Hello everyone!
Today I wanted to take the time to talk about the famous information dumping that can happen when writing a book. We all do it. I've done it and still do sometimes, even in a second or third draft. We need to learn to recognize when we have dumped too much backstory in one area of our manuscript.
Here is an excellent example of how not to info dump. I recently watched the Netflix movie Bright. After the first two minutes of the movie, I knew exactly what kind of world the story took place in and even a bit of history without one word spoken. How? Here's a small spoiler for those who haven't seen it.
Graffiti. The opening credits show graffiti and street signs from all over L.A. They show us that this is a world that contains orcs, elves, humans and other magical creatures living alongside each other. It even mentions a dark lord and civil unrest between the races. With a few flashes of images and no dialogue, we have already learned our setting, what our characters' races may be, and that there could be an underlying tension between races that could affect the plot.
Now, isn't that just magic in and of itself?
I know what you're thinking, "Okay, that was a movie. We have to explain everything with words, without using these famous info dumps." Right you are, my invisible antagonistic friend. You have to find your own graffiti. You have to discover a way to introduce your characters and setting in an interesting way that will keep the reader's attention. You have to show (and not tell, of course!) the reader a setting without going on for ten pages about the way a city looks and why. You have to explain a history without a prologue that tells you every little detail about it. You have to establish a character's backstory without them sitting down with their best friend and rehashing their entire existence. (Because really, who does that in real life? Nothing irks me more than characters who sit around and talk about topics they both already know as fact for no other purpose than to give the reader this info.)
It is always easier said than done.
The trick is being able to recognize when you have left info dumps in your writing. If a beta reader or editor points them out to you, even better. Then you have to use what I like to call the sprinkler effect. Take that information and sprinkle it all throughout your story. Not only will this help with info dumps, but it could make for more interesting writing.
Instead of knowing Amy's entire past at the beginning, perhaps we are shown small pieces of her past here and there through flashbacks, off-handed dialogue, or her own inner thoughts. Her character could become more mysterious and interesting if we find out more about her gradually.
Maybe we discover the setting by following our main character as they go for a jog in post-apocalyptic New York, skirting abandoned cars and leaping overturned hot dog stands. Later, she may show us her thoughts about missing the time before the great war/plague/invasion that left the world this way. Or maybe she hears an old song and it brings back a memory of her pre-apocalypse life.
You have to find your own system that works for you.
Good luck, writers. The best way to research how to help with your own information dumping is to read. Read other amazing books that bring you into the story in ways that don't give you pages and pages of why Jimmy hates his mother. Discover a way to use more imagery and everyday circumstances to show the rain forest the story takes place in.
Have fun and happy writing!
Being a published author does not mean my writing is perfect. I am by no means a master of the English language and flawless when it comes to editing my work. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone.
Luckily, I have great friends who look out for me and let me know when I've make a boo-boo with my published works. I even have a few awesome beta readers who rip my story apart (in the best of ways) before I put it out there for the world to enjoy. I do the same for my author friends.
But sometimes things are missed (Because everyone makes mistakes, right?) and I have to go back over my work to do some rewrites or further editing of the story. This year I plan on returning to my older works and fixing them up. It will take some time, but I want to reread everything with fresh eyes and try to catch all the typos or plot holes I can.
I honestly think every writer should do this from time to time. My writing style has evolved a lot over the past few years and though I may not want to change story lines or characters themselves, I may want to change how I present them in my stories. I'm also a bit wiser when it comes to editing issues. Yes, only a bit wiser. I still throw quite a few "rules" out the window.
Hopefully, by the end of the year, I will have a collection of improved works to show off and some peace of mind that I did my very best in presenting them to you, readers.
Hope you pick up one of my books to entertain you this year. Happy reading!
You know how you get a great story idea and you start writing and everything is flowing great. Then it just stops. It happens to the best of us. Usually you can go and reread a few chapters back or even from the beginning of the story and that will get you back in that mindset to continue. This usually works for me.
Well lately, I have been stuck with every project I go back to. I have reread numerous short story and novel starts in the past couple of weeks and managed to only do some light editing or add a few sentences. That's it.
