I've been scrubbing my brain for something mistake-ridden which I could post here. There isn't much I'd admit to in a public forum.
1. Underestimating my free time while overextending myself on projects. Not to terrify my editors who I know read this blog, but I'll be pulling all nighters to get my work in timely. Fortunately for us all, I schedule my turn in dates well in advance of their turn in dates. This shortens my timeline but keeps the editorial staff out of the firepit.
2. Forgetting to buy coffee. Huge error when you require wakefulness to write and have a life outside of laptop-land.
3. Relationships which inhibit some part of you that you like. In this case, writing. Sometimes you don't have a choice who is in your life. Sometimes you do. Make those choices wisely.
4. Thinking the Internet will only take a moment. It won't. It is a greedy whore that's incredibly jealous of your writing time. Unfortunately, you can't break up with her completely because you work with her, but you do have the wherewithal to refuse her admittance to your writing home.
5. Writing. Yes, it can be. Just as you need to have an environment for writing which is sacred, so must you have a life to refresh your creativity. Watching people is critical to characterization. Living life is critical to plot development and experiential training.
6. Never. Not ever, should you think you know more than someone already in the industry. Probably wise not to do the same for the newer talent. I don't believe I've made this mistake but I've certainly seen it done. You only make enemies and yourself-to borrow from a friend-an asshat.
7. Turn the bloody alarm clock off before you sit down to write. I add this because it just went off into a rendition of the Titanic theme song and now it's annoying me. Must get up. Shall be back in a flash.
8. Don't forget to eat. Your computer doesn't mind but your mind won't compute. I forget constantly then wonder why I can't concentrate.
9. Don't piss off your editor. Yes, I've done this. Do I really need to explain why this is bad? Fortunately they are forgiving souls and will only mention my impertinence every so often.
Numbers 10 through 253,987 are not printable here. Good luck to you.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Mistakes!? What?! But I'm Perfect!!!
Or at least my book is!
Not.
Everyone makes mistakes. Likewise no book or story is completely flawless at least not to the author.
I've been writing and telling stories most of my life. I wrote my first book at 11 and wrote a random editor who actually wrote me back. I think I still have those letters somewhere. She probably threw them away after everyone laughed at them. Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, back to the point - some point anyway. That first book was written long hand over several spiral bound note books, with more twists and turns than the Tail of the Dragon on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It wasn't until I joined a writer's group while living in Okinawa that I figured out that there was a proper way to format these stories I'd been telling. One inch margins, 25 lines per page, Courier New 12 pt. The publisher I have right now though has a different requirement - like Stephanie mentioned yesterday - look at the publishers guidelines for their format to convert your story to when you submit to them.
When I think back to the books I've written in the past, I remember making the basic mistakes every writer makes - telling, not showing, and floating body parts among them. I've had consistency issues, plot issues, trying to cramp too much into one story, assuming that because I knew something my reader did too, unrealistic heroes and heronines. And lets not forget the first sex scene I ever wrote. Actually, I would love to forget it. I think I turned four shades of red that night when after reading it, it was pointed out that the position the hero was in meant that certain body parts had moved location. Oye. Then there is bad grammar and typos to contend with. Or submitting a manuscript only to find out later that you didn't send the most recent version, but the one that still had the changes to make marked in it. Excellent. Really spectacular move.
Every write starts at the beginning, with their first book, chocked full of mistakes. Its how you learn from them that matters. Only learning from your mistakes can you become a better writer.
If you have a problem with showing and telling try making lists of words that equate to telling versus showing words. Grammar issues try reaquainting yourself with grammar.
And no matter how much you disagree with it, some laws and research transcend genre.
Never fly off the handle - who comes up with these sayings, anyway - when someone points out your mistakes. They are trying to help - most of the time - instead listen - cry and have chocolate - but then really think about what was said. If you have a reason for why you did something a certain way, by all means fight for it, but if it makes the story stronger to tell it in a different way, seriously think about changing it. The idea is to write the strongest story possible.
Happy Reading,
Simone
Not.
Everyone makes mistakes. Likewise no book or story is completely flawless at least not to the author.
I've been writing and telling stories most of my life. I wrote my first book at 11 and wrote a random editor who actually wrote me back. I think I still have those letters somewhere. She probably threw them away after everyone laughed at them. Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, back to the point - some point anyway. That first book was written long hand over several spiral bound note books, with more twists and turns than the Tail of the Dragon on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It wasn't until I joined a writer's group while living in Okinawa that I figured out that there was a proper way to format these stories I'd been telling. One inch margins, 25 lines per page, Courier New 12 pt. The publisher I have right now though has a different requirement - like Stephanie mentioned yesterday - look at the publishers guidelines for their format to convert your story to when you submit to them.
When I think back to the books I've written in the past, I remember making the basic mistakes every writer makes - telling, not showing, and floating body parts among them. I've had consistency issues, plot issues, trying to cramp too much into one story, assuming that because I knew something my reader did too, unrealistic heroes and heronines. And lets not forget the first sex scene I ever wrote. Actually, I would love to forget it. I think I turned four shades of red that night when after reading it, it was pointed out that the position the hero was in meant that certain body parts had moved location. Oye. Then there is bad grammar and typos to contend with. Or submitting a manuscript only to find out later that you didn't send the most recent version, but the one that still had the changes to make marked in it. Excellent. Really spectacular move.
Every write starts at the beginning, with their first book, chocked full of mistakes. Its how you learn from them that matters. Only learning from your mistakes can you become a better writer.
If you have a problem with showing and telling try making lists of words that equate to telling versus showing words. Grammar issues try reaquainting yourself with grammar.
And no matter how much you disagree with it, some laws and research transcend genre.
Never fly off the handle - who comes up with these sayings, anyway - when someone points out your mistakes. They are trying to help - most of the time - instead listen - cry and have chocolate - but then really think about what was said. If you have a reason for why you did something a certain way, by all means fight for it, but if it makes the story stronger to tell it in a different way, seriously think about changing it. The idea is to write the strongest story possible.
Happy Reading,
Simone
Monday, September 28, 2009
Mistakes? Yep, I Got Them - Right Here Next to My Writer's Notebooks
Sorry, Brynn, I just had to put that in there.
Seriously, mistakes come in all shapes and sizes, everything from "Wow, this is sure the wrong color lipstick for me" to "Sorry, Officer, I didn't see the speed limit sign" to "Honey, remember when I said I thought I'd taken my birth control pill yesterday?"
Heck, I could probably write an entire blog on some of the horrific and/or humorous mistakes I've made in my life, but for the purposes of this week's topic, I'll confine things to writing-related mistakes.
As I bemoaned in last week's post, my biggest writing mistake is giving in to that darned editor who lives in my head. I don't know if it's a procrastination device, fear of success, or plain out and out insecurity, but it's been the biggest stumbling block to me as a fiction writer. I appreciate those of you who took the time to post a comment. I especially like Molly Daniels' advice "Don't get it right, get it written." That's a perfect motto to put on a sign above my desk.
Although, mid-writing revisions is my big mistake, the converse could be a potential mistake for some writers, too. Like me, you've probably read interviews by big name authors, who claim they never have to do second drafts of their work. That might be true -- might -- but trying the same tactic would probably be a big mistake for most authors. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, I think Stephen King has a better method: write down lots of prose then weed out about a tenth of it to sharpen and refine the work. At the very least, go back and check for misspellings and typos. Those will really turn off an editor.
Although I'm the slushpile surfer in fiction, I have some experience with non-fiction, so I know other things can turn editors off, too. One pitfall is not following basic manuscript format. Editors look at the printed word all day long. Do them a favor, make sure your manuscript isn't an eyesore. Use a good quality paper and check the ink cartridge on your printer. Save the fancy fonts for personal correspondence and stick to Courier New, Times New Roman or whatever the publisher's guidelines specify. Margins and line spacing should conform to their guidelines, too. Some publishers want double-spaced manuscripts, but many are now requesting one-and-a-half line spacing. Be sure to check.
In fact, writers who don't properly research the publishing house have got to be one of the worst headaches for editors. It's more than just the guidelines, it's researching their requirements and knowing what they publish and what they don't want to see. Whether it's erotic romance, mysteries, inspirationals or any other genre, it's important to research the market and know the publishers within it. Don't send a publisher something they don't handle or in a format they don't want.
I'm sure our more experienced authors will have a lot of good advice to share -- and hopefully a few memorable stories of mistakes they've made (flashing the UPS man has to be high on the list, Bronwyn) -- so I'll yield the keyboard to them.
Until next week ~
Stephanie
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Take a Deep Breath
This is a long post and by no means a complete guide to rewriting and revising. It’s only my take from my experience, but there are a ton of great books out there. Check them out here.
First things first… When you’re called on to rewrite be sure that you haven’t really been asked to do revisions. Revisions and rewriting are two vastly different things. I’ll talk about both.
So…generally, you’re not going to be asked to rewrite a book. This is usually a personal decision. There are times, however, when the publisher loves a concept and asks you to re-do a book because it’s not in the shape it needs to be in for publication. This would normally happen only if you’re already working with that house. So what do you do?
Rewriting
1. Do NOT start hacking away at your manuscript!!!
2. Whether it’s a personal decision to rewrite or your publisher has requested it, the first thing I’d recommend is to take a step back. Take a breath. This is not the end of the world.
3. Get a venti Starbucks and dive in. I prefer the skinny cinnamon dolce latte (Christmas in a cup for those who spend the day sitting in an office chair).
4. Be clear as to why you are rewriting. If someone is asking you to rewrite, they’ll probably tell you why they’re requesting the rewrite. If you’re doing it as a personal decision, have a clear-cut reason why. Some writers rewrite as a procrastination measure.
5. So once you’ve waded through those two questions, ask: Are there plot problems? Is the writing itself not up to par? Do you have cardboard characters or overly-flawed characters? Do the characters not act consistently? Are there things missing from the story? Are there things in the story that don’t need to be there? Have you been guilty of back-story dumping? You may have done one, two or many of these. Get out a piece of paper and make a list. I find it’s best to handwrite this in your writer’s notebook (What? You don’t have one to keep notes in? For real? Get one.)
6. Determine if the whole story needs rewriting. If it doesn’t then this is more of a revision. If it truly needs rewriting, move to number 7.
