2015 in review

I’ve graduated; that’s the main excitement of 2015. Plus I’ve scrambled left and right while doing that  “post-graduation job search panic.” I managed to get started on self-publishing and dodged summertime dangers of wildfire season. Plus, I dove head first into my industry to the point I know enough to write the ins and outs at an internship at a magazine.

Now that I’m in grad school business plans are getting rearranged. Outside of job searches and bemoaning freelancing that went nowhere, I got even more into the sustainability movement than before last year. I have a worm composter. (Review with tips to come on that one.) Grew about six or so pounds of tomatoes and got basic sketches done for a greenhouse I’ll be working on during my free time. Not to mention, I got more into the idea of writing the cookbook friends keep giving me hints to get working on it. (Honestly, once I ace the baking part to look pretty and taste fantastic I will compile the thing.) I’m not physically the stereotype of an artist, but my spirit of connecting with nature is. Not that I’d complain, losing a few pounds to look like an artist is a major plus after holiday eating.

In addition to tree planting slash farming, a garlic business was added during the late summer and autumn. So in between writing and homework, I’m going to have my hands in a whole lot of dirt. Plus, small filming projects are underway; one of which is a documentary that is going through the last part of the research stage.

So there’s a revival of the blog here under the tagline, “when the writer isn’t writing.” I’ll be showing some of the non-writing things in my life.

So, let’s get started.

Writing for Realism

Realism is a tricky thing to conquer when you’re starting out as a writer. Sometimes it comes naturally and other times it is hard to pin down. In fact, it’s a topic where I have yet to find a “how to” book on. Now that may make it sound like an impossible thing – cause if teaching advice on it from the masters doesn’t exist then why bother? Actually the reason is a little bit simpler than that. In reality, you don’t see a book solely about writing for realism because realism is connected to other forms of writing.

Examples: Writing for Details

                        In your characters’ actions

                        In your characters’ dialogue

                        And the “HCS” (Heart Clenching Scene – AKA Writing for Emotion)

Realism Writing With Your Characters

Writing for realism is something that, like details, you can go overboard on while writing. But when it’s done right you have a story that is beyond lovable, it’s considered a “real” story. Here’s an example on how to write realism using outline notes for a key scene in a work in progress of mine.

Example 1: Woman gets kissed by the person she despises but spaces out and never slaps the person when they run into each other for a second time.

Example 2: A woman gets kissed by the one person she despises – she spaces out for a moment and the guy gets away unharmed, next time they meet she slaps him and says why she’s slapped him before making a mature exit from the building.

Both could technically be realistic to a point, but in all honesty when someone gets kissed by someone who decides to go full on assault when they’ve been told no, there’s going to be slaps and purse throws. Realism is easy to pull off when considering your character’s reaction to things. Either through dialogue or body reactions, realism is something that can make blah dialogue into “oh my weeping heart” dialogue.

Writing for emotion is one of my favorite ways to use realism writing. Ever read something where the reactions don’t match the character’s traits? That’s the kind of book that get dumped after a chapter or two. To be good with realism writing geared toward characters, you should be observant – a people watcher without gawking. Daily motions like going to the store or the post office can spark ideas for how to be more realistic with your characters.

Realism Writing With Details

First step to any project is to do research. I have the habit of going the extra mile. Here’s an example of how far I go when researching:

Yes, I bought a sword as a fantasy-writing/historical-writing prop. In fact, I have a collection of fantasy and medieval-esque weapons that I bought for writing and as photography props. (Plus for fun.)

How did I manage to use this for realism?

1.     By having this, I can properly describe the weapon both in daily life (cleaning it, sharpening it, using it outside of battle) and in the battle sequences. By watching documentaries of how it’s made, I can add the emotional connection between fighter and weapon. (Especially when it breaks.)

2.     Having this, I can combined what I can do with the sword with what documentaries and anatomy books say is physically possible – so that means realistic, physics, and physically accurate writing which adds another layer to the world.

3.     Reference is the liability partner of realism writing.

I’d never call fight scenes a forte, but knowing what is realistic in terms of what’s possible makes for something that can’t be torn apart by readers and critics. (Close the loopholes! Even when it is not the plot, you must close loopholes.)