Some call this writer's block. I like to think of it as being stuck. Nothing is really blocking my way. It is more like I stepped in some gum and my shoes are stuck to the pavement below. I need to struggle some, pull and fight, but eventually I will get free and back into my groove. Being blocked is different. Blocked is when something in the story itself isn't working out. I have this growling dog standing in my way on that road I'm walking and I have to find a way around. I have to rethink things. Make plans. Find an alternative route. Once I have found my way around the dog, one way or the other, I can get back to my story.
I have been reading a lot lately, which usually helps, but not this time. I am pretty frustrated about it. My own personal goals are falling behind. My continuing story on my other blog has suffered. My sequel to Threads of A Web, that is only about a quarter of the way done, is not going to be published when I was hoping I could. I had another collection of short stories that I need to wrap up and was planning to have out next month. Not sure about it now.
At any rate, hoping I can get out of this writing funk pretty soon. Meanwhile, I am catching up on editing, beta reading, and reading for fun. Really hoping I can surpass my goal of reading a hundred books this year. I have read fifty-three so far so it's looking good!
Fellow readers and writers, good luck to you and have a great summer!
I always have so much going on that I feel seriously guilty when I take a few moments for myself. Between kids, writing, publishing, editing, marketing and promotion, three blogs, three Twitter accounts, two Facebook accounts, a newsletter, reading and reviewing, beta reading, housework, making and attempting to sell jewelry, beta reading, cooking meals, potty training a two-year-old, and all the other crap I do on a daily basis, I actually feel bad when I sit down and take a few minutes for me.
I honestly have forgotten how to fully relax. I can't sit down and read a few chapters of a book without worrying about the stuff I feel like I should be doing. I love watching TV shows and anime but it takes me forever to get through a series. So many interruptions. So many times I end up watching on my phone. It took me five days to watch an episode of Sword Art Online for crying out loud, watching ten minutes here and there when I could sneak it in.
Mommy needs a break.
My break used to be reading and writing. Escaping to those alternate worlds. Immersing myself in some character's life. Being somewhere else and being someone else. It was a great breather. A vacation from reality.
Not so much anymore. Too much worry in my mind.
I worry about finishing a book so I can post a review, especially with my indie author friends. I worry about being objective with my reviews, being honest about errors without being an asshole or being overly gushy without sounding fake.
I get anxious when I think about publishing. I have not published a book since January 1st and I had planned to have two more out by now, one under each pen name. People keep asking me when the next Spunky book is coming out. Umm, Kyra is writing that one so, I have no clue?
I get headaches stressing about money and my multiple side jobs that are so failing at making any extra cash for our family. Being poor sucks.
In other words, I need to take a chill pill. Like, I need a serious enema of happy to chill the hell out these days. I have been so anxious that I haven't been able to write anything but poetry in a month and that is pretty bad, folks.
I have to get a handle on this. I may really just go off the grid at the end of this month. No internet or social media of any kind. (See, I can't even think about that without worrying about people trying to contact me for book information or for help with their writing or wanting to buy jewelry, or... something.) It has gotten that ridiculous.
So, my faithful readers, I might have to disappear for a while. I might need to take an explore in the Hundred-Acre Woods or something. Get the hell out of Online Life and back into nature. Ah yes, nature, the thing that has always calmed me the most. That is most likely the real problem right there, I have not been out in nature enough in the past year. I miss it.
Maybe I will go camping. Alone. With no electronics of any kind.
Okay, maybe a camera. Let's not get too crazy.
In keeping with my new policy of putting out a book every three months, (Yes, I made that up.) I have the first book of a brand new series coming out on January 1st, 2016.
Now my followers know that I usually stick to romance but branched out a bit with my short story collection last month. Well prepare yourselves, people!
Threads of A Web is book one of a science fiction/horror series that is quite unlike what I have written so far. In fact, this material is far older than anything I have published! I started taking notes for this book back in 2008 after having some intense dreams about vampires. After years of a love/hate relationship with the characters, I finally think I am ready to send it out into the world. It is both terrifying and glorious to know that something that has so much of my soul embedded in it will finally be released from it's cage to fly amongst others.
