Don't Make Me Call in the Fuzz

Who knew chickens had such authoritah.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

I've always been a bit of a geek, so this show just cracks me up. And there's something fun just saying all those words together. I'd be going with lizard all the time, though.

Offline til Deadline

First off, a big, huge THANKS! to The First Novels Club for voting me The Wise One in their first ever First Novels Club Yearbook-Style Superlatives for the Most Linkable Posts. The post that earned this notice? The one on Show vs Tell, which is always a favorite.

And I almost forgot (I did actually, but remembered to come back and edit this post) My guest blog posts are up over at Tall Tales & Short Stories. First up is what I learned about marketing, then some editing tips, and finally, some thoughts on choosing POV. (Just peek in from time to time to see when they're up. I think she's running them consecutively)

Okies, now on to less fun stuff. With my December 1 deadline fast approaching, I'll be taking a short hiatus from blogging until the 2nd. Shifter 2 is being way too demanding and it's not leaving me a lot of time to do much else. Once that's off to my wonderful editor, I'll be back to normal. I've tried to keep up with the blogging, but it's just not happening. Time to throw in the towel and admit I'm not a multi-tasking goddess. -sigh-

I have, however, qued up some short fun things to entertain you while I'm gone, so I'm not abandoning you completely. So enjoy the things I find funny, and I'll see ya'll in December!

Golden Oldies: Show Vs. Tell

Originally posted March 18, 2009

Show don't tell. Every writer hears it, every writer hates it. It's critical to crafting a story that works, but what exactly is it? Aside from easy to say and hard to explain.

Showing is dramatizing, making readers feel in the moment and there with the character as the story unfolds. Telling is hearing about it all secondhand. It's describing the situation, not the story. Kinda like reading a review of The Lion King vs. going to see The Lion King.

The trick I use to show and not tell is to imagine myself acting out whatever it is my characters are doing. If I can do what they do, I'm showing. If not, I'm telling.

For example:

"I hate you," I said angrily.

You can stand in the room and say "I hate you." But act out "angrily." You can't really. You can act out things that show angrily, but there's nothing about the adverb itself that you can physically do. The only way to show it, is to do something else.

"I hate you," I yelled, kicking the door closed.

Now, you can yell and you can kick the door closed.

Try this one:

I walked slowly across the room.

You can do this. Slowly has a physical connotation, so even though it's an adverb and needs walked to complete it, it conveys real actable action. But when you walk slowly across the room, exactly what do you do? Tip toe? Slink? Even though you can walk slowly, there's probably an even better way to describe it.

Thoughts are a little harder, as you can sit there and think, but it's what you think that makes all the difference.

I sighed and wondered if there was any ice cream in the freezer.

Sighing you can do, but act out someone wondering. Again, you really can't. You're telling that the person is wondering about ice cream.

I sighed. Was there any ice cream in the freezer?

You can sigh, and you can think "was there any ice cream in the freezer?"

Thoughts can be extra tricky, because sometimes it's acceptable to say, "I wondered if there was any ice cream in the freezer." I wish there was a hard and fast rule for judging this, but there's not. It's just something you develop an ear for over time. The rule of thumb I use, is to keep them to a minimum and keep them in your point of view's voice. As long as it feels like the character thinking it, you're usually okay. But as soon as it sounds like someone butting in to explain things, you've fallen into telling.

This trick won't apply to everything, but it's a good foundation for most show don't tell problems.

It Doesn't Always Suck

A commenter question made me take a few minutes this morning to post instead of grabbing an old one, because I felt it was a great question and worthy of more than just an answer hidden away in the comments. (and I had a really great writing morning -- 2600 words -- so I can take the time)

Rebecca said...

I have a question for you and your other blog readers... I've never written a novel, but I'm inspired to try. I have a Great Idea that I am passionate about, but, as yet, no story. I know my first novel is going to suck, as you've repeatedly said, and it makes me sad that my Great Idea is going to become a sucky novel. Do I put my Great Idea on the shelf for later, after I learn the craft a bit, or do I tackle it now, since I'm passionate about it?

