Writtenwyrdd

Memorial Day thanks to veterans and their families.

Thank you from one veteran to all you others for volunteering yourselves for your country. 

In this time of multiple conflicts, the all volunteer military and the many national guardsmen and women who are deployed to war zones overseas are being put to the test, and repeatedly so.  They deserve recognition for the extremes they are forced to endure. 

So many do not come home, or do not come home whole. And many who suffer are often invisibly afflicted with things like Gulf War Syndrome, or the effects of Agent Orange exposure, or with PTSD.  Then there are the smaller tragedies, such as a multiply-deployed helicopter mechanic losing his well-paying job because they just couldn't hold it for him; or vets losing their houses and filing bankruptcy because their much lower military pay couldn't cover the expenses that their civilian jobs did.  Or coming home to find the world such a strange place, one where they don't seem to fit any more... It's hard to come back and just be 'normal' again.  Because 'normal' isn't any more.

Too, people can minimize the difficulties of returning vets, and it makes it that much harder on them.  You know that commercial, where the woman says, "You're home now, get over it"?  Yeah.  Sure. 

So, for those of you who served, thank you.  You're awesome.

How to shorten url's

I'm not a Twitterer (although I've been told I'm a twit a time or two!) but here's a site, The Happy Accident, that gives a lot of cool information on basic Twitter jargon.  Additionally, he provides a lesson on how to use the shortened url's:

URL Shorteners

Because of the 140 character limit of each tweet, it can be difficult to include full URLs in a message. Even this page has a URL that contains 45 characters… or nearly 1/3 a full tweet! Luckily, there are many services that can take a long URL and give you a shorter one, usually under 20 characters, to use instead.

Two of the best known sites are Bit.ly and tinyurl. To use either, you go to their site, paste your long URL in a box, click the “shorten” button, and get a new, shorter URL that you can then paste in your tweet or in e-mail or wherever you want. As an example of how it looks and works: http://bit.ly/8w5VR is a shortened link to the original wiki page containing this information.

This post on Go2.me offers up over 130 URL shortening sites, as well as a lot of information on how and why to use them.

Cool site: Ridiculous Poses

Doing my blog reading and came across Mynfel's post citing Ridiculous Poses.  Hi-larious and weird.  You can go there to practice your doggie head tilt. 

You should also check out Mynfel's post on this for totally 'redonkulous' pictures of the 'manicorn.'

Reset your Facebook privacy settings (instructions)

Instructions to change your settings:

1. On the upper right-hand corner of the Facebook screen, click Account > Privacy Settings > Personal Information and Posts
2. Adjust your privacy settings beside all 12 categories
3. Click Back To Privacy > Contact Information
4. Adjust your privacy settings beside all 9 categories
5. Click Back to Privacy > Friends, Tags & Connections
6. Adjust your privacy settings beside all 10 categories

Facebook Ads
Description: When your friends view Facebook ads, they may see your name and pictures

Instructions to change your settings:

1. On the upper right hand corner of the Facebook screen, click Account > Account Settings > Facebook Ads
2. Select "No One" beside "Allow ads on platform pages to show my information to"
3. Select "No One" beside "Show my social actions in Facebook Ads to"

Instant Personalization Pilot Program
Description: This feature gives websites like Yelp, Pandora and Microsoft Docs access to your Facebook profile information. Even if you opt out of the Instant Personalization Pilot Program, websites may still access info about you via your friends, unless you block each individual site’s application.

Instructions to change your settings:

1. On the upper right hand corner of your screen, click Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites
2. Click "Edit Setting" beside "Instant Personalization Pilot Program"
3. Uncheck the box at the bottom of the screen

Facebook Friends Ability to Share your Information with Third-Parties
Description: By default your Facebook Friends can share your information with third party applications even when you do not use those specific applications.

Instructions to change your settings:

1. Click Account > Privacy Settings > Applications & Websites > What your friends can share about you
2. Uncheck all 13 boxes

Enhanced Account Security
Description: This setting can notify you about unusual activity on your Facebook account that could be a sign of account compromise by sending you an email or text message whenever your Facebook account is modified.

Instructions to change your settings:

1. On the upper right-hand corner of your screen, click Account > Account Settings > Account Security
2. Click "Yes" below "Would you like to receive notifications for logins from new devices?"
3. The next time you log in, Facebook will ask you to name the device you are using. Then it will send you an email. This way, if anyone logs in to your account from a device you don’t use, you will know about it.

From the same tech guy as the previous post info.

Facebook security issues (Updated)

Facebook Privacy Setting Changes

Over the last several months, the popular social networking website Facebook has been progressively degrading its default privacy settings for all of  its 400 million plus users.  Because of the widespread use of Facebook and the trust that many put in Facebook Friends, Facebook accounts are a top target for identity thieves and hackers.  Once compromised, accounts are used to send fraudulent messages to friends to convince them to click on malicious links, install malicious Facebook add-ons, or send money.

If you use this type of website, You should do two things: examine your privacy settings and turn on account security features. Unlike the privacy settings, users must opt-in to benefit from the account security feature. The security feature will send you an email or text message whenever your Facebook account is accessed by a new computer or device. This provides an important warning of potential account compromise and offers instructions on what to do to regain control over your account. For more information about how to change your privacy and security settings on Facebook,

ADDED:  Helen Ginger has a nice article with a link to a CNN site on how to quit FB if that is your desire.  And there's another site that was linked to in the comments.

From an email I was sent by a tech guy.

Let's shake hands with our ideas

"My sister is currently dating a guy who met her through her “Hot or Not” profile. And I’M the asshole for thinking that’s really funny."  Commenter on random blog I found, somewhere in the comments here. (And how is that for lazy citations?)

