Grr argh

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it's not just one thing that goes bad, but a whole variety of nuisances that just accumulate, and then you're so annoyed about everything that you wake up every three hours so that you can worry about all your problems anew?

I've had two of those in a row.

I think I'm done with the worst of the stress, but right now I'm still incredibly grumpy. So I'm going extra super short post this week.

And thank you to everyone who's been kind and patient to me this week and has distracted me with amusing internet links. You have helped to save my sanity.

And here is my the thing from this week that made me laugh the hardest:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/ridiculous-chinese-character-tattoos-translated


Oh, and the best gif on the planet. CAN'T STOP WATCHING:

The Layers of Show, Don't Tell

Picture from Wikimedia by Swatjester

From what I've read, show, don’t tell is the number one advice given by editors and agents, and it certainly is a concept that is taken seriously in the writing world.  So get ready for a ton of links because this “rule” is discussed extensively all over the internet. 

I could just give you about twenty links and tell you to knock yourself out, and that alone would certainly be useful.  But I felt like this was an evolving concept for me, like every time I felt like I understood it, I soon realized I had only peeled off one layer and something deeper lay underneath.  Although now I think I get it, I won't be too surprised if in a few months I'll read something somewhere, and realize that there is still a whole other layer that I haven't scratched the surface of.  This whole layering metaphor makes the concept seem very complicated, but it's not.  At the core, it is very simple.  It just was a bit of a process to get to the core. 

I'm not going to explain show, don't tell.  Other writers and editors have already done that (and did a much better job than I could).  I'll give you those links at the end.  Instead I'm going to talk about those layers.

Layer 1-Description.  The simplest explanation of show, using words to paint a picture.  You don't just tell the reader the house was dilapidated.  You describe the one to one ratio of paint streaks to exposed wood, the crumbling brick chimney, and the sunken roof.  You don't say the dog was ferocious. You describe the bared yellow fangs dripping with foamy saliva, the deep-seated growl, and the bristled rigid posture. 

Details are the key, and the more specific they are, the more vivid the picture becomes.  In fact, you don't need that much description.  Just a few specific details can really bring the scene to life.

Layer 2-Emotion.  This is connected to description for sure, but I think we go one step deeper.  You have to show the emotions of the character not just tell.  You shouldn't just tell the readers that Sam was angry.  You show it.  "Sam closed his hand into a tight, shaking fist and punched the wall."   And yes, this is using description to paint a picture, but I am going one step further by adding characterization. 

I'm not just describing someone who is angry; I'm showing how Sam behaves when he is angry.  There are many different ways that people act when they are angry.  Sam could turn stoic, verbally abusive, he could just leave, or he could punch a hole in the wall.  It doesn't just show the reader that Sam is angry; it shows something about who Sam is.

Layer 3-What is unsaid.  This follows very nicely because it is also about characterization, but it is that added subtext that comes from showing.  If you never explicitly say what the characters are feeling, then the readers are left to deduce it, and a subtext develops.  Sometimes what isn't said is what is most important. 

For example:  I could tell you that Jen likes Dave, but he isn't interested in her, or I can show you through subtext.  Jen seeking Dave out after school, walking close to him and chatting about class while playing with her hair, and Dave not really listening, looking around the playground for his friends.  Readers pick up what is going on without anything being said through the subtext of how Jen and Dave interact.  It is far more interesting to deduce the relationship of the two characters through the subtext of their interaction

Layer 4-Immersive.  This is the core of show don't tell, IMO.  It really encompasses all the other layers and boils down to one simple explanation.  Show is using an immersive point of view whereas tell is using a more distant point of view.  Show is zooming in close to the POV character so that the reader can see, feel, touch, smell, and taste, basically experiencing what the POV character is experiencing. 

This allows a deeper emotional connection to the POV character as the reader is fully submerged in his/her experience.  And it encompasses all the previous layers.  Because when you are immersed deeply in a character's POV you aren't just seeing the scene but showing it through the character.  

That descriptive picture is now described through the POV character's eyes, not only do those vivid details still paint a picture, but it shows us what details are important to the POV character, and characterization is embedded in the description, so that the reader is shown the setting or person being described and who the POV character is in one deft stroke.  

