tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24708934456965046292024-03-14T04:04:31.284-07:00Mormon Mommy Writer's Resource PageResources, contests, conferences, and other stuff to help you be a better writer. Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16328973674012805812noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-40244793645322485542013-11-27T11:29:00.000-08:002013-12-27T10:01:50.645-08:00Agents - Why You Need One and How to PickA literary agent sells your book for you. More specifically, they know all the editors at all the publishing houses, big and small, who want to publish a book like yours. They maintain those relationships so that when the perfect book (yours!) comes up, they are a trusted source.<br />
<br />
Agents are also up to date on the direction of the market, and they'll advise you on what to write next, or how to best revise your work to receive the right audience.<br />
<br />
They'll also negotiate your deal, usually getting you a lot more money than you could have gotten on your own. An agent is your advocate, the person who is on your side. Most of the big publishing houses won't take your submission without an agent, and even smaller houses prefer agented manuscripts.<br />
<br />
Now. How do you go about picking one?<br />
<br />
Start with the big resources:<br />
<a href="http://www.querytracker.net/literary_agents.php">Query Tracker</a><br />
<a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/">Publisher's Marketplace</a><br />
<a href="http://www.agentquery.com/">Agent Query</a><br />
<br />
Compile a list of agents who are active, accepting submissions, and represent your category and genre. This list will be very long. Hundreds of names. Now you'll narrow them down based on your own personal criteria. Some of the more common criteria:<br />
<br />
- Have they made a sale to a publishing house you know and respect in the last year?<br />
- Are their current clients experiencing success?<br />
- Do they respond in a reasonable amount of time? Even after you've been signed?<br />
- Are they reputable?<br />
<br />
Those answers can be found on sites like <a href="http://pred-ed.com/pealw.htm">Preditors and Editors</a> as well as the <a href="http://absolutewrite.com/">Absolute Write Water Cooler</a> forums. Just google "absolute write <agent name>" and you'll be taken right to the page where everybody else is talking about this agent.<br />
<br />
Once you narrow the list down once, you can go a little further based on your personal preferences. Some things to consider:<br />
- How tech-savvy are they? Do they expect you to be the same?<br />
- How communicative are they?<br />
- Her personable are they?<br />
- Do their reading tastes mirror your own?<br />
<br />
To find this info, you'll need to dig deeper. Twitter, blogs, personal websites (most agents will maintain a blog or tumblr in addition to their agency's official website). Find interviews they've given. Most agents will get featured on Writer's Digest or even on smaller blogs and websites.<br />
<br />
By this point, depending on how picky you are, you'll have a list that's somewhere between ten and a hundred names long, and it's time to start <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/11/queries-do-and-dont-list.html">querying </a>:)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-55028730999541929542013-11-26T11:06:00.000-08:002013-11-26T11:06:00.016-08:00Queries: A Do and Don't List<b><u>When writing a query letter, DO: </u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
- <u>Use the same voice and tone of your novel</u>. A funny, quirky query sets up expectations of a funny, quirky novel. Dark query, dark novel. Look at your adjectives and verbs in particular. They should show you the tone of your story. Try giving your query to someone who hasn't read your book and ask them to tell you what they expect based on the blurb.<br />
<br />
- <u>World build just a little</u>. Enough that we understand it's a fantasy world or a contemporary one, but we don't need names of all the places, especially if they're weird.<br />
<br />
-<u> Use specific language</u>. Look at this example:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #3d3d3d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>When <character name> learns of an evil overlord threatening the safety of his world, he is determined to defeat him. After multiple narrows escapes, <character> learns of a prophecy that tells him he is The Chosen One and is the only person who can defeat the Dark Lord.</i></span></span><span style="color: #3d3d3d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Along the way, <character> meets some new friends, including a very pretty girl, and is sorely tempted by a mysteriously powerful object. Many of <character>’s friends fall or betray him, including his mentor.</i></span></span><span style="color: #3d3d3d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Finally, <character> faces the Dark Lord, the fate of everyone resting on his ill-prepared shoulders. Will he manage to escape yet again? </i></span></span></blockquote>
What story is that? Try guessing the comments. I bet you'll be right, since it describes about a hundred different stories. Vague descriptions are useless. <br />
<br />
- <u>Clearly state your <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-genres.html">genre </a>and <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-categories.html">category </a>using universally accepted terminology</u>. You didn't write a YA/Adult crossover romantic suspense horror fantasy. No. You didn't. Define your work.<br />
<br />
<b><u>When writing a query letter, DON'T:</u></b><br />
<br />
- <u>Give away the ending</u>. The letter is supposed to entice people to read more. Find the climax of your story, and stop just before that point in telling the story in your query.<br />
<br />
- <u>Ask rhetorical questions</u>. It's too easy for a busy agent to answer them flippantly, and your query then gets ignored.<br />
<br />
- <u>Use outliers as your comp titles</u>. Do this exercise: List the first ten books you can think of in your genre and category. Ask a reader who is not a writer to do the same. Don't use any of those books. Twilight, Harry Potter, Eragon, Hunger Games, The Help, etc. Any of those books that "everybody" has read, any books that people say "I don't usually read, but I loved that book." are not good comp titles. They're too exceptional - the rules don't apply to them. The rules apply to you.<br />
<br />
- <u>Make predictions about your own success</u>. This goes both ways. Don't predict that you'll be a mega-bestselling-genius, and don't predict that you'll be a bargain-bucket-dwelling-loser. Just don't mention it. Let your writing sell itself.<br />
<br />
- <u>Insult anybody</u>. Ever. Not the agent, not yourself, not other writers. Never.<br />
<br />
- <u>LIE</u>. Never. Not about anything. Don't lie about how many sales you've had or where you've published or the importance of your role in writing organizations. Don't lie about where you went to school and who you studied with. Don't lie about meeting an agent at a convention, don't lie about awards you've been given, or places you've been published. Don't lie. There are plenty of first time authors who get published without ever having any credentials.<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-31552461257892472232013-11-25T10:37:00.000-08:002013-11-25T10:37:00.973-08:00Query LettersIn order to get your book published, you need to write a query letter. You'll either write this to an agent or to a submissions editor, depending on the <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/p/publishing-paths.html">publishing path </a>you're taking.<br />
<br />
A query letter is a brief letter (less than one page long) that does the following things:<br />
<br />
1. It introduces your book in a way that makes it sound enticing to read.<br />
2. It demonstrates your ability to write coherently.<br />
3. It introduces you as an author.<br />
4. It provides agents and editors with a means of contacting you.<br />
<br />
That's it. It does NOT:<br />
<br />
1. Make predictions about how well a book will sell.<br />
2. Insult anybody, ever.<br />
3. Tell all about your life and your passions.<br />
4. Do anything except for the four things listed above.<br />
<br />
There are a few different formats on query letters, and every agent and editor will have a different bit of advice for you, but this is basically how it goes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Dear Agent's First and Last Name,<br />This is a brief blurb about my book. It is told in third person, present tense. It doesn't name too many characters or use too much world-building jargon, and it is clear and concise. It sounds a lot like the blurb on the back cover of a novel. In fact, many back-cover-blurbs have been lifted directly from query letters. This blurb should also match the tone and voice of your novel. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The blurb can be one or two paragraphs, but probably not three or more. You will introduce your main character (or both main characters if you're writing romance) and what their main goal and conflict is. You will not reveal the ending, but you will also not leave it with a rhetorical question. You will write in a normal font, of a normal size. You will use standard industry formatting. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This next paragraph will be about the book. The title will be in ALL CAPS. You will list the <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-categories.html">category</a>, the <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-genres.html">genre</a>, and the word count (rounded off to the nearest thousand and written like this: 95,000 words). You might mention that it's part of a series, but always emphasize that this title stands alone, regardless. If your agent or editor of choice specifically asks, this would be a good place to list comp titles. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The very last paragraph is about you. Your writing credentials, starting with the most relevant first. If you don't have writing credentials, you can either skip this or talk about your writing platform or social media presence, but do so briefly. There is not one agent who cares more about your twitter followers than they do about your book. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Thank you for your time and consideration (this is your only option here, do not vary from this),<br />Your First and Last Name<br />Email<br />Phone<br />Website/Blog</i> </blockquote>
<br />
And that's it. That's the basics of it. Write the query letter first, and then go diving into some of the following resources to help you fix it. Why do it in that order? Because you can't fix something that isn't there.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx">Agent Query - How to Write a Good Query</a><br />
<a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/">Query Shark </a>- A real, live agent takes real, live queries and tells you why they suck and how to fix them. Read the archives. This is why you need to have your letter written first. As you dig through the archives, you'll see things that you did. And you'll fix them, one by one. And then you'll do more things wrong. And you'll fix them.<br />
<a href="http://tarynandquinndodisney.blogspot.com/">The Girl with the Green Pen</a> - a veteran slushpile reader will critique your query for free. Three times. And then if you pay her only $15, she'll fix it as many times as you need. Even a hundred. She's legit, too. I wrote a post on MMW about <a href="http://mormonmommywriters.blogspot.com/2013/10/queryday_8.html">Taryn's Query Day</a>: She read hundreds of query letters, critiqued them all, and tweeted the best bits of advice all day long.<br />
<a href="http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2006/08/queriesan-inside-scoop-lisa-shearins.html">Kristin Nelson</a> also wrote a fantastic post about query letters.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-7211240864792171712013-11-23T09:38:00.000-08:002013-11-23T09:38:00.649-08:00CPs and Betas - Why You Need Them.You hear these terms: "CP" and "Beta" tossed around a lot, and if you're new to the writing world, they can be confusing. Let's define them first, then talk about how to find good ones.<br />
<br />
<b><u>CP = Critique Partner </u></b><br />
This person is sometimes referred to as an "alpha reader." They read your work in the early drafts, they advise you on making big, sweeping changes. They are your support system when you need to cry, when you need to celebrate, and when you need to brainstorm.<br />
<br />
My CPs get regular emails, asking questions about "Wait. What if I changed this, is that crazy?" By the time the book is ready to query, they've read it probably three or four times and they deserve all the love in the world. They need to think like a writer.<br />
<br />
(Full disclosure: One of my CPs is not a writer - she's just the most perceptive and honest reader who has more patience than Mother Teresa)<br />
<br />
This is also a two-way street. I read their stuff with the same amount of honesty, and I want to see them succeed as much as I want to succeed . These are the people who will read all my books, and I will read all of theirs.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Beta Reader</u></b><br />
This person will read a near-ready version of your book. They're usually part of your target demographic (i.e. - if you write middle grade, at least some of your beta readers need to be twelve years old, if you write young adult, you'll need to find actual, living teenagers to read your book). If they aren't your target demographic, then they read extensively in your genre and category.<br />
<br />
Beta readers will make inline notes, checking for typos and such, but that's not really their job. From your betas, you'll basically get a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down on the big stuff. Is the book any good? Do they like the characters? Why or why not? Does the world make sense? Things like that.<br />
<br />
You'll still make at least one round of edits after your betas finish reading, and I know more than one author who has gone back and done full rewrites after the beta round.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Where do you find them? </u></b><br />
They are all writers or readers, so you need to be places where writers and readers congregate. On the internet, that means twitter. In real life, it's writing groups and book clubs.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Twitter </u></b><br />
