Facing My Fear

Despite my reservations at the latest Blog Chain post, I found I had a lot to think about.  One thing I've always tried to teach my sons is to not allow fear to paralyze them from doing anything.  And here I am being hypocritical about my own fear.  Specifically, my fear of putting my work out there (my real work, not the off-the-cuff stuff I toss up on this blog).

After all the advice in the comments (which I'm very thankful for everyone) from the last post, I gave it some serious thought.  I can't say I'm not afraid to take the plunge, but I need to get off the bench so-to-speak and get in the game.  I'm writing my stuff, but I do believe I'm at the point where an outside perspective can help me out.  So begins my search for some crit partners.

Goodbye fear.  I'm done listening to you.

Anyone else overcoming their fears lately?

Riding Is Like Writing...And Visa Versa

Yesterday I joined a memorial ride for the flight crews whose lives were taken on 9/11.  It was a 100 mile ride with no stops.  I rode through rain, over slick roads, surrounded by 150-200 bikers who have ridden all their lives.  In the end, we returned to the Colorado National Speedway where the day had begun, only to ride right on the track, do a few laps, and be part of the memorial ceremony.  The experience was a unique first for me, and though I was sore at the end of the day (and still am a little), I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

There were a few firsts that happened for me yesterday though.  For one, riding with so many experienced bikers was challenging since I often rode side by side with them rather than in a staggered formation like I'm used to.  We also hit a decent amount of rain and wet pavement, which is something I usually avoid.  I got to experience my first time taking mountain curves on wet roads.  This is also the first time I've taken my youngest son (who did awesome) with me for such a long ride.

As we were riding home (after a small break to let my sore butt recover), it occurred to me that the entire day was a close mirror image of what being a writer is.  I am surrounded by truly experienced writers, people whose talent astounds me and drives me to be that good.  We all are working towards that 100 mile goal, writing along slick roads and curves we can't always see beyond.  There are moments of stress, there are energetic moments when we get to look around at what we're doing, and we know the journey is worth all the trouble when we get to the end.  And we will do it again and again, no matter how difficult things get.  We even bring our family members along for the ride as they support what we're doing.

I know it will be a little bit before I climb on the bike to take that kind of ride again (after all, I'm getting too old to do this kind of thing every day LOL), but I do know I will choose to do something like it sometime in the future.  I also know I will continue to work at my writing, climbing aboard for the ride as often as I can.  And with both endeavors, there's a goal to be reached that I will achieve.

What about the rest of you?  Have you made this kind of comparison to the writing you work at so diligently (or visa versa)?

Tidal Wave Of Inspiration

Although this isn't the official video for the song, I like it.  The song is Tidal Wave by Owl City, and it's just one of those songs that hits a nerve with me (in a good way).  The last verse particularly echoes a lot of what I think goes through our minds as we writers struggle against doubt and fear.

After yesterday's soapbox post, I thought it appropriate to put up something that hopefully will raise everyone's inspiration level and help you knock that doubt to the floor.  Owl City is a band that I listen to often when I'm writing, because it's very soothing to the soul.  That allows me to concentrate on the words rather than listen to that inner voice telling me what I can't do.

If you haven't heard of the band before, I'd advise you to check them out.  While some of their lyrics are a little...odd...the music is very melodic and can be helpful when you need that type of atmosphere.  The other song you absolutely have to listen to is Saltwater Cave.  Owl City is awesome in it, but the performance of Breanne Duren on the song is what makes it so spectacular.  She has such a distinct quality to her voice, incomparable to anyone else.

I wish everyone a nice weekend, but before you go, what do you listen to while you're writing?

Learning How Much I Get Wrong While Editing

I don't know about you, but when I edit something I haven't touched for a while, I find instances where I obviously checked out my brain for a while and just let my fingers continue to type.  And the longer it's been since I touched a story, the more chance there is that I'll doubt whether I was really sane while I wrote it.

Take my current endeavor for example.  I'm tightening up my manuscript to hand over to Davin for the critique I won.  I started out just working on the end because it wasn't really as good as I wanted it to be.  But as I started reading through the story, I found huge errors.  Like when I realized I'd had my main character being aware of things (aka more omniscient) than he should be.  I was explaining the story via the character's internal mental dialogue rather than letting him learn things in a more natural way.  Yeah, not a great way to showcase my writing ability.

So now I'm overly aware of this trait and I'm finding I did this more often than I thought.  Wow, what a newbie mistake.  On the good side, I'm catching these things where I might not have before.  So I guess I can say I'm getting better at correcting myself, even if I haven't yet learned not to make these errors while I craft the initial story.  Baby steps they may be, but at least it's a form of progress.

What big mistakes do you see as you go back to edit your work?

