is The Guardians. I started writing this story years ago, and haven't worked on it in awhile.

When Jess discovers that all he ever believed is false, and Shua learns that he is more than human, they must find a way to work together to save their people from the dark magic of the necromancer Saybol and his invading army. Then, they learn they are brothers though raised apart, and the price they must pay is greater than they could have imagined, as only one of them can survive this battle.

Five First Paragraphs

I've entered the 2nd Round of the 50 First Lines contest over at the Accidental Novelist. Here are my five first paragraphs.


1. When Jim awoke on the morning of his 50th birthday, he had no idea it was to be his last day on earth. No one ever expects that it is their last day on earth; no one ever thinks that they will be abducted by aliens. Jim had always thought that abductees were just crazies. But then, it happened to him, and his life would never be the same.

2. Her job sucked her soul dry and killed her ambitions and dreams–but the pay was good. Following your dreams was all very well and good if you didn't have to eat or pay rent, but she was still mortal.

3. Opening his eyes, he at first thought it still full night, but he could feel the warmth of the sun upon his face–that witch had struck him blind! Forcing himself to a sitting position, he felt around for his sword, even though he was sure she would have taken that away too. But no; there it was right beside him. She was so sure of herself!

4. Tears flowed unheeded down his face as he stroked Arwen’s head, not caring who saw him grieving for his dying pet cat. His parents had given him Arwen as a kitten when he was only ten years old, and she had been his best friend—his only friend—ever since.

5. Nothing was tastier than brains, not that he could remember any other flavour. Not that he could remember anything before he'd changed. In fact, he found it difficult to remember what had happened five minutes ago. Sometimes, he thought there had been a time when he had breathed and had eaten something other than brains, but he didn't care enough to try to remember.

Review of The Clockwork Giant by Brooke Johnson

I just finished reading The Clockwork Giant by Brooke Johnson on my Kobo. It's a good first novel, but it could have been so much better. This reads like a second draft, not a polished manuscript.

Petra is an engaging, relatable character most of the time. I cannot say the same for Emmerich; I really didn't like him at all. He keeps waffling on the important things, changing his mind about what he wants. Petra deserves someone better, someone who can give her all of his heart.

Many turns of phrase in the novel are awkward and/or overly simplistic, 'telling' rather than 'showing.' I don't think there's one complex sentence in the whole thing. This does make it an 'easy read' for those who don't really read or for whom English is a second language, but I found it frustrating. I like my reading material to have a mixture of complex and simple sentences, to break up the text and give it some interest.

It feels like the author sometimes manipulates the plot to make the characters do some things that don't really fit the picture she's created previously. Petra forgives Emmerich way too easily for the stupid things he does, and another character changes sides without enough motivation.

At one point, a character is burning to death, and she carries on a calm conversation with another character, ignoring the pain of the fire in her flesh. This is completely impossible, as this pain is probably worse than anything she could have ever felt or imagined before; there is no way she'd be able to speak clearly and intelligently.

There are some wonderful descriptions of the city and university, and Emmerich's 'copper eyes' are referred to numerous times, but I have no idea what Petra looked like. I tend to do this in my own writing as well, so I notice it as I'm working on it myself: there are too few descriptions of characters. We should 'see' the story, not just be told what's going on.

I enjoyed finding out what happened to Petra, and I think the plot was very good. I'm looking forward to Ms. Johnson's next novel; I'm sure her skills will be sharpened and her writing will be improved with each successive piece she creates.

Are Children Smarter than Preteens?

YA fiction annoys me. It's hard to explain why, but I'll try. Whenever I read it, I get so irritated; I feel like the author is condescending me. The sentences are so short and basic, and the authors don't seem to know how to show rather than tell.
I'm sure not all YA is like this. I've only read a few. The ones I have read usually have good plotlines and interesting characters, but the writing style is always the same, regardless of the writer. I don't know why this is the case.
Children's fiction doesn't seem to be like this. Books like The Hobbit and Harry Potter don't suffer from this "talking down" to the reader problem. For some reason, society seems to think that small children can comprehend good writing, but preteens must be given this awkward easy-to-read stuff. As if we get stupider as we get older.
Have you ever noticed this (if you've ever read anything labelled "YA")? Do you think this is good or bad?

Poor Thing is Dead

My main computer is down for the count. My brother-in-law thinks he can get it running again, but until he can get to it, I'm stuck using my three-year-old mini netbook. It's got a 10-inch screen and only 1GB RAM, so it's rather difficult to do much with it. Therefore, my writing, blogging, etc. is suffering.

In happier news, I got to see and hold my brandnew niece yesterday. She was born on Feb. 5 and was in the hospital for a few days as she was early. She is absolutely adorable. :)

Writer's Platform Building Campaign

I've signed up for this thing on Rach Writes. It's a really cool idea to help writers gain some exposure online while helping others and networking. I can't wait to see how it goes and meet some new friends. For more info, click on the above link, and read all about it.