Try people you talk to often, or just tweet "I need a CP/Beta for a <category> <genre> that's about <# of words>. Any takers?" People will answer. If they don't, go follow more people, get to know more people, and try again.<br />
<br />
<b><u>CP Seek</u></b><br />
<a href="http://cpseek.com/">CP Seek</a> is a website where you can find people who want need critique partners and are willing to trade manuscripts. I found two of my very favorite readers, who write some of my most very favorite kinds of books, on CP Seek. I also found three who didn't work out so great - not anybody's fault, we just weren't a good fit for each other.<br />
<br />
<b><u>How do you know if you're a good fit?</u></b><br />
Ideally, you'll have similar reading tastes. If I met somebody who hated Harry Potter, loves to read Tolstoy, and just doesn't understand Star Wars... we are not going to be a good fit. And that's okay. There's a CP out there for everyone, and you don't need someone who is going to accidentally insult your work simply because it's not their style.<br />
<br />
You should also read pretty heavily in each other's genres and categories. I write adult fantasy, but I also read a lot of YA science fiction and fantasy, so I understand the differences and why something works or doesn't in YA. I don't read MG well, and I don't do literary fiction. At all.<br />
<br />
One reader got a hole of my manuscript and wanted me to slash 25-30K, basically cutting everything that wasn't main plot or dialog, and even that needed to be shortened in her opinion. She didn't read adult fantasy (the MS in question was under 100K, and well within industry standards for the genre and category), she read YA contemporary, which is <i>very </i>dialog heavy, and short on word count by comparison.<br />
<br />
She's a very good writer. She's a good reader. For <i>someone else.</i> Don't put yourself in that position.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-60673021692524902582013-11-22T09:12:00.000-08:002013-11-22T09:12:00.908-08:00Plotting TipsThis is a compilation of the best plotting tips I can find out there on the web. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://jordanmccollum.com/2009/09/snowflake-method/"><b>The Snowflake Method</b></a></div>
<div>
This is the idea that you start with something simple: a one-sentence description of your book. Then you expand on it: a single paragraph describing your story. Then you pull apart each one of those sentences and turn them into their own paragraphs, and so on and so forth. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://math.youngzones.org/Fractal%20webpages/star_fractal.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://math.youngzones.org/Fractal%20webpages/star_fractal.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expound on each point, and then expound on those - a snowflake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2013/10/dan-wells-7-point-story-structure.html"><b>The Seven Point System</b></a></div>
<div>
This is most often attributed to Dan Wells and is the idea that every story really only needs seven things: A hook, two plot turns, two "pinches", a midpoint, and a resolution. This one is particularly useful if you write character-driven stories, as the hook and the resolution are mirror-images of each other, and that's much easier to do with a character arc than with an actual physical story. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
His whole powerpoint for this presentation is looooooong, but some of the summarizing blog posts are easier to get through, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C430F6A783A88697">his video presentation </a>of it is excellent. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/lecture4.htm"><b>The Three Act Structure</b></a></div>
<div>
This is the basic, classic method of plotting a novel. Three acts, one main arc of the story. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cliffordgarstang.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ThreeActStructureFlat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cliffordgarstang.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ThreeActStructureFlat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://2012.ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_10_wb_hs_hollywood.pdf"><b>The Hollywood Formula</b></a></div>
<div>
This follows the "Happily Ever After" format and pacing that makes Hollywood movies so successful. This is particularly useful with middle grade and young adult fiction, which both tend to be a little shorter and faster-paced (thus lining up with a movie format nicely). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If none of those work for you, Chuck Wendig (if you aren't reading his blog on a regular basis, you need to) wrote an excellent post on<a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/09/14/25-ways-to-plot-plan-and-prep-your-story/"> twenty-five plotting methods. </a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-81257426152097536212013-11-21T08:14:00.001-08:002013-11-21T08:14:25.245-08:00In Defense of PantsingI try to be a good plotter, I really do.<br />
<br />
But it just never works out that way.<br />
<br />
Pantsing, if you don't already know, is a writerly term for "flying by the seat of your pants" while writing.<br />
<br />
Some writers just sit down and do a stream-of-consciousness thing until they find a story or a character.<br />
<br />
Others (like me) start with a vague idea of where the story needs to go but have no actual idea on how that's going to happen. I tried plotting for my NaNoWriMo effort this year, and I used Dan Wells' 7 Point Plot System. I really thought that was enough.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130719030229/degrassi/images/2/2c/56158-Doctor-Who-10-laughing-gif-d1CI.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130719030229/degrassi/images/2/2c/56158-Doctor-Who-10-laughing-gif-d1CI.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Yeah. Ten gets it.<br />
<br />
It's not enough. 7 Points did give me an emotional framework for the novel, and that helped tremendously, but it still wasn't enough for the physical plot of the thing. And so I winged it. (wung it?)<br />
<br />
The first scene I had planned turned out to be really dull and so I skipped forward and started writing someplace else. About two-thirds of the way through the book, I said, "OOH! I need to go back to the beginning and add in a scene about THIS." I went back... and that was basically how I started. It was different than my "plan", but in the end it was better for the characters and better for the story. I just didn't know it yet.<br />
<br />
The upside of pantsing:<br />
You get to meet your story and fall in love with your characters as if you're the reader.<br />
<br />
The downside:<br />
You usually have a hot mess to deal with and you'll do a lot more work in revisions than a plotter.<br />
<br />
The choice is yours.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-55973125121153146882013-09-17T09:18:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:18:00.064-07:00The Purpose of WritingWriting to
relay information, whether it’s been in a letter or book has been going on for
centuries, but what about writing for our own self-fulfillment?<br />
<br />
Diaries,
journals, and personal manifestations have been for the purpose of the author’s own
enjoyment, otherwise why would he or she continue to write in them? If they
didn’t find that they were getting anything out of it?<br />
<br />
Yes, those works are
beneficial to the descendants of the author, but how does it help the author as
he or she is in the process of writing it?
I know in
my own experience that while I’ve been blogging about writing, it has been more
about discovering who I am as an author and a wife and a mother. <br />
<br />
This process
has come to help me understand that what I’m writing is always for my benefit <b><u>regardless
of getting published.</u></b> An author friend once told me that she writes what she
enjoys and she is beyond grateful that hundreds of readers agree with her. I
remember receiving this answer when I shared with her that I thought my writing
was funny and what if others didn’t see it that way. It was then that I
realized I’m doing this for me because I <i>enjoy</i>
writing.<br />
<br />
I’ve always loved making up stories, dreaming up my own characters and
acting them out on paper. If none of my stories get published, I have learned
something about myself and that is more important to me than the potential
celebrity or wealth that may follow.<br />
<br />
I write to know myself better.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-29595902453906804912013-09-16T09:13:00.000-07:002013-09-16T09:13:00.744-07:00You Are a Writer<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">It has to be congenital.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I can’t think of any other explanation that
doesn’t invoke some distant relative of incubi and tinfoil hats.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a child, I was writing stories at least
by fourth grade; my memory isn’t clear on the matter before that. In those early years, I don’t remember ever
suffering writer’s block, but I clearly remember writer’s cramp. You know, that moment when your hand goes
into spasms and the muscles twist up painfully because you’ve been holding a
pencil for three hours straight. I
developed calluses on my thumb and middle finger from those pencils, and though
I graduated to a keyboard years ago, vestiges of them remain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember Christmas when I was thirteen
because my parents finally saw the light and bought me a typewriter. It was a piece of junk typewriter, but it was
a typewriter nonetheless and might as well have been made of gold. I wore it out. There were other typewriters, then computers,
and other computers. But the writing never
stopped. I don’t even have an estimate
of when I passed those mythical million words, but I’m sure it was a long, long
time ago<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did I do it?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why do I still do it? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> As I said, it must be congenital. I’ll admit that through some of my teenage
years it became a way to vicariously live out some exploratory fantasies. I’ve mostly outgrown that, but the compulsion
remains. It’s in your blood like a
werewolf who has no choice beneath a full moon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you’re born to write, you can’t not
write.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There was an episode of the original <i>The Outer Limits</i> series called “It
Crawled Out of the Woodwork.” Stories
are like that. They not only crawl from
the woodwork, but from under the front doormat, from the bathroom sink drain, and
from the downspouts. See that little
girl with the tattered dress sitting on the swing over there all by
herself? That’s a story. See that young couple by the side of the road
struggling to change a tire in the rain?
That’s a story. See the bully
hounding the smaller kids out of their lunch money? That’s a story. See the Jazz singer who is flamboyant on
stage but puts on sunglasses and hides in the shadows when the show is over? That’s a story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Granted, writing mostly fantasy and science
fiction, my inspiration has always lilted more toward the bizarre. See that photomicrograph of a polychaete
worm? That could be part of some alien
anatomy. But the general idea remains
the same regardless of genre. Those
visions are out there, and they won’t stop coming. They’re everywhere, struggling to get out, to
feel the warmth of the sun upon them, to be immortalized on paper, and
perchance to be enjoyed. To the writer,
it’s like being in a chick hatchery where all around you are the sounds of
shells cracking as the baby birds within struggle to experience life. You can’t miss them, and to try to prevent
their birth is an unpardonable act of cruelty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture the 12-year-old who finds an
orphaned baby bunny at the edge of the woods.
She takes it home, clears out a space for it in her bottom dresser
drawer, finds an eyedropper and raids milk from the refrigerator. She moves her lamp onto the floor to keep it
warm, and can’t sleep that night over worrying about the poor thing. I have just described a writer. You’re not sleeping at night because a scene
keeps running through your head, and when you do, you wake up suddenly and grab
your notebook to jot down the dream before it fades away. You’re in the shower, not singing, but
reciting dialog until you get the words just right. You tell your boss you were not daydreaming,
that you were planning, but fail to mention that you were planning out what
your protagonist does when he reaches the castle. You see something pass by on the street and it
suddenly drops into place in chapter three, scene two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But sooner or later, the matter of dollar
signs might come up. “Oh. Do this for money? <b><i>I never thought about that.</i></b>” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And you hadn’t. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You weren’t writing for any profit motive,
but because that story in your head was crying for expression, because it
wouldn’t let you rest. For me, I had
finished five novels and a couple of dozen started before I was coerced into a
commercial direction by the uncomfortable reality of trying to support kids on
a graduate student stipend. I’ve since
finished a sixth. And even then, it’s
not necessarily the prospect of money that is drawing me. If you go the self-publishing route, you
quickly discover the joy of putting your worlds into visual form as covers and
maybe trailers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You don’t try to explain it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You live in the assured confidence that<b>
people who are not born to be writers will never understand</b>, and those who are
so blessed already do. My oldest
daughter remains baffled that I can crank out a quarter-million-word epic and
she has trouble pulling together a 500-word essay. She’s not born to be a writer; I understand
that. You can lament for them, bemoan
their unfortunate fate, but can do nothing to make them see the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then comes that fateful day when you
realize that the stories are coming faster than you can write them. Your list is growing longer, not shorter, and
you must come to grips with the fact that some of them must necessarily die on
the vine because no matter how long you live, that list will always out-pace
your ability to commit your ideas to paper.
