Fairies, Fantasy, and Faith

Something fun

2012-01-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

hey FFFers - here's a fun thing: http://thebestsellercode.com/

It tells compares your writing to established authors and scores you 0-20 on if your writing is strong enough to be considered "best-selling."

I entered the beginning of chapter one of Fairyeater and scored a 14.1. Pretty good. Then I did the beginning of chapter two and scored a 3.4. YIKES! And an editor told me chapter two was stronger than chapter one. HA!

So, try it and see what you think. It's just for fun. I'll get back to writing posts when things have settled down here. My husband was dianosed with Bell's Palsy on Sat. night and we're a bit weary at the moment.

Happy Testing!

Examples of Great World Building

2012-01-12T10:16:00.000-05:00

hey FFFers - hope you had a good Christmas and a great start to 2012.

Over the Christmas break, I read three books I received for Christmas. You are probably familiar with them: THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

WOW.

If you can handle the violence, these books are an incredible example of world building. The setting is earth, North America, and post-apocalyptic. It's a perfect example of how the setting compliments the characters and the story arc.

If you've read these books, chime in and let me know how you liked them, but don't give anything away.

World Building part four

2011-12-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

Sienna had a great question: Do you have any tips for creating a very different world without having to spend pages and pages on description?

The first thing is to know you don't have to describe EVERYTHING all at once. How your characters interact with the setting is key.

Here is part of a writing exercise from my notes on my new fantasy novel, Koda's Quest. It's about setting:

A character we often forget is the setting. The setting brings the character into the story. Have something specific in mind. Choose carefully. It’s part of the hero’s hidden need. It can lend itself to natural symbolism.

What is the specific setting for Koda’s Quest?
"The Mirasol Valley in the middle of the Blacktooth Mountains where the Stone Kings stand guard."

Is it Koda’s ally or enemy? "Both"

Write a quick paragraph where Koda expresses his feelings about the setting.

Koda stared up at the Stone Kings. Karack, the taller of the two, faced direct south. Anar stood gazing to the east. Koda never got tired of their solemn expressions or wondering what their last thoughts were before the magic transformed them from flesh and blood to solid rock.
“Someday, I’m going to climb you,” he whispered.
The breeze seemed to whisk his words away as a flock of crows rose from the sunflower fields. The sun shone heavy on his head, but he shivered as the caustic cries of the black birds followed them out of the valley.

Do his feelings change in the course of the story? Why or why not? "No, they do not change because his destiny is so linked to saving his world."

Find one symbol inherent to the place that could point Koda to his hidden need. "Karack, though bigger, is crumbling more rapidly than Anar. Anar is less important in everyone’s mind, but it is really because of him that Karack can be strong. Koda will find out he needs others to help him be strong."

Can Koda come upon this during the course of the story? "Yes, in the caves Koda finds a journal. It belonged to King Karack. In it, Karack writes about his need for Anar."

Is this the right setting for the book? "Yes!"

Now, you interject your book and characters in the questions and see what you come up with.

Remember, the setting is also a character. We can come to know it a little at a time, just like the living characters in the story.

World Building - part three

2011-11-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Let's talk about SETTING.

When writing fantasy, you need to decide how different your world is from the contemporary world. Some fantasies are Earth-based, with all the rules of Earth, like gravity. Some fantasy worlds are slightly different. Some are radically different. When choosing your fantasy world, you’ll want to be careful you don’t slip into sci-fi.

Earth-based: the rules of gravity apply, one sun, one moon, weather patterns are similar, north is cold, south is hot, geography/plant life similar.

Earth-like: the rules of gravity apply, one or more suns/moons, weather similar, geography similar, plant life can be similar but maybe with different qualities. If you are using this setting, make sure you have a few things that keep it from being too close to Earth-based.

UnEarth-like: anything goes, although you don’t want space ships or other technology that would make it feel like science fiction.

Remember, your setting is a character in your story. Don't be afraid to put as much research and development into the setting as you do your characters. The setting can enhance the story, add to the tension, and help the protagonist. As you write, ask yourself if you chose the right setting for your hero as well as the story.

Your thoughts? Need help with your setting? Let's talk!

World Building part two

2011-11-09T06:56:00.000-05:00

WORLD BUILDING BASICS
*Know the rules of your world. You need limitations – but not too many.
*Be specific with your descriptions
*Plant seeds from the beginning
*Make sure knowledge is natural to your character
*Avoid awkward dialog that doesn’t match your world
*Learn the basic craft of writing

Let's break this down and talk about them one at a time. Rules: when I say know the rules of your world, what do I mean? Think about our Earth - the sky is up, the ground is down. There's atmosphere that holds the air we breathe. The sky is blue because of how the sunlight refracts through the atmosphere. There are clouds that bring rain. Storm fronts, cold fronts, warm fronts - these all cause the air to move, sometimes violently. We have gravity. We have one sun and one moon. The Earth spins, giving us day and night. The Earth also tilts, giving us the seasons.

What are the rules of your world? Fantasy and SciFi allow our imaginations to run wild, but the world HAS to fit the story. Is your world radically different from Earth? That's fine, but it still has to be natural and you must keep your rules in mind as you're writing. Be consistent. If you aren't, you'll jerk your reader clean out of your story. And they won't believe you anymore.

Being specific with description: Does this mean you need to set up a couple of pages of description? No, of course not. But you can weave in the "rules" of your world within the action and dialog of the story. Remember, if your world is strangely different from Earth, it's normal for your characters. And you don't have to give every detail - allow for the imagination of the reader. This pulls the reader in and makes them part of the story. We all love it when that happens, don't we?

Dialog that fits your world: is your world futuristic or historical? In Fairyeater, my world is Earth-like except for the three moons. There is no modern conveniences like electricity or machines. The people are simple peasant folk, so their language is simple.

Learn the craft: this barely needs mentioning, but I'm going to say it anyway. It takes more than a good idea to write a great book; there's a craft to it. One of the best books I've read on writing a novel is "Stein on Writing" by Sol Stein. Now, he's not a Christian, so his examples are not always the best for young writers. For you teen writers, I recommend "Seize the Story" by Victoria Hanley.

Get a good book on the craft and learn it. Once you've mastered the craft of writing, you can creatively break the rules. But you don't have to. What does your story require? What does your world require? Only you can determine that.

Share your world with us. I love hearing what you're doing.

World Building, part one

2011-11-03T08:12:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers - sorry for the silence. Life has been hectic. Let's get back to talking about fantasy writing. Some of you have sat in my workshop "We're Not In Kansas Anymore." I'm going to use that format here.

Fantasy stories don't only include fairies, elves, dwarves, etc. and magical elements, it also needs a special setting, even if you are writing contemporary fantasy like urban fantasy. When you are developing your characters, don't forget your setting. It's also a character and can add or take away from the action/plot.

First, let's look at the different types of fantasy. This will help you know what you're writing and what kind of world to start building.

• High fantasy
• Urban fantasy
• Steam punk
• Magical realism
• Portal worlds
• Dystopia
• Paranormal

High Fantasy – usually a world other than our Earth. Example: The Lord of the Rings, or The Elfstones of Shannara. It typically includes the usual gang of fantasy characters; dwarves, elves, fairies, etc.

Urban Fantasy (or contemporary fantasy) – kind of a merging with sci-fi, but with definite fantasy elements. Similar to Paranormal, sometimes merging the two. Example: Harry Potter

Steam Punk (trendy historical fantasy) – like Victorian England with certain technologies. A couple of examples are: Around the World in 80 Days, or A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Magical Realism – set in the real world with fantasy elements. Examples: Mudville, Faerie Rebels

Portal Worlds – our world with a portal to another world. Example: Artemis Fowl

Dystopia – post apocalyptic. Example: Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, Bones of Faerie

Paranormal – can be set in the real world with fantasy elements. Similar to Urban Fantasy, but with more of a gothic feel. Example: Twilight

What is the difference between fantasy and contemporary? How did Dorothy know she wasn’t in Kansas anymore?

Your world and characters are what makes the reader know it’s fantasy.

So, let's identify what we're writing before we go on. We've touched on this before, but it's good to refresh. I'll get us started: I am writing high fantasy right now. I have a series I started years ago that was more urban fantasy with a portal world twist. I've left it go for now - it was more of a "practice novel" for me, but maybe someday I'll be able to revise it.

So, let's hear what you're working on!

Two Incredible YA Fantasy Novels

2011-10-14T09:07:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers - I want to share two YA fantasy novels with you and encourage you to get them and read them.

Bones of Faerie and Faerie Winter by Janni Lee Simner

WOW.

They are post-apocalyptic, but not in the way you would think. They are set after a War between humans and faerie folk. The world building is incredible, the characters are alive, interesting and diverse. The plot is unique and the endings satisfying. I read both without editing in my head and felt frustrated when I had to put them down.

Here is a sample from the beginning of Bones of Faerie:

I had a sister once. She was a beautiful baby, eyes silver as moonlight off the river at night. From the hour of her birth she was long-limbed and graceful, faerie-pale hair clear as glass from Before, so pale you could almost see through to the soft skin beneath.

My father was a sensible man. He set her out on the hillside that very night, though my mother wept and even old Jayce argued against it. "If the faerie folk want her, let them take her," Father said. "If not, the fault's theirs for not claiming one of their own." He left my sister, and he never looked back.

I did. I crept out before dawn to see whether the faeries had really come. They hadn't, but some wild creature had. One glance was all I could take. I turned and ran for home, telling no one where I'd been.

We were lucky that time, I knew. I'd heard tales of a woman who bore a child with a voice high and sweet as a bird's song - and with sharp claws to match. No one questioned that baby's father when he set the child out to die, far from town, far from where his wife lay dying, her insides torn and bleeding.

Magic was never meant for our world, Father said, and of course I'd agreed, though the War had ended and the faerie folk returned to their own places before I was born. If only they'd never stirred from those places - but it was no use thinking that way.

Besides, I'd heard often enough that our town did better than most. We knew the rules. Don't touch any stone that glows with faerie light, or that light will burn you fiercer than any fire. Don't venture out alone into the dark, or the darkness will swallow you whole. And cast out the magic born among you, before it can turn on its parents.

Towns had died for not understanding that much. My father was a sensible man.

But the memory of my sister's bones, cracked and bloody in the moonlight, haunts me still.

Tempted? I bet you are. I hope you'll get these books and read them. What struck me most was the world the author built, so our next topic will be world-building. Be thinking about that until next time!

Pekazoid Prophets

2011-10-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

Did the title get your attention? It has a fantasy sound to it, huh? Pekazoid Prophets is a brand new writers group for authors who write for kids: picture books, middle grade and young adult, any genre. We kicked it off at the Glen Eyrie conference in September.

Pekazoid Prophets is a Christian group of children's authors who want to better themselves in the craft, be mentored and interact with other children's authors. We have a website and three yahoo groups; one for picture books, one for tweens and one for teens. I am moderating the picture book group.

Here's the deal; anyone can join for a small fee. You'll need to submit a writing sample for evaluation. You'll be placed in the appropriate mentoring group where you'll learn more about writing for the age group you're working in.

As things progress, we will change according to what the group needs. The Glen Eyrie Writing for the Ages conference went well. Next year's dates are Oct. 14th-17th, and I believe there will be a fantasy track. We are hoping to have a conference on the East Coast in 2013. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, check out the website: http://www.pekazoidprophets.org/

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Glen Eyrie Report

2011-09-23T17:32:00.000-04:00

Hey FFFers - I had an amazing time at the Glen Eyrie Writing for the Ages conference. Here's my report:

I went to work on Koda's Quest, learn some stuff, make some friends and get excited about writing again. I did all those things, BUT, here's the big thing: at lunch one afternoon, we were talking about being honest in our writing and I brought up the book idea I have on being the parent of a special needs child. Kathleen Kerr (past editor at Zonderkidz and how with Harvest House) said, "You HAVE to write this book! And you HAVE to send it to me!" I told her Steve Lawson suggested partnering with Joni and Friends, and Kathleen said Harvest House partners with Joni and Friends on certain projects!! I almost couldn't breathe. And while I did the homework Kathleen gave us in the YA class on characters (for Koda's Quest), I will not be diving into that right away. I'll be working on three chapters and an outline for my nonfiction book. Even when we were saying goodbye, she reminded me to send her the proposal.

I took lots and lots of pictures and will be working on an album on Facebook when I get them off the camera and on to my computer. The grounds are amazing and the gardens are tended by volunteers! I met one lady who has been working on the gardens for 13 years! I'll work to get some more fantasy pics posted here, too.

The food was delicious, the accomodations comfortable, the people so friendly and the faculty marvelous! Nancy Rue, who has been my mentor for 10 years, was the director and she never once separated herself from the conferees. I'm hoping the general session speakers were recorded because I would love, love, love to have a tape or CD of each. Jesse Florea was incredible, Bill Myers engaged us and made us laugh, Kathleen Kerr made us think - and cry - and Nancy was so eloquent and encouraging. I could have sat for hours listening to each one. I did my best taking notes, but I couldn't really capture it all.

We played kids' games the first night. In my group, I won the spitball contest. HA! And another night, I won the helium speaking contest. There was paper and markers on the tables where we could draw, doodle, scribble, whatever we wanted. We could rip the paper off and put more on and keep going. I'm not an artist, but I drew and colored two scenes from Koda's Quest. I took pictures of my drawings and also brought them home. The last night, we were entertained by an Improv Group. They were really good and we laughed and laughed.

We had the opportunity to submit 800 words for a "kids' critique" in picture books, tween or teen. The kids read our stuff and filled out a form. We received them back and were able to attend two panels - one tween and one teen - and we could ask the kids all sorts of questions, just not about our manuscripts. It was amazing. The kids were well spoken and totally honest. I asked one of the teen boys if he would read a book that had a girl as the main character and he said, sure, as long as she was good with a sword or bow and arrow. HA!! We could have sat and talked with the kids for hours. What great sports they were!

