Okay, so I'm sitting here in the last days of 2011 thinking back over the year, trying to remember good times, bad times, and what was memorable.
That... is a problem. I really can't remember anything memorable.
I mean, we took a vacation to see family in California this past Thanksgiving, and that is most definitely noteworthy, considering we hadn't been back in four years. But what happened otherwise?
Every time I think of something, it dawns on me that, nope, that was LAST year. "Oh, my parents came to visit for 3 weeks." Nope last winter they did, but they left before New Year. "Oh! My best friend visited." Nope, last year too. My in-laws took a trip up this summer, and that was nice, but they often do that.
* What did I do for Valentine's Day? No clue.
* What about Spring Break? Honestly can't recall.
* Hubby got a real good job, which is awesome beyond belief after the crap he's been through.
* This summer, the in-laws visited, went to the coast for a day, saw some museums... otherwise, I didn't do much.
* What did I do for my birthday? Well, we saw Phantom of the Opera and that was awesome.
* We had that flood upstairs that drenched us downstairs... guh, not something to be remembered.
* My hubby finally got the electric guitar he was obsessing over for months.
* We missed Talk Like A Pirate Day.
* We sort of ignored Halloween.
* I never got to go to a write-in for NaNoWriMo.
* Then I had an abscessed tooth that laid me up for many weeks with a fever and swollen face before I finally found a dentist who would pull it.
* The 8 days in California were awesome, at least.
* My hubby didn't really want to do anything for his birthday and just wanted Pizza Hut.
* Christmas was pretty quiet, just dinner with the uncle.
* New Year's Eve looks like it'll be quiet too.
The thing that will stand out about 2011 is my plunge into fan fiction. I tested the waters out last year, but this past summer was when I discovered the manga Fairy Tail and got sucked in. I'm now making a bit of a name for myself (or at least "Rhov" is) writing for the Fairy Tail community. "Lion's Pride" is my own little source of pride. I've been meeting other aspiring writers, and although I think the average age is 17, it's still nice to chat with new people. I feel like an elderly sage giving them advice. Maybe it's a short-lived obsession, but I will likely keep writing fanfics for Fairy Tail in 2012, at least finishing up the stories I've started.
Otherwise, I did very little writing, no noteworthy photography, I'm playing percussion instead of my darling trombone until I get the rest of my dental work done, didn't go sailing, didn't get to walk along the beach despite being in Astoria this summer and being in California only minutes from the beach! I missed the Perseid meteor shower for maybe the first time ever, I didn't get to pick blackberries, I did almost nothing for NaNoWriMo... sort of a let-down of a year.
Except in fan fiction... which is sort of an ephemeral fame, people adore your writing but forget about it the next day as they read the avalanche of verbose tripe that overwhelms that site every hour.
Now 2012 is looming like that shadow you feel before you see anything. There are, of course, dooming theories about this upcoming year. We had enough "end of the world" prophecies this year. Nothing happened. People thought the "Occupy" movement would rock the foundations of society. Nothing happened. So maybe we're getting jaded. Even if we knew for certain the day and hour Armageddon was coming, half the population would still say, "Well, if it comes, it comes, I ain't waiting for it to end." Maybe the Mayans knew something, maybe they just ran out of room and the Mayan calender is the Y2K of the ancient world.
In any case, I'll keep writing, I'll keep trying to get published, I'll complete that fanfic I've started, I'll keep hoping I can one day finish Shadowstrider, and I'll continue to be a loving wife, a good child, a musician, a writer, a sailor, and a geek girl... all for the price of one!
I ain't waiting for it to end.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
OTP
OTP
One True Pairing
I write fan fiction, obviously. I have two accounts, one that is clean and one that I created to "hide" my more risqué works. They're not necessarily all about sex, mind you. Rated M is also for blood and gore, or in general for "adult themes." One of my stories is Rated M because the girl gets drunk and flashes her boobs. Nothing happens until the very end... when she gets her first kiss. Yup, it's that non-sexual! But it's still M.
Then there are the ones that define "Rated M," stories that will make you blush and will probably make my parents disown me. It's taken me years to break down my barriers as a writer, to be strong enough to not simply write "they kissed and tumbled back onto the bed; then the next morning..." but to write some content into what the audience can already guess was a wild night of raw passion. I guess I really didn't feel adequate to write material like that until I got married. "Write what you know"... right?
With fanfiction, I have an audience eager to read "those sorts of stories." In fact, they thrive on it.
When I saw in the Fairy Tail listing on Fanfiction.net that there are 25 Rated-M stories about the character Loke, and 5 are mine (well, 6 if you count the French translation of "Lion's Pride" that Meijishi is uploading) I realized I have two problems: one, I'm obsessed with Loke (hell, I even wrote a slash with him); two, I have a very perverted mind (did I mentioned the slash...with Natsu?)
These are all of my Loke stories, including the "clean" ones on my "good girl alter-ego" account:
Box of 'Nip - clean and cute, although technically Loke is "stoned" on catnip
Cat Bath - so dirty, it had to take place in a shower
Crouching Lion, Horny Dragon - slash... also the worst title EVER! But too funny to change it.