Random blog clicking from today's time wastage.  The above cracked me up.  And I couldn't help but think it was an interesting starting point for a character. 

Do you ever do that?  See something that suggests there is a kernal there, an idea-in-the-rough, and so you consider it and see if you can make it work, make it develop into an idea or a character?  The above really suggests a lot about the personality of the speaker, and I'd have to say that it's a guy speaking, and he's got a rather self-aware sense of humor, and can laugh at himself.  I also imagine him to be 20-something and educated, rather GenX or slacker in appeal, and he probably has a skateboard in his closet somewhere.  Best of all, I find I want to know more about the guy, and I rather like him already. 

Am I reaching too far with those assumptions?  In analyzing the actual person who wrote this, definitely.  But the process of developing ideas is that you have to springboard from someplace;  so anything that arrests your attention like that should be heeded as something that might be useful or important. 

I suspect that when people claim to find ideas difficult to come up with, they are too prone to brush away stray thoughts and disregard the instincts that make me go all "Ooooh, shiny!" and start chasing butterflies.  They probably get a lot more stuff done than I do, though!

And a cool site about warfare of the future for your science fiction or post-apocalyptic writing thought processes.  I think I got this one from John Scalzi.  I am too lazy to look it up, though.  It's one of those kind of days.

Useful roots for vocabulary building (repost)

Reposted from 8/9/2009:

One of the best things that ever happened to me in high school was Mr. Bini, the English teacher who gave we freshmen a list of Greek and Latin roots and forced us to memorize them.  Worse (to everyone else but me, it seemed) he made us use them, figure out what new words meant and other such 'tortures' in order to drum them into our heads. 

I've never had a better tool handed to me (except perhaps the multiplication tables, which I can at least still remember, unlike all the capitals of Europe or the location and misc info about all the 50 states.)

A quick search online can net you some pretty good word roots.  And, if you memorize them, you will have an incredibly powerful tool to help you increase your understanding of English and broaden your vocabulary. 

I find it particularly useful to know roots in order to build new vocabulary in my speculative fiction.  People may not understand the root consciously, but they generally do absorb a general sense of what a root can mean and get a sort of subliminal hint when the word I create is based on some appropriate Greek, Latin or other foreign word/root.

A few important roots to know:

• a/an: not, without
• a: on
• ab/s, a: from, away, off
• andr/o: male, man
• ante: before, in front
• anti: away, against
• co: with, together
• com: together
• de: reduce, away, down, remove
• di/s: apart, away, not
• dia: through, between, apart, across
• ex: from, out
• extra: out, about, beyond
• gyn: female, woman
• infra: beneath, below
• intra/intro: between, among
• ir: not
• ject: throw
• mis: bad, wrong, to hate
• non: no, not, without
• pan: all, any
• re: again, back, backwards
• self: of, for, or by itself
• serv: save, keep
• un: not, opposite of, lacking
• vers/vert: turn
• xen: foreign

There are many more of these, and it is a good idea (for your vocabulary's sake) to get familiar with the ones on the Espindle list.  It really is the best one I've found so far.

Random grammar and vocabulary stuff:
Did you know about the "phrasal verb"?  It's basically a compound verb, such as "down from," although there are other multi-word verb structures out there.  A good example of these is on EnglishClub.com here. 

EnglishClub.com also has a great page that lists and defines Latin phrases commonly used in English, which includes many of the abbreviations.  Also good stuff to have memorized. Some of my favs (which all of you should learn if you don't know them already):

e.g. (exempli gratia): for example
et al. (et alii, et alia): and others
etc. (et cetera): and the rest, and so forth
et seq. (et sequens, et sequentes, et sequentia): and the following
id. (idem): the same
i.e. (id est): that is

Links:
Espindle "Word Root Quick Reference" page.

(Please see the writing resources page in the top right sidebar, where other useful links are located.)

From my garden

Varigated lilacs.

Recommended reference manual

Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
Basic Books, 415 pages, trade paperback

I saw a recommendation for this reference book on a blog a week or so ago. For the life of me I cannot recall where I saw it, so I cannot give credit where credit is due.  But it sounded like a good tome to own, so I bought the Associated Press Style Manual.  I like it.  You may get more mileage over the long haul with the Chicago Manual of Style due to its versatility and broader focus; but after a quick look, I can see the AP manual is really, really useful when one wishes to determine tricky usage decisions like "every one" versus "everyone."  Or determining current usage of ampersands (&)--yes, if in a formal title such as Home & Garden.  Or when do you hypenate when using the prefix "ex."  One has to care about such things if one is to sound like one actually learned something in English 101. 

That said, you are basically getting what AP wants used in its articles.  So what you get here is generally accepted (and understandable) usage. 

That's all to the good in my book.  Because a writer needs to look like she knows the language (if anyone ever does know English, the fastest growing language in the universe that simultaneously changes and diversifies at an asymptotic pace toward infinity...)  Ahem.  Getting back to the topic, this book is pretty nifty, providing succinct, meat-and-potatos advice on usage of terms, punctuation, titles, grammar and whatnot, all dropped in alphabetically by topic/word.  There are even some historical citations and breakdowns (for example on various religions).  Common misusages are dissected and clarified.  Commonly confused words are listed and their usage explained. 

The only downside is that you may have difficulty finding things.  "Hurricane eye" is listed, but "Eye of hurricane" or "Eye, hurricane" is not.  But if you looked up "hurricane," you would find what you were looking for. 

Overall, a lot of useful information.  Give it a browse if you see it in a store. 

Happy Towel Day!

Hat tipped to Douglas Adams, may he R.I.P.  I hope you have your towels with you.

Thanks to just about everybody in the blogosphere for the reminder.  I always forget this and Talk Like A Pirate Day for some reason, and they are my 2 fav holidays.