Every night, we were read a bedtime story by the faculty and had a nite-nite prayer. And we were back in our rooms by 830pm. My roommate and I got our jammies on, jumped into our beds and read until we fell asleep. It was glorious!!

They have a Prayer Walk, which I couldn't complete, but what I did spoke to me and helped me see God more clearly.

THANK YOU, Nancy Rue, for directing such a wonderful conference. I was blessed beyond words and can't wait to go back! You all need to seriously consider coming out next year if you are writing for kids. My understanding is they are going to add a fantasy track. Woo Hoo!! The dates are October 14th-17th. Be aware, though, the altitude is high and there was a lot of walking, at least on my part. I did not stay in the castle (too expensive) but that was an option. Less walking then, although it depends on where your class is being held. My poor East Coast lungs got a real workout. :)

I'll remind you when it gets closer.

What's in a Name?

2011-08-30T08:02:00.000-04:00

Okay - I got this cool idea from the topic on The Writer's View 2. We're talking about names there, so let's talk about them here. We write fantasy, so choosing names is a little more difficult than if we wrote contemporary, right?

Choosing names depends on the type of fantasy you're writing. If your story is contemporary with fantasy elements, you can pick regular names for your regular characters and fantasy names for your fantasy characters.

High fantasy is totally different. You want names that are solidly strange and fantasy sounding. Here is my favorite tool for fantasy names: http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/
It's called Fantasy Name Generator. Sometimes I use the names suggested and sometimes I use a varation. You are free to use the names on the site without worrying about copyright.

I have also used the Bible. There's a ton of fantasy sounding names in the Old Testament. In my new novel, Koda's Quest, I picked "Nekoda" from the Bible and am calling him, "Koda." It's easy to pronounce and I like it.

Names are important. Here's something fun. How many books/movies do we know simply by saying the name of the main character? Or the villain? Or a strong secondary? Here's a few to get you started (a couple may throw you):

Frodo
Buttercup
Anne Shirley
Luke (Luuuuuke! Use the force, Luuuuuke!) HA!!
Mia
Piggy
Tuck
Edward
Harry
Peter Parker
Clefspear

How many can you think of?
How do you choose the names of your characters?

Philly Conference Report

2011-08-24T09:44:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers! The Philly conference was really good this year. Everyone I talked to said they learned a lot and had great appointments. I enjoyed spending the day on Thursday with the teens. We started at 10am and finished up at 5:45pm. It was a long day, but everyone hung in there and we finished up with a great critique session.

I'm excited to report that an agent asked for the full manuscript of my fantasy novel, Fairyeater! I'm waiting to hear.

And an editor asked me to send three of my children's manuscripts. I'll be sending those in September after my illustrator friend gets her sketches done.

I was happy to meet Rachel Joy and see Elisabeth and Danielle again. Hi girls!!

So, what do you do when a conference is done and you've sent in the manuscripts an editor or agent has asked for? You start a new project! I'll be working on my next fantasy novel, Koda's Quest. I've had the prologue and first chapter done for a while now, but wasn't able to move on until I finished up some other things. And I'll be attending the Writing for the Ages conference at the Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs on Sept. 11-14th. Am totally looking forward to that! There's still time to register if you can make it. Check it out here: http://www.navigators.org/us/ministries/gleneyrie/retreats/cornerstone/writingfortheages

It's not a typical conference where editors and agents will be looking for submissions. It's more of a mentoring conference. There will be workshops, activities, and writing time. I can't wait to work on Koda's Quest. Imagine writing a fantasy novel in a castle near the Garden of the Gods! What could be better?

Let's share what we're working on before the next topic. I love to hear what you're doing!

It's Conference Time!

2011-08-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

Hey FFFers - I'm off to the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference tomorrow morning. I'll be teaching and taking appointments, as well as meeting with a couple of editors and an agent.

I'll give a full report when I get back. Then we'll get back to talking about writing fantasy.

If you want to come at the last minute, here are the details of the conference: www.writehisanswer.com/philadelphia

Handling a Critique or Edit

2011-07-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers - sorry for the long space inbewteen posts. I was cast in a show with our local summer theatre and that took up pretty much all of my brain space. :)

Rachel Joy asked about writing in first person. I will be having a guest blogger teach about that. She's great with first person. So, while I'm waiting to get her stuff, let's talk about how we handle being critiqued or edited.

It's not easy being critiqued. We love our stories, our characters, our words. It can feel like a personal attack when someone tells us it's not good enough or needs to be changes. As an author and a freelance editor, I see both sides. So, let's take a look.

Friends and family members are not the best ones to lean on for critique. As a reader, sure, you can run stuff past them, but for a real critique or edit, you need someone in the business. And you need to check them out thoroughly. Anyone can say they're an editor (that goes for agents, too.) On my website, I have recommendations from clients and anyone can contact these people to talk to them.

We have to find a balance of sticking up for our work and not holding on to it too tightly. When I suggest changes, I always give a reason and/or an example. Then the author can try both ways and see what works the best.

When you get an edit, I recommend reading through all the notes and then setting it aside for at least a day - a week is better - and then read it again with fresh eyes.

Please do not argue or get snarky with your editor. Most editors are reasonable people and if you are contracted with a publishing house, they are always willing to talk things out. If you can justify not making some changes, an editor will listen. But if you argue too much, you'll become known as an author who is not easy to work with. Editors know each other and they communicate. It's not as big a world as you may think.

When authors come to me, I tell them they don't have to make my changes. But my goal is to help make their manuscript the best it can be so their chances of getting picked up by a publishing house will be higher. Even if they choose to self publish, they still want their story to be the best it can be or the people who buy the book will not give it a good review on amazon. I don't know about you all, but I read people's reviews on amazon when I'm not sure about a book or item.

So, let's talk. Have you had an experience with an editor or critique group? How was it? How did you handle it?

And one more thing: the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference is August 10-13 this year and there's still time to register. The Teens Write day is Thursday, the 11th and we're going ALL DAY this year! It's going to be exhausting, but I think it's going to be great. Hope to see you there!

What's Next?

2011-07-01T08:42:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers - what do you want to talk about next? I know it's summer time and the livin' is easy, but for many of us, we get more writing done now. What are you working on that you need help with? Let me know and we'll brainstorm with you.

An Opportunity

2011-06-06T10:53:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers - here's an opportunity to send a submission to an agency that is usually closed to unsolicited stuff: http://www.nappaland.com/Literary/default.html

Go to the submissions page and follow the directions. They'll want just a query letter. If this is your first novel, make sure it's completed before submitting anything. Since it just started on June 1st and will be open until August 31st, let's talk about query letters.

What is a query letter? It is a one page letter that introduces your book idea and yourself. Think of it as your 30 second elevator pitch on paper. Here's a basic formula from novelist Marcus Sakey:

After a professional greeting (Mr. or Ms.), begin with a 1 - 2 line paragraph explaining that you are writing them because you know they represent X, and your book is similar.

Then, in 3 - 5 lines, sum up your story. Leave out the tangents, complications, minor characters, and themes. Remember, this is seduction. Focus on drama and stakes.

Here’s mine:
For Danny Carter, retired thief turned respectable businessman, a normal life sharing a Lincoln Park condo with his loving girlfriend seems like the ultimate score–until his former partner comes looking for him. A hardened killer fresh out of Stateville, his partner wants to kidnap the son of Danny’s millionaire boss, and he needs help to pull it off. Doing the job could cost Danny his career, his relationship, and his freedom.

Refusing could cost him his life.

Notice how I used only one name, and how I boiled the story down to its essense? The result is a brief summation that has some sex appeal.

In your next paragraph, spend 1 - 4 lines mentioning awards, previous publications, and nepotistic hookups. By the latter, I mean connections with authors, publishing folks, or the media. Is Stephen King your uncle? Did you work for Oprah? Put it in there. Also, if you have some experience that informed the book, consider including it. Be judicious here: if you’re hawking a mystery novel, by all means mention the fact that you are a police officer. If your character likes to cook and so do you, leave it out.

Finally, end with what in advertising is known as a call to action: “May I send you the finished manuscript?”

(Okay - that's a pretty good basic example. Personally, I always thank the agent for their time before I ask them if I can send the manuscript.)

Marcus goes on to explain an email query:

I recommend you query via email. There are a couple of reasons. First, e-queries are cheaper and faster and better for the environment. Second, you can include a little taste of your novel. Do it like this: “Page one of THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL follows. May I send you the finished manuscript?”

Then, after your name and contact info, paste in the first page or so of the novel. Do not attach it, as that will freak people out about viruses. Also, be sure to check your formatting, since email can screw that up, and manually insert line-breaks to double-space.

Finally, make sure that you end on a minor cliffhanger, something interesting.

The idea is simple. The agent has just read your brief and compelling query letter. They’re intrigued. It’s the easiest thing in the world to scroll down and read a little more — and then, because your first page is dynamite (right?), hopefully intrigued upshifts to excited. Simple as that.

Marcus ends up by saying a great query letter is not written in a day. Just like our manuscripts, it needs to be written and rewritten. We should have it critiqued and checked for anything that sticks out, like spelling or vague sentences. And it should reflect your writing style.

If you need some help with your story summation, post it in the comments and we'll help you with it.

Next time, we'll talk about one pages. That's kind of like a query letter, but you can be more artistic with it. If you're planning to attend a writer's conference, you'll want to have a one sheet with you.

Voice

2011-05-25T13:15:00.000-04:00

Voice is the last chapter in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King. I haven't gone through every page of the book with you, but touched on the highlights. It's worth purchasing for your writing library.

Here's a quote from the book: "A strong, distinctive, authoritative writing voice is something most fiction writers want - and something no editor or teacher can impart. There are, after all, no rules for writing like yourself. Voice is, however, something you can bring out in yourself. The trick is to not concentrate on it."

We all have unique experiences, lives, and personalities. This shapes and molds us into the people we are today. It's the same with voice. Voice is not how you talk. It's not style. It's your word choices, phrases and sentence composition. While your characters all need their own voices, your writing voice should still come out whether you are writing narrative, action or dialog. And the reader will have the feeling it was effortless on your part (which we know isn't true.)

Voice is developed by writing. Lots and lots of writing. When you begin to write, don't think too hard about how you want to say something. Just write it. A writing partner who is more experienced is a tremendous help.

Let's try something. I want you to write a sentence or two about someone walking in the rain. Let's see the difference in our voices. It will be fun.

On a business note: registration is open for the Greater Phila. Christian Writers Conference in August. I'm on faculty and am teaching the First Timers' Orientation and a workshop on The Hero's Journey for Teens Write. Check out the details here: www.writehisanswer.com/philadelphia

I look forward to seeing your sentences!

Life Break!

2011-05-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

My youngest daughter's (Mary) Senior Prom was last night. Just wanted to share it with you. I'll be posting a new topic next week!

Beats, Break Ups and Bothersome Words

2011-05-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

Hi FFFers - thanks for hanging in there with me. My youngest daughter, Mary, is an active senior in high school. That makes me a very busy mom! Besides concerts, activities, competitions, fundraisers and scholarship applications, we have also been busy with college registration and prep. She will be attending Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY, for Film Production. If any of you want a college for fine arts, this is the college to attend on the East Coast. Check it out.

Okay - we've been talking about dialog, including tags and beats. Let's do a quick review. Tags are the "he said/she said" that come after dialog. Beats are a small piece of action that typically comes before the dialog that indicate who is talking without having to use a "he said/she said." Mixing up beats and tags helps make your writing flow and brings it to life.

Break ups are how we format the page. Most readers like to see a lot of white space. Think about it; when you open a book and it's loaded with words, it can feel overwhelming. But if the paragraphs are varied and there's more white space on the page, it's not as intimidating. The key here is mixing it up, like beats and tags. Some paragraphs are longer. Some are short. Same with sentences. And when you are writing dialog, make sure you start a on a new line with each person who is talking.

"It's so hot," Sue said.

Jill fanned herself with a magazine. "I could melt right into the floor. I hate summer."

Bob shook his head. "Why don't you just turn on the air?"

The girls looked at him with distain. "Right," Sue said. "How about you pay our electric bill and we'll do that."

If I were to go on with this scene, I would go to narrative at this point. It doesn't have to be long, but we need to break up dialog from time to time.

Bothersome (or repeated) words. We all have our favorite words or phrases. And that's okay if your character has something they like to say, but if you are using words or phrases that kind of stand out or are unique in some way, it can get real bothersome to the reader. I recently read a NY Times best seller and the main character, Maggie, groused. She groused all the time. She groused four times on one page! And at one point, Maggie groused and it was not an appropriate use of the word. Who the heck says "grouse" anymore? And do you even know what it means? It means to complain. It was so distracting, I never finished the book.

This is why it's so important to have someone else read your stuff. If you can't rope anyone into that, read it out loud to yourself. You'll spot bothersome words and repeated phrases more then reading silently.

Variety is key to strong, interesting writing. What do you think? How do you handle it?

Interior Monologue

2011-04-18T12:38:00.000-04:00

The next chapter in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is Interior Monologue, which is a form of dialogue where your character is either thinking or talking to themselves without speaking out loud.

Movies and TV may be influencing writers to write more visually, but fiction can always accomplish something visual media will never be able to touch. You may be able SEE a character doing something on the big screen, but you don't know what he or she is thinking. One of the great gifts of literature is that it allows for the expression of unexpressed thoughts. We call this Interior Monologue.

It doesn't matter if you are writing in first or third person, you can show the thoughts of your characters. There are a couple different ways to show it - direct thought or indirect thought. It's a matter of preference of either the author or the editor. I typically choose indirect thoughts because I feel it's less jolting.