To illustrate how frequently media butchers realism – my whole college physics class was on finding movies/games/shows that did their physics right and the final was on an essay about movie physics done wrong.

Next up: Ann’s Writing Foundations: Realism pt 2 – Writing for Emotion & the Heart Clench Scene(s)

Writing Details

Full lesson title: How I learned to write details and tips for being the master of writing your own.

Tiny break from genres because I realized that I haven’t given the foundation lesson for why my examples are so incredibly detailed and realistic. (Reason for why I didn’t give examples from my own writing yet.)

When asked throughout school in essays – specifically by one teacher during my first creative writing class – what kind of writer peers we (peers and I) wanted to be, you’d end up with a lot of people listing genres. I, despite the desire to be master of blank genre, chose a more complex answer. In short, I decided I wanted to be a master of details and realism despite my adoration for suspense, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. Despite that answer, I still set out on a journey to learn how to write in every single genre known to the English language. Being over educated in the subject doesn’t hurt. Right?

How I learned to be a details writer is a funny tale. In some ways it is going to bad. Actually, scratch that. It IS going to sound bad.

I learned methods for detail writing by first learning how to write erotica. Yes, that’s right. I discovered the secret to detailed writing by learning erotica. Specifically, I learned from Stacia Kane’s book titled “Be a Sex-Writing Strumpet.”

Ms. Kane’s best piece of advice (related to said topic at hand) when referring to setting is to treat it as a third character in the room.

Makes sense, so much sense it’s that “doh” moment because it is so simple. When there are a specific number of characters in a room, we don’t neglect one. To ignore a character’s dialogue and reactions to what’s going on is extreme neglect and that’s what happens to a lot of writers when it comes to setting. Setting adds to what’s going on in a scene or a chapter. Knowing that there’s a storm changes how the reader is imagining the volume of the character’s voice, knowing there’s poisonous gas in the room justifies the scene’s pacing, and knowing there’s a bridge crumbling beneath the character’s steps pumps up the risk and emotion of the following dialogue. It doesn’t just make a well-rounded scene; it gives a texture to the genre of your choice. Texture that may be a style signature to every story you write that makes readers know it is you without having to look at the author’s name. In translation, your style signature is that artistic signature in the bottom corner of a painting.

Details writing is taking setting and giving it a dose of steroids. To make an example let’s do a simple writing exercise:

Imagine a sentimental item in your home, an item that has been handled a lot be it by you or another person. Could be that classic piano, grandma’s quilt, or antique books. Now, I want you to list all of the characteristics that make that item unique. The tiny chip on the piano’s middle C, the initials of all of grandma’s family members, indention of fingers on the book’s leather book cover – search for as many characteristics as you can and write them down.

To show the example of how it’s done, I’m going to write the details of a family heirloom – my father’s ABC book.

     The cover is a very faded blue and worn. The spine has been handled so many times no baby blue remains on the corners. The shelf wear doesn’t entitle the repair of the book but rather respect, respect for having survived three different owners– respect for surviving sixty-something years.

Four names are written inside, “From Arthur, To Richard. From Adrian, To Laura.” Lean in and there’s a nagging feeling that behind the smell of old parchment is the aroma of Hong Kong and Chicago. The smells of rich Asian teas and incense clash with the scent deep-dish pizzas and grandpa’s cologne on specific pages. Never mind the smell of ink and parchment, it smells like home.

Now take note of how many details I mentioned. For my writing style, I hit what I call a sweet spot. That spot between giving the basic info and droning on. When writing details you have to be careful on how much to pack into a paragraph. Too many details and the reader is going to lose track of where the scene is going and the dialogue that is being said. Whenever possible, use your character to give subtle hints to the extra details either through dialogue or actions.

An example of character subtlety in details is in my story S. Holmes #1. In a big reveal of a mystery character I used a soft mention of actions where the character on the other end of the phone line saw Sheryl’s every move.

     Sheryl toed off her shoes and walked over to the nightstand. With a silence that otherwise was thought impossible, she opened the drawer and then a false bottom that held a gun. Once her firearm was out of drawer and in her hand, she glanced out the window.

“Who is this?” Sheryl asked.

“Ooo which gun do you have out this time? Ah, the German.” The voice chuckled. “You always did love that one. What was the reason you gave me? Ah yes, “The heat of battle has made it fit my hand like a glove.” You are such a naughty girl when you bring that one out to play.”