But that’s OK, in a way. Whole
worlds came into existence because you created them. Characters lived their lives, shared their
joys, sorrows, and loves because your mind gave them birth. You nursed them, nurtured them, and watched
them grow. You have cheered for them,
cried with them, and stayed by their sides when they were sick. You have shared their every triumph and
tragedy, and consequently they have become some of your closest friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I suppose that is when you cozy up in your
overstuffed chair by the fire, pull your comforter a little tighter about you
and smile because you, out of thousands, were chosen to share the adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You are a writer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-indent: 0px;">Duane Vore spends far too many hours writing science-fiction and fantasy, and a few other things that are nevertheless weird. He lives in Pennsylvania with his step-daughter and grandson, and during the day tries to be a physical and computational chemist at the University of Pittsburgh.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-indent: 0px;" /><a href="http://www.duanevore.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-indent: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.duanevore.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-indent: 0px;">@DuaneVore</span></i></span><br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-12218098354018599752013-09-15T09:06:00.002-07:002013-09-15T09:06:56.211-07:00How I Plot<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Plotting is
a hot topic amongst today’s authors. Some swear by it – J.K. Rowling, for
example, released several pictures of the relentless plotting that she did
while writing her Harry Potter series. Others feel it’s a waste of time, even
counterproductive. Why not let the novel flow naturally, they argue? Stephen
King is a well-known advocate for such a style – start with an idea, he writes
in <i>On Writing</i>, and see where it takes you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> If you’re
trying to figure out whether “to plot or not,” it seems to me that it should
depend on your writing style. To wit, Rowling needed to write a long series,
nigh impossible to do without a little mapping. King, on the other hand, often
writes stand-alone books, based on “what-if” scenarios. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> So it
depends. Are you writing a series? A complex multi-layered stand-alone? If you
are, at least minimal plotting is probably a no-brainer. If you’re starting
with an idea, a concept, and you want to see where your whim takes you, then it
might be a terrible idea to plot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Personally,
I’ve found that plotting helps me enormously. Mainly because I enjoy writing
very complicated books, I feel that it’s important to have a basic (or heavy)
plotline written out, to ensure the novel proceeds from Point A to Point Z in
an orderly fashion, without taking too many distracting detours along the way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Usually
I’ll start off with a premise, and a destination in mind. If I don’t have a
destination, I’ll try and figure that out first – because while we shouldn’t
judge a book by its cover, we usually <i>do</i> judge a book by its ending.
What/Who do I want my main character to accomplish/overcome/defeat? Why am I
writing this book? What is the message I want to convey? Way too often I’ll
read a book that has a decent premise, but falls flat towards the end (or
middle, because it’s not plotted properly).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> So I’ll usually
start with an ending, believe it or not, and work backwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> At that
same time, I’ll try and figure out a beginning. Once I have an ending, I can
avoid starting too early. I can clearly define this character’s problem – i.e.
whatever he/she has to accomplish/overcome/defeat. At the beginning, I’ll
clearly show that the character has not yet accomplished/overcome/defeated
their adversary, and move from there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> That gives
me my “A” & “Z,” my beginning and end. Once I have A & Z, I <i>really</i>
start plotting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Donald
Maass writes in <i>Writing the Breakout Novel</i> that a writer should try
his/her best to make things as exceedingly difficult for the MC to attain
his/her goal. He advocates that a character should face no less than six
roadblocks/obstacles, and maybe even more. So I’ll pick, say, six obstacles in
my mind, and put them at points E, I, M, Q, U, & Y (yes, I know, it’s not
evenly spaced between A & Z – obviously Y is right at the end – but I like
making the last insurmountable obstacle right before my MC attains his/her
goal. It makes it more satisfying that way).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Once I have
those – and I’m not married to them, they’re just ideas – I need to get my MC
from point A to point E, his first obstacle. I may not need points B, C, &
D to get him there, but I need to realize that it’s not always a direct
journey. Rick Riordan, for example, often drags his MCs all across the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>,
for no other reason than to drag out suspense and keep the reader guessing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Leaving
points B, C, & D open also leaves room for that flash of inspiration, that
“see where my whim takes me” that often comes up even after extensive plotting.
I might be writing a scene, and realize that the most logical reaction is for my
character to retrace his steps, but the next obstacle is nowhere near his last
one. So I have open space to work with, a flexibility that allows for the
creative juices that often kick in smack dab in the middle of writing the
manuscript, so I can avoid getting too far off track.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> After I
have my plot mapped out, I’ll usually sit down and start writing. I’m never
married to my outline, but now I have a great idea of where I want to go, and
how I want to get there. And if I feel an urge to deviate off the path I
originally intended, I have a GPS to get me back on track without losing too
much momentum or changing the story altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">This post was generously written by Seth Z. Herman. You can find him on the internet <a href="http://sethzherman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blogging </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/SethZHerman" target="_blank">tweeting </a>and just generally being very helpful always. If you want to contribute to MMW Resources, please email ginadenny129 at gmail dot com. </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-57049411768875280702013-09-06T20:48:00.005-07:002013-09-15T09:09:53.214-07:00Where to Find Story Inspiration: Pinterest Edition<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">One of the
most hilariously frustrating questions to get asked as a writer is where and
how you come up with the ideas for your stories. The answer “I don’t know,
about eleven million different places, marinated and shaken just the right way”
doesn’t usually work for people, no matter how true it might be.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But for the
vast majority of the time, that’s how things work in my brain. At least, that’s
what I’ve figured out by now. Complete story ideas and inspiration are two
different things entirely. Very rarely do ideas just show up in my brain fully
formed, ready to be written.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">However,
it’s a legitimate question, which requires some sort of reasonable explanation-
how DO I get my ideas? </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">At first glance, I couldn't figure out how to explain where my
ideas came from, my head not really being a helpful answer to anyone who isn't
me.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Second glance, I've
come to the realization that since I seem to get my ideas from everywhere, that
isn't too specific and therefore not entirely helpful either.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">However, before you
roll your eyes and stomp away from my very unhelpful post, I’ll tell you about
one of the tools I use that has completely changed the way I brainstorm. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><u><b>Pinterest</b></u>.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Pinterest? You may
ask. You mean that wonderful time suck that I pin all sorts of fabulous crafty
projects that I probably won’t be making ever and are just there to guilt me
about the fact that I’m not the perfect women?</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Oh, hon.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">You are using
Pinterest in ALL the wrong ways.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mballestero.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/facebookyouredoingitwrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://mballestero.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/facebookyouredoingitwrong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Okay, so I also pin
crafty things and dream house things and ideas for my classroom. But I mainly
use Pinterest for finding and storing ideas for future books.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">I approach the
pictures on Pinterest the same way I approach people watching. First you just
scan what's there. Who's there. Someone or something is going to catch your
attention at some point. At this point on Pinterest, I'll pin it- usually to
the board I have called <a href="http://pinterest.com/kkhendin/ideas/">Ideas</a>. (I know. I'm super original.) </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Then, of course,
comes the questions to ask about the person or thing. What is it? Why is it
there? How did it/he/she get there? Where are they going? And so on and so
forth, until suddenly you have the beginnings of a story.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">There are a few
different ways for you to search through Pinterest- you can search on your main
dashboard where all the things pinned by the people you follow will show up.