Here's an example from my manuscript on indirect thoughts. See if you can identify them:

Tzmet paced her balcony. Curses! Why did it always take so long for fairies to wilt? She strode to the wooden rack in the courtyard at the top of the castle tower. Two wingless, earth fairies hung upside down, barely moving in the bright sunlight, their life essence slowly draining away. One opened her eyes and peered up at the sky with a look that begged for mercy.

“Hah, beg. Yes, beg! It moves me not.” Tzmet threw her hands in the air and stalked off. She stopped to look at herself in the mirror and ran a hand over her bald head. Why did she torture herself by keeping a mirror in the tower?

One of the easiest ways to tell indirect thoughts is that we know what the character is thinking, but the sentences are not in italics.

You can guess that direct thoughts are typically in italics. Most of us are used to seeing it written that way, however, today most editors like to stay from as much italics as possible because it's hard to read. So, if you want to use direct thought, keep it to a miminum. Here's an example from another one of my manuscripts:

Garry never knew what to say to girls, but he had to say something now.

“Hey,” he said. Oh, that’s real snappy, Garry.

She looked startled and then relaxed when she saw him. “Oh, hey.”

“How ya doing?” Another bright one, you jerk.

See how I kept it simple but we still know what Garry is thinking and feeling?

That's interior monologue at it's most basic. How about you? What's your preference?

Dialogue Mechanics - part four

2011-04-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

Before going on, let's address Elisabeth, Danielle and Julie's questions about dialect. In fantasy, we can easily go over the top with dialogue, so we have to be careful. My advice for dialect/dialogue is the same as for adverbs and adjectives: consider them cayenne pepper and use sparingly.

How can you do this? Well, you'll have to experiment. Sometimes, just a word or phrase will do. Sometimes, like Elisabeth, your characters do not use contractions. Yes, it's formal sounding. That's okay if you want them to sound formal. Unicorns are an ancient race, yes? Then you want them to sound formal and different - strange and mystical. The reader will stay with you if the story is engaging and the dialogue natural to the characters. In high fantasy, characters tend to sound more formal anyway.

Check and see how other authors have handled it. I've read some fantasy where everyone sounds the same, but they have different habits and beliefs. Different tempers and reactions. The thing is to give your characters *something* to differenciate them. Would the reader know who is talking without a dialog tag or beat?

If you want some help, give us a conversation between your different characters and we'll talk about it.

Dialogue Mechanics - part three

2011-03-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

hey FFFers, I'm back. If anyone out there has an active senior in high school, you know how busy I am with all the end of the year things as well as college applications. Whew!

Okay, we've been talking about dialogue mechanics and have gone over the basics. Before I go on, I wanted to mention something we call an "RUE." That's, "resist the urge to explain." We often do this without thinking. Here's an example:

Sam clenched his fists. He was really angry. "I can't stand him!"

Do you see what I did? I told you "he was really angry" when the clenching of the fists and the dialogue showed it. We do this because we want to make sure the readers knows what's going on, but really, the reader will get it if you show it.

Now, let's talk about making your characters sound natural without writing the way we talk.

Val hugged Sue. "I'm so glad you see you! What have you been up to?"

Sue shrugged. "Well, you know, um, I've been busy with, like, um, working and trying to spend time with, um, Jim."

"I hear ya," Val said. "There's just not enough, you know, time."

"Totally."

When we talk, we hesitate a lot. We use partial sentences and slang words. How we handle dialogue depends on who is talking, their age and gender. But we can't write exactly how we talk. It's fine for talking, but for writing and reading, it can get bogged down.

How is dialogue different for fantasy? Take a look at your WIP (work in progress) and see how many different types of characters you have; elves, dwarves, fairies, etc. Do they all sound different? They should, but not so much that the reader is exhausted by the time a conversation is done.

Some authors write heavy dialects - have you read any of the Redwall series? That's an example of being extreme. Some readers love that. Most don't.

I find the best way is to use certain expressions or a turn of a phrase unique to that character or people. Here's an example from my novel, Fairyeater. This is a conversation between the main character, Akeela, and some new friends, Acadians (forest people.)

“Sapo!”
Akeela startled and looked up to see two Acadians approaching. A boy and a girl.
“Sapo!” the boy said again.
Hawk closed his eyes and groaned. “Go away.”
The Acadian boy plopped down next to Akeela. “So, this is she, yeh?” He grinned at Akeela and wiggled his eyebrows. Akeela couldn’t help but laugh.
“Aye, it’s she. Now, go away. You’re scraping my branches.”
The boy shouted with laughter. The girl pushed him off the log and sat down. “Pay no mind to my brother. He’s a dupeseed.” She lifted her long, bushy hair off her shoulders and dropped it again. “I’m Ves-rynia, Hawk’s cousin. That--” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “—is Vorrak-ira.”
Akeela didn’t exactly understand the Acadian expressions, but she had a good idea what they meant. “I’m Akeela.”

See how I did that? Now, it's your turn. Let's see how you're handling the dialect of different groups of people. If you need help, let us know and we'll brainstorm together.

Dialogue Mechanics - part two

2011-03-09T16:42:00.000-05:00

For anyone who is just joining us, we're going through the book "Self Editing for Fiction Writers" by Renni Browne and Dave King. I advise everyone to pick it up so you can refer to it when you are writing.

I want to talk about dialogue tags and beats. A tag is the "he said/she said" after a line of dialogue. A beat is a piece of action that typically comes before the dialogue that indicates who is talking without writing a "he said/she said."

Browne and King say: "Your best bet is to use the verb "said" almost without exception." Said is invisible. It keeps the flow going. But some writers get nervous when they see a long string of "saids" all over the page. We remember what we've been taught in school and write something like:

"Give it to me," she demanded.
"Here it is," he offered.
"Is it loaded?" she inquired.

This was popular in the 70s, but it can be downright annoying today. Most editors cringe when they read these kinds of tags.

Then there's:

"I hate to admit that," he grimaced.
"Come closer," she smiled.
"So, you've changed your mind," he chuckled.

To use verbs like the last three examples as dialogue tags will brand you an amateur to most editors. It's physically impossible to grimace, smile or chuckle a word. Grimace is a facial expression. So is smile. And chuckle is, well, a chuckle. You can chuckle while you talk, but words are words and laughing is laughing.

This is why beats are so important. We need to mix up tags and beats in our writing. Like this:

"It's so hot out," Sue said.
Carly fanned herself with the paper. "I know! If it gets any hotter, I'll melt."

We know Carly is talking because of the beat in front of the dialogue. And that makes it unnecessary to use a tag. There are times when you can use other tags like asked, shouted and whispered, but think of them like cayenne pepper - sprinkle sparingly. What you want to do is make it clear by the dialogue itself or by a beat.

Sam clenched his jaw. "Get out of here!"
Megan rolled her eyes. "I hate doing dishes."
Trish smiled. "We had the best time."

Can you tell how Sam, Megan and Trish are feeling? And you didn't have to say, Sam growled, Megan sighed or Trish sang out.

How are you handling diglogue tags? Do you anything you need help with? Put it in the comments and we'll take a look.

Dialogue Mechanics, part one

2011-02-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

Here is the meat and potatoes of writing - dialogue. Good dialogue will not only move the plot along, it also lets us get to know the characters in a deeper way.

The first thing acquisitions editors look for when they begin reading a fiction submission is dialogue. A quote from Browne and King's book says, "The first thing I do is find a scene with some dialogue. If the dialogue doesn't work, the manuscript gets bounced. It it's good, I start reading."

Characters come alive - or not - when they speak. But it's not easy to put the right words into their mouths. You don't want to write dialogue in the same way you talk, with lots of ums and uhs, but you still want it to flow and feel natural. There are tricks to avoid if you want your dialogue to read like the work of a professional instead of an amateur.

Something we tend to do is called "resist the urge to explain" or RUE. We don't even realize we're doing it. Here's an example:

"You can't be serious," she said in astonishment.

If you're like most beginners, you write sentences like this almost without thinking. What could be easier than simply telling the reader how a character feels? If she is astonished, just say so. It saves all sorts of time and trouble, right?

But it's lazy writing. And it patonizes the reader. Remember, "show, don't tell?" Having the character say, "You can't be serious" conveys astonishment. There's no explanation needed. When you explain something that needs no explanation, you're writing down to your audience.

Another thing; "You can't be serious" has a formality and coldness to it. You could also say, "You've got to be kidding!" Or "You pulling my chain, dude?" Who is your character? Male or female? What is their age? Where are they in society? What genre is your book? All these things come into play when writing dialogue.

So, take a look at your dialogue and see if you're explaining what the dialogue has made clear. Then let the characters speak for themselves. If you're not sure, give us an example and we'll talk about it.

Next week, we'll look at dialogue tags and beats.

Proportion

2011-02-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

Hey FFFers - where are you? I miss hearing from you.

The next chapter in Self Editing for Fiction Writers is on proportion. A writer can undermine the excitement of a scene with a blow by blow description of every movement the characters make. Writing all the little details not only bores the reader, it also leaves nothing for the imagination and sometimes makes the reader feel patronized.

It used to be that generous, detailed descriptions were the norm, but not anymore. Because of TV and movies, the reader is used to jump-cuts from scene to scene rather than long transitional shots. Here's a short example:

The phone rang. Bob walked across the room and picked it up. "Hello," he said.

That's not too long, but you can write it this way without taking away anything:

The phone rang.
"Hello," Bob said.

It depends on what has happened before the phone rang, of course, but you see what I mean.

We are a microwave society. We like things to move quickly. In your first draft, write all you want. But during revisions, you need to pay attention. Most larger proportion problems can be avoided if you simply pay attention to your story. That doesn't mean you ruthlessly cut every detail. You want to find a balance. You want to create the mood for your scene. Try taking a look at your manuscript as if it were the first time you've ever read it. It helps to set it aside for a few days before you read through it and make changes. A fresh set of eyes is best - so share it with your writing partner or group.

Be honest with yourself. We love our words, don't we? But we have to ask ourselves if something is really needed. Does it add to the story? Does it bog the action down? Does it bore you? If a section or sentence doesn't quite sit right with you, it probably needs to be changed or eliminated.

Fantasy can lend itself to lots of detail. Do you have a scene where you're not sure if you have too much detail? I'm happy to take a look. Let's get talking about writing again!

Point of View - third person

2011-02-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Okay - let's talk about regular third person, which is my favorite point of view. King and Browne say, "If the first person invites intimacy and the omniscient narrator allows for perspective, the third person strikes a balance between the two."

When I wrote Fairyeater, I wrote in third person, but switched points of view either in a new chapter or a scene change. By knowing what the antagonist was up to, as well as the heroine, it filled out the story and raised tension.

What we need to remember when writing in third person is we can't know what the other characters are thinking or feeling or seeing or hearing, etc. if they don't tell us. We need to stay in the main character's point of view, only switching when there is a clear scene break or a new chapter. It's not easy at first, but it's worth learning this part of the craft.

The POV character can draw conclusions by what they observe or overhear. They can reveal what they know or they can keep it secret - but the reader will know if we write their thoughts. If you have something you want kept secret, even from the reader, then you can't reveal it at all.

Think about it this way: you are at home and your best friend is on vacation. Do you know what he/she is doing? What they're thinking? How they're feeling? How can you unless he/she tells you? It's the same with your characters. There's something intriguing about not knowing what's going on in everyone's head, and it's good to let things out a little at a time.

Here's an example from Fairyeater. The heroine, Akeela, has been raised by a curmudgeonly old hag, Krezma. She can't figure out what she did to deserve such treatment. Then a stranger, Oret, shows up at their hut. He communicates telepathically. Akeela is sent on an errand, but she hides and listens in while they talk about a prophecy. Notice how I reveal things while still staying in Akeela's POV.

Krezma grew silent, smoothing her hand over the words. “I never asked for this. I did not want to raise another child.”

Akeela blinked. Another child?

-Who else could we have turned to? You alone know the power of the Dark Lord and the history of the Guardian-

“Yes, I know. I know. And I am the only one the Fairy Council trusted.” Krezma slid back from the table and stood. She rolled up the scroll. “But I have my own life! My own plans. I have given up much.”

Oret bowed his head. -We know this and are grateful. Has it been so terrible, raising Akeela?-

Akeela held a hand over mouth to keep from gasping.

Krezma sighed. “Nay, it has not been terrible. Akeela is like my own child, and yet, she is not. I am torn. It is not time to reveal her destiny. She is so young. I am unsure she can handle it.”

Akeela sat down on the ground. Her head whirled with questions. She always knew Krezma had no great love for her, but what was the meaning of the prophecy? Why did Krezma want to keep it a secret? What did the words mean? And what couldn’t she handle? Her destiny?

Akeela picked up the basket and crept away from the window as Krezma and Oret’s voices continued. She lifted her skirt and ran all the way to the pond.

King and Browne say: "Sometimes there are good reasons for maintaining narrative distance." I stayed in Akeela's POV, but wrote the scene with some narrative distance because it was important for Akeela to learn this piece of information.

Of everything you can learn about the craft of writing, POV is the most fundamental. It's how you show who your characters are. It lets you show emotions, share a character's thoughts and concerns and sets the tone of the story. Point of view is a powerful tool. I advise you to read more about it in King and Browne's book.

I'd love to see some examples from your writing, too!

Point of View - third person omniscient

2011-01-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, we covered first person. Let's swing to the other side of the spectrum to third person omniscient. This is where we know everything every person is thinking - sometimes we even know what a whole group of people are thinking! Omniscient point of view reached its most extreme form in nineteenth-century novels such as George Eliot's "Middlemarch." At one point, the author pauses the action and addresses the reader directly:

If you want to know more particularly how Mary look, ten to one you will see a face like hers in the crowded street tomorrow, if you are there on the watch: she will not be among those daughters of Zion who are haughty, and walk with stretched-out necks and wanton eyes, mincing as they go. Let all those pass, and fix your eyes on some small plump brownish person of firm but quiet carriage, who looks about her, but does not suppose that anyone is looking at her.