An Inconvenient Story

 Imagine Achilles as a child growing up.  The story we all know portrays him as an invincible warrior, but lets play what if.    There is no child I know of that doesn't trip and fall while running.  That chance of falling is doubled when running backwards.  So here is the awesome Achilles backpedaling, he trips over a rough stone (hitting his heel no less), and suddenly we have a huge crybaby who has never felt real pain before this day.  Imagine how different his life would have been after that moment.  Here's a snippet of conversation from his classmates:


"Don't pick anyone before Achilles gets here.   He's the best in the school with a spear."


"Why, so we can watch him bawl if he trips over his own feet?  That wimp isn't as tough as everyone thought.  Hell, I could beat him up with one good sweep.  Let his Mama wipe his tears again while we all laugh."


And so Achilles is picked last for spear tossing, permanently altering his life path.  Imagine how hard it must have been for his Mom to discipline Achilles.  It's not like she could spank him, since he wouldn't really feel it.  I can see her going  back to the river to dip her hand in, just so she could smack his butt when he got out of hand.

Where I'm going with this is the idea of convenience.  The myths ignore all these possibilities because it's more convenient to say he was perfect (except for an understandably over-inflated ego) and didn't have to deal with these types of trivial things.  He had the convenience of an easy upbringing where damage to his heel (and therefore his life possibly) was never an issue.

To tie this in with my own writing, I have an issue in a WiP.  In the beginning of story my MC runs into a pretty girl working in a coffee shop.  When I first wrote it, she was intended to be a way to further illustrate how my MC deals with the opposite sex rather than being an important character.  But when I had multiple people critique it, they unanimously expressed the idea that these two should be involved more in some way.  After giving it some thought, I have come to agree with them.  My problem is how to make that happen.

After briefly meeting her, my MC spends his last bit of money on two bus rides across town.  The rest of the story (so far anyway) takes place on that side of town.  In order to have these two meet up, I would have to conveniently allow them to see each other again.  I haven't really come up with a good way to make this happen, but I'm hoping it will come to me soon.

Convenience in a story is irritating.  I dislike it in writing, and I especially dislike it in movies.  I'm trying to learn how to write things more smoothly so that I avoid this type of thing, but I can't say I've mastered it yet.  I've ranted on this long enough, but I'll put the question out there for anyone that has any good ideas.   How do you avoid convenience in your writing?

Have a nice weekend everyone.

A Schedule? Are You Crazy?

In an interesting twist of events, I've hooked up with a Graduation Specialist Mentor at my school (Western Governors University, for those who don't know - Woohoo WGU).  Graduation Specialist Mentors are there to help us students keep pushing ahead on our classes and succeed each semester.   This guy is great because he's working with me on improving my other skills.  What I mean by that are things like organization, keeping a scheduled calendar, dealing with procrastination, study skills, setting goals, etc.  And because I'm a big believer in self-improvement, I'm attempting to embrace this new ideology with open arms.

Okay, brace yourself.  Those of you who have known me for a while will probably fall off your chairs.  Monday night I actually did sit down and create a scheduled calendar.  My wife had to help me, but I mapped out how many hours I spend studying, when I cook dinner (yes, I cook), when I spend time with the family, and...wait for it...when I get to write/blog.  I even have a few open areas (not large ones) that allow me some flexibility in case I have to work late, or need a little more study time, or need some quality hubby-wife time (so I stay in her good graces too).

I do admit that it's been difficult adjusting, but the one thing that has made it easier is that I get reminders on my cell phone for each "appointment".  And I carry my cell phone with me everywhere because of work.  Being reminded of when I have to do these things has helped alot.

The reason I am able to put up a post tonight in fact is due to one of those flexible areas.  I just got done reading the chapters I needed to finish and I have a couple minutes before heading upstairs to bed.

Yesterday I did not get to do any of my scheduled tasks however, since I was at work for 15 hours.  Yeah, I got there at 6 a.m. and didn't leave until 9:30 p.m.  It was truly rough, and not only was I really tired, I was actually disappointed because yesterday I had time set aside for writing.  But such is life.  On the good side, it looks like I'll be able to take Friday off, so maybe I can get in some writing time then (since all that time during the day is unscheduled.   Muhahahahahaha!

Anyway, I hope everyone else is finding time to write and though it's difficult, I highly encourage any of you who were like me (completely disorganized, not writing much, etc) to stop and evaluate whether you can change your spots.

Wow, maybe I'll even stop writing by the seat of my pants...
...Nah, I don't think so.  Let's not go overboard.

For those of you who are extremely organized, how do you manage your time?