Official site here. Graphic courtesy of Travis Avery.

Oh Noes!

Oh boy...it's the 25th of the month and I have only written 2,000 words, approximately.  I'm in trubble!  And I just had 3 whole days off in which I wrote not one word.  Well, my excuse is I didn't feel like it in the extreme giddiness of hot, summery weather.  (What can I say?  I was having a California flashback.)

We shall see if I manage any more words, seeing as tonight I have a meeting to attend, and tomorrow I have a massage appointment, and then there is the gardening to accomplish before my potted plants bake to death...

Oh Noes indeed. 

Materials

Laughingwolf has a cool post that cites all sorts of new materials being developed.  It never hurts to think outside the box when you are creating fictional worlds.  Perhaps some of these can assist you, springboard style!

Above: a building made from concrete fabric.  A "building in a box."  Just unpack, inflate, get it wet and let it harden. 

Musical Monday is Electronica

I don't know about you all, but in the 90s there was this song that had Buffy Saint Marie saying "little fluffy clouds" over and over and over.  I remember my then boyfriend being driven crazy by the song, which I thought was okay.  Well, I've been wondering lately who did that song and wanting to hear it.  Well, it's by The Orb, on "the orb's adventures beyond the ultraworld."

Character design: the artistic approach

"When you don't know anything about your character, it's hard to determine what kind of lines, shapes, proportions, or anything else to use to describe that character.  So what you end up with is a hodgepodge of decisions that don't lead the viewer toward any conclusions, which usually results in a less appealing character just because the chances of finding a great combination of elements at random aren't very high."  and "If I was doing this character design for work I'd probably do about 20 more iterations to improve the idea and replace (where possible) stereotypical elements with more surprising ideas that filled the same purpose." Sam Nielson, graphic artists and proprieter of Sam's Tasty Art blog

I've mentioned this blog by a digital artist (who does animation work for some Major Company or other).  And I find that the observations about artistic choices work just as well for writing as they do for any other sort of representational art like painting or drawing.  Just substitute the words of an artist with the words relevant to a writer and it's really the same thing, or a close approximation thereof. 

Because it's all about how you think about the project.  The approach.  We've all experienced a character in a novel that filled us with emotions--brought us to tears, joy, sadness, pride, whatever--as if they were real flesh-and-blood beings.  You know that when that reaction is achieved, the author has gotten it right.

Meticulous biographer or pantser?
Some schools of thought have you writing scenes, drafting up detailed character worksheets, or inventing copious background information on your character before you even begin to write the story.  Others just pluck details out of the air when they have a need for a particular type of character (male/female, certain look, ethnicity, career, etc.) and drop that character into their story without much thought, filling in details as they require them.  I suspect most of us do a mix in varying proportions of both, meeting someplace near the middle. 

Regardless, the basic need is that you need to know the characters well enough to make them fit into your story and to make their actions feel believable and realistic given the circumstances of plot and setting.  The tools you use for this are basically part of a thought process, the artistic choices you make that are the "lines, shapes, proportions or anything else to use to describe the character." 

But, getting back to my main point, it's how you think about the relation between your characters and their world/situation/plot/others that leads you to writing them excellently well.  And that's essentially conscious decision making, paying attention to what choices you are making and why you are making them. 

Keeping track of the details.
As a suggestion, In addition to harnessing the most important tool--your brain--keeping track of your character data is just as vital...unless you have an eidetic memory. Your system doesn't have to be complex; but if you keep note of the decisions you make about the character for future reference.  If you call him blond in one scene, it's nice to recall that when you come back to him later.

Be the artist.
Getting into the lovely artistic mindset that makes your word and plot choices flow effortlessly is wonderful.  If you have ever gotting into that Zone, you know what I mean.  It's a place where ideas and words seem to pour from your fingertips onto the keyboard, where instead of thought as words you have shapes and inspirations and godlike knowledge of what should go where.  You feel the shape of things in your head and it seems like instinct when you make choices, and most of the time they are the right choices...but you need to train yourself to get to that place.  You need to figure out the process that works for your character building and internalize it.

Because when you are in the habit of considering your characters and plot elements on the fly, when things are flowing like that, there is no better feeling.

Of course, when your feet touch the ground again after the first draft, you still have to edit. 

Happy writing!

Why I wasn't writing today

I was here. It was the most gorgeous summer day!

References to use on line

Laughingwolf cites a great article on digital libraries and how to access digitized media (journal articles specifically) cheaply on line. 

Such a beautiful site!

Love Gives Me Hope is an incredible site.  Short, tweetable incidents ending with GMH for Gives Me Hope.  Srsly, they make me cry.

Thanks to Charles Gramlich for the link via FB.

The one-handed checklist

"Some of the most common problems INTERN sees in novel manuscripts are not enough suspense, not enough conflict, dragging pace, too much focus on trivial scenes and not enough on important scenes, and main characters whose problems are too easy and who never get put to a satisfying test (which sounds like a laundry list from any writing-advice book, but it's true, those are the exact problems most novel drafts have!)" The Intern (who, sadly, is anonymous)

Read the cited article for a good, common sense break down on problems with first novels.  She lists this post as #1, so heads up, there shall be more.

I imagine all readers have a preference for what floats their boats in a good read.  For me, it's a main character I like and a fascinating world being revealed to me.  I particularly love it when the world is so obviously built with love that you just know the author has reams of particulars about this society, the technology ormagic behind it, the cultural issues and such that I feel I could open a door into that world and move right in, make myself at home.  I adore that kind of world building.

But you also better not drag on about the unimportant, gloss over the details in action scenes, or make your characters uninteresting boors whom readers could care less about.  And not to forget that we readers must want to know what happens next--which means we care, a lot, about the story and the characters and the resolution.