Browne and King say you're unlikely to want to go as far as this - it's difficult to maintain transparency when you're having a chat with your readers - but the omniscient point of view in its milder forms does have its uses. But what you gain in perspective you lose in intimacy.

Omniscient POV also tends to narrate. The author pulls back from the action and describes the surroundings or gives us an "info dump." We'll talk about info dump later, but it's just what it implies - a paragraph of information the writer wants to make sure the reader knows about.

Omniscient POV is also called "head hopping." Here's an example:

Lucas grabbed the ball away from Sam. He never liked sharing and he liked Sam even less. Sam wanted to teach Lucas a lesson, so he pushed Lucas on the ground. Alice hated fighting. "Stop!" she yelled. "You're only going to hurt each other."

Lucas and Sam ignored Alice's cries and began pummeling each other with their fists. The ball lay ignored on the ground.

So you see how we knew what each character was thinking or how they felt? Who was the main character? Whose story is it? You can't tell because I was equally in everyone's point of view. I even threw some narration in there. That can be distracting for some readers.

Fantasy writers often use omniscient POV. Fantasy kind of lends itself to it. However, in all the workshops and conferences I've attended, every single editor and agent has said to never, EVER use omniscient POV. Do not head hop, they said. Stay in ONE point of view. This is one of the writing rules. But I've also heard once you master the rules, you can break them, if you break them creatively.

Every manuscript I've read from a beginning writer or a self-published writer has been in omniscient POV. It's hard to stay in one point of view. I believe omniscient POV has its place, but I also believe working to learn to stay in one POV at a time strengthens your writing. So, can you identify your point of view? Give us an example of omniscient POV, if you write there. And let's talk about how we feel about this point of view. We'll talk about good old, regular third person POV next time.

Point of View - first person

2011-01-05T09:13:00.000-05:00

Point of view (POV) is a biggie and the most confusing aspect of writing, in my opinion. What IS point of view? Simply put, POV is WHO is telling the story. Whose eyes are we seeing through? Whose thoughts do we hear? Browne and King write: "Some writing books distinguish as many as twenty-six different flavors of points of view, but there are really only three basic approaches: first person, third person, and omniscient."

There is a second person voice, but that is mainly reserved for magazine articles.

Let's look at the different POVs in the most basic form.
First person: "I"
Third person: "We"
Second person: "You"
Omniscient: any of the above

I've attended conference and workshops aplenty. Every single one was adament in NOT switching POV when you are first learning to write. Pick a character as your main character and tell the story in his/her POV. Don't get into anyone else's head and, if you do, for heaven's sake, don't head hop! And yet, I read novels all the time where the POV changes as quickly as a pixie.

Most people have no idea if you are switching POV and do they really care? Maybe not. But learning to keep to one POV will help you stay focused on the story. It will keep the reader in the story in a more intimate way. And it will help YOU, the author, hone your craft. When you are more experienced, you can switch points of view, but there's a way to do it. We'll talk about that later.

Let's look at first person. Writing in first person has some advantages, the main one is that the reader has a deeper intimacy with the viewpoint character. We are actually in their head all the time. In order to succeed in the first person POV, you have to create a character strong enough and interesting enough to keep your readers going for the entire novel. But you don't want the reader to feel trapped inside the character's head, so the character needs to be believeable.

The disadvantage is that you lose some perspective. You can't write about anything the POV character couldn't know, which means you have to have your main character on the spot whenever you want to write an immediate scene. This can limit your plot development possiblities.

When you write first person POV, your readers get to know only one character directly. Everyone else is filtered through the viewpoint character.

Here is an example of first person - from The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb: "They have brought me down from my beautiful mountain in the white silence of winter, my wrists bound with hemp rope, my legs tied beneath the pony's belly as if I were a yearling doe taken on the long hunt. And perhaps I am, for I am as defenseless as a deer, and as silent."

POV is a personal choice. I typically do not write in first person. I enjoy third person (we'll talk about that next week) and I tend to switch POV when I begin a new chapter. We'll talk about that later, too.

How about you? Anyone out there write in first person? Give us an example so we can see how you do it.

An amazing opportunity

2010-12-30T08:12:00.000-05:00

Many of you may remember last May, when I attended the Highlights Whole Novel Workshop for Fantasy. It's time to apply for this workshop again! It's very costly, but you can also apply for a grant to help with costs, and you can arrange for payments. They only choose 8 authors, and the competition is fierce, but it was SO worth the time and money. I got a small grant and then was able to raise the money with the help of friends and total strangers. Here's the link:

http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/FWsched_wholeNovelFantasy_11.html

Check it out and let us know if you decide to apply.
Happy New Year!!

Characterization and Exposition

2010-12-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

The next chapter in Self Editing for Fiction Writers is Characterization and Expostion. It's quite a long chapter, so I'll try to sum it up as best I can.

Characterization is simply introducing your characters. Exposition is how you go about doing that. Many writers feel as though they have to give the reader a clear picture of each new character who is introduced. They never bring in a new character without a brief personality summary, or they introduce their characters with flashbacks to the childhood scenes that make them who they are now.

Some information is needed, of course. This is where Show, Don't Tell comes in. Character development needs to flow through the story. Just like you get to know a new friend, your reader should experience getting to know your characters through their dialog and action.

One way you can give an important piece of information about a new character is to have another character think or say something about him. For example: instead of writing, "Bob was not the sort of person others liked right away," you can write, "Like most people, I disliked Bob on first sight." See the difference?

You can develop your characters through dialogue and beats (pieces of action that go along with dialogue.) That's something we'll talk about later, but think about it. Body language is a big factor in getting to know a person. How they speak, their tone of voice and facial expressions can tell you a lot about them. If you want your readers to get a feel for who your characters really are, show them to us through dialogue and action.

Okay - give us a paragraph where you introduce a new character. Don't edit it. Give it to us the way you have it and we'll examine how you did it and see if it needs any changes.

The Dreaded Editing Process

2010-11-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

hi everyone - hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. I got some requests to talk about the editing process. This is a great topic because we all want our manuscripts to be the best they can be before sending it out to a publishing house. The less work an editor has to do, the higher our chances of getting picked up.

I will be using the book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King. I recommend buying this book to keep in your library so you can refer to it often. You can find it on amazon.com.

Writing and editing are two different skills. You actually use different sides of the brain for them. I've heard it called the Critic and the Creative. The Critic is stronger than the Creative, most of the time. And the older you get, the stronger it gets, unless you work to rev up the Creative. The Critic settles down when you are sleeping or doing something that doesn't require concentration, like taking a shower, running the vacuum cleaner or washing the dishes. Do you ever notice you get good ideas when doing things like that?

So, it's best not to edit while you are writing. At least, that's what I've been taught. But I find it almost impossible to do that until I'm down to the wire and simply HAVE to get something finished. Then I bust through, get it down and play with it when I'm done.

We focus on fantasy here, but the editing process is the same no matter the genre.

Chapter One of the book is called "Show and Tell." You may have heard it another way - "Show, Don't Tell." There are times, of course, when you simply need to tell something, but the reader would rather be shown. Here's an example:

Verilla was mad. (telling)

How would you change this to show the reader Verilla is mad? Would it look different if Verilla was a man?

Do you have anything in your WIP that you need help with showing instead of telling? Share it with us, and we'll work on it together. Have fun!

What now?

2010-11-09T12:22:00.002-05:00

Okay, so Voice didn't grab much interest. What would everyone like to talk about? I'm totally open to suggestions. I know I have some new readers - would you guys introduce yourselves and let us know what you're working on?

NEWS: I'm excited because an agent has asked for the full of Fairyeater! She's had it for about 6 weeks and I'm hoping to hear something soon. I'll keep you posted.

I gave myself a couple of weeks off and then got to writing again. I completed a picture book manuscript and am now going to begin plotting and developing a new fantasy novel, Koda's Quest.

Suggestions - let me have 'em and we'll get discussing again.

Style and Voice

2010-10-25T10:29:00.005-04:00

The elusive author's voice ... we've all heard we need to develop our voice. But what IS voice? Voice is something that lays between the words – it carries you and keeps you reading. Why do you (the reader) put a book down? There’s no chemistry between you and the voice. There has to be a connection between you and the characters/story.

Voice is your personality on the page. It’s a controlling presence behind the story narrative – it’s the person, the voice, the entity behind the story, driving the story forward. It’s style. Sentence structure. Sound. And it needs to be distinctive, unique and appropriate for the story.

Style is close to voice, but there’s a difference. It’s part of developing a voice. It’s the relationship between writer and reader and is the vehicle through which you say whatever you have to say. It’s the way you get your story told. Style is more than the way you dress up your story. It’s the complete way you tell the story; point of view, first person, third person, genre.

Style is the literary choices the narrator makes.
Voice is how the characters sound.

Let's talk about voice and style for the next couple of weeks. Let us know if you've found your literary voice/style. And let's talk about the differences between a fantasy voice and a non-fantasy voice.

Interview with fantasy author, Susanne Lakin

2010-10-13T21:38:00.003-04:00

Susanne Lakin
The Wolf of Tebron
Living Ink Books, 2010

FFF is proud to offer this interview with Susanne Lakin. Welcome Susanne! I'm honored to have you here. Everyone here has high hopes of publishing fantays novels.

(FFF) Can you tell us a little about yourself?

(SL)I’ve been writing a long time, ever since I can remember, but only in the last four years have I been writing intensively. I was raised by a mother who was a successful screenwriter for TV and so have been around writing all my life. I’ve been married to Lee for 27 years and we have two grown daughters. I love the outdoors and am pretty much a former hippy, so feel more comfortable sitting on the floor and sleeping in the woods!

(FFF) You write contemporary fiction and fantasy. Can you tell us what drew you to fantasy?

(SL) I’ve read fantasy and sci-fi all my life. My favorite books as a young teen were Ray Bradbury’s. I loved his creative mind and imaginative stories. I have read more fantasy than any other genre in my life.

(FFF) The Wolf of Tebron is described as a fairytale. It felt allegorical in nature when I read it. I enjoyed the adventure Joran experienced. I wondered as I read if it was really happening or if Joran's travels were more spiritual in nature.

(SL) Joran’s adventures were real (to him). His dreams were dreams, but it does cross over a bit when Joran has to enter his dream to rescue his wife.

(FFF) Can you tell us how you got started writing it?

(SL) This particular book was inspired by a favorite fairy tale of mine—The Enchanted Pig (Grimss). If you read that tale, you will see a lot of parallels. In it, the wife has to go to the four ends of the world to find her husband. I take elements from traditional fairy tales and tweak them into new stories that are deeper and richer. That’s at least where the basic plot came from. As far as how I got started writing fairy tales, that was a divine assignment, given quite clearly when I read Chesterton’s Ortodoxy and his chapter on “The Ethics of Elfland.”

(FFF) Did you get the characters or the plot first?

(SL) In this case, the plot came first. And I wanted to use an animal to depict God’s faithful love—which could be no other than something in the dog family. A wolf seemed perfect, like Aslan, not tame, but strong and fearless. However, I want to show God has humor and affection as well, so you’ll see that in the book.

(FFF) How do you feel about Christian fantasy authors using magic or dark arts in a novel?

(SL) All Christian fantasy writers cross into these avenues in some way. Some people are offended by that, but as long as the usage and intent behind the imagery is in line with Scripture and its values, to me there’s no problem. I take issue with books like Harry Potter in some ways as they veer readers away from God and his sovereignty and holiness, encouraging magic that leads to self-reliance and self-praise rather than leading to God. That’s not to say every fantasy book should blatantly point to God, but there is a danger in giving the message that dabbling in black arts is perfectly safe and fine from God’s point of view. Using dragons (which is common in Chrsitina fantasy) could be considered wrong, since the only dragon mentioned in the Bible is God’s worst enemy, yet when a dragon is used as a way to lead to biblical truth, it’s not a problem.

(FFF) How do you separate your fantasy ideas from your contemporary ideas?

(SL) I just do. When I’m writing a contemporary novel, I just switch brains. :)

(FFF) Many of the followers of Fairies, Fantasy and Faith are beginning writers. What advice can you give us on writing inspirational fantasy?

(SL) Read a lot of great books. My favorite author for fantasy is Patricia A. McKillip. I aspire to write as well as she does but it’s like a receding mirage that keeps moving farther away the closer I get. Don’t necessarily try to write exactly like them, but study whyand what you love about their writing and stoies, and then pray and trust God to lead you to write what he wants you to write. I am always a bit surprised when these stories formulate in my mind and heart with deep important issues and messages in them.

(FFF) Any other thoughts?

(SL) We need lots of fantasy authors out there writing great books. Fantasy is the best way to reach minds and hearts, and the top best-selling novels in history have been fantasy novels. Don’t let anyone pooh-pooh you for writing in that genre. We all know that it’s the best!

(FFF) Thanks again for being here! We are all excited to know Christian publishing is more and more open to fantasy novels. I believe great truths can be told in stories, and especially fantasy. May God continue to bless your writing. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

(SL) Thanks so much!

You can learn more about Susanne and The Wolf of Tebron at http://www.gatesofheavenseries.com/

Deepening Characters - part 4

2010-10-04T09:58:00.003-04:00

Sorry I missed posting this last week. I was down sick with the swine flu and had a deadline of Sept. 30th to finish Fairyeater for an agent who asked for the FULL! I made it and now I'm waiting for her to read it and get back to me. YIKES!

