If anyone had been watching the ticker, that person might have noticed that I'm less than 400 words from my goal of completing a 75,000 word (roughly 300 page) novel. Less than 400 words! Isn't that awesome? Well...no. It's not. Because I'm not even close to finished. In fact, I'm just now getting to the good parts. Ugh. I'd reset the ticker, but it seems kind of pointless since I have no idea how many more words the damned thing is going to take. I think I'll just leave it there to remind myself that I once managed to write over sixty thousand words of story in just over a month. That's a motivator.
Of course, 75,000 words of unfinished story doesn't get anyone anywhere. So, I'm going to go write some epic battle scenes with maybe a little foolin' around thrown in for good measure. That ought to do it. I think.
Stay tuned.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Story Spin: or Why I Think It's Okay That Bella Swan Is Really Molly Ringwald
I'm at a point in my story that I'm told all writers reach: the point where I think my story is the most stupid, derivative story ever written. I keep looking at it thinking, "That's been done, and it's been done much better than I'm doing it." It's not that I think I'm copy-catting or anything. I'm not a plagiarist. But I look at certain points in my story and they remind me of others, at least their themes do. It's frustrating. I'm trying to be original over here, and I'm failing.
Which is when I have to remind myself that there are no new ideas, only variations on old ones. That's what got me to thinking about the biggest example out there right now: Twilight. No, I'm not talking about the fact that vampires have been done to death. Or near death. Undeath. Whatever. I'm not talking about that part. I'm talking about the root of it, the love story. Because, vampires and pseudo-werewolves notwithstanding, that's what it is, and there is nothing orignal about it at all. It's already been done. In the 1980s, we called it "Pretty in Pink."
Now, before all you Twihards go flaming the shit out of my comments section (yes, I know I don't have that many readers -- don't spit on my dream), I'd like to say that I have both read and enjoyed the books. And before all you writers get all up in my business, yes I recognize that she's inconsistent, uses repetitive language, and adverbs the hell out of her dialogue tags. I don't care; the books were fun. (Although, I would like to go through her computer's dictionary and remove the words wry, wistful, smug, mutter, and murmur -- but that's just me.) Anyway...
Like I said, it's "Pretty in Pink." We've got Bella as the working-class girl who doesn't think she's good enough or pretty enough to get and keep the guy. We've got Edward as the hot richie with the expensive car and the dream house who loathes himself and is trying to grab hold of some redemption by dating someone whom he believes is inherently better than him. Hell, we even have James Spader and his minions (the Volturi) letting our loverboy know that she's not part of their crowd and that if he doesn't squash her, they will. All we need is Jacob stopping by Newton's to tell Mike's mom about how when he really likes a girl, he'll ride by her house on his bike, like a hundred times in a day! You get the point, same story. We've heard it all before. And yet, it's huge. People can't get enough. Why? Part of it is because romance is timeless. Part of it is because Rob Pattinson has a million-dollar smile and piano hands. Most of it is because of the spin.
Spin -- as I'm defining it for my little purposes in my own little world -- is the details. It's the characters, how likeable or hateable or compelling they are. It's the setting, and how much the reader feels at home there. It's the myth you create that's yours alone. It's the courage to say your vampires don't go out in the sun, not because they'll burn to death, but because they sparkle. And I know she's caught a world of crap for that one, but it takes courage and imagination to break from something so deep-rooted as vampire mythology to create your own variation on the theme. It's what makes you unique, and it's what makes your story worthwhile -- even if it's been done to death. The devil is in the details, but so is the divine.
So it's okay that my heroes have rescued before, my villains have been evil elsewhere, and my lovers have already loved. They'll do it again, damn it, because I'm going to make them. Though, they may be a little dizzy from the spinning.
Which is when I have to remind myself that there are no new ideas, only variations on old ones. That's what got me to thinking about the biggest example out there right now: Twilight. No, I'm not talking about the fact that vampires have been done to death. Or near death. Undeath. Whatever. I'm not talking about that part. I'm talking about the root of it, the love story. Because, vampires and pseudo-werewolves notwithstanding, that's what it is, and there is nothing orignal about it at all. It's already been done. In the 1980s, we called it "Pretty in Pink."