Be warned! This is 18+ material here, and I don't mean naughty sex scenes either. My characters experience emotional and physical traumas that are not for the weak of stomach. On the other hand, the bonds and friendships formed throughout the story between this diverse group of creatures may call forth feelings of an entirely different nature.
This is a sister series to Some By Day, Some By Night so you may recognize a few characters popping in and out of the Lord Gerard's Coven series. (For example, what was Serahfine like before she met Dmitri? What becomes of Artus and Alexus?) Though each book, and series, can be read separately, back stories and further explanations for certain characters' situations will be found in both so honestly, just read them all!
Anywho, here is the blurb for Threads of A Web:
Marla has recently been changed into a vampire and she finds that a
life of murder and bloodshed suits her just fine. Especially since there
is a secret war between the vampires and the humans raging around her.
Killing humans for money was her job when she was one and now killing
them for fun is justified in her eyes.
Making close friends and becoming part of a coven was unexpected and
soon Marla finds herself torn between her old ways of murder and mayhem
and a new side of herself that only wants to kill to protect her dear
friends. She has found a family at last. But can she keep them?
Just when things seem to be looking up for the coven,
an alien race invades Earth, intent on exterminating humans and vampires
alike.
Will the vampires defend the humans who have hunted them for decades?
Can this invading race be eliminated before the entire coven is
destroyed?
Take a gander at this gorgeous cover that Julie Nicholls created. Isn't it stunning? She is so talented.
If anyone is interested, I have Advanced Reader Copies (ARC) available for those who would like to read it before it is released, with the promise of giving an honest review within two weeks of the release day.
I'm hosting an awesome Facebook party for the release of Threads and everyone is invited! Though release day is still a ways off, the giveaways and teasers have already started. I'm giving away free paperbacks and e-books and all kinds of cool swag so drop by and get Stuck In A Web On New Year's Day!
I have so much reading to catch up on that it's ridiculous!
My kindle app is full, I have a real Kindle sitting collecting dust, I have some downloaded books on my computer, and then there are the paperbacks double stacked on my bookshelf. There is just not enough time in the day for reading!
I'm going to go back one month and post some reviews that I gave for what books I have been able to knock off my TBR. Some I enjoyed immensely, some, not so much. I give honest reviews but I try not to be a douche canoe about it.
I finished The Sandman Volume Five on October 19th. I gave it five stars because, well, awesome! I have to say that though every book in this series isn't gold, I am loving it so far as a whole. Can't wait to read the next one. (Which will be soon.) I don't tend to give reviews to "trade" books unless it was so phenomenal that I fan-girl screamed.
Cloak of Shadows
by C.K. Dawn
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
What an exciting and well-written story!
I love that the world was
introduced slowly; the scenery and characters fleshed out with such
detail. Creating such relatable characters made their successes and
failures truly resonate. The secret, magical world they were a part of
was introduced piece by piece. The author is a master of giving the
reader action and romance all while keeping them intrigued by the
mysteries of how this secret society worked and each character's place
in it.
Wonderful read! Highly recommended!
For more of C.K. Dawn's books and buy links, check out her Amazon author page.
Norma Jean's School of Witchery Book One: Jewel
by Rose Montague
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
A suspenseful, action packed tale!
This book follows the young witch
Jewel and her exciting adventures as she enters a new school, makes new
friends, and deals with assassination attempts, a budding romance, and
loss. Finding out you have rare witch powers is hard enough but having
to learn to utilize them to save your friend's lives is a hell of a way
to spend your school year!
Fast paced and fun, this book was a great YA read I would recommend to any lover of fantasy.
Having read this wonderful book, I now have to read Jade, Jane and the next installment of this series!
For more of Rose Montague's books and buy links, check out her Amazon author page.
Cowboy Command
by Olivia Jaymes
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
An exciting romance full of action, drama and hot sex scenes! A great read!
For more of Olivia Jaymes's books and buy links, check out her Amazon author page.
Ink Inspired
by Carrie Ann Ryan
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
A short, sweet read featuring a sexy, tattooed hunk. What's not to love?
For more of Carrie Ann Ryan's books and buy links, check out her Amazon author page.