Sheryl’s gaze fluttered over the street and the buildings that could see directly into her room.

“Who are you?” Sheryl demanded.

“You must have stayed with MI6 a lot longer than I thought, Ms. Holmes. Your every move screams agent.”

So let’s break this second draft example of mine where I focused solely on details and pacing. First of all, actions hinted to only a section of the setting while dialogue gives the missing pieces of information. Not only that, it gives readers a suggestion that they can imagine. I could have written, “well used gun” instead of merely saying gun but the extra mention by the mystery caller gives the information that 1. Sheryl is used to her firearm 2. That she’s comfortable holding it and 3. The wear patterns on the gun fit her grip which means many-many hours and years of use. By having the mystery caller comment on Sheryl’s agent-like movements, I spared myself going into details that would have taken away from the suspense that someone had broken into her home to leave a message then decided to call her. Every viewer of crime and mystery have a different idea on what stealth looks like, best to let them conclude what the motions are instead of giving it as a play-by-play.

So in summary, detailed writing is not giving a play-by-play of what is happening in the setting. Detailed writing is slipping in texture and depth where it’s needed.

So play around with details. You can’t go wrong with them.

Next up: Realism (Ann’s writing foundation #2)

Fantasy Exercises

You can read “how to write – blank –” books until the end of the world and still feel self-conscious and unprepared to start your page one. So let’s remedy that with a few exercises. You can use an original idea or even fan fiction so you have full permission to got nuts.

Let’s start out with three prompts. You can write as many or as few words/pages as you want so long as you complete the idea. Or (if you know it’s going to be a large idea) you can write the pitch summary.

(Small reminder: a character who doesn’t have a challenge to over come is a shallow one. Said challenge doesn’t have to be huge, but it should be there even if you’re writing a one-page story.)

Since a majority of fantasy involves fantasy and creatures, I’m going to start with those prompts.

#1. Magic and/or magical creature (elf, orc, dwarf, ect.) is suddenly thrust into a contemporary setting.

#2. Magic and/or magical creature in the medieval setting we’re used to seeing but magic has to be hidden.

#3. Magic and/or magical creature in any other period of time (Roman Empire, Dark Ages, WWII, WWI, Victorian, ect.)

Stumped? That’s part of why we writers take prompts. Prompts get writers unstuck when writing or merely keeps up on our toes.  Prompts also help writers stay away from the genre clichés that have formed over the past century. Yes, we’re used to seeing fantasy worlds with a medieval feel but your readers may not welcome that cliché with open arms. By combined an original story idea with a prompt – such as science and magic sharing the same world or magic setting in any era that is not medieval – we’re both reviving the fantasy genre for a new generation of readers and creating an original that cannot be seen as Tolkin fan fiction or an oddity that gets question marks followed by squeals of delight as reviews.

Another side of fantasy writing is world building. Taking prompts while world building can fill a loophole in your universe that fans may have pulled apart or you cringe over when writing a sequel. Here are a few things to think of when taking a world building prompt:

1.     What is the Earth culture that inspires the fantasy culture you’re writing?

1.2  – What are their weakness(es)? Is there inspiration/technologies you can take from another culture?

2.     If you made one change, like make the social system a limited monarchy instead of absolute monarchy or even a democracy, would that make things easier or harder for your character?
2.2 What are the social challenges your character(s) have? Likewise, what are the social expectations of their position? Does it show visibly or in their mannerisms?

3.     What are the resources of this world? Label them and number the quantities. Would your figures cause wars? If so, who would be fighting who?

The above is three weak points that I have seen a lot in fantasy fiction, even in my really old never-will-see-the-light-of-day writings. Once you write the details of your world down in your author’s notes, the idea is to go through it with a fine comb. You want to find the strengths and weaknesses. Find the gray areas that could be future problems so you can research the dull pallor out of the story.

You want the story to be stable but unique. Stable makes every reader and critic happy, unique makes people want to keep reading after page five or ten.

On a closing note, study the masters of fantasy. Listen to review podcasts of fantasy movies, learn what works and what are on the “thou shall never do again” lists. Maybe even spend some time on Youtube learning some little known facts on fantasy and the authors of fantasy. Have conversations about the genre with other writers.