Learning To See Writing As I'm Reading

I'm still somewhat leading an "unplugged" status, but I noticed something interesting over the weekend that I had to share.  My oldest son advised me quite some time ago to check out this Xbox game called Alan Wake.  Saturday morning I found myself up fairly early and though I should have been writing (I know), I decided to see what was so interesting.  Also, I was still coughing every few moments, and trying to maintain intelligent thought for writing just wasn't really possible anyway.  That's one thing I have to say I hate about colds.  I don't sleep well, I have medicine head all the time, and I feel like I'm surrounded by a plague cloud of germs.  Not one of my better moments, but I digress.

If you haven't played this game and are thinking about it, you may want to skip what I'm going to say.  Some of it includes spoilers of a sort.  You've been warned.

Alan Wake is a mystery/horror/action game told from a really interesting perspective.  Alan is a successful horror writer who hasn't been able to write for two years or so.  Everyone around him seems bent on getting him back in the saddle (from his agent to the woman he loves), and it just seems to really piss him off.  After storming out of the cabin they've rented, he stands around outside being mad.  Screams from his lady however, compel him to run back to the cabin and see what's going on.  Then the world slips sideways a bit.

He loses a week of time and is suddenly being attacked by what appears to be smoky creations from his own (not yet written) book.  The world around him is a dark night, and only the power of lights (i.e. flashlights, streetlights, any light) seem to banish these things.

The interesting thing is how well the story is told.  It unfolds almost like a television episode, narrated in past tense by Alan himself.  As you wander through, there are references to Stephen King and The Shining (among others).  You can also pick up pages of his future book and read them.  Here's where it got really interesting for me.  I found myself reading the words and noticing things I would have done differently (such as the use of adverbs, telling instead of showing, etc).  There weren't a lot, mind you.  But I laughed at myself because it was so cool just being aware of the writing, even while I was caught up in the story.

I didn't play very long, but sometime when I have more time (and have already done my homework, my daily writing, and don't have to work LOL) I'd like to continue it to see where the story goes.

Then last night I found myself in another similar situation.  I picked up Across The Universe sitting on my nightstand and I began reading it again, this time really taking a look at how Beth did such a marvelous job with the writing.  How did she get the characters to be so vivid?  What about all this background and cultural information?  How did she include it without it being overbearing?  It was really fun re-immersing myself in the story again, but with different eyes.  Someday maybe I'll be able to just see it automatically as I read, but I'm not sure.  Is that possible?

I'd love to hear from you more experienced authors.  Do you see the writing as you read or do you have to multiple read-throughs?

Thursday Thoughts - Who Changed The Matrix?

I had a really odd moment of deja vu this morning.  I was dreaming about something, and then I woke up like usual, chatted sleepily to the wife, and turned off the alarm.  Then I REALLY woke up, sat up in bed, and noticed I had to turn off the alarm.  It was a very disorienting feeling, and only a longer warm shower was able to shake me out of it.

For those who don't know the reference to The Matrix (I imagine there's gotta be somebody who has never seen the movie), the idea is that we're not really living in the reality we perceive.  In The Matrix, we're actually being controlled by machines and the reality we perceive is nothing more than a intense computer-generated world piped directly into our minds.  The moments of deja vu however, occur when someone changes the Matrix.  For example, the masters of the Matrix realize that one of their captured subjects is becoming aware of their prison and they alter something to push that individual back in line, so to speak.  Like shaking off that feeling of a sixth sense telling you something is wrong with the world.

Don't worry, I'm not under the illusion (or delusion, depending on how you look at it) that our reality is nothing more than a fabricated computer fantasy.  But when you think about that type of scenario, it really takes your mind down the rabbit hole.  After all, if we were all really just asleep and the whole world was nothing but a dream, how would we know?  If we've grown up with this reality as our framework, how would we be able to recognize any other type of reality?  Or even imagine it in any sort of a concrete and believable manner?

To tie this in to writing and characters, this is a great opportunity for characterization.  Destroying a character's reality (i.e. making them aware of the Matrix) is a great way to really get to know who and what they are.  Take a sheltered princess who has never been allowed to know about any world outside of her palace (or even know that it exists), and toss her out into the real (and possibly savage) world.  She will either crumple into a pile or quickly learn how to survive.  And in learning how to survive, we get to see how she grows and changes.  She can then become a more complete character.

When was the last time you destroyed a character's reality?  Did their process of coping make it easier for you to flesh them out?

Back In The Saddle Again

I've been bucked off this horse more times than I can count at this point, but I don't care.  Much like a huge Texan fighting the evils of leafy green veggies, I refuse to give in.  I have successful passed my Cyberlaw class (happy dance, happy dance), and I have two blissful weeks of no homework before I launch into learning how to become a certified ethical hacker (there's something wrong with the idea of an ethical hacker, but anyway).