Ephemeral Sakura, Eternal Love - M for gore and drunken booby flashes.
From Lion To Kitten - Loke and Lucy as children... uber cuteness!
Kitty Licks - just as perverted as you're imagining
Lion's Pride - my epic and serious piece... except for the lemon in chapter one. I probably scare people away with that. Or draw them in.
Quest for the Master Key - song-fic about Loke and Lucy.
Sayonara, Saiai No Shishi - Japanese for "Farewell, Beloved Lion." Seriously, the saddest story I have ever written.
OTP means "one true pairing," and in fanfics it's the couple you personally think makes the perfect pair. It might be the obvious main male protagonist and main heroine, or it might be the obscure villain who had a shared past with the heroine. Reasons vary as wildly as just who should match up.
For me, Fairy Tail's main girl Lucy belongs with the Spirit of the Lion, the only character who has so far confessed his love to her (although she brushed him off) and the one whose life she saved: Loke, AKA Leo the Lion. There are too many reasons why I think Lucy and Loke belong together, why they are my OTP, rather than pairing her with Natsu or Gray.
Well... maybe Gray. He's cute too. Don't even tempt me to write a slash about Loke and Gray... yummm!
Yup, I need a cure to my obsession. Maybe I'll adopt a ginger cat and name him Loke. It'll be very awkward to write lemons with my kitty staring at me.
Monday, November 07, 2011
One Week In
One week in, and I'm starting to hate my story. This is probably a record. Sometimes I grow to hate it around Day 15, but no... I started to hate this story at about Day 3, and as I sit here drinking hot cocoa and rum, medicating my chronic insomnia the bad way, I'm staring at Chapter 4 and realizing... I simply do not like my story.
Perhaps it's because I have another story I put on hiatus in order to do Nanowrimo. I'm tempted to work on that story as a "dream sequence" of this story. Or maybe my MC sits down to watch TV, and this "show" comes on. I don't know, but I can't just put that other story out of my head. I tied it up at a neat little spot so I could focus all attention onto Nanowrimo, but now... I just can't focus.
The fact that I'll be leaving to California in two weeks and staying there until December means I need to put even more effort into these first couple weeks. I should be at least around 35k before leaving Portland, because I know I'll have almost no time to write while I'm gone. This is turning out to be the hardest Nanowrimo since my very first attempt. I don't want to break my 5-year winning streak, but this apathy is draining all my creativity like a... like a... hell, I can't even think up of a good simile.
So... any suggestions? How can I fall back in love with my characters? What tricks are there to revitalizing my enthusiasm for my plot? Besides chocolate and rum, which obviously aren't working, what other sacrifices to the Muses should I offer? And am I cheating if I make a "dream sequence" so I can work on another project without sacrificing my precious free time?
Perhaps it's because I have another story I put on hiatus in order to do Nanowrimo. I'm tempted to work on that story as a "dream sequence" of this story. Or maybe my MC sits down to watch TV, and this "show" comes on. I don't know, but I can't just put that other story out of my head. I tied it up at a neat little spot so I could focus all attention onto Nanowrimo, but now... I just can't focus.
The fact that I'll be leaving to California in two weeks and staying there until December means I need to put even more effort into these first couple weeks. I should be at least around 35k before leaving Portland, because I know I'll have almost no time to write while I'm gone. This is turning out to be the hardest Nanowrimo since my very first attempt. I don't want to break my 5-year winning streak, but this apathy is draining all my creativity like a... like a... hell, I can't even think up of a good simile.
So... any suggestions? How can I fall back in love with my characters? What tricks are there to revitalizing my enthusiasm for my plot? Besides chocolate and rum, which obviously aren't working, what other sacrifices to the Muses should I offer? And am I cheating if I make a "dream sequence" so I can work on another project without sacrificing my precious free time?
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Why Fan Fiction?
Up until 2011, like many other writers, I scoffed the idea of fan fiction. The characters were not original, the setting was already made up by the author, so really all a fanfic writer had to do was come up with a plot. And sometimes not even that much. "PWP" (plot-what-plot, or alternatively "porn without plot") is popular for a reason.
Not that I didn't sometimes dabble in writing Star Trek episodes. It can get addicting, certainly! But it seemed like every story I opened on Fanfiction.net was riddled with grammar errors and meandering plots. I think the infamous "My Immortal" Harry Potter fanfic epitomized the stereotype of bad (really bad) writing. So bad, I only managed three chapters before I felt physically ill.
Then a crazy plot dropped into my head, a novel-size story on Quantum Leap, my favorite show as a kid and what got me fascinated in history. So I set up an account and began uploading chapters. I discovered something unique in this experiment. Readers leave comments, and although 90% or them are simple "I liked this so please update soon," there are little gems out there, readers who want quality, will praise you if you deliver, and most important to me, readers who will gladly critique you. Sometimes harshly!
This equals instant gratification.
Coming Up With Lion's Pride
This summer, I got addicted to the manga Fairy Tail and of course began writing on that. It was a crazy idea, hooking up the two characters who I thought made the most adorable pair, the Spirit Mage Lucy and her Spirit of the Leo Constellation, a playboy named Loke. Lion's Pride was going to be one of those notorious PWP stories, except... I got rave reviews. On my first day of publishing, 77 people read the story, and many left reviews. By the end of the week, over 300 people had read this and wanted more.