And I'd like to share my one-handed checklist* for editing your work: 

• Pacing,
• focus,
• clarity,
• language (e.g. grammar, punctuation, sentence structure) and
• characterization.

 Not necessarily in that order.

* meaning you can tick off the items on one hand.  I know you dirty-minded (okay, imaginative) people were thinking of non-PG things.  You know you were.

Opening lines

You know how lines soemtimes pop into your head?  Here are a few that came to me lately:

• "You can't just abandon your human by the road, Zchyliplik. He can't fend for himself."
• Normally, I prefer destruction to death. But, being perverse, Fate killed me once again.
• I was late to my own funeral. Again.

There are more, but these are in my brain.  The only way to oust them is to write them down.

Hmmm, what if...? Vampires!

Catching up on blog reading this a.m. and something in one of the many vampire-related book review blogs made me think about how to make vampire stories different.  Not that there is anything wrong with a sexy, only-kills-baddies or somehow-gets-away-with-no-blood-drinking-so-it's-okay type of vamp; but I really think it incumbent upon a writer to try to use their imagination a little bit.  Just a scosh, a smidgen, a minute little bitty bit. 

Because, someday, the market will be so saturated* no one will want to read one of those stories, right?

Idea.
So you want to make your vampires different.  Okay, you just have to list the things that are common tropes and be willing to consider changing your plot or creating it based on changes to one or many of the tropes.

What is common to vampire fiction:

1. Vampires are sexy bad boys.
2. Vampires only drinking from villians, criminals, or they never need to kill.
3. Vampires procreate their species by donating their blood over time (because a one-bite conversion to vampire would overpopulate the planet with the pesky predators).
4. Vampires have a code of ethics or rules of law in their ultra cool and secret vampire society that runs alongside that of mankind.
5. Vampires aren't evil, just misunderstood.
6. Vampires do too have souls!
7. Vampires are afflicted by garlic, holy water and implements of faith.
8. Vampires can regenerate from wounds with a little drinky of blood or bullets just pass right through them unless they are made from a special wood (rowan, apple, etc.)
9. Vampires are cool and love to wear dark colors and black leather (the better to hide the blood stains.)
10. Given a choice, any red-blooded vampire will choose a bladed weapon over guns or explosives.
11. Vampires don't adjust well to new technology.
12. Vampires burn up in sunlight and thus can only come out to play at night.
13. Vampires have special vampiric powers like super strength, night vision, ultra powerful hearing and sense of smell, etc.  Being a vampire improves on being human.
14. Vampires can be saved--and see color--due to the love of a good woman (their soul mate).

I'm sure there are more of these, but this is just the quick list.

So, the recipe for success, or at least mixing it up a bit.
Take any number of these commonalities and change them.  But don't just settle for changing them a little or even for the commonplace of turning them on their head; change them a lot.  This can force you to think outside your preference zone box a bit (for example should you decide that vampires aren't noble heroes in your world but creepy, slimy little goons who work for some agency you invent rather thanf or themselves); but you can find fresh territory if you are willing to let go of your preferences and prejudices and explore the world that might result.  You can surprise yourself with some interesting ideas that way.

For example:

1. What if your vampires are not noble, and they are minions of others? Say they are created by/enslaved to another race, and their wills are not their own? Ilona Andrews has vampires being mindless puppets run by necromancers, and they never stop 'evolving' after the virus infects them so that older vamps look nothing like their original human form. You could have your vampires be any number of things while enslaved. They could be mindless, they could be sentient. They could be used as the enforcers for a global government who created them to sniff out and kill 1) drug addicts, or 2) criminals, or 3) people who illegally have sex with aliens/without birth control/and get preggers as a form of pop. control. You can go waaaay out there with this.
2. What if your vampires aren't human at all, and they have the humans buffaloed into thinking that they are going to be changed over...when instead the vamps are merely replacing humans with vampiric duplicates? Pod people with a twist! It could work. Alien colonization by misdirection and with the unwitting cooperation of those they are replacing. And you could change it up even further by having what happens to the humans be not death but an 'act of kindness'...say humans are dumped on a planet where the thoughtful vampires aren't going to kill them, but leave them to fend for themselves (just like people dumping animals in the woods instead of taking them to the shelter.) People left on the world with which they are unfamiliar would have to deal with the issues the vampires are trying to leave behind.
3. Or perhaps the vampires have a religious crusade that involves saving humanity, and they believe themselves to be the inheritors of Christianity or any other mainstream religion. You can support the vampire idea with many of the old rituals of faith, such as sacrifice in any form. You might shock folks, but it would be decidedly interesting.
4. And what if vampires aren't all that? What if they detest the Goth look, hate the dark, can't SEE in the dark, and have no special abilities (or even fangs, perhaps) due to being a vampire? How much would that suck? And what would that do to vampires and how they survive and recruit new members? Perhaps your vampires would be seeking to share their misery with as many folks as possible just because they are pissed about all that they didn't get via the change?
5. How could you organize your vampires? You could have vampires who are either willing minions of evil (done before) or crazy (done before) or merely disgruntled employees by default of whatever agency has created them in the first place. Oh, making them bureaucrats. That might be an interesting twist to add to the mix!

*Who am I kidding?  Just like romances, the market will never be too saturated for sexy vampires and the women who love these bad boys.  It just can't happen.  So says my magic 8 ball.  And my libido.