7. Make a plan. In your handy writer’s notebook (you don’t have one yet? C’mon. Go get one!) you’re going to go scene by scene. Make notes on what stays and what gets deleted. These should be one or two sentences, very bare bones. Give yourself enough space between scenes so that you can add if you need to.
8. Look at your structure. Where do you need to add/change? Make notes for that. Where do you need to fix characters? Look at it as if you don’t know the story and characters. Is there something the reader needs to know that you haven’t shared? Are there scenes that do not contribute to the story progression?
9. Once you’re confident that you have viable story structure, you may want to run it past someone. If your editor is amenable, and many are, you can ask him or her if these changes are what they’re looking for. If you don’t have an editor to work with, ask someone you trust to be truthful (someone who’ll be patient when you get irritated with their frankness – thank you Bronwyn). A critique partner is good for this if you can wrangle one. I highly recommend it.
10. Now, since you’re rewriting, you’re not going to start hacking at the original document. Trust me, there’s gold in there. You don’t want to destroy it all, and you don’t want to start willy-nilly deleting and possibly lose something you’ll want later. Open the old document then open a new document and start writing. That’s what you’re doing…rewriting. If your computer screen is big enough, and most are nowadays, you can have the two documents side by side. Even on my laptop, I can do this by shrinking the text to about 85% and adjusting the window size. By doing this, you can easily pull over that text you’d like to keep and write in the new stuff as you go. Note: be cautious in pulling over text. If it’s old work, you may need to do some revising since your style and voice may have changed since the original work was done.
11. Once you start writing, treat the work just as you would a brand new manuscript. Think of it as writing something new and pulling from your own source notes. Keep it fresh.
Revisions
In many cases, you don’t need to rewrite. Your work will need a revision. Again…take a deep breath. This isn’t the end of the world.
1. Again, in most cases, you will know exactly why you’re revising. It’s likely, you’ve gotten a revision letter from an editor or revision notes from a critique partner. If I like a manuscript of an author I work with, I’ll open a blank document and make notes about problems as I’m reading. I’d suggest doing the same if you’re making your own revision list – or ask your critique partner to do this.
2. Once you have your notes, treat the revision like an edit. Resave your original document as ‘story name-revision’.
3. Before you start, be clear as to whether or not you’ll need to work with track changes turned on.
4. Address each revision listed, one at a time.
5. Don’t be tempted to do huge rewrites. While you may need to revise sections or make additions, this is not a rewrite. What you’ve done was almost good enough. Do not waste your time gutting the book.
6. One last note, if you’ve gotten revisions from a critique partner or beta reader as you’re writing the book, I’d advise NOT making actual changes until you’re done. Use your manuscript comment function and make notes in the already written portion regarding changes you’ll make when you’re done writing. Then continue writing forward with those changes in mind. If you start making the changes in the already written portion, you might get bogged down and succumb to the perfect three chapters syndrome—and that’s all you’ll have. Three good chapters.
So there’s my advice. I hope it helps!
~~Michele~~
First things first… When you’re called on to rewrite be sure that you haven’t really been asked to do revisions. Revisions and rewriting are two vastly different things. I’ll talk about both.
So…generally, you’re not going to be asked to rewrite a book. This is usually a personal decision. There are times, however, when the publisher loves a concept and asks you to re-do a book because it’s not in the shape it needs to be in for publication. This would normally happen only if you’re already working with that house. So what do you do?
Rewriting
1. Do NOT start hacking away at your manuscript!!!
2. Whether it’s a personal decision to rewrite or your publisher has requested it, the first thing I’d recommend is to take a step back. Take a breath. This is not the end of the world.
3. Get a venti Starbucks and dive in. I prefer the skinny cinnamon dolce latte (Christmas in a cup for those who spend the day sitting in an office chair).
4. Be clear as to why you are rewriting. If someone is asking you to rewrite, they’ll probably tell you why they’re requesting the rewrite. If you’re doing it as a personal decision, have a clear-cut reason why. Some writers rewrite as a procrastination measure.
5. So once you’ve waded through those two questions, ask: Are there plot problems? Is the writing itself not up to par? Do you have cardboard characters or overly-flawed characters? Do the characters not act consistently? Are there things missing from the story? Are there things in the story that don’t need to be there? Have you been guilty of back-story dumping? You may have done one, two or many of these. Get out a piece of paper and make a list. I find it’s best to handwrite this in your writer’s notebook (What? You don’t have one to keep notes in? For real? Get one.)
6. Determine if the whole story needs rewriting. If it doesn’t then this is more of a revision. If it truly needs rewriting, move to number 7.
7. Make a plan. In your handy writer’s notebook (you don’t have one yet? C’mon. Go get one!) you’re going to go scene by scene. Make notes on what stays and what gets deleted. These should be one or two sentences, very bare bones. Give yourself enough space between scenes so that you can add if you need to.
8. Look at your structure. Where do you need to add/change? Make notes for that. Where do you need to fix characters? Look at it as if you don’t know the story and characters. Is there something the reader needs to know that you haven’t shared? Are there scenes that do not contribute to the story progression?
9. Once you’re confident that you have viable story structure, you may want to run it past someone. If your editor is amenable, and many are, you can ask him or her if these changes are what they’re looking for. If you don’t have an editor to work with, ask someone you trust to be truthful (someone who’ll be patient when you get irritated with their frankness – thank you Bronwyn). A critique partner is good for this if you can wrangle one. I highly recommend it.
10. Now, since you’re rewriting, you’re not going to start hacking at the original document. Trust me, there’s gold in there. You don’t want to destroy it all, and you don’t want to start willy-nilly deleting and possibly lose something you’ll want later. Open the old document then open a new document and start writing. That’s what you’re doing…rewriting. If your computer screen is big enough, and most are nowadays, you can have the two documents side by side. Even on my laptop, I can do this by shrinking the text to about 85% and adjusting the window size. By doing this, you can easily pull over that text you’d like to keep and write in the new stuff as you go. Note: be cautious in pulling over text. If it’s old work, you may need to do some revising since your style and voice may have changed since the original work was done.
11. Once you start writing, treat the work just as you would a brand new manuscript. Think of it as writing something new and pulling from your own source notes. Keep it fresh.
Revisions
In many cases, you don’t need to rewrite. Your work will need a revision. Again…take a deep breath. This isn’t the end of the world.
1. Again, in most cases, you will know exactly why you’re revising. It’s likely, you’ve gotten a revision letter from an editor or revision notes from a critique partner. If I like a manuscript of an author I work with, I’ll open a blank document and make notes about problems as I’m reading. I’d suggest doing the same if you’re making your own revision list – or ask your critique partner to do this.
2. Once you have your notes, treat the revision like an edit. Resave your original document as ‘story name-revision’.
3. Before you start, be clear as to whether or not you’ll need to work with track changes turned on.
4. Address each revision listed, one at a time.
5. Don’t be tempted to do huge rewrites. While you may need to revise sections or make additions, this is not a rewrite. What you’ve done was almost good enough. Do not waste your time gutting the book.
6. One last note, if you’ve gotten revisions from a critique partner or beta reader as you’re writing the book, I’d advise NOT making actual changes until you’re done. Use your manuscript comment function and make notes in the already written portion regarding changes you’ll make when you’re done writing. Then continue writing forward with those changes in mind. If you start making the changes in the already written portion, you might get bogged down and succumb to the perfect three chapters syndrome—and that’s all you’ll have. Three good chapters.
So there’s my advice. I hope it helps!
~~Michele~~
I Would Have Posted on Time but I Had to Re-Edit....
Wow, rewriting. Now there's a subject that is near and dear to this Slushpile Surfer's heart.
Actually, it's not so much rewriting as editing...endlessly editing and re-editing as I write. It's a bad habit. A very bad habit. I know it. However, like all habits, it's become such a part of my behavior over the years that it's now damned near impossible to break.
Over the years, I've experimented with a lot of tactics to shake it. I've put a pen to paper and told myself to just write for fifteen minutes without looking back. That lasted about four sentences. I've set daily word counts designed to help me spew out the story and not try to polish-slash-edit as I go along. Also a bust. I've tried talking the story into a tape recorder -- Boy did that one not work! And I've tried writing both as a pantzer and from an elaborate 110-page plotted outline. Nothing has seemed to work. The editor who lives in my head is loud, obnoxious, and insists on being heard.
Of course, the problem with having a resident editor weighing down your pencil is that you spend so much time writing and re-editing your first draft that it interferes with you actually writing the story, so you seldom get to the rewrite phase.
I'm not willing to continue that way. I have no problem writing a newsletter, book review, non-fiction article or even a training manual at work without the interference of this infernal -- I mean internal -- editor. I know if I can just apply the same mindset to my fiction, I'd make a lot more progress. Comments and suggestions would be appreciated.
Meanwhile, I think I'll go visit Chris Baty's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) website and try to convince myself that it's okay to just spew out dreck, knowing I'll polish it later. Cheryl Sterling does the challenge every year and highly recommends it. Maybe I'll find a useful tip or two there.
But first, I need to polish the chapter I'm taking to my critique partner tomorrow. I think I should reword that line in paragraph four that's been bothering me. And maybe I should check for word reps and --- Well, you get the idea.
Lord save me from myself,
~ Stephanie
Friday, September 25, 2009
Rewriting. The party game you play by yourself.
Once upon a time I wrote a book called Lies. It was full of angst, romance, drug dealing, dirty cops, family secrets, death and sex.It wasn't a bad book...but having written numerous books since then, it wasn't a book I necessarily wanted to have published as is. I mean, it had some good moments, it had some dialogue that made me smile, and it had some decent chemistry between the main characters. It also had enough matching, monogrammed emotional baggage to fill an airport terminal.
Fast forward to earlier this year. I was talking with one of my editors and she urged me to write a book for Resplendence's law enforcement line - Handcuffs and Lace. I thought about it for a while and realized that I already had a good start - I had some characters I liked and those characters had handcuffs - a prerequisite for the H&L line.
So I pulled out Lies, dusted it off and re-read the the nearly 60K book and I discovered the first thing I'd need to take care of during rewrites. The H&L line requires the stories to be no longer than 18K. After opening a new document, I copy and pasted all of the scenes and dialogue snippets that I was positive I wanted in the new version. I was surprised to discover, there weren't quite as many as I'd anticipated. In fact, there were a grand total of 8 or 9 scenes that I had to have. I pretty much jettisoned the rest - subplots, secondary characters, and much of the original plot.
