5 Things Short Stories Have Taught Me Recently, I have started writing short stories. It started as a side project with a group of friends, then I saw the #52weeks52stories hashtag challenge on Twitter. Shifting focus from novel length pieces to shorter stories was a lot harder than I thought it would be and it has definitely taught me some things. 1. Walk before you runFor me, jumping straight into a novel was probably not the smartest move. The ideas, the world, the plot and the characters were all there wanting to be told. I had my spreadsheet of detailed plot points and chapter arcs. I plotted the character arcs and even detailed what the antagonist was up to. I was set... right?! So, why was I having so much difficulty translating my brain rambles into the story I wanted? Turns out, I needed to go back and learn to walk. To refine the basics of my craft before delving into a bigger and more complex story. Writing short stories has given me the ability, and motivation, to focus on one specific aspect of story writing and fine tune it. It turns out that when something is off in a short story, it is super noticeable. This means I can see when it is working, and more often when it is not. For this year, I will be trying to focus on an aspect of story writing for each month. Last month it was setting, and this month it is showing the conflict between thought and action. Other skills I will work on this year:
I probably should do a month dedicated to commas and grammar *shudders*. 2. Get lost in the momentsThis one was hard for me to learn. Plotting can kill the magic of the story. Oh, it hurts even typing that. Before you scroll down to the comments to hate on me, I want to clarify: OVER plotting can kill a story. I still have a sense of the overall story and the major plot points, but not plotting every aspect of each chapter allows me some freedom to explore the character, the setting and to find fresh aspects to incorporate. None of my short stories have had a spreadsheet, nor detailed outlines, barely a whisper of character charts, and despite my dubious outlook they turned out fine... sometimes better than fine. So, I guess short stories have taught me to let go, to relax. I don't need to plan everything, surprises are good, even for the writer. 3. Subtext is keyWhen you have so few words to tell a story you need to learn to use subtext fast. It's not an easy lesson to learn. Making each word count, forcing each description to weave into an overall idea or emotion - it's hard stuff. During this month (as I said earlier) I am working on creating and showing a conflict between thoughts (and emotions) and actions. This has drastically improved my subtext game. I examine how each sentence can have unspoken qualities, how the actions they show tell the reader something about the character. Now that I have learned how important this lesson is, I now need to learn how to do it well. *laughs* *cries* 4. Less is moreMuch like number three, this one comes from a need to limit the word count. With a few exemptions, all of my short stories want to hulk through the short story word limit into something bigger. And it is hella frustrating. Finding the backbone of the story, the parts that must be told, and then telling them in the most concise way possible is challenging. But, if you can pull it off it feels so good. So, short story writing has taught me how to examine a plot, a scene and strip it back to bare bones - the essentials. This has definitely helped me see the dead weight in my novel WIPs (Work in Progress). And removing dead weight makes the story much more polished and better paced. And as I stated before, pacing is something I need to work on. 5. Setting is a characterI found that a lot of the time my characters are on their own. I honesty have no idea why, but to avoided the dreaded navel gaze I had to learn to use my setting as a secondary character. This lesson goes hand in hand with subtext - the idea is that your setting should have its own purpose, maybe it's to test the protagonist, to provide them with obstacles, comfort, or memories. The setting should be doing something. Short stories have made me more aware of the impact that a well chosen description has on the mood and tension of a scene. It also has forced me to think about what reoccurring images and symbols will work best to add depth to the story. What would my character actually notice? What emotion is my character feeling and how can my setting emphasize that? Can my descriptions of a tree add drama or tension? Should it? These lessons have definitely improved my story telling. Have you ventured into the exciting world of short stories?
Learned anything from your stories? Let me know in the comments. Until next time: have fun learning from your stories.