Who was I to refuse!
So a second chapter went up. This time, 100 people read it on the first day. I was spurred on. My imagination, which had been plagued with writer's block, suddenly opened by the cheers of adoring readers who claimed this story of mine, one I put so little effort into, was one of those "diamonds in the rough" that are the treasure of Fanfiction.net.
My ego was rising with the helium of compliments, and with it my love for writing took flight once more.
That was in August. By the end of that month, I had six chapters up and about 250 regular readers with more drifting in every day. Through September, I regularly updated a chapter every four days, which was probably insane of me, except I was really falling in love with the story. My Muse could not be stopped. My day was filled with writing, editing, responding to reviews and private messages. One reader from France offered to translate my story. I'm still in shock that I can read my story in French! Corbleu! I chatted with a few readers who I now count as friends. For me, writing had never been so much fun.
October saw some problems. I sprained my wrist and could not type well. Still, I pushed onward, cutting down to a chapter a week. Then I needed emergency surgery. I had a buffer, so I kept updating even while bed-bound. I did not want to stop. I felt a duty to my readers. I had the whole story outlined. I wrote out the ending, since that is always the hardest for me.
On the side, I was still writing one-shots. The fans from Lion's Pride would read those as well. I had "followers," scary as that sounds. People began to notice my name in other places. "Rhov" was becoming something of a celebrity in my small circle of fanfic folks. My husband joked that I spent at least an hour a day replying to "fan mail."
I felt an obligation to keep my readers entertained.
This is not a feeling you get when you write a stand-alone novel. Maybe for epic series, but normally... "obligation to entertain" is not something solitary writers feel. Since I'm also a musician, I comprehend this emotion, and I'm amazed to feel it in writing as well. What sort of writer would also feel this drive and loyalty?
Mangaka! Or as most people would know it, Japanese comic artists. The same talented people I'm emulating.
I just published my 20th chapter tonight. It's November, Nanowrimo time, so I have stopped writing Lion's Pride. I have two more chapters in my buffer to wrap up Part One, and then I plan on taking a hiatus until December. I feel... sad. I know I need to stop obsessing, but I feel worried that if I stop now, the steam will fade away. I won't feel the same rush.
Then I look at how many people are just discovering this story. Every day, I pick up at least 5 new readers. Even if I need to take time off for Nanowrimo, that means 150 new readers will be there to welcome me back.
So Why Fan Fiction?
Some of you might ask, why did I so suddenly venture into the tripe-filled cesspool of fan fiction? After all, it is a community overrun by teens who want to live out their Mary Sue dreams of being in an anime or falling for a movie star. Who wouldn't love to be swept into an adventure with Harry Potter, or have a vampire all to yourself? But why am I "sinking" to such a level?
I recently read a forum where a writer asked such a question. How is it that writers who obviously have talent would "demean" themselves by "wasting" such inspiration on something for which they could never get paid?
Why would I waste three months writing Lion's Pride, a story where I must put a disclaimer that I do not own the rights to the manga, a story I cannot make money on, a story that--according to that particular forum writer--is a medium best occupied by teens still trying to grow in their feathers, not a full-fledged adult who has published and gets paid to write material?
Simple answer: Instant gratification!
Think about it. You slave over your beloved novel, which may take a year to finish. You then spend months if not years being rejected by agent after agent, editor after editor. If you are deemed lucky enough to get your foot in the door, then you get your story shredded in editing and rewriting, until you think you are a horrible writer. Finally, it gets published, and instead of an instant New York Times bestseller, you realize that selling a few hundred in the first week is the best you can do. Friends who said they would buy your book don't. Family might buy one copy and pass it around. Then you get reviews. The negative ones hit you hard, because these are there for the whole world to see. Your family questions why you would write such a thing. You slink back to your keyboard hoping that maybe the sequel will do better.
That is traditional publishing.
Here is Fan Fiction.
You write the first chapter. You do not even have to have the whole plot laid out. You stick it out there like sending your first 10 pages to an agent. Instead of months of rejections, within minutes you get reviews. Some praise you. Some correct you. You can instantly edit your story to help improve based on those comments. For each chapter, you garner more readers and more reviews. Every step of the way, you're boosted. True, some of these readers might not recognize tripe if it was shoved down their throats, but others are quite discerning. You feel loved. When you finish the story, the writing process is over. You aren't plagued with the fear of months of upcoming rejections. It's already published! Your payment was during the writing phase, all those comments. You feel accomplished and enthusiastic to write more.
Fan fiction for me is a place where I can experiment. I can write on subjects that are too risqué. I can get feedback besides "We are not looking for this sort of story at this time." I can discover my strengths rather than get bombarded with my shortcomings. Fanfics make me love writing again.
Writing a story with characters from another story happens all the time. Shakespeare did it in many of his plays. Every fairy tale remake and comic-book-turned-movie could be considered "fan fiction" in a way. Except fanfic writers don't care about money. We do this for fun and for ourselves.
