Tag: Not Fiction

Making the count…

So, almost every day since early January, I’ve been posting Facebook status first thing in the morning. Since getting my new office job, I’ve been waking up first thing in the morning, writing and posting my word count.

Usually, I shoot for around 400 words or so. I do my best to stay positive about it, even on days when I don’t make my goal. I do my best to try and write a coherent story, working on one project. Some days I can only manage an out of place scene or a character sketch. More often, I make a continuation of the same story from the day before. Either way, I feel that having that time first thing in the morning is important for my mental health and my creativity.

But why post it on Facebook? What does a daily number mean in an endless stream of updates, photos, links and humble bragging (myself included)? I don’t use it to track my total word count or judge the quality of my work. So why do it?

One of the most important things when writing is accountability. It’s easy for me to say I’m gonna sleep in for the morning and skip my day, but people notice now. I once had my mother text me when I didn’t post a word count to make sure I was still alive (her words).

As I’ve been doing this, I’ve been seeing the same likes and comments and realized that I have a personal community that is supportive and encouraging. And, in an endeavor that’s primarily done in solitude, it’s a good feeling to have visual confirmation that friends and family are supporting you.

So, whether you have a Facebook or Twitter, I encourage you to celebrate your small victories. Cause working alone is hard, but the beauty of social media is having people to celebrate small victories with you. And those build up pretty quick into bigger victories!

Terry Pratchett, An Author’s Legacy and The Steamroller

Recently, fantasy fans around the world cried out in agony as Terry Pratchett’s hard drive (containing 10 unfinished novels) was destroyed as per his will. As was his wish, the hard drive was crushed by a steamroller and, honestly, I can think of no better send off. But reading the news got me thinking about other authors and what it means for a work in progress when it’s creator, for whatever reason, ceases to be able to work on it. Is death really the end for an author?

Despite his death in 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien’s works are still published regularly with revivals of legends of Middle Earth or companion guides to his world. Easily the most recognizable name in fantasy today, Tolkien’s impact on the realm of fantasy cannot go unnoticed, his stories still fresh and new 44 years after he died. His world and words live on by those who tell his stories and build upon them either on the page or the big screen. The Children of Hurin or The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, for example, were both published within the last ten years, drawing on the influences from the legends in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.

Douglas Adams, on the other hand, was continued with the best intentions. However, And Another Thing… didn’t quite have the same feel as the previous iterations as the rest of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series did. It was written with the best intentions to honor Adams and his legacy, but it fell flat, in my opinion. It’s a nice, neat continuation of the world of Douglas Adams, but it failed to have that same charm that I had grown to love while reading the books.

I feel that an author’s world doesn’t have to continue after their death. But the unfinished worlds, defined only by the author’s own imagination and intent, should be left. I respect and agree with Mr. Pratchett’s final wish, though I am sad to know we will never read them. But if that’s the end of his unfinished novels, I can think of no end more fitting than what he asked.

The Art of the Start

One of the parts I struggle with when writing is how to begin. Whether it’s the first line of a book, a chapter or a paragraph, it’s your first opportunity to reel in the reader and it doesn’t last long. Some writers are very specific about the details and ideas in their work before they ever sit to set pen to paper. I am much more of an organic writer, or a Gardening Writer accord to George R.R. Martin (though, in fairness, I’m also a writer who enjoys a bit of gardening). The problem with this is sometimes in the beginning. Personally, I have a few methods of going about my writing process in terms of where I want to story to begin. So, here are a few suggestions for those of you who don’t know where to begin your story.

  1. An Event- “It was autumn when the murders started.”
    Kicking right off into the action is especially helpful if you have a high octane thriller or a mystery on your hands! Why wait to jump right into the action if that’s what you know is going to be your point of focus? It doesn’t have to be something driven by action either. A festival at an old market, a coronation of the new king, the launch of a space ship or the grand opening of a new power plant. Events can be a good opportunity to show the setting in action. Not just as a backdrop, but as a living thing.
  2. A Character- “Agatha was the last witch that Jennifer wanted as her tutor.”
    Let’s be honest, characters are the heart of the story. Whether your character is smart, sassy, sarcastic or solemn, you enjoy writing their dialogue, asking yourself what they would do next as their character. Even starting with some snappy dialogue between two characters is a good way to establish a quick report with the reader before they even know these characters very well. Let your characters do the work for you.
  3. A Description- “The torchlight burned slowly, casting elongated shadows against the walls.”
    Not always my favorite (and probably not a whole chapter’s worth of material), but sometimes the situation calls for it. If you want your plot to be gradually increased over time, a description as your start can be helpful to set the scene. If your world is complex and unfamiliar to most readers, having this can be a good moment to establish a few “ground rules” for a fantasy or alien world. Use this sparingly though and try to combine it with introducing a character. Readers want action, even if that action is something as simple as a man preparing a cup of coffee. Or a murder. Whichever fits your story best.

What’s your favorite opening line? Dickens? Melville? Rowling? Leave your favorite one below!

The Naming of Things

(No, this is not a Patrick Rothfuss post)

Names are one of the most interesting tools at a writer’s disposal. Whether it’s a character, a place or an all-powerful item, Names are the first impressions that we give readers, whether we mean to or not. Sometimes, a name carries a certain weight to it for one person that it might not have as much effect on another.