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Big picture (continued)Plate TectonicsFor an earth-like planet, you’re going to need tectonic plates which move respective to each other above the mantle. There are three generic types of plate movements, which are important to us:
Earth has seven major plates (North American, Pacific, Australian, Eurasian, South American, African, antarctic), the movements of which have shaped our continents over millions of years. Try make a globe and come up with some plates and vague continent shapes on them and try move them around - come up with sketches of plate movements at 50-million year intervals to see where your present coastline came from and how it evolved. Mountains Mountains are generally created by convergent plate tectonics or more rarely though no-less spectacularly through volcanoes (the Pacific Rim). Through the above exercise in plate tectonics, you can determine where old mountains (worn down by the elements) and new mountains (higher, more jagged) can be found. The positioning of your mountains will directly inform where river basins will be. River Basins In its simplest term, a river basin is an area bordered by highlands and mountains, where all streams and rivers converge into a single river, which leads to the sea, a lake or another river. You can create vague river basins at this point to give you an idea where all rivers will eventually flow. This will give you a clear indication as to which is the largest river (the largest land area within an individual river basin), which might be important to a particular culture you plan on creating. Rarely, a river basin will not lead to open water. This is what we call an endorheic basin. Basically, all rivers will lead to a particular lake that is not connected to the sea. The lake may fluctuate in size as seasons change (it may expand in winter due to floodwaters or ice melt in spring/summer, or it may shrink in times of drought). Damming of major rivers or climate change may slowly kill such a lake (Aral Sea). Endorheic basins typically have water that is more salty that larger seas (Dead Sea). Rivers This brings me to the contentious subject of rivers, pitfall of many amateur cartographers. There are a few simple rules you need to follow when making rivers:
Some rivers have major silt deposition - they carry lots of silt along their course, which is deposited at the mouth of the river. This often creates large headlands which alter the coastline (Nile delta, Mississippi delta). Keep this in mind when designing your coastlines, particularly around large rivers. Larger deltas do not necessarily belong to the largest rivers. The Ganges river has the largest delta, is the 3rd largest river by discharge, though it is only the 34th largest river in the world. Generally, deltas are very fertile (Nile, Ganges). A river that flows into another river is called a tributary and the ‘parent’ river is the distributary. The mouth of a river (where it flows into the sea) is the delta, and often protrudes from the coastline as sediment carried along the river is deposited there (look at satellite images of the Nile or the Yellow River). Deltas can be very fertile. Steep rivers flow faster than those with a shallower decline. Fast rivers tend to be straighter and narrower than slower ones, which are wider and more winding. Faster rivers erode the surrounding area quicker than slower rivers. Canyons are created by river erosion. Rivers rarely bifurcate, though bifurcations are common in flat deltas and wetlands. Now our world is starting to look like a world (see part one). We can begin to position our biomes - forests, deserts, plains, etc. If you want you can also place resources at this time, as realistically, certain resources will be found in certain terrain types. Small pictureBiomesThere are many biomes, which are roughly linked with climates, and I have listed the most common below, alongside a vague description of what generic flora and fauna you’re likely to find in them. Do keep in mind that biomes transition gradually from one to another, and not all species of flora and fauna are contained to the same ‘boundaries’ as each other, so 1 species might be found in grasslands and shrublands, though another might share the shrublands with it but not range as far as the grasslands.
Flora and faunaMany world-builders like to create their own flora and especially fauna. That’s all well and good but, thinking realistically, when doing so you need ask yourself some questions (particularly if you’re adding a fantastical species): is this species replacing something or being added into the biome? If it’s the former you obviously need to find a creature that fulfils a similar role in the ecosystem and remove it. If it’s the latter, you need to ask yourself some questions: what’s its role in the ecosystem? What does it eat? What preys on it? Is it wild or domesticated? If it’s domesticated, what wild animal is it descended from? Keep in mind when creating biomes and populating them how wildlife is spread on earth - herds of bison and other mammals can sometimes number in the tens of thousands if not hundreds; some flocks of birds have been estimated to be in the millions; and schools of fish might even number in the tens of millions! Such large groups cannot survive in the same place for long. So remember the feeding habits of animals. Humans exploit whatever they find, so their culture will be influenced by what plants and animals they find there. Distinctive species like elephants (ivory), lions, bananas, poppies (opium), even something as innocuous as sheep, can greatly influence an entire culture. ForestsA common staple of fantasy stories, forests are closely linked with myths and superstitions around the world and can similarly form a basis of a fantasy world. There are three general types of forest (technically incorrect, though for the purposes of worldbuilding, we’ll stick to those). These are:
but are rather reshaped and altered by millennia of human (and sometimes animal) influence. It is thought that as little as 3% of forests in Europe are old growth forest (commonly called virgin forest), with the remainder having been reshaped by millennia or human interference. Key things to remember:
References: Atmospheric Circulation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_circulation Climate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate Endorheic Basin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin Genesis of common ores https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore_genesis#Genesis_of_common_ores Koppen Climate Classification - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification Plate Tectonics - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics Rain Shadow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_shadow River Basin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drainage_basin River Delta - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_delta Trade Winds - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_winds Trewartha Climate Classification - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trewartha_climate_classification Atmosphere of Jupiter - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Jupiter Hadley Cell venus - https://www.seas.harvard.edu/climate/eli/research/equable/hadley.html Number of atmospheric cells per planet - http://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/992/what-factors-determine-the-number-of-hadley-cells-for-a-planet One artmospheric cell postulation - http://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/21838/what-would-the-climate-be-like-on-an-earth-like-planet-with-only-one-convection Part One: The Big Picture
Part Three: Civilizations (13th Nov) I have been watching SO many 2017 favorite videos on YouTube that I am beginning to question my life choices. But, it has given me the idea to do this post. So, behold my favorite writerly things of 2017. Storage system Google Drive Hands down, this is the champion of my 2017. And if you know me, you know about my stalker-ish obsession with this program. Seriously, it's bad. Things I love about Google Drive: 1. It's on the cloud, so no working about my computer dying and losing everything. 2. You can have downloaded copies of everything on your computer and/or tablet, so if you don't have the internet, no problems. It will update when you connect the device to the internet. (Even comments, as the lovely Dawn discovered) 3. This guy allows me to create, edit, and access all of my files on all of my devices. Yup, Apple to Windows. *dies of shock* So, I am able to create content where ever I am, on which ever device I have access to. Which is super helpful with how much traveling I do, and the fact that my hubs and I share a laptop. 4. It also allows me to share my documents/folders with people. So my lovely writing tribe has unrestricted access to my writing. They can read, edit and comment on the documents (you can restrict access to just viewing if you want to, you can also revoke permissions). If I update my MS, their's is updated too. They can also see each other's comments (well, that's the way I set it up). If you haven't already, check this out as a system to store your writing. Editing systemSlick Write is new to my editing rotation, but oh my, it has become a quick favorite.  Honestly, it doesn't look like much. But, whoa does this do a lot. It will give you sentence length summaries. Show you what type of sentences you have written. Show you adverbs, adjectives, hidden verbs... the list is endless. And the best part.... IT IS FREE!!! I was toying with purchasing an editing program subscription, but when I stumbled across this I quickly put away my wallet. I have yet to play with it for a long period of time, but I have high hopes. Other editing sites I use: MusicMy writing music of choice is electronic, repetitive and not everyone's cup of tea. I listen to a lot of live stream radios on YouTube. I find that they are a great way of finding music that I don't have and that suits my mood without having to create a playlist. Plus no advertising - bonus. Below are some samples of live streams that I listen to.