This means I have an opportunity to get back on the horse, get used to writing every day again, and somehow keep it up even after my class starts.  And I'm going to do it.  I may not have been able to do NaNo, but I CAN do this.

The next question is what will I work on.  I have an almost complete apocalyptic story (first draft anyway) that needs direction on the ending.  I also have my short story about a young man and the Fates.  I'm actually in the revision stage for this one.  And of course, I have a few other temporarily abandoned  stories that need my attention.  Plus I got a gem of an idea this morning while I was driving to work; the idea is a comical view into the life of this guy (so far unnamed) who would like to be more of a villain (with all the associated acclaim, cool factor, etc) but his attempts actually result in helping people rather than hurting them.

During my recent workshop fun with Jamie Ford, he stated quite emphatically that there really isn't a huge market for short stories these days.  While he could be wrong, it got me to thinking about my short story and the comments I got when it was critiqued during my short story class.  I think there is more to this young man and the Fates' effect on his life, so I may see about expanding the story into a full-blown novel.

And there we have it.  I may have been absent alot lately, but I'm a work in progress - just like the novels I'm writing.  Time to slap on the spurs once more and get back in the saddle again.

How is your writing going?  If you're doing NaNo, are you on track?  If you're not doing NaNo, are you trying to write every day too?

Meeting New Authors...Through Their Works Anyway

     If you've read through the awesome answers by my fellow blog chainers (and the chain is not quite finished either, so stay tuned), you may notice something.  While some of us picked some higher profile authors (i.e. Poe, King, etc), some of the comments I've gotten indicate authors I've never heard of before.  And I can imagine that the rest of the chain will probably include more authors I'm not aware of.

     I have to hand it to Michelle, because she managed to come up with a question that has re-invigorated our chain with unique perspectives (not to take anything away from previous entries, of course).  I'm always interested in reading new authors, if for nothing else than to experience literature from a different perspective.  I've not been educated on the classics that so many of my fellow writers seem to be aware of, and sometimes I feel like I'm falling behind on my knowledge of excellent books and writers; there's just too many good ones out there.

     A fellow blogger friend of mine (and I'm proud to call him a friend) by the name of Matt Conlon has recently started writing non-fiction articles, and although I've been chatting with Matt for a while, I hadn't had the opportunity to actually read his stuff before.  After reading his articles, I was struck by the skill he displays and I'm sure his fiction writing is just as enjoyable.

     Then there's the awesome Alex Cavanaugh, whose debut book CassaStar just recently became available (I haven't picked up my copy yet, mostly because I'm hoping to win one).  I'm really looking forward to reading this, particularly because Alex shared a tidbit with us early on and I've been anxious to read more ever since.

     And of course there's the awesome book I read recently called Cinders, by the incredibly talented Michelle Argyle.  Michelle is part of the trio known as The Literary Lab, and Cinders is her foray into the world of self publishing.  Based upon my own copy, I'd say not only is the writing superb but the book itself is beautiful.

So what's my point (other than putting up a link-filled post and bragging about books I've read or am going to read)?  I guess my point is that meeting new authors (through their works) is something I enjoy, and I just had to share them all with you.

What new authors have you read lately?  Which ones do you highly recommend?

Fiction Writing Vs. Non-Fiction Writing

I'm currently embroiled in writing essays for my Cyberlaw class and I realized something about myself, so I thought I'd pause for a moment to blog about it.

As my fellow (and very talented) writer Christine can attest - everyone stop by and give her three cheers for the publication of her latest non-fiction book Emotional Intensity In Gifted Children - writing non-fiction is very challenging in its own way.  Or maybe she's a whiz at it and I'm just the one having difficulty.  It could very well be the latter.

In any event, I have been working on an essay regarding the Internet, applying law to it, and the inherent issues around concepts like trademarks and privacy.  It's difficult for me, but the reasons for the difficulties are both similar and dissimilar to my fiction writing.

The first - and most obvious - thing I notice is that I am terrible at agonizing over the right word.  No matter if I'm writing a thrilling tale about two lost teenagers in the mountains or if I'm writing a fact-based essay on the impact of jurisdiction on Internet laws, I stare at the blank screen deciding how to say what I want to say.  You'd think it'd be easier in an opinion paper, but since this is for a grade and I want to sound at least halfway competent, I choose my words carefully.  Then I backspace over a sentence here, a word there.

No, that's not exactly what I mean to say.  Delete.  Delete. Delete.  Dang-it, I don't even have one paragraph written.  Okay, where was I?

Oh yeah, I don't organize my non-fiction writing any better than I do my fiction.  Yep, I'm a pantster here too.  I can here all of you cringing, but trust me.  No matter how sporadic and undisciplined it sounds, I managed to make it through an entire Bachelors degree being this way.  I suppose I should have learned, but trying to organize a plan for an essay makes me cringe even worse than deleting the wrongly-chosen words.

