Since NaNoWriMo is coming up (hence why I have been so busy preparing instead of posting on this blog), I decided to post a few tricks I have used to pad my word count.
1. If you are stuck on a scene and feel like working on something else instead (like homework, eugh, who does HOMEWORK anyway?), skip ahead to a completely unrelated scene and write that first.
2. Find a random word generator or use lines in a famous poem as word prompts. You have to include one of the words you pick every few sentences. I like Christina Rossetti. =D Virginia Woolf or Emily Dickenson are also good choices. Or Poe, if you're feeling dreary.
3. Write sex scenes. Lots of sex scenes. This is absolutely the biggest word count padder I know of. It adds a good 1000 -5000 words depending on the level of detail, and it's the same basic actions and metaphors in a fresh, sexy new setting over and over again! You don't have to come up with something completely original... Insert Tab A into Slot B, you know? Of course, you want to make it sound original and fresh, but you can do that after November 30th when you edit.
4. Write dialogue. Lots of dialogue. Before characters do anything, have them whine about it. This will give you pages and pages of word count. Just a warning, it might make your readers want to bang their head against the wall, but you can tweak/cut/polish it later.
5. Steal ideas. Steal as many ideas as you can get your greedy hands on. Just don't let anyone know where you got them. If they still stick out a little after November 30th, you can always go back, remember? That's what December is for, after all.
6. Go to the NaNo boards and start WORD WARS with people. If any of you want to start a Word War with me, my AIM SN is RaeDMagdon and you can message me whenever I'm on or add me to your buddy list. I'd be more than happy to go nano -a -nano with you and pound out some 5, 10, or 15 minute sprints one on one or in a group chat. I absolutely love word wars.
7. Write out some planned scenes beforehand. It seems like common sense, but just writing out a one sentence descriptor for a few "chocolate bar" scenes - exciting scenes you reward yourself with after you have written a lot of 'filler' material - can be very inspiring and give you a place to start if you are stuck.
Note: Some of this advice might not produce GOOD writing, but it will definitely produce writing of some kind. The more you write, the more likely that when you start culling the horrible parts, you'll still have something good left over. Write even if it's bad. Write even if it's absolutely terrible. If you just keep typing words on the screen (or penning thoughtful verses in your handy dandy spiral notebook), at least some of it is bound to be good, right? Let's hope so...
Showing posts with label genre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genre. Show all posts
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
NaNoWriMo Approaches!
NaNoWriMo is coming faster than you think!
*Snerk* Ha, that's what she said. But anyway, here are some ways to come up with great ideas (besides trolling the NaNo forums, which ALL OF YOU SHOULD BE DOING).
1. Write about what scares you.
I'm serious. Write about what scares you, haunts you, or fascinates you. At the risk of sounding like a vampire Harlequin, find the dark desires inside of you and bring them out, even if you think you can't do it. Too embarrassed to write about sex or romance? Write erotica for NaNo. Think you could never tackle fantasy? Write a fantasy novel. Drool over stories with a love triangle, betrayal, or character death? Get angsty. Do what you think you can't and you will probably find that you can.
2. Get out a pen and paper.
Again, I'm serious. I know most of us writers are glued to our computers, but there's just something about the feel of a pen in your hand as it marks up a crisp white sheet of notebook paper that cannot be replicated by the tapping of keys. You can always type up your thoughts later.
3. Grab a friend.
Discuss plot with a friend. Role play with a friend. Goof off with a friend after drinking way too many Red Bulls (or maybe something stronger if you are old enough). Save the conversations if they take place online. If they take place in real life, carry a notebook with you and do your best to remember what was said. For online writers to talk to, go to the NaNo forums! There are tons of people there.
4. Write some stream of consciousness warm-ups
You can write anything you want ahead of NaNo except the actual novel, so do a few pages of stream-of-consciousness type writing for your favorite characters. It's a great way to find out what motivates them, how they speak, how they act, and who they are. Besides, you might come up with an excellent plot that way.
5. Break out the spreadsheet
Use Excel, Word, or a plain old piece of paper to graph, chart, or just plain list the scenes in your novel in any way you like. I still prefer pen and paper or just a plain old Word document, but some people have tons of cool word processing software that can organize it all pretty-like.
