MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

[Gary McCallister]

There is a song from Camelot about May. Can't remember the name of it, but Guenivere (How do you spell that name? Does anyone name their daughter this anymore?) sings it. I hate that movie. My wife and I saw it when we were sort of newly weds and I found the portrayal of betrayal horrible. It sparked a powerful conversation between us and helped us formulate plans to not fall victim to attractions. In that respect it was good, but I have refused to ever watch the movie again. Interesting, because I was a huge fan and reader of King Arthur stories when I was young. I read "Le Morte de Arthur" numerous times and knew all the knights by heart.

There are two kinds of stories I cannot stand: relationship betrayal and sexual violence. These leave me feeling physically ill.

My, what a pleasant opening to a pleasant months postings. I need to build a dam in my stream of consciousness and redirect the flow. The column is in for the week. I need to get two columns done in advance because we are going out of town later this month. So that is my immediate goal.

What's yours?

[charlie]

I have started May off with a bang. I've written just over 1000 words and will perhaps add more later in the day. Also, my wife and I's twins birthday is today. Their names are Justin and Jennifer and they are 27.

Later in the month it is jury duty, maybe. I hope I don't get called in.

[rahmuss]

Sachiko,
I was running a bit late for my prophet calling, so I didn't get to see the pre-mortal life, just the mortal and post-mortal aspects.

Gary,
I think your forgetfulness came as a junior moment instead.
Also, the song is the Lusty Month of May. And my wife and I watched it as newlyweds as well. We both just laughed at it and haven't watched it since. I didn't like the betrayal either.

Charlie,
I've just watched a bunch of Brandon Sanderson lectures on Youtube and he has some great stuff. Not all of it applies to different genres; but there is some really good stuff there.

One of the basic divides between writers is whether they are "Gardeners" or "Architects".

Gardeners tend to discover the story as they go, and they often go back and re-write things over and over again because they are learning more and more about how they want the story to go. When they hit a brick wall Brandon Sanderson suggests writing two different ways the story could go, two completely different ways that the story would never go, and then you'll better understand where it should go. Gardeners need to keep writing in order to keep discovering.

Architects build their story beforehand (I'm one of these for sure). They know the structure of the story very well. Orson Scott Card is a grand architect. He spends a couple of years building the frame so completely that he only needs to fill in extra stuff once his frame is done and it only takes a couple of months. If architects hit a wall they should stand back and see why the wall is there, they may need to restructure part of the story so that the flow does not end up at a wall again. It's less common for architects to run into walls though because they should already have a good idea about where things are going.

And most writers have some of each type. Brandon Sanderson does mostly architect work; but his characters are done in a gardening style.

There was a lot of other great info in there which I'll have to mention later.

[rahmuss]