The emotion isn't just being shown, it's being felt, experienced by that POV character.  We don't just see Sam punch the wall, we feel that anger build up in him and rage through him until he has to hit something.  And even the emotions by nonPOV characters becomes more powerful, because through the POV character's eyes, the reader doesn't just see their emotions but how the POV character interprets and internalizes their emotional outbursts or lack of. 

What isn't said is what the POV character doesn't know or understand or acknowledge.  No character is truly self-aware. What is interesting isn't just that Jen likes Dave who doesn't like her back, but that she doesn't realize he has no interest in her.  And we see her cluelessly reaching out to someone who is only being polite and reveling in those small moments when he acknowledges her while through subtext, we know to him they are meaningless.   

Therefore show can boil down to one thing, becoming immersed in the POV of the character.  In truly letting the reader experience the story through the POV character.  This is tough to do.  It is easy to tell what happens in the story, it is excruciatingly difficult to make the reader experience it.

Now for some caveats.  I think that there are different levels of showing in stories.  It isn't either show or tell, but a gradient between the two.  Where at one end is a distant narrator, shallow and all tell and the other end is fully immersed in the POV character, and there are an infinite levels of show/tell between the two.  Different levels of show are needed at different points in the story.  The more emotional the scene the more show is needed.  

Also not all stories work best with a deeply immersive POV, some are better off with more tell.  It depends on how emotionally connected you want the reader to be with the POV character. So it isn’t always best to show. 

So that is my journey of show don't tell.  Now I admit; I may be off the deep end in Layer 4, but maybe not.  It seems to work for me. So the next time a beta reader or editor suggests you show don't tell, consider deepening that POV and see if that solves the problem.

~MaryAnn


Links:

Creative writing 101:  Show Don't Tell

Show don't (just) tell

Show don't tell:  What the heck is that anyway?

The Great Unsaid (A Study of Show vs. Tell)

On Writing:  Show, Don't Tell

The First Rule of Writing

What Living Life Looks Like (In Case You've Forgotten)

Last night, I jumped out of my computer chair, rushed over to my teenage daughter, grabbed a piece of her hair and said, "What is this? What would you call it? Oh...a lock! Of course!"  Then, I hurried back over to the computer and typed the words, "picked up a lock of her hair and gave it a gentle tug." (Or something that was much more brilliant than that. But you get the general gist.) My daughter said, "It's so weird having a writer for a mom."

A few minutes later (or was it hours?) she said it again. "It's so weird having a writer for a mom. I say something to you and you laugh about it like five minutes later." That's exactly how long it takes my brain to portal from the world of my novel back to reality, process what she said and react to it. This makes writing a long arduous process when the kids are home from school. My brain is travelling from world to world constantly, and doesn't really get much done in either place.

I'm sure it is weird having a writer for a mom. But it's kind of weird being a writer here during the summer with all the kids home. This morning, as I was searching for an idea for this blog post, my younger daughter made gingerbread pancakes all by herself, and I was only half aware it was happening, even though my computer is located in the kitchen. They were delicious, and no thanks to me.

By Rosemary Ratcliff
Stock Photo - image ID: 100100281
There were not nearly this many
blueberries on our bushes.

But last week, we went on a vacation to a lake house. My youngest son and I decided to go on a walk up the dirt road, and on the way he discovered a little wild blueberry bush. There were about ten ripe berries on it, and so we immediately started looking for more. He had better eyes for finding the bushes than I did, and pretty soon both our hands were full. We hurried back to the lake house, grabbed a red solo cup and started over. The berries weren't plenteous, by any means, and we made up a story about a bear who had eaten most of the berries but left a few of the best bushes untouched for the queen bear who would be coming along shortly. Hopefully that queen bear won't find out it was us who stole her berries.

Eventually we'd nearly filled the cup, and the horse flies had discovered our presence, so we hurried back, where we proceeded to make the most delicious blueberry tart you have ever tasted. It was exactly big enough for all eleven of us to have one big bite. Soon afterward, all the cousins took off down the road to search for more, but between the bear and us, there simply weren't many left. They did find a few blackberries though.

It was unplanned. It was spontaneous. It took most of the morning. But it was with one of my favorite people in the world. He's growing fast, and I don't want his only memories of me to be that I laughed at his jokes five minutes late. I don't feel guilty for that. I don't just want to be with my children. I want to be someone with accomplishments they can admire too. I don't know how to delineate writing time and family time here in the summer, especially with a terribly beautiful deadline looming on the horizon. But I'm trying.