We can only learn from the best. However, that doesn’t mean we have to use all of their writings as a goal. Studying the masters means that we’re seeing what worked and what fans say didn’t work. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to make ourselves an exact copy of them. Developing a style takes time, studying what has worked in the past just speeds up the creation process of your own story voice.

Next up: Details writing (Ann’s writing foundation #1)

The #1 Fantasy Writing Tip

Last time I gave my lifeline for writing fantasy, today is my #1 tip for how to write and survive writing a fantasy story. Well in reality it is five tips that are summarized with one phrase:

Get Organized.

Wait, that’s not a writing tip.

Actually, yes it is. When writing fantasy you need to write author’s notes. If you don’t write author’s notes there are inconsistencies, and a book riddled with inconsistencies isn’t going to be a best seller. Tip: readers hate inconsistencies. If a book has too many inconsistencies, there is a 95% chance the book will be tossed or returned.

Also, when you write these things down before the first draft, you will save yourself grief during the rewrites and editing. Author Notes is your story’s bible. It will keep you on track and helps you catch your loophole writing (AKA sections in the story’s plot where it is weak or moments you missed writing that is mentioned in a scene).

So what are the author’s notes categories one needs when writing fantasy?

 1.   Notes about the fictional world. 

  2. Magic rules.

  3. The world’s history.

  4. Weapons list.      

  5. Languages.

  6. The world’s cultures (sub folder for each culture’s background, weapons, language, architecture, style of clothing, society, people’s appearance, and an inspiration dump of what the landscape looks like). 

   And 7. The rules of the society your protagonist comes from.

Do you need all of these? Maybe not but if a book is a part of a series, you will need all of the above in your notes. I can list on my hands the number of projects I had to scrap because I didn’t do my AN while writing fantasy. World building is the major thing when writing fantasy even when writing a contemporary piece. A world is built with culture and rules; to not develop those key things makes the foundation of a story weak. If you write the pros and cons to the world you’re going to be writing in, you not only save time but you save yourself from writing a document that an editor, proofreader, and betas hate.

Next Time: Fantasy Exercises…

The Grad Life

So yay I’ve been a grad for almost three months. Boo to the fact that life has me busy and such though.

Things I’ve noticed since graduation:

1. I love my internship at the magazine more now that I have extra time to write articles. (Wasn’t aware of that? Here’s a link to the articles I’ve done.)

2. There are going to be months in the future where working your butt off is for a paycheck around $100. (No, not fair but it’s better than nothing.)

3. I’m more thankful for that Accounting 101 class. Also, I am really glad that business math is the one thing that doesn’t make me confused out of my mind. (Says a person who is near tears when a decimal or fraction problem is part of homework.)

4. Ebay is my best friend during spring-cleaning.

5. The count down on my education contract is leaving me panicked – and therefore grabbing every freelance job I can get a grasp on so my self-employment counts as legitimate work in the funder’s eyes. (And therefore I’m not stuck with a job that feels like making a deal with the devil.)

Since graduation I’ve managed to get one more book published (you can find it here), taught two classes on essential oils, and got around to start writing that cookbook I keep saying I’ll write. Just being able to write and catch up on neglected fixes is what I’m enjoying about being a grad. Plus there’s been time to get reacquainted with sketching, crafting, sewing, and a handful of other things. (Some of which are going to be in a shop soon.) Nothing is normally ideal but the pace of life at the moment has me content and ready to dive back into blogging.

I’m once again stricken with the “I have too many ideas” syndrome so bear with me as I work on them. While I work on getting the next few posts ready you can catch up on the blog-a-books or see what I’ve been up to on Tumblr or even on the internship.

By the way, here’s a short list of in the works projects that are on the publishing list for the summer.

S. Holmes I (You can still read the second draft here.)

Magic Antics – book #3 in the Fae Favors arc.

Mythology Sequels – A series of tales inspired by the idea of ancient gods and goddesses coping in the modern era. Number one in the series is called Last Chance, featuring an escaped Loki and Sigyn’s reincarnated form.

And coming Winter of 2015: The Child Who Feared Santa – a revised version of a short I did a few years back with some illustrations to make it into a children’s book.

Keep an eye out. This summer and autumn is going to be a busy one with publishing and art.