Writing Helps & Tools

- Writing is not about inspiration or ideas, or luck, it's about skill. Practice, practice, practice.
- Editors can tell how good of a writer you are very quickly from what you've written.
- Try plotting backwards and then writing forwards.
- Start with the most “awesome” moments and then build the story to get to those moments.
- Find out why you love the books you love and then create that for your own writings.
- Combine multiple interesting ideas, like creating a complex molecule.
Find out what the main protagonist(s) want and then think of ways of telling them “no”, find ways of denying them their goal, make it hard for them, keep asking questions until you have many obstacles to overcome, and then tell their story (don't go too overboard).
- One way to see if you are able to portray your characters as individuals rather than simply different aspects of yourself, is to write some dialog without any markers telling who is speaking, and try to make it obvious who is speaking just by what they say and how they act.
- For your first book clean up any obvious loose ends, don't portray it as a sequel. Publishers may not be willing to commit to that initially.
- Each line of description should be “filtered through the lens” of the character's eyes.
- Descriptions should “do more than one thing”.
- We have 5 senses, use more than just one or two.
- Make descriptions shorter so that you don't draw the reader out of the story.
- Find something to describe which will give you more details about the scene without adding too many words.
- The first page is about viewpoint and description. Don't try to sell them on the plot or setting with your first pages, sell them on the character(s).
- If you're starting out with a fight you need to create some way of making the reader care about the character(s) involved the fight.
- Pacing ---------vs.--------- Immersion. Pacing is less descriptive, Immersion is very descriptive. Keep a good pace to start with and then immerse them into the story.
- Don't “info dump”, meaning, don't write massive amounts of text describing a situation. Keep the description coming; but intersperse it with how it relates to the plot and / or characters.
- If your character is an artist they might notice things of sight more. If your character is a chef they might notice taste or smell more than other things. If your character is a scholar then they might notice technical information in everything. If your character does a lot of work with his hands then he might notice how things feel to touch. If your character is a women she might be more clued in to how people are feeling at a given moment.
- There is no “show and tell” there is only “show, don't tell”. Which means that in order to describe something you show it happening, don't just tell people that it can happen, show them that it happens. Don't say that he was nervous, show that he is tapping his fingers or biting his nails to show that he is nervous. How do you know he's nervous? “Because he told me” shouldn't be the response. “Because his voice cracked” or “because he was sweating” or “because his eyes were shifty” are all better answers, and they can only get those answers if you have shown those characteristics.
- “Limitations are more important than powers” - Sanderson's Second Law of Magic. This applies to strengths of any kind, not just magic. The strengths or powers of your character are important; but it is their limitations and weaknesses which make the story interesting.
- Conflict is the “glue” which holds settings (environment), characters, and plot together.
- No one wants to read a story about the everyday man doing nothing; but everyday work. There needs to be conflict (external or internal, or both). Create limitations with the character's skills which will bring conflict. Conflict which involves the setting, character, and plot will always be the best things to include.
- A character also needs to have a lot of depth. If we were to delve deeper into their mind we need to be interested in what we find.
- We need to show that the protagonists are proactive. Show them doing things early on otherwise they will not be cheered for.
- Depth gives a character a unique view on life. This can be done well with showing, not telling. Dialog is better at showing than telling; but don't discuss things that all characters involved in the dialog likely already know.
- Make the characters care about the plot. Usually new writers write flat characters, they are only in the story to fulfill a role. This happens especially with characters who are the opposite gender from the writer.
- Make sure you show what the hopes and dreams of your characters are close to the start of the book, and then when that all gets interrupted it will have a greater impact; but don't let them lose those hopes and dreams, they should cling to them to one degree or another.
- Characters need multiple passions and desires, and if they conflict with each other, within the character, then they are great to use.
- When brainstorming characters, to make them interesting you don't need to give them weird interests or attributes, you just need to give them unexpected interests and attributes to make them interesting. For example, instead of making a female have some strange fetish with crochet hooks, have her really like hunting lions and make it be something which conflicts with another character, or the setting, or the plot somehow. Something unexpected instead of just weird.
- Things which can be included when brainstorming about characters: Interests, attributes, secrets (current or present), other characters who conflict with them, setting elements which conflict with them, personality type, political or cultural leanings, plot interests (what they want to accomplish), find something for them to be proactive about, and a totem which represents the character. After you get your list you may need to throw some things out and tie some things together to make your character self-cohesive and to make it easier to be consistent with your character. You'll need to show each of these things which makeup the character instead of telling each things about the character.

[paulwest]

Gary, I have just the opposite reaction to Camelot than you. I felt the betrayal, or rather the results of the betrayal, was a good object lesson. You betray a love or trust, you can expect dire results. I just felt bad for King Arthur, but bad things happen to good people.

[Gary McCallister]

My problem with Camelot was the portrayal as something Lancelot and what's her name couldn't do anything about. They were so drawn to each other that they couldn't help themselves. I didn't believe that was true, and I still don't. My wife did. We discussed the issue and decided that if either of us ever felt like we shouldn't be around another person because we found the attractive, we should feel free to bring it up so that either of us could help sever those ties.

When I started teaching school I always mentioned my wife and family the first day and frequently thereafter, to send a clear signal to all that I was happily married. Not because I thought I was so attractive, but because in a position of authority, everyone is attractive to someone.

See, I just don't believe in passionate love that can't be controlled. That's why betrayal looks so terrible to me. It is always a choice.