The fish cleaning method of editing

"FISH CLEANING - chop off the head and tail of scenes.  It is not necessary to have characters walk into and out of every scene. In dialogue it is not necessary to have all the courtesy talk, “thank you.” “hello.” “goodbye” You don’t have to set up a character with description or history when you introduce him or her in the story."  Maryann Miller, Blood Red Pencil blog

I love that description.  Ms. Miller also has a number of other articles on editing on her blog, all worthwhile reading, considering she's a professional editor by trade.  Her recommendations for editing, in a nutshell, are in the cited post.  They are

1.  Second draft.  "Look at characterization, plotting and story continuity."

2.  Third draft.  "Pay attention to pacing, voice, and style. Is the story going fast enough? Too fast? Is the dialogue natural? Concise? Is the rhythm of the words unique to your writing or does it read like every other book out there in your genre?"

An excellent book for giving you tips and tricks for editing is Self Editing For Fiction Writers.  There are many others, but this is my personal favorite. That and a good style manual.

God of the brain?

Interesting article on neurology and god.  Have only skimmed so far, but wanted to share the link with anyone interested.  An additional article of interest here.

The big idea from this is simple:  If god is truly only in your brain, then couldn't that lead to superpowers via belief or harnessing this ability?  In other words, if god is truly in your brain, everyone is a potential god if they can harness that power.

Sure, there are other possibilities, but this particular one speaks to me.  Because I'm apparently a narcissist.

Ideas.

1. Insane guy discovers his powers and takes over the world/creates massive havoc until one of his caretakers (not necessarily the hidebound doctor) heeds the guy's ramblings and discovers his/her own superman within.
2. Man discovers himself doing something impossible, knows he actually experiences this and goes into research mode to duplicate the event.  (Something like original Jumper, where, if memory serves, the kid uses biofeedback to control an ability he accidentally discovers.  Read the original; it's far better than the movie version.)
3. If we all can create reality, what happens if we disagree?
4. How can the "akashic record" or "collective conscious" be related to this god-of-the-brain?  And what if someone discovers how to manipulate it, for good or ill?  If it is already being done and our protagonist discovers it, what can he do to overcome this?  (Reminds me of The Matrix a bit, although the spin is different.)

I could come up with more but it's time to go to work. :)  Happy writing!

Musical Monday is a how-to

You know how annoying embedding You Tube videos can be, especially with the choices available, such as the new format (wide screen) and high definition versus the less-bandwidth-hogging old style?  well, here's a site that can show you how to adjust the url for the embedded video so that you can start where you want, increase the density, and etc.  Check it out here.

Openings: the ideal recipe

"The opening is important. It may be the most important part of your manuscript when it comes to getting an agent or an editor. It could determine whether your book gets bought or left on the shelf. But, on the other hand, don't spend your life trying to create the perfect beginning. Write it. Then go on with the rest of the story. Then go back and edit. It’s important not to get stuck in one part of the book. You have to keep moving forward."  Helen Ginger, from her blog. 

What is important to have in a story opening?  Lately, and seeing as I have had to restart a project in the works, I have been considering what really needs to be in an opening.  And I've come up with a few thoughts on what I think a speculative fiction story needs in an opening.  Things like what elements of the setting/world need to be shown, what info is needed to place the reader in the situation or into the pov character's head. 

So, what is the ideal recipe for the perfect opening, for the one that both hooks the reader and gives just enough information to set the stage and get the story moving along? 

It's a fine line to balance too much information with too little. But I think the most important thing to be aware of is that the opening of a story makes a promise to the reader about what kind of story it will be.  For example, if your opening tone is humorous, you need to continue that or they'll be disappointed.  If you open in a bucolic setting, ray guns and space ships shouldn't be showing up out of the blue because your readers will be expecting a fantasy.  

Second most important thing is to introduce the pov character and the/a conflict.  You might have gotten away with pages of omniscient lecture by the author a hundred years ago; but that won't fly today!

Third, you need to provide the basic information that will get the story moving and make sense enough so that the reader will grant you their trust.  If they cannot suspend their disbelief, you won't keep them reading.  Obviously, a lot of the story's elements aren't apparent in the first paragraph or two; but the author should provide enough set up to give the experienced speculative fiction reader the clues to know what to expect...and woe unto the writer who plays tricks by contradicting the promise of that opening!  Lose the reader's trust and they'll toss your book across the room in disgust.

As regards my recent experience with redoing my opening scene, I had a few ideas as to what constitutes things to pay attention to.  It's a sort of checklist that mainly consists of things to consider:

1. How do you show the type of story? What details are absolutely necessary to make this clear?
2. What details of the setting are needed to establish time, place, type of setting, and details of the world that will show what sort of story this will be?
3. Opening situation - what details are needed to hook the reader and to show what the opening conflict is and make the reader want to know what happens next?
4. And, after you determine all these things, which of these details can be removed without really spoiling the effect (because I bet there are plenty of those.)
5. And, finally, ask of every element, "Do I need this for the reader to understand the world, the conflict, or the situation?"  If not, take it out.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

In Magus of Athlinar (a science fantasy set a couple thousand years post-apocalyptic event), the biggest problem was draft 1 was full of my worldbuilding exercises, and the reader did not need to see all this way cool (to me) stuff.  I had not been asking myself #5 question at all.  Thus, I had too many details about the world, not enough about the conflict, and the scene thereby became rather passive and full of stuff that would likely bore the audience.  So I changed the setting to the main character arriving by airship/derigible, and added details that showed the level of technology, that there was magic in use, and that the magic worked with technology.  I also had a bit about the place they were heading and the character's misgivings, as well as a bit of why, which hinted at her past.  I am still deciding if there is too much there, but I've at least pared down the draft so that the opening has answered the questions of who's there, doing what, why, and what the consequences are for failure - which establishes the story.

What helps you rein in your enthusiasm when you have too much in your opening? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And a few amusing and not-entirely-related links.

