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Posts Tagged ‘fantasy’

Synopses (Again)

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , on July 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

If you’ve read some of the older posts in this blog, you know that synopses are a particular bugbear of mine.  Like them or not, though, they are necessary, so I’ve got to make peace with them one way or another.

I’m currently in the middle of a synopsis challenge on Hatrack River Writers Workshop.  That means I’ll have half a dozen or so other synopses to read and comment on over the next week.  It’s amazing the things you can spot when your critiquing someone else’s work that you’d never spot in your own.  Hopefully, this helps all of us learn to write better synopses–or at least improve our current ones, if nothing else.

Since I was already in synopsis mode, polishing up the synopsis for BLOOD WILL TELL, I went ahead and wrote the first draft of a synopsis for MAGE STORM, too.  They say that it’s easier to write the synopsis before you write the novel and before your head is full of all the wonderful details and subplots you create.  We’ll see.  I don’t see how it could be any harder that way.  I also took a crack at the synopsis for THE IGNORED PROPHECY and wrote a proto-synopsis for the new version of SEVEN STARS.  Glutton for punishment, I guess.

Now that that’s done, I’m back to work on MAGE STORM, and making progress, with assorted revisions to balance things out and try to keep the internal editor busy with something besides my first draft.

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Immersion

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , on July 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Well, so much for balance.  Once I got into BLOOD WILL TELL, I got caught up in it (again) and just went straight through.  I really, really love this story.  I believe in it.  Someone else will, too.  So, a bit more spit and polish on the query letter and the synopsis and off it goes again.

My expectation was correct.  Through the rest of the book, I have what I think is an appropriate level of immersion into the characters.  Deep penetration into the point of view at the emotional highs and lows, moderate throughout most of the rest, and narrowed to the immediate during escapes and fights.

What I have learned from this experience is that it seems that I have a little trouble getting into my characters’ heads right at the beginning of a story or novel.  It takes me a chapter or so to get comfy in there.  When I think about it, that doesn’t seem unreasonable. 

Now that I realize that, it’s something I can look for and fix on the second draft (when I’ve had plenty of time to get comfy), just like my writer’s tic of starting sentences with conjunctions.  So, the experience has been good.  Now I know what to look for.

As far as balancing some revisions along with the first draft work, my internal editor will have to be content with revisions to the synopsis for now.  Maybe after that, I’ll pick up revisions to that short story that’s been sitting patiently and waiting for me to get back to it.

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Balancing

Posted in writing, tagged , , , on July 11, 2010| 1 Comment »

Well, I’ve gotten through the revision of the first three chapters of BLOOD WILL TELL and I’m generally happy with it.  In the end, I dumped the idea of a new first chapter.  The novel now starts about three paragraphs earlier than it did before, which hopefully lets me get in some of my character’s urgency and show, as well as telling through more free indirect thought, her emotions.  I’ve added a bit more description in a couple of places, cut back on some dialog, and added a little side piece of business to one scene that should illustrate the sticky part of the world building.

I’m going to go ahead through the rest of the book to see if there are more places where I can get a little deeper point of view, etc.  I think any further changes will likely be minor.  Then I’ll reread those first three chapters again, just to make sure everything still works as I intended and there are no typos.  Over the next week, I need to revisit the synopsis for this one, too.  After that, I’ll start querying again.

Meanwhile, I’m starting up new work on MAGE STORM again.  Admittedly, I haven’t gotten very far yet, but I have started. 

It’s going to be a balancing act, trying to do even a mild read-through revision on BLOOD WILL TELL, as well as working on the first draft of MAGE STORM.  I may have trouble with that pesky internal editor.  Then again, maybe letting it exercise itself on BLOOD WILL TELL will help me make it shut up when I work on the first draft.  Who knows?

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Unexpected Revisions

Posted in writing, tagged , , , on July 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I mentioned last time that I had gotten into some unexpected revisions on BLOOD WILL TELL, which I had regarded as complete.  It happened like this:  I had actually gotten a request for a partial on this one, which, unfortunately, ended in another rejection.  But the rejection came with a little hand-written note.  That’s good.  It seems the partial was confusing.  That’s not good.  Ever.

Well, of course, it’s not confusing to me, but I have the whole story and more in my head.  So, I asked the writers at the Hatrack Writers Workshop for some help.  Several people stepped up and offered to read the sample and give me their opinions.  It’s great to have a forum like that and I appreciate them all.