Also, a reminder that Port Yonder Press is taking proposals for fantasy novels this month only: http://portyonderpress.com

This last exercise to help you really know your characters is simple. Your characters must engage the reader by what is happening to them and how they feel about it. Ask your protagonist a question and have her write a letter back to you with the answer. Then do the same thing with your antagonist. Write the answer in their voice.

I asked Akeela if she was really going to go through with becoming the Fairy Guardian. She told me:

You asked if I’m going to become the Fairy Guardian. I don’t know. I mean, Krezma assures me Celtar has planned my steps and given me a purpose. Part of me wants to embrace that. Part of me simply wants to stay in Broem, get married and raise a family.
But my heart is restless. Somehow, deep in inside I’ve always known this is not where I’m supposed to be. I love the forest. I love our cottage. Still, can I believe the prophecy? Can I really be the Fairy Guardian?
My mind is in turmoil, but my path is clear. Yes, I suppose I will go through with it. I hope I won’t lose myself in the doing.

That revealed a lot to me about Akeela's character and personality. Now, it's your turn. Ask your characters what you need to know about them. When you're done, drop us a post and let us know how you made out!

Deepening Characters - part three

2010-09-21T10:38:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone benefitted from last week's assignment. Of course, doing this kind of exercise may not help every writer, but the more we delve into our characters' minds and thoughts, the move alive they will be on the page.

I have another exercise for you. This particular exercise helped me learn more about my villian, which added depth to the story. My mentor asked us to write a conversation between our protagonist (mine is Akeela) and antagonist (Tzmet) and use ourselves as the moderator. Begin with a question for both of them. Here's what mine looked like:

Pam: Why don’t you band together and work to make the land and people prosperous?

Tzmet: There is no point to this discussion. I refuse to align myself with this uppity child.

Akeela: You don’t even know me.

Tzmet: I don’t have to. My father’s plan is perfect! Why should I deviate from it just to make you happy?

Pam: Okay, you guys, why don’t we just look at the possibility. That doesn’t mean we have to do it.

Tzmet: Hah!

Akeela: Please, Tzmet. Talk to me. I know about you, how things were when your father was alive –

Tzmet: My father is still alive! Blood worms and swamp grass, why am I even talking to you?

Akeela: Maybe you owe me.

Tzmet: What could I possibly owe you?

Akeela: You killed my father.

Tzmet: Such a lie. I don’t even know your father.

Pam: We’re getting off the subject. Let’s list some advantages to working together, okay?

Akeela: In the battle at Tindan. You killed every man, woman and child there. The only reason I am alive is because Krezma saved me.

Tzmet: Don’t speak that woman’s name to me!

Pam: Guys, come on.

Akeela: Okay, let’s talk about working together.

Tzmet: Please. It will do no good.

Akeela: Maybe it will. I mean, let’s look at what we can do. I can talk to fairies. I can also see auras around living things. That could maybe help with communication between villages.

Tzmet: And why would we want to communicate between villages?

Akeela: What if someone needs help?

Tzmet: Such tender mercy! What will it get you but a bruised heart and lighter purse? People who need will take advantage of you every time.

Akeela: Did that happen to you?

Tzmet: Shut up, you vile creature!

Pam: Maybe we should keep the name calling to a minimum.

Akeela: Combining our strengths can only benefit us. Think about it. You can still live in your castle and you won’t be afraid.

Tzmet: What?

Akeela: You can have the freedom to come and go without people being terrified of you.

Tzmet: I like that. People being scared of me, that is.

Akeela: And you won’t have to be alone. You would have friends.

Tzmet: What would I need friends for?

Akeela: Everyone needs friends.

Tzmet: I’ve never had a friend. Friends betray you. They leave you. They take advantage of you and bleed you dry. I will not show weakness in this way.

Akeela: I’m sorry for you.

This is where I found out my villian was lonely. As you can imagine, it changed the way I handled her. Now, it's your turn. Write the conversation and let us know if you discovered anything or how it helped you.

Deepening Your Characters, part two

2010-09-13T10:19:00.003-04:00

Real characters keep the reader reading. If they don't care about the characters, they probably won't want to finish the book. Last week, we started to learn how to do this with some basic rules. Now, I have an assignment for you to complete. It's only part of what you can do, but this will get you started. I'll add to it next week.

Answer these questions:

Who is your protagonist?

What is his/her obvious need as the story opens?

What is the protagonist’s hidden need?

What are you trying to get across in the book?

What is the message in one word?

What is a question about the word?

What is the answer to that question?

Where in the Bible can you find an example of this?

The answer to the question is your protagonist’s hidden need. He/she must come to this conclusion.

In the first quarter of the book, you need to make the reader care about the characters. Your characters must engage the reader by what is happening to them and how they feel about it.

Next week, we'll find out even more about our characters with another part to the assignment. Remember, knowing your characters deeply will enhance your writing. It will also help if you are blocked.

Let us know if you found out anything you may not have known with this small exercise. Let me know if it's helped in any way.

Deepening your Characters

2010-09-07T10:20:00.004-04:00

Since we have some new readers, let's talk characters again. Fantasy characters are a bit different from other characters. You may have heard it said characters need to be 3D. I would argue fantasy characters need to be 4D. No matter what, our characters need to be real, alive, interesting, believable. How can we do this?

Here are some rules to get you started. Next week, I'll share an exercise to help you really deepen your characters.

6 rules for characters
*Make them suffer (not random)
*Allow their attempts to reach the goal to fail during the course of the story
*Despite the successes, get them to a place of no return
*Consider forcing the protagonist to question their assumptions (am I doing the right thing? Maybe there’s another way to believe.)
*Provide tension on every page (any kind, excitement, fun, or not)
*Give your characters qualities that sometimes serve them well and sometimes don’t

Let's talk character development!

Breaking News!!

2010-08-24T15:14:00.001-04:00

Do you have a fantasy novel between 50,000-100,000 words? Port Yonder Press will be accepting proposals for fantasy novels in October! Check out the site: http://portyonderpress.com/default.aspx

Get excited and get writing!

Post-vacation-reentry-syndrom

2010-08-23T19:51:00.002-04:00

I'm back from vacation and trying to get back into the writing swing. Let's talk about how we do that. What tips can you give and what has worked for you?

I babysit my grandchildren two days a week. Today was one of those days, therefore, no writing was done. We did, however, watch a Barbie video (the Nutcracker) and it featured a couple diffrent kinds of fairies. It got me excited about getting back to my manuscript. Of course, I have to finish my post-vacation clean up, but I'm determined to discipline myself better and get my novel completed before someone asks me for a complete.

How do you get yourself going when you're out of sync?

Looking Ahead

2010-08-15T11:16:00.003-04:00

Greetings faithful fantasy bloggees! I'm back from the Greater Phila. Christian Writers Conference. It was a good conference this year, fully packed and lots of fun. I'm preparing my family for vacation right now and will be leaving tomorrow for a week. When I return, we'll get back to our fantasy discussions. I've missed them.

Danielle needs help with portraying a scene and characters. We'll definitely get into that. And if you want to talk about anything else, please leave a comment and we'll get to them, as well.

I'm hoping to welcome several new fantasy writers! And you know who you are. :) Please let me know you're here.

I'll be doing some interviews with other fantasy authors now and then and am looking forward to that.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Talk to you soon!
pam

I have not gone over to the dark side

2010-07-26T10:55:00.003-04:00

Greetings dear friends - please forgive my silence yet again. I was up to my eyeballs with summer theatre. We did The Jungle Book. I was the music director/accompanist and helped with costumes. It was nuts. We lost a week of rehearsal time because our schools ran late due to all the snow we had this winter, so we had long practice times and even a few evening music rehearsals. But it went well and I'm back in the real world again.

Here I am with Baloo.

Before I go on with the aspects of fantasy writing, I'd like to hear from you. What would you like to talk about? What questions about fantasy do you have? We'll tackle them all.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Meeting Tess Gerritsen

2010-07-02T07:53:00.006-04:00

Forgive my silence the last two weeks. We were getting my 17-year-old daughter, Mary, ready to leave for a 6-week internship with MovieGuide.org in CA, and then summer theatre started (I'm the music director for the kid's show) and wow, here I am, already so busy I can hardly get any writing done! My goal is to finish Fairyeater before the Philly conference in August.

My illustrator friend, Kim, and I also took a trip to Assateague/Chincoteague Islands 2 weeks ago for research on a children's book idea we're working on. It was a great trip.

But the biggie was last night. Another writing friend, Debbie, and I went into Philadelphia to see a screening of Rizzoli and Isles, a new show coming on TNT July 12th at 10pm. It is based on characters from several books by Tess Gerritsen. Tess writes mostly thrillers, but she also wrote one of my favorite sci-fi novels, Gravity. I consider sci-fi a cousin to fantasy. :) We enjoyed appetizers and drinks before the show, got a free t-shirt and Tess did a Q&A and signed books. I took my copy of Gravity and found out it was her favorite book, too! How cool is that?

Here we are with Tess herself! She was warm, funny, interesting and personable. We enjoyed ourselves very much.

I'll get back to the fantasy world next week! Happy 4th of July! God bless America.

Character Development - The Dark Side

2010-06-17T09:43:00.003-04:00

We've been talking about character development and how we use our life experiences, memories and emotions to create characters who are vibrant and alive.

Let's look at developing our antagonist or dark characters.

I have to admit, I enjoy writing Tzmet (my witch) very much. She's evil in the beginning, but there's also something humorous about her. She's so vain and she speaks her mind. She holds nothing back. And I've enjoyed her character arc, as I never intended keeping her totally evil. Being a selfish person at times, I draw on my inner thoughts and desires in creating her. Am I like Tzmet? No. But there are times when I wish I could be like her without any bad consequences. HA!! Fleeting thoughts, to be sure, because I really am a nice person.

Her father, on the other hand, is totally evil. I don't get in his POV or his thoughts at all. I simply show him to be cold and and merciless. Of course, I blow him up at the end, but hey, we need a fitting end for the bad guys, don't we?

Let's talk about creating the dark side of characters.

Happy Anniversary!!

2010-06-04T09:45:00.003-04:00

Fairies, Fantasy and Faith has been live for one year! I wasn't sure how I would like blogging, but wanted to try, and it's been great. Thanks, everyone, for taking part in the discussions! I hope you continue to stay with me.

We've been talking about developing characters. Part of character development is drawing from our own experiences and emotions. That can be hard, especially if the emotions and memories are painful. But it brings your character to life.

When I was working on Krezma, the old woman who raised my main character, Akeela, I drew on my own feelings of raising a special needs child. Akeela does not have special needs, but Krezma was forced to take her and raise her. She was in the process of trying to get back to her own daughter and was given the responsibility of a newborn baby girl. Krezma feels resentful - and feels guilty for feeling that way. She's grown to love Akeela, but she's sharp tongued and just plain mean with her. Krezma wants to do the right thing, but she also wants to get back to her plans.

I have times of resentment, too. Raising a special needs child is hard. Anna has autism and seizures. She's severly mentally retarded - at age 19, she still functions at about 18 months with some scattered older skills. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I worry all the time. But I love her and do the best I can for her. I don't treat her like Krezma treats Akeela, but I did draw on some of the emotions I have to create Krezma's character.

I've also had to revisit some old pain to bring life to Akeela. She was okay, but not as interesting or three dimensional as Tzmet (the witch.) I needed to bring Akeela up to Tzmet's strong character. It was hard to relive the feelings I had with the memories, but Akeela is vibrant and alive now. Totally worth the pain.

How do you handle the hard, painful emotions sometimes needed to create characters who are truly alive?

Character Development

2010-05-25T07:24:00.002-04:00

Last week we talked about what comes first, character or plot? There's no hard rule for this. Each author does what is best for him or her. But we all have to agree we need strong, interesting characters the reader will care about in some way. They need to be memorable. The reader needs to either root for them or want to see them DIE!! :)

What makes a strong character? And remember, they don't have to be likeable, just memorable. Here are a couple of examples:

Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings) - why do we love Frodo? He has a terrible responsibility thrust on him, but he takes it on with grace and humility. No, he's not perfect and he needs help, but he gives himself to save his world.

Scarlett O'Hara (from Gone With The Wind) - she is a protagonist who is totally self-absorbed, selfish and snarky. But she's memorable. She's strong. She does what she has to to survive. We can admire this without liking her.

So, how do you go about developing your characters, especially main characters? How do you keep control over secondary characters so they don't take over?

What Comes First?

2010-05-17T13:56:00.003-04:00

The characters or the plot?

It's been said the characters drive the plot. How your characters react to what's going on determines where the plot goes. That makes sense to me. Consider this scenario:

Kelly is walking through the woods. She hears footsteps behind her. How does she react?

If she breaks into a run, what happens?
If she turns around to face whoever is following her, what happens?
If she ducks behind a tree and leaps out onto who is following her, what happens?

Do you see how Kelly's reaction determines where the plot goes?

How about before you write a single word? What comes to you, the plot or the characters? Does it make a difference for the story? When I got the idea for Fairyeater, the villian (yes, the Fairyeater) came to me first. Then I had to figure out why she eats fairies and what happens when she eats them. How is the world affected?

After that, I had to come up with a hero who would stop her somehow. Then I had to answer the questions, why does she need to stop the Fairyeater? What would happen if she didn't? What is the ticking time bomb - meaning, if the Fairyeater isn't stopped by a certain time, what will happen?

So, let's talk about how the characters drive the plot this week. Next week, we'll look closer at character development.

Post Retreat Reentry Syndrom

2010-05-13T12:44:00.002-04:00

Greetings, fantasy friends. Yes, I'm suffering a terrible case of post-retreat-reentry-syndrom after last week's amazing workshop. I'm still processing everything.