How about you? Do you have any funny "It's so weird knowing a writer" stories? Or advice about how to quickly and safely traverse the perilous pathway between your worlds?

Summer Eats

Out for this post? Blogging about writing.
In for this post? Blogging about food.

My husband and I recently ran away. Okay, so we ran away to a business conference, but still. Someone else cleaned my room and made my bed and gave me fresh towels. And someone else cooked my meals.

To be honest, it really woke up my taste buds. I think I'd fallen into a rut of, "Oh, look, there's a freezer burned chimichanga, and a couple turkey hot dogs, and some three day old mac and cheese - looks like I won't have to cook! It's leftover night, everyone!" - Again.

So, since coming back, I've been at least somewhat trying to recapture a smidgen of the spirit of cooking. (My family has been overwhelmingly grateful). I thought today I'd share a few of the summer recipes that have gotten the thumbs up. Oh, and in case you don't notice, allrecipes.com is my friend.

Summer Salads

Asian Chicken Salad - Okay, so this is really just Asian Salad. When we were trying to come up with a mock Applebees Asian Chicken Salad, this was the only recipe with lots of good reviews. It doesn't really taste like Applebees, but my family rates it delicious on its own merits. To add the 'chicken' to the Asian Salad, we use whatever is on hand, leftover grilled chicken (great), canned chicken (a little soggy), or even cut up chicken nuggets (surprisingly alright). Oh, and sometimes we use less oil and more soy sauce, otherwise it can be a little greasy.


Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad - A new favorite along the lines of the one above, but a little more refined. I added more sugar than it calls for because - sugar addict, yeah.

Strawberry Spinach Salad - You really can't have summer without this one, can you?

Main Dishes

Carne Asada Tacos - Oh, yes. Let the meat marinate a nice, long time. Why not try some of these, while you're at it.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken - YUM.

Low Country Boil - if you haven't tried this yet, then you're missing out on one of my favorite Southern traditions. Make sure you invite a crowd. Good times, good times.

Desserts

Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert - Not for the faint of heart, calorie-wise, this really does taste just like the Dairy Queen treat.

Microwave Carmel Popcorn - Everything you're supposed to avoid - sugar, corn syrup and margarine! This is a great treat any time of year. It's made in a brown paper bag, of all things, so clean up is a snap. Make sure you use margarine, even if you're a butter purist, because butter just won't work as well.

Anything you love in the summertime?

~Susan

What I've Learned Since Publishing my Book

Or what I'd do differently if I were to do it all over again.

This is me holding the first copy of my first book.
Yes, I do look a little shell shocked...
but not shell shocked enough.

Dear Me of six months ago,

You're about to change your life, and the entire way you think about writing. 

You know that invisible shiny editor who's approval you so desperately wanted? She's busy, and she isn't the person whose opinion matters. I know that's difficult to swallow, but it's true. An editor finally accepting your work isn't what will make your dream have meaning. I heard the other writers too. I've heard the words you've thought. I know you're just trying to be the kind of writer that an editor wants.

You're wrong.

 Editors are only looking for one thing, a book that readers will like. Your readers are the most important people to impress. Your job is to learn what your readers want, and figure out how to make it for them. And that's the amazing thing. That's really, really, simple.

See, not everyone who reads your book will be one of your readers, but you'll know them when you see them. Your readers will be people you know, and people you haven't met yet, who get the way you think. They are beautiful, supportive, amazing people, and your life will be better for having found them.  Trust them. Trust yourself and the way you tell stories, because YOUR readers will love YOUR stories. You know this, because you have writers who write the way you think.

You need to say goodbye to that editor in your head who is standing in your way, and just go find your readers. When you do that, you'll remember how much you love writing. Words will be magic again. Characters will be real, and you won't be writing to impress anyone, but your work will get better. You will, in fact, impress yourself. And once you've done that say no to yourself, and rewrite it until it's better than you would have been satisfied with before. Be your own invisible shiny editor, and keep improving. Never be satisfied until it feels right, until you can walk away and not think about it anymore.

You need to stop half-dreaming and get to work. If I could talk to you earlier, I'd have you have finish all those half-finished stories in your laptop. Get six finished books done so that I can release one every two months. Choose who you want to be as an author, and don't waste time on stories that are off brand. Tell people on facebook earlier, and build up a following before you launch a book. Join twitter. Use goodreads. Kiss my children's faces and tuck them in, living in that magic moment with them, and not be half a fictional world away. Make work time just for work, and leave the half writing for half writers.