So far, the opinions run along these lines:

  • Several people felt that they couldn’t connect with the main character until about the middle of the second chapter.  Not good.  One way to fix that would be to just move the beginning to that point, and I may still do that.  There are some things that I establish in that earlier chapter and a half that I’d like to keep, though, if I can.  So, I’m sweeping through trying for deeper immersion in the character.  (Sweeping may be too big a word.  It’s been almost a week and I’m still on Chapter Two.)  I’m also trying to tighten it as I go with a few judicious cuts.  I’ll go through the whole thing.  I actually think I get pretty good penetration into the character’s POV later.  This may be a failing of mine, that I take a chapter or two to really settle into the characters’ heads.  Something I should look out for and fix in second drafts.
  • A couple of people didn’t like the abrupt introduction to Chimeria.  I’ll pause there for a paragraph to introduce the differences between our world and the magical realm.
  • Some people found the exposition of the premise, which I tried to weave into the story, confusing.  People expect certain things when they see werewolves, unicorns, and dragons.  I’ve consciously stepped a little outside what’s expected.  But I may not have made that easy enough to follow at the beginning.  I think I can reorganize the way certain things are brought out that will hopefully make the whole premise more understandable.  And spend a few more words to help clarify.  Hopefully it’ll make it more interesting, too.
  • It has been suggested that, with this complicated premise, this story might need a prologue.  I tried an ELANTRIS-style prologue (which you can find under Chimeria on the Worlds tab), but it just doesn’t work for me.  So, instead, I’ve tried writing an even earlier first chapter.  This chapter takes place at a very dramatic and important event that occurs twenty years before the rest of the novel–the murders of the main character’s family, witnessed by her as a five-year-old.  I’ll have to see how that works.

All of this, of course, is taking me away from new writing on MAGE STORM.  Well, the new first chapter counts as new writing, too.

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First Drafts vs. Revisions

Posted in writing, tagged , , , on July 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »

On the surface, it’s obvious.  Writing a first draft is different from revising a second or third (or fourth) draft. 

Switching from revision mode, which I’ve been in for several months now, back to first draft writing mode isn’t so easy though.  I’ve got a reasonably good start on MAGE STORM.  I know where the story needs to be going.  I even think I’m managing to keep a pretty decent pace for a young adult novel.  The problem I’m having is switching off that internal editor again.  I’ve been giving it free rein during revisions of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE, THE IGNORED PROPHECY, and DREAMER’S ROSE.  Now I’ve got to turn it back off in order to write MAGE STORM and it’s fighting me.  I keep wanting to stop and search for the perfect word or go back and fix a sentence or two.  It’ll never get done, that way. 

A first draft is all about getting the story down.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Yes, of course, you try to write it as well as you possibly can.  Saves work later.  But the point is to get it written all the way through to THE END.  To do that, you have to avoid the temptation to keep going back over what’s already written to tidy it up.  That’s one of the things the second draft is for.

This is further complicated by some unexpected revisions to BLOOD WILL TELL (more about that in another post, perhaps).  Right now, I’m switching back and forth between revisions and writing new material.  I may have to pick one to work through and then come back to the other.

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Ideas

Posted in writing, tagged , , , on June 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

It’s an odd thing.  Or maybe it’s not.  But I get my best writing ideas when I’m writing.  Not just ideas for the story I’m working on, although that happens, too.  Ideas for other stories or brand new stories come easier and faster when I’m writing.

I don’t mean precisely when I’m sitting at the keyboard.  When I’m writing something new, more ideas come to me all the time.  It doesn’t happen that way when I’m primarily working on revisions.  Something about writing new scenes and chapters and stories sort of greases the skids.  My subconscious gets on track and starts pumping ideas out at me whenever my brain is more or less idle–in the shower, walking the dogs, pulling weeds.

That can get frustrating.  I’ve had ideas take over and force me to write them out before I could get back to what I thought I was supposed to be working on.  Most of the time, though, I can just open the appropriate file, jot down a few notes, and then get back on track.

This was brought home to me this last week as I started working on a new novel, MAGE STORM.  I had been working on revisions and waiting for new inspiration to come to me for the abandoned novel SEVEN STARS.  Nothing much came.  I started work on MAGE STORM and suddenly I’m seeing what I need to do with SEVEN STARS.  The ideas are coming, now. 

SEVEN STARS will have to wait, though.  I’m on chapter 3 and starting to really get into MAGE STORM.