6. Play around on BabyNameGenerator. Or any other generator.
There are so many writing generators and prompts on the internet that it's not even funny. For some help getting started, visit www.languageisavirus.com It has all kinds of cool writing games to play.
Sorry if this post is slightly crazy, it's really early in the morning and I'm hyper for no reason.
And just for me, here's my To-Do List:
Original Fiction:
The Witch's Daughter (2000 more words to go!!!)
All The Pretty Things (NaNoWriMo)
Mirror, Mirror (seq. to TSS, WE, and TWD)
Lilith's Redemption
Sonata Form (seq. to Chopin)
Fanfiction:
What Happens In Provincetown (L&O/R&I)
It Happened One Night (L&O)
Sequel to Magnetic Resistance (L&O)
By Courier (L&O/DWP)
Twi-hate: The Descent Into Madness (L&O/Legally Blonde/Twilight)
Desperation (R&I, seq. to Denial)
Random Pairings I want to write at some point...
Something Kim/Shego (Kim Possible anyone?)
Something Mirandy (Devil Wears Prada)
Something Harley/Ivy (Batman)
.... yes, I am a pervert and a dork. I don't care. I'm also sure I've forgotten some projects on the lists...
*Snerk* Ha, that's what she said. But anyway, here are some ways to come up with great ideas (besides trolling the NaNo forums, which ALL OF YOU SHOULD BE DOING).
1. Write about what scares you.
I'm serious. Write about what scares you, haunts you, or fascinates you. At the risk of sounding like a vampire Harlequin, find the dark desires inside of you and bring them out, even if you think you can't do it. Too embarrassed to write about sex or romance? Write erotica for NaNo. Think you could never tackle fantasy? Write a fantasy novel. Drool over stories with a love triangle, betrayal, or character death? Get angsty. Do what you think you can't and you will probably find that you can.
2. Get out a pen and paper.
Again, I'm serious. I know most of us writers are glued to our computers, but there's just something about the feel of a pen in your hand as it marks up a crisp white sheet of notebook paper that cannot be replicated by the tapping of keys. You can always type up your thoughts later.
3. Grab a friend.
Discuss plot with a friend. Role play with a friend. Goof off with a friend after drinking way too many Red Bulls (or maybe something stronger if you are old enough). Save the conversations if they take place online. If they take place in real life, carry a notebook with you and do your best to remember what was said. For online writers to talk to, go to the NaNo forums! There are tons of people there.
4. Write some stream of consciousness warm-ups
You can write anything you want ahead of NaNo except the actual novel, so do a few pages of stream-of-consciousness type writing for your favorite characters. It's a great way to find out what motivates them, how they speak, how they act, and who they are. Besides, you might come up with an excellent plot that way.
5. Break out the spreadsheet
Use Excel, Word, or a plain old piece of paper to graph, chart, or just plain list the scenes in your novel in any way you like. I still prefer pen and paper or just a plain old Word document, but some people have tons of cool word processing software that can organize it all pretty-like.
6. Play around on BabyNameGenerator. Or any other generator.
There are so many writing generators and prompts on the internet that it's not even funny. For some help getting started, visit www.languageisavirus.com It has all kinds of cool writing games to play.
Sorry if this post is slightly crazy, it's really early in the morning and I'm hyper for no reason.
And just for me, here's my To-Do List:
Original Fiction:
The Witch's Daughter (2000 more words to go!!!)
All The Pretty Things (NaNoWriMo)
Mirror, Mirror (seq. to TSS, WE, and TWD)
Lilith's Redemption
Sonata Form (seq. to Chopin)
Fanfiction:
What Happens In Provincetown (L&O/R&I)
It Happened One Night (L&O)
Sequel to Magnetic Resistance (L&O)
By Courier (L&O/DWP)
Twi-hate: The Descent Into Madness (L&O/Legally Blonde/Twilight)
Desperation (R&I, seq. to Denial)
Random Pairings I want to write at some point...
Something Kim/Shego (Kim Possible anyone?)
Something Mirandy (Devil Wears Prada)
Something Harley/Ivy (Batman)
.... yes, I am a pervert and a dork. I don't care. I'm also sure I've forgotten some projects on the lists...