You can also use the search feature, and either type in a specific keyword, or
scan through categories- everything from Geek to Travel to Women’s Fashion. If
you don’t have anything in specific you’re looking for, the Popular category is
a mishmash of everything.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Sometimes all it
takes is one picture for an idea to form. Sometimes it's a few pictures. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">I’m going to be
honest with you: Pinterest is a dangerous place- once you get there, it’s not
always easy to get back out. Self-control is definitely needed for it. But fear
not- you can find inspiration quite easily without Pinterest. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Swap pictures with
a friend, but someone whose family you don't really know so well. Have them
send you a picture- any picture- to get your creative juices flowing. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Pick up a foreign
newspaper, and look at the pictures there. You have no idea what anything means,
so you just have to decide that by yourself.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Check out
photographer’s websites, and think up the backstory of the people photographed.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Or you can play the
connect the dots game, and outsource this one a bit as well. This is also a fun
writer’s group activity if all of you are looking for ideas.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">If doing this with
a writer’s group, everyone should bring in one picture that intrigues them-
whatever kind of picture they want. No limits (unless you specifically want to
set them, though I don't recommend it). If you're meeting in person, print
enough copies so that everyone can have one for themselves. If you're emailing,
email a copy to everyone. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">If you’re doing it
as a solitary activity, ask five of your friends to send you one picture they
love, but without any descriptions or explanations as to why they love it. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">The objective of
the activity is for you to take the pictures you have and find out how and why
they're connected. What's so incredible about this exercise is no two people
will have the same story, even though you're all using the same pictures.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Man, creativity is
so cool :)</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Bonus: I've picked
five random pictures from my Pinterest boards to jump start your
creativity. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
Picture One: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/309552174358273508/"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/59/f2/77/59f277af946b643eea6be55bf9991536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Picture Two: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/309552174358148788/"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/60/ff/d3/60ffd3495247243126cf776848f403e7.jpg" width="238" /><span id="goog_383829511"></span></a><span id="goog_383829512"></span></div>
<br />
Picture Three:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/94/bf/58/94bf58e2739468fa8b92658144f777ea.jpg" width="212" /></div>
<br />
Picture Four:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/309552174358156606/"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/b1/22/56/b12256dffd4129961ce69b169d07e6be.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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Picture Five:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Happy
pinning, happy plotting, and happy writing!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>KK Hendin writes NA books to make your heart happy. She blogs at <a href="http://www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com/">http://www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com/ </a>and tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/kkhendin">https://twitter.com/kkhendin</a></i></span></span></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-25280746099765482002013-08-26T11:34:00.000-07:002013-08-26T11:34:00.427-07:00Beating Writer's BlockIt's all happened to every writer at one point or another. You have a great idea! Great character with a great voice in a really great dilemma! Things are going swimmingly, until suddenly ... they are not.<br />
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You don't know what to do. You hate everything. Or (worst possible scenario) you are BORED.<br />
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You lost the spark in your writing. And you can't figure out why.<br />
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Before I tell you what to do, let me tell you a couple stories.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stephen King is one of my all-time favorite writers, and this is one of my all-time favorite analogies, so bear with if you've already heard me deliver it. In <i>Misery</i>, King describes a writer named Paul who is being held captive by his biggest (read: craziest) fan. Writers often give their opinions about life and humanity through their work, and lots of people view <i>Misery </i>as a prime example of King telling the reader what it is like to be a writer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The line that stuck out to me from <i>Misery </i>is, “Paulie, can you?” You see, Paul's problem is that he killed off his main character and ended a long-running series. Annie, the fan who "rescued" him from a car accident, is insisting that he write himself out of that corner and resurrect poor Misery Chastain, or be killed off himself. And of course, Paul is thinking, "How do I get Misery out of her coffin and back in the land of the living?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Paul doesn't want to write any more Misery books. That's why he killed Misery. But in this one instance, he really, <i>really </i>has to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In his drug-addled, foot-chopped-off condition, Paul starts hallucinating about a memory from kindergarten when the little kids played a game where one started a story, and the next kid added to it, and then the kid after that, and so forth. Paulie, can you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And the point of the game wasn’t to come up with some Pulitzer-prize winner or a New York Times bestseller ... it was<i> just to keep the story going</i>. “Can you, or can’t you?” And if you can’t, the game is over (and in poor Paul’s case, you’re going to be murdered and chopped up into little bits.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing, whether you're plotting or pantsing, is sort of like a game of “Can you or can’t you.” If you want to be a good writer, all that really matters is if you “can.” You may be a genius with the ability to write prose that would make Shakespeare weep, but if you “can’t” on a consistent basis, then you can’t. People who put in the time and effort, and are honest with themselves, will always be able to get to the point where they “can” on a consistent basis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Look at this one other way (not to belabor the point). A friend of mine is a computer programmer, and he pointed me to <a href="http://lesswrong.com/lw/53e/just_try_it_quantity_trumps_quality/" target="_blank">this anecdote</a>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"A ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the "quantity" group: fifty pound of pots rated an "A", forty pounds a "B", and so on. Those being graded on "quality", however, needed to produce only one pot - albeit a perfect one - to get an "A".</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">. It seems that while the "quantity" group was busily churning out piles of work - and learning from their mistakes - the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The lesson, of course, is whether you're writing books or code or throwing pots, the more you do, the better you are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what to do when you've felt the spark go out in your writing? Well, I think you have a few options.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>1. Take a mental palate cleanser. </u></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Go for a walk. Play a game. Read a book. Watch (good) TV. No </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Keeping Up With The Kardashians</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, we're talking </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Breaking Bad</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Parks and Rec </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">or nothing. If it doesn't make you think (and I do mean THINK) about something different for awhile, it's useless to you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When you feel refreshed, return to the writing. And if you still don't feel the spark, go to Step 2.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>2. Quit making excuses and start typing, Paulie</u></b>. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember our pal Paul and his dilemma? Do you think it mattered to him that he hated Misery and hated that she couldn't ever pick between Ian and Geoffrey and he wished he'd never started the stupid series? NO! His foot was about to be chopped off! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So just write for awhile, like your ability to remain ambulatory depends on it. And after awhile, evaluate whether that worked. If it didn't, go to Step 3.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><b>3. Take everything you've just written and put it in your "Extras" folder</b></u>. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a theory that no writer really ever deletes anything. I can't bring myself to erase pages (and days) of hard work. Usually when something has to go, I put it in what I call my "Extras" folder. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is helpful for two reasons. One, you never know when something you wrote in that folder will be helpful after all. (It's happened to me a few times.) Two, it's nice to have a tangible (as tangible as a computer file is) reminder of all the pots you've thrown. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now move to Step 4.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>4. Continue your current story in a different spot.</u></b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So you've gotten yourself bogged down. Your main character is trapped on the top floor of the house and the murderer is in the kitchen, and there's no way she can get outside without passing him. You don't know what to do, and the more you think about it, the more you want Det. Ex Machina to show up and save the day because you're so confused/frustrated/bored</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is what I want you to do: type "XXX," then hit your return/enter key a couple times and start somewhere else. Oh, now your main character is having a sweet moment with her love interest. Oh, now you're revealing how the bad guy left fiber evidence behind at the scene. Oh, now you're describing a really awesome road trip that actually has no place in your novel, but at least you're stoked to be writing it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When you're done, all you have to do is find all the spots you typed XXX and fill in your gaps. Usually you're going to find that those spots aren't nearly as bad as they were the first go-around. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Did that work? If not, skip to Step 5.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>5. Stop.</u></b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is an abandoned pot. Don't feel bad about it, because the more pots you throw, the better writer you're going to be. But don't keep coming back to it, because if this project isn't ever going to hold water properly (the analogy has now gone too far ...) you're wasting your time. Who wants to agonize over an unfinished pot? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Save it in a file on your desktop somewhere and move on to your next project. Someday you might find some use for it, or not. But don't feel bad about moving on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Go make something else!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-951939492259050502013-08-26T09:47:00.000-07:002013-08-26T09:53:41.282-07:007 Steps to Writing a Query LetterA query letter is a letter sent to an agent or publisher, asking them to take a look at your work. There's a TON of info out there on writing queries, so I'm going to be giving you a lot of links today. Be prepared.<br />
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<b><u>1. Your book must be finished.</u></b> If you are writing fiction, your book must be finished, revised, read by others, revised again, and again, and again before you even think about writing a query. If you look at the traditional publishing process, you'll see that after the querying process, everyone will expect your book to be done. It needs to be done. You do NOT want to blow off an agent by saying, "Thank you for your interest, but I'll need six to eight more months to get this finished. KThanxBai!"<br />
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If you are writing non-fiction, you'll need a solid outline, serious source material, a built-in platform, and your first three to five chapters completed and revised before you write a proposal. We'll talk more about proposals later, but let's just call them non-fiction query equivalents for now.<br />
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If you're writing memoir, even though it is non-fiction, you will need to treat it like a novel. Unless you're, like, Jon Bon Jovi or something. But us mere mortals need to prove ourselves before an agent will take a bite.<br />
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<b><u>2. Understand your <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-genres.html">genre </a>and <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-categories.html">category</a>.</u></b> No, you do not have a genre-bending stories for all ages. Precisely one person has done that in the history of forever and she was the first billionaire author, ever. You're not her. You won't be her. If your goal is to be her, you need to spend a lot of time talking to published authors who are not her. Again, us mere mortals have to play by the rules. You need to know who you're selling your book to, and you need to know why. You need to understand what agents and publishers will be interested in your work, and you need to know how to talk about your work intelligently.<br />
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<b><u>3. Read other query letters.</u></b> <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/23-literary-agent-query-letters-that-worked_b76306">Galleycat has a collection of 23 letters</a> that worked, across different genres and categories. <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/search/label/winner">Query Shark has archives</a> of query letters that made the cut. Writer's Digest has a whole blog tag dedicated to <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/successful-queries">query success stories,</a> with commentary from agents about why those letters worked.<br />
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<b><u>4. Read the techniques of query letter writing</u></b>. <a href="http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx">Agent Query</a> has a great post about the basics of query letters. <a href="http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/03/query-letter-mad-lib.html">Nathan Bransford</a> has a great post on how to write the letter, mad lib style. (note: please do not leave your letter in your mad lib format, this is a jumping-off point) <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/">The Query Shark </a>has tons of archives showing the evolution of query letters as they are revised, moving from garbage to gold.<br />
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<b><u>5. Write your query letter.</u></b> There's really no way to do this, other than to do it. Get it down on paper (or screen). You can't fix it until it exists.<br />
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<b><u>6. Send out to other people</u></b>. Send it to people who have read your novel (it's finished, remember?) and to people who have not read your novel. Let them make notes and tear it apart. After, ask the people who haven't read your book to answer a couple questions.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Who is the main character of my book?<br />- Who is the villain?<br />- What is at stake for my main character?<br />- What kind of tone do you expect my book to have? Funny? Scary? Romantic? </span></blockquote>
If your friend cannot <i>correctly </i>answer all those questions based solely on your query letter, you need to dig in and seriously fix some stuff.<br />
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<b><u>7. Revise. Repeat</u></b>. If you dig through those<a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/search/label/winner"> Query Shark archives </a>(seriously, go read them), you'll see that the first draft of a query letter usually looks <i>nothing </i>like the one that finally got a bite from an agent. This is not a light revision, slight alteration of word choice and spell check. No. This is like revising your novel. Hack, cut, expand, revise, change, delete, move. (If you didn't do that to your novel, you're not ready to query.)<br />