Jaded (3 Book Series)
by Ali Parker
Rating: Overall, 4 Stars
Review:
(Book 1) A great introduction to Kari and her friends. I enjoyed how the story
played out slowly, really letting you get to know the characters
intimately. Great read!
(Book 2) Not as detailed as the first book but a good introduction to Jake and
his own heartbreak. We immediately see the sparks between Jake and Kari
but they do seem to be taking it a bit fast for two individuals who have
been hurt by loved ones, especially since he never let his wounds heal
and hers are still so fresh.
(Book 3) Not the best installment of this series but good nonetheless. This last book feels a bit more rushed than the previous two. Kari still has serious trust issues and because of that, I feel like they should slow down a bit. If she doubts him as soon as he leaves town, how will they ever have a meaningful relationship?
For more of Ali Parker's books and buy links, check out her Amazon author page.
That's all I've managed to finish since this time last month. I hope that over the holidays I can relax and snuggle down with some more books. As much as I love to write, I need my reading time too!
November is coming fast and this will be my first year participating in NaNoWriMo! Exciting!
For those of you who have no idea what that is, here is a brief explanation. National Novel Writing Month is a way for authors to get motivated to write a novel. The goal is to write 50,000 words in thirty days. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it? It is a challenge but that is the point. Learning to discipline yourself. Getting motivated. Staying on task. Reaching daily goals. All while having fun!
You can make writing buddies, track your word count progress, ask questions or chat in forums, and so much more on the website. I had no idea how big this thing really was until I signed up for it. I remember seeing Twitter posts about it last year and hearing a few things here and there but now that I'm involved in it, I can't believe how huge this event is. Authors worldwide are chatting about it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media, asking advice, inspiring each other and prepping for a month of hell. Because make no mistake, it will be hell.
So why am I so excited? I am the type of person who is unable to keep a daily schedule since I had children. Usually highly organized, I have to sneak time for myself to write because in my world, it isn't a "real job" so it is always thrown on the back burner. Even after publishing five books this year, no one takes what I do seriously.
Well, that is about to change. This is my chance to put my foot down and set aside some daily writing time for myself that doesn't include me staying awake until the crack of dawn wearing myself out just to jot down notes on a story idea. Because this IS my job and more than that, it is my passion!
I am going to sit down and write a novel this month. Will it need serious editing when I'm done? Oh yes. Will the first draft make much sense? Probably not. Will I be pumping caffeine into my body the last few weeks to stay conscious long enough to finish? You better believe it.
Will I love every minute of it? Hell yes! I work best under pressure.
Participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Let's be writing buddies! Search my user name: authormariekrepps and let's keep each other going!
Hello my lovelies!
I'm very excited to tell everyone about the new cover Julie Nicholls has created for me for my vampire romance short, The Life She Didn't Take. Check it out, it is so gorgeous!
Isn't it beautiful? Serahfine is exactly how I have always pictured her. Come follow her journey from despair to dawning hope and find out what makes this redhead so feisty! The Life She Didn't Take is still 99 cents on Amazon!
In other news, I am currently editing and formatting a collection of short stories that I plan on publishing in November. No set date yet but hope to have it ready well before the middle of the month. This collection will include tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Most have unexpected surprises in store if you dare to read them! I'm really excited to finally publish stories in a different genre. Though the title is still cooking, stay tuned for more information in upcoming posts.
Happy October guys!
Did you catch the reference? No?
It's from Supernatural. You don't like that show? Go away!
I keed, I keed.
This has been a crazy/wonderful/horrible year for me so far. Entering the world of publishing is quite a learning experience, let me tell you! There is still so much I don't even understand about what I'm doing here as far as the publishing itself. I'm learning new tricks and getting tips from friends everyday. Yeah, it is crazy!
I have learned that I am not good at marketing or promoting my own books, though. Not. At. All. I worked really hard to prepare for the re-release of my short story. I made plans, posted everywhere, redid my author website, created a newsletter, did a Facebook party, etc, etc. The book came out and I was so excited! A week later: no sales. Almost a month later: no sales. Bummer.
