As
family, friends and Prosers can attest, over the past several months (well, years really, if you count Hidden Magic) I have worn out
their trust and enthusiasm over and over again by proudly proclaiming these
words:
I'm
done.
I'm
done with the rough draft, and now I just have to clean it up.
I'm
done with cleaning it up. It's a finished manuscript. Now I just have to send
it out to the betas. (Right here I can get stuck on an endless loop...eventually cleaning it up doesn't actually make it any cleaner or shinier. It's called stalling.)
I've
fixed everything the betas thought was wrong and cleaned it up even more. Now
it shines! I'm done. I'm sending it to the copy editor.
I've
cleaned up everything the copy editor showed me. I'm done. I'm just going to
read it one more time to make sure.
You should see my gorgeous cover. Now it feels really finished. I'm done.
Holy
cats. How did I let that plot hole slide through? But I cleaned it up. I'm
done. It's being formatted as we speak.
I've
spent the last couple of days checking up on the formatting. Found lots of
stuff and changed my author bio at least twice. But now I'm done.
I
just got the ARC from the printer.
OK.
Let's say that one more time, just for emphasis. I just got the ARC from the printer. I've just got to go through it
one more time...
Yep.
It's done. Really and truly done. I've just got to fix one more thing.
Note
to self: This whole publishing thing is a LONG process. In the future, just tell people your book is "in progress"
until the moment you hold it in your hands. Not the ARC. The real, finished book. Trust me on this one.
Plot Bunnies and Holy Hand Grenades
From the Urban Dictionary:
Plot Bunny - "An idea for a story that gnaws at the brain until written."
Plot bunnies are soooo irresistible - those story ideas that come to you in all their lop-eared, cotton-tailed, twitterpated goodness. Their big, shiny eyes promise untold adventure, wealth, and fame if you just give this one, Best Ever, idea a shot. Their ever so fluffy fur is almost hypnotically soothing - everything will work out this time, the story's practically written itself in your head already, it'll be easy as pie to put it down on paper. You'll be hailed as a literary genius (and seal the deal on the movie rights) by the end of the month.
Who could resist them? I can't. Plot bunnies scamper around my feet as I blearily pack school lunches in the morning. They run errands with me in the car. And, although I don't have cats like Sarah, plot bunnies have been known to sit on my face and wake me, breathless, with The Idea in the wee hours of the morning.
I love plot bunnies.
In the beginning, at least.
But my bunnies have a dark side. If I give in and pick one up and stare into those limpid eyes, that wascally wabbit mutates. What seemed like such a perfect, bouncy idea begins to contort. My plot grows fangs. And claws. It misbehaves. I know what kind of story the plot bunny should turn into, but it doesn't cooperate. I have the nose of the story, and I have the tail, but everything gets lost and muddled somewhere in all that middle fluffiness.
My bunny turns from this:
To the rabbit in Monty Python.
And that's when I know it's time to bring out the Holy Hand Grenade:
So here are five - no three, sir - er, three posts I've recently found helpful in subduing evil plot bunnies (with big pointy teeth).
My Favorite Outliner:
Okay, everyone has some sort of outline thingy that works for them - hero's journey, 3 point plot, 5 point plot. Well, mine's got them all beat. It's got seventeen points - yeah, baby! Go ahead, click on the link, I'll wait. For me this way of plotting from Helene Boudreau totally works. I added in a B (and C and D) plot sequence and suddenly there's hardly enough space to write all the things I want to pack into that middle of the story. The plot just hums along. AND, if you really wanna see something interesting, line those 17 plot points up to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I'll give you a hint - perfect match).
The Nuts and Bolts of Plotting:
I liked the way Rachel Aaron explained her creative process in this blog post, "How I Plot a Novel in Five Steps." Her candor and insight are great. I especially appreciate that someone who is a multiple times published author is willing to admit that she gets stuck, too (whew, you mean all those published guys are like...human?).