Saying that writers who write fan fiction is a waste of talent is like saying a doctor running a free clinic is a waste of talent. Money and profit do not even enter a fanfic writer's head. We wish to entertain and improve ourselves. Just because I've published a few things does not mean I am the pinnacle of writing success. Hell no! I want to improve. I want others to read my stuff.
Heck, if I ever publish my novel, I would be giddy to sneak onto Fanfiction.net and write some slash between my characters. It's fun to free one's imagination.
That's why I write fan fiction.
If you want to read the story of stuff I do, you can read Lion's Pride, but do be careful. It's rated "M" for a reason.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7254845/1/Lions_Pride
Oh and... review my story! ^_^
Not that I didn't sometimes dabble in writing Star Trek episodes. It can get addicting, certainly! But it seemed like every story I opened on Fanfiction.net was riddled with grammar errors and meandering plots. I think the infamous "My Immortal" Harry Potter fanfic epitomized the stereotype of bad (really bad) writing. So bad, I only managed three chapters before I felt physically ill.
Then a crazy plot dropped into my head, a novel-size story on Quantum Leap, my favorite show as a kid and what got me fascinated in history. So I set up an account and began uploading chapters. I discovered something unique in this experiment. Readers leave comments, and although 90% or them are simple "I liked this so please update soon," there are little gems out there, readers who want quality, will praise you if you deliver, and most important to me, readers who will gladly critique you. Sometimes harshly!
This equals instant gratification.
Coming Up With Lion's Pride
This summer, I got addicted to the manga Fairy Tail and of course began writing on that. It was a crazy idea, hooking up the two characters who I thought made the most adorable pair, the Spirit Mage Lucy and her Spirit of the Leo Constellation, a playboy named Loke. Lion's Pride was going to be one of those notorious PWP stories, except... I got rave reviews. On my first day of publishing, 77 people read the story, and many left reviews. By the end of the week, over 300 people had read this and wanted more.
Who was I to refuse!
So a second chapter went up. This time, 100 people read it on the first day. I was spurred on. My imagination, which had been plagued with writer's block, suddenly opened by the cheers of adoring readers who claimed this story of mine, one I put so little effort into, was one of those "diamonds in the rough" that are the treasure of Fanfiction.net.
My ego was rising with the helium of compliments, and with it my love for writing took flight once more.
That was in August. By the end of that month, I had six chapters up and about 250 regular readers with more drifting in every day. Through September, I regularly updated a chapter every four days, which was probably insane of me, except I was really falling in love with the story. My Muse could not be stopped. My day was filled with writing, editing, responding to reviews and private messages. One reader from France offered to translate my story. I'm still in shock that I can read my story in French! Corbleu! I chatted with a few readers who I now count as friends. For me, writing had never been so much fun.
October saw some problems. I sprained my wrist and could not type well. Still, I pushed onward, cutting down to a chapter a week. Then I needed emergency surgery. I had a buffer, so I kept updating even while bed-bound. I did not want to stop. I felt a duty to my readers. I had the whole story outlined. I wrote out the ending, since that is always the hardest for me.
On the side, I was still writing one-shots. The fans from Lion's Pride would read those as well. I had "followers," scary as that sounds. People began to notice my name in other places. "Rhov" was becoming something of a celebrity in my small circle of fanfic folks. My husband joked that I spent at least an hour a day replying to "fan mail."
I felt an obligation to keep my readers entertained.
This is not a feeling you get when you write a stand-alone novel. Maybe for epic series, but normally... "obligation to entertain" is not something solitary writers feel. Since I'm also a musician, I comprehend this emotion, and I'm amazed to feel it in writing as well. What sort of writer would also feel this drive and loyalty?
Mangaka! Or as most people would know it, Japanese comic artists. The same talented people I'm emulating.
I just published my 20th chapter tonight. It's November, Nanowrimo time, so I have stopped writing Lion's Pride. I have two more chapters in my buffer to wrap up Part One, and then I plan on taking a hiatus until December. I feel... sad. I know I need to stop obsessing, but I feel worried that if I stop now, the steam will fade away. I won't feel the same rush.
Then I look at how many people are just discovering this story. Every day, I pick up at least 5 new readers. Even if I need to take time off for Nanowrimo, that means 150 new readers will be there to welcome me back.
So Why Fan Fiction?
Some of you might ask, why did I so suddenly venture into the tripe-filled cesspool of fan fiction? After all, it is a community overrun by teens who want to live out their Mary Sue dreams of being in an anime or falling for a movie star. Who wouldn't love to be swept into an adventure with Harry Potter, or have a vampire all to yourself? But why am I "sinking" to such a level?
I recently read a forum where a writer asked such a question. How is it that writers who obviously have talent would "demean" themselves by "wasting" such inspiration on something for which they could never get paid?
Why would I waste three months writing Lion's Pride, a story where I must put a disclaimer that I do not own the rights to the manga, a story I cannot make money on, a story that--according to that particular forum writer--is a medium best occupied by teens still trying to grow in their feathers, not a full-fledged adult who has published and gets paid to write material?
Simple answer: Instant gratification!