Delete.  Delete.  Delete.  I suppose this is good practice for editing and revising.  Yeah, that's it.

Where these two styles are different however, is how the flow of the words happens.  With fiction, I can write and write and not worry one bit about how credible I sound (first draft, anyway).  One thing I cannot do with non-fiction however, is type something I know (or even suspect) to be incorrect.  It bugs me worse than a pianist playing an off-key note.  Or a book with dog-eared corners on the pages.   Grrrrrr.

Delete.  Delete.  Delete.  Is this getting old yet?  Heh heh.

It's interesting how many differences and similarities there are in these two distinctly different styles of writing.  Fiction is by far more enjoyable to work on IMHO, but I do agree with the necessity to be proficient in non-fiction as well.  The more capable we are in expressing ourselves in the latter, the better we'll be in the former.  Okay, that's enough distraction from homework.

How about you?  Do you find non-fiction enjoyable?  Do you approach it the same way you do fiction?

Great Blogging Experiment - Writing Compelling Characters

I know it's Friday and that usually involves nonsensical fun, but Elana Johnson has inadvertently interrupted the schedule with...

...The GREAT BLOGGING EXPERIMENT!

It's not too bad though, because while we won't be laughing at insane cats (okay, I couldn't resist the picture) or watching cool book trailers, we will be discussing cool writerly things.

So what is the Great Blogging Experiment?  Basically there are a ton of bloggers who are putting up posts about a particular topic, and the interesting aspect of this is seeing how everyone addresses the same idea.  To paraphrase what Elana's already said, it's probable that all these posts will be different because all the bloggers are different.

The question posed is this:

How do we write compelling characters?


While there are general similarities I think everyone could agree on, there is an aspect of this that depends on the writer.  What is compelling for one person may not be for another.  For example, I enjoy everyman characters that find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.  I like initially unremarkable individuals that become (or reveal themselves to be) quite remarkable as the story progresses.  When I choose a main character (or they choose me, to be honest), more often than not these are the types of characters that appeal.


What I have at that point however, is a vision of the character in my head.  The character is compelling to me, and it's my job as a writer to bring this character to life such that everyone else finds them compelling as well.  How can I do this?


The first (and most important) thing to do is write the character as honestly as possible.  When we're describing a good friend to an outsider, it's human nature to leave off the traits that others might find less than appealing.  We sometimes paint a picture colored with a rosy shade rather than a vision of stark reality.  In our writing however, we must earn the trust of the reader by keeping the writing honest and real.  Our characters therefore, must be three dimensional and we have to expose their bad traits as well as the good.  It is this practice that allows the reader to trust that everything we tell them will be honest, real, and worth reading.  As they get to see the character through our eyes, the same facets that make them compelling to us as the writer will make them just as compelling to the reader.


The second thing is to give this character something to be involved in.  A story about someone who sits in their living room watching soap operas all day (even if written honestly) will not be all that compelling.  Our readers want to see something happen.  Take that character out and let them walk through the world, experiencing things, solving problems, discovering life.  Whatever the story is, the character needs to be actively involved.  They need to be an integral part of what is going on, even if it's a scene where they are not present.


The third thing to do is to change this character.


Say what?  Did he just say what I thought he said?  I just created this honest, real character, dragged him out of the house, made him walk down the path, and now he wants me to change things around?


Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.  Your perfect three dimensional character needs to change over the life of the story.  Speaking as someone who has almost hit his 40th year, I can tell you that everyone changes.  Whether we realize it or not, whether we admit it or not, every person changes over time.  This ties into the first part regarding keeping things honest, but if you want your reader to buy into the fact that this is a real person (or alien, or kid, or vampire), you have to keep them real throughout.  This means they need to be changed by their experiences, impacted by decisions they make, affected by the world around them.


There are many more ways to make characters compelling (and I'm sure my fellow bloggers will highlight other things, go check each of them out), but these are the top three as far as I'm concerned.  What are your ideas on making characters compelling?  What else should I have mentioned?  The comment box is open.  And everyone go have some ice cream.  Consider it a celebration of Friday.

Watching A Revised Bit Of History...Completely Unaware

I was browsing through the DVDs at Walmart and saw a movie I had not seen for a long time.  The film is Where The Red Fern Grows and it is based upon an awesome book (of the same name) written by Wilson Rawls.  More often than not, movies made from books are terrible, but this particular one was exceedingly well done back in 1974.  Though I didn't recognize the images on the cover, I remembered enjoying it very much when I was young, so I picked it up right away.

As we gathered around the television - my wife and I relishing sharing this experience with our boys - my wife and I were confused because we didn't remember the people in the movie nor the images being displayed.  It was still an enjoyable movie however, so we chalked it up to fading memories from times long past.

