Making it Your Own

I spent last night editing two short stories. In the background I'd started Syfy's latest mini-series Alice. Since I was just doing the most basic of editing chores, grammar, my brain kind of floated onto a parallel thought pattern.

I thought that their adaption of the story was brilliant. Their twists on the character, the world, and the storyline was absolutely unique and interesting. I, as the watcher, was treated to a grown up version of a childhood favorite.

I was so excited after the original airing that I hurried onto the Syfy forum to post a comment and was a little surprised. There was plenty of praise and lots of "I loved it", which was not the surprise. My surprise came from the negative. It was completely polar. I didn't expect such a dramatic gap of either loved it or hated it.

Why are you talking about a movie on a writing blog? I know you're asking it. Hang with me here, I'm heading to a writing point....well, meandering to it I guess.

I wondered if this reaction was from the viewpoint of Lewis loyalty or, in fact, they didn't like the story. Had they felt the original Looking Glass books were tarnished by this new approach? Stemming that question, did they feel the story should remain in its pure form?

At this point, my parallel thoughts could no longer remain focused on their individual tasks. I stopped my editing and wondered: how far can you take a traditional story and make it your own? I know there will always be naysayers, but can you judge the success of the masses and should you even try?

My latest story (still untitled...its own irky situation) stems off a Native American oral story of creation. That is, stems off by a very large margin. How will the response of this be when - yes, think positive with when, not if - this gets published? Will I offend the Navajo people? Native Americans in total? Or will they see it as the respect and admiration of their wonderful history, as I launched the idea with?

Here are two key boundaries I followed in writing the Navajo story. From my interpretation of the Alice movie, they seemed to have kept along this line too.

• Keep the core meaning of the story. Alice to a majority of readers is the need to stay grounded and face reality as it is. (I know it's a VERY generalized statement and there's arguments for and against it being this.)
• Try to keep the core of the characters purpose within the story. Alice's White Rabbit was to kick off the story and lead Alice to Wonderland and along her journey throughout the story.

Of course, I don't know how this will turn out for my short. Judging by Alice responses, there's always those who would keep it untouched. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Good writing all!

What's in a Title and Other Writing Quandaries

Endings, titles, and names, oh my! Hmmm, maybe that should've been the title of this post...

Any-who, moving on.

Last night was a very good writing session for my Indian story. I cut 300 words and added 500 better words, thereby fleshing out about 90% of the scenes. Then I pondered over my ending. Many of you know, I'm horrible with endings. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I either rush them, drag them out, put the wrong ending, or leave too much untied.

I mean, the concept doesn't seem that hard: chose either the good, bad, or ugly. Whoa-la! Should be easy-peasy.

• Good ending: The two species work it out and all is blissful in the land of my story.
• Bad ending: The two species fight and destroy their homes, land, and ultimately their world.
• Ugly ending: One of the species has to win over the other, killing off part of what makes their world...well, theirs.

But there's just so much more to it. To solve this, I wrote out each ending in turn and tried to focus on the point of the story and results from that particular angle. Then I went back and checked that each one's pacing timed well with the rest of the content. I know I'll have to tighten and clean a couple of times but first I'll finish the revisions and editing of the main story then test drive each one and see what fits best. Then I'll go from there.

Once I was happily done figuring this out I started thinking about a title. I've never started a story without one before. Usually it comes with the idea or I find it during the outlining phase. Titles are important, specifically in regards to stories submitted to anthologies and magazines. For these markets, your story has to be as complete as possible. With novels, it's quite common to have the publishing house change the title (or so the rumor goes).

I have 4, count 'em, 4 titles in mind and I can't decide. This probably means none of them are right. Each one is missing some aspect or "feel" of the story. They're just a little off course. Last night I decided to shelf them and return after each draft to see if one starts calling to me. It's the best I can do without going insane.

And now we arrive at names. After I complete my first drafts I always go back through and review the names I've selected for my characters, my species, and my locations (be it planet, country, or town). They can't overlap, sound too similar, evoke odd images, or clash with their characteristics. This one is actually easier for me than the others and I completed it fairly quick.

So, that's my progress and semi-tip for the day.

Good writing all!