Hare Writing:
No, not as in harebrained, or harried - but like the tortoise and the hare. Once again, I found inspiration in a Rachel Aaron post. This time, how she was able to bump her writing speed and quality up from 2k per day (already amazing) to 10K !!! a day. Way cool. And her writing trifecta (knowledge, time, and enthusiasm) is applicable in almost any creative endeavor. Kudos to Rachel for using such scientific objectivity to figure things out.
So, when those cute, cuddly plot bunnies turn on you like non-sexy vampires in the night, take heart and calmly pull the pin.
What plotting tools and ideas have you found to be indispensable?
Lately, I've been reading through the final draft of Alchemy over and over again, checking for missed edits and strange formatting. It has taught me something invaluable. One, that my writing partners are brilliant, and two, the importance of wizard's chess.
In Alchemy, Sabrina and Melanie both wrote scenes where the characters sit around and play dominoes,or cards. I remember after they wrote them thinking that was kind of weird. I mean, what was the point? Those scenes don't advance to plot. Bad guys aren't attacking, romance isn't developing. Which just shows you how much I learned doing this collaboration, and also how much I had to learn.
But reading through Alchemy now, I get it.
I see the value in character's sitting around the great room in front of a roaring fire playing chess. No, it's not stopping Voldemort. No, it's not advancing the plot, but more important than that, it is giving the reader a reason to care if the good guys win. It's about giving the relationships and friendships time to breath, time to grow, and time to become real. It's about creating a world of a story that is pleasant to live in.
I'm a big fan of dread. I'm a big fan of creepy bad guys with predatory interests. I'm a big fan of danger, and car chases, and fire shooting out of people's hands. But those big moments only matter when you have time to care whether the characters live or die.
Great relationships, be that friendship or romance, need time and quiet moments to make them real. They need conversations while walking through the woods. They need scenes where the characters make quiche just for fun, they need moments of silence, and a smile at the right time. They need wizard's chess, and Christmas. They need moments of what the Happy Ever After will look like, so that after the story is over, the reader will know what life looks like. Moments of wizard's chess, makes a character live forever.
There's a balance, of course. Too much happy, and the story is over. Too much dread and actions, then the readers might put the book down. You have to paint with light and dark colors. Paintings are often better that way. Clearer at the very least.
Just remember that your readers will have to live in this world you're creating. Make it a pleasant place...sometimes. Or make it the darkest dankest hole you can imagine, and have your characters sit around and play chess. Give the reader a chance to rest inside a book. Give the reader a chance to recover.
And then beat them the heck up.
~Sheena
Sheena is the author of Funny Tragic Crazy Magic (99 cents yo, for a short time) and the coauthor of Alchemy which launches in two weeks.
Hands-down some of my best experiences in learning how to be
a writer, be it craft-level tips on how to structure and write short stories,
or business-level tips of how to compose a killer pitch letter, all were
learned in the context of a Writer’s Workshop. I have attended two in-person
workshops and one virtual one. One of the unanticipated side benefits to these
workshops has been connecting with other writers who are in a similar place in
their careers – ability, intensity, pursuit of specific goals. I have gained
many insights from just talking with other writers who are struggling with the
same things I am – whether or how to independently publish, doubts about
abilities, frustrations with rejections. Don’t underestimate the value of a
peer group.
A beautiful Oregon coast sunset (time enough for sunset walks at this workshop, at least!)
This list is by no means complete, but I’ve been working on
it for a little while, asking writer friends what workshops they’ve attended,
which ones they think have the best return for their investment. Workshops are
an investment. Most will set you back $1000-1500 between workshop fees and
travel expenses (some do offer scholarships and are worth pursuing.) If you
haven’t started treating your writing like a business (instead of just a hobby)
it may be difficult to imagine spending that much, but if you are committed to
selling your work, finding readers who love the kinds of words you write, you
can consider this a business investment in your future.