After the movie was over (my wife wiping away a tear or two, no not me, I didn't cry.  I swear), I looked up the movie on IMDB and was surprised to find out the version we had just watched was a remake done in 2003 (as you can see in the two images here):

Now if it can be truly said that movies made from books are usually terrible, remakes of these types of movies are even worse.  I was pleasantly surprised however, to find that this remake was decently done, and neither of us had even noticed the difference until it was all over.

If you have never had the pleasure of reading this book (I will be heading to Amazon to find another copy right after this), you really need to pick it up.  And if you've not seen the film, I can honestly say either version does a decent job of portraying an excellent story.  The earlier one is probably the better of course, but the one created in 2003 wasn't bad at all.

What I enjoy most about movies like this is how well the author's voice resonates in this alternate medium.  Sure, there's an actor (Kris Kristofferson in the new version) speaking the lines, but the honesty and heart of the words speak louder than the person mouthing them.  I'll take a good book over a movie any day, but I can't ignore how movies like this seep into my bones and grab the writer within me.  It's similar to how the movie Stranger Than Fiction inspired me to pick up the virtual pen and become a writer again after years of absence.  Much like a good book will cause my soul to soar, movies like these have a similar effect.

Do you ever feel this way about certain movies or songs?  Do you seek them out from time to time as I seem to do?

Feeling a little better

Thanks everyone for hoping I would begin feeling better.  It must be helping because I actually am.  Or possibly it's because I'm nuking this damn thing with killer medicine.  I usually avoid taking any medicine at all, so when I do take any, it's pretty potent.

I'm a big fan of not taking medicine.  I'm a believer in the idea that our bodies have a great capacity for healing themselves.  Yeah, sometimes I have to suffer through a few aches and pains, but I do believe I'm healthier for it.  I don't take flu shots and the fact that they have to keep updating them for virus mutations tends to support my beliefs.  In fact, the worst case of sickness I ever had was after I got a flu shot once.  It might be coincidence, but I don't think so.

What does all this have to do with writing?  You know I always have to tie everything here into a writing post (since I haven't had any good writings of my own to share for a while).  As I ramble on here, I am thinking about beliefs.  I have pretty strong beliefs in general, and I tend to stick to them like glue.  What about the characters that I write?

I was going to say that all main characters need to have a belief system, but I deleted it.  That's not an accurate statement.  There are some characters that do have strong beliefs.  Their journey in the story might therefore involve figuring out how to fit in the larger world beyond themselves, given their belief systems.

Then there are characters who really aren't sure what they believe in.  These are actually my preference.  Their journey will most likely involve figuring out what to believe in and why.  This might not even be a conscious journey, but one they make without knowing it, until they find themselves changed at the end.

Do you think about the belief systems of your characters?  And how do you show that in your writing?

Thursday Thoughts - Sunrise, Sunset

If you've never seen or heard this song from the musical The Fiddler On The Roof, you've been missing out.



This video is from the film version, and the entire movie is easily comparable to any stage performance of this same story that I've ever seen.  In fact, The Fiddler On The Roof is one of best performed musicals on film ever IMHO.  Okay, stage performances have their own type of intensity, but this film is one that I regard just as highly.

If you listen to the words of this particular song however, you'll understand how I'm feeling lately.  No, I don't have any adult children getting married, but I do feel like the days, weeks, months, and years are flying by.  This is further emphasized by the fact that it's been a week since my last post and I hadn't even realized I'd let the time slip past.

I was thinking about this concept of time flowing past quickly, and I realized it would be great if I could continually capture that idea in my writing.  I don't mean that stories need to rush the reader along, but I think we can all agree that stalling the movement of a story is bad.  And since our lives generally keep moving along (whether we notice the passage of time or not), our stories should probably do the same thing.  This is not to say that there aren't moments in our writing where the pace should slow for a bit to savor a scene, but on the whole we need to keep things moving.

It's funny that we often try to create these worlds that are completely different from our own (especially those of us writing fantasy or sci-fi) and yet it's absolutely necessary that we include the same basic framework from our own realities.  I guess there actually are some universal truths, one of them being the unstoppable passage of time.

On that note, I'm going to get back to working on things.  But when was the last time you noticed the passage of time (either in your own life or your writing)?  And how do you deal with it?

Dungeons And Dragons - Character Traits

Before I jump into today's topic, there's a bit of housekeeping stuff I need to attend to.  Alex J. Cavanaugh is celebrating 200 followers and he's holding a contest for it.  I only recently started following Alex, but I'm a big fan.  Check out this trailer for his book CassaStar:



If that doesn't get you excited about the book, I don't know what will.  I'm seriously hyped to pick this one up.