Now, before all you Twihards go flaming the shit out of my comments section (yes, I know I don't have that many readers -- don't spit on my dream), I'd like to say that I have both read and enjoyed the books. And before all you writers get all up in my business, yes I recognize that she's inconsistent, uses repetitive language, and adverbs the hell out of her dialogue tags. I don't care; the books were fun. (Although, I would like to go through her computer's dictionary and remove the words wry, wistful, smug, mutter, and murmur -- but that's just me.) Anyway...
Like I said, it's "Pretty in Pink." We've got Bella as the working-class girl who doesn't think she's good enough or pretty enough to get and keep the guy. We've got Edward as the hot richie with the expensive car and the dream house who loathes himself and is trying to grab hold of some redemption by dating someone whom he believes is inherently better than him. Hell, we even have James Spader and his minions (the Volturi) letting our loverboy know that she's not part of their crowd and that if he doesn't squash her, they will. All we need is Jacob stopping by Newton's to tell Mike's mom about how when he really likes a girl, he'll ride by her house on his bike, like a hundred times in a day! You get the point, same story. We've heard it all before. And yet, it's huge. People can't get enough. Why? Part of it is because romance is timeless. Part of it is because Rob Pattinson has a million-dollar smile and piano hands. Most of it is because of the spin.
Spin -- as I'm defining it for my little purposes in my own little world -- is the details. It's the characters, how likeable or hateable or compelling they are. It's the setting, and how much the reader feels at home there. It's the myth you create that's yours alone. It's the courage to say your vampires don't go out in the sun, not because they'll burn to death, but because they sparkle. And I know she's caught a world of crap for that one, but it takes courage and imagination to break from something so deep-rooted as vampire mythology to create your own variation on the theme. It's what makes you unique, and it's what makes your story worthwhile -- even if it's been done to death. The devil is in the details, but so is the divine.
So it's okay that my heroes have rescued before, my villains have been evil elsewhere, and my lovers have already loved. They'll do it again, damn it, because I'm going to make them. Though, they may be a little dizzy from the spinning.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Let's Hear It For Solitude!
This was a good weekend for me. I got out of the house. Multiple times. Alone.
As it says in my profile, I'm a SAHM of four kids, so this is a rare thing for me. Most of what I do, I do with a kid-shaped appendage hanging off of me somewhere. But every now and then I get the opportunity to get out alone. And when I get those opportunities, Magnum -- who is awesome -- says, "Go."
Saturday was good. I got to go to a quilt show by myself. I was attempting to meet up with a friend, but our schedules ended up conflicting and we missed each other. Despite that, I had a nice afternoon. Sunday, we got a babysitter and I dragged Magnum to yet another quilt show, then he dragged me to a gun shop, then we went out and ate copious amounts of fatty foods and all and sundry were happy. Unless I'm trying to work, this is an ideal day for me.
For work -- by which I mean writing -- Friday was the best. My laptop and I took a trip to Starbucks. Once there, we sat in a corner with a mocha latte and a cinnamon scone and I typed and typed until I could no longer put off going home or being thrown out for closing time. I love those times. I don't get them here with the kids running around. They have questions and needs and fights, and I need to pay attention to them while trying to sneak my story in around them. Right now, I'm typing this entry with a View Master being held in front of my eyes. And while I do, in fact, spy the letter J and the picture of a Jack, this ain't easy. I usually end up writing well into the night, because that's the only time it's quiet in the house. Which, of course, means I'm ignoring Magnum. He doesn't complain, really. As I said, he's awesome. But I'd love to find a way to do all of it without ignoring anybody. Short of prolonged exposure to Kryptonite, I haven't had any ideas.
Does anyone have any suggestions? How do all you writerly types (I know some of you lurk here) organize and conquer? Please share.
As it says in my profile, I'm a SAHM of four kids, so this is a rare thing for me. Most of what I do, I do with a kid-shaped appendage hanging off of me somewhere. But every now and then I get the opportunity to get out alone. And when I get those opportunities, Magnum -- who is awesome -- says, "Go."