After I decided what was staying, I started writing the new version. I kept the new document open along with the document that contained my rescued treasures. As I created the new story, I had to figure out where the old pieces fit. It was like that party game, Jenga. You pull out one block from the middle of the pile and insert it into a new slot without knocking the whole tower down. Rewriting is like that. Of course, I don't call it rewriting, I call it jengaing a story together.
As I reassembled my tower, I had to rework the scenes that I'd saved since my voice had evolved so much since I'd written the original version. In the end, I had a brand new story with some of the architecture of the first. I rearranged my blocks and jengaed together a new tower - and to be honest, I think that this new one is much sturdier and prettier than the first. Handcuffs and Lies is the result of my rewriting experience. :)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Rewriting Tips
Yeah, it's kind of like that. You've written your book, it was good enough to get accepted and you have been walking on air for weeks. Your shiny new editor says you will get your first round of edits soon and you watch your inbox hopefully. Any day now you are going to get your file back with glowing words of praise from your new boss. There will be sections highlighted with smiley faces in the margins. There will be comments squeezed in about how funny your writing is, how well developed your characters, what an amazing manuscript this is.
LOOK! There are your edits as promised. You just can't wait to open it up and see all of the wonderful things your editor had to say. Yeah, it's kind of like that. Kaboom!Yes darling, your writing is good. It was good enough to get you accepted. It was good enough to get that beautiful contract. Now, we just need to make it better. I know that I goof around a lot, but this next part is important and I want you to pay attention to it:
EVERYONE has rewrites. (Or they should, but that's a different diva post). No matter how clean you write, there will be something in your manuscript that needs to be tweaked. It is okay. Don't let it bruise your ego, just fix whatever it is your editor is asking you to fix, and move along.
Now, sometimes there are major rewrites to do. Sometimes you have to expand on scenes, change scenes, or completely add scenes. And you have to do all of this without ruining things you wrote later in the book, or making it incosistant with things that have already happened. It's tricky for sure, and seems daunting. But I look at it this way, I can fix it now and save myself the critcisim from readers later, or I can just pull up my big girl panties and do what I know needs to be done.I'm going to tell you a story. My first contract for a book was for Sweet Dreams. My editor told me right off I was going to have to add LOTS of sex to the story. And I was TERRIFIED. I swore I wouldn't be able to do it. I was too far removed from the story at this point to believably write sex between those characters. But you know what? I wasn't. And I did. And the story is SOOOOOO much stronger for all the additions.
9 books later I subbed Mitch. And my editor told me I had to add a lot more to the story. This time almost all plot. PLOT! It ended up 6k longer than when I sent it the first time, and again, SOOOOO much stronger for the additions.
Listen to your editor. She knows what she's talking about. That's why she is your editor. She knows how difficult rewrites are. And it will go a lot smoother and faster if you take any suggestions she happens to give you. For instance, if in your margins there is a note that says "reword this section. Maybe something like..." Then you are best off changing it to "..." than trying to come up with something on your own. But then, I may just be fortunate to have talented editors who give me awesome word choices. If this does not pertain to you then just ignore me like you usually do and we'll all be good.
So I hope I have shed some light on the waters of rewrites. They are scary and daunting, but usually necessary and not as bad as you think they will be.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Rewriting, foul is thy name.
I never cared for the term, "rewriting". It draws to mind a tossed manuscript languishing in the circular file as it jealously watches the author drag out the laptop to open a clean, blank doc. I realize rewriting is used in place of "editing" or "revising" but true rewriting is exactly what it sounds like. I never rewrite. If the manuscript required telling, I've told it. If it required telling differently, I'd have written it differently.
This situation came up recently with one of my publishers. The hitch was this: I submitted a manuscript for a sequel. The original book was well-received by the readers and the second book gained accolades from my editor who felt the story would not only do very well for me financially, but she enjoyed the edgy nature of the book. She was excited. Alas, a shake up occurred and I was redirected to a new editor. Mind you, my contract paperwork was already in process and approved shortly after the new editor was assigned.
An email notified me that the book would be reviewed and returned to me with first edits in approximately eight weeks. It should have been my first warning because the manuscript had already been reviewed and in edits when the first editor issued the contract. Well the second editor didn't take eight weeks but she did send me a long, vaguely worded email about completely rewriting the book. It involved changing the personalities of the heroine, the hero, and the antagonist. It meant changing the prophecy and changing the main plot. It meant rewriting all the sex scenes (yes, all, and if you know my work, there are more than a few). It meant rewriting the dynamics between the two main characters, the heroine and the antagonist, and the hero and the antagonist.
It amounted to a new book. It would not have been the book contracted and it would not have been the story which needed to be told in order to carry off the next books in the series. It also would have changed an already established "world" created for that series. Given it inconsistencies.
I'm a firm believer in edits and improvements. I adore my editors and value their knowledge. Their names are on the work as well and it reflects back on them when poor work is issued. For this reason, I defer to their judgment almost one hundred percent of the time, even if I disagree (though I might say so in a marginal comment). But this rewriting is shit.
Why did I object? Rewriting means "new". It means writing again the story that has already been told. It does not mean tweaking or altering or editing or changing to comply. It means a brand new story, written differently than the effort already put forth.
I will rewrite a scene. I won't rewrite a book. Rewrite says to me, "I don't like this one. Send in another." And that is all well and good. That I can do, but I won't toss out a manuscript I've labored over, open a brand new document to pound out another 65k with the same characters and a different plot, setting, or personality.
I suppose you can sense I feel strongly about this, yes? Perhaps it is semantics. However, I say what I mean whenever possible. If an editor is suggesting revision of a scene, reworking of a scene, editing of a scene, say so. Rewriting is just another form of current manuscript rejection. It's the perogative of the editor and therefore within her/his power to do so. If it doesn't sit well the way it is, reject it and I'll move on. Rewriting? Pffft. It's a cop-out.
This situation came up recently with one of my publishers. The hitch was this: I submitted a manuscript for a sequel. The original book was well-received by the readers and the second book gained accolades from my editor who felt the story would not only do very well for me financially, but she enjoyed the edgy nature of the book. She was excited. Alas, a shake up occurred and I was redirected to a new editor. Mind you, my contract paperwork was already in process and approved shortly after the new editor was assigned.
An email notified me that the book would be reviewed and returned to me with first edits in approximately eight weeks. It should have been my first warning because the manuscript had already been reviewed and in edits when the first editor issued the contract. Well the second editor didn't take eight weeks but she did send me a long, vaguely worded email about completely rewriting the book. It involved changing the personalities of the heroine, the hero, and the antagonist. It meant changing the prophecy and changing the main plot. It meant rewriting all the sex scenes (yes, all, and if you know my work, there are more than a few). It meant rewriting the dynamics between the two main characters, the heroine and the antagonist, and the hero and the antagonist.
It amounted to a new book. It would not have been the book contracted and it would not have been the story which needed to be told in order to carry off the next books in the series. It also would have changed an already established "world" created for that series. Given it inconsistencies.
I'm a firm believer in edits and improvements. I adore my editors and value their knowledge. Their names are on the work as well and it reflects back on them when poor work is issued. For this reason, I defer to their judgment almost one hundred percent of the time, even if I disagree (though I might say so in a marginal comment). But this rewriting is shit.
Why did I object? Rewriting means "new". It means writing again the story that has already been told. It does not mean tweaking or altering or editing or changing to comply. It means a brand new story, written differently than the effort already put forth.
I will rewrite a scene. I won't rewrite a book. Rewrite says to me, "I don't like this one. Send in another." And that is all well and good. That I can do, but I won't toss out a manuscript I've labored over, open a brand new document to pound out another 65k with the same characters and a different plot, setting, or personality.
I suppose you can sense I feel strongly about this, yes? Perhaps it is semantics. However, I say what I mean whenever possible. If an editor is suggesting revision of a scene, reworking of a scene, editing of a scene, say so. Rewriting is just another form of current manuscript rejection. It's the perogative of the editor and therefore within her/his power to do so. If it doesn't sit well the way it is, reject it and I'll move on. Rewriting? Pffft. It's a cop-out.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Three R's
In grade school the the three R's were Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic - still not sure how those are R words - but I'm sure someone has figured that part out. In writing, the three R's are some of the most important words used - Rewrite! Rewrite! Rewrite! or Revise! Revise! Revise!
Revising and Rewriting come after the first draft, when you type the words "The End" at the bottom of the final page and hit save.
Everyone revises differently and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another regardless of how successful the author is.
For me, I put the work aside for a few days, or I'll do something incredibly dumb and the first draft out to be read by real live people. Either way, after a period of time where I either read, play, or other wise monkey-fart-around, I end up re-reading the book. I'll read through and make changes - saving a different version every time I re-read it. After that, if I have comments and suggestions already I'll work on those. After all of that is done, I print out the whole story and read it again - once to myself and then once out loud - making changes and notes as I go. Then I track down more real live people to read it again and then deal with comments and suggestions made then. Once I'm either mostly satisfied with it or ready to kill off all of my characters, I can send it out into the world.
Revising/Rewriting, which to me are the same thing, is the hard, tedious part of writing and every writer does it - well maybe not every writer - but probably all of us should.
Along the way there is drinking of cold beverages, my favorite potato chips, and the soundtrack playing the back ground.
Happy Reading,
Simone
Revising and Rewriting come after the first draft, when you type the words "The End" at the bottom of the final page and hit save.
Everyone revises differently and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another regardless of how successful the author is.
For me, I put the work aside for a few days, or I'll do something incredibly dumb and the first draft out to be read by real live people. Either way, after a period of time where I either read, play, or other wise monkey-fart-around, I end up re-reading the book. I'll read through and make changes - saving a different version every time I re-read it. After that, if I have comments and suggestions already I'll work on those. After all of that is done, I print out the whole story and read it again - once to myself and then once out loud - making changes and notes as I go. Then I track down more real live people to read it again and then deal with comments and suggestions made then. Once I'm either mostly satisfied with it or ready to kill off all of my characters, I can send it out into the world.
Revising/Rewriting, which to me are the same thing, is the hard, tedious part of writing and every writer does it - well maybe not every writer - but probably all of us should.
Along the way there is drinking of cold beverages, my favorite potato chips, and the soundtrack playing the back ground.
Happy Reading,
Simone
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Checking out of my hidey hole and moving into the great big yonder with timid little tipsy toe steps.