Think about it. You slave over your beloved novel, which may take a year to finish. You then spend months if not years being rejected by agent after agent, editor after editor. If you are deemed lucky enough to get your foot in the door, then you get your story shredded in editing and rewriting, until you think you are a horrible writer. Finally, it gets published, and instead of an instant New York Times bestseller, you realize that selling a few hundred in the first week is the best you can do. Friends who said they would buy your book don't. Family might buy one copy and pass it around. Then you get reviews. The negative ones hit you hard, because these are there for the whole world to see. Your family questions why you would write such a thing. You slink back to your keyboard hoping that maybe the sequel will do better.
That is traditional publishing.
Here is Fan Fiction.
You write the first chapter. You do not even have to have the whole plot laid out. You stick it out there like sending your first 10 pages to an agent. Instead of months of rejections, within minutes you get reviews. Some praise you. Some correct you. You can instantly edit your story to help improve based on those comments. For each chapter, you garner more readers and more reviews. Every step of the way, you're boosted. True, some of these readers might not recognize tripe if it was shoved down their throats, but others are quite discerning. You feel loved. When you finish the story, the writing process is over. You aren't plagued with the fear of months of upcoming rejections. It's already published! Your payment was during the writing phase, all those comments. You feel accomplished and enthusiastic to write more.
Fan fiction for me is a place where I can experiment. I can write on subjects that are too risqué. I can get feedback besides "We are not looking for this sort of story at this time." I can discover my strengths rather than get bombarded with my shortcomings. Fanfics make me love writing again.
Writing a story with characters from another story happens all the time. Shakespeare did it in many of his plays. Every fairy tale remake and comic-book-turned-movie could be considered "fan fiction" in a way. Except fanfic writers don't care about money. We do this for fun and for ourselves.
Saying that writers who write fan fiction is a waste of talent is like saying a doctor running a free clinic is a waste of talent. Money and profit do not even enter a fanfic writer's head. We wish to entertain and improve ourselves. Just because I've published a few things does not mean I am the pinnacle of writing success. Hell no! I want to improve. I want others to read my stuff.
Heck, if I ever publish my novel, I would be giddy to sneak onto Fanfiction.net and write some slash between my characters. It's fun to free one's imagination.
That's why I write fan fiction.
If you want to read the story of stuff I do, you can read Lion's Pride, but do be careful. It's rated "M" for a reason.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7254845/1/Lions_Pride
Oh and... review my story! ^_^
Friday, April 15, 2011
Pacing Stories
Pacing... it's the bane of any writer. I stress out a lot about this issue, and reading the helpful insights on Kristin Nelson's blog doesn't help my nerves.
It does, however, help my writing.
I'm getting a story prepared for submission. I wrote my query letter and sent it to a dozen or so close friends and writer buddies for critiquing. Of those, maybe three know what to look for and will give me the brutal advice I'm looking for, yet vague positive feedback from friends helps too.
So while I wait for feedback (only got two replies so far), I'm spazzing at 4am over the first thirty pages. Ideally, I should wait until I get a positive response, but I'm in a total writer's block, and reading anything besides vapid shojo manga is simply not appealing at the moment. Because I feel like I've wasted a day if I don't do at least something in my manuscripts, I'm thus spazzing.
Over thirty pages.
Condense, condense, condense!!!
I realized in my second draft of this story, I had done the dreaded "info dump." The first chapter was a literal history lesson. The main character sat in a classroom, hardly speaking, while her brother and his ex-wife, her nursemaid, fought over political issues, gender equality, and how to rule a clan.
Problems? 1) The audience had no clue who the main character was. In fact, the nursemaid sounded more like the MC. 2) No hints at what the big issue will be. Politics? Social issues? We learned about a troubled country, not about our beloved characters. 3) History classes are boring. So was this!
That chapter got scraped so hard, it went from 15 pages to three, and recently I trimmed it even more. A little info to realize we're in a matriarchal clan society, fine... but we don't need to know the whole fricking history of the country!
Now I'm tightening more. I wanted the first four chapters to fit in those 30 pages. The thing is, there's this castle. I describe the castle. I describe it loquaciously! Whereas it's great to step back and see an aerial view of the castle and land where this scene will take place, it does not have to fill up three pages of my first thirty pages. Those "Holy 30" make it or break it. Although it's an example of descriptiveness, something I have a weakness toward, it's telling, not showing. The plot isn't moving yet in these thirty pages.
There is so much that must happen before my main character meets the love interest, a whole royal ceremony to name her the heiress, hints about the main mystery, political allies and enemies to meet, her family and childhood friends who form the nebulous of her "five-man band."
Is this all good for pacing? Does the story lag? Am I getting into the meat of the story too slowly? How can I fix it?
These are legitimate issues that writers must deal with through time and learning, not just me being obsessive-compulsive again. Well, perhaps a little of that too. This manuscript was so challenging because I went into it not blind. I had the characters and their histories all worked out ahead of time, so I wanted to explain it all quickly. Now I'm reading these initial pages, and I'm seeing a grotesque info dump. It's scaring me!
Do I really think I'm ready to send this out? If even I, the author, am seeing issues, does the story stand a chance against the far-more-experienced eye of a literary agent?
I love this story. I want this to work.
