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Posts Tagged ‘novel writing’

By Any Other Name

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 28 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Sometimes, it’s the little things.

We spent a lovely holiday weekend with our friends, Barb and J.C. Hendee, authors of The Noble Dead Saga (among other titles). They’re a couple of the lucky ones: bestselling authors who have had the wonderful opportunity to make their living writing books. Naturally, it has its trade-offs (all self-employment opportunities do), but it was great to spend time with them, talking about Things Writerly, and learning from tales from their lives as modern writers.

Barb Hendee has a new book out, first in a brand-new series, so if you like fantasy, exceptional character development, a tight plot, and a satisfying read, check out her The Mist-Torn Witches, available in paperback and on Kindle.

During our visit, I took advantage of the quiet mornings to do some clustering exercises for my new project, and in doing so, I discovered my working title! (more…)

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See Spot Run

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 17 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiSorry for this late post. I’ve spent the morning dodging trolls over in the LinkedIn writers’ groups. Oy vey. But while there, someone brought up a topic that actually interested me (until it submerged into troll-dom).

The topic was: big words. Or, more precisely, obscure words.

The poster was complaining about the word “chthonic.” Any of you know what it means, off the top of your head? (more…)

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Extended Metaphor #1

Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 16 May 2013| 2 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiAs part of my natural writing exercises, I’ve been encouraging my right brain to “do its thing.” As a result, I’ve noticed  a growing number of metaphors and some interesting imagery creeping into my day.

Yesterday, I watched an interesting video about metronomes and a striking metaphor came to my mind.

The video shows 32 metronomes (for you non-musical types, they’re the little tick-tock timekeepers musicians often use to keep a steady beat), and the videographer starts them all out of synch. The sound is a chaotic rush of ticking, like a river of hazelnuts clattering downstream. Now, if the metronomes had been on a table or other solid, static surface, they would continue this way, but the videographer has put them on a moveable surface (it looks like a suspended sheet of foam rubber). As each metronome swings its arm and counterbalance, a tiny amount of its force is imparted to its neighbor. The result was fascinating.

It’s only 4 minutes long, and rather mesmerizing in its way.

Go. Watch it. I’ll wait. (more…)

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Mint Condition, One Owner

Posted in Books, Hi Tech, tagged , , , , , , , , on 06 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Stack of BooksAmazon wants to sell your used ebooks.

Yep, it’s true. Amazon wants to sell your used e-books, and a lot of people are really, really upset by it. “It’ll ruin author’s livelihoods,” some say, and “It’ll destroy the publishing industry” say others.

BTFU.

Before we all go running through the streets with our hair on fire, let’s think about it for a second.

Amazon wants to sell you an e-book for your Kindle and then, once you’ve read it (or not), give you the option to sell it back to them so they can re-sell it to someone else. This allows them to sell it without paying anything to the publisher (and thus, the author), just as if it was a physical book…

Hey…wait a minute…

(more…)

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XX vs XY

Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 02 May 2013| 2 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiWhen I build my characters, I like a full picture. As I practice this craft, I get better at it. My pictures are more complete each time, and one reason for this is Observation.

Observation teaches two things. First, it shows me actual characteristics, physical and mental, that I can use to build my characters. Appearances, mannerisms, vocal traits, behaviors, they all add to a complete portrait. The second thing observation teaches is types. Yes, I’m sorry to say, but people generally can be classed into types.

Understanding types is important because, when I go against type, I want to know it.

Example: by and large, men are more into sports than women. Yes, I know…some women are sports nuts and I’m not saying they aren’t; I’m saying that, in general, men are more likely to have an interest in sports than women. So, will I never write a female character who’s into sports? No, I might do that in this next book. But if I do, I need to know that the characteristic puts the character in the minority. Why? Because if a character is in the minority of her peers, that might shape her, one way or another.

To this point, an interesting characteristic has been discussed on a couple of boards. It’s a characteristic I hadn’t thought of before, but it’s an important one. I’d like to share it with you, and get your feedback.

It has to do with men and women and the friends they have. (more…)

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Ray and Me

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 25 Apr 2013| 4 Comments »

Stack of BooksI am setting aside work on my new novel.

If you have a problem with this, take it up with Ray Bradbury.

Some comments on a recent post of mine got me thinking, and I went to get my copy of Dandelion Wine. I hadn’t read it for a long, long (loooong) time; such a long time, in fact, that I’m really a completely different person, and I knew I’d enjoy it more. I’ve always liked Ray’s stories–he and Roger Zelazny were the major influences on my decision to attempt writing, myself–so, an indulgence. I opened the book and began to read.

I didn’t make it past the foreword. (more…)

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Lion’s Tooth

Posted in Seattle, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 23 Apr 2013| 3 Comments »

Doc Maynard had a wife. Two of them, actually, and simultaneously, some say.

David S. “Doc” Maynard, one of Seattle’s more colorful founders, married Catherine Simmons Broshear Maynard, a widow he had met along the Oregon Trail. He married her almost immediately upon divorcing Lydia, his first wife, a decree granted via questionable–and later, contestable–conditions. (Doc may have implied that Lydia was…deceased….)

Catherine Maynard proved to be as legendary as her husband, helping thwart an attack on the settlers of Seattle, accepting for a time her husband’s first wife under her own roof, and traveling the state on horseback, riding from Seattle across the Cascades to Ellensburg, well into her 70s.

But she did one other thing which, 150 years later, affects every single Seattle homeowner.

Catherine Maynard brought the dandelion to Seattle. (more…)

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