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There you have it. Seven steps to writing a query letter. Questions? Comments? Concerns?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-91777524387728174512013-08-23T10:08:00.000-07:002013-08-23T10:08:00.741-07:00Defining Plotting and PantsingYesterday, Ruthanne talked about <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/plotting-vs-pantsing.html" target="_blank">her experience with plotting and pantsing</a>. Today, I want to explain what plotting and pantsing are, and give you some of the benefits of both, and why you might want to try a particular style of writing.<br />
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I'll define the terms, and then give you some of the most common reasons people give for why they chose (or didn't choose) a particular method. I'm not saying these reasons are right (or wrong), I'm just saying these are the reasons people give, and you can evaluate their rightness or wrongness for yourself.<br />
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<b><u>Pantsing -</u></b> Writing by the seat of your pants. It's the same as doing anything else by the seat of your pants (if English is not your first language, and you are unfamiliar with idioms, I AM SO SORRY because this one is really weird.) You start out with only vaguest idea of where you're going, and you let the journey shape your path as you go. Or, in the case of writing, you let the story shape itself.<br />
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<b>Pantsing Benefits: </b><br />
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- <u>The thrill of "discovering" the story</u>. Many people say it's akin to reading, just you're the one telling the story. It's fun to say, "Ooh! It'd be crazy if THIS happened now!" and then make it happen.<br />
-<u> Freewheeling feels more artistic and creative.</u> Feeling like your characters are speaking to you, or your muse is leading you on, or any of these things is very liberating. Even a dedicated plotter loves the chance to free-write once in a while, just let the mood take them wherever.<br />
<u>- Doesn't require any special planning or training</u>. You don't need to know anything special about the three acts of a story, or pacing, or any other technical aspects of constructing a story. If you read a lot, and you can feel "something needs to happen soon" then you can pants your novel. Anyone can dive in. </blockquote>
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<b>Pantsing Drawbacks:</b><br />
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<u>- It's easy to get stuck. </u>It's easy to get caught up in the fun of a story and not realize that you have no possible way to tie things up. Or that you put your love interest in two places at once. Or you killed off your villain halfway through the book. It's also really easy to write twelve thousand words of crap before you realize you're going in the wrong direction.<br />
-<u> Drafts are super messy.</u> Plot holes, inconsistencies, tense issues (as in, switching from past to present tense), appearance and disappearance of characters (and not in the good way), and a whole host of other problems will present themselves more often when you write without a plan. Pacing is more likely to be wrong, and you're more likely to find huge, sweeping scenes of absolutely nothing useful at all, because you got caught up in the moment and just kept writing without a plan. </blockquote>
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<b><u>Plotting - </u></b>Creating an outline before beginning to write. Outlines can be detailed (I'll spend 3,000 words in chapter four on this scene, it will have sexual tension, an almost-kiss, and three jokes) or not (First they'll travel to the Forbidden City, and along the way they'll pick up a hitchhiking ghost. Next there will be a fight scene and the tall guy will lose a hand.) Some people plot chapter by chapter, or by how many words need to be dedicated to a particular scene or plot point.<br />
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<b>Plotting Benefits:</b><br />
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<u>- Writing time is all word count. </u>You have a plan. You know you need to write a scene where the villain confesses his evil secrets to a secondary character so she can eventually betray him. You have one hour. For that one hour, you will do nothing but write the scene that you need. If you don't have a plan? You'll spend time writing stuff you won't use, going back an re-reading previous stuff, tinkering with editing, or writing a scene that takes the story in a wrong/weird direction.<br />
<u>- Editing is smoother. </u>You'll still make changes, some of them major, but it will be unlikely that you'll say, "What? This character disappeared after chapter six, and then I introduced somebody else kind of like him, and why do I have twelve pages of dialog that has nothing to do with this story?" Also, because you outlined specific scenes, it's easier to cut and paste them if you need to move them around. Without that outline, it's more likely that you have scenes interwoven together in a nonsensical fashion.<br />
<u>- It's like building a puzzle.</u> Piecing things together without the messiness of dialog or setting or sensory details getting in the way. It's easier to see how the plot fits together.</blockquote>
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<b>Plotting Drawbacks: </b><br />
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<u>- Stifles creativity/artistic freedom.</u> Lots of people feel like planning their art is a little like painting by numbers. Putting the story into boxes or outlines or timelines or anything else involving straight lines is boring and not artistic.<br /><u>- Takes a lot of time before you get to the fun part.</u> Spending time on an outline is time spent not actually writing. It's technical and much less fun than spending time writing a kiss or a sword fight. Especially since most dedicated plotters will plot before they write a draft, then will use a beat sheet after each subsequent draft to check their pacing, an awful lot of writing time gets dedicated to not writing the story.</blockquote>
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<b><u>The Combo - </u></b>Of course, many people combine plotting and pantsing. I pantsed my way through a 40,000 word rough draft with almost zero dialog or world building, just plot and character introductions. Guess what? That's an outline, albeit an unconventional one. It was easier to make changes to that doc than it would have been to make changes to a full draft.<br />
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Some people write chapter-by-chapter concepts with no details, some people pants the first half of the book to get to know their characters and then create a detailed plot before they continue.<br />
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On this blog, and on many other resource blogs, you'll find writers talking about their methods, as well as how and why those methods work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-31868836548799656532013-08-22T08:53:00.000-07:002013-08-22T08:53:09.412-07:00Plotting Vs. Pantsing <span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're new to the writing and publishing game, you've probably heard a lot about this "plotting versus pantsing" business and wondering what the heck we're all talking about. In essence, we're describing two different ways of writing a story: plotting, which is sitting down and outlining all the events of your story before you begin drafting it, and pantsing, which is when you have a basic concept and then you just let your typin' fingers take you wherever your imagination leads.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I have written (and by that, I mean COMPLETED) two "pants" novels and one "plotted" novel. When I first began writing, pantsing was what came most naturally to me. I usually come to a story when one character, or one concept, pops into my head. What I usually did at that point was to just start writing, without any thought for where I might end up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />When I wrote my most recent novel, however, I realized that path wasn't going to cut it for me. First, because my second novel had taken me TWO YEARS to finish, and that was when I had the luxury of living a student's lifestyle. Second, I ended up cutting 1/3 of the novel, just because (as much fun as it was to write) I tended to launch into tangents (which, of course, I didn't realize were tangents at the time).<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">So why did I switch to plotting for novel No. 3?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span>As an attorney, there was no way I was going to be able to just write whenever. Most days I come home intellectually drained. I might be able to read a book, but usually all I have in me is to watch some TV or take my dog to the park. If I were going to pants my novels in that state, I suspect it would take me a lot longer than two years (and involve significantly more cutting).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So I sat down with an outline like the one described in <i><a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/best-books-on-writing.html" target="_blank">Save The Cat</a></i> and plotted out my third book. And you know what? It didn't always feel right to me to do that. But I stuck with that method, and ... it worked. For that book, it was actually sort of perfect. From the moment I figured out what I wanted to write about until the day I put the final period on the final sentence, only 11 months had passed. After two months of revisions, I was ready to start submitting it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Pantsing and plotting both have strengths and weaknesses. When I was pansting, it took me a long time to draft and even longer to revise. But when I was plotting, there were times when I felt like the "spark" in my writing was missing. (I'll talk more about what to do when that happens later.) Ultimately, though, all that really matters is whether or not your chosen method results in a final product.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Now, are there overlap between the two methods? DEFINITELY! With my current project (which I am plotting), I realized halfway through that a character was missing. So I added him in! After all, an outline is just a tool, not a contract. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />What you need to do is honestly evaluate yourself. Do you feel more comfortable writing when you know where things are going, or do you feel more comfortable when you are just letting your imagine run rampant? Once you've figured that out, ask yourself whether <i>this particular project</i> will benefit from the alternative method. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />In my heart, I'm still a pantser. But at this point in my life, plotting is the way to go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I will be the first one to tell you that if you are a natural born pantser, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. We all have to write i</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">n the way that feels most natural to us.</span></span><br />
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">This post was generously written by RuthAnne Snow. RuthAnne is a lawyer and aspiring writer. She lives in an old house with a little dog and a big porch. She blogs at </span><a href="http://andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr>andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/</a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">. Follow her on twitter @ruthanne_snow and facebook at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RuthAnneSnow" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>RuthAnneSnow</a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">.</span></i><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">If you'd like to contribute to MMWH, please email ginadenny129 at gmail dot com </span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-23994346109016116362013-08-19T14:53:00.000-07:002013-12-27T07:50:02.856-08:00Defining Romance<span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romance is a "<a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-genres.html">super-genre</a>", meaning it's a huge umbrella, with many sub-genres defined within it. Ranee S. Clark, who happens to be a romance </span>aficionado<span style="font-family: inherit;">, has agreed to explain the major romance sub-genres to us. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Many books out there have some elements of romance in them,
but those that are filed under the Romance category revolve around the
development of a relationship between two people. Readers of romance expect a
few things from them:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· </span><!--[endif]-->The hero and heroine will have a happily ever
after. If they do not, the work would be better categorized under something
different. Women’s Fiction if the primary narrative is from the female point of
view.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· </span>There will be some kind of obstacle for the hero
and heroine to overcome. Obstacles present a reason the characters should fight
to be together and make the resolution of the relationship satisfying.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Considering that almost every genre can have
“Romance” tacked to the end and made a sub-genre (for example: Paranormal <i>Romance</i>, Fantasy <i>Romance</i>, Historical <i>Romance</i>,
to name a few), the list of sub-genres would be infinite. For the purposes of
this categorization, we’ll focus on the major romance sub-genres, listed in
alphabetical order.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">CONTEMPORARY –
Contemporary romances take place in the time period they were written in. The
plot development can be dramatic or light-hearted. <i>Chick-Lit </i>and <i>Romantic Comedy</i>
fall under this sub-genre. Notable mainstream authors include Nora Roberts and
Danielle Steel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>LDS Contemporary Romance</i> – The
characters’ relationship develops and often revolves around LDS culture.
Notable authors include Rachel Ann Nunes, Anita Stansfield, Krista Lynne
Jensen, and Melanie Jacobsen among many others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0in;">EROTIC ROMANCE – The basic
elements of romance remain the same, however plot lines and character
development revolve around the sexual relationship between the main characters
and the book contains sexually explicit scenes. It can include elements from
all sub-genres of romance. Notable authors in this category include E.L. James
and Tiffany Reisz.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0in;">GOTHIC ROMANCE – Romances
in this category have an element of mystery and horror that affect the plot and
character development. It is not as popular a category as it has been in times
past. Notable authors include Victoria Holt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">HISTORICAL ROMANCE – Depending
upon the publisher, most often Historical Romance is defined as a romance
taking place during or prior to World War II, however many definitions stretch
to include anything up to the 1970s. The historical setting should not be
simply a back-drop to the novel. Events of the time period should play
intricate roles in the novel’s plot and the characters’ development. </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Notable historical romance authors include Elizabeth Hoyt and Phillipa Gregory.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">*Note: Defining the difference between a
contemporary romance written in a certain time period and a historical romance
written in present time and taking place in a certain time period is difficult.
Today, Jane Austen’s novels are considered historical fiction, despite being
contemporary to the time period they were written in.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">REGENCY ROMANCE – Though technically a sub-genre of historical
romance, Regency Romance is such a popular category that it merits its own
sub-genre. “The Regency” refers to a specific time period in British history,
1811 to 1820, when King George III’s oldest son, The Prince of Wales, ruled in
his stead because of madness. The cultural Regency period extends into the
earlier years of the 19<sup>th</sup> century and even into the 1830s. Jane
Austen lived during this time period, and her works are often categorized as
Regency Romance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Regency Romances more often than not take place among the upper classes of
British society and one of the hallmarks of the genre is the witty dialogue
between characters. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0in;">One of the most notable regency authors is Georgette Heyer. Notable LDS Regency
authors include Sarah M. Eden and Donna Hatch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE –
The relationship, plot, and character development of an inspirational romance
revolve around the faith (sometimes non-denominational Christian, sometimes
specific) of the main characters. The change in their faith is often as
important to the plot as the romantic relationship between the two characters.
Notable authors include Beverly Lewis and Wanda E. Brunstetter. <o:p></o:p>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">LGTB ROMANCE – The main
characters are lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual (LGTB) characters. The
plot and character development are closely related to LGTB issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">PARANORMAL ROMANCE – It
includes heavy supernatural elements and characters (such as werewolves,
vampires, other “monsters”, and angels) in the plot development. Often either
the hero or heroine is human while the other exhibits supernatural
characteristics. <i>Twilight</i>, although
technically categorized as YA (Young Adult), could be sub-categorized as a
Paranormal Romance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">ROMANTIC SUSPENSE – Elements
of danger and mystery are part of the plot of Romantic Suspense novels.