I wish I had someone I trusted, someone who knew what things to look for in voicing and pacing and such, someone who would read my story and not just say "Yeah, it sounds great." I don't want praise! I want harsh criticism. I am a masochist when it comes to editing. I want to be beaten and whipped into shape, to have my story blood red with corrective ink.
However, I want someone to tell me my faults before I get my hopes up with sending in a query, then thirty pages, then a whole manuscript, just to have the agent say, "Sorry, but your pacing is all wrong." Reading Ms. Nelson's blog post reminded me of that little hidden fear in me. What if this was my story? What if she was reading it, and in 30 pages or even 100, it just wasn't working?
I want this to be perfect.
Yes, I'm obsessing... again. I need to stop doing this, but I'm not sure how without icky drugs.
Then again, by obsessing, I'm growing to become a better storyteller. For artists and writers, striving for perfection is not only recommended, it's practically mandatory! So I'll go back, tighten the belt of those thirty pages, while I wait for a response from an agent.
Wish me luck!
Sapere aude!
It does, however, help my writing.
I'm getting a story prepared for submission. I wrote my query letter and sent it to a dozen or so close friends and writer buddies for critiquing. Of those, maybe three know what to look for and will give me the brutal advice I'm looking for, yet vague positive feedback from friends helps too.
So while I wait for feedback (only got two replies so far), I'm spazzing at 4am over the first thirty pages. Ideally, I should wait until I get a positive response, but I'm in a total writer's block, and reading anything besides vapid shojo manga is simply not appealing at the moment. Because I feel like I've wasted a day if I don't do at least something in my manuscripts, I'm thus spazzing.
Over thirty pages.
Condense, condense, condense!!!
I realized in my second draft of this story, I had done the dreaded "info dump." The first chapter was a literal history lesson. The main character sat in a classroom, hardly speaking, while her brother and his ex-wife, her nursemaid, fought over political issues, gender equality, and how to rule a clan.
Problems? 1) The audience had no clue who the main character was. In fact, the nursemaid sounded more like the MC. 2) No hints at what the big issue will be. Politics? Social issues? We learned about a troubled country, not about our beloved characters. 3) History classes are boring. So was this!
That chapter got scraped so hard, it went from 15 pages to three, and recently I trimmed it even more. A little info to realize we're in a matriarchal clan society, fine... but we don't need to know the whole fricking history of the country!
Now I'm tightening more. I wanted the first four chapters to fit in those 30 pages. The thing is, there's this castle. I describe the castle. I describe it loquaciously! Whereas it's great to step back and see an aerial view of the castle and land where this scene will take place, it does not have to fill up three pages of my first thirty pages. Those "Holy 30" make it or break it. Although it's an example of descriptiveness, something I have a weakness toward, it's telling, not showing. The plot isn't moving yet in these thirty pages.
There is so much that must happen before my main character meets the love interest, a whole royal ceremony to name her the heiress, hints about the main mystery, political allies and enemies to meet, her family and childhood friends who form the nebulous of her "five-man band."
Is this all good for pacing? Does the story lag? Am I getting into the meat of the story too slowly? How can I fix it?
These are legitimate issues that writers must deal with through time and learning, not just me being obsessive-compulsive again. Well, perhaps a little of that too. This manuscript was so challenging because I went into it not blind. I had the characters and their histories all worked out ahead of time, so I wanted to explain it all quickly. Now I'm reading these initial pages, and I'm seeing a grotesque info dump. It's scaring me!
Do I really think I'm ready to send this out? If even I, the author, am seeing issues, does the story stand a chance against the far-more-experienced eye of a literary agent?
I love this story. I want this to work.
I wish I had someone I trusted, someone who knew what things to look for in voicing and pacing and such, someone who would read my story and not just say "Yeah, it sounds great." I don't want praise! I want harsh criticism. I am a masochist when it comes to editing. I want to be beaten and whipped into shape, to have my story blood red with corrective ink.
However, I want someone to tell me my faults before I get my hopes up with sending in a query, then thirty pages, then a whole manuscript, just to have the agent say, "Sorry, but your pacing is all wrong." Reading Ms. Nelson's blog post reminded me of that little hidden fear in me. What if this was my story? What if she was reading it, and in 30 pages or even 100, it just wasn't working?
I want this to be perfect.
Yes, I'm obsessing... again. I need to stop doing this, but I'm not sure how without icky drugs.
Then again, by obsessing, I'm growing to become a better storyteller. For artists and writers, striving for perfection is not only recommended, it's practically mandatory! So I'll go back, tighten the belt of those thirty pages, while I wait for a response from an agent.
Wish me luck!
Sapere aude!
Friday, April 01, 2011
Writers Workshop Blues
I'll be blunt. Some days, I need a swift kick in the rear.
I've really not been able to write for quite some time. Oh, I'm getting editing done, sure, but that's nowhere near as fulfilling as finishing a chapter of new content, fresh off the press of my imagination.
Nope, since at least December, it has been all editing work. Maybe a page here and there, but my brain has hit an Ayers Rock, a block in the middle of nowhere; or perhaps I should compare it to Auyantepui, the Devil's Mountain, where, ironically enough, Angel Falls tempts adventurers with a piss-shower from heaven... or hell? Whether I imagine my writers block as a sea cliff, a monolith, or the Great Trango, my metaphors fail to correct the problem of somehow surmounting this impasse.