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
NaNoWriMo or How To Plan Your Novel
Everyone that reads this blog should GET EXCITED. It's the month of October now, and you all know what that means: it's only 1 more month until NaNoWriMo!
For those of you that don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, a 30 day race to write 50,000 words during the month of November. It starts at 12:00 AM on November 1st and ends at 11:59 PM on November 30th. Check out the website at www.nanowrimo.org and get pumped! They have all sorts of cool forums, word counting devices, ways to procrastinate and build your world, and tons of different groups to join. During the month there are Word Wars to boost your word count, forum doctors that will help revitalize your sick and/or dying plot, adoptable characters and plots, and experts in just about any field imaginable. The forums are so much fun that they can distract you from actually getting any writing done!
Last year, I won NaNo (everyone wins as long as you complete 50,000 words in the space of 30 days) with my murder mystery: Death Wears Yellow Garters. All of you can go read it if you are so inclined. It has lesbian sex, crazy relatives, evil dogs, and, of course, a murder that has to be solved.
You can do as much planning as you want before November, but no actual writing. I am actually cheating, and I am going to finish my Senator's Daughter storyline that I started and stopped at 5,000 words (I'm still writing 50,000 words at least, so I'm not skimping on the word count, but I did start early. Shhhh, don't tell!)
Assuming you aren't like me and don't want to "bend the rules", per se, go ahead and start planning instead of beginning your actual novel. That can be a lot of work in and of itself. Write out some character names. Summarize your novel in ten words, three sentences, one paragraph, one page. Use an excel sheet to write a short summary for each chapter. Draw a fun graph with colors. Break out the crayons and put together a map if you are using a fantasy or sci-fi world. Draw your characters. Just draw rainbows if it inspires you. Write poems. Write short excerpts from the point of view of your characters. Just get planning. Hook up with other writers and discuss your ideas. Lurk on the NaNo boards. Visit the Adoptables threads to get some ideas.
Get pumped, because it's going to be a huge sprint to the finish.
What are you doing for NaNo? Tell me in comments, which I always read even if I occasionally get distracted and forget to respond.
For those of you that don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, a 30 day race to write 50,000 words during the month of November. It starts at 12:00 AM on November 1st and ends at 11:59 PM on November 30th. Check out the website at www.nanowrimo.org and get pumped! They have all sorts of cool forums, word counting devices, ways to procrastinate and build your world, and tons of different groups to join. During the month there are Word Wars to boost your word count, forum doctors that will help revitalize your sick and/or dying plot, adoptable characters and plots, and experts in just about any field imaginable. The forums are so much fun that they can distract you from actually getting any writing done!
Last year, I won NaNo (everyone wins as long as you complete 50,000 words in the space of 30 days) with my murder mystery: Death Wears Yellow Garters. All of you can go read it if you are so inclined. It has lesbian sex, crazy relatives, evil dogs, and, of course, a murder that has to be solved.
You can do as much planning as you want before November, but no actual writing. I am actually cheating, and I am going to finish my Senator's Daughter storyline that I started and stopped at 5,000 words (I'm still writing 50,000 words at least, so I'm not skimping on the word count, but I did start early. Shhhh, don't tell!)
Assuming you aren't like me and don't want to "bend the rules", per se, go ahead and start planning instead of beginning your actual novel. That can be a lot of work in and of itself. Write out some character names. Summarize your novel in ten words, three sentences, one paragraph, one page. Use an excel sheet to write a short summary for each chapter. Draw a fun graph with colors. Break out the crayons and put together a map if you are using a fantasy or sci-fi world. Draw your characters. Just draw rainbows if it inspires you. Write poems. Write short excerpts from the point of view of your characters. Just get planning. Hook up with other writers and discuss your ideas. Lurk on the NaNo boards. Visit the Adoptables threads to get some ideas.
Get pumped, because it's going to be a huge sprint to the finish.
What are you doing for NaNo? Tell me in comments, which I always read even if I occasionally get distracted and forget to respond.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
To-Do List
Just in case you were interested, here is my writing To Do List. I'm mostly posting it here for my benefit, but perhaps some of you will find it interesting. In no fixed order (although priorities are generally near the top)...