I have things for us to talk about and will post a new topic next week. Right now, I'm taking care of the house, kids, grandkids and my hubby, who just had knee surgery this morning. I did get some writing done in the waiting room. :)

I also took a host of fantasy pics, which I'll be sharing on fairiesfantasyandfaithpictures (see the link to the right.)

So, before we get back to discussing fantasy writing, does anyone have a workshop or conference experience they want to share?

More updates

2010-05-06T09:29:00.003-04:00

Wow! And wow, wow! We took a tour of Highlights and Boyds Mills Press yesterday and met several editors. It was so interesting and exciting! I don't just write fantasy, but other children's books, as well, so I have a couple of things on my mind that I think I can send in to both when I get home.

My group critique went well. No *big* problems, just some things that need clarification. I read my new prologue and got tears and applause. :)

Today, I'll do some more revisions and then our last group critique and workshop. Tomorrow, we have an agent joining us to talk about the fantasy market. She's also meeting with us individually so we can ask questions, practice our pitch or read our first page. Then I'll meet with my mentor again and talk about how the revisions are going. Laura Ruby has been great. She's smart and creative and really listens. I drive home on Saturday. Can't believe this incredible week is almost done! How will I ever get back into my regular routine??

I'll try and update you tomorrow night.

Workshop Update!

2010-05-04T09:38:00.004-04:00

hi all! I'm having an amazing time here in the Poconos at the Highlights workshop. I've already written a new prologue and am working on revisions. We have LOTS of time to write here. I have my own, little cabin and we have breakfast together and then the whole morning is ours to write. Then lunch and group critiques, a break, a workshop, dinner and more time to write. It's a writer's dream! I don't know how I'll ever come back to the real world. HA!

Our group workshops aren't really the kind where you can take lots of notes - but more of a conversation. I'm trying to capture as much as I can so I can share with you.

I have my group critique tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.

There's a running stream at the bottom of the hill and I took a long walk on Sunday morning and got lots of great fantasy pictures. Will post them on my Fantasy Photo site when I get home.

I'll update you tomorrow!

I'm Off!

2010-04-30T23:39:00.001-04:00

I'm heading out tomorrow morning for the Highlights Workshop. Please pray for me for traveling mercies (I'm driving) and that I learn all sorts of good stuff that I can share with you!!

See you in 10 days!

New Fantasy Titles

2010-04-23T06:51:00.004-04:00

Announcing a new fantasy series: The Wolf of Tebron (Living Ink, September 2010)
You can check it out on the right under fantasy-related sites, CS Lakin. Congratulations to Susanne!

This is an encouragement to fantasy writers. Living Ink Books was created specifically for Bryan Davis and his Dragons In Our Midst series. It is an imprint of AMG - http://www.amgpublishers.com/

When I spoke to Rick Steele (editor) a couple of years back at the Philly conference, he said AMG wasn't sure if they were going to add to their fantasy list. Now, it seems they've changed their minds. This is very cool! Rick is going to be on faculty at the Greater Phila. Christian Writers Conference this year: www.writehisanswer.com/philadelphia

Kathleen Kerr from Zondervan will be there, too, and she is looking for YA fantasy!

I am also on faculty and will be teaching one workshop on building a fantasy world as well as a workshop for Teens Write. My friend and writing partner, Joyce Magnin, and I will be doing the First Timers Orientation. Hope you all can come out! Anyone who is attending the Philly conference, let us know and we'll arrange to have lunch or dinner or meet in the evening and hang out a bit.

On a side note: we need a name for ourselves. Are we FFFers? That doesn't work for me. Fantasy Friends? Let's come up with a name so I can greet you properly.

I'm riding a tidal wave!

2010-04-20T17:52:00.003-04:00

hey friends ~ well, I leave in 11 days for the Highlights workshop. I'm getting pretty excited about it. I have 7 fifteen page manuscripts to read and make notes on before I go and have done 2 so far. It's really neat to see what other fantasy writers have come up with.

God is blessing me in ways you can't imagine. A great, big tidal wave of blessing! I told my daughter's equine therapist, Jill, about the workshop and how I was accepted and how I'm working to earn the money to go. I had prayed about sending out support letters, but felt God was telling me not to do it. He said He would bring in the money. I was to keep working at whatever came my way and trust Him. So, I did. I got some editing jobs, a sewing job, a cleaning job, am planning a yard sale this weekend, did a friend's hair and a couple of friends gave me money. Jill was so excited about all this that she told a friend. Her friend is so excited about my story, SHE wants to send money. She's going to send $500!! That was on Wednesday last week.

Thursday, Jill calls to tell me she told another friend and that friend wants to send $100! By this time, I'm dizzy with excitement.

Saturday, we attended the spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the Autism Center and Jill was the speaker. She came up to me in the beginning and said she had told all the teachers in her school and they want to send money, too! She thinks she has $1,200!!! My knees almost gave out! HA!! I have a balance of $1,500 and here, Jill has raised almost all of it. And without me asking for a penny. WOW!!

I'm riding this tidal wave of blessing and screaming COWABUNGA! and wondering where in the world I'll end up! But I know God will be with me.

Isn't it amazing? I wanted to share this with you in hopes that your faith will be encouraged. God doesn't always make things this easy, so when He does, it's cause for celebration. I hope you all hang in there and keep working and look for the blessings. I can't wait to go and come back and share everything I learned with you!!

Glory to God!

Taking a Break

2010-04-08T14:09:00.003-04:00

I sent in my manscript for the Highlights workshop last week. We were told to stop working on it because that's what the workshop is for. So, I stopped.

It's driving me nuts!

Let's talk about taking a break from our writing. Do you take breaks? Why? For how long? Are breaks beneficial? How?

I am reading Terry Brooks' latest trilogy, Genesis of Shannara. Ohmygosh. I seriously want to have lunch with this man! HA!

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T12:18:00.002-04:00

Even from the grave we make our song - Alleluia! Alleluia!

I wish you all a most blessed and joyous Easter celebration! Jesus is alive!!

With great hope in Christ,
pam

Taking Chances

2010-03-27T12:57:00.003-04:00

I finished up what I'm going to send to the author who will be mentoring me for the Highlights workshop. I'll print it out - all 392 pages - and get it in the mail next week. I wanted to include the beginning of the third part because I'm doing something really different and wanted feedback on it.

My writing partner said I surprised her. She reassured me that was a good thing. There are times when an author will surprise her, but she doesn't like it. However, what I did seemed to work.

Are you taking any chances in your writing? How do you feel about it? What kind of feedback are you getting? Do you think fantasy writers can take more changes and get away with it?

Work Habits

2010-03-17T15:01:00.003-04:00

I want to continue to get to know everyone better. Let's talk about our work habits. Do you write everyday? Do you have a special place for writing? Do you ever go somewhere else to write? How important are these things? Can you share anything that helps you?

On a personal note: I was #1 on the waiting list for that Highlights Whole Novel Workshop for Fantasy and this morning received an email telling me someone can't make it ... so, I'm going!! I can hardly believe it. I have to raise about $2,000 because I got a small grant, but I believe if God brought me this far, He'll help me get what I need. I can't wait to share everything I learn! The workshop is May 1st-8th.

Woooooooo!!!!

Writing Dreams

2010-03-09T08:07:00.004-05:00

Let's take a break from the writing process, get to know each other a little and have some fun. :)

When did you know you wanted to write?
When did you know you wanted to write fantasy?
What are your dreams for your writing? It's okay to dream BIG!
How many novels have you written? Are they all fantasy novels?
Do you write anything besides novels?
Anyone considering your novel/short story/article or devo?

I'll jump in later!

Adding Romance

2010-03-03T10:59:00.003-05:00

One part of character development is the romance angle. Let's face it, a story is always a little more exciting when there's a bit of romance involved. Do you agree or disagree?

And do we handle this differently in fantasy?

Of course, it depends on what age you are writing for and the audience you're aiming at. But I have a suspicion even boys don't mind romance if it's handled properly. I'm writing YA fantasy and I do have a love interest for Akeela. I've had to tread carefully, though, showing their attraction to each other. I want it to be real, but I don't want to stray too far.

My friend, MaryAnn Diorio, is talking about romance right now on her blog, The Write Power (the link is to the right on my blog list,) and she's breaking it down nicely. Check it out.

But let's talk fantasy romance here. If you've included it, how are you handling it? And don't worry if you don't have romance. It's not necessary for every story. But I'd like to hear from you anyway, because you've probably read books with romance in them. How do you feel about adding romance to fantasy?

Fantasy Characters

2010-02-22T10:57:00.003-05:00

We've batted characters around a couple of times, but I want to look deeper at fantasy characters. How are they different from contemporary characters? How are they the same?

We are all familiar with elves, dwarves, wizards and the like. How can we come up with new fantasy characters that are fresh and interesting?

How can you take an "old" fantasy character and make them new?

In my WIP, I use fairies. They aren't the main characters, but are crucial to the plot. I wanted to do something different, so I researched them and bought books about them. Then I took an idea from one book and used the four elements: earth, air, fire, water. I gave each group of fairies a specific job in the world I created. I want to do something similar in each book I write and have already come up with two other types of fairies that are different from what I've learned about fairies.

I have two groups of people I totally made up: the Kazmura (cave people) and the Acadians (forest people). It took some time, but I worked at developing them before I added them to the story by figuring out their habits, history, beliefs, environment, etc. I came up with new words and phrases for each group.

I also have dwarves, but wanted to make them fresh and different somehow, so I took what I knew about them and only tweaked them a little. They look like regular dwarves and they are miners ... but my dwarves mine salt. It adds a new dimension to an old group of characters.

Let's talk fantasy characters. How are you handling developing new ones or making old ones fresh?

Struggles and Writing

2010-02-16T12:51:00.003-05:00

Hope you enjoyed your "snow day!" I had a real nice weekend in Williamsburg and got quite a bit of writing done. Not as much as I would have liked, but I'm pretty satisfied. Akeela is out of the caves, but has accidently fallen into a Moon Dancer ring. How will she get out? We'll find out in the third part of the book. Right now, I have to finish the second part. And I'm so close, I can smell it! HA!!

I came home to find out a couple of writing friends are experiencing some struggles with their health. They want to write, but are being interrupted by doctor visits and worries.

I've heard it said rough times make for a better writer. We actually become better writers after we've experienced pain of some sort ... especially emotional. What is up with that??

Are you experiencing struggles this week? How are you handling them?

Has going through fire and trial made you a better writer? Any idea why?

Let's talk.

Snow Day

2010-02-09T08:41:00.002-05:00

Here on the East Coast, we've had a pounding of snow and we're expecting more tomorrow. Thankfully, the power stayed on in my area. Those down the shore are not so fortunate.
I'm giving myself and you a Snow Day. We'll have another topic for discussion next week!
Talk to you then ~ keep writing!

Building A Fantasy World

2010-02-03T10:34:00.003-05:00

First, an announcement: I want to let everyone know about an incredible workshop possibility for MG/YA fantasy novelists. Highlights is sponsoring a week-long, mentoring workshop with established fantasy authors. They are only taking 8 authors. Check out the details here:
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/FWsched_wholeNovelFantasy_10.html

I've applied and am waiting anxiously! You never know what God will decide.

We talked about Character Arc for our heroes and villians - some secondary characters should have complete character arcs, too, but we don't need to talk about at this point.

Let's talk about building our worlds. Fantasy writers have somewhat of an advantage over contemporary writers in that we can do anything we want with our worlds. We don't have to obey the laws of nature or have a world that is like Earth. Of course, we want to make our worlds real so the reader feels part of the story. How do fantasy writers create fantasy worlds that seem real? What do we include? What should we avoid? I look forward to good discussion!

Character Arc Part Two

2010-01-25T10:25:00.003-05:00

Last week we looked at Character Arc for our heroes. What about our villians? Do we need a completed Character Arc for them, as well? I believe so. Readers like well defined characters, whether good or bad. Villians need to be real or we won't believe our heroine really is in trouble. And villians need growth and change. But don't get me wrong. It doesn't mean your villian must be redeemed, although that works for some stories (remember Return of the Jedi?) Change/growth can be for the good or bad.

How are you handling the Character Arc for your villian? I can't wait to hear.

Character Arc

2010-01-19T14:23:00.004-05:00

My annual weekend retreat with my private writer's group was this past weekend. We studied charactar arc, which is very timely since it's the next thing I want to talk about here.

What is character arc? Simply put, it's the path a character takes toward the end of the book. How they grow or change. It can a change for the better or a change for the worse. Significant or small. In some stories, characters don't really *change*. But characters should experience growth.

In fantasy, we can play more with character arc. And we have the freedom to include at least one character who is totally evil and doesn't change, except for being defeated (killed) by the hero. In LOTR, Sauron, the dark lord, is totally evil, has no personality and does not change. But he's not really a main character, even though he's the main antagonist. Saruman, however, does go through a change - for the worse. We don't see him before he turns over to Sauron's side, but we know he was not always this way because Gandalf tells us. And we see him fall deeper and deeper into Sauron's power.

So, let's look at character arc. This week, we'll start with your hero's character arc. In the beginning of your story, where is your hero emotionally, spiritually, mentally? What is their hidden need? Where are they in the middle? The end? Have you given the reader a completed, satisfying character arc? Where do you want to see your hero land? What is the end point? What growth do you hope to see at the end?

Lots of questions. You don't have to post an answer to every one, but I've included them to help you really see your hero and ponder where you want them to go. Let's talk!

Ideas

2010-01-13T07:16:00.003-05:00

Sorry to be late in posting this week. I lost a beloved friend from high school to cancer yesterday. I've been thinking of nothing else.

I'd like to talk about ideas. I think we may have touched on this subject, but let's talk about it again.