Characters:
There are two people who own more than one baby name book: Expectant Couples and Writers. And even then, the writers probably have more.
I have four baby name books in my collection that I refer to when I need a new name. I find they often have good descriptions to give it context. I always try to think about my characters: who they are, their heritage, what their nickname preferences would be. I also think about the connotation that may come with the name (usually a quick google search will list any problems at first glance).
Another interesting thing I’ve seen done is using nouns as names. A perfect example would be Sodapop from The Outsiders. In my opinion, it’s unexpected and gives the character some personality (in this case bubbly) before we really get to know them. It’s tough to pull off, but with the right context, it can prove very interesting.
When it comes to fantasy names, it gets even trickier. I like playing with vowel sounds of fantasy sounding names, usually just sitting in my apartment playing with the phonetic sounds until I get it just right. Transcribing these sounds is a little trickier, but one thing I suggest? Avoid apostrophes. They make the reader stumble, so keep it simple. If your being is magnificent and interesting enough, ‘Carl’ can be a name that inspires fear in your readers when done properly.

Places:
A map is only as good as the cities you’ve named on it. The way we name towns occurs in a couple different ways, from what I’ve noticed. Usually, they’re geographic or honoring a former resident. A town named East Brook, for example, obviously would have been settled east of (you guessed it) a brook. Obviously, all names won’t be that simple. Or a place like Washington, District or State, is named after a figure that requires historical context to understand.
For fantasy towns, I like incorporating whatever geographic landmarks are nearby. A River or Mountain is easy to identify on the map, so I might call a fortress town River Hold or a town in between mountain peaks The Crease. In worlds without helpful street signs, large geographic markers make for the best kind of directions.
(Side Note: Always name your cities, or at least the ones you’ll be visiting. Nothing bugs me more than hearing about ‘The Captial’ unless there’s a good reason for it. Even if it is only referred to as ‘The Captial’ give it the honor of a name.)

Things:
Who wouldn’t love a Poison, Flaming Sword of Doom in their collection? But let’s be honest, that’s a bit of a mouthful. When I name items, I either make it obvious what it’s meant to do or I make it more obscure. When I talk about Eryn’s Razor Bow, it’s clear what the intent is before I even describe it. If I talk about The Orion’s Blade, we know it’s some type of blade, but the exact context is a little difficult. Is it a sword that gives strength? Is it a sword of space rock that has mystical powers? Tough to say for sure. It’s more fun.
Furthermore, giving weapons titles is a fun way to add backstory to your character’s tools, and often your characters. Orcrist from The Hobbit translates to The Goblin Cleaver. So it comes as no surprise that this sword has a less than amicable history with goblins.

The Power of Language:
One other thing to consider, when naming anything is the languages at your disposal. Tolkien’s Elvish Langauge was undeniably a cornerstone for his trilogy, especially when naming people, places, and things. Do your dwarves have a language you’ve developed? It would be an amazing opportunity to incorporate some of the languages into your story. Shifting from the “common speech” when naming things in your world gives the world more depth and makes it more interesting.

What are some of the best names you’ve heard of in a story? What really sticks out when you see certain names on the page?

Stagnant

There’s a magical force in the writing world known as “Writer’s Block.” There are many arguments to say this isn’t a real thing. Sometimes it can be boiled down to laziness and inaction (because let’s be honest, even if you love your job, everyone needs a break). But there are some days when, no matter how hard I try, I can’t get words on the page I like. I don’t like to think of this as Writer’s Block.I prefer to think of this as stagnation as opposed to a block. Sometimes, to get the juices flowing, you have to shake things up to get it going again. I like to think of it as Stagnant Writer Syndrome.

Here’s the thing: I have lots of creative ideas bouncing around in my head. However, I get burned out trying to make it into something readable if I don’t have enough energy after work (which happens a lot). On these days, nothing would make me happier than kicking back on the couch and breezing through a series on Netflix.

Still, it’s a writer’s obligation to write. And when the ideas aren’t flowing, I have a couple tricks I like to do in order to get things flowing again.

  1. A lot of times, I can’t focus on what I’m working with because I’m thinking about a later section. So, I take the opportunity to write a future segment. I work better by connecting things (usually, I know the ending before most of the middle section when I’m plotting), so having a sooner connecting point helps me figure out what’s going to happen.
  2. Writing from a different character’s perspective can help realize their motivations in the story a little differently. I like doing this for my own benefit, but these segments sometimes work into the novel to shake the reader up as well.
  3. Moving on to a completely different story/subject helps as well. Getting my mind off focusing on the current story problem usually helps me get my mind refocused when I come back to the main project. I have little 1,000 word drabbles that I like doing and sometimes share these or revisit them for later projects.

So, those are the main things I do to get out of Stagnant Writer’s Syndrome. What do you do when you’re stuck on a Writer’s Block? How do you shake yourself free?

Seattle Kitchen-Part 2

So, I had mentioned in an earlier post that I had taken part in an episode of the podcast Seattle Kitchen (my friend, Sarah, assistant produces the show). As promised, here is a link where you can stream the podcast. We try to cook a Dutch Baby with…results. I recommend listening to the whole thing if you’re interested in cooking at all, but if you’re only interested in hearing me speak, the segment I’m in is at around the 17-minute mark (It says 14 minutes, but it loops back to zero after the hour).

(For those who haven’t guessed, I’m the very deep, male voice)

Seattle Kitchen (Special thanks to Kiro Radio)