Saturday was good. I got to go to a quilt show by myself. I was attempting to meet up with a friend, but our schedules ended up conflicting and we missed each other. Despite that, I had a nice afternoon. Sunday, we got a babysitter and I dragged Magnum to yet another quilt show, then he dragged me to a gun shop, then we went out and ate copious amounts of fatty foods and all and sundry were happy. Unless I'm trying to work, this is an ideal day for me.
For work -- by which I mean writing -- Friday was the best. My laptop and I took a trip to Starbucks. Once there, we sat in a corner with a mocha latte and a cinnamon scone and I typed and typed until I could no longer put off going home or being thrown out for closing time. I love those times. I don't get them here with the kids running around. They have questions and needs and fights, and I need to pay attention to them while trying to sneak my story in around them. Right now, I'm typing this entry with a View Master being held in front of my eyes. And while I do, in fact, spy the letter J and the picture of a Jack, this ain't easy. I usually end up writing well into the night, because that's the only time it's quiet in the house. Which, of course, means I'm ignoring Magnum. He doesn't complain, really. As I said, he's awesome. But I'd love to find a way to do all of it without ignoring anybody. Short of prolonged exposure to Kryptonite, I haven't had any ideas.
Does anyone have any suggestions? How do all you writerly types (I know some of you lurk here) organize and conquer? Please share.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Firing Squad
These past two weeks have been abyssmal as far as this lovely project goes. I have fallen so far behind on everything. Everything. Housework, writing, quilting, laundry -- damn you laundry, you will be the death of me -- all lie undone on every available surface. I need a jolt, folks. It's like my laziness gene was tired of being neglected and is now holding my motivational genes hostage, hands tied behind their backs, duct tape on their mouths, staring down the barrel of a Browning M2. I think laziness may shoot them out of spite. How the hell do I disarm him?
I'm trying to figure out a way to kick myself in the ass, but I haven't been exercising, either, so I'd probably pull a hamstring or something and then end up further behind than I already am.
Looks like I'm going to have to go at this the old fashioned way -- little by little. Damn it. If anyone has anything special they do to motivate themselves, please share. I'm all ears. Don't let the motivational genes die while they're still so young and innocent.
I'm trying to figure out a way to kick myself in the ass, but I haven't been exercising, either, so I'd probably pull a hamstring or something and then end up further behind than I already am.
Looks like I'm going to have to go at this the old fashioned way -- little by little. Damn it. If anyone has anything special they do to motivate themselves, please share. I'm all ears. Don't let the motivational genes die while they're still so young and innocent.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Playlist
I've noted here in the past that I'm new to all this writing stuff, meaning I've not been educated in the field, nor have I ever seriously given it a go. As a result, I'm often scouring the internet in search of the education I should have gotten in the first place. Occasionally, a piece of advice, that's new to me but old to everyone else in the writing world, pops up and I think, "Why not?" One of those things came up a while ago on several blogs I frequent and I dismissed it. Until I got stuck.
The suggestion is to make a playlist for your work, gathering together songs that evoke the mood or theme of the story, or songs that embody your characters, or both, if it suits you.
While this is something that I mentally do out of habit for any book I'm reading, I shied away from doing it for my own work. I don't know why. But recently, I got stuck and thought -- what the hell? Couldn't hurt.
So I made one. And it worked. It worked much better than I thought it would, not just because it helped me to flesh out my issues and keep the mood and tone I was going for, but because it's now acting as a trigger. I sit, I put my headphones on, I turn on the playlist, and I'm in the story. It's fantastic. I'd kick myself for not doing it sooner if I could lift my leg high enough.
Anyway, in the interest of sharing, here's some of the playlist for my WIP:
Blackbird by Alter Bridge
Another Girl's Paradise by Tori Amos
Street Spirit and Where I End and You Begin by Radiohead
Lexington by Chiodos
Underneath the Stars by The Cure
Soul and Any Man by Rocco Deluca and The Burden
Good Night, Travel Well by The Killers
Twinstar by Veruca Salt (Can't find a good link for this one)
No One's Gonna Love You and Detlef Schrempf by Band of Horses
Sleeping With Giants and You Might Have Noticed (no good link for this one, either) by The Academy Is...