New Short Story

Now that the official draft of Sorcerer's Carnival has been completed, I'm letting it simmer before tackling the machete edit phase. My plans were to go back to Galileo's playground for a bit but my muse had a different idea...a new short story.

A new story?

Yes, I know what you're thinking. "Whip that muse into shape and get to work on the Galileo as you planned," right?

But, well...I didn't want too. There, I said it. I. didn't. Want. To. And seeing as my muse was very accommodating with Sorcerer's Carnival I felt she needed time to go wherever she wanted.

I haven't named the story yet, but it's loosely (loosely in it's true meaning) based on the Navajo Creation story. Being raised in Colorado, I was given a very unique experience. That region has a great respect for American history, the whole American history.

Growing up, my step dad made sure to take us to the Native American sites, to many of the traditional Pow Wows, and to all the Settler museums he could find. I've met many great people who have worked to pass down their heritage...including the oral stories told by their ancestors.

I don't remember when I first heard the creation story, but I remember it stayed with me. It wasn't until a couple months ago that I ran into the story again, this time on-line. Many happy memories flooded through me as I read it. I know it's corny, but I felt those memories in every one of my senses.

I haven't been back to Colorado since I left it sixteen years ago (minus a midnight pass-through for my Grandma's funeral in Kansas). Even so, I smelled the grass of the plains, I felt the summer heat of the mile high, I could hear the whistling wind of the foothills.

I wasn't looking for a writing idea when I read it but all you writers know, everything you read, see, and hear is packed away for some future use. Sunday night I just couldn't focus on Galileo. Instead, I went to bed and let my mind rest.

And I dreamed of Indians.

But not just Indians, the first Indians. The people who came from the underworld through the magic reed and created the Earth as we know it. This dream was so vivid, so tangible, I woke up sad that I had to leave it. Childishly, I even tried to go back to sleep and dream myself there again.

Revved up, Monday and yesterday I did the needed foundational research. Excited at the prospect of bringing this vision to paper. Last night, after the younger kids went to bed I pulled out my laptop and typed. It was only when my husband walked in for bedtime I realized it was after 11 pm.

I had written almost 3500 words in little over 2 hours. I had the framework for my story, and the start of the ending.

Re-reading it, I was impressed with myself. I'm a humble writer and recognize I'll never be a Stephen King or Isaac Asimov. But looking over my rough work, I saw my dream in words. It needs to be shined and fleshed out still, but I am happy with this first draft.

It's as close to the dream I'll ever get again...and that's okay.

Good writing all!

Break Through

I guess it takes getting crazy before the break through hits. At least sometimes. Unfortunately for me and Sorcerer's Carnival this was the route I had to take. The breakthrough happened in my sleep when I dreamed the solution. Well, more accurately, I dreamed the story the way it was supposed to be.

I can't say I woke up in excitement as I rarely wake up excited (I'm not a morning person by nature). But once I had several large glasses of caffeine in my system I was ready to tackle the story and reintegrate the vision I originally had for it.

It's now the end of the day and aside from mommy duty, I dedicated my energy and day to Sorcerer's Carnival. I'm now feeling the rewards of accomplishment as the draft is done and the story is how I wanted it. In fact, I've managed to also get through the first round of editing and it's pretty clean.

Writing wise it was a great day. Looking back at the fiasco of the last few days I realize that I was not really following the plan I outlined earlier in the week. I was trying to fix as I reread the original version instead of just soaking in the original story. This was blocking me from feeling the spark of creativity that started the story in the first place.

Now I just have to remember this the next time I face a similar dilemma.

Good writing all!

Frustration

Every writer faces that moment where they envision tossing the main character over a cliff...followed by the manuscript.

I'm there.

I want to take Barabin, my sorcerer in Sorcerer's Carnival, and heave him over after beating the living...sigh. Two deep breaths. One long shoulder roll. Unclench teeth.

I am trying the strategy I laid out in the previous post. As you can tell. It isn't working. I am so frustrated, I'm seeing red. (Yes cliche...it's my writing journal and I'll use them if I want)

Okay, okay. Enough with this attitude. I must get back on track here. Somehow.

Am I forcing this story? I've heard that some stories end up being duds. I've have a couple in my time. It's just that I was soooo excited about this one. And the anthology it's slated for sounds very interesting.