Then I find out that the cover I worked so hard to make myself, the one I was so proud of, was not sized right for Createspace. It looked like total ass. That's when I finally broke down and cried. Holy crap, I'm a failure! How can I call myself an author if no one reads my books? Things just seemed to go downhill fast. It got pretty... dark.
Then I thought, fuck it, I might suck at authoring but I can still kick ass at writing. So I did. And I do. I have a new story from a series that I've passed around and have some beta readers going over for me. I've heard back from a few already and they have been super helpful. I plan to publish it next month. People are going to buy it or they're not.
I do have an awesome cover artist working with me this time. Julie Nicholls is an excellent artist who I have great confidence in. We've had some chats through Facebook and email and I know she will work magic to produce a beautiful cover for me! I just can't wait to see it!
I've also been working on another series (actually the one I've been working on for years) and I plan on publishing a book from that one early next year. So yeah, it has been really rough these last few months. I've been lower than I think I've ever been before in my life. I've had bouts of excitement that had me jumping around like a fan girl at ComicCon. But in the end, this is going to be my year for some kick ass writing. 2015, I'm about to make you my bitch.
And people wonder why I'm so busy?
Here is a link to Julie's website. Check out her stunning work!
We're looking for a place to move to in another county in NC, closer to my husband's new job. Meanwhile, he's staying two and a half hours away during the week and coming home on weekends. He hates it. He claims that we have to move as soon as possible because he doesn't like being away from us all week.
Meanwhile, I'm here with four kids by myself. It actually isn't so bad, well, it would be better if school was still in but it is what it is. I discovered a lot about myself since this entire thing with hubs being away every night started.
For one thing, I can run this house alone if need be. There might be a lot of screaming and cursing going on but, shit gets done.
It's also been pretty nice being alone at night. Once the kids are all in bed. I have the TV to myself if I want. I can go get a shower without being interrupted every two minutes. I can actually go sit down at my computer and write entire chapters at a time with no interruptions. It's really kind of awesome.
In the past few months, my social anxiety has kicked it into high gear. I rarely go out anymore and never socially. If anyone wants to see me, Skype me. If anyone wants to talk to me, text me or hit me up on Facebook. It's a wonder I still have real life friends at all. Online, I have many.
This isn't some poor pitiful me post. Surprisingly, I'm kind of happy with the way things are. I see my husband on the weekends. I play with the kids during the day. At night I get more work done than ever whether it be writing, editing, beta reading for others, whatever.
I do believe that I have set a new goal in life. When my kids are grown and out of the house, I want to go live in a cabin in the mountains. Alone.
Well, not completely alone, I'll have a crapload of pets. I'll be the crazy cat/ferret/dog/rat/sugar glider lady. Kids will probably dare each other to run into my yard. I'll come running out in a loose kimono, waving a shotgun, yelling "Get the hell off my property!"
Ah, mom would be so proud.
The fact that I would love to be a hermit just shows you what kind of transformation I've gone through since my high school days. I was once a loud party girl who had lots of friends and wanted to go out every weekend. But since I've been married, I've gotten to the point where I just can't stand people in general. There are people that I like, that I don't mind seeing from time to time. In small doses. And I do like to go out and dance or see a concert. But again, small doses. Afterwards, I just want to go home, shut myself up in my room and be alone for a while. Not that I'm the best company but my books sure are.
I like to be out in nature. I like hiking, swimming, camping, fishing, all that kind of stuff. But again, I'd rather be away from other humans. It's hard to appreciate Mother Nature surrounded by people who seek to stomp her out of existence. I can't find peace in the woods with screaming, fighting kids or the sound of chainsaws in my ears.
Is this a writer thing? I know writers tend to be perceived as a little off by society. We have strange habits. We're non-conformists. We walk our own paths regardless of others' opinions.
But looking forward to being a hermit? I think I might be in my own realm of weird on that one.
You know how it is. You tell someone that you're a writer and they give you an amused look. Like it's not a real job. Like it's some side project that you do for kicks. It's cross stitching for dreamers.
I don't know about you guys but writing is hard work. Yes, it is WORK. You spend hours researching, editing, perfecting your craft, pitching ideas to friends, editing some more, throwing out entire chapters, rewriting, agonizing over dialogue, some more research, on and on putting your sweat and blood and endless hours into your work.