HashtagsMy favorite sprint hashtag
My favorite writing games (where you post every day using the hashtag)
YouTubers
So, that's it guys. I hope you enjoyed this - it was a little different to what I normally post.
Enjoy the last of your 2017 (if there is any) and I hope to see you all in 2018. Until next time... Ok. So, you've fixed all the big picture problems... right? If not, check out some tips on the big picture edits here. Now that's sorted, we can look at the smaller details. (Disclaimer: I am not an editor. These are simply pieces of editing advice I have found to be useful) 5. Scene by Scene
6. Imagery and Metaphor
7. Prose
8. Copy-editing and Proofreading
I hope that you found this helpful, and please remember that this in no way replaces a professional editor.
Until next time: happy editing. Editing got you down? Don't know where to start? I hear you. This post will be broken into two parts - big picture and the finer details. While I am a huge "edit as I go" kind of gal, I don't recommend this approach for everyone. It is a massive time suck. I do it because I like the learning process and enjoy refining my craft. However, the way I edit also opens you up to deleting paragraphs, scenes and chapters of words that you have painstakingly gone over. So, if deleting all your hard work doesn't sound like something you would like to do (let's be honest it is as enjoyable to a rusty spoon to the eye) then perhaps take the more regularly recommended path of editing AFTER you've finished your draft. Because, you know, logic. Below are a few suggestions that I have used and found helpful. I am in no way an expert, and this in no way replaces a professional edit (I've said this a bunch of times before - GET A PROFESSIONAL EDIT). Ideally, each step would require a read through and edit before going onto the next step. What can I say, editing isn't easy. But the more time you spend fixing your word baby, the less time (and money) your editor will need to spend on polishing your manuscript. You only get out what you put in folks. I have listed the common glitches for each section, as well as some questions or actions you can do to try to fix the problems. Good luck 1. Plot and Structure
2. Character Development
3. Point of View
4. Tense
1. For all those not aware of your awesomeness, what should we know about you? Hmm, I live in Southern California with my beautiful family (hubby and two daughters). We have two dogs and six chickens. I love using the eggs to bake. Dessert is my kryptonite*, especially homemade ice cream. And cake. Basically I love to eat. 2. Why do you write? Honestly? I write because it's fun. I enjoy writing about people who are not me. I enjoy getting to know fictional characters and understanding how they think and talk, why they make the choices they make, and how those choices affect the people around them. I write to help myself understand people who are different from me. Writing forces a person to think about people from all different walks of life, and I value that. 3. What writers inspire you? Anyone who can take an ordinary person and make you root for them and cry with them is inspiring to me. There are tons of writers out there who do this... Some authors I've read recently and been impressed by are Thomas Hardy, Wilke Collins, Patricia Wrede, Dan Gemeinhart, Trenton Lee Stewart, Paul Buchanan, Francine Rivers, and Ingrid Law. I could go on. And I can't forget to mention J.K. Rowling, simply because her world building and hint dropping skills in Harry Potter are legendary. She really did an extraordinary job with the details. It's something to aspire to, certainly. 4. What does a typical writing session look like? I do most of my writing late at night once the rest of my family is in bed. I sit in our guest room at our industrial style desk with only a desk lamp for light, and I type away. I usually don't listen to music or anything. I do best without distractions. I'll sit for an hour and a half or two hours and write. Sometimes I take a few minutes to research something and try not to get distracted by the Internet. 5. What are you currently working on? The story I'm working on started as a modern day retelling of Shakespeare's Richard III, but at this point it doesn't have more than a passing resemblance to the play. Many of the characters share their names with Shakespeare's characters, and my main character, Dick, does horrible things to lots of people in order to get what he wants. Other than that, it's completely different. 6. What do you love about this piece of writing? I'm writing from three different characters' perspectives, and I'm enjoying working to make their voices distinct. It's a challenge. I have to pay specific attention to their personalities and the words and phrases they tend to use. It's my first work that doesn't follow just one person. 7. Give us a little sneak peak, what insights can you share about the main character? Well, as I mentioned, Dick is kind of an antihero. He's a 17 year old basketball player who is trying to leverage a nomination to the All American team so that he can go to college to become a pharmacist. And he's also trying to get the attention of his team captain's girlfriend, so he makes lots of bad decisions. Ha. He's fun to write. 8. What is the hardest thing about writing? The hardest thing about writing is getting off the couch, sitting in my desk chair, and getting the words down. I love it, but often at the end of the day I'd rather be lazy and watch TV. It's tricky to find a balance, especially now that I'm a mom and most of my day is devoted to my girls. 9. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why? As was hinted above, I love Superman. Dean Cain is my favorite and has been since I was eight. I would love to meet him in person someday. I once had a dream that I ran into him in a shopping mall, and he was thrilled to meet me until I told him how old I was when Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman aired. He was angry that I'd reminded him of how old he was, so he chased me through the mall with a crossbow. That was fun. 10. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new writer?