Stupidopolis has an hilarious take on corporate idea seminars...which sort of makes me think of myself when I'm trying to decide what to include in an opening (or plots in general);

Specusphere.com - a webzine "for consumers and creators of speculative fiction" has an interesting article, "Ray Guns for Rocketeers" which you might find entertaining.  It discusses SF weaponry.

And, once again, an invaluable post by the most excellent teacher of plotting, Alexandra Sokoloff on the index card method and the 3-Act structure. 

See how pretty it is

See how pretty it is today?

Some food for thought about your criminal characters

Stephen Parrish guest posts over at Natasha Fondren's (aka spyscribbler) site.  All about how to pass a lie detector test. 

Also, let me add (based on past experience in the field, which I will not go into on this blog) that physical 'tells' are the thing that give away most folks during interrogation.  You've all seen the way guilty/lying people look when they lie, I'm sure.  And the pattern is seemingly universal:  Look UP and away for lies, and DOWN and away if racking the brain for a word or response that's meant to be truthful.  However, this pattern is actually not 100%, or even close; so you need to add in some other data to make the decision as to truth/lie if you lack a polygraph (which, as Stephen illustrates, is nowhere near foolproof, explaining why they aren't proof per se in courts of law.)  Lots of food for thought there on how to make your characters succeed at duping the machine.

Things about body language are fascinating to use.  They also make a writer sound really smart, and hence their characters seem smart.  But you don't always get it right; there are myriad reasons why a person may be nervous or their answers seem like lies.  Perhaps they are lying but the lie isn't what you think it is.  Or perhaps the lie is about the person with them, and not about you, the cop/investigator.  Maybe they don't want their friend/spouse/coworker with them to know something embarrassing or personal.  Maybe they want the cop who is questioning them to know what's going on but for some reason (say, they are protecting someone or have mixed feelings about revealing all) but they aren't going to do it right now.  There are a lot of scenarios that could explain a "lie" response.  As a writer, you need to show the cop being smart by considering a bit what the grey areas are, too...depending on the pov, of course!

Have fun with this.  There are a ton of sites with information on body language and related matters.  Google How To Tell A Lie if you don't believe me!

Cool site to look up slang

Thought you would like this site, the Online Slang Dictionary.  It's along the lines of Urban Dictionary, but is specifically for slang words and phrases and is not devolving into a free-for-all of definition add-ons from anyone and everyone like the Urban Dictionary has become IMO.

Sad news

Just found out a blog friend, Bevie James, has died.  Thank you to Fairyhedgehog for posting the information. 

Bevie had a difficult time in recent months, and his death adds one more blow to the family that loves him.  I extend my sympathies and prayers to his family, and hope that some good arrives in their lives soon.  They deserve some.

I first met Bevie via Evil Editor's blog.  We have corresponded irregularly and commented on each other's blogs (also irregularly) for the past year or two.  At Bevie's instigation, the League of Online Superheros was formed, and the gang there had some fun before most of us dropped the ball on our heroes.  But Bevie kept writing and blogging and producing no matter what was going on in his life.  He loved to write and to share his stories.  A lot of them were sad; but he told them well. 

We will miss you, Bevie! 

The 4-Act Structure

"Three Act structure is like saying that a meal consists of a starter, main course and dessert. Four Act structure is like saying there is a break in between the main course for a sip of wine."  Kal Bishop," Shoot the 3 Act Structure and the 4 Act Structure"

"Sadly, I think I resisted plotting because it feels suspiciously like Real Work. And in that, I don't think I'm alone." Betsy Dornbusch, from the March 10, 2010 post on her blog

I am by nature a seat-of-the-pantser, and, as Betsy Dornbusch mentions in a recent blog post, quoted above, I think it's more due to how plotting feels like real work than easier or better product production. 

Think of writing freestyle, seat of the pantsing, like a conversation among friends in a crowded bar.  Lots of gesturing, sloshing beer, glancing around at commenting about strangers, and checking out hotties--all the while everyone in the group is diving in and out of the conversation.  It's not in any shape or form communication designed to convey a thought or argument clearly and concisely.  It in no way resembles a formal lecture or presentation.  The two styles of speaking are as opposed in function and purpose as freeform writing is to plotted out writing.

Not to say that you can't write entire books either way.  But, being honest, I prefer the pantser style because I don't have to be disciplined when I get my ideas out.  Which is fine; I just have to admit when I've gotten the idea out and then I can determine the actual info that needs to be there.

Which brings me to the point, which is plotting out the story.  Alexandra Sokoloff has a zillion and one great articles on plot structure and means and ways of hammering out a functional plot.  But Betsy mentions a 4-Act structure, and I find I like that one a bit better. 

Here it is, kyped from The Scherer Joy of Writing Weblog.  It is set up for screenwriting, but ignore the sequence and minute notations except as a general idea as to what the page lengths would be:

Over the past five years I have read dozens of books on screenwriting, searched hundreds of Web pages for tips and techniques, and spent a lot of time just plain THINKING (another excuse not to write). I have looked at the three, four, and nine act structures. Sequencing methods (anywhere from 8 to 16). The Hero’s Journey. Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet, et-cetera, et-cetera, et-cetera.