And of course, I suck at rock climbing.
I thought sitting in with a writer's group would help. I don't know many writers around here, besides a few I've befriended during Nanowrimo. My lack of literary companions leaves me wishing I had made it to more write-ins. (Note to self: get over my social anxiety by next November.)
I was part of the White Knights Writers, but they disbanded before we really got a chance to get started. I'm far too shy to simply sit in with a group I don't know. I never feel "good enough" to be in the presence of such people. It's all about talking, and I communicate via keyboard, not vocalizations. If I could speak that eloquently, I would have gotten into radio.
Workshops can be outrageously brutal to the pocketbook. Tin House Summer Writers Workshop at Reed College costs $1,100 in tuition, meals & lodging $575, plus mentorship is $750-$1,000. A cheaper one is the Write to Publish Workshop at PSU, which is a mere $120 all day, or $35 for each workshop. What's a starving artist to do?
I can't recall my last writing workshop, it's been that long. This is not the longest writer's block I've had, but considering I haven't even been able to write anything more than one short poem and some snarky forum posts, it's perhaps the most complete writer's block.
At least I can read through old stuff, but grammar checks are the tofu to my smorgasbord of creativity. I need a kick in the pants, a stick of dynamite to blast this stupid rock so I can plow through without worrying about carabiners and climbing harnesses.
The best I can do at the moment is blog. That's...pathetic. But at least it's something.
So...anyone know a good writing group in the Portland (preferably Tigard/Tualatin area) with free meetings?
I've really not been able to write for quite some time. Oh, I'm getting editing done, sure, but that's nowhere near as fulfilling as finishing a chapter of new content, fresh off the press of my imagination.
Nope, since at least December, it has been all editing work. Maybe a page here and there, but my brain has hit an Ayers Rock, a block in the middle of nowhere; or perhaps I should compare it to Auyantepui, the Devil's Mountain, where, ironically enough, Angel Falls tempts adventurers with a piss-shower from heaven... or hell? Whether I imagine my writers block as a sea cliff, a monolith, or the Great Trango, my metaphors fail to correct the problem of somehow surmounting this impasse.
And of course, I suck at rock climbing.
I thought sitting in with a writer's group would help. I don't know many writers around here, besides a few I've befriended during Nanowrimo. My lack of literary companions leaves me wishing I had made it to more write-ins. (Note to self: get over my social anxiety by next November.)
I was part of the White Knights Writers, but they disbanded before we really got a chance to get started. I'm far too shy to simply sit in with a group I don't know. I never feel "good enough" to be in the presence of such people. It's all about talking, and I communicate via keyboard, not vocalizations. If I could speak that eloquently, I would have gotten into radio.
Workshops can be outrageously brutal to the pocketbook. Tin House Summer Writers Workshop at Reed College costs $1,100 in tuition, meals & lodging $575, plus mentorship is $750-$1,000. A cheaper one is the Write to Publish Workshop at PSU, which is a mere $120 all day, or $35 for each workshop. What's a starving artist to do?
I can't recall my last writing workshop, it's been that long. This is not the longest writer's block I've had, but considering I haven't even been able to write anything more than one short poem and some snarky forum posts, it's perhaps the most complete writer's block.
At least I can read through old stuff, but grammar checks are the tofu to my smorgasbord of creativity. I need a kick in the pants, a stick of dynamite to blast this stupid rock so I can plow through without worrying about carabiners and climbing harnesses.
The best I can do at the moment is blog. That's...pathetic. But at least it's something.
So...anyone know a good writing group in the Portland (preferably Tigard/Tualatin area) with free meetings?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
I love being snarky
I woke up in a snarky mood. I was researching the top speed of the fastest human Usain Bolt, and of course I got distracted by animals. This led me to a site supposedly to teach kids, where it was stated that "the fastest animal on earth" was the cheetah. I was immediately alerted. "Nooo, don't teach our children ignorant things like this!" Fastest animal ON EARTH is so misleading.
Luckily, someone below gently corrected them... wrongly. Another poster made a claim for peregrine falcons. Another said some PBS show told him that ostriches were the fastest animals (seriously???) Another came in claiming sailfish were fastest, another said it was some insect (only because it could jump so fast given its small size) and some supposed cheetah trainer claimed gazelles were faster. It devolved into childish bickering between swift lovers, admirers of the peregrine falcon, and cheetah fans, as well as debates if "fastest animal on earth" meant on land on within the sphere of this planet. When two kids came in with "dude, I'm only 12 and I know the sailfish/gazelle/random-bird is slower" I just cracked up.
I felt it imperative to straighten all these idiots out before they went off teaching our children wrong things. And I was feeling snarky. I was also a little cranky at how stupid some people are. Maybe a hair bitter? Anyway, I posted this, then realized it was educational as well as insolent. And just maybe it'll stop the back-and-forth debate.
--
I gotta say, I couldn't even read half these posts without groaning at the stupidity of mankind. Arguing "fastest animal on earth means on land, no it means in all the world, no it means that's ever existed, no it means..." Sheesh, the 12-year-olds sound smarter! You middle school kids who are putting these adults in their places deserve a lifetime of cookies. The rest of these genetic rejects deserve to be eaten by cheetahs.