I have so much to say on this, but I'll try to keep it short.
Ah, voice. The elusive goal of all newbie writers. But what the heck is it? And how does one find their voice? Voice is the ability to convey the unique way that you see the world to your readers. It is the style, the themes, the passion and personal observations that you bring to your writing. Voice is the overarching concept that encompasses the tone that you use and the messages you send. Clear as mud, right? Well hopefully the steps you can take it find or improve your voice are clearer. Remember that voice takes time, patience and practice to formulate. 1. Write with purposeThis takes three forms: knowing yourself, your message, and knowing your tone. Know yourself: Finding something that you are passionate in can be really easy or leave you stroking your chin for hours. How do you go about discovering what you are passionate about? Below is a few points that you can try to help you find what matters most to you:
Know your message: When you know what you are passionate about, you can begin to look at what message. What do I want to say about my passion? To make a message it needs to be more than just - oh look, here is something I feel strongly about - the message needs to provoke a question and challenge/reinforce your readers current ideas about that passion. Below are a few ideas about how you can craft a message:
Your message becomes a theme when you embed it, discretely, in your novel. You can be show your theme through a number of different ways, here are a few:
Know your tone: When you have your message nailed down, you can look at what tone suits the how you express your theme. The tone that you choose can have a huge impact on how well your message is received, as well as how clear your voice appears in your novel. Here are some ways to show tone in your writing.
2. Improve your craftI know, this one is no one's favorite. But as it is what we are hoping to be paid to do - we should at least try to be good at it. Plus, less editing = less money, I'm always a fan of saving money when I can. And unfortunately, often a weak or poor voice comes from the inability to structure a sentence or create a clean paragraph (*raises hand* I am so guilty of this). Now I hate this stuff so I am going to link some websites that I found helpful: Grammar University of Bristol Cliches The Writing Center - UNC Past vs Present The Write Practice Passive vs Active American Journal Experts This stuff IS important - often good writing will trump a clever or interesting voice. So practice and learn. 3. Develop your voice through editingErgh! What am I doing - another evil step. Yep. Evil but necessary. Editing allows you to discover what you do well and what you do poorly. It forces you to examine the way you write and to refine it and polish it until it sparkles. Taking the time (and it will be a lot) to edit your work makes you a better writer. It sounds contradictory but it forces you to apply the things you know about the craft of writing. It takes out the garbage and leaves behind the essence of your writing - your voice. And the more you apply the rules and standards of writing, the better you will get at it. Also, it makes you more likely to avoid the same mistakes in your first draft for any later books. I like to work from big picture to small picture. The idea is to look over the novel as a big picture, examine it for tension, plot holes and overall pace. Then work on the smaller elements that take up progressively less space in your novel. The last part is checking punctuation and spelling errors. This is an overview of the editing steps I use:
I will be doing an in depth post about this subject on a later date. DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT YOU CAN PUBLISH WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL EDITING - THIS STEP IS ABOUT LEARNING AND IMPROVING - YOU STILL NEED A PROFESSIONAL EDIT. SERIOUSLY, JUST HIRE SOMEONE. 4. Experiment with point of viewAs writers we tend to get stuck in this idea of what we SHOULD be writing. "YA/NA is first person" or "Fantasy is third person". We have this idea, usually because of our reading preferences, of what our writing should look like and sound like. The thing is, if we only write in one POV we might be missing out on discovering the POV that works best for us. You would be hard pressed to find a reader that picks up a book and puts it down with a scowl, saying: "Yuck, first person." A fun way to experiment with POV is creating pieces of writing from other characters perspectives; I wrote about some activities to try when you have writer's block (see here). In these smaller pieces you can experiment with what works for your style of writing. Another key to voice is understanding what the pros and cons of each POV offer. This will help you choose one that suits the message you are trying to share. First Person (Me, I, my) This style plonks you in the character's head, the reader experiences the life of the character, walking in their shoes.
Explores the question of: Persona vs Identity
Second Person (You, your, yours) In this style the reader is a character in the novel. It is usually written in present tense. Common uses of this POV is in choose your own adventure novels.
Explores the question of: Identity vs Construction
Third Person (He, she, they) This POV has the narrator describe the events as they unfold. Usually written in the past tense, this POV can be written in Limited (knowledge is limited to what the character knows/think/feels) or Omniscient (the narrator knows everything, even things the characters don't).