Well, folks, it has been a ride. It's also been an absolute pleasure being your ADD schizo for the last several months. Time, family, the writing career are taking over and there is way too much needing my attention that isn't getting it, so I'm checking out of the Evo blog. *sniffle*
I will be back, most likely to post comments as my real to true self (pshaw! You all thought SWX was my real name didn't you? Silly goose). Though those too will be limited. If you miss me, come visit me at my real house www.KellyMarstad.com or www.KellyMarstad.blogspot.com although I would request that you keep any profanity out of comments and anything of a suggestive nature. I won't delete it, but you might create some discomfort on the blog of an Inspirational writer. You might also know me as Kelly Kirch. I deleted that blog and site but feel free to pop over to Amazon and look me up. Oh yeah, and for a brief stint, I was also Katie Blu. Heh.
Confused yet? GREAT! I have secrets, secrets I tell you! Muhahahahahaaaaaaa.
Oh wait. I got distracted again (I KNEW I could fit in the topic of the week. Sorta). So I just wanted to say it has been my pleasure getting to know you all. Forgive all the cryptic-ness but I originally worried that an identity as a Christian fiction writer would be met with some disdain by the general mainstream public. I should have known better. I love you guys like no one's business.
I'll be back.
In the words of my beloved Animaniacs, "Okay, pretty lady(ies). I love you. B'bye!"
SWX
I will be back, most likely to post comments as my real to true self (pshaw! You all thought SWX was my real name didn't you? Silly goose). Though those too will be limited. If you miss me, come visit me at my real house www.KellyMarstad.com or www.KellyMarstad.blogspot.com although I would request that you keep any profanity out of comments and anything of a suggestive nature. I won't delete it, but you might create some discomfort on the blog of an Inspirational writer. You might also know me as Kelly Kirch. I deleted that blog and site but feel free to pop over to Amazon and look me up. Oh yeah, and for a brief stint, I was also Katie Blu. Heh.
Confused yet? GREAT! I have secrets, secrets I tell you! Muhahahahahaaaaaaa.
Oh wait. I got distracted again (I KNEW I could fit in the topic of the week. Sorta). So I just wanted to say it has been my pleasure getting to know you all. Forgive all the cryptic-ness but I originally worried that an identity as a Christian fiction writer would be met with some disdain by the general mainstream public. I should have known better. I love you guys like no one's business.
I'll be back.
In the words of my beloved Animaniacs, "Okay, pretty lady(ies). I love you. B'bye!"
SWX
Friday, September 18, 2009
All Hail Queen of--wait...what?
Yep...that’s me. The Queen of Distractions. I can’t multi-task to save my life and shiny objects, furry kittens and episodes of Supernatural are my own personal Kryptonite.
This is a list of things that have distracted me from writing this week. This is not by any means a complete list – these are just the highlights.
My internet wouldn’t work - you would think this would be conducive to writing, but it’s not...because I was constantly checking to see if it was working yet. (Please note: the other three computers in the house hooked up to the internet perfectly. Only mine was hateful. However, it worked just fine when I piggybacked on a neighbor’s unsecured network. Don’t judge me. I was desperate.) I spent over an hour on the phone with a tech who couldn’t understand how on earth I could be having this problem. It should also be noted that the phone call took extra long because the tech spoke in Yoda speak. For real. Distracting.
Attempted to pick up my kids from school only to discover that I left my lights on and killed my battery. It took two hours to get someone over here to jump it. After we finally got it started again, I drove around to recharge the battery...and got lost. Yeah, I know. Totally lame. Very distracting.
While driving in this area I’d never been through before, I discovered that the itty bitty town I was driving through is the same town that I’ve had several dreams about. I’ve never been there before, but I absolutely recognized the buildings, the houses and the crazy jog in the road by the railroad tracks. Incredibly distracting and very unsettling.
I took my cat to the vet to get some sutures out from a previous surgery only to discover that the vet who’d performed the procedure did it wrong and my poor Franken-kitty may have to go through the trauma all over again. Distracting and enraging.
After I’d cleaned out the refrigerator and gathered all the trash together, I turned my back on the garbage can. Not more than a second later, I heard a crash and turned around to discover that my kitten, who doesn’t even weigh a full pound, knocked over the insanely heavy garbage can and splattered food, including the remains of two cakes across a two by three foot area. And she was happily prancing through the whipped cream frosting and sucking it up like a junkie on a bender. Distracting and frustrating beyond belief.
Today I’m going on an all day field trip with my son...and the other 74 sixth graders because some things are even more important than writing. Insanely distracting.
You might be wondering what my point is – don’t worry, I do have one. With the exception of recognizing that little town I’ve never seen before, none of these things are unusual. Crap happens to people all the time. Every single day. True, some days are far more craptacular than others, but you still have 24 hours every day to accomplish something. Some days you might not get to everything you want to because of the distractions in your life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.
Did I meet all my writing goals this week?
No. But I came damn close. I edited a couple manuscripts, plotted my next book, worked on promo for the conference I’m going to, sewed a new outfit for said conference and thanks to that bizarre town recognition experience got an idea for a new book.
Believe me, it would have been super easy to just say “screw it, I’m not getting anything done anyway, I might as well just give up.” There are times when I kinda feel like it, but that’s not going to get my books written or get me ready to go to the conference.
We’ve all got distractions and drains on our time, but we work around them as best we can and just keep writing.
This is a list of things that have distracted me from writing this week. This is not by any means a complete list – these are just the highlights.
My internet wouldn’t work - you would think this would be conducive to writing, but it’s not...because I was constantly checking to see if it was working yet. (Please note: the other three computers in the house hooked up to the internet perfectly. Only mine was hateful. However, it worked just fine when I piggybacked on a neighbor’s unsecured network. Don’t judge me. I was desperate.) I spent over an hour on the phone with a tech who couldn’t understand how on earth I could be having this problem. It should also be noted that the phone call took extra long because the tech spoke in Yoda speak. For real. Distracting.
Attempted to pick up my kids from school only to discover that I left my lights on and killed my battery. It took two hours to get someone over here to jump it. After we finally got it started again, I drove around to recharge the battery...and got lost. Yeah, I know. Totally lame. Very distracting.
While driving in this area I’d never been through before, I discovered that the itty bitty town I was driving through is the same town that I’ve had several dreams about. I’ve never been there before, but I absolutely recognized the buildings, the houses and the crazy jog in the road by the railroad tracks. Incredibly distracting and very unsettling.
I took my cat to the vet to get some sutures out from a previous surgery only to discover that the vet who’d performed the procedure did it wrong and my poor Franken-kitty may have to go through the trauma all over again. Distracting and enraging.
After I’d cleaned out the refrigerator and gathered all the trash together, I turned my back on the garbage can. Not more than a second later, I heard a crash and turned around to discover that my kitten, who doesn’t even weigh a full pound, knocked over the insanely heavy garbage can and splattered food, including the remains of two cakes across a two by three foot area. And she was happily prancing through the whipped cream frosting and sucking it up like a junkie on a bender. Distracting and frustrating beyond belief.
Today I’m going on an all day field trip with my son...and the other 74 sixth graders because some things are even more important than writing. Insanely distracting.
You might be wondering what my point is – don’t worry, I do have one. With the exception of recognizing that little town I’ve never seen before, none of these things are unusual. Crap happens to people all the time. Every single day. True, some days are far more craptacular than others, but you still have 24 hours every day to accomplish something. Some days you might not get to everything you want to because of the distractions in your life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.
Did I meet all my writing goals this week?
No. But I came damn close. I edited a couple manuscripts, plotted my next book, worked on promo for the conference I’m going to, sewed a new outfit for said conference and thanks to that bizarre town recognition experience got an idea for a new book.
Believe me, it would have been super easy to just say “screw it, I’m not getting anything done anyway, I might as well just give up.” There are times when I kinda feel like it, but that’s not going to get my books written or get me ready to go to the conference.
We’ve all got distractions and drains on our time, but we work around them as best we can and just keep writing.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Distracted? Moi? Noi! I mean NO.
There is a difference between distractions and avoidance. We must make this perfectly clear up front. Because I am big into avoidance. But I can ignore pretty much anyone at any given time. So unless my child is bleeding, I can focus on whatever I want to.And therein lies the problem. The wanting. Lately, I don't wanna at all, and so I haven't been. Granted, I am planning a wedding so therefore I have been given special permission to lay off the writing for a while. But honestly, I'm not sure I could write at the moment. This may just be a handy excuse to avoid writing at a time when I probably need to do it most.
I, like many writers I would imagine, feel better when I write. I can rant and rave on paper, I can kill people if I want to. And when all my emotions have poured into the laptop, I am able to sit back with the bad on paper and the good left in my head. It's a great stress reliever if you can do it. And I used to be great at it. But lately I find myself wrapping my stress around myself like a security blanket and forcing myself to be worried about things. It's quite distracting.I will write again, I know that. But for now I will take all the distractions, avoidance, permissions and excuses I can get to make myself okay with the fact that I am not writing at the moment.
However, when I come back from my honeymoon it will be buckle down time. Let's see how that parade goes shall we?
Ooh look a kitty!XoXoXo
Dakota
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Distractions
They come in all forms, do they not? Someone asked me recently how I could work full time and schedule as many books as I do. I didn't go into detail because everyone is different and we keep different hours. But here is the break down:
I don't sleep much.
I don't eat much (I forget and when I don't, I eat while I work).
I don't answer the phone when I write.
I don't answer the door when I write.
I don't watch television or listen to the radio when I write.
I don't think too much about writing, I just write. Revising can come later and you cannot revise what is not yet on the page.
I keep a calendar with alerts.
I have a drink near me and have taken care of other physical needs already.
I don't play on the Internet or read emails during writing time.
I don't have others in my space and this affords me the lack of distractions of family in my way that others might have.
If I do it any other way, I'll never get my work finished. It just wouldn't be possible. Distractions are going to happen. You can limit the outside influences like phones and Internet. It becomes a little less easy when they are internal. My biggest distraction of that type is my internal editor. The little voice wants me to slow down and pick a precise image, or study the scene in my head to get just the right nuance. She can be a picky bitch. She's one I constantly must quiet in order to get words down. She can come back out when I read through and tighten and rework the words on the page.
Distractions happen. Disciplining yourself to ignore them may be a difficult and tedious process but ultimately you are in charge. The tantrum-throwing inner child will whine and complain and tell you she will do it later or catch up later, but you govern your actions. Do you want to be published? Do you want a contract? Do you want to get your stories down and write? Do you want to get paid? Stop making excuses. Stop standing in your own way and get it done. No one can do it for you. Every word written is one word more than you had before. Take it as encouragement and get to work.