In fact, I hate the endings of the Hunger Game series for somewhat this reason. Katniss doesn't end up with a guy she chose, just the one that's left.

MY wife called this card in once. It was painful to hear that she found another guy attractive, but she had the courage and desire to be righteous to say it, so that we could avoid a situation.

[paulwest]

I can understand that. I was just concentrating on the results, which to me are realistic. I haven't read the Hunger Game series, nor saw the movie -- and based on what I've heard about it I don't really care to do so.

[rahmuss]

With the Hunger Games are you talking about the movie or the books?

In the books both of them are still around, one was just more involved in what she was doing at the end of the book. The other had just changed into a person who she didn't feel a need to be around anymore.

In the movie, well, I see why you might say that if you were talking about the movie.

[Gary McCallister]

I am talking about the books. At the end of book three, Katniss doesn't really ever make a choice. One guy has changed and gone off to do big things. So she ends up with Peeta (or however you spell it) because they are both there. That's probably why my wife is with me, but I don't want to believe that. But I suppose that ending is open to interpretation. By the way, I think the books ended the way they had to end. I just don't like it.

This brings up a good writing topic. My wife and i discuss the difference between the way female authors treat relationships and male authors do. Of course, we don't agree. Wel, by that I mean she doesn't see a pattern with male writers, which may simply man she doesn't read a lot of male writers, or that she can't see what i think i see in female authors. Anyone else think there is a unique pattern. Let the gender wars begin.

[rahmuss]

Brandon Sanderson mentioned something that he heard from another writer (a female; but I can't remember who). You'll very often find that if there is a character in the story who is the opposite gender from the writer, many times they will play the part of the love interest, and they don't have as much depth themselves, and when they have dialog with other characters it's usually about relationships. I guess that goes for both genders.

Also, my wife and I have both noticed that female authors will normally make the men much more sensitive and caring and protective rather than the oafs we are.

[Gary McCallister]

female authors will normally make the men much more sensitive and caring and protective rather than the oafs we are.

Exactly!!! Women writers often have two men vying for her attention. She, of course, cannot make up her mind. The two guys are both so smitten that they never fight, and are willing to do anything she says to increase her well-being. What?!

The other guy is either dead (figuritively) or I'm gone. "Boys, now don't fight." "I'm just so confused. Give me a little time and space." Girls, that is not reality.

[paulwest]

I think that is why boys, in general, don't read novels much. We need more male writers and male agents and male publishers. Then, maybe boys would begin reading more.

No?

[Gary McCallister]

Wow, Paul. That is insightful. However, I think women buy more books so maybe it is hopeless.

Don't mean to leave you ladies out of the conversation. What is wrong with male authors?

[paulwest]

I think women buy more books because more books are aimed at them. No?

It may take a while, but I think if there were an equal amount of books aimed at boys as there are at girls, eventually boys would begin reading more. No?

That's my theory anyway, and I'm sticking with it. I'm sure it has flaws in it, such as girls are more domestic and boys more adventurous, or stuff like that, and maybe that has something to do with it, but until I'm proven wrong, I'll keep writing boy books - and maybe even after I'm proven wrong. Why stop? Boys need books too.

I think back to when I began liking literature. Frankly, as a boy up through my Junior year in high school I hated reading, just like most boys my age. Then, I read Call of the Wild, by Jack London. I couldn't put it down. Then I read White Fang. Then Sailor on Horseback, an biography of Jack London and I was hooked on not only reading (boy books) but wanting to be a writer like London. Then, I read "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck and "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Even though Harper is a woman, I found her book irresistible.

These are the kinds of book I cut my proverbial "reading teeth" on. With the exception of Harper Lee, they were male authors, and frankly To Kill a Mockingbird, to me, is a boy book, even though the MC is a girl -- she acts like a boy.

So, to all the men on this board, I ask, what inspired you to take up writing, especially fiction?

[rahmuss]

I always liked reading, even at a very young age.
I guess I started wanting to write books after reading The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks.
Orson Scott Card books also have had a huge impact on me wanting to write books and what kinds of books.