At least, that's what you're supposed to do.
A problem I'm constantly seeing these days with everything being online is that when it comes to indie writers, some are just straight up lazy. Yeah, I said it. Self publishing has made us into lazy writers. Without the threat of an editor and publishing house looming over our shoulders, we think we can just throw any old thing out there and with enough promotion on our part, it'll become an instant gem.
The problem is, it's working.
I've read a lot more indie books in the last year than ever before and I have to say, only about 40% of them were well written. The others had problems that a little more time and effort could have easily fixed: too short, too long, too descriptive, not descriptive enough, too many grammatical errors, formatting problems, etc. Things that an editor would have caught but since a publishing house was totally bypassed, no one did. And getting your neighbor who reads a book a year to look over it for you, does not count as getting a beta reader.
The saddest thing is that those 60% that ranged from "needs some work" to "burn this bitch and start from scratch", were the ones that had over ten reviews each and were spammed all over the net. They were getting more attention than the authors who'd really put the time in. What is this nonsense? You're telling me that you have the time and money to market your book that well, that often but you can't get a serious beta reader or hire an editor to proofread it for you?
This is why, sad to say, that when I start reading a book and realize that it's self published, I can't help but cringe a little. Because these days, I honestly don't know what I'm getting. And that just isn't fair to those indie authors who do all the research and spend all the time and have the aching necks and wrists from hours spent over the damn computer screen.
The publishing world kinda sucks these days. It's uneven and unfair. If you have the cash to spend, you can get your work published, even if it's crap. The rest of us have to work our asses off and can't get half the reviews.
So, what I'm saying is, indie authors, put in the time. Don't be lazy. I still believe that anyone can write a book. Anyone. But no one can write a book in a week and think it's ready for publishing.
And if you do write a book in a week and get it published, I wouldn't suggest asking me to read and review it for you. You should have asked me to beta read for you first because notes I give you beforehand are for your personal use to help you out. A crappy review is there on the net for the entire world to see.
I joined Goodreads in late 2013 because a friend suggested it to me. The idea of keeping track of what I've read, what I'm currently reading and all the many books I'd like to read, eventually, was appealing. And that was pretty much all I did on there for a while. I listed my own published works so people could check them out. If someone asked for a review of their book, that's where I'd post it. I had like maybe five friends for a long time. I joined a couple groups but I really didn't visit the site very frequently.
Recently, I figured hey, it's an entire community of readers and writers, I should really utilize this site to talk about books, make some friends and get some feedback on my own writing as well as help out some other writers.
So I started joining groups like mad. I put my two cents in many discussions. I offered to review some books. I offered to beta read some books. I asked for opinions on my own writings. I asked for reviews of my published works.
When it comes to Goodreads, what you have to understand is that it is just like every other social media site out there. No, it really is. You have some nice people who want to have discussions and make friends. You have people who just spam all over every post. You have jerks who have something negative to say to everyone. You have overly sensitive people who can't take criticism, even if it's meant to be helpful.
It's basically Facebook, with books.
But though there is a lot of negativity and I often find myself frustrated, (I hate commenting on a thread repeatedly, trying to start a conversation, and everyone there just ignores me.) there is a wealth of knowledge to be had.
If you want to know anything about a book - summary, author, reviews, ratings, sequels- this is where you should go. If you're looking for a local book club or looking to start one, this is where you should check first. If you're having writer's block and need a few fresh ideas, there are people who are willing to help you. So if you can get past the haters and trouble-making kids *shakes fist and grumbles* the site is quite rewarding.
All in all, I'm enjoying the experience. I've made some wonderful friends. I've had fun talking about books, movies, music, even Youtube videos. Hey, I even wrote some new poetry and short stories, and I haven't written a poem in years.
Goodreads has been good to me.
Yes, it's a pretty long title for a blog post, I know.