Have I missed any important ones? I’ll edit this list if I
find I’ve overlooked something big, so please post a link in the comments!
Viable Paradise - This is my dream workshop because I love this part of the east coast but have never been to Martha's Vineyard. It's specifically for Science Fiction and Fantasy writers (my genres!) and takes place in October. This year Elizabeth Bear is among the illustrious instructors!
Superstars of Writing - This workshop is focused on the business of being a writer. If you're ready to take the next step and begin actively marketing and selling your work, this is the top workshop for you. Several writer friends have attended this workshop in the past and highly recommend it. It's on my short list. Next workshop is in Feb, 2014 and Dave Farland, Kevin Anderson, Brandon Sanderson, Rebecca Moesta are among the many fantastic instructors.
Orson Scott Card runs a Literary Boot Camp from time to time, though no current dates are easily available (my google-fu is failing me this morning.) New York Times Bestselling author Jamie Ford attended this boot camp in the past and credits it with jump-starting his career. His latest book, Songs of the Willow Frost entered the NYT bestseller list at #11.
Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop is another on my short list of cool workshops I want to attend. This one is specifically focused on teaching astronomy science to writers (so their science fiction is accurate AND entertaining.) It's in Laramie, Wyoming during the summer. They open for applications usually around the first of the year, with application deadlines in the March-April timeframe. I have applied and been rejected before, maybe 2014 will be my year?
Clarion and Clarion West are two very well regarded 6 week residential writing workshops that take place in the summer. It's never been possible for me to even consider taking 6 weeks away from family to attend a program like this, but these programs are considered among the best in the industry.
For those with even more time, or anyone looking to pursue an advanced degree that would support them in their writing efforts, the 2 year Writer's Workshop at The University of Iowa culminates with the awarding of a Masters of Fine Arts degree. It is also a little less genre-focused, as I understand, compared to the others I've linked thus far.
Writers Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch offer both in-person and online writing workshops. The in-person workshops take place in Lincoln City, Oregon. The term city is used loosely, this is a small beachside town on the coast about 2 hours west/south of Portland. It is a beautiful location. I've attended two workshops here, in part because I find the area inspirational. Their workshops are focused on the aspiring professional writer, not the beginner, and emphasize the business aspects of writing.
I have previously attended an online workshop called Writing on the Fast Track given by Mary Robinette Kowal. I highly recommend this workshop, but it looks like her remaining dates for 2013 are sold out. She and several other writers are offering an in-person writing retreat in June of 2014 that is worth considering, called Writing the Other.
By now, you've probably heard that Sheena, Melanie, and I have a book coming out. You're probably tired of hearing us talk about it at this point. Oh, what's that? You're probably just saying that to be nice, but I'm going to take advantage of your niceness. Look at our cover again!
Fun game for new authors: walk down a busy street and "accidentally" drop your book*. When some kind stranger picks it up and tries to give it back to you, you can be all, "Why thank you, kind sir/ma'am! This is a very important book - look there, that's my name on the cover! It's a very excellent book available at all major retailers!"
My personal issues aside, the other thing you might be tired of hearing us talk about is collaboration. We've blogged about it once or twice. But now, only three weeks away from the publication of Alchemy, I couldn't help but share this post about a wonderfully inventive and imaginative collaboration (h/t to The Bloggess for the link):.
Now, if you do nothing else today, at least go read that link. Seriously, if you're low on time, ignore the rest of my post and at least go look at the pictures that the mom and her four-year-old created. They're beyond amazing and wonderful, and I sincerely hope the mom does go forward with her plan to create a story with all those creatures.
I think their end product, and the post the mother wrote illustrate some of the most important tips for creating a successful collaborative project.
1. The more different the collaborators, the more amazing the finished product can be.
2. Don't let preconceived expectations of where you think the project should go stifle creativity. Be flexible and open to new ideas.
3. Every once and a while, say yes to an unusual idea. It's very hard to give up full creative control, but it can be worth it.**
What are your favorite unusual or unexpected collaborations?