Explores the question of: Internal needs vs External needs
5. Befriend the inner criticThe most consistent way of squashing your voice is to doubt your writing - censor it. And the little voice in your head is most often the culprit. Jerk. Unfortunately, this is one of the hardest steps. But instead of seeing this inner dialogue as a villain or something that needs to be stopped, we need to befriend it and acknowledge that it is trying to say something that will help us. It just doesn't know how it express itself properly. Resetting the way that your inner critic talks to you and how you respond is difficult and can take some time and work. It will feel like it's not working - don't give up, it is working, just give it time. Below is some steps that might help calm the nasty critic: 1. Make the conversation more specific: Change the way your inner critic talks about your writing. Too often it will tell us "Your writing sucks" or "You can't write". It gives us these blanket statements that kill our enthusiasm, that hurt rather than help. Often these comments come at a moment when - let's be honest - your writing might not be that great. And that's why it hurts so much. But instead of telling it to shut up, ask it "why?". Get it to be specific. Change "This sucks" to "This paragraph doesn't flow" or "The dialogue isn't natural". These changes in phrasing, move the critiques from defeating stabs to the heart into something that you can use, something that is actually helpful. Next time your critic slams you with a blanket statement, force it to point out what the actual problem is. 2. Make a note of what it is saying and keep going: Like all good relationships its give and take. Your critic is only going to be helpful if you listen to it. But usually you want to keep writing, you don't want to stop to make changes. So, compromise, make a note (jot it on a sticky note, make a highlighted comment on your document, or just scribble it down in a margin) and keep going. It will keep you writing and your inner critic will be happy. 3. Work on what it is telling you: Nobody likes to offer help that isn't listened to. Your critic will keep bashing you with horrible corrections until you fix it. And if your critic is anything like mine, it gets meaner the longer you put off fixing the problem. Take note of the commonalities of the critic's message. Then work on it. Research the problem, read books/blogs on how to improve your craft, and make an effort to improve whatever is causing the problem. When it is resolved your inner critic should shut up about it - although it will probably find something new to complain about. Like I said: jerk. Once you befriend your inner critic you will be able to write how you want to; your voice will become stronger and clearer because its no longer being drowned out with fear and doubt. I hope you enjoyed the post.
Let me know what you think. Until next time: don't push fear away, embrace it, it's the part of yourself that has something to say.
1. For all those not aware of your awesomeness, what should we know about you?
I am southern girl, through and through. I love watching football on the weekends and I eat my weight in boiled peanuts every year. 2. Why do you write? To get out of my small town. I want to go places, but I can't always go there physically. In my debut novel, A Crown of Ashes, I obviously can't walk down the streets of that world. But it doesn't mean I can't visit. Through writing, I not only am able to create new worlds, but I can say that I've traveled different worlds. 3. What writers inspire you? Sabaa Tahir would be at the top of my list followed by Francine Rivers. Sabaa Tahir has written my favorite YA fantasy series called An Ember In The Ashes and if you haven't read it, you totally should. Francine Rivers wrote the vastly famous book Redeeming Love and I'm so obsessed with her prose. My goal is to one day meet these authors so I can thank them or what they have done for me and my writing. 4. What does a typical writing session look like? I don't have a set time of the day that I write. I usually write in the afternoon and then I'll be done for the day. Life catches up so I have to put my WIP on the backburner. I try to finish a chapter per session. Just like reading, the end of a chapter is a good place to stop. 5. What are you currently working on? My debut novel is called A Crown of Ashes. It's an epic fantasy story about a runaway princess, an illegitimate emperor and a ruthless gladiator, each with his and her own vendetta. That's all I'll say for now being that I'm still on the first draft! Stay tuned for more! 6. What do you love about this piece of writing? It's my first WIP. I've never worked on another novel before this that I wanted to get published. It's been with me for six years and I can't give it up. I love the story and my characters despite how frustrating they can be sometimes. It might sound like I'm in love with my WIP and that's because I am. Be expecting RSVPs to our wedding soon. Haha. 7. Give us a little sneak peak, what insights can you share about the main character? I actually have three main characters but I will talk about one. Her name is Kira and she is stronger than I hope I ever have to prove. She's a fighter and she will never let anyone get in the way of what she wants. She's also a bit of a brat. 8. What is the hardest thing about writing? To keep going when you don't feel like it. Any writer will tell you there are days when you just don't feel like writing. You don't feel guilty when you have a genuine excuse for not writing. But sometimes your only excuse is that you don't feel like it. That's when it's hardest to push through and make magic happen. But I find that some of my best writing occurs when I just didn't feel like it. 9. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why? Audrey Hepburn. She is someone I greatly look up to and someone I believe everyone should as well. She was beautiful, kind, brave and smart. She was everything a woman should aspire to be. I would love to sit down and talk to her about her life. She has such an inspiring story. 10. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new writer? Don't give up on yourself. My WIP has taken six years because I kept walking away from it. I didn't like the story, it didn't really make sense so I pretended like it wasn't there. Writers need to write and create. It's part of our DNA. I feel like a part of me is missing when I'm not writing, whether on a keyboard or in my head. You're going to write some crap--I still do, in fact--but that's no excuse to stop. Keep going and one day, like me, you'll fall in love with your story and you won't be able to give it up.