I don't sleep much.
I don't eat much (I forget and when I don't, I eat while I work).
I don't answer the phone when I write.
I don't answer the door when I write.
I don't watch television or listen to the radio when I write.
I don't think too much about writing, I just write. Revising can come later and you cannot revise what is not yet on the page.
I keep a calendar with alerts.
I have a drink near me and have taken care of other physical needs already.
I don't play on the Internet or read emails during writing time.
I don't have others in my space and this affords me the lack of distractions of family in my way that others might have.
If I do it any other way, I'll never get my work finished. It just wouldn't be possible. Distractions are going to happen. You can limit the outside influences like phones and Internet. It becomes a little less easy when they are internal. My biggest distraction of that type is my internal editor. The little voice wants me to slow down and pick a precise image, or study the scene in my head to get just the right nuance. She can be a picky bitch. She's one I constantly must quiet in order to get words down. She can come back out when I read through and tighten and rework the words on the page.
Distractions happen. Disciplining yourself to ignore them may be a difficult and tedious process but ultimately you are in charge. The tantrum-throwing inner child will whine and complain and tell you she will do it later or catch up later, but you govern your actions. Do you want to be published? Do you want a contract? Do you want to get your stories down and write? Do you want to get paid? Stop making excuses. Stop standing in your own way and get it done. No one can do it for you. Every word written is one word more than you had before. Take it as encouragement and get to work.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Oh, Look! Shiny!
Distractions are a fact of life, especially if you have another job besides writing, have a family, kids, or want any of the above.
My desk is a testament to the thousand and one things that absolutely need my attention now! And that is before homework - both mine and Bug's is added to the mix.
I have friends that have the discipline to write for 8 hours a day. I envy them. I've tried it, and I can do it, but only if I can get out of the house before I start and get my brain moving and the distractions shoved to the side for a little while. The distractions are also less tempting when I have a deadline, but sometimes they are more tempting.
Email, blogs, and the internet in general are huge distractions. I find that I get more done if the computer I'm using doesn't have internet. And with the book I'm working on now, the edits are going much better once I printed everything out and could see everything side by side, with the soundtrack playing and no internet available. And no cell phone. (What I want to know is how you can write 4500 words a day while reading and answering 100+ emails a day?)
It's been mentioned time and time again for a writer to write everyday and suggestions have been made to set a kitchen timer so you can get started - and while I haven't tried that yet, I do know that writing in shorter snippets keeps me going back to it. Now it's time to set the timer and work on my edits so I can get started on the next book.
Happy Reading,
Simone.
My desk is a testament to the thousand and one things that absolutely need my attention now! And that is before homework - both mine and Bug's is added to the mix.
I have friends that have the discipline to write for 8 hours a day. I envy them. I've tried it, and I can do it, but only if I can get out of the house before I start and get my brain moving and the distractions shoved to the side for a little while. The distractions are also less tempting when I have a deadline, but sometimes they are more tempting.
Email, blogs, and the internet in general are huge distractions. I find that I get more done if the computer I'm using doesn't have internet. And with the book I'm working on now, the edits are going much better once I printed everything out and could see everything side by side, with the soundtrack playing and no internet available. And no cell phone. (What I want to know is how you can write 4500 words a day while reading and answering 100+ emails a day?)
It's been mentioned time and time again for a writer to write everyday and suggestions have been made to set a kitchen timer so you can get started - and while I haven't tried that yet, I do know that writing in shorter snippets keeps me going back to it. Now it's time to set the timer and work on my edits so I can get started on the next book.
Happy Reading,
Simone.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Writing With Distractions: (fill in the blank) is the Devil!
Let's get this right out front...I have no self-discipline. I laugh way too loud at live performances of comedies (enough so George Carlin once stopped a monologue, walked to the edge of the stage looked over at me and said "you really liked that one, didn't you, honey?"). I also cheer too loud at sports events (travel back to my son's high school years when he said "I can always tell when Mom's at the football game cause I can hear her above the rest of the crowd"). I also stay up way too late if I'm busy reading a good book, on the phone with a West Coast friend or playing on the Internet.
So what does that have to do with the topic? A lot. I need this week's topic as I am easily led astray by distractions. Let me give you a typical scenario.
I sit down after work, determined to write. But first, there's dinner. Then I need to check my email. Wow, this hyperlink Jan sent me on market news looks interesting, I'll just pop over there for a minute... Hmmm, an hour later, I realize it's Wednesday! Pogo has put up the new badge challenges. "I'll just pop over there for a few minutes to see what they are and maybe I'll play a game of Boggle Bash. After all, it will improve my vocabulary, right?" Uh huh. Another hour later, I drag myself away (darn, I almost beat my high score that time), and decide I should pop over to Facebook. It would be so rude to ignore any of my 212 closest friends because Lord knows an emergency might have occurred and they posted may have posted it to me on Facebook because they wouldn't think to call me on the home phone, work phone or on my cell. (Yeah right). When I finally drag my sorry butt off there or some other such site, it is now past 1 a.m. and I need to be up at 6:30 a.m. for work. So I'll just have to work on my story tomorrow.
Okay, maybe it's not really THAT bad -- at least not every night-- but it may explain why Brynn, Bronwyn, Mia, and so many others are multi-published. They seem to have mastered the art of juggling all the distractions of spouses, kids, busy lives, blogs, IMs and writing careers.
So this week, I'm going to sit back and learn from them. Hopefully, they won't tell me to disconnect my cable.
And now, I really am going to go and write. Oh! What's this pop up? Someone sent me an I.M.? Well, I'd better go check it out, it'll just take a minute.
Joking!
~ Stephanie
So what does that have to do with the topic? A lot. I need this week's topic as I am easily led astray by distractions. Let me give you a typical scenario.
I sit down after work, determined to write. But first, there's dinner. Then I need to check my email. Wow, this hyperlink Jan sent me on market news looks interesting, I'll just pop over there for a minute... Hmmm, an hour later, I realize it's Wednesday! Pogo has put up the new badge challenges. "I'll just pop over there for a few minutes to see what they are and maybe I'll play a game of Boggle Bash. After all, it will improve my vocabulary, right?" Uh huh. Another hour later, I drag myself away (darn, I almost beat my high score that time), and decide I should pop over to Facebook. It would be so rude to ignore any of my 212 closest friends because Lord knows an emergency might have occurred and they posted may have posted it to me on Facebook because they wouldn't think to call me on the home phone, work phone or on my cell. (Yeah right). When I finally drag my sorry butt off there or some other such site, it is now past 1 a.m. and I need to be up at 6:30 a.m. for work. So I'll just have to work on my story tomorrow.
Okay, maybe it's not really THAT bad -- at least not every night-- but it may explain why Brynn, Bronwyn, Mia, and so many others are multi-published. They seem to have mastered the art of juggling all the distractions of spouses, kids, busy lives, blogs, IMs and writing careers.
So this week, I'm going to sit back and learn from them. Hopefully, they won't tell me to disconnect my cable.
And now, I really am going to go and write. Oh! What's this pop up? Someone sent me an I.M.? Well, I'd better go check it out, it'll just take a minute.
Joking!
~ Stephanie
Saturday, September 12, 2009
There are rules to posting things when there's a provided direction so I will get to it but here's where I'm starting.
You know how it is when you have a really bad head cold and you don't just sound like you're talking through a cottonball but everything is way brighter and hurts your eyes and your thoughts actually feel like they've been thought through cottonballs too? Yeah, I'm there right now. I have cottonball head and feel cottonbally and ew. My friend, Bronwyn, whom you all know and is our lovely crunchy granola seasoned writer person on this blog has prescribed an obscene amount of weeds for me to consume. So not only am I taking six capsules (read: horse pills) of Echinacea-Goldenseal, but four Vitamin C with Rose hips, a zinc, and a (non-odorous) garlic capsule like every four hours with a whole buncha water and/or tea.
They didn't have Gypsy Cold Care tea but my spousal unit located something else that is coldy-for and I think Bronwyn would be proud because the number of weeds in there is astounding. Okay, wait, I gotta go get the box and read you this shit. I'm currently drinking (okay, Bronwyn this is all organic so don't fret) European elder flower, Linden flower, Chamomile flower, Passionflower herb, peppermint leaf, Yarrow flower, Eucalyptus leaf and licorice root (I hate licorice but fortunately it isn't taste-able). I'd have mixed it with honey like a good little SWX but I have decided that honey makes my teeth ache. No, I won't explain. But I did mix it with Splenda. See? Weeds!!! (Anyone else channeling that SNL skit, "You can put your weed in there"?)
And because I'm a back-up gal, I am taking non-drowsy sudafed too. Oh and you know that "daquil" type Zycam that says, "Chosen for taste every time!" where you mix it into your drink and it's "virtually undetectable". Yeah, they lied. It is soooo freakin' bad I nearly vomited. No kidding.
So what does this have to do with sidekicks and secondary characters? Nuthin'. I just felt like sharing my misery. Because I love you.
UNLESS!!! OHOHOHOHOHHHHH UNLESS you consider my cold a sidekick because it is definitely kicking my, erm... side. Because no one wants a repeat or a care about this viral stuffs story, let's establish here and now that it is a sidekick and not a secondary character in my real to life life. Honest to self, this thing sucks. No repeats. Definitely sidekick material in a bad, bad, bad kind of way.
Okay. I'm done now.
ZZZZZ
SWX
They didn't have Gypsy Cold Care tea but my spousal unit located something else that is coldy-for and I think Bronwyn would be proud because the number of weeds in there is astounding. Okay, wait, I gotta go get the box and read you this shit. I'm currently drinking (okay, Bronwyn this is all organic so don't fret) European elder flower, Linden flower, Chamomile flower, Passionflower herb, peppermint leaf, Yarrow flower, Eucalyptus leaf and licorice root (I hate licorice but fortunately it isn't taste-able). I'd have mixed it with honey like a good little SWX but I have decided that honey makes my teeth ache. No, I won't explain. But I did mix it with Splenda. See? Weeds!!! (Anyone else channeling that SNL skit, "You can put your weed in there"?)