Look around and smile. Take days off and watch Pretty Little Liars, and binge on Netflix just cause you can. Learn that whole tense shifting issue of ours cold, so I don't have to worry about it now when every word counts.

There's something magical about not being published yet, about being able to write anything you'd like, about only having one story in your head at a time. But you will love being published. Even though it means your heart is out there, and people won't always love it, and that every once in a while you'll be kicked around or ignored, it's all worth it. You don't know this yet, but there is an eight year-old girl out there who will look at you in pride and pull you aside and tell you she wants to write books just like you did. You don't know this yet, but there will be teenage girls who will think you are cool.

Yes, you. You in the minivan.

There's a day that is coming that will make you shake your head in awe. You will read good reviews that make you stay up late as you memorize every word. There will be bad reviews that you will shake your fists at, and that will keep you up late as you try to un-memorize them. You will stalk people on goodreads just because there's a 'currently reading' status next to their name. You won't hide that you are a writer anymore, in fact there will be times when you walk up to someone reading a completely different book just to tell them you're an author too. Your ego will grow, and shrink, and be kicked in the gonads. You will cry of joy, and cry of grief, anger, and frustration... in fact, just invest in Kleenex now. It's hard. You won't know what to do, which is the most difficult part of being self-published; sometimes it feels like you're in this on your own.

But you're not. The main thing I'd tell you is that most self-published authors are kinder than they need to be. They know what to do, and how lost it feels to be on your own, so don't hesitate to ask questions, and join forums and groups, and be kind to others. Give your time away. Give your book away. I mean, for reals, learn what rafflecopter is, and soon.

Writing is such a lonely business. Publishing, however, isn't lonely. Publishing is inviting every person in the world to live inside your head, and then ask their opinions of the setting.

So enjoy the alone time now. Sooner than you know, you'll be me.

Meet you then.

~Sheena

Sheena Boekweg is the author of Funny Tragic Crazy Magic, and the coauthor of Alchemy (launches October 11). You can find her on facebook, goodreads, and twitter.

Copyediting

By now, regular Proser readers* know that Melanie, Sheena, and I are publishing the novel we wrote together, because we’re crazy like that. We’re now at the point where we’ve shipped the novel out to beta readers. After that comes revisions, and then… the dreaded copyediting.  By far, the main complaint I hear about self-published novels isn’t the plot or the characters or the overall story. It’s about the grammar and the copyediting.

Why is copyediting so dreaded? One, because grammar is a pain, and two, have you looked up the rates for copyeditors? Some sites quote forty dollars an hour for minor edits. Forty dollars! Have we mentioned that our novel is over 100,000 words long (at the moment?).

So, guess who volunteered to do the copyediting.

It’s actually not so far off of an idea. I write and copyedit regulatory documents for a living. And let me tell you, I don’t get paid forty dollars an hour. Not even close. And I actually kind of enjoy messing with grammar. It’s almost… soothing. I mean, in a way, writing is all about the right side of your brain, creativity and chaos and art. And grammar is the opposite – all form and rules. As a naturally anxious person, rules can help calm me down. In other words, that paragraph above about copyediting rates wasn't shock. It was more like jealousy.

For the past few months, I’ve felt pretty confident about this whole thing. But now that the time approaches, I’ve started looking up copyediting tips.

It didn’t take long for me to get nervous.

I mean, I might do this for work, but fiction is much more stringent. And I might like grammar, but I'm not perfect. I mean, I’m never clear when I should be using ‘that’ or ‘who.’ Between and among are difficult as well, given that I just learned this week that the "between can only refer to two things" rule apparently isn’t quite correct. Why can I never keep straight the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs? And don’t even get me started on my confusion with lay/lie/laid. And while we’re on the subject, is copyedit one word or two??? (Word doesn't tag it as misspelled, Blogger does).

::takes many deep breaths::

All right, now I need to look at some owlet pictures in order to calm down:

Courtesy of Wikmedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bubo_scandiacus_chick_Flickr.jpg

 Courtesy of Wikmedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Owlet_1.jpg

 Courtesy of Wikmedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Owlets.jpg

Much better!  Well, it’s too late now to back out, so I better study up and be prepared for the challenge. I brought home my personal copy of Strunk and White. I’m going to check out a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style from the library. And I also found these helpful links:

http://taramctiernanfiction.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-agony-and-editing.html

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/05/do-you-copy-tips-on-copy-editing-your.html

http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2012/07/11/help-me-understand-my-copy-editor-a-lingua-franca-dialogue-part-i/

And soon enough, Sheena and Melanie will be hearing delightful grammar questions from me, such as: serial commas, yes or no?