What I have settled on, and what works for me, is a hybrid of the Four Act Structure and the Sequence Method. The template I use follows:

ACT I – The Loner  [NOTE: 10 minutes per section, e.g. 1/4 of the film]
Sequence #1 ( 01-10) Setup: Protagonist In The Ordinary World
Sequence #2 ( 11-20) Call to Adventure / Predicament / Inciting Incident
Sequence #3 (21-30) Turing Point: Change Of Plans / New Lower Obstacles

ACT II – The Wanderer [NOTE: 10 minutes per section, e.g. 1/4 of the film]
Sequence #4 ( 31-40) Elaborating on the Dilemma and The World of Story
Sequence #5 ( 41-50) Hero encounters TESTS, ALLIES, and ENEMIES.
Sequence #6 (51-60) Point Of No Return / Discovery Of False Goal

ACT III – Towards The True Goal: The Warrior Phase [NOTE: 10 minutes per section, e.g. 1/4 of the film]
Sequence #7 ( 61-70) Complications, Higher Stakes, And Subplots
Sequence #8 ( 71-80) Culmination Toward The Main Plot
Sequence #9 (81-90 ) All Hope Is Lost

ACT IV – Result Of The Action: The Martyr [NOTE: 5 minutes per section, 1/4 of the film]
Sequence #10 ( 91-95 ) Final Push Toward The Main Plot
Sequence #11 ( 96-100) False Resolution (The Twist)
Sequence #12 (101-105) Final Test of Character and True Resolution
Sequence #13 (106-110) Final Confrontation
Sequence #14 (111-115) Climax

This model isn't perfect for a novel writer, but I think that the breakdown is very helpful, better than what Ms. Sokoloff has in terms of how my mind works.  The biggest problem, as always for me, is determining where to have each section end and transition to the next.   In short, where a writer decides to place these plot elements is a bit of a choreography.  Rythm and pace and subplots and artistic considerations apply. 

Thinking about plotting, I honestly hate it.  But that's because I like freewriting with no discipline and no yanking myself back to the paved road of my plot.  It feels like work.  But, like anything else, it is still creativity.  I just need to allow myself to have fun by reframing the resentment at "real work" by thinking of it as a challenge.  Just like writing metered poetry, or poetry to a specific form.  I hate that, too, unless I think of it right.

Wikipedia has a great article on screenwriting that defines many of the terms tossed about re plot and screenwriting.  Another interesting dissection of plot  (the Matrix dissected) on Diane Preterfreund's blog is here.

And, as always, happy writing! 

Book News from blog friends

Some announcements re writer/blogger friends who have upcoming releases:

Molly Burkhart of the Letters To Charlie blog has The Care And Feeding Of A Male Prostitute coming out via Samhain Publishing tomorrow.  Details here.

The lovely Bernita Harris has the cover art for Dark & Disorderly, the first of hopefully many Lily St. Claire adventures.  Check it out here.  Book to be released as an ebook sometime next month. 

Others with upcoming releases:

Kiersten White's Paranormalcy (don't you just love that title?) will be releasing soon; and you can bid on a signed copy of an ARC of the book here.  Proceeds to benefit poor Nashville, still recovering from the massive flooding. It also has the coolest cover.

Betsy Dornbusch, writing under a pen name Ainsley, has Quencher out, also ebook format.  She's interviewed about the book in the February 28th 2010 issue of Electric Spec.

UPDATE:  I forgot to mention Charles Gramlich, man of much writing, who has some new stuff out recently--specifically Write With Fire, a how-to book on the art and craft of writing.  He is also working on Bitter Steel, a collection of short stories that he hopes will be out later in 2010.  I've read the first Talera book and Cold in the Light; both are excellent.  If you want to go cross-eyes, his entire bibliography is here.  (Charles, you are very prolific with the writing.  I have to wonder when you sleep!)

Some of this isn't particularly new; and some has been mentioned here on the blog previously.  But it's all good news and encouraging to those of us without book deals as of yet.  :)

Magic realism

William Hammett has a nice article on Magical Realism on his web site, which is very interesting.

I posted on the topic a while back here.  Magic or Magical Realism is one of those hair splitting endeavors that I cannot figure out, like 'slipstream.'  Both are vague and I think a bit pretentious.  It's fantasy. Fantastic elements make it fantasy.  If someone could point me to something that really makes it clear for me other than saying 'anything by Charles deLint' I'd be very grateful, though.

I like what Billy has to say.  I'm just a bit old school in my preferences, I guess.  I don't like it when you have to be so nice in your book category definition that it is/isn't sf or fantasy because of an almost arbitrary (and definitely subjective) mental weighing of various opposing factors in order to label it correctly.  I really prefer my definition:  Anything with a fantastic element in it is fantasy; anything with a science-based element in it that is possible or could be possible is sf.  And speculative fiction, my favorite label, encompasses anything at all that falls into either camp.  It includes horror, as well.

The Hitchhiker on my way to work.

Okay, she's hoping for handouts. Cute, though.

"...this entire tangle calls for a major creative effort to make the American legal system, which is based largely on individual and property rights, somehow accommodate the communal, nature- and place-based belief systems of many Native (and other) people. It is interesting that Christians are beginning to invent something called Creation Theology, which sounds a lot like what goes on at Bear Butte.  [Bear Butte is a place sacred to Native Americans.]...It is possible, however, that the ecological havoc in store for us from global warming will push the law in this new direction, as private and public property vanishes under the encroaching waves and ownership of all sorts of resources is rendered moot."   From "Sacred Ground" Native People's magazine online

I was looking up various things that struck my fancy and ran across Native Peoples magazine's site, which has both online and print editions.  There are many articles about current causes, events, and other related things, and I highly recommend it if you want to keep apprised of ecological issues, as many of the proposed environment-raping actions are being fought by native peoples. 

The other things I found interesting in the "Sacred Ground" article were in the above quote. 

Firstly, the interesting way of looking at so-called creation science where the writer saw a legitimate and realistic assessment of how the world works/was created in the concept.  This with no separation between science 'fact'-- because in scientific processes, there is no such thing as fact, there is only theory, e.g. what has yet to be disproven-- and religious explanations for how the world was made.