The reason for today's title isn't to show off my geek card (though I do have one, in solid gold no less).  One of the blogs I follow had a post a while back that got me thinking about character traits.  I tried to remember who it was, but I honestly don't know (so if it's you, please accept my most humble apology for not giving credit where credit is due).

Now for the uninitiated, here's a quick glimpse into what DnD involves. The Gamemaster (GM) is a storyteller, and he tells how the player characters got where they are. Each player has a character they have created (on paper), and they are usually focused in a specific direction. For example, there may be a party composed of a warrior, a bard, a priest, a mage, and a monk. The player characters (all sitting around a table) then listen as the GM unfolds the story and they walk their characters through the GM's world, fighting, saving people, obtaining treasure, and making choices. This is an extremely simplified view of things, but hopefully you get the idea. If you're a DnD vet or just interested in learning more, my friend Matt Conlon has a great DnD blog you should check out.


Back when I was an avid DnD gamer, I was part of a group that had an extremely talented (GM).  He was very creative, and he would challenge us to make the characters we played more realistic.  So before one session, he wrote random character traits (faults, actually) on note cards and had us pick one.  They were things like drug addiction, alcoholic, uncontrollable temper, easily seduced by women, etc.  We were then expected to incorporate these traits in how we managed and played our character.  Some of the players didn't like the change, probably because they just wanted to go kill stuff and loot treasure holds.  Looking back though, this was one of the most fun sessions I experienced.
 
I believe my particular character got the fault of being an alcoholic.  This meant I had to make sure he always had alcohol on him and that he was always drinking.  It also meant minor to severe negatives during combat, depending on his level of inebriation.  It was a lot more difficult to play, but it made my character that much more real.  And it challenged me to literally step into his shoes for a bit.
 
I am in the process of fixing a short story, and the biggest thing I have to fix is characterization.  On my first draft, my characters were flat.  I was using amateurish tricks to liven them up, but I recognize now (thanks to my critique partners in the short story class) how flat they are.  Thankfully a friend has offered to help me out a bit, since some of the characters are mythological and I need more knowledge in that area.
 
Remembering that DnD session though, has put me in the right frame of mind for this.  One thing that does make a character more real is quirks, traits, or faults.  Now I'm not saying I'm going to randomly assign my character to be a drunk, but I am trying to once more step into someone else's shoes.  Is my character rich?  Are they poor?  How does that affect their psyche?  What about my mythological immortals?  How does living forever change their outlook, and what habits have they picked up?  All of these questions (and more) are running through my mind, and I'm hoping my previous DnD experience will help me answer them. 
 
In your writing, are you asking questions about your characters?  Do they have traits you haven't yet identified?  And how will you include hints of them without stalling the story?

Friday Food For Thought - Celebrating Authors, Stealin' Links and Bad Writing

Yep, you read that right.  I'm being a thief today.  That's because Michelle McLean has all the links I need to properly celebrate my new favorite author - Shaun Hutchinson.  Her post today is timely, because I just finished reading The Deathday Letter myself last night and I knew I had to talk about it today.  It's just that good.

If you haven't picked up a copy of this book, you're doing yourself a huge disservice.  Shaun captures the tone and character of a 16 year old boy effortlessly.  The book is funny, it's heartwarming, and it should appeal to just about anyone even though it's in the YA genre.  I just can't say enough about this incredible book.  Okay, I better stop here or Shaun's going to worry that I'll start stalking him (which I won't do Shaun, even if a trip to Florida does sound nice).  And here are all the stolen links, may you visit them all (sorry Michelle, heh heh).

The DeathDay Letter

Shaun's Site

Twitter page (yeah, I know I'm not twittering yet, but anyway)

Facebook page (yep, I'm not doing this either, but Shaun is)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Borders

Powell's Books

Simon & Schuster

Over at Holy Terrors, Michelle Scott linked to an award winning short story written by Kij Johnson.  Being the responsible writer-in-training that I am, I clicked over to read it.  Before you go there, understand that this story is not for the faint of heart.  Nor is it for anyone who is offended even a little bit by certain types of adult subject matter.  What I did learn from this story is what kind of story I know I would NEVER write.  It amazes me though that this thing was given awards.  This is a celebrated and published author, and yet this writing is (at least in my mind) a pile of unadulterated crap.  With lots of cuss words.  And kinky sex themes.  Hmmm, sounds like the crap Hollywood is putting out these days too.  A recurring theme maybe?

This made me stop and think about what stories are being published these days and what stories don't make the cut.  Is the publishing process really that subjective?  Does my writing need to be shocking in order to get awards?  God, I hope not.  I know I don't have it in me to write like that.  How do the rest of you feel about this (particularly for those of you brave enough to go read the story)?