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Queries, Again

Posted in writing, tagged , , , on June 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been busy.  I recently finished the major revision to THE IGNORED PROPHECY.  I just finished the first draft of a new short story.  I’m starting a new young adult fantasy, MAGE STORM.  On top of all that, I’ve been working on a new version of the query for BLOOD WILL TELL. 

I’m feeling like I might, almost, maybe be getting close this time.  Writing a query is so different from writing the book in the first place.  It’s a lot harder.

One of the problems, especially with fantasy, is figuring out just how much detail to put in and what to leave for the synopsis or even the sample chapters.  It’s a fine line.  Without some detail, your query ends up sounding generic and not very exciting.  But too much will bog it down in a heartbeat. 

Names are another problem, more so with the often-unfamiliar names of a fantasy.  You feel like you want to name at least the major characters in the query.  But you only have about 250 words.  If you put half a dozen names in there, you can’t expect anybody reading it cold to figure out who’s who.  And you can’t give even a tiny description of more than one or two people and still give any sense of the setting or plot.

One or two more tweaks and then it’s time to send out a few more queries.

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Openings

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , on June 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

What is it with me and openings lately?  I had DREAMER’S ROSE starting with the main character sitting and waiting for something to happen.  It did happen, very shortly, but that’s still not a very exciting opening.  Not exactly riveting.  I’ve fixed that one.  At least now he’s preparing for something to happen.

Then what do I do?  I turn around and start MAGE STORM with the main character being bored.  Once again, something starts happening right away.  But, really, I have to come up with a better start than boredom.

MAGE STORM is based on a short story, which will basically be the first chapter.  But I wanted to make the opening more relevant to the YA audience.  I fell back on what I felt while doing similar tasks at that age.  That’s how it happened.  I really need to come up with something a tad more interesting, though, I think. 

Oh well, that’s what first drafts are for.  Make a note and move on.

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YA Fiction

Posted in writing, tagged , , , on June 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

First an update:  I just finished the revision/rewrite of THE IGNORED PROPHECY!  And . . . drumroll . . . it came in at 99,000 words.  So I don’t have to get that big pair of scissors out after all.  I’m still going to want to go back and tune a few things up a bit, but it’s just about ready for readers.

I started this revision when I set my then work in process, SEVEN STARS aside.  Supposedly, I’ve been waiting for new inspiration and I’ve had some.  But, lately, the inspiration that’s been coming to me has been for a different story.  So, it looks like my next novel-length project will be MAGE STORM, not SEVEN STARS.  A first attempt at the one-sentence pitch for MAGE STORM:

Magic is supposedly dead in Rell’s world, but when he finds himself ‘gifted’ with magic he doesn’t know how to control, he’s ostracized from his family and runs away to find someone who can help him learn to use his magic safely.

MAGE STORM is actually based on one of my short stories.  And this one is going to be something of a departure for me because I see this story as a young adult fantasy.  THE SHAMAN’S CURSE and THE IGNORED PROPHECY are both written to be acceptable reading for young adults, but they are not specifically aimed at that target audience.  This will be.  That means, among other things, that I’m really going to have to pay attention to my pacing.  YA has to move faster than adult fiction.  That should be a useful exercise for me whatever happens.

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Point of View

Posted in writing, tagged , , on June 13, 2010| 1 Comment »

Update:  I’m approximately 90% done with the revision of THE IGNORED PROPHECY.  The good news is that I’ve found almost enough material to cut in the last few chapters to offset the added material.  I won’t need as big a pair of scissors on the next go through.  After this, it will still need one more pass for consistency and to look for places to increase the tension still more.  Then it’ll be ready for more readers.

Today’s topic: Point of View.  Up to now, I have always written in third person.  I try to get into close third person, meaning I’m in the head of one of the characters, as often as I can.  Some scenes don’t lend themselves to that, for me.  Some do.

The new short story that I’m sort of working on during revisions to the novel is different.  Early this morning (you don’t want to know how early), I went through and changed the thousand or so words I’ve written to first person.  I’m going to try that for this one.  A good bit of the story involves the main character not understanding the world she finds herself in and not knowing what’s going on.  Her confusion may work best in first person.  If it doesn’t, I can always revise it and change it back.

That creates a problem, though.  Since the main character doesn’t always know what’s going on, I’ve got a few scenes in third person omniscient to allow the reader to see, and understand, what’s going on.  I’m not sure whether I can pull that off.

This will be a new experience for me and a bit outside my comfort zone, but if you never try anything new . . .

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