Heroines tend to be independent minded and heroes alpha males, though not
always. Often the obstacle the couple must overcome includes danger to one or
the other or both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">SWEET ROMANCE – Sweet
romance can cover any of the romance sub-genres. Romances classified as “sweet”
contain no sexually explicit scenes and description of physical contact between
the couple is either light or “behind closed doors.” Many romance publishers
now have specific Sweet Romance Lines and many others have adopted “heat”
classifications ranging from Sweet to Steamy and everything in between.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">WESTERN ROMANCE – Though
romances taking place in the American west in the latter 1800s and early 1900s
are categorized here, this sub-genre also includes contemporary romances in
western settings. Plot, characters, and relationship development are closely
weaved with the idea of western culture, cowboys, farming, and ranching. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">This post was generously written by Ranee S. Clark. Ranee blogs at </span><a href="http://raneesclark.blogspot.com/">http://raneesclark.blogspot.com/</a> tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/RaneeSClark" target="_blank">@RaneeSClark </a>and writes lovely stories about ... well... love. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">If you'd like to contribute to MMWH, please email ginadenny129 at gmail dot com </span></i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-7312944072280536952013-08-16T18:43:00.000-07:002013-12-27T07:34:21.825-08:00Defining Science FictionScience Fiction is another one of our "<a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-genres.html">super-genres.</a>" The term stands on its own and is a correct term for a genre, but that genre is very broad and not everybody likes all the sub-genres within it. In fact, a lot of agents and editors will say they're looking for "all sci-fi except space opera and cyber-punk." And if you don't know what those terms mean, you could be annoying an awful lot of agents who have been very specific in their wish lists.<br />
<br />
This list, much like the <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-fantasy.html">Fantasy </a>list, is not exhaustive, nor is it definitive. Many people will disagree with some of these definitions, and we welcome your comments and your feedback. I'll start with what is arguably the most popular and go from there (though the whole list is not ranked by popularity - I'd pull my hair out trying to figure that out). <br />
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Again, in case you missed, we have a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzJo2w4ON6fiI00qH2cu0PyuDsnjnj9Su2Ara3b1jqO5w_ZYw8VKcYsAaFBpkJqQACiRxaW1E2meAtDtHHc6i0XagbYcad5s8R2DF9tRuhNDt2BsP7GYi9CbYpc13kqy_5ZDVXyLI_-k/s1600/Genre.png">visual representation of most of the major genres</a> in fiction.<br />
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SUPERHEROES - Once relegated to nerds-only comic books, superheroes have evolved into what is probably the most popular version of science fiction in any medium. Superheroes are created in a multitude of ways: via scientific experiments (some deliberate, some gone awry), from outer space, through genetic mutation. Some come from fantasy elements (like being birthed from the gods), but since they all utilize pretty far-fetched technology, you can pretty easily put these all in science fiction. I don't know that I need to give examples, but <i>X-Men, Superman, Wonder Woman, </i>and <i>The Avengers</i> are all very popular examples.<br />
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APOCALYPTIC - These stories focus on the failing of society. I think post-apocalyptic stories are the more popular ones here, but stories taking place as the world falls apart are pretty consistently popular as well. Pandemic (<i>The Andromeda Strain</i> and a million different zombie novels), super ecological disasters (<i>Ashfall, The Day After Tomorrow) </i>or war can cause the fall of civilization. But apocalyptic stories all deal with how one character or group of characters survive the disaster. Post apocalyptic stories are about people surviving in the aftermath (<i>I Am Legend</i> is a good example of a pandemic that collapsed society, and one man is trying to survive in the aftermath).<br />
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DYSTOPIAN - Closely related to apocalyptic, and often set in post-apocalyptic settings, dystopian is defined by the political tone of the story. "Dystopia" is the opposite of "Utopia," meaning everything has gone wrong. These books feature heavy, oppressive governments, and usually center on a character or group of characters trying to overthrow the government. Dystopians have been popular for a very long time, even though the term itself is fairly new. Some of the most popular recent dystopians have been young adult novels - <i>The Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched - </i>but the genre was popular in adult fiction long before the post-Hunger-Games explosion - <i>1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Clockwork Orange.</i> Dystopians have been declared "overdone" in recent years, but can also be overlapped with other sub-genres (<i>Delirium - </i>biopunk, <i>Enclave - </i>apocalyptic, <i>Atlas Shrugged -</i> thriller) and even be divided further.<br />
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TIME TRAVEL - Sometimes it's via a time machine (<i>Back to the Future, The Time Machine) </i>and sometimes it's more of a preternatural ability (<i>Tempest, Jumper, Pathfinder). </i>Either way, these stories are usually classified as science fiction. Sometimes they function like a portal fantasy (<i>The Time Machine) </i>and sometimes they don't. There's obviously some overlap with fantasy (particularly urban fantasy) and historical fiction. Time travel is a sub-genre that I think every science fiction writer says, "Yeah, I'd like to try that," and then the execution turns out to be murderously difficult and most of us give up.<br />
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STEAMPUNK - Ah. The genre I am asked to define most often. The easiest definition is "robots + corsets = steampunk." And that's correct. But it's also a wildly overly simplified definition. Steampunk is set in a time before we had widespread access to electric technology. The world is then re-imagined as if steam had remained the power of choice and technology continued forward as such. Sometimes it is a wholly fantastical world, as in <i>The Parasol Protectorate</i> series (aka <i>Soulless, </i>et al) or <i>The Infernal Devices (</i>aka - <i>Clockwork Angel, </i>etc.) Sometimes it is an alternate history, based in true events or with true or could-be-true characters like <i>Leviathan </i> or <i>Wild Wild West. </i>Sometimes it's more subtle, like <i>The Prestige. </i>The setting can be European or American, though it is rarely other. (Somebody get on that, please)<br />
<br />
Also, old science fictions are being reassigned to this sub-genre, too. Jules Verne wrote everything that we are basing today's steampunks on.<br />
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CYBERPUNK - This doesn't get labeled very often, but with the emergence of steampunk's popularity, people are starting to put labels on cyberpunk fiction. And cyberpunk fiction is incredibly popular, and has been since the invention of cybernetics. These stories are stories of cybernetics run amok. Think <i>The Matrix, BladeRunner, Minority Report, </i>and (I say) <i>Ready Player One.</i> The internet rules the world, and is often the government/institution that needs to be taken down or escaped.<br />
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<br />
-PUNKS - There are a number of "punk genres" out there, in addition to the two most popular already discussed. Dieselpunk is usually set after World War I using diesel as the main power source instead of steam (<i>The Rocketeer, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). </i>Coalpunk and Atompunk are both proposed sub-genres, though there are not many stand-out mainstream examples of either. Biopunk is more common and deals with genetic manipulation and biotechnology (<i>Gattaca, </i>and - to a lesser degree - <i>Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment</i>)<br />
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MILITARY SCI-FI - This is exactly what it sounds like. A military or war story set in space or in a futuristic science-fiction world. <i>Hammer's Slammers, War of the Worlds, </i>and <i>Ender's Game </i>are some popular examples.<br />
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SPACE OPERA - These are dramatic stories in which the setting of space is relatively unimportant to the story. The story could take place anywhere, anytime, and have basically the same impact on us. <i>Academy 7 </i>is a good recent example. A LOT of people will say the term "space opera" applies to the scope of the story, sort of making Space Opera the science fiction equivalent of Epic Fantasy. If this is your definition, then <i>Star Wars </i>and <i>Star Trek </i> go here. The emphasis in Space Opera will always be on characters and plots, with the setting being secondary (even if it is detailed and perfectly foreign to us.)<br />
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SPACE WESTERN - Sounds contradictory? But it really works. The most defining characteristic of the western is the Rogue Cowboy, yes? Put him in space and you have a Space Western. Shoot outs, bandits, anti-hero protagonists, intergalactic saloons. Han Solo was sort of a space cowboy, and Joss Whedon's <i>Firefly </i>is probably the most popular example of recent years.<br />
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Again, as with fantasy, it's impossible to define every science-fiction exactly and place them all neatly into these categories. Time travel and superheroes can overlap, or time travel and steampunk. Space opera could be overlapped with military sci-fi, and space westerns could easily be merged with cyberpunks.<br />
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<b>What do you think? What did I miss? What did I get wrong? Do you read science-fiction? Do you write science fiction? What is your favorite kind? </b><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-22621335197603110112013-08-15T18:22:00.000-07:002013-12-27T07:32:09.520-08:00Defining FantasyIn the <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-genres.html" target="_blank">Defining Genres </a>post, I talked about how Fantasy is a super-genre. Think of it as a huge umbrella covering a whole lot of other sub-genres. Fantasy fans are very particular about their genres and sub-genres and you'll need to know what you're writing before you get started trying to market your book.<br />
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First, if you haven't seen it, I've got a pretty decent <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzJo2w4ON6fiI00qH2cu0PyuDsnjnj9Su2Ara3b1jqO5w_ZYw8VKcYsAaFBpkJqQACiRxaW1E2meAtDtHHc6i0XagbYcad5s8R2DF9tRuhNDt2BsP7GYi9CbYpc13kqy_5ZDVXyLI_-k/s1600/Genre.png">visual representation of most of the <i>major </i>genres </a>out there.<br />
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HIGH FANTASY- This would probably be considered by most people (especially non-fantasy fans) to be the epitome of fantasy. The whole world has been created from scratch by the author. It is not our world, even if it looks an awful lot like Medieval Europe. Geography, culture, language, races, religion, dress, weaponry are all fictitiously created or mashed together for the purposes of the story. It's hard to find excellent, well-known examples of High Fantasy that are not Epic Fantasy. I say <i>Graceling </i>fits here, since it's a completely invented world, but focuses more on a plot-driven story with just a handful of dynamic characters. Similarly, <i>The Princess Bride </i>(though it is satire) could fit here, too (yes, Gilder and Florin are fake countries).<br />
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EPIC FANTASY - The distinction of "epic" refers to the scope of the story. Epic Fantasy is always High Fantasy, meaning it is in a fictional world and all elements of that world have been defined by the author. Epic Fantasy centers around a massive storyline, "Fates of Nations" and epic quests. The most well-known examples are also the most well-known examples of fantasy, period. <i>Lord of the Rings, Sword of Truth, Shannara, Xanth, Narnia, Game of Thrones, The Belgariad. </i><br />
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PORTAL FANTASY - A character from our world is magically transported to another world via a portal of some kind. In <i>Narnia </i>it was the wardrobe (or the rings or just Aslan, depending on which story you're reading). In <i>The Wizard of Oz </i>it was a tornado. Doors, spells, gates, fairy companions, etc. If your character is from a mundane setting and gets transported to a fantastical world where magic is possible, you have portal fantasy. Lots of agents say this is overdone right now.<br />
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URBAN FANTASY - A fantasy that is set in our real world, often in a big city, though not always. Think magical elves in Central Park, fairies in Los Angeles, vampires in London. Portal fantasy will sometimes fit here, especially if the characters portal back and forth a fair amount. This sub-genre is very closely related to both magical realism and paranormal, differing from the first in scope and the second in character focus. Cassandra Clare's <i>The Mortal Instruments </i>series (and related series) would fit here. <i>The Parasol Protectorate (Soulless), </i>also fits here, though that's a steampunk story, too.<br />
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MAGICAL REALISM - This one is more of a contemporary, realistic story, in which magic plays a part. The world is so very much like ours, except for this one tiny piece of it. Often times religious stories will be recast with magic standing in for the power of deity, giving us magical realism. The most popular example I can think of for this sub-genre is actually a movie, not a book. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman's movie <i>Practical Magic </i>is completely realistic and has both feet in our world, telling a fairly mundane story. Except they're witches. Similarly, <i>Matilda </i>would be another good example. Some people argue <i>Harry Potter </i>belongs here, other call it a portal fantasy and stick it up with Epic Fantasy.<br />
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PARANORMAL - There is not a huge difference between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal, it's more in the tone and the focus on character relationships. Urban Fantasy is written around the conflict, Paranormal is written around the interpersonal relationships and is more often than not a romance. The focus is usually on supernatural creatures, more so than magic. <i>Twilight, How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf, </i>and <i>Paranormalcy </i>are popular examples of this sub-genre.<br />