Lastly, I started the story Butterfly's Curse and planned to continue it on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, my mind has imagined so many different ways for the story to go and I haven't decided yet which one is right.  Yes, I'm trying to do some rough plotting so I don't lose everyone.  Long story short, I'm working on the next section and should have it up next Wednesday.  For those of you who enjoyed the beginning, hang tight for me just a little longer.  I will do my best to make the wait worthwhile.

That's all I have for your Friday.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and make sure you go pick up The Deathday Letter.   That way you'll have an excuse for why the chores aren't getting done, because you'll be too wrapped up in Shaun's awesome story.

Story Ideas - Dreams And Nightmares

I woke this morning from a rather horrific nightmare.  It involved myself and my family, and it was so vivid that I couldn't shake the unnerving feelings for some time.  Being the writer that I am, I added it to the document I keep called "Story Ideas".  I figure if it creeped me out enough to leave me shaken long after I launched out of bed, I probably should write the story (but use somebody else's name and family, heh heh).

Ironically, I was sitting in the bathroom trying to shake off the intense feeling of dread from my dream and I had another idea.  What's funny is it starts out with a man in his bathroom at home.  Odd place to start perhaps, but it really does make sense.  I'll share it with anyone who wants to know what I'm thinking, but I'm just not going to post it here.  It's too good to waste on my blog, heh heh.  It deserves better than that.

This got me to thinking about dreams and nightmares.  I don't usually remember my dreams, so the times when I do are because the images were so vivid or affected myself and/or my family directly.  Dreams about my family are usually not the comforting type.  I find this odd too, because I'm very much a family man and love my family dearly.  I think the reason why though is because I consider myself the protector of my family and the dreams I have usually involve something that threatens them.

I do have other dreams though, bizarre things that leave me wondering "What the heck?"  Call it bad chicken the night before or whatever, but these can be great fodder for writing stories.  I didn't have the habit of writing things down until I started writing.  I would laugh at the absurdity of whatever I had dreamed and then let it slip away.  Nowadays however, I try to make sure I write down every insane dream or idea that pops into my head.  Because I don't usually write "normal" stories (i.e. I like the creepy or paranormal stuff), these opportunities are something I need to grab onto whenever they appear.

If you're interested in hearing what ideas I came up with, drop me a comment with an email address.  I love chatting story ideas with people (whether I'm telling mine or hearing others).   My question to you is whether you track your dreams and allow them to influence your story ideas?  Do you write them down right away or are you letting these opportunities pass you by?

The Little Things

Today is a moment for celebration.  Not for me, but for my oldest son.  After a few years of torture, he is getting his braces off this morning.  The poor boy has had to go without peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  As I said, torture.

It's funny that though he is definitely enjoying this moment, so am I.  This is one of those little moments in my family's life that I'll remember.  And these are the moments that make me smile big time.  With all the rest of the things on my shoulders, these little moments are what make it all worthwhile.

So what will this moment  mean for him?  Well, I imagine he will feel a bit more confident because he doesn't have the metal train tracks running over his teeth.  And when he looks in the mirror, he'll get to see just how his now perfectly straight teeth enhances things.  He's already a good looking boy, but hopefully he'll see a little more of it (since so many of us hate how we look as teenagers).  All-in-all, this is going to be really good for him.

To bring this discussion around to writing, it occurred to me this morning that little moments like this are what make my family real and recognizable.  As I relate this story to everyone, enough of you out there can relate to it and maybe chuckle a bit.  This is a perfect opportunity to realize that our characters need little things like this to make them more realistic as well.

Obviously we don't want to derail the main storyline or go off on a tangent, but I do believe we can use little things to help round out the characterization and make our characters more real.  For example, if our main character smiles as he watches his own children accomplishing something, it shows a warmth of heart.  It may include a very small scene (and hopefully it doesn't derail the action), but it can give a deeper glimpse into the lives of our characters.

I'm blanking on some better examples, so I'm going to toss the question out to all of you.  What little things can you think of that enhance your character without detracting from the story?  Am I off here or is this a valid thing to think about as we write?

Feeling a little...uncertain

I apologize for the long gap between posts. I guess I'm just feeling a little...uncertain.

My last post was really fun. And judging from the comments, it was well received. The problem is that when I sit down to do it again - you know, catch that same electricity - it just isn't happening. I really like when something comes out halfway decent, but man do I hate the seemingly vast periods when things are just rough.

Anyway, this is a short post. I will do my best to get over this ugly feeling I have about my writing, so bear with me. I'll do a longer post tomorrow. I have some comments to share about Galen Kindley's book Hearts Of The Morning Calm and coming soon I may even have an interview with the author.

Thanks everybody.