Posted in Books, Writing, tagged books, Characters, creative writing, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing structures, writing style, writing techniques, writing tips on 05 Feb 2013| 36 Comments »
Now that I’ve finished my foray into Shakespearean biographies and Elizabethan conspiracy theories, it’s time to get back to work.
Writing work, that is.
This project will be my tenth novel, and it will be a big departure from my previous books. Frankly, it’s got me scared pissless. But, as any great artist will tell you, if it doesn’t scare you, it’s not worth doing. (more…)
Posted in Writing, tagged creative writing, editing, novel writing, publishing, self-publishing, writing tips on 29 Jan 2013| 5 Comments »
This article crossed my desk yesterday in which Chuck Wendig lays out in bold, unvarnished terms, just how rotten the publishing industry is. Thankfully, Chuck threw enough humor in there to keep us laughing while we cry.
Chuck hits all the high (aka low) points of the business, like why it’s absolutely insane to try to write to the market, and how unbelievably slow-moving the industry is (glaciers are hares in comparison).
Writerly-types, pay attention to #20, especially the link to Writer Beware. If you haven’t ever heard of Writer Beware, you have now. Go. Learn.
Posted in Writing, tagged bad writing examples, creative writing, editing, metaphor and simile, metaphors and similes, novel writing, publishing, the view from here, Writing, writing mistakes, writing techniques, writing tips on 25 Jan 2013| 1 Comment »
People have told me that I’m too tough in my critiques. Privately, I’ve been told that these “The View from Here” posts are too harsh, too critical. “New writers will make mistakes,” I’m told. “That’s what editors are for.” Poppycock.
A number of years ago, I used to read slush for a magazine. It was unpaid intern-type-stuff, but it taught me a great deal (as all good unpaid intern-type-stuff should). It taught me about deadlines and time-management. It taught me a lot about publishing, as I was able to see a lot of it from behind the scenes. It taught me the truth of the adage: The only way to make a small fortune in publishing is to start with a large fortune.
But most of all, it taught me to think like an editor.
An editor is like an alcoholic in a 12-step program–Let’s skip right over the joke about how most of them actually are alcoholics in 12-step programs and move right to what I mean by that.–i.e., editors read MSS one page at a time. Screw up on Page One, they’ll never read Page Two. After all, why go farther? Why read any more if page one just sucks? They won’t. Screw up on Page One–hell, screw up in Paragraph One–and you’re done.
So yes, I’m tough. And now, onto the next item I see a lot in some of the fiction posted out there: Bad metaphors and stupid similes.
Posted in Writing, tagged as you know bob, creative writing, editing, exposition, expository block, novel writing, self-publishing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 18 Jan 2013| 1 Comment »
It’s virtually unavoidable, this one. Seriously, virtually unavoidable, just like the old show/tell chestnut. It takes a mountain of diligence, discipline, and work for me to avoid it. And in the end, if I am successful in removing its stain from my story, the result might not be any better. So, as with that old “Show, don’t tell” adage, this one is largely a matter of degree. Too much, and my prose is comical. Too little, and…what’s that? You don’t know what I’m talking about? You mean I didn’t explain something to you?
And there’s the rub. If you haven’t from the title or the above gleaned my drift, let me spell it out for you. I’m talking about the dreaded expository block. Yes, that clunk-fest where the author steps right into the story, takes you (poor Reader) in hand, and gently explains to you what’s really going on. It’s that section which, when put into the mouth of a character, usually starts with a phrase like, “As you know, Bob…” It’s when Steven Spielberg paints a little girl’s coat red in an otherwise black-and-white film, just to make sure that you and he are on the same page.
But exposition is often necessary. My readers aren’t psychic, and just as I can’t “show” every last detail and nuance, neither should I take my story back to the beginning of, well, Everything, in order to expose my reader to all the backstory and context that imbues my heartbreaking work of utter genius. So, it’s another balancing act, another vague artist’s equation wherein phrases like a lot and too much prominently figure.
Some examples after the jump:
Posted in Writing, tagged creative writing, novel writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 16 Jan 2013| 2 Comments »
Part of me always feels guilty.
The writer in me is always watching, always observing, always taking notes. One year, a friend presented me with a t-shirt that said: Careful or You’ll End Up in My Novel. She thought it was funny. I know that it’s true.
There is a vast supply of information out there, presented to us everyday, free of charge–on the bus, in the grocery, on the freeway, in the workplace–and all we writerly-types have to do is watch, observe, note.
So, part of me always feels guilty. Especially at times when my inner amanuensis probably wouldn’t be welcome.
Posted in Books, Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing, tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, self-publishing, The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, writing techniques on 11 Jan 2013| Leave a Comment »
It’s always a thrill when other bloggers find enough interest in this blog to tag me in a post or give a nod for a blog-award. It’s gratifying to know that I’m not only reaching people, but doing so with value. And so I was pleased when Jon over at Jumping from Cliffs tagged me in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.
TNBT asks a writer ten questions about their newest or upcoming work, and then hops on over to other writer’s blogs. These games of virtual tag are always fun because there’s always one or two questions in the stack that catch me off guard.
So first, the questions, and at the end, my five “tag-ees.”
What is the working title of your book?
My most recent book is Beneath a Wounded Sky, Book V in the Fallen Cloud Saga. My shorthand for it is FC:V.
What genre does your book fall under?