*Not recommended with e-readers.
**I'm still working on this. It really is hard!
We all know how TV and movies and even books usually feature
thin, beautiful heroines, and we all know what kind of messages this inadvertently
sends us.I think most women have felt
at some point in their lives that their worth measured by society is tied to
their physical appearance.
These messages come through loud and clear without explicitly
being stated.I know I have been
affected by it, and the importance of beauty is embedded so deeply in me that I
don’t think I will ever stop feeling inadequate in some ways for not measuring
up to society’s narrow and unattainable view of beauty.
So Disney Channel, there is no need for you to send direct
messages to our young, impressionable daughters that beauty is the only thing
that is important.Please stop doing
that.
My oldest daughter is moving away from cartoons to Disney
live action tween shows.She started
with Good Luck Charlie which from what I've seen is pretty cute, and I have no problems with
her watching it, but lately she’s moved on to two shows which I feel a little
less comfortable with for many reasons beyond body image, but I’m only going to
address body image here.
Quick run-down:Jesse
is a Texan girl who goes to New York to make it in the entertainment business
(acting or singing not sure which) and ends up being a nanny.
I really don’t like this show for so many reason, but a big
part of it is the many, many jokes about how some characters look and dress.The worst being the very ugly rival nanny
named Agatha, who’s rather mean-spirited, in contrast to the main girl Jesse who’s
very beautiful and supposedly very sweet.However, when Agatha and Jesse take jabs at each other, Jesse always
puts down Agatha’s appearance rather than calling Agatha out on her bad
behavior.The heroine, Jesse, takes the
low road to cheap laughs by making fun of Agatha’s snaggle tooth, calling her
the beast in Beauty and the Beast, etc. (not exactly as “sweet” thing to do). This constant focus on Agatha’s appearance
(which she has no choice over) rather than her actions (which she does) is sending a direct message to our kids (especially girls).That what we do isn’t as important as how we
look, and if you are pretty, you are good and if you are ugly, you are bad.
Quick run-down:Two
teenage girls become dancers on a TV show called Shake It Up Chicago.
My daughter just started this one, but I haven’t seen as
many problems as I’ve seen with Jesse (although that could change), but this
one episode really aggravated me.The
two main girls imagine their future without each other, and each of them ended
up as fat in their nightmarish futures.Of course there were other issues of not having a great job or a husband
(maybe, I can’t really remember), but the jokes that carried through the rest
of the episode all focused on them being fat, like the worst possible future
these girls could imagine was being a little overweight. What kind of message is that sending to our
daughters?How does it make those girls
who are a little overweight feel?
I know these are just television shows, but when what is
implied on TV is reinforced in real life, our impressionable, young children will
internalize it.I know, Disney Channel,
you’re not the only one who is sending these messages to our daughters, but if
you put a little more thought into your programming and stopped going for the
cheap laugh, you could be that one bright spot on the television that does it
right.Think about it.
"Do you want me to be dangerous?" he asked, his voice husky and low. I gulped, and for a moment I was incapable of speech. But he was quiet, waiting. "No. I don't." "Then I'm not dangerous at all," he murmured. His gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth. "You've never been safer than you are at this moment." I shivered as his breath tickled my skin. Our lips were mere millimeters apart when the sky shattered in a kaleidoscope of colored light.
We didn’t know how much we had to lose until we were infected with magic. Sam was in love, Juliette was the main caretaker for her siblings, and Ana and her dad planned the best parties in New York. But we lost it all when we were shipped to Chebeague, an exclusive school for newly infected mages. Everyone knows about the mages, those who survive the infection and end up with magical abilities. We’ve seen the power of magic, the high-paying jobs, and the world fame. But we never saw the cost. We didn’t know we’d be forced to give up everything: sanity, family, even the right to talk on the phone. We didn’t know mage was just another word for prisoner.