There are plenty of problems we can easily see in another author's writing as we read them. It's catching these things in our own works that we may have a problem with. I am just as guilty as the next guy so don't be offended; I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular. I'm pointing fingers at EVERYONE. (he he)
When a story has more than six main characters, it's so easy for a reader to confuse them all. Especially if they have similar speech patterns, sense of humor, etc. Let's say you introduce Bob and Ron as good friends first thing in a story. You describe their physical differences at the beginning and go from there. Two chapters and a lot of dialogue or action or whatever from now, will I really remember which one is a redhead and which is a blonde? Which is tall and lanky and which is slightly shorter? Most likely not.
Now imagine that we have to try and remember this for multiple characters. I tend to introduce new characters smack dab in the middle of my stories so, yeah, now you have someone new to try to keep up with. So let's make this easy on the reader, shall we?
Remind us of what they look like. Remind us of their quirks. Is everyone in the room a blonde? Which one is the jokester? Which one cracks his knuckles constantly? This may seem like "well, duh" advice but like I said, it's easier to catch such things when reading someone else' story. When we read our own, we already have a mental picture of that particular character that immediately jumps to mind. We made them. We know them best. We can see every detail clearly. Our reader, however, may not.
An easy way to do this is to stop using a character's name so often. Referring to a character by name only becomes old fast. I see this a lot when I beta read and it kind of drives me nuts. Here is a little paragraph as an example of what I suggest not to do:
Ron knocked on the door with vigor. When Bob answered, they said their greetings quickly and moved to the kitchen. Bob made tea for them both and neither spoke as they stood leaning against the counter, blowing in their cups. Finally, Bob looked up.
"Should we get to it, then?"
Ron sipped slowly and said nothing. Bob continued to stare at Ron in earnest. After another moment of sipping, Ron met his gaze.
"Alright then, where's ya tax forms?" Ron asked.
Not bad, but it could be better. This is what I would do differently.
Ron knocked on the door with vigor, swatting the dark locks from his eyes as he did so. He cursed his long, curly hair and swore to himself that he'd see the barber before the day was out.
When Bob answered, they said their greetings quickly and moved to the kitchen. Bob made tea for them both and neither spoke as they stood leaning against the counter, blowing in their cups. Finally, the farmer looked up.
"Should we get to it, then?"
Ron sipped slowly and said
nothing. His old school friend continued to stare at him in earnest. After another moment
of sipping, the guest met the shorter man's gaze.
"Alright then, where's ya tax forms?" Ron asked.
Most of what I write has only a few main characters. One or two have about a dozen who pop in and out of the story. Either way, I like to reiterate certain things every once in a while not only for memory's sake but to keep the story more interesting. And though I use their names, I may not always need to for the reader to know who I'm talking about. Referring to someone as "the redhead" or "the vampire" for a few paragraphs is perfectly fine if they're the only redhead or vampire in that scene.
Again, pretty basic and obvious stuff but keep these things in mind when you're going over your first, second and third draft. Ron said, Bob said, Ron said, Bob said is not going to keep a reader interested for long. And which one was Ron again?
Of all the things that suck about being a writer (and believe me, there are many) I think what I hate most is waiting for a rejection letter. It's so nerve-racking that I tend to get seriously anxious about it. Overeating and everything. Okay, I always overeat but, more than usual!
Notice I said waiting for a rejection letter and not waiting for a letter that asks for your completed manuscript. Cause I've never received one of those from a literary agent. For those of you who don't know, I've only ever published through a small online publishing house.
But this time, for my "big, epic" novel that I've been working on for over six years now, I want to go through a big publishing house. So, it's search for an agent time! Yay! I seriously suck at self-promotion so my query letters always get rejected without a second glance. I'm just not good at summarizing. I don't know how to make my letter grab their attention without throwing my hands in the air and yelling "Hey! Look at me! My story is awesome-sauce!"
The wait though. Oh geez, it sucks. And worse is when you don't even get a response. Some agencies actually post on their site that they won't give a response if they aren't interested. Okay, I get that, you guys are busy. But those that say "Will respond in 4 to 6 weeks" and then you hear nothing back? Not cool. Especially when you query them again, a different agent of the same company even, because you think maybe it somehow got lost in the mail or went to their spam folder and you STILL never hear a word back. Not a damn peep.
That's just not cool.