And because I'm a back-up gal, I am taking non-drowsy sudafed too. Oh and you know that "daquil" type Zycam that says, "Chosen for taste every time!" where you mix it into your drink and it's "virtually undetectable". Yeah, they lied. It is soooo freakin' bad I nearly vomited. No kidding.
So what does this have to do with sidekicks and secondary characters? Nuthin'. I just felt like sharing my misery. Because I love you.
UNLESS!!! OHOHOHOHOHHHHH UNLESS you consider my cold a sidekick because it is definitely kicking my, erm... side. Because no one wants a repeat or a care about this viral stuffs story, let's establish here and now that it is a sidekick and not a secondary character in my real to life life. Honest to self, this thing sucks. No repeats. Definitely sidekick material in a bad, bad, bad kind of way.
Okay. I'm done now.
ZZZZZ
SWX
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Oh yeah? Well so's your face! I'm not your sidekick.
I think of all of my secondary characters Becky is probably my favorite. She was Diane's best friend in Hello. She is also pretty much the only character I ever stole from real life. She is as close to my real best friend as I could legally make her and still call K my friend.
I have other secondary characters that I like, but I would be lying if I said I put enough thought into them. I know this is a weak spot for me. My brain gets so focused on the main characters that I don't do enough for those on the outside of the relationship. I don't have secondary characters that steal my show. And that sucks, big time.
I like when secondary characters steal scenes. Like Betty White in...anything she wasn't playing Rose Niland in. Lake Placid, The Proposal, there are more but I am lazy. I don't believe I am alone in this. I think lots of people appreciate secondary characters.
For writers this love needs to be even stronger. We need to love and nurture our secondary characters. Someday they could be the main deal, and if you don't allow your readers to fall in love with them in small tidbits, how will they EVER let these people carry an entire book?
My favorite example of this is in one of Bronwyn Green's books. Her hero is Micah, and he is lovely, manly, sexy as all hell. But for me, my heart belonged to Asher by the end of the book. He stole the whole thing, whether she set out to do it or not, she made me fall head over heals for Micah's friend. And I cannot wait to get my hands on Asher's book. A book I have been told is in the works. :D
Anyway, this is what I strive for. To create characters, all characters, that stick with you after the book. Of course people will remember the two main characters, at least you hope so or you have even bigger problems than I first thought. But when someone shuts the back cover with that contented sigh, their very next thought should be "I can't wait for .....'s book." That's how you know you've done a fabulous job.
I have only gotten requests for books about two characters, and I have't written either of them yet. One is Diane's book. The other, which I do actually intend to write some day, is Reagan's book. Reagan is Mitch's little sister. Of course she won't be so little in her own book, cause ew.
Anyway, it is my hope to someday have gobs of emails requesting books about my secondary characters. That is when I will know that I have made it. When I will know that I am a fabulous writer like my friend Bronwyn Green.
By the way Ms. Green, when IS Asher's book going to be finished?
XoXoXo
Dakota
I have other secondary characters that I like, but I would be lying if I said I put enough thought into them. I know this is a weak spot for me. My brain gets so focused on the main characters that I don't do enough for those on the outside of the relationship. I don't have secondary characters that steal my show. And that sucks, big time.
I like when secondary characters steal scenes. Like Betty White in...anything she wasn't playing Rose Niland in. Lake Placid, The Proposal, there are more but I am lazy. I don't believe I am alone in this. I think lots of people appreciate secondary characters.
For writers this love needs to be even stronger. We need to love and nurture our secondary characters. Someday they could be the main deal, and if you don't allow your readers to fall in love with them in small tidbits, how will they EVER let these people carry an entire book?
My favorite example of this is in one of Bronwyn Green's books. Her hero is Micah, and he is lovely, manly, sexy as all hell. But for me, my heart belonged to Asher by the end of the book. He stole the whole thing, whether she set out to do it or not, she made me fall head over heals for Micah's friend. And I cannot wait to get my hands on Asher's book. A book I have been told is in the works. :DAnyway, this is what I strive for. To create characters, all characters, that stick with you after the book. Of course people will remember the two main characters, at least you hope so or you have even bigger problems than I first thought. But when someone shuts the back cover with that contented sigh, their very next thought should be "I can't wait for .....'s book." That's how you know you've done a fabulous job.
I have only gotten requests for books about two characters, and I have't written either of them yet. One is Diane's book. The other, which I do actually intend to write some day, is Reagan's book. Reagan is Mitch's little sister. Of course she won't be so little in her own book, cause ew.
Anyway, it is my hope to someday have gobs of emails requesting books about my secondary characters. That is when I will know that I have made it. When I will know that I am a fabulous writer like my friend Bronwyn Green.
By the way Ms. Green, when IS Asher's book going to be finished?
XoXoXo
Dakota
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
What's Your Purpose?
First, you must have a book long enough for the use of either secondary characters or side-kicks. Since most of my work is novella or short story, and I wish to develop the romantic element (or erotic) to its fullest in the length provided, it limits the amount of extraneous information I provide. However, a well placed secondary character can serve as an excellent foil for a story with a moment too serious otherwise.
What's in a name, anyway? Is it side-kick or secondary character. Stephanie touched on this Monday and I have to say, I agree. Side-kick implies comedy relief or slap-stick anti-hero. Secondary character suggests a person of substance, worthy though not equal to the hero, and having the potential for their own book down the line.
There's no reason a secondary character cannot delve into the world of humor or foil. To my mind, it's the silliness which makes the difference. I'd prefer my peripheral people to have more to them than pitfalls because I feel it steals something from the main plot if the other isn't believable enough to support it.
Case in point... well, honestly, I cannot think of a single book I've read recently where the outside cast of characters were ridiculous. So instead, I'll give you another example. A good one. Brynn Paulin's Cress brothers. While flitting in or out of previous books, or simply by mention, Ms. Paulin generates enough credible interest in the siblings to have books carried by them. The same for Ms. Green's Mystic Circle and I Put A Spell On You. The friends or compatriots are valuable to the plot. Secondary but of primary importance to the main plot.
I've seen the same for Brian, a background character for Ms. Michaels' All She Ever Wanted, Dakota Rebel (if she chose to write m/f) for the female best friend in To Hate And To Hold, anything by Carol Lynne whose series links are nearly legend. Value is the key. Are they valuable to the story? Are they valuable to the plot? Even if the sole purpose is to be a sounding board for the main heroes, or a point of comedic release after a tough scene, are they valuable?
I'm not precisely sure what I'm saying here. Perhaps I'm merely rehashing the differences between side-kick and secondary character that have already been addressed. However I do find that a really fetching secondary character will inspire me to curiosity. What about their story? What happens to them? Do they find love or are they forever doomed to lurking in Heroine's shadow, stumping their toes and slipping on banana peels? Will she ever get that guy? The one she's been secretly in love with for the last four years, even though he's the biggest nerd to walk the planet and co-stars with Hero as his *gack* side-kick too?
Value is everything. Side-kick or secondary character, it comes down to substance every time.
What's in a name, anyway? Is it side-kick or secondary character. Stephanie touched on this Monday and I have to say, I agree. Side-kick implies comedy relief or slap-stick anti-hero. Secondary character suggests a person of substance, worthy though not equal to the hero, and having the potential for their own book down the line.
There's no reason a secondary character cannot delve into the world of humor or foil. To my mind, it's the silliness which makes the difference. I'd prefer my peripheral people to have more to them than pitfalls because I feel it steals something from the main plot if the other isn't believable enough to support it.
Case in point... well, honestly, I cannot think of a single book I've read recently where the outside cast of characters were ridiculous. So instead, I'll give you another example. A good one. Brynn Paulin's Cress brothers. While flitting in or out of previous books, or simply by mention, Ms. Paulin generates enough credible interest in the siblings to have books carried by them. The same for Ms. Green's Mystic Circle and I Put A Spell On You. The friends or compatriots are valuable to the plot. Secondary but of primary importance to the main plot.
I've seen the same for Brian, a background character for Ms. Michaels' All She Ever Wanted, Dakota Rebel (if she chose to write m/f) for the female best friend in To Hate And To Hold, anything by Carol Lynne whose series links are nearly legend. Value is the key. Are they valuable to the story? Are they valuable to the plot? Even if the sole purpose is to be a sounding board for the main heroes, or a point of comedic release after a tough scene, are they valuable?
I'm not precisely sure what I'm saying here. Perhaps I'm merely rehashing the differences between side-kick and secondary character that have already been addressed. However I do find that a really fetching secondary character will inspire me to curiosity. What about their story? What happens to them? Do they find love or are they forever doomed to lurking in Heroine's shadow, stumping their toes and slipping on banana peels? Will she ever get that guy? The one she's been secretly in love with for the last four years, even though he's the biggest nerd to walk the planet and co-stars with Hero as his *gack* side-kick too?
Value is everything. Side-kick or secondary character, it comes down to substance every time.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Wait! But I Thought I Was The Hero!
Now, this should be interesting after reading Stephanie's post. :)
When I think of sidekick, I invariably think of Robin from Batman and Robin. And while Chris O'Donnell made a good looking Robin, I don't have a very positive impression of sidekicks - more likely to rush in and do something stupid. I'm sure they are helpful and have a point, and can rescue the hero just before he dies or falls or make the hero/heroine look extremely intelligent, I'm not always sure how useful they are, even if they look hot in tights.
A secondary character on the other hand is an important character, second to the main two characters and can provide an ear, a shoulder, or a clue-by-four when needed. They are always necessary, but they are different than the assorted minor characters that can fill a story. In a movie a secondary character is the best friend of one of the main characters while minor characters walk in and a deliver a line or two and disappear. Which, is fine for movies - you can have four or five secondary characters and a couple thousand minor characters, but within the spanse of a book having a huge cast list is hard to deal with. Especially if the genre you're writing in usually has a complete visible cast of six or seven and each of them must be relevant to the story and the main characters. Because the limits to the cast of characters, each secondary character that is visible needs to be as fully developed to the author as the main characters, and that can lead to secondary characters who are more interesting than the main characters and that is bad, because it isn't their story.
With secondary characters that will eventually have their own stories, either by design or because they won't stop bugging you, there is the need to be doubly vigilant that they don't evolve and grow too much in the story or that they are more interesting or have more lines than the main characters because it isn't they're story, and at the moment, as important as they are, it isn't even close to being all about them.