While many first drafts do suck, not all of them do. Write what you're passionate about, because that will shine through in the work. Just don't stress if that first draft doesn't live up to your expectations. Not everything we write falls out of our heads perfectly. When that happens (and it does from time to time), enjoy it and treasure it. Use it to help encourage you on the days when the words aren't coming so smoothly.

Serve the story. If you love an idea, go for it full tilt.

Author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro was just saying at World Fantasy that she's a one-draft writer. Of course, she's been doing it for forty years, and she has developed a way to make sure her one draft is as good as it can be, but she's proof that first drafts don't have to be terrible. I've read about other authors who only do one draft as well. Like any skill, I can see how after you've done it long enough, you get it right the first time without much trouble. But for most of us, it'll take time to get there. If you're one of the lucky ones to get there first, enjoy it. (And tell us how, would you?)

It's also important to remember that just because a first draft sucks, that doesn't mean the final novel will suck. It just means the first words out of your head weren't great. Once you have a first draft (which is an accomplishment in and of itself and should never be taken lightly) then it's time to polish it and make it the novel you know in your heart it can be.

The ONLY thing "first drafts usually suck" means is that we don't need to be hard on ourselves for not being perfect from the get go. It's okay to write junk before we write well. It's okay for stories to need a few rounds before they grow into novelhood.

Write the stories you love. After all, ugly babies do grow into supermodels.

Golden Oldies: Ten Things to Remember if You Want to Be a Published Writer

I've got more work than I can handle this week, so it's time to pull out some golden oldies and re-post some favorite posts. Enjoy!

Originally posted February 24, 2009

With computers, the physical exercise of writing has never been easier. We open a file, start typing and wham! We’re writing. But this ease has some drawbacks that can shine an unrealistic light on the whole process. It makes writing look easy. Anyone who’s ever struggled over a stalled plotline can tell you it’s not easy at all.

So, for those starting out (or those struggling) here are ten things to remember if you want to be a published writer:

1. Writing is Hard: Don’t get me wrong, it has its easy moments, but constructing a publishable novel is not an easy task. There’s a reason most people who want to publish a novel never do. It takes a lot of work, skill and dedication.

2. Learn Your Craft: You wouldn’t expect to race in the Indy 500 the day after you got your driver’s license would you? Then why expect the first thing you write to sell? Writing is a skill like any other, and there are rules to learn and muscles to develop. Allow yourself the freedom to suck at first (we all do) while you build your writing skills.

3. Your First Book Will Probably Not Sell: Writing is a skill we learn by doing, and our first attempts are usually pretty bad. Even if they aren’t, they are often filled with flaws that keep us from reaching a professional level. But that’s okay, because we all have to learn somehow, and the next one we write will be better. Enjoy the satisfaction of finishing your first novel. It only comes once. But don’t get so hung up on the need to publish that book that you spend all your time revising and never write anything new.

4. Revision is Part of Writing: Much as we love our words, they aren’t set in stone. Revising is part of the business and if we refuse to ever change a word, then there’s a good chance no one but our friends and family will ever read those words. Keyboards have a delete key for a reason. Use it.

5. It’s All About the Story: With so many books on how to write, it’s easy to forget why we write – and read -- in the first place. We want a good story, and as my high school creative writing teacher said so beautifully, a good story is just interesting people solving interesting problems in interesting ways. Don’t let yourself get so sidetracked by the mechanics that you forget why people read.

6. Whatever Works, Works: There’s a lot of information out there about how to write, what makes a good plot, the rules that “must never be broken.” Truth is, all rules can be broken in the right situation, and if it works, it works. Forcing your story to a set of rules because “everyone says so” might not be the best thing for your story. However…

7. Rules Are There for a Reason: Guidelines are part of the business, so ignoring them just to ignore them is also a bad idea. Ignoring the rules of grammar or doing twice the average word count doesn’t say creative genius, it says unprofessional writer who doesn’t know the business. When you break a rule, make sure you have a solid legitimate reason, and not just because you want to, or you can point to one book as an example. Which brings me to…

8. Famous Authors Can Do What You Can’t, Even if They Did it Before They Were Famous: Name any rule, and there will be books that successfully broke it and writers using them as a reason why they can do it too. Sometimes they’re by famous authors, and sometimes by unknowns who because famous on that one book. These are exceptions for a reason. Just because Stephanie Meyer wrote a 115,000 word YA debut novel, doesn’t mean everyone can. There’s a reason she got away with it. Understand why a book is an exception, but don’t use them as a free pass to do the same. You might be an exception as well, but odds are you’re not. It’s hard enough to sell a first novel, so why make it harder on yourself if you don’t have to?