First off, the fastest fish is the sailfish, as some people above said, but it's only 68 mph, so it's slower than the cheetah. Saying "well it's got water resistance so that means on land it'd be faster than the cheetah" is as ignorant as saying if you tossed a cheetah out a plane, it'd be faster. Hell, if you want to talk about unnatural environments, just put me in the cockpit of an X-15.
Secondly, that pesky peregrine falcon seems to have caused a lot of confusion for the ignoramuses of the world. This lovely bird has been clocked in freefall at 260 mph, making some people claim it is "fastest." Properly, others have pointed out that this is its speed while in a dive. The peregrine falcon that was clocked at that speed was also thrown out a plane at 30,000 feet so it could be high enough to reach terminal velocity. That's cheating in my book.
Contrary to what others have posted, humans do not also freefall at this speed. There's a thing called AIR RESISTANCE which slows us down. Only in a vacuum do all things fall equally. Go back to high school. Or try copying the homework of one of the smart 12-year-olds.
As impressive as our bird-sans-parachute is, animal speed records are taken by HORIZONTAL movement (be it flight or running), because otherwise, let me run down the face of Grand Trango and I'll beat the pants off Usain Bolt.
In horizontal movement, the cheetah beats all other land animals at claims (not proven) of 75 mph, and a record made by the cheetah Sarah of 70 mph. In horizontal flight, the spine-tailed swift is the fastest bird at 106 mph. The peregrine falcon doesn't even land in the top ten for its horizontal speed. It falls fast, that's all. It's not the "fastest" by how experts measure animal speeds. Otherwise, go test your speed at terminal velocity until you surpass 260 mph. But remember, parachutes mess up air resistance. Don't wear one. Darwin will cheer you on.
If you want to argue that the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world, first ask the folks over at Guinness to change their rules. Offer them cookies. If they're as naive as some of the people who posted here, they'll fall for it.
Luckily, someone below gently corrected them... wrongly. Another poster made a claim for peregrine falcons. Another said some PBS show told him that ostriches were the fastest animals (seriously???) Another came in claiming sailfish were fastest, another said it was some insect (only because it could jump so fast given its small size) and some supposed cheetah trainer claimed gazelles were faster. It devolved into childish bickering between swift lovers, admirers of the peregrine falcon, and cheetah fans, as well as debates if "fastest animal on earth" meant on land on within the sphere of this planet. When two kids came in with "dude, I'm only 12 and I know the sailfish/gazelle/random-bird is slower" I just cracked up.
I felt it imperative to straighten all these idiots out before they went off teaching our children wrong things. And I was feeling snarky. I was also a little cranky at how stupid some people are. Maybe a hair bitter? Anyway, I posted this, then realized it was educational as well as insolent. And just maybe it'll stop the back-and-forth debate.
--
I gotta say, I couldn't even read half these posts without groaning at the stupidity of mankind. Arguing "fastest animal on earth means on land, no it means in all the world, no it means that's ever existed, no it means..." Sheesh, the 12-year-olds sound smarter! You middle school kids who are putting these adults in their places deserve a lifetime of cookies. The rest of these genetic rejects deserve to be eaten by cheetahs.
First off, the fastest fish is the sailfish, as some people above said, but it's only 68 mph, so it's slower than the cheetah. Saying "well it's got water resistance so that means on land it'd be faster than the cheetah" is as ignorant as saying if you tossed a cheetah out a plane, it'd be faster. Hell, if you want to talk about unnatural environments, just put me in the cockpit of an X-15.
Secondly, that pesky peregrine falcon seems to have caused a lot of confusion for the ignoramuses of the world. This lovely bird has been clocked in freefall at 260 mph, making some people claim it is "fastest." Properly, others have pointed out that this is its speed while in a dive. The peregrine falcon that was clocked at that speed was also thrown out a plane at 30,000 feet so it could be high enough to reach terminal velocity. That's cheating in my book.
Contrary to what others have posted, humans do not also freefall at this speed. There's a thing called AIR RESISTANCE which slows us down. Only in a vacuum do all things fall equally. Go back to high school. Or try copying the homework of one of the smart 12-year-olds.
As impressive as our bird-sans-parachute is, animal speed records are taken by HORIZONTAL movement (be it flight or running), because otherwise, let me run down the face of Grand Trango and I'll beat the pants off Usain Bolt.
In horizontal movement, the cheetah beats all other land animals at claims (not proven) of 75 mph, and a record made by the cheetah Sarah of 70 mph. In horizontal flight, the spine-tailed swift is the fastest bird at 106 mph. The peregrine falcon doesn't even land in the top ten for its horizontal speed. It falls fast, that's all. It's not the "fastest" by how experts measure animal speeds. Otherwise, go test your speed at terminal velocity until you surpass 260 mph. But remember, parachutes mess up air resistance. Don't wear one. Darwin will cheer you on.
If you want to argue that the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world, first ask the folks over at Guinness to change their rules. Offer them cookies. If they're as naive as some of the people who posted here, they'll fall for it.
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