I'm not naming names but since 2008 I have queried multiple agencies on different works and have had ten "no responses". That's how I label them in my query notes. I guess that may not seem like a lot but at that time I would never query multiple agencies simultaneously so that was a long time of waiting and waiting before finally just moving on. Just thinking about all that wasted time makes me wanna go eat some ice cream.
I've queried two separate agencies recently; one in July and one a few days ago. I'm really hoping that I hear something back from at least one of them in the next two months. Meanwhile, I try to keep myself busy with kids, reading, TV, chores, other writing, gaming, etc. so I don't wring my hands.
But checking my email everyday is awful.
I'm a fan of Stephen King. I'm not a die-hard fan who's read everything he's ever written but I do have a bookcase of his works that I reread once in a while. I've always loved horror and fantasy but his stories involve much more complicated concepts than just things going bump in the night.
So I started thinking about what I've really taken away from his novels and why I have always enjoyed them so much. WARNING! There may be spoilers for those who haven't read some Stephen King novels.
1. Some of the scariest monsters are human.
Vampires and sorcerers and all manner of scary creatures reside in the pages of Uncle Stevie's works but often the most horrifying events occur between members of our species. A good example is James "Big Jim" Rennie from Under The Dome. Here is a character who has no problem manipulating and even murdering people for his own gain. King does a phenomenal job creating these believable characters that we can relate to but also these believable characters that we loathe. Isn't this true in real life as well?
In The Mist, we see what fear can do to normal, rational people: turn them into spineless sheep who will rally behind anyone who may have a solution, however immoral or insane it may be. This theme is used in many of his works including one of my favorite Castle Rock stories, Needful Things.
They may be just stories but I think they reflect how society reacts to stress and panic quite well.
2. Anyone can die.
I remember reading Cujo in high school and when I asked an adult I knew if they had read it, she made a disgusted face and said, "When I read the part about the boy dying, I threw it in the trash." I'm sure the horrified expression on my face was something to see. Throw a book in the TRASH! Because you didn't like the fact that the little boy died?
Let's face it, our favorite characters can't live forever. As much as I cheered for Peter at the end of The Eyes of The Dragon, I was upset but not put off by the death of Jake in The Dark Tower VII. And this poor kid died twice! It may be upsetting when one of your favorite characters dies but come on people, is it really a reason to discontinue reading a book or series that you were enjoying so much before the death?
I like that Stephen King isn't afraid to kill off a main character, even someone he's made you get quite attached to. People you love really die. Children get cancer everyday. Tomorrow I could be hit by a car. Death is a part of life. A painful part to be sure but a real one.
And sunshine and rainbows everywhere all the time isn't what I consider a great, entertaining read.
3. Happy wrap-it-up endings are nice but that's not always the case.
Continuing with the theme that doom and gloom are more believable, our protagonist doesn't always get to ride off into the sunset at the end of a book. I like it when they do (hell doesn't everyone?) but it just can't happen every time. At the end of 'Salem's Lot, Ben and Mark survive the vampires and escape but both are mentally exhausted and nearly broken. They still have to go back and kill every person in the town and that is certainly nothing to look forward to.
If you continue on and read the real ending of The Dark Tower VII, you find that Roland has traveled all this way to find the dark tower and once he enters the last room, he is transported back to the very beginning of the first book only to begin the quest anew, with no memory of having done it before. Man, that sucks.
Things can't always end well and sometimes it doesn't really end at all. And I'm okay with that.
4. I want to be a fantasy writer.
One of the biggest influences for my interest in writing fantasy and science fiction is Stephen King and the magical worlds he has created. I'm drawn into these places and fall in love with these characters every time I read one of his books. And I buy them so I can visit these stories again and again.
I want to be able to do that with my own stories. I want my readers to be unable to put it down, to thirst for the next chapter, to hunger for a sequel. I know I'll never be quite as talented as Mr. King, but I want my worlds to be known, if only for my own enjoyment.
I'm been a writer for some time now. I've had a couple works published but I still struggle to get a fantasy story in print. It can be daunting sometimes but I will continue to write and edit and rewrite because when you have a story inside you, it's something you can't contain. You have to let it out and you can only hope that others will love it the way you do. The way I love Uncle Stevie's works.