1. For all those not aware of your awesomeness, what should we know about you? I’m 22 years old, I come from Essex (No, I don’t know anyone from TOWIE – only those from the UK might get that now I think about it) and I live in South East England. I have a degree in Forensic Science from the University of Kent in Canterbury, and I’m also a black-belt in Karate (you wouldn’t think that when you see me, I know). For you people out there that believe in astrological signs (like me), I’m a Gemini, and for the Potter-Heads out there, my Hogwarts house is Ravenclaw. I mainly write fantasy, though I have tried my hand at contemporary romance. I have at least 3 WIP’s on the go, as I have trouble keeping my attention solely on one piece – I let my mind go where the inspiration takes me – and many other ideas that I will get round to fleshing out…eventually. 2. Why do you write? I write because…the voices tell me to? (I’m kidding, please don’t lock me up in an asylum!) I’ve always been an imaginative and creative person. I daydream a lot. My mind often wonders to magical words that I randomly create in my head. It’s like my mind doesn’t want to stay in the real world. It wants to live in fantasy worlds, and who am I to say no? I write to get those places out of my mind and onto paper so others may enjoy the worlds in my head too. One other reason I write is because I’m an anxious person. Although it’s hard to admit, sometimes I write to get away from the real world because it can be scary, and I just need a familiar and comforting place to escape to. 3. What writers inspire you? Darren Shan, a horror writer, is my writing idol. I’m obsessed with his books because his storytelling skills are amazing. Every book of his that I’ve read has left my jaw on the floor and my eyes bulging out of my head. He’s someone that has helped drive me to take my writing seriously and to have a punt at getting my stories published. J. R. R. Tolkein, Cassandra Clare, J. K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, and Jane Austen are a few other authors who also inspire me. In addition to those above, I’ve been inspired by writers that I’ve met on Twitter whilst trying to build a writer platform/following. I’ve read a few extracts/chapters/synopsises/lines from other writers on Twitter, and I’ve been inspired by their work and their journeys to becoming published authors (whether it be through traditional means or self-publishing). My critique partner, children’s writer Nolan Dean (@nolandean27 on Twitter) is another inspiration. I’ve read some of his work and it has blown me away. He encourages and inspires me to improve my own stories, whether it’s through bouncing ideas off each other or by helping out with his writing. 4. What does a typical writing session look like? I don’t have a desk (unfortunately) so I sit on my bed with my laptop on my lap, with pillows propped up behind my back for support (because I’m all too familiar with writing injuries/strains), headphones in my ears playing a YouTube playlist I’ve made specifically for the piece of writing that I’m working on, a snack (usually fruit because you know…I have to try and be healthy when I’m sitting on my bum for hours at a time), and a cup of hot chocolate in my favourite penguin mug – if it hasn’t been stolen by my sister (grr). 5. What are you currently working on? At the moment I have quite a few WIP’s on the go. The main piece is a YA fantasy (the first of a trilogy) that I’m currently querying to agents in the hope of traditionally publishing it. It’s called The Element of Betrayal, and it’s set in an alternative future of Earth, where people can control the four elements: Water, Fire, Nature, and Air. The other WIPs include (but aren’t limited to): a medieval fantasy (not sure on the age category yet – YA maybe?) which is my most complex work to date with 5 POV’s and over 200k words written, a contemporary romance, a YA dystopian fantasy, and a YA paranormal friendship…adventure…piece that I haven’t quite decided what genre it falls into. 6. What do you love about this piece of writing? What I love about my main piece is that it’s the first piece of writing that I’ve taken seriously. I’ve written things before – mainly a failed, YA Apocalyptic Dystopian (yes, zombies) novel – but it was only in March of this year that I actually took the plunge and decided to try my hand at querying it. I love the characters, especially the secondary characters and the antagonist. I went on holiday a few months ago and had to leave my laptop behind so I couldn’t write…and I missed them like they were my friends. I’ve been writing this series for 4 years, and the characters are a part of my life as much as real people are. Another reason is that I can relate to the main character, and I see a lot of myself in her. Whilst writing it, I had Toni Morrison’s quote in my mind: ‘If there is a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.’ Originally, this novel was solely for me, so that I could write my own adventure and be a part of something that I felt was missing from the books that I’d read before. Essentially – although we differ in a few aspects – the main character is me, having my own adventure in a fantasy world that I created in my mind. Finally, even if this story isn’t published, it’s the story that will stay with me the most, because it’s the story I learned so much from. I’ve revised it so many times that I’ve learned from my mistakes, and have applied this to other WIP’s. 7. Give us a little sneak peak, what insights can you share about the main character? 18-year-old Princess Genevieve starts off as rather shy and reserved, having lived an isolated life up until we meet her. Her father has had her cooped up in their castle for reasons unknown to her, and so she is naïve in terms of meeting new people, having friendships, or relationships. She can control the element Water, and so her appearance reflects this: blue hair and eyes. Her journey is one of self-discovery. She learns how the world works. How people are not always what they seem. That she is stronger than she believes and is capable of great things if she puts her mind to it. 8. What is the hardest thing about writing? Self-doubt. It’s something I struggle with a lot. I’ve actually wrote a blog post on struggling with self-doubt (shameless plug), which you can check out on my blog (lexinehiggins.blogspot.co.uk). I haven’t been too active with blog posts over the past few months, but I’m planning to get it back on track when life stops getting in the way. My inner critic is like a tiny demon on my shoulder, whispering things in my ear that makes me doubt my ability as a writer. Are these characters interesting? Is this plot any good? Should I just give up and throw this piece out? You have to learn to ignore it, to grit your teeth and carry on. Most writers are doubtful of their work, but plenty of their readers will tell you otherwise. 9. Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why? I’d like to meet my idol, Darren Shan, and thank him for his inspiring books. I’d also like to thank him for answering a letter that I wrote to him many years ago with a handwritten reply. The fact that he took the time to write back to me in such a fashion made me feel like he truly cares about his readers, and if I ever get to where he is today, I’ll follow his example and let my readers know that they’re appreciated. He’s been such an inspiration to me (as I have said before) and I don’t think that without his books, I would have been courageous enough to try and have my own story traditionally published. 10. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new writer?