I don't know. I feel stuck. I feel that if I don't stick to my guns I will be taking a step back in my "writing-as-a-secondary-career" development. Is it that the story does in fact suck? Or is it that my writing is just sucking in reference to this story right now?

Something to think about.

Good writing all! (Hopefully better then mine right now)

Root Cause

Last night was very productive. I started out trying to force progress on Sorcerer's Carnival. That didn't end so well and almost had my Muse and I not speaking to each other. So I moved back to Galileo and made great progress (cut 2200 words but ended up almost 500 ahead of starting word count in revisions).

This morning, I sat back to review why I've been having so much trouble with Sorcerer's Carnival. There are several factors playing into this story. First, this is my first serious fantasy story. Second, this genre - while great to read - is not easy for me to write. And Lastly, I don't think I liked the original revisions I made based on critique feedback.

Let's address each core piece and figure out how it's affecting my progress:

First: First Fantasy Draft
I had to delve into a lot of research prior to outlining and drafting this story. It was exciting for me and the first version was a bit sentimental for me. I was so excited about it. I love new opportunities for creative outlet. I don't this this is the core issue for further development.

Moving on...

Second: Difficult Genre for Me to Write
That first draft came out like a rushing waterfall. The editing and revisions have been more like water boarding torture. You wouldn't think fantasy would have so many boundaries and rules. But there are many. This is more apparent with the subject matter of sorcery and powers. Trying to be consistent with industry and reader expectations has been very difficult, aggravating, and stressful. Not too mention I hate rules and unlike sci-fi where the more implausible the farther out in the future I go...sorcery rules are bound by a historical and sometimes religious constraints. This is a definite issue to my progress on this story.

Okay, keep this going...

Third: Unhappy Critique-based Revisions
Because my weakness in the previous area, I relied heavily on the critique suggestions. Too heavily. By the time I was done changing what all the reviewers thought needed to be changed, both my Muse and I seemed pretty cut out. It didn't feel like my story anymore. This is unacceptable to me and my writing ethics.

Well, enough whining. I've come to the core of my problem and really laid out my issues. To fix this and get back on track I think I need to do the following:

• Reread the original draft
• Go through the critiques again and mark which ones fit with who I am as a writer
• Outline a balanced plan of action
• Stick with my instinct
• Put the story that I feel is right out there and hope for the best

Okay, feeling much better. Good writing all!

Depth and Breadth

Working in the business side of healthcare I’ve learned that the depth and breadth of your services is important to your patients (or potential patients). In looking at business development I have to see what services we have and how we can change, mold, and expand on them to realize our full potential as an organization.

This concept can be applied to your manuscript as well. ‘Cause let’s face it, all we have right now is a manuscript. It’s in the development stage and is not a novel quite yet. So how can we get that depth and breadth to our manuscript, thereby completing it to its full potential?

Here are some factors I’m looking at myself with my work. See if it helps you.

First and foremost – as with business – who is your customer, end user, or client? That is, who is the reader that you want or need to interest? Know your audience and what they want. You may be a great writer but if no ones interested in your work…well, you’ll never be a published author.

After you find that out, you need to compare it to your manuscript, outline, work in progress.

Focus and evolve your idea/purpose to match industry, genre, and audience trends. Don’t write a novel for the purpose of showcasing the potential of time travel when your readers are primarily into new life forms on other planets. Don’t write a story that pits adversaries fighting for oil on other planets 400 years in the future when human evolution is trending towards green alternatives. It won’t stand the test of time (not to mention it’s flashback to 1980).

Now that you have your audience and idea aligned, it’s time to write your story. But wait, now you have to worry about how you’re writing out your idea. Pesky little details like narrative voice, word choice, and transitions. Is the voice and word choice matching the tone and mood of your story? Are you writing more formal than the brash heroine calls for? Are the transitions between scenes too choppy for your romantic space opera?

When all these details are developed and integrated into your end product (your novel), you then have to go back through and check the mechanics. You have to put on your editor hat and make sure you grammar and structure are up to snuff.

Only when these things are cleaned out can you put your product out there to potential agents and publishers. At least you know that if you check through all these things you’ll have the highest potential pumped into your story.

Good writing all!