The native writer was apparently seeing in creation science a parallel vision to how native peoples see the world; and that what Western science quantifies/ describes with the rules of science is either not the important thing, or it is another aspect that is disregarded by mainstream Western science.  (I rather feel the writer was thinking that the scientific method is more like the dissection of a dead body to define life versus the examination and treatment of a living being by a doctor.  But I tend to disagree with the statement in that creation science is highly flawed and is attempting to use an inappropriate framework to define itself, one that actually takes away from the beauty of religion; and that while the comparison with native religious belief that the land is a living entity has some similarities, it is a strange and incorrect correlation to make a comparison between creation science and native belief systems.  Between religious elements, yes; but not between a pesudo science and a religion.  I suppose if you are looking at shamanic practices as science...but it seems to be off the mark.  (But that's me, and that's a discussion for another forum. :)

The point being that the article illustrates an interesting perspective that would make a fascinating jumping off point for character building.

Secondly, I really like the mention of what Global Warming might do to change property ownership and rights in the future.  You can take all sorts of directions with that.  If a Native American model was adapted, dictating that the world's resources were not owned, but were to be respected and used sustainably without damage to the environment... that would be interesting, especially if you had a hard-line standard where people made do or they did without, even and unto death by starvation, lack of water, or poor shelter. 

I believe it was Charles DeLindt in Svaha that had the Hopi or Navajo nations (forgive me, it's been years since I last read this book) being the leaders of technology and sustainable high tech in a quasi-post-apocalyptic world.  And Karen Travis had that hardline do or die attitude in the culture of her aliens in the Wess'har series, with hard-line aliens who believe all life is sacred--unless you are threatening other life yourself.  In which case, they will act on behalf of the helpless life you are trouncing, be it the things you kill to eat the meat of, or the raping of the environment.

So the latter idea has been used somewhat; yet it's an intriguing way of looking at the future, and it could be used many more times, whether in an upbeat tale or a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk tale of tech gone wrong and the morass that Western culture has fallen into.  You could make it from teh point of view of a native person, or from an African tribal person, or any number of folk from 3rd world or oppressed cultural groups.  [I've taken that tack somewhat in a world I'm building.]

Interesting stuff. 

 

Opportunities for novel length fiction

A couple of imprints that are newish.  Luna Press, a division of eHarlequin, which has published some of my favorite authors in the urban fantasy and fantasy genres--Laura Ann Gillman, C.E. Murphy, and Michelle Sagara.  Submission guidelines and info here.  They've been around for several years now primarily publishing trade paperbacks. 

And then there's Carina Press, who are debuting our very own Ms. Bernita Harris with her upcoming novel this summer.  They are primarily an epublisher at this point; but I'm given to understand they plan to branch out into print in the near-ish future.  Submission guidelines and info here.  

Both of these appear to be primarily focused on romance, but accept novels with the primary focus on the genre.  I suspect an underlying romantic element or sexual tension subplot will be invaluable in selling to either.  (In particular I say this for Luna, having read a number of their publications.)

Happy writing and submitting!

Avoid unneeded explanation

Adam Heine has an excellent post on the subject here.

May is Zombie Awareness Month

Thanks to Laughingwolf for the heads-up on this one!

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zombie awareness month...

 

ZOMBIE RESEARCH SOCIETY®

zombieresearch.org/

ZOMBIE AWARENESS MONTH (TM)

May is Zombie Awareness Month.

 

Many films important to the evolution of the modern zombie are set in the month of May, from the original Night of the Living Dead, 1968, to the well received Dawn of The Dead remake of 2004.

Also, because Spring naturally brings with it a sense of renewal and hopefulness, May is the perfect month to emphasize continued vigilance in the face of the coming zombie pandemic.

Gray Ribbon

Supporters of Zombie Awareness Month wear a gray ribbon to signify the undead shadows that lurk behind our modern light of day.  From 01 May through 31 May, concerned citizens take this small step to acknowledge the coming danger.

Order your Zombie Awareness Month gray ribbon button HERE! 

Why Not October?

Despite common misconceptions, zombies - and the threat they represent - are not connected with the late October pagan tradition of Halloween.

Witches, gouls, vampires, all Halloween staples, are otherworldly creatures of old, [filling us] with mysticism and superstion.

Zombies, on the other hand, are biological entities, previously made of flesh and blood, and functioning under the same laws of science and reason all worldly beings must.

Home

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4k5XftdTMs

What to do with dog hair?

A friend just sent me this.

I just found this great site:  www.matteroftrust.org You can see details at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQOD_Ir2vQ You can send dog or human hair to them and they make it into material to soak up oil spills !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What better way to get rid of all that excess dog hair.

And on a more blathery note, sorry I haven't been posting much lately.  I think I've hit the usual Summer doldrums a bit early.  Considering how much I've posted over the years, though, I guess I've not been doing so badly.  Of course, the fact that I haven't been reading/commenting on blogs has lowered my blog visits and comments on what posts I do have.  Sometimes, you have to wonder if you aren't that interesting, you have a narrower field where people are interested, or you have been forgotten.  I'm not worried/bothered; but I do get curious why people do/don't comment/visit.  [Gee, this is starting to look sort of like a legal form...]

*OMG WTF BBQ!

In case you haven't noticed, I have a thing for amusing tee shirts.  Saw one on a friend today that had a cool graphic and the caption, "vegetables are not food, they are the food food eats."  I'm still looking for that one, but I did find a ton of amusing BBQ-related shirts. 

And, in light of the fact that it was 84 in my neck of the woods yesterday (bizzarely early, but we aren't complaining--except about the bugs, which we will always complain about!) I bring you this site, where you can look for your own bizarre and amusing shirts. 

*OMGWTFBBQ is a bit of leet-speak, defined by wiktionary here.