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MYTHOLOGY - We don't write a lot of straight-up mythology these days, it's more like a reinterpretation of ancient mythology. But, still, we're relying on a magical, unknowable power to explain immortality and the powers of a handful of individuals to control the world. <i>Percy Jackson </i>is probably the most notable example.<br />
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LIGHT FANTASY - Some fantasy is not "hard" enough to be considered epic or high fantasy, but is too "other" to be described as contemporary<br />
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FAIRY TALES - A Fairy Tale relies on folklore or a "moral of the story" in order to tell the tale. We don't write a whole lot of these as original works anymore, they are usually in the form of retellings or reduxes. (is that how you pluralize that word???) In any case, we are taking existing fairy tales and twisting them around. In case you need examples: <i>Cinderella, Snow White, The Goose Girl. </i><br />
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FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS - Keeps the original story but tells it in a slightly new way. Shannon Hale wrote some very popular versions of fairy tales<i> </i>in her <i>Books of Bayern </i>series.<br />
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FAIRY TALE REDUX - Takes the original story and mashes it up in some way. These have been very popular with the young adult set lately. <i>Cinder, Twisted Tales</i><br />
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SCIENCE FANTASY - This is where science-fiction and fantasy collide. The focus is less on the science of the story/setting, and more of a "wouldn't it be neat if this was possible" and focuses on the story. <i>Star Trek</i> talks a lot about the science behind the story, how they got here, how they made that, developing new science, etc. <i>Star Wars </i>is a story that could be told anywhere, but it happens to be told in outer space. This is also where science fiction and fantasy mashups generally get placed, like Orson Scott Card's <i>Pathfinder</i> series, or <i>The Lost Swords </i>series. The stories feel like fantasy, but have a sci-fi setup or a sci-fi subplot.<br />
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Obviously it's impossible to define every single fantasy novel ever and put them all into neat little boxes. You can see <i>Narnia </i>popped up in two of my definitions here, and <i>The Amber Chronicles </i>are an excellent example of an epic fantasy that uses elements of portal fantasy and crosses into urban fantasy and science fantasy. There are arguments to be made the Cinda Williams Chima's <i>Seven Realms</i> series is high fantasy but not epic (though I say it qualifies as epic - four books, I'd guess around a half million words, fates of nations. That's epic, IMO)<br />
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<b>What did I miss? What did I get wrong? Do you write fantasy? Do you read fantasy? What is your favorite kind? </b><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-76958649842524557652013-08-15T10:33:00.000-07:002013-08-25T21:30:45.747-07:00Best Books on WritingThe number of books you can read about how to write books is practically unlimited. There's no way to read them all, and there's no reason to try. Here you have a list of books that have been recommended by other writers, and what they are most suited for:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376184055&sr=1-1&keywords=on+writing" target="_blank">On Writing</a> - Stephen King<br />
This book is part memoir, part inspiration for writers, part tough-love and solid advice. It's short and accessible, so it's a great place to start if you are just getting started or are trying to regain your footing as a writer.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376184028&sr=1-1&keywords=bird+by+bird" target="_blank">Bird by Bird </a>- Ann Lamott<br />
Often heralded as "writers' therapy," this book is a funny set of inspiration and motivation for writers of all stripes. Not a balm for your mechanical issues, but more of a balm for your writing soul.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Book-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376184002&sr=1-1&keywords=Save+the+Cat" target="_blank">Save the Cat</a> - Blake Snyder<br />
Though touted as a book on screenplays (which it totally is), this is one of the best books on pacing and unraveling a story, period. If you've ever questioned what the three acts of a story are or how to know if you're keeping readers engaged, this is the book for you.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Down-Bones-Freeing-Paperback/dp/B0035A3PSQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376183971&sr=1-2&keywords=writing+down+the+bones" target="_blank">Writing Down The Bones</a> - Natalie Goldberg<br />
Like Lamott's book, this is more of an inspiration than anything else. Meant to help you "free the writer inside" and connect with the creative side of your personality, it's not really about the business or technical side of writing at all.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poemcrazy-Freeing-Your-Life-Words/dp/0609800981/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376183943&sr=1-1&keywords=poemcrazy" target="_blank">PoemCrazy</a> - Susan G. Woolridge<br />
Techniques and inspiration for creating poetry and recognizing it as more than the angst-riddled stuff you churned out in your teens.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Fiction-Writing-Characters-Viewpoint/dp/0898799279" target="_blank">Characters and Viewpoint</a> - Orson Scott Card<br />
A detailed outline of how to identify and create relateable characters. Card gives tips and exercises on how to craft these characters, all in an easy-to-read, easy-to-identify with voice.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Science-Fiction-Fantasy/dp/158297103X/ref=pd_sim_b_3" target="_blank">How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy</a> - Orson Scott Card<br />
Another accessible how-to-guide from Card, this gives tips on building and populating worlds other than our own. Speculative fiction writers face a set of unique challenges, and Card addresses them all.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936891026">The War of Art</a> - Steven Pressfield<br />
Applicable to all creative processes, this helps creators (writers) overcome the burdens of creative block and manage the technical aspects of their craft while still being true to the artistic drive that fuels the effort.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Million-Miles-Thousand-Years-Learned/dp/1400202981">A Million Miles in a Thousand Years</a> - Donald Miller<br />
A psuedo-memoir crafted to better articulate the needs of a story. Miller deliberately set out to make his real life more like a story, and succeeded in understanding the ins and outs of creating characters, conflict, and setting.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Writer-Dorothea-Brande/dp/0874771641" target="_blank">Becoming a Writer</a> - by Dorothea Brande</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-17546337880001821032013-08-14T18:48:00.000-07:002013-12-27T07:30:19.729-08:00Defining GenresOne of the first things you're going to need to know when you start pitching your work is what genre it is. This is rarely cut-and-dry, and a lot of readers love genre-bending books. But the truth is, your book has to sit on a shelf somewhere, and that shelf will largely be determined by the genre. (Unless you're lucky enough to be labeled as a "bestseller" - then you go on the fancy shelf at the front of the store.)<br />
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First of all, if you want to know the difference between YA, MG, NA, Adult, and PB... you're in the wrong place. Those are categories and are <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-categories.html">discussed in another post</a>. Once you figure that out, then come back here.<br />
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I was going to do a huge post on defining all genres, but that's proving to be impossible. So, this post will talk about what I call "super genres." Super genres are huge, broad, sweeping titles that each encompass a dozen or more smaller, more specific genres. You can click on each one to get a better idea of the sub-genres. Constructive discussion is welcome, please feel free to comment, if you feel you can do so nicely.<br />
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First, a diagram that I spent an inordinate amount of time on:<br />
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If you click on that, it should blow up pretty big for you to see. First, all the blue genres and sub-genres fall into a huge umbrella that we call "Speculative Fiction." Some people put horror in there, but I think that only qualifies as speculative sometimes. Now, we can move on to defining these so-called super-genres.<br />
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<a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-fantasy.html" target="_blank">FANTASY </a>- The single biggest component for you to consider is this: Is it possible? If not, is it being explained by magic? Then you have fantasy. Magic, the supernatural, paranormal, etc. Any amount of this and you are automatically in "fantasy" range. You might be "fantasy light," but fantasy nonetheless. Fantasy and Science-Fiction (and all their endless sub-genres) make up the giant bucket we call "Speculative Fiction."<br />
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<a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-science-fiction.html" target="_blank">SCIENCE FICTION</a> - This is anything that is possible, if science were to make it so. Where fantasy relies on magic for its impossibility, science fiction relies on science. A simple example: In Harry Potter, they apparate, that is to say, they magically transport themselves from one place to another. In Star Trek, they travel via a transporter. In other words, a scientific development occurred that allowed them to transport people across great distances instantaneously. Same action as Harry Potter, but it's a scientific explanation instead of a magical one.<br />
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CONTEMPORARY - This includes a lot of smaller genres and on its own doesn't really describe anything other than the timeframe for the setting. Contemporary means exactly what it sounds like. It is set in a time relatively close to the one in which it was written. A huge majority of fiction is contemporary. In fact, the next five super-genres are overwhelmingly (though not exclusively) contemporary.<br />
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MYSTERY - Someone did something bad, and the protagonist needs to figure it out. Usually the protagonist has very little (if anything) personally invested in the case, they are just the person hired/approached to figure the whole problem out. The reader knows no more than the sleuth, and puzzles the problem out alongside them.<br />
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THRILLER - Closely related to mystery, but this time the antagonist is often known, and the suspense comes from how the protagonist is going to escape/figure things out in time.<br />
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<a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-romance.html" target="_blank">ROMANCE </a>- They meet. They fall in love. The title of this super-genre is pretty obvious, even if it can be broken down into dozens of sub-genres.<br />
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LITERARY - This one is hard for me to define. I think the simplest way to define literary fiction is by what it's not. It's not any of the other super-genres (collectively referred to as "genre fiction"). It overlaps with other genres A LOT. Think of literary fiction as the stuff you read in Lit classes: the classics, heavy emphasis on prose and literary devices, little focus on complicated plots or settings.<br />
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UPMARKET - This is where literary fiction becomes approved by the masses. It's still high-minded, focusing on prose and literary devices, but it has a mass-market appeal. Often times "upmarket" is difficult to define until after it's taken off. This is the only super-genre I won't touch on in a separate post. Think The Help, Water for Elephants, Life of Pi, Memoirs of a Geisha. Anything that sounds like it should have been labeled as "literary fiction" (and probably was) but became a total, complete, breakthrough, international bestseller.<br />
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HISTORICAL - These are often based on real people and real events, though not always. Historical romance, in particular, focuses on mostly fictitious characters, though again, not always. Covers any fiction set in a time that is not contemporary. Historical fiction is usually set far enough back for most readers to view the time period with nostalgia, if not farther back so as to be outside the readers' lifetime. For example, I am writing this post in 2013. Writing a book set in 1995 would likely not get a "historical" label (it'd be a pretty hard sell, I'd imagine), but setting one in 1965 would. Obviously, the only limit on this is the dawn of human existence, so there's a lot of ground to cover.<br />