Fanfiction:
- Last chapter of 'Magnetic Resistance' (Law and Order: SVU)
- Finish 'It Happened One Night' (Law and Order: SVU)
- Finish 'Exhibitionist' (Law and Order: SVU)
- Start sequel to 'Magnetic Resistance' (Law and Order: SVU)
///// Half-started ideas /////
- Twilight: The Descent Into Madness (Legally Blonde/L&O:SVU/Twilight crossover)
- By Courier (Devil Wears Prada/L&O: SVU crossover)
- Unnamed Devil Wears Prada fic
- Unnamed Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles smut (Rizzoli & Isles)
- Unnamed KIGO fic (Kim Possible/Shego... yes, I am a total dork)
Original Fiction:
- The Witch's Daughter (2 more chapters to go...)
- Senator's Daughter (needs a title!)
///// Half-Started Ideas/////
- Lilith's Redemption (new supernatural-themed original fiction novel)
- Murder, Lies, Statutory Rape, and Madison Rose (drama/romance)
///// Other Plans /////
- The two other books in the Chopin universe
- The last book in the Amendyr universe
That list probably makes very little sense to you, but it's good to have goals. Lots of goals. And NaNoWriMo is coming up, so that will be a splendid time to knock out some writing and hit some big word count numbers.
Fanfiction:
- Last chapter of 'Magnetic Resistance' (Law and Order: SVU)
- Finish 'It Happened One Night' (Law and Order: SVU)
- Finish 'Exhibitionist' (Law and Order: SVU)
- Start sequel to 'Magnetic Resistance' (Law and Order: SVU)
///// Half-started ideas /////
- Twilight: The Descent Into Madness (Legally Blonde/L&O:SVU/Twilight crossover)
- By Courier (Devil Wears Prada/L&O: SVU crossover)
- Unnamed Devil Wears Prada fic
- Unnamed Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles smut (Rizzoli & Isles)
- Unnamed KIGO fic (Kim Possible/Shego... yes, I am a total dork)
Original Fiction:
- The Witch's Daughter (2 more chapters to go...)
- Senator's Daughter (needs a title!)
///// Half-Started Ideas/////
- Lilith's Redemption (new supernatural-themed original fiction novel)
- Murder, Lies, Statutory Rape, and Madison Rose (drama/romance)
///// Other Plans /////
- The two other books in the Chopin universe
- The last book in the Amendyr universe
That list probably makes very little sense to you, but it's good to have goals. Lots of goals. And NaNoWriMo is coming up, so that will be a splendid time to knock out some writing and hit some big word count numbers.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Triumphant Return
Guess whose back with a brand new track (er, blog post)?
... Well, no one, if my Music History teacher and other professors had anything to say about it. They have been piling on the homework, and I have been practicing like the devil. I have been writing, since I figured you guys would rather have me spouting out more smut and fluff and action scenes than keeping up-to-date on my blog, but I've decided to give a quick update and then get to work on posting some writing tips and tricks.
Aside from my fanfiction obsession (Magnetic Resistance is almost done!), my new project, which I have temporarily dubbed 'The Senator's Daughter', is coming along nicely at about 15,000 words. I have 6,000 more words to go of The Witch's Daughter, but I'm seriously drained for that novel, and I'm trying my best to make the last 6,000 words as high-quality as the first 70,000 or so. I don't want to disappoint and rush to finish just so that novel is off my plate. The ending is the most important part of any work.
Yes, there have been arguments made for the beginnings of novels being the most important. If you don't have a good beginning, why would you bother reading to the end in the first place? But I still say that the ending of a novel is far more important, because that is the last, powerful punch that finishes off your grand adventure and (hopefully) leaves the reader with questions, an emotional reaction, or something. Stories with a great beginning and a bad ending leave the reader feeling cheated and disappointment, while stories with a so-so beginning and a slamming ending leave the reader feeling pleasantly surprised.
Of course, if you can have a good beginning and an equally good ending, that is even better. A double-attack from both sides, if you will. And if you can get a good middle thread connecting the two, then you're in the money. Or, well, you'll make people feel very, very happy while cutting out coupons from newspapers, unless you are supported by your parents/spouse (*coughcough*) or your name is Stephen King or JK Rowling.