9. Not All Feedback is Good Feedback: One of the hardest things to do when you’re just starting out is to sift through comments about your work. We’re naturally unsure about our skill, and any negative comment can send us into a tailspin. Just as any good comment can inflate our heads like Macy’s Day Parade Balloons. Learn to evaluate criticism and trust your gut on what will help your work and what will hurt it. Even a good idea might be the wrong idea for a story.

10. Don’t Give Up: If being a published writer is your dream, then stick with it. It’s not easy, it will beat you down as often as it lifts you up, but if you work at it, keep improving and keep trying, you can make it.

What I Learned at World Fantasy Week: Double Jeopardy

Grand dame author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro hit the nail on the head when she said:

There are two hooks that need to be felt for the reader to really buy into the story. The intellectual hook, and the emotional hook.

She went on to explain (I'm paraphrasing here because my notes aren't this detailed) that the intellectual hook is the plot stuff. The things we want to know because an interesting question has been raised. The emotional hook is the stuff we need to know. The things that we've become emotionally invested in and what to see how it turns out.

If these two things aren't in the first fifth of the novel, then odds are you won't hold on to your reader. You might keep them reading, because one or the other is compelling enough in their own right, but you won't get them the same way. They won't be thinking about your book long after they've finished it. Or talking about it with everyone they know.

(This is me rifting on this now)

Books that really wow us have both these things. You care deeply about a character and just have to know how their problem turns out. I read a book on the plane over that did exactly this. Peak, by Roland Smith, a fantastic story about a 14-year-old boy who gets into trouble for climbing skyscrapers and is sent to live with his father, the world's best mountaineer, who happens to be about to launch an expedition to the summit of Mt. Everest. Kids climbing Everest. How can you not get hooked by that?

Besides a fantastic intellectual hook -- does he make it to the summit? It has a great emotional hook -- what will it cost him to reach the summit?

Shifter 2 gave me problems in the first few drafts because the emotional hook just wasn't there. Nya's problems were interesting enough, but you could have easily set the book down and come back later. That doesn't bode well for having a strong emotional hook. When you need to know what happens, you don't put the book down. A lot of my revisions have been to develop that emotional hook so you need to know what happens with Nya and how she gets out of it. It's already a better book and my editor has barely gotten her hands on it.

Lots of you are probably diving into NaNo this month, and I don't want to drag anyone down by suggesting they think too much when they need to write (fingers must fly for NaNo), but it might be worth spending a little time thinking about your two hooks. Having two things driving your narrative gives you double the opportunity for great storytelling. If one hook isn't cutting it for some reason, you have the other to fall back on. You can even play them against each other for super tight tension.

Intellectual hooks are pretty easy. A great story question, a neat twist, a fascinating premise. You've offered the reader something they haven't seen before (or haven't seen in this way before) and you keep them on their toes, always guessing what will happen next. It'll be plot related, since figuring out the puzzle is an intellectual activity.

Emotional hooks are tougher, especially in plot-driven stories. In order to ping the emotion, readers need to care about the protag. If you aren't sure how exactly to do that, starting with universal themes can help. A child in trouble, a lost love, grief, etc. Things that everyone can relate to and emphasize with. Once you've identified that, work your own twist into it so it fits your story and helps tell the tale you want to tell.

Chances are, your intellectual hook will be your external conflict, and your emotional hook will be your internal conflict. Depending on your story, (plot driven or character driven) you might be developing one over, since we tend to obsess over plot in our plot-driven stories and characters in our character-driven stories. So take a little time and look to see how you can develop the other side of your story into something as strong as your main narrative. A thriller with characters we love will only be more thrilling. A literary journey that keeps us guessing will only suck us in more.

It might even help when you go to write those evil queries. You'll have two key elements to use as a foundation, and know exactly what you need to say to get those hooks across.