There are more, but this is getting to be a long list and I've hit the central themes already, so I'll stop there. Links will take you off site. Enjoy.
The suggestion is to make a playlist for your work, gathering together songs that evoke the mood or theme of the story, or songs that embody your characters, or both, if it suits you.
While this is something that I mentally do out of habit for any book I'm reading, I shied away from doing it for my own work. I don't know why. But recently, I got stuck and thought -- what the hell? Couldn't hurt.
So I made one. And it worked. It worked much better than I thought it would, not just because it helped me to flesh out my issues and keep the mood and tone I was going for, but because it's now acting as a trigger. I sit, I put my headphones on, I turn on the playlist, and I'm in the story. It's fantastic. I'd kick myself for not doing it sooner if I could lift my leg high enough.
Anyway, in the interest of sharing, here's some of the playlist for my WIP:
Blackbird by Alter Bridge
Another Girl's Paradise by Tori Amos
Street Spirit and Where I End and You Begin by Radiohead
Lexington by Chiodos
Underneath the Stars by The Cure
Soul and Any Man by Rocco Deluca and The Burden
Good Night, Travel Well by The Killers
Twinstar by Veruca Salt (Can't find a good link for this one)
No One's Gonna Love You and Detlef Schrempf by Band of Horses
Sleeping With Giants and You Might Have Noticed (no good link for this one, either) by The Academy Is...
There are more, but this is getting to be a long list and I've hit the central themes already, so I'll stop there. Links will take you off site. Enjoy.
Monday, May 3, 2010
What's It's All About
Yesterday, we had a party here. It wasn't big, just an early Mother's Day with DH's family. (You know what? I've just decided, from now on, we're going to call DH "Magnum." He'll be thrilled.) Over the course of the afternoon, Magnum mentioned that while he had been in the basement doing something, I had been upstairs writing. An innocent enough comment that would normally have passed without remark. Except his family didn't know that I write. The conversation that followed went like this:
THEM: What were you writing?
ME: A book.
THEM: You're writing a book?
ME (ignoring the looks I was getting): Sure. Why not?
THEM: Well, what's it about?
Ahhh...here's where it gets dicey. I'm having trouble describing my storyline. It's fantasy, you see, so everytime I say it out loud, I feel like a slightly larger ass than I did the last time I tried to describe it. On paper, it looks great -- well, to me it does. But when it comes to having to say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. It worries me. If all goes well, I'm going to try to sell this one day. How the hell am I supposed to do that if I can't accurately describe what the story is about? Ugh. I suppose that's a problem for another day. Maybe it'll get easier when I'm finished. Maybe I'm having trouble because I can't synopsize a work in progress. Maybe I'm just a huge idiot with a dumb idea. Regardless, I'm going to ignore that last one and go on as if I never thought it so I can finish the damned thing. And when someone asks me what it's all about, I'm going to change my answer to, "I'm not telling." They can buy the book.
THEM: What were you writing?
ME: A book.
THEM: You're writing a book?
ME (ignoring the looks I was getting): Sure. Why not?
THEM: Well, what's it about?
Ahhh...here's where it gets dicey. I'm having trouble describing my storyline. It's fantasy, you see, so everytime I say it out loud, I feel like a slightly larger ass than I did the last time I tried to describe it. On paper, it looks great -- well, to me it does. But when it comes to having to say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. It worries me. If all goes well, I'm going to try to sell this one day. How the hell am I supposed to do that if I can't accurately describe what the story is about? Ugh. I suppose that's a problem for another day. Maybe it'll get easier when I'm finished. Maybe I'm having trouble because I can't synopsize a work in progress. Maybe I'm just a huge idiot with a dumb idea. Regardless, I'm going to ignore that last one and go on as if I never thought it so I can finish the damned thing. And when someone asks me what it's all about, I'm going to change my answer to, "I'm not telling." They can buy the book.
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