Happy Reading,
Simone
When I think of sidekick, I invariably think of Robin from Batman and Robin. And while Chris O'Donnell made a good looking Robin, I don't have a very positive impression of sidekicks - more likely to rush in and do something stupid. I'm sure they are helpful and have a point, and can rescue the hero just before he dies or falls or make the hero/heroine look extremely intelligent, I'm not always sure how useful they are, even if they look hot in tights.
A secondary character on the other hand is an important character, second to the main two characters and can provide an ear, a shoulder, or a clue-by-four when needed. They are always necessary, but they are different than the assorted minor characters that can fill a story. In a movie a secondary character is the best friend of one of the main characters while minor characters walk in and a deliver a line or two and disappear. Which, is fine for movies - you can have four or five secondary characters and a couple thousand minor characters, but within the spanse of a book having a huge cast list is hard to deal with. Especially if the genre you're writing in usually has a complete visible cast of six or seven and each of them must be relevant to the story and the main characters. Because the limits to the cast of characters, each secondary character that is visible needs to be as fully developed to the author as the main characters, and that can lead to secondary characters who are more interesting than the main characters and that is bad, because it isn't their story.
With secondary characters that will eventually have their own stories, either by design or because they won't stop bugging you, there is the need to be doubly vigilant that they don't evolve and grow too much in the story or that they are more interesting or have more lines than the main characters because it isn't they're story, and at the moment, as important as they are, it isn't even close to being all about them.
Happy Reading,
Simone
Monday, September 7, 2009
Is there a Dr. Watson in the house?
Happy Labor Day to our American readers and Happy Monday to everyone else.
This week, the Writer's Evolution is going to talk about Secondary Characters and Sidekicks. That's a lot heavier topic than my Disney heroines of last week, but I'm happy to have a chance to weigh in with my thoughts.
Whether it's a movie, a TV show, a play or a novel, most stories are populated by more than just the hero and heroine. Just as your own life is filled with lots of people -- everyone from coworkers, family, shopkeepers, neighbors and friends -- secondary characters and sidekicks help set the background for your story and make it feel more realistic.
What is the difference between a secondary character and a sidekick? Well, secondary characters are more like the background people in our lives. The mailman who delivers parcels, the butcher who weighs the meat. They serve a purpose, but aren't usually our confidantes.
Sidekicks, on the other hand, take a more starring role. Sidekicks are often there to give advice, provide comic relief, or act as a sounding board. Some classic sidekicks are Ethel Mertz in I love Lucy, Goose in Top Gun, Lulu in the Stephanie Plum books, and Watson in Sherlock Holmes.
Sidekicks and secondary characters are handled a little differently in stories.
When you're introducing secondary characters, don't over-populate your story. The days of Tolstoy and his casts of thousands is gone. Choose who you introduce carefully so you don't confuse your reader. They don't want to meet every person your hero or heroine has ever known. Decide who to introduce and why. Does saying hello to the neighbor walking his dog each night show the type of neighborhood where your character lives, how she relates to or is perceived by others? Is the person important to some aspect of the story: a message left, a person they saw hanging around the building, etc? If so, give them the appropriate amount of attention, but don't dwell too long on a scene with a character that really has nothing to add other than background. If you make the action with a minor character too prominent, your reader will expect that character to show up again. If they don't, the reader might be puzzled by their appearance at all.
Clearly differentiate your characters. Don't give them similar sounding names. Readers don't want to have to reread a chapter to see if it was Mary or Marie who was the doctor or if it was Harry or Harly who went to school with the hero. That slows down the reader's progress in your story. Something you want to avoid.
Sidekicks, on the other hand, have a bigger role in a story. When we hear the word sidekick, we tend to think of comic relief figures like Ethel or Lulu, who are often drafted into action by our heroes or heroines -- sometimes willingly and sometimes against their better judgment. They offer comic relief as a foil for your lead characters. But don't assume that your sidekick has to be a ditz or a bumbler. Just as often, a sidekick can be a sister or an army buddy or business partner. Think of the sidekick role in shows like Law and Order. There's nothing ditsy or comic there. Those sidekicks are sounding boards, partners, confidantes. They're vital to the lead and to the development of the storyline.
Lastly, remember that most stories need secondary characters, but most don't need sidekicks. Decide ahead of time if a sidekick will add to the action in your story or subtract from it. Maybe the story is better told through the eyes of your leads. Maybe your lead needs a sounding board. The choice is yours. After all, you are the author!
Talk to you soon,
Stephanie
This week, the Writer's Evolution is going to talk about Secondary Characters and Sidekicks. That's a lot heavier topic than my Disney heroines of last week, but I'm happy to have a chance to weigh in with my thoughts.
Whether it's a movie, a TV show, a play or a novel, most stories are populated by more than just the hero and heroine. Just as your own life is filled with lots of people -- everyone from coworkers, family, shopkeepers, neighbors and friends -- secondary characters and sidekicks help set the background for your story and make it feel more realistic.
What is the difference between a secondary character and a sidekick? Well, secondary characters are more like the background people in our lives. The mailman who delivers parcels, the butcher who weighs the meat. They serve a purpose, but aren't usually our confidantes.
Sidekicks, on the other hand, take a more starring role. Sidekicks are often there to give advice, provide comic relief, or act as a sounding board. Some classic sidekicks are Ethel Mertz in I love Lucy, Goose in Top Gun, Lulu in the Stephanie Plum books, and Watson in Sherlock Holmes.
Sidekicks and secondary characters are handled a little differently in stories.
When you're introducing secondary characters, don't over-populate your story. The days of Tolstoy and his casts of thousands is gone. Choose who you introduce carefully so you don't confuse your reader. They don't want to meet every person your hero or heroine has ever known. Decide who to introduce and why. Does saying hello to the neighbor walking his dog each night show the type of neighborhood where your character lives, how she relates to or is perceived by others? Is the person important to some aspect of the story: a message left, a person they saw hanging around the building, etc? If so, give them the appropriate amount of attention, but don't dwell too long on a scene with a character that really has nothing to add other than background. If you make the action with a minor character too prominent, your reader will expect that character to show up again. If they don't, the reader might be puzzled by their appearance at all.
Clearly differentiate your characters. Don't give them similar sounding names. Readers don't want to have to reread a chapter to see if it was Mary or Marie who was the doctor or if it was Harry or Harly who went to school with the hero. That slows down the reader's progress in your story. Something you want to avoid.
Sidekicks, on the other hand, have a bigger role in a story. When we hear the word sidekick, we tend to think of comic relief figures like Ethel or Lulu, who are often drafted into action by our heroes or heroines -- sometimes willingly and sometimes against their better judgment. They offer comic relief as a foil for your lead characters. But don't assume that your sidekick has to be a ditz or a bumbler. Just as often, a sidekick can be a sister or an army buddy or business partner. Think of the sidekick role in shows like Law and Order. There's nothing ditsy or comic there. Those sidekicks are sounding boards, partners, confidantes. They're vital to the lead and to the development of the storyline.
Lastly, remember that most stories need secondary characters, but most don't need sidekicks. Decide ahead of time if a sidekick will add to the action in your story or subtract from it. Maybe the story is better told through the eyes of your leads. Maybe your lead needs a sounding board. The choice is yours. After all, you are the author!
Talk to you soon,
Stephanie
Friday, September 4, 2009
Don't you wish you could make a heroine just like you in a book and everyone would adore her and think you're a freakin' genius instead of conceited?
How to make a heroine...
Geez. Didn't you mommy explain this stuff to you? No? Okay. Well first there are these birds and they run... er, fly away from the bees because of the stingers. And they should fly away. Far, far away, because baby those bees can't think about nuthin' but sticking in their stingers and then those poor pregnant birds, who are now not flying so great, have little baby birds which grow up to be strong-ass heroine birdies that chomp those bees if they so much as look at her cross-eyed.
What? It could be that way.
Maybe.
*exasperation* Fine.
I don't know how to make a great heroine because they kinda just pop into my head. Which now sounds like I KNOW I make great heroines which is totally egotistic so here's where I say, "if you like my heroines, this is how they happen." It's late Friday night as I write this, so stop criticising. I pre-posted like a good girl.
Step 1: Close your eyes.
Step 1: Hum in a monotone. Or beat drums or something, but don't do it naked because that's just wrong and people might see those saggy, vibrating bat wings and never want mayonaise on their sandwiches again. What? I know what I'm talking about.
Step 3: Oops. I had two step ones up there. Oh well, I'm leaving it because it's makin' me chuckle.
Step 4: Step three wasn't really a step.
Step 5: Neither was step four, but this one is. For real. While you're humming, remember to breathe.
Step 6: Seriously. Breathe.
Step 7: But not on me. DANG, brush your tongue with that toothbrush. Smells like something curled in your mouth and died. Or sat on your chest over night and warmed its STANKY feet in your mouth.
Step 8: I'm sorry. Why were we stepping again?
Basically, sit still and relax. She'll come to you. I find that the heroine flavor of the moment is the one who has characteristics I'm either working on in myself, or has some I would like to develop. It's a cycle, baby.
Breathe.
Amen.
SWX
Geez. Didn't you mommy explain this stuff to you? No? Okay. Well first there are these birds and they run... er, fly away from the bees because of the stingers. And they should fly away. Far, far away, because baby those bees can't think about nuthin' but sticking in their stingers and then those poor pregnant birds, who are now not flying so great, have little baby birds which grow up to be strong-ass heroine birdies that chomp those bees if they so much as look at her cross-eyed.
What? It could be that way.
Maybe.
*exasperation* Fine.
I don't know how to make a great heroine because they kinda just pop into my head. Which now sounds like I KNOW I make great heroines which is totally egotistic so here's where I say, "if you like my heroines, this is how they happen." It's late Friday night as I write this, so stop criticising. I pre-posted like a good girl.
Step 1: Close your eyes.
Step 1: Hum in a monotone. Or beat drums or something, but don't do it naked because that's just wrong and people might see those saggy, vibrating bat wings and never want mayonaise on their sandwiches again. What? I know what I'm talking about.
Step 3: Oops. I had two step ones up there. Oh well, I'm leaving it because it's makin' me chuckle.
Step 4: Step three wasn't really a step.
Step 5: Neither was step four, but this one is. For real. While you're humming, remember to breathe.
Step 6: Seriously. Breathe.
Step 7: But not on me. DANG, brush your tongue with that toothbrush. Smells like something curled in your mouth and died. Or sat on your chest over night and warmed its STANKY feet in your mouth.
Step 8: I'm sorry. Why were we stepping again?