The closest genre for the FC books is Alternate History, but the hardline Alt-Hist fans will disagree. As with most of my books, it blends genres, and while it’s mostly alt-hist, it also has fantasy and spiritual elements.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
I shall try…
The Fallen Cloud Saga comes to a close as George Custer, Jr. rides with the Cheyenne Alliance to join forces from the Spanish Crown; together, they face George’s father, President Custer, Sr., and his American army, but their plans conflict with the vision seen by Speaks While Leaving, the Cheyenne seeress and guide.
How dat?
Where did you get the idea for your book?
The idea for the series started when I read The Great Dinosaur Extinction Controversy, by Officer and Page. That got me thinking about how dinosaurs might have survived into the common era (if North America’s inland sea had not receded). That got me thinking about how they might have adapted (smaller size) and what niches they might have filled (perhaps filling the niche that was filled by the Spanish horses). And that got me thinking about how life for the Plains Indians might have been different if, when the Spaniards arrived, the native peoples were already riding these smaller, horse-analogues. And that led me to wonder, “What would have happened if Custer didn’t die at the Little Big Horn?”
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
This last book was inspired by the devotees of the first four books in the Fallen Cloud Saga. When the publisher dropped the series on book four-out-of-five, I was crushed and the fans of the series were orphaned. Then I had some health problems and had to get that in hand, but it took a long time, and I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to write another book.
But the readers, they just loved those books. They sent letters, sent emails, posted on Facebook, made paintings of the characters. And they kept posting, year after year. They were never many in number (if they had been, the publisher would have jumped at FC:V), but they were so enamored of the books, the characters, the World of the Fallen Cloud. Their sincere wishes and gentle encouragement eventually got me back on track and got me writing again.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first books in the FC Saga I wrote quickly; each one took me 9 months to a year at most (I write longhand, with pen and paper.) For FC:V, though, this last book, I had several failed starts. All told, it took me about four years from Page One to final End, but that wasn’t constant writing. Once I finally got the gears working again, it went quickly, but total writing time was probably about two years.
What other books would you compare this story with in your genre?
Since my book is a blend of genres, it’s hard to find a comparison within the major heading of “Alternate History.” However, I’m not the only one who’s pushed the edge of the definition envelope in alt-hist. Orson Scott Card’s “Tales of Alvin Maker” series also blends history and magic, realism with spiritualism, all in a North American setting, so as far as those elements go, it’s a pretty close match. The stories are nothing alike, but the world and even our writing styles have similarities.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Hehehe…Of course, Sandra Bullock would have to be cast as someone, just so I could meet her… But seriously…
I’ve never envisioned anyone in any of the character roles. I could name a handful of talented First Nations and Native American actors–Wes Studi as Limps, Irene Bedard as Speaks While Leaving, and I would have loved to see the late Will Sampson as one of my chiefs–but most names are not familiar to most movie goers. I’ve thought that in a few years Matthew McConaughey might work as my elder Custer (he wasn’t the fool you probably think he was). And I think Giovanni Ribisi could make a most memorable Vincent D’Avignon.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It is impossible to get an agent or a major publisher interested in the fifth book of a series that another publisher dropped. It is almost as impossible to get a small-press or e-publisher interested in it. I tried, for a while, but no one likes leftovers.
But I felt strongly enough about this book, about completing this long, epic story for myself and for the readers, that I decided to go ahead and self-publish. This was not going to be a money-making or career-breakout novel, though. The goal was to make it available for those fans of the series, and if I got a few new readers along the way, that’d be grand. It is a really good series, and the reviews of the fifth book have all been glowing.
What else about your book might pique your reader’s interest?
You might see the premise “Indians Riding Dinosaurs” and think the series was for kids, full of adventure and Western tropes, but it isn’t. While the setting might be fantastical, the characters are not, nor are the troubles they face. The conflicts are so much more than just cowboys and Indians, white man against red. They are the conflicts of oppression, and of a nation’s conscience in the face of a great and long-accepted wrong. They are conflicts of two lovers torn apart by politics. They are the conflicts felt by the sons of famous fathers, and by the fathers of precocious sons. Men and women, loves and hates, friendships and betrayals, allies and enemies, all are here, all are within these books. If you’re still on the fence, check out Chapter One.
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And now, please leapfrog from here over to some writers that I follow:
All very different from one another; all worth the look.
Posted in Writing, tagged common writing mistakes, creative writing, editing, novel writing, the view from here, Writing, writing problems, writing techniques, writing tips on 03 Jan 2013| 11 Comments »
I hear you already. “Not that old chestnut!” Sorry. Sad, but true: “Show, Don’t Tell” is one of the most common of errors I’ve seen in the past couple of weeks prowling the new-writer-blogosphere, and sometimes the errors are simply egregious.
First off, let me say that I believe it is damned near impossible to “show” everything in a story. I mean, come on; you have to take a short-cut through a description now and again. I also think it’s unnecessary to “show” everything. And, to round out the argument against, there really aren’t any “rules” in fiction…or at least there aren’t any rules you can’t break now and again. As always, know when you break a rule, and do it for a reason.
As promised, I’m going to pick examples of these errors from my own stories, posted here on this site. Some of these stories are my very first efforts, so finding errors in them usually isn’t hard, but “Show, Don’t Tell” is a mantra that was drilled into me early on in workshops and from editors, so I had to root about a bit to find these offenders. Every story has spots where I need to move things along and not gum up the momentum with a fully descriptive flashback. A memory here, a wondering thought there, these might be difficult to “show” thoroughly. So, even if you find this sort of thing in your own work, the errors may not be big enough to warrant a rewrite; fixing them might alter the flow of the tale.
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 