READ MORE! My first drafts (from when I was around 17-years-old) are so cringey and awful to read. Although I’ve always been a book lover and have always enjoyed reading and writing my own stories, I’ve never read as frequently as I do now. I read differently now too. Before, I was simply enjoying the story. Now I take note of the writing styles, different words and descriptions the author uses, and the plot points that perhaps I could use in my story with my own twists on them. I would go back and tell my younger writer-self to take note of the things I look out for now, to improve my writing and make it less cringey. I’d also tell my younger writer-self to find people who are also writers and want to be published authors like I do. When I first started writing, I didn’t know anyone that had an interest in writing their own stories. Now, I’ve met so many friendly faces on Twitter over the past few months of being on the platform who have helped and encouraged me with my writing woes. I’d tell myself to go onto Twitter or another social platform (I’ve met a few people on Instagram too) and make a writer account ASAP so I can make some friends and go through the writing process with them, to make it a little less scary. Finally, I’d tell my younger writer-self not to listen to ALL writing advice. Some people say show rather than tell, whilst others say that telling is okay. Some say use “” instead of ‘’ when writing dialogue, others say the reverse. Some say you should avoid prologues, and others are for them. There are so many conflicting pieces of advice out there. Write how you want to. Find your own writing style that you’re comfortable with and work with it. I can picture all the side eye I am getting from this post: "Come on Mel, Setting?? Isn't that the same as World Building?? I see what you are doing..." Well actually... World Building is creating the world in your mind, Setting is painting a picture of that world through the eyes of your character. A great Setting enhances the story for your readers. It:
It's pretty dang important. Without Setting your characters just float in the blank, nothingness of plot. How do we create a great setting? Below are some things that help me: Use your World Building: Not familiar with world building? Check out my mistakes (Part 1 and Part 2) before you start - trust me, you don't want to make my mistakes midway through writing your novel. If you are a world building champion (I hate you), then you are all set to season your story with little bits of delicious setting. Examples:
Don't forget to include your character in these little gems, describe how they feel about these events and possibly use the senses to do so. Engage the senses: The senses are a powerful thing, they evoke reader memories and can highlight what is important in a setting. It makes the character seem more real and your setting more vivid. Now, unless you are writing omniscient, stick to describing what your character can: see, taste, smell, hear, and feel at that given time. This helps ground the readers in the here and now of your story. You can use details that they have seen previously in to create a contrast of time or place, but I would sprinkle it in with a light hand. But remember that the senses aren't limited to the big five, you can also add in:
Weak, golden sun fluttered through the brick hugged windows. Motes of dust danced in the cold stillness. Empty tables stood to attention around the room's periphery; lonely chairs nestled beneath them. Settling like a blanket over the room, the air was devoid of any mustiness despite being shut up over the summer. As if the sounds and smells had fled the halls once the final bell rang. The clock ticked, perched above a pristine board, marching along even though no one watched it. I never once mentioned the word school or student, but (I am hoping) you gathered we were in a classroom just before school resumed. I used the sense of touch, sight, smell and hearing (taste would have been weird) in the writing above. Sometimes writing an original setting is like a game of Taboo, you have to challenge yourself to describe a place without using the shortcut words. But not every setting needs a flowery description - which brings me to my next point. Be specific and selective with what you include: Does your reader need a twenty page description of an office that she will visit once? No. The point of this section is to choose your descriptions wisely. If you want to spend a paragraph describing exactly what that wing back armchair looks like, there had better be a good reason. Someone better make love on it or it better be demon possessed. Otherwise, why are you wasting my time? Questions to ask yourself:
** If your character is running for their lives, please do not take the time to describe the pot plants beside the desk she is ducking behind. She wouldn't notice it - she'd be too focused on the killer. It pulls the reader out of the story - the reader is wondering why the plant is so important. And it often ruins the pace - if she can stop to notice the plants is she really in danger? Giving too much information slows the pace of your story, it shifts the focus from the plot and characters to the setting. Sometimes this is good. This can be done beautifully to explore themes around place and landscape, or to capture a mood. Be purposeful with your long winded descriptions, make them mean something - make their lazy behinds work for every letter that you are bestowing upon them. Below is an example of descriptions that could have conveyed the same idea with much less: The poulterers shops were still half-open, and the fruiterers were radiant in their glory. There were great, round pot-bellied baskets of chesnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentlemen, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. There were ruddy, brown- faced, broad-girthed Spanish Onions, shining in the fatness of their growth like Spanish Friars, and winking