Ideas are everywhere. They come out of the blue. They come from seeing something - a picture, a friend, a movie, another book. The Bible says there's nothing new under the sun, so when we get an idea, we have to make sure we give it enough of a twist to make it fresh.

Where do your ideas come from? How do you decide which ideas are keepers? How do your life experiences help? How do they hinder?

Let's talk!

Happy New Year and Setting Goals

2010-01-04T09:09:00.003-05:00

We had some good discussion on The Hero's Journey. I hope it's helped you with your writing.
Here is a brief overview:

Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where they recieve the CALL TO ADVENTURE. They are RELUCTANT at first, or REFUSE THE CALL, but are encouraged by a MENTOR to CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where they encounter TESTS, ALLIES and ENEMIES. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossed a second threshold where they endure the SUPREME ORDEAL. They take possession of the REWARD and are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed by the experience. They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World.

The Hero's Journey is a skeletal framwork that needs fleshing out with details and surprises of the individual story. The structure shouldn't call attention to itself or followed too precisely. The order of the stages above is only one of many combinations. The stages can be deleted, added to and shuffled around without losing any of its power. Only you, as the author, can determine what your story requires.

So, now we face a New Year. This is a good time to set some goals and share them. It's important to have encouragement to keep our goals, so let's help each other and hold each other accountable. What are your writing goals for 2010?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-28T09:29:00.003-05:00

Christmas Greetings from North Carolina! I can still say Merry Christmas because today is the 4th Day of Christmas! I'm at my brother's house in Fayetteville, which is quite a ways from New Jersey. A bit warmer, too. :)

I hope your Christmas celebration was joyful and memorable. Truly, it's amazing to me that God pushed aside his glory just enough to let humanity in. How much He loves us!

There's no new topic today - just wishes for a blessed and happy 2010. We'll review The Hero's Journey briefly next week and then will be off on new topics. I'm looking forward to more great discussion on the wonderful world of fantasy writing!

Thanks for participating. I am blessed and encouraged by each one of you!

Fondly,

pam <><

Return With The Elixir

2009-12-21T13:33:00.003-05:00

Here is where the hero returns to the Ordinary World, but the journey is meanlingless if he doesn't bring back some kind of treasure or lesson from the Special World. It might be a magic potion with the power to heal or a great treasure like the Grail that magically heals the wounded land. Or it might simply be knowledge or experience that could be useful to the community someday. The Elixir may be a treasure won on the quest or it could be love, freedom, wisdom or the knowledge the Special World exists and can be survived. Sometimes it's coming home with a good story to tell.

We Seekers come home at last, purged, purified and bearing the fruits of our journey ... There will be other adventures, but this one is complete, and as it ends, it brings deep healing, wellness and wholeness to our world. The Seekers have come Home.

There are two branches to the end of the Hero's Journey; the circular form, in which there is a sense of closure and completion. And the "other" way; an open-ended approach, which there is a sense of unanswered questions, ambiguities and unresolved conflicts.

The Return can fall flat is everything is resolved too neatly or just as expected. A good Return should untie the plot threads, but with a certain amount of surprise; a little taste of the unexpected or a sudden revelation.

A special job of the Return is to hand out final rewards and punishments. It's part of restoring balance to the world of the story, giving a sense of completion. Punishment should fit the crime and have the quality of poetic justice.

Many stories fall apart in the final moments, so we have to be careful how we handle this all important part of the story. We've taken our readers on a fine adventure. Nothing is worse than a bad ending. How are you handling this part of your story?

The Road Back

2009-12-16T10:48:00.003-05:00

Sorry I'm posting late again. Getting my Christmas sewing done is making me crazy! But in a good way. :) We are almost done The Hero's Journey and will finish up next week. Then we'll start something new in January.

The Road Back
Just when you thought you were done ... your hero is not out of the woods yet. Now he has to deal with the consequences of confronting the dark forces of the Supreme Ordeal. If he hasn't managed to reconcile with the dark forces, they may come raging after him. And he has a choice to make; does he return back to the starting point or does he continue on the journey to a new location/destination?

This is where your story's energy can be revved up again. The Road Back marks a time when the hero rededicates himself to the adventure. It's a turning point that marks the beginning of the end of your book. It can be another moment of crisis that sets the hero on a new and final road of trials.

This is where the antagonist retaliates. What the hero "throws down" in a chase (to trick or hinder the persuing enemy) may represent a sacrifice or the leaving behind of something of value. Or the enemy may steal the treasure or kidnap an ally.

Not every book deals with this part of The Hero's Journey, but I'm thinking there may be a little of it in every story. And there are many ways to handle it. How are you dealing with The Road Back?

The Reward

2009-12-09T09:51:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the last post. It's been a crazy week and it's only Wednesday!

The Reward
This is also called, "seizing the sword." Having beaten death, the dragon, the dark lord, whatever you can come with, the hero now takes possession of the treasure he or she has come seeking. It might be a weapon or token or some elixir which can heal the wounded land. It can be an epiphany or self-realization.

This is almost always a time where the hero is recognized or rewarded for having survived the great ordeal. There can be a celebration, a campfire scene where everyone reviews recent events or even a love scene, where the hero finally gets together with their true love.

But it's essential the hero takes possession of whatever they came seeking after. Some heroes "purchase" the treasure, buying it with their lives or the willingness to rise their life. Some steal the it. The prize is not always given, even if it has been paid for or earned. It must be taken.

How can we handle this in a satisfying way for our readers?

The Supreme Ordeal

2009-11-30T10:31:00.003-05:00

The Supreme Ordeal is the black moment of your book. The hero faces the possibility of death and is brought to the brink in a battle with a hostile force. The reader is held in suspense and tension, not knowing how things will work out. Your hero is in the "belly of the whale."

This is a critical moment where the hero must die or appear to die so he can be "born again." The experiences of all the stages so far have led us (the reader) to this moment. Our job, as authors, has been to create such character/reader involvement, that the reader experiences the brink-of-death moment with the heroine. Emotions are temporarily depressed so they can be revived by the hero's return from death.

Every story needs a life-or-death moment in which the hero or his goals are in mortal jeopardy. This is the climax of the story. Everything hinges on this moment.

We want to build up to this point, pacing the story so we don't get there too soon or too late. And we don't want to make it obvious how our hero gets out of the horrendous situation.

If you've come this far in your story, how are you handling it?

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T08:04:00.001-05:00

Greetings, fellow FFFers! I meant to post this on Monday, but the days have gotten away from me.

I wish you all a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving celebration! I'm thankful for each and everyone of you. We'll get back to The Hero's Journey next week.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
pam <><

Approach to the Inmost Cave

2009-11-16T12:17:00.003-05:00

The most dangerous spot in your hero's world is the Inmost Cave. When the hero enters that place, he will cross the second major threshold. This is an opportunity to stop, prepare, plan and outwit the villian's guards, which is known as the Approach.

This is the heart of the Special World, between the border and the center of the Hero's Journey.
The hero may find other Threshold Guardians, tests, allies and enemies. Now is the time to make final preparations for the central ordeal of the adventure. *Just a reminder of what a Threshold Guardian is: these are powerful figures who raise the banner of fear and doubt, questioning the hero's worthiness. Their purpose is to block the Hero from the adventure.*

Some heroes may develop a romance here. Some boldly stride up to the castle door and demand to be let in. Some sneak in the back way. But the hero needs to beware of obstacles, illusions, guardians, warnings and "impossible" tests. They may enter another special world.

Here is the time to raise the stakes, add complications, build conflict and tension and have time to step back and reorganize. The hero is facing internal challenges as well as external.

The Inmost Cave can be physical or emotional.

There's a lot to think about here. We have to remember this part of our story can be so very different from other stories. It's a large part of the Adventure. What do you think about this part of the Journey? How are you handling it?

Allies

2009-11-10T08:15:00.003-05:00

We've had some great discussion on Enemies/Villians. Let's turn our attention to Allies.

Allies, friends, sidekicks. Typically, we have all these things in our story. They help the Heroine.

Allies come and go. Friends come and go. Sidekicks pretty much stay with the Hero. These characters can provide help, companionship, wisdom and humor.

In my WIP, Akeela has several friends. Not sure if any of them qualify for the type of sidekick we usually think of. There's Anon (a faun who is mentally challenged), Hawk (the boy she ends up falling in love with) and Hawk's cousins (a boy and a girl.) They all travel with her until the very end when she has to spend some time alone.

Allies can also band together to form a team, which I've done with Akeela.

I also have fairies, who are under the antagonist's (Tzmet) spell. They are enemies who mascarade as allies. This ends up causing a rift between Akeela and Hawk, which is the ulimate cause of Akeela falling into the Moon Dancer world. Which is not a good thing. Which is a good thing ... for tension. HA!

How important are allies, friends and sidekicks? How are you using them in your stories?
Let's talk!

Villians and Magic Arts

2009-11-02T10:38:00.003-05:00

I'd like to continue talking about our villians. As Christian writers who love the fantasy genre and understand we can tell great stories in this way, we also know we need a dark character to come against our hero/heroine.

How far do we delve into the dark characters? How much do we reveal in their thoughts or actions? It depends on our audience, of course.

And what about magic? Scripture warns us to stay away from magic arts. Still, in fantasy, magic arts are prominant, especially in the villians. Take The Lord of the Rings; there are good and bad wizards and there is Sauron. All have some kind of magic power, but they are also limited.

How are you handling this in your WIP?
Let's talk!

Tests, Allies and Enemies

2009-10-26T08:27:00.003-04:00

Once your hero begins his/her adventure, they will naturally encounter new challenges or TESTS. They'll make ALLIES and ENEMIES. And they'll begin to learn all the rules of the quest/special world. This allows for character development as your hero and other characters react to stress, set backs, new friends, facing the enemy, etc. This is also a place to introduce a side-kick, if you already haven't.

The hero can encounter all these things throughout the story.

As we know, in fiction, we want tension and conflict - something to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Things that will make the reader stay up late to read "just one more chapter." The things we hate in real life, we seem to love in books or movies. I think we like seeing how things resolve.

So, let's talk about tests, allies and enemies. What kind of things does your hero encounter? How much trouble should we throw at our characters? We don't want to beat them to a bloody pulp, right? So, we want to give them times of fun and rest.

It's a balance, and it's our job to make it happen without everything falling apart.

Crossing the First Threshold

2009-10-19T10:34:00.003-04:00

This happens when the hero finally says yes to the quest and fully enters the Special World of the story for the first time. He agrees to face whatever needs facing with the problem or challenge of the Call to Adventure. This is where your story takes off. You've set up the Ordinary World and introduced the main character, mentor and other important characters.

This doesn't mean your hero can't turn back. At this point, they can. But there's no reason to right now. The hero often feels condfident and ready to tackle anything.

How are you handling this part of your story? Are you leaving the reader feeling as confident as the hero or have you written in some kind of menacing threat, ever so slightly?

The Mentor

2009-10-13T09:17:00.003-04:00

I've been away for the long weekend. It was a good weekend with a writing friend. But I'm home now, so, let's continue talking about The Hero's Journey.

By the time the hero is at the refusal point in the story, along comes a Merlin-like character who is the hero's MENTOR. The relationship between hero and Mentor is one of the most common themes in mythology and one of the richest in symbolic value, especially for Christian writers.

The Mentor may appear in many forms; an old man or woman, a parent, a pastor, a boss, a friend. The purpose of the Mentor is to prepare the hero for the unknown or quest. They may give advice or some kind of talisman or weapon before setting the hero free.

Sometimes, the Mentor comes back into the hero's life if the hero needs a push.

So, what do you think? Does every hero need a Mentor? If a hero doesn't have a Mentor, where do they get their knowledge, advice or encouragement? In my WIP, my heroine, Akeela, has a couple of mentors. One dies, one can't be with her once she starts her quest. I want Akeela to be able to figure out some things on her own. It gives me a chance to write in her mistakes and show her weakness. It also enables me to allow her to overcome.

If we are using a Mentor, we don't want that person to do everything for the hero. It would make the story boring and predictable. How are you using a Mentor?

The Reluctant Hero

2009-10-05T07:25:00.003-04:00

REFUSAL OF THE CALL (or the reluctant hero) is typically the next step in The Hero's Journey. The hero learns something about herself or about some kind of quest he has to complete and it isn't something they want to do. They may feel fear, unbelief or apathy. But then something happens to make them change their minds and they are willing to start on the adventure.

This is typical. Ordinary. But it seems to work. Human nature (or whatever nature you are writing about) most always hesitates unless they are motivated. For myself, I need to know WHY I'm being asked to do something that doesn't make sense to me.

How are you handling your hero's REFUSAL OF THE CALL? Have you found a nice twist so that it's not your regular, I don't wanna go . . . okay, changed my mind, guess I'll go.

The Call to Adventure

2009-09-28T09:47:00.003-04:00

We've started looking at The Hero's Journey for our fantasy writing. This formula works for any genre, of course, but we're mainly talking about fantasy.

According to my book, the Journey has 12 stages.

1) Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2) they recieve the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3) They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
4) are encouraged by a MENTOR to
5) CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World where
6) they encounter TESTS, ALLIES and ENEMIES.
7) They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
8) where they endure the SURPEME ORDEAL.
9) They take possession of their REWARD and
10) are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11) They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION and are transformed by the experience.
12) They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World.

We've talked about the Ordinary World and Physical/Inward Journey. Christopher Vogler's book The Writer's Journey, breaks down these 12 steps, adding more detail. Vogler says, "The Hero's Journey is infinitely flexible, capable of endless variation without sacrificing any of its magic, and it will outlive us all." It is a map we can follow, taking our own turns and making what we want of it.

Let's look at the second step of THJ: The Call to Adventure. This is where the hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure to undertake. I like to call it a "quest." This mean he/she cannot remain in the Ordinary World. The Call to Adventure establishes the stakes of the game and makes clear the hero's goal.