Wish us luck.

* Preaders? Rosers? Prosathons? Prozacs?

The Bad Girl

There is this idea that most girls prefer a bad boy.  This seems to be supported by literature where so many of the heroes in paranormal romances and romances in general seem to fit the (rather loose) definition of a bad boy.  Personally, I like all kinds of heroes, but if I’m honest, I do have a preference for the more morally grey heroes (in stories, not in real life), but it’s not that they are more sexy or appealing than the more upright heroes, but that they tend to be more complex and bring more conflict to the story.  I think I would be just as happy with a good boy and a bad girl combo, but I just don’t see those very often (maybe I’m just reading the wrong books).

I’ve been re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (the series) on Netflix recently, and I’ve decided that I prefer Faith to Buffy.  Faith is the far more interesting character.  I have to admit that I’m a real sucker for the redemption story arc, and Faith has a great one.   Her whole character arc is deconstructed here which is a really fascinating read. 

So really quick cause I got to go to bed.  Five reasons why Faith is awesome.

 1. Faith has all those characteristics that are usually given to male characters.  She is cocky, rebellious, charismatic, unrestrained, promiscuous, and care-free.  All those characteristics that are typically seen the bad boy love interest.   She wears them well, and it is refreshing to see that girls can be and in real life sometimes are this way too.

 2.  But underneath it all there is an undeniable vulnerability.  Every character needs to have weaknesses, and Faith has a lot of them.  Despite her charismatic personality, she has a hard time really connecting with people.  She doesn’t have strong ties to family or friends like Buffy did and this causes her to be very jealous of Buffy which develops into an inferiority complex.  The fact that Buffy’s gang never takes to her along with the brutal murder of her watcher that she couldn’t stop and Gwendolyn Post using her all contributes to her downward spiral.  What turns Faith to the wrong side is feeling as if she had no one to count on when things get really bad.

 3.  Even when she’s bad, she’s awesome.  Next to evil Angel, Faith is my favorite Buffy villain.  She’s tough and smart and hits Buffy where it really hurts (emotionally).  But mostly I liked her relationship with the Mayor.  He gave her what she needed most.  Someone that believed in her, who she could count on.  That made her betrayal real.  She got from him what she wasn’t getting from Buffy and her friends.  The father/daughter relationship between them was well-developed and humanized both of them, adding depths to their characters which is always good.

 4.  She does it all alone.  Faith’s redemption takes place on Angel, but it starts on Buffy when Faith and Buffy swap bodies.  During the swap, Faith experiences Buffy’s humanity, and takes the first step to redemption, feeling grief for the murderers she committed.  She can’t live with the guilt, so she starts up a fight with Angel to get him to kill her, but he doesn’t.  Angel tries to help her.  He’s the only one who never gave up on her.  But he doesn’t love her.  He empathizes with her and relates to her, but he doesn't really love her.  She isn’t redeemed by love like Willow was, and she isn't surrounded by support as she goes towards her redemption.  She chooses that path on her own for herself and no one else, and once again, she is all alone with no one to count on, but this time she accepts it and stays on the right path.  All by herself.

 5.  She’s five by five.  I have no idea what this means, but I think it is one of the most awesome catch phrases ever.

So those are the reasons I love Faith.  I would have loved to see her become the big hero and save the world not at Buffy’s side but on her own and have a real love interest story line.  I think Buffy should have stayed dead after season five, which really was a great death, and a newly reformed Faith could’ve stepped in as the slayer in another spin off series.  It had to have been better than season 6 and 7 which really didn’t have the caliber of the earlier seasons (especially 2 and 3 which were amazing). 

I think that bad girls have a lot to offer as protagonists, but most of the time, girls are placed in the moral role while the male characters have more freedom to be morally ambiguous.   Even though the character is basically a killer, Buffy isn’t allowed to stray far from what is morally acceptable.  But Faith is, and that is what makes her more interesting to me. 

So tell me, who are your favorite bad girls?

~MaryAnn