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In a <a href="http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2013/06/seven-agents-talk-about-most-common.html" target="_blank">post on queries and pitches</a>, Evan Gregory - an agent at Ethan Ellenberg Literary - said,<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Have you written a YA Horror Romance Women’s Fiction Thriller? No, you haven’t, because that’s impossible. In these post-modern times it’s also kind of impossible to write a story that doesn’t have a teensy bit of genre bleed. Genre can be difficult to pin down sometimes, and some books skirt the edges of several genres. For the sake of description, however, you ought to pick one genre and stick with it. That means doing research into other comparable works to yours, and trying to pin down which genre they are sold as. It also means identifying which readers you think would be most likely to read your book, and choosing the genre you think they might most identify with. It also means evaluating which elements of your story are most prevalent. If your book is 90% horror with a love story sub-plot, it is not a Romance/Horror (nor is there such a thing), it’s just Horror."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And that's the purpose of this post. Not to get you down or put you in a narrowly-defined box, but to help you pin down the genre that <i>most </i>represents your work so you can successfully pitch and sell your book. </span></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-40737297311780760712013-08-13T16:42:00.000-07:002013-08-13T16:42:00.459-07:00Defining "New Adult"<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are so many opinions out there about new adult, we feel very blessed that you have clicked on this here post to discuss the age-old (or at least four-years-old) question: Is “New Adult” a thing?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m going to suggest the answer is yes … with some caveats. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">New Adult is basically a <a href="http://wheremmwshang.blogspot.com/2013/08/defining-categories.html">category </a>of books written for individuals aged 18-25ish, about protagonists aged 18-25ish. It is definitely a modern convention. How so? Well, think about it. Would you consider <i>Sense and Sensibility</i> “new adult”? No, definitely not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe we need to back up a bit. Not so very long ago, “young adult” was not a category of fiction. In fact, the word “teenager” itself was only coined in the 20<sup>th</sup> century. It makes sense when you think about it. 100 years ago, “teenagers” were getting married, having babies, going to war, working jobs, living independently—things that we currently believe only adults do. There was a fairly clear demarcation between childhood and adulthood—you were one, and then you were the other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As society changed, so did our conceptualization of childhood and adulthood, with science recognizing a fact that seems obvious today: that in addition to the different ways we socialize adolescents in the modern era, there is something <i>different</i> about the brain chemistry of a 14 year old compared to a 24 year old. And with that societal change came a change in literature—books devoted to the experiences of the teen years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what does that mean for “new adult”?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, it’s fair to say that the 18-25 age group faces a unique set of challenges they have not faced in the past. (For now, we’ll call the entire group “millenials,” just to save time, though I think that is misleading in a way.) Just as the markers of adulthood (independence, adventure, marriage, family) have been pushed back for teenagers, so they’ve been pushed further into the late 20s. Student loan debt is crushing many millenials at the same time the job market it weak. Many millenials grew up with the first generation of helicopter parents, so their first steps into adulthood are more tentative. More and more of them grew up as children of divorce, so their ideas about adult romantic relationships are more cynical. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which brings us back to <i>Sense and Sensibility. </i>Are Marianne and Elinor Dashwood “new adult” protagonists? They’re in the right age group. Their dilemmas—financial insecurity, lack of confidence in the future, uncertainty in romantic relationships—are similar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But in the end, I would argue that “new adult” is a modern conception. Marianne and Elinor may be struggling to find their place in the world, but there is no doubt they are adults. Their problems were not unique to their age group—their problems were common problems for many adults in their era.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So here’s the caveat on new adult: it is currently a thing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But it might not always be a thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the moment, it is the product of a unique set of circumstances. Eventually, those circumstances will change. I believe new adult’s staying power—or lack thereof—will depend entirely on whether new adult expands beyond the “College Kids with Problems” genre.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am simplifying for the sake of argument—I do know there are a handful of New Adult novels that fall outside this description. But the vast (and I mean, vaaaaaaast) majority are romance novels with a female college student as the protagonist.This leads to a lot of logical criticisms: that "new adult" is a genre that is synonymous with "chick lit," that "new adult" is just sexed-up young adult, that "new adult" is just an invention of self-publishing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The proponents of "new adult" will be able to present plenty of counter-arguments to those assertions, but really, the only thing that will prove that New Adult is a real category is when there is a strong showing of multiple genres within the New Adult category. New adult thrillers, new adult sci fi, new adult romance, new adult mystery, new adult horror, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the record, I hope new adult is here to stay. As someone who has written some new adult and is working on more, it would be a real problem for me personally if the category were suddenly to become un-sellable. I suspect that will not be the case. But at the moment, new adult is a transitory category. Its future will depend entirely on how writers shape it.</span></div>
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<i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">This post was generously written by RuthAnne Snow. RuthAnne is a lawyer and aspiring writer. She lives in an old house with a little dog and a big porch. She blogs at </span><a href="http://andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr>andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/</a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">. Follow her on twitter @ruthanne_snow and facebook at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RuthAnneSnow" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>RuthAnneSnow</a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">.</span></i><br />
<i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">If you'd like to contribute to MMWH, please email ginadenny129 at gmail dot com </span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-48578961849204218542013-08-12T13:04:00.000-07:002013-08-12T13:04:33.427-07:00Defining Categories <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture Book. Middle Grade. Young Adult. New Adult. (Whaa? Don’t worry, we’ll discuss this one further.) Adult. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These are examples of “<b>categories</b>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In fiction, category is different than genre. Genre describes the type of story, like whether there are aliens or ghosts or bonnets or happily ever afters. Category tells us <i>who</i> this book is for, where in the bookstore this book is located. It is in the section for grown up readers? Teen readers? Kids? Little kids? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In that sense, category and genre are a lot like the divisions of life we all learned about in junior high biology. Remember Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-<wbr></wbr>Family-Genus-Species? Well, when it comes to books, it goes Fiction/Non Fiction --> Category --> Genre, which is even simpler since it’s just three steps instead of seven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what are the differences between these categories? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, most of them are self-explanatory. <b>Picture books</b> are for the youngest readers. They are primarily art and the language is simple. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Middle grade</b> is a category of books for kids just breaking into the chapter book scene. Think <i>Goosebumps </i>and <i>The Baby-sitters Club</i> and <i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid.</i> The pictures are gone (or significantly reduced), the sentences are more complex. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Young adult</b> is a category of books intended for teenaged readers. (Note that I said <i>intended</i>. We’ll talk about crossovers in a minute.) The characters are teenagers, and they deal with problems like a teenager would. Now, up until a few decades ago, “young adult” didn’t exist as a category. You were either a juvenile reader, or you weren’t. But then breakout novels like S.E. Hinton’s <i>The Outsiders</i> were published, and it seemed obvious that in the literature market, there might need to be a sort of bridge between Nancy Drew and Stephanie Plum. And readers ate it up, which is why there are currently <i>so many</i> books for young adult readers out on the market today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which brings us to <b>new adult.</b> Like young adult, it’s a fairly recent invention of the publishing scene—as in, within-the-last-five-years-<wbr></wbr>recent. There are some who would debate whether it’s a true category at all. But assuming it is, new adult is a category of books aimed primarily at readers who are older than teenagers, but not quite adult. You might even think of new adult as a product of the modern era, where a lot of the markers of adulthood are being pushed back further and further. Is a 20 year old a kid or an adult? It would seem the answer is “both.” And “new adult” books are aimed that audience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And then there’s <b>adult</b>, which always manages to sound just a wee-bit-dirty, thanks to that section of the video store with the beaded curtain. But when it comes to literature, "adult" simply means, “for adult readers.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So here’s a few obvious questions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What is <i>Twilight?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, <i>Twilight </i>is young adult. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“But wait! Don’t adults read <i>Twilight</i>?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course. But the question is not <i>who</i> <i>currently </i>reads a novel. The question is, "Who was the reader the author was envisioning when he or she was writing that story?" And there’s no doubt that <i>Twilight</i>, even though some characters are adults (and some are ancient immortals), was always intended for teenagers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're still confused, think about <i>The Stinky Cheese Man.</i> No doubt, there are jokes in there for the adults who are reading that book to their kids -- but there's no way the author of <i>The Stinky Cheese Man</i> thought that 43-year-olds would ever cuddle up with his picture book on regular basis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's look at another, more complicated example. What is <i>Harry Potter</i>? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone</i> is definitely middle grade. It features an eleven-year-old protagonist who reacts to his problems like an eleven-year-old would. But by the time we move to <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i>, well, we’re clearly in young adult territory. Harry is seventeen, and while his problems (saving the wizarding world) have remained the same, his thought processes and reactions have definitely matured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what book transitions the Harry Potter series from middle grade into young adult? Well, th</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">at question is debatable, but for me it’s </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Harry has firmly entered Angst Town by book 5, and he won’t really leave until the end of </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Half-Blood Prince</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Harry Potter</i> series is not the only series to grow with its audience. <i>The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants</i> (a young adult novel if there ever was one) engendered four sequels—two more young adults, a new adult (<i>Forever in Blue</i>), and an adult (<i>Sisterhood Everlasting</i>). Is it safe to say that the teenage fans of the original sisterhood probably followed the girls into college and onto adulthood? Certainly. But that fact alone doesn’t change the category of <i>Sisterhood Everlasting</i> into young adult.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So even when we’re talking about “crossover” novels (i.e., novels that end up breaking through to audiences for whom <i>they were not originally intended</i>), category is fairly easy to understand if you ask yourself, “If I had to pick just one, who is the author talking to with this book? A pre-schooler, a fifth grader, a teenager, someone just starting out on their own, or an adult?" Almost always, it will be very clear. And if you're the author, and you don't know the answer about your own novel? Well, you've got a problem that you better fix. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And that's how you figure out category.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This post was generously written by RuthAnne Snow. RuthAnne is a lawyer and aspiring writer. She lives in an old house with a little dog and a big porch. She blogs at </span><a href="http://andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr>andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/</a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">. Follow her on twitter @ruthanne_snow and facebook at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RuthAnneSnow" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>RuthAnneSnow</a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If you'd like to contribute to MMWH, please email ginadenny129 at gmail dot com </span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-38410690947821444422010-04-27T18:47:00.000-07:002010-04-27T18:47:38.403-07:00Got Fairy Tales?Hey everyone!<br />
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If you like to write fairy tales, here's a great place to submit them. "The Fairy Tale Review" is an annual anthology of fairy tales, both new-fashioned and revisited, plus essays and other fairy-tale related writing. Here's the website:<br />
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<a href="http://www.fairytalereview.com">http://www.fairytalereview.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2470893445696504629.post-1182104796704757762009-06-03T11:40:00.000-07:002010-03-10T08:25:34.327-08:00Welcome to Our Cyber WorldThis page holds some of the many internet sites and links where the MormonMommyWriters like to hang! We will try to continually update the links and add new upcoming blogs and sites to our lists. If you have a blog or website you would like us to add to this page, please email <a href="mailto:nickalodeon26@yahoo.com">nickalodeon26@yahoo.com</a><br />Thanks!!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16328973674012805812noreply@blogger.com1