Let's talk about The Call. How long do we spend there? How do we bring it about? Is The Call clear in your writing? Is The Call unique? If so, how can you give it a twist to make it less typical?

The Journey Itself

2009-09-21T10:45:00.003-04:00

We talked a little about the ordinary world of our hero last week. And we all agreed it's important to show what's normal for the hero before he/she sets off on their adventure. It gives the reader an idea of what's at stake.

Here's a quote from Christopher Vogler's book about The Journey:

"... the hero's story is always a journey. A hero leaves his/her comfortable, ordinary surroundings to venture into a challenging, unfamiliar world."

Then it goes on to say, "... many stories take the hero on an inward journey, one of the mind, the heart, the spirit."

Let's talk about The Journey this week. What sort of journey is your hero/heroine on? Is it an outward one with a quest into a labyrinth, cave, forest or strange location? Or is it more inside the hero's character/mind?

Vogler says, "It's these emotional journeys that hook an audience and make a story worth watching."

I believe the Journey should be both. Fantasy readers expect the characters to set off on an impossible quest into strange and mystical places. But they also want to *feel* things along with the hero. How can we balance the physical with the emotional?

The Ordinary World

2009-09-14T09:13:00.004-04:00

Welcome back, fantasy lovers! We had a nice break, but I'm looking forward to getting back into our discussion on writing fantasy.

I've been learning about The Hero's Journey, which all stories follow to some extent, but in fantasy it's necessary to pay closer attention to it. What IS the Hero's Journey? According to the book, The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler, the Hero's Journey contains "a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams and movies." He begins the book talking about mapping the journey in Three Acts.

Act One begins with the Ordinary World. Vogler says it's necessary to show your hero in normal life so when the Call to Adventure comes and the quest begins, you can "create a vivid contrast with the strange new world he (the hero) is about to enter." It's also needed to establish who the hero is and begin the character arc.

That makes perfect sense to me. The reader needs to know who the hero is without the new situation. Writers need to establish character and personality. We need to create a sense of caring what happens to the hero. Otherwise, why would the reader want to read on?

So, let's talk a bit about the Ordinary World. How do we set it up? How long should we stay there? How can we make it interesting? How much description should we use? I look forward to your comments.

Doug's blog

2009-09-01T14:08:00.003-04:00

Greetings, fellow Fairies, Fantasy and Faith blog readers! Sorry to be a day late here. We're dealing with a huge problem at my autistic daughter's school and yesterday got away from me.

This week, I'd like to share Doug's blog with everyone. http://hathrae.com/annay/
Doug is a faithful reader of FFF and a fellow fantasy writer.

Next Monday is a holiday, so be looking for the fantasy writing discussion to continue on Monday, September 14th.

Enjoy the end of summer! The magical season of fall is almost upon us.

Something for fun

2009-08-24T08:39:00.001-04:00

I've been on vacation, so here's a little something for fun. I'll get back to fantasy writing next week! Enjoy!! http://members.ozemail.com.au/~imcfadyen/fantasy.html

Great conference - new opportunities

2009-08-10T08:21:00.003-04:00

Wow ~ I got back from the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference on Saturday night. It was an amazing conference! I met several fellow fantasy writers, who I hope will join us here on Fairies, Fantasy and Faith. The faculty was great and everyone I talked to learned a lot and felt encouraged.

My 16-year-old daughter, Mary, went with me. Dr. Ted Baehr (Movieguide.org) taught a three-day screen writing class and she attended that. She learned so much more about the industry that she ever dreamed and has the opportunity to go out to CA next summer as an intern! We will be getting all the details before we make the decision to send her all the way across the country.

Jeff Gerke from Marcher Lord Press was there. He was great fun and his continuing workshop was amazing. I talked with him about Fairyeater and he was encouraging and showed me some places I needed to work on. That's always a good thing.

I also have the opportunity to send a proposal to an agent and another publishing house, so I'll be working away over the next few weeks to whip everything in shape before I send it all out. Of course, I want to send it NOW!! But that would not be wise, so I'll do what I have to do and be patient. It's all in God's timing anyway, so what do I have to worry about?

Next Monday, I'll be leaving for vacation, so I will not be posting again for 2 weeks. But when I get back, I want to start really looking into the various parts of fantasy writing and the Hero's Journey and character development. I'm hoping we'll get some really good discussion going.

Happy writing!
pam <><

Writer's Conferences

2009-07-27T19:20:00.002-04:00

I finished with summer theatre last week and am now turning my attention to the Greater Phila. Christian Writer's Conference, which is next week (see www.writehisanswer.com/philadelphia). I'm teaching the First Timer's Orientation with my friend, novelist Joyce Magnin, and one of the workshops for the Teens Write Track.

Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot in Christian conferences for fantasy writers . . . but Jeff Gerke from Marcher Lord Press is going to be there and I'm totally jazzed about that. And I've heard a rumor that there will be a continuing track on fantasy and sci-fi writing at Mt. Hermon next year.

We fantasy writers MUST hang in there!

Janet mentioned she was coming to the Philly conference. Any other Fairies, Fantasy and Faith bloggees coming to the conference?

What other conferences are friendly to fantasy writers? Let's share information ~ maybe we can help each other get published. :)

Ideas

2009-07-20T08:13:00.002-04:00

Let's talk about ideas this week. Where do you get your ideas? Do pictures help or do ideas simply spring out of nowhere? I'll chime in later. Right now, I'm off to dress rehearsal for our local summer theatre children's show. I'm the music director and we're doing Alice Through the Looking Glass. Talk about a fantasy. HA!!

Secondary Characters

2009-07-13T19:12:00.001-04:00

Every hero needs a side kick and friends. This week, let’s talk about secondary characters. What do your secondary characters need? How important are they to the story? How do you keep them from taking over? Do you like them more than the main character?

I have several secondary characters in my WIP that are important to the story line. I am the parent of a daughter who has autism and seizures. Because I deal with special needs on a daily basis, I’ve found that I always include a character with some kind of handicap. My other daughter reads my chapters and she’s grown to love the faun, who is friends with the heroine. The faun (his name is Anon) has Down’s – but, of course, I don’t call it that. Anon is “touched.” He adds a different dynamic to the story, even though he is quite secondary. And if not for him, the heroine would not be able to complete her task, although we don’t know that until almost the end.

Let’s talk about secondary characters.

Creating the Main Character

2009-07-06T06:56:00.001-04:00

Okay, we’ve talked about God and villains. Now, let’s turn our attention to the main character – or protagonist.

What makes a good hero/heroine? They need to be someone the reader can sympathize or care about right away. How can you create interest right away? My friend, Joyce Magnin, says to put your hero up a tree and throw rocks at him.

What kind of characteristics should a protagonist have? A hidden magic ability? A gift already known? Luke Skywalker had the force. Wil Ohmsford from The Elfstones of Shannara had enough elven blood to bring the Elfstones to life. Frodo only had his hobbit sense. My heroine, Akeela, has something I call spirit-sight; she can see auras around living things.

My mentor has a list of questions she uses when beginning a new story. It has helped me develop and know my characters better. When you know your characters well, they become real. And when they become real to you, they’ll be real to the reader. When they are real to the reader, the reader will care about them. That keeps pages turning.

Your main character had needs. In the beginning of the story, what is the obvious need? Something the reader can identify right away. When you establish this, you create sympathy and the reader will want to see what happens next. You’ve hooked them. This is true no matter what genre you write.

But there also needs to be a hidden need, which the protagonist will realize by the end of the book. The reader should not know this right away.

To recap: how do we create a hero/heroine the reader will care about from the very beginning who is interesting, real and not stereotyped?

The Dark Side

2009-06-29T15:50:00.001-04:00

We had great discussion last week about including God in our fantasy writings. Now, let’s go to the dark side and talk about villains.

All stories need a strong antagonist – one the protagonist must prevail against. And it can’t be easy. It’s even been said the villain should be stronger than the hero. Or seem to be.

What makes a good dark foe? What characteristics should you give him or her? What makes your antagonist different from all others out there?

Sauron, Darth Vader, Maleficent. Just three examples of fantasy, sci-fi and animated villains. One was redeemed. Two fell to their tragic deaths.

As Christian fantasy writers, how do we handle evil characters? How evil can we go? Can we make our dark characters likeable? Should we?

Lots to talk about this week. Spread the news! Let’s get more people on board for this potentially rousing discussion.

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I'm a guest blogger

2009-06-26T07:01:00.001-04:00

I'm a guest blogger today on: http://hopeforspecialmoms.blogspot.com
Stop by and say hi!

Including God in Fantasy

2009-06-22T08:06:00.001-04:00

Doug wrote this about his WIP: They have the same God that we do, not our God mapped into some other form.

I attended a one-day workshop with SCBWI last fall and got the opportunity to talk with an editor from Scholastic. We talked about including God in fantasy novels. Her advice to me about having God in the story is to make sure it’s a natural part of the culture, whether fantasy, sci-fi or futuristic. Don’t put God in your story simply for the sake of making it “inspirational” or Christian. The reader will know if you’re hitting them over the head with a message.

She also advised me to give Him another name – I was calling Him “The Most High God” in my story. That was too much like the Bible, and fantasy writers need to keep in mind that there are not fairies, elves, wizards or dwarves in the Bible. That made sense to me. So, I renamed Him, Celtar. I think it works.

I also included a book of “Holy Writings” which my characters quote from time to time, so I’ve paraphrased enough to keep it from being a direct quote from Scripture.

Should Christians include God in their story? I’d love to hear your opinion on this. Let the discussion begin!

Should Christians Enjoy Fantasy?

2009-06-15T07:52:00.003-04:00

I taught a workshop on writing fantasy last year at a conference. I opened up for questions at the end and got hit with a biggie. A woman asked if Christians should be writing or enjoying fantasy as the Bible teaches us to avoid sorcery, fortune telling and other such dark arts. She was genuine in asking as she wanted to write fantasy and but felt troubled. I find this a fascinating topic since I’ve always enjoyed fantasy and never had a doubt of whether I should or not.

I believe great truths can be told in a good story. Jesus Himself, told stories, many with fantastic elements, like a camel going through the eye of a needle (Matt. 19:24) or the vision between heaven and hell (Luke 16:19-26.)

I also think there’s a difference between using magic and wizards and sorcery to move the plot along and glorifying the practice of them. As Christian writers, we must be on guard so we don’t make the dark arts appealing to our readers. But a good fantasy includes these things. There has to be something for the hero to fight against.

So, let’s talk about this. What are your thoughts? Examples? Reasons? Let’s get some good discussion going!

What is fantasy?

2009-06-08T07:18:00.001-04:00

To get some discussion going on fantasy, I’d like to start with the basics. When you hear the word fantasy, what comes to mind? When I think of fantasy, I think of fairies, elves, dwarves and characters like that. I think of magic and wizards and a quest to save the world from a dark and evil force. Sound familiar to you?

Webster’s dictionary defines fantasy as:
1) imagination or fancy; esp. wild visionary fancy
2) an unnatural or bizarre mental image
3) an odd notion; whim; caprice
4) a highly imaginative poem, play, etc.
5) same as fantasia (see below)
6) a daydream or daydreaming, esp. about an unfulfilled desire

Fantasia is defined as:
1) a musical composition of no fixed form
2) a medley of familiar tunes

The only part of these definitions I wasn’t familiar with was caprice, so I looked that up, too. The definitions are:
1) a sudden, impulsive change in thought or action
2) a capricious quality or nature
3) music same as capriccio (a lively musical composition of irregular form)

Hmmmmm … I don’t see anything in those definitions that fit in with my thoughts of fantasy. But let’s take a closer look. Any kind of fiction takes imagination, of course, but fantasy even more so. Fantasy writers need to come up with new worlds and characters. My WIP has fairies, dwarves, humans, a witch, a dark lord and characters of my own creation. And now that I think about it, a bizarre mental image is needed to picture them. Guess Webster's isn't too far off. :)

What about you? How does your story fit in these definitions? I look forward to your thoughts.

WHAT’S NEW?
Check the progress of my fairy garden to the right
I’ve added Fantasy Photo Fridays. Send me your fantasy-ish pictures and I’ll post them, adding new pics every Friday.

A new addition to Fairies, Fantasy and Faith!

2009-06-04T17:52:00.002-04:00

A quick announcement to let you know that I've added a page to my blog. I'm building a Fairy Garden and will be posting my progress. Check it out by clicking on the link to the right under Ten Random Things About Me.

Welcome, Fantasy Lovers

2009-06-01T07:04:00.001-04:00

Greetings, fellow fantasy lovers! I’m happy you stopped by. With this first post, I want to acquaint you with the vision I have for this blog.

I am a published children’s author. Two years ago, I got an idea for a fantasy novel. The thought had never occurred to me to actually write fantasy, although I love the genre. But the idea wouldn’t go away, so I wrote the beginning to Fairyeater – my WIP – and showed it to my writing partner, Joyce. She read it and said, “Wow, you just found your voice.” So, I started working on the plot and characters. At first, my intention was to make it a trilogy, but after getting into the story, I decided to combine everything into one book with three parts. It’s a lot of work, but I’m enjoying it so much.

In the process, I’ve met several other Christian authors who love fantasy. And many wonder if fantasy should be written, read or watched by Christians. In the workshop I led last year at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference, we got into some good discussion regarding this, and I thought it would be great to have a blog where we could come together and kick the topic around. So, here we are. I’ll be posting once a week, on Mondays, to start with, and I hope we’ll get some good discussion going in the comments section.

Please introduce yourself and let us know if you are a writer of fantasy or simply a lover of fantasy. Don’t forget to subscribe. I’m looking forward to getting to know you!