Basically, sit still and relax. She'll come to you. I find that the heroine flavor of the moment is the one who has characteristics I'm either working on in myself, or has some I would like to develop. It's a cycle, baby.
Breathe.
Amen.
SWX
Coming Up Roses
I think is most important thing about a heroine is that readers are able to relate to her. As readers, we typically experience the events of the story through the eyes of the heroine. In a sense, she becomes the reader’s avatar in the story world. Because of that, she needs to be as much of a real person as our friends are. We’re not perfect, our friends aren’t perfect and our heroines shouldn’t be either. Yes, we want them to be strong, smart, attractive, blah, blah, blah, but we also want them to be real.
In order for her to be “real” (no, I promise, this isn’t going to turn into a Velvateen Rabbit post – no one needs that kind of sad) she’s got to have flaws. Real flaws...not the fake, “oh my breasts are too big and my waist is too small” or the “if only my eyes weren’t these limpid violet pools” kind. I’m talking maybe she has difficulty saying no and it gets her into trouble, or she acts without thinking of the consequences, or she has a terrible temper and frequently says things she doesn’t really mean, or maybe she’s constantly falling into bed with guys because she thinks “this one is gonna be the one.”
In addition to flaws, I think she needs a little emotional baggage. Now, I’m not talking complete, eight-piece monogrammed sets of emotional baggage. She can’t be experiencing so much grief and pain that she can’t function realistically within the confines of the story. By functioning realistically I mean, nobody is going to buy a woman who’s just lost all her children in a house fire having hot monkey sex the following week with the fire fighter who couldn’t put out the fire in time to save her babies.
There’s a saying that goes something like, “nobody gets through life without scars.” Some scars are deeper than others, but everyone has them – everyone has experiences that affect them profoundly. Those experiences and our reactions to them help to shape who we become. The same goes for our characters. This is the kind of emotional baggage I’m talking about. Maybe she has trust issues because she’s been screwed over a few too many times, maybe she’s a rape survivor and intimacy isn’t easy for her, maybe she’s lost someone close to her who was in the same dangerous profession as the hero and she’s afraid of falling in love with someone who could die just as easily.
Even more important than the flaws or the baggage is how she overcomes these things to develop and grow as a character – and because I write romance, how she works her way to her own HEA. If the heroine remains static – if she’s the same person at the end of the book as she was in the beginning – then I don’t want to read about her. Same goes for the hero. For me the most important trait is growth.
So don’t be afraid to toss some crap your heroine’s way and rain on her parade a bit. After all, flowers who bloom in the sun need a little fertilizer and water in order to grow.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Heroines? Meh.
I mean, obviously I have HAD heroines in the past. I've had strong women like Kit, I've had funny women like Diane, I've had strong and funny women like Lana. But lately, meh.
I like the boys. I can't help it. I want strong and yet sensitive men rubbing up on each other in my head all day. And should a few want to stand in front of me and do it too, well I wouldn't turn it down.
The subject of heroines is intriguing. As an author we need the reader to like the heroine, to side with her, to want to be her so they can imagine themselves in that position, (well, not necessarily THAT position. I mean imagine that they are her. I'm not assuming every woman who reads romance wishes she were an acrobat for God's sake.) The heroine needs to be larger than life, and yet act in a way that is believable. She need not always be able to kick zombie ass, but she should NEVER huddle in a corner and let someone do her battles for her.
There is no such thing as perfection. Everyone has flaws, and your heroine should too. The fun thing about writing is that you can make that flaw be whatever you want. The heroines flaw could be something that people strive to be. Maybe she is too organized, too independant, too smart for her own good. Anything is a flaw if there is too much of it.
I really don't know what I am trying to say here. I seriously considered posting up pictures of beautiful woman, but I am much too lazy to go troll the internet in search of yet another picture of Sybill Shepard, so you get this post.
Lucky you.
Maybe next week I will be out of this writing slump and have something positive to say to everyone. Or maybe I will wax philosophical about cheeze whiz versus spray cheese. You just never know what you're going to get with Dakota.
XoXoXo
Dakota
I like the boys. I can't help it. I want strong and yet sensitive men rubbing up on each other in my head all day. And should a few want to stand in front of me and do it too, well I wouldn't turn it down.
The subject of heroines is intriguing. As an author we need the reader to like the heroine, to side with her, to want to be her so they can imagine themselves in that position, (well, not necessarily THAT position. I mean imagine that they are her. I'm not assuming every woman who reads romance wishes she were an acrobat for God's sake.) The heroine needs to be larger than life, and yet act in a way that is believable. She need not always be able to kick zombie ass, but she should NEVER huddle in a corner and let someone do her battles for her.
There is no such thing as perfection. Everyone has flaws, and your heroine should too. The fun thing about writing is that you can make that flaw be whatever you want. The heroines flaw could be something that people strive to be. Maybe she is too organized, too independant, too smart for her own good. Anything is a flaw if there is too much of it.
I really don't know what I am trying to say here. I seriously considered posting up pictures of beautiful woman, but I am much too lazy to go troll the internet in search of yet another picture of Sybill Shepard, so you get this post.
Lucky you.
Maybe next week I will be out of this writing slump and have something positive to say to everyone. Or maybe I will wax philosophical about cheeze whiz versus spray cheese. You just never know what you're going to get with Dakota.
XoXoXo
Dakota
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Designing Women
If not for a migraine, I'd have posted earlier. My apologies as I do indeed know how to pre-post, but didn't plan ahead.
Women. Hm. This isn't a topic I discuss overmuch. However, as a girl I watched reruns of a show called Designing Women. I think they suit nicely for stereotypes. You have the Loudmouth, the Vain, the Sassy, and the Naive represented. For those who write male/male you also have the smart-assed sensitive but practical effeminate (that would be the male among them and while he isn't gay, he had passable attributes).
The Loudmouth - Traditionally drives headlong into the fray. She's strong, smart, sarcastic, loyal, and a bit pompous. If she finds a man she wants, she'll either club him and drag him home or test him with a battle of wits.
The Vain - The world revolves around her and her current mind set. She is there to be adored, look cute, and waits for her hero to sweep her away so long as he has money and a mirror.
The Sassy - Spunky, cute, and grounded, she still tries to break out and explore. She's not afraid, simply cautious. When she sees her man, she'll watch from the side until she's prepared to make a move, then fret over how to move.
The Naive - Blithely unaware that the things she says amuse those around her and the things she thinks confound them. She drifts between moments of vague understanding, letting the tide take her as it will. If she fears anything, it's her own naivete. Her man will not only have to make his intentions clear, he may have to write it in large block letters or stick figure diagrams.
The Effeminate - Is capable and silly, conscientious and sly, a risk taker and a companion. She (because that's what this blog is about) is sweet and no nonsense so if she wants a man, she goes about it in a circular manner letting him make the first move. When he does, she has no qualms with confessing her heart.
For my preferences, I like my heroines to have qualities of each. I want her to be smart, sassy, a little naive about her beauty, capable, coy, charming, surprisingly strong yet requiring growth to achieve it, and funny. Sarcasm is completely acceptable. Varying degrees of these traits can create entirely new individuals with complex personalities. The insecurities can vary, their methods of taking risk change, but ultimately they are likable, engaging, and desirable.
Give me this heroine and I will be a loyal reader for life.
Women. Hm. This isn't a topic I discuss overmuch. However, as a girl I watched reruns of a show called Designing Women. I think they suit nicely for stereotypes. You have the Loudmouth, the Vain, the Sassy, and the Naive represented. For those who write male/male you also have the smart-assed sensitive but practical effeminate (that would be the male among them and while he isn't gay, he had passable attributes).
The Loudmouth - Traditionally drives headlong into the fray. She's strong, smart, sarcastic, loyal, and a bit pompous. If she finds a man she wants, she'll either club him and drag him home or test him with a battle of wits.
The Vain - The world revolves around her and her current mind set. She is there to be adored, look cute, and waits for her hero to sweep her away so long as he has money and a mirror.
The Sassy - Spunky, cute, and grounded, she still tries to break out and explore. She's not afraid, simply cautious. When she sees her man, she'll watch from the side until she's prepared to make a move, then fret over how to move.
The Naive - Blithely unaware that the things she says amuse those around her and the things she thinks confound them. She drifts between moments of vague understanding, letting the tide take her as it will. If she fears anything, it's her own naivete. Her man will not only have to make his intentions clear, he may have to write it in large block letters or stick figure diagrams.
The Effeminate - Is capable and silly, conscientious and sly, a risk taker and a companion. She (because that's what this blog is about) is sweet and no nonsense so if she wants a man, she goes about it in a circular manner letting him make the first move. When he does, she has no qualms with confessing her heart.
For my preferences, I like my heroines to have qualities of each. I want her to be smart, sassy, a little naive about her beauty, capable, coy, charming, surprisingly strong yet requiring growth to achieve it, and funny. Sarcasm is completely acceptable. Varying degrees of these traits can create entirely new individuals with complex personalities. The insecurities can vary, their methods of taking risk change, but ultimately they are likable, engaging, and desirable.
Give me this heroine and I will be a loyal reader for life.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
No Damsels In Distress Need Apply
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess and she waited for her prince charming to rescue her from the bad guy or gal and they live happily ever after.
Oh please! Shoot me now!
Time was that all stories had a hero who was perfect and heroine who needed to be rescued by said perfect hero. Not here. Not now. Because I write m/m I rarely write about heroines, but when I do my heroines are intelligent and kick-ass and more often than not will rescue themselves and and the hero too. My Heroines mix lace with guns or martial arts and will stick to their beliefs and personal moral code regardless the cost.
For me, heroines need to have spirit and intelligence, and even with their flaws, they need to be strong and compassionate and willing to fight for what they believe in.
And because I'm late with my post today --
Happy Reading!!
Simone
Oh please! Shoot me now!
Time was that all stories had a hero who was perfect and heroine who needed to be rescued by said perfect hero. Not here. Not now. Because I write m/m I rarely write about heroines, but when I do my heroines are intelligent and kick-ass and more often than not will rescue themselves and and the hero too. My Heroines mix lace with guns or martial arts and will stick to their beliefs and personal moral code regardless the cost.
For me, heroines need to have spirit and intelligence, and even with their flaws, they need to be strong and compassionate and willing to fight for what they believe in.
And because I'm late with my post today --
Happy Reading!!
Simone
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