from their shelves in wanton slyness at the girls as they went by, and glanced demurely at the hung-up mistletoe. There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes, made in the shop- keepers' benevolence to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that people's mouths might water gratis as they passed; there were piles of filberts, mossy and brown, recalling in their fragrance, ancient walks among the woods, and pleasant shufflings ankle deep through withered leaves; there were Norfolk Biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons... Yes. I know. I will wait for the hate mail to roll in. How DARE I use Charles Dickens as an example of what not to do... the horror!! But I mean, read it. (Yes. It is beautiful. Yes. It does set the scene - a minor one. Yes. It discusses the idea of Christmas Feasting as well as, creating a juxtaposition to the description of the same event earlier in the novel; which in turn highlights the growth of Scrooge's character. I get it.) When I was a teenager reading this I groaned so much at this scene. Why did I need to read a 40 word description of onions? I didn't. And to this day, I still don't. *shrugs* And this is the point I am trying to make, did the onions propel the plot? Were they integral to the character's journey or solving a problem? No. So why waste words on things that might make readers skim read or even *gulp* put it in their DNF (Did Not Finish) pile? Today's market, especially if you are in YA, has no room for this overly purple prose. Your reader is being forced to read about something that has no importance, and thus, no place in your novel. So save all your delicious descriptions for the places that are important or that your character will spend a lot of time in. Use character interaction: This one is my favorite. It is like allowing your character to lead your reader through their world. What they notice and interact with says a lot about your character. Every person will react to an environment in a different way, and the same person may react differently to the environment on different days (E.g. revisiting a place from childhood and it seems smaller than they remember). So when your POV (Point of View) changes or even when your character changes, alter the way you describe the world. Focus on different objects, interactions. Describe them in a way that feels authentic to the character. Using quick, dynamic bits of setting concurrently with character action and dialogue adds depth to both your setting and your characters. YASS! Say a character walks into a room, in the room their is a toy puppy. Characters can react in a variety of ways:
Using the descriptions of what is in the setting also tells us about the owner of the space:
Set the mood and foreshadow: Using the weather, the temperature, the landscape or objects within a setting can help instill a the same feeling in our reader that the character is feeling. Have fun with the way you describe the things your character sees - they are not a objective viewer. Your character will never walk into a a room and go: "Oh, a red chair". chances are that they are going to have an opinion of that object based on their preferences, how they are feeling, whether they like the person who owns it or any past experiences with a red chair. Use this to your advantage. Adjectives and verbs are your best friend. The choices you make with verbs and adverbs changes a somber downpour to refreshing rainstorm, or a ravenous deluge to an unwelcome precipitation, with a few synonyms and an adjective change. So when describing, add depth to the setting by using words that emphasize the overall feeling your character has. A mood filled with dread can be evoked in setting by using descriptions like:
The alluding to death, darkness and uncertainty gives the reader feelings of unease, of worry. But, using describing the same setting with different adjectives changes the feeling completely:
Setting can also foreshadow what is to come. Just like choosing the right adjective or verb choosing the right location for the event, or shaping the mood of the location can help readers guess what might happen next - leaving them with feelings of dread or excitement (Ahem - keeping them reading). Think of it this way, if your sweetheart called you because they wanted to meet up "to talk" which setting would you prefer?
None of the settings would actually influence the outcome of the conversation, the person knows what they want to say, but the setting gives us an idea what the outcome might be. This is a fun literary device to play with, because we can lead a reader to a resolution that they feel is satisfying (they saw it coming) or you can punch them in the throat with an unexpected plot twist (E.g. the character on the cliff is proposed to, the character in the restaurant is dumped). Be a little ambiguous: Lastly, leave a little to the imagination. Allow your reader to insert themselves in your world, allow them the space to imagine it how they like. The brain is a fickle little fellow, if it thinks that something looks one way and you tell it otherwise, every time that setting comes up it will protest. It jars against the reader - pulling them out of the setting/story briefly. Ambiguity is not vague! Be as specific as you can with your word choice when you do describe something, but don't describe everything (E.g. Coffee cup - describe the color, if it is empty, the lipstick mark on it, but then leave out things like the exact location in the room of the table it is on, how much liquid it can hold, how it reminds you of the cup you had that broke - or vice versa). The idea is don't bog your readers down with describing EVERYTHING about the setting and object. Again this is why choosing what to describe and how to describe it is so important. If in doubt - leave it out. Thanks for reading this behemoth.
Until next time: make your settings work hard for you. |
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