In order to write a good ending, I tend to follow the Storyteller's Cardinal Rule: Always Have A Happy Ending (Unless A Sad, Poignant Ending Is Appropriate). This seems like common sense, but you would be surprised how many people kill off their characters or ruin everything at the end of a novel for no good reason. Unless you can lay out a sound argument for doing so, let them ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Your audience will appreciate it and they might decide not to come after you with torches and pitchforks.
Another tip - once the climax has happened (the climax of the action, not the sexual climaxes, of which there are many in my novels), wrap it up quickly. You need to get out of there pretty fast in order to keep the reader's interest. It's nice to add questions at the end that can continue to germinate in the audience's minds, but don't leave too many untied threads or you will leave the reader feeling unsatisfied. It is a balancing act, like many other writing tools.
Anyway, I have to close my laptop because my professor just walked in. I'll update later. Music Girl, Away!
... Well, no one, if my Music History teacher and other professors had anything to say about it. They have been piling on the homework, and I have been practicing like the devil. I have been writing, since I figured you guys would rather have me spouting out more smut and fluff and action scenes than keeping up-to-date on my blog, but I've decided to give a quick update and then get to work on posting some writing tips and tricks.
Aside from my fanfiction obsession (Magnetic Resistance is almost done!), my new project, which I have temporarily dubbed 'The Senator's Daughter', is coming along nicely at about 15,000 words. I have 6,000 more words to go of The Witch's Daughter, but I'm seriously drained for that novel, and I'm trying my best to make the last 6,000 words as high-quality as the first 70,000 or so. I don't want to disappoint and rush to finish just so that novel is off my plate. The ending is the most important part of any work.
Yes, there have been arguments made for the beginnings of novels being the most important. If you don't have a good beginning, why would you bother reading to the end in the first place? But I still say that the ending of a novel is far more important, because that is the last, powerful punch that finishes off your grand adventure and (hopefully) leaves the reader with questions, an emotional reaction, or something. Stories with a great beginning and a bad ending leave the reader feeling cheated and disappointment, while stories with a so-so beginning and a slamming ending leave the reader feeling pleasantly surprised.
Of course, if you can have a good beginning and an equally good ending, that is even better. A double-attack from both sides, if you will. And if you can get a good middle thread connecting the two, then you're in the money. Or, well, you'll make people feel very, very happy while cutting out coupons from newspapers, unless you are supported by your parents/spouse (*coughcough*) or your name is Stephen King or JK Rowling.
In order to write a good ending, I tend to follow the Storyteller's Cardinal Rule: Always Have A Happy Ending (Unless A Sad, Poignant Ending Is Appropriate). This seems like common sense, but you would be surprised how many people kill off their characters or ruin everything at the end of a novel for no good reason. Unless you can lay out a sound argument for doing so, let them ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Your audience will appreciate it and they might decide not to come after you with torches and pitchforks.
Another tip - once the climax has happened (the climax of the action, not the sexual climaxes, of which there are many in my novels), wrap it up quickly. You need to get out of there pretty fast in order to keep the reader's interest. It's nice to add questions at the end that can continue to germinate in the audience's minds, but don't leave too many untied threads or you will leave the reader feeling unsatisfied. It is a balancing act, like many other writing tools.
Anyway, I have to close my laptop because my professor just walked in. I'll update later. Music Girl, Away!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Themes
All good novels have a few things in common. Strong characters, strong language, strong stories... but there is one ingredient that many aspiring writers do not try to incorporate into their work, and even if they do, many do it intrinsically, without thinking about it. The best novels have powerful, overarching themes that resonate within readers at a deep level. There are many different types of themes that you can write about, and there are many different ways to introduce these themes into your writing. Honestly, the topic of themes and their use in writing can fill a book all by itself - and has. This is just a brief introduction.
Many writers use some simple, tried-and-true themes already without realizing it. To start in a very general way, good triumphing over evil can be seen as a classic theme that countless stories and novels have made use of for centuries. It has stayed popular because it is a powerful theme, rooted to something deep within our psyche. Also, turning this theme on its head and exploring the shades of gray in between good and evil can be a good way to keep readers (and yourself) engaged. Another common theme is love. True love, sexual love, sacrificial love, romantic love, familial love, destructive love, relationships and how they change people... love has many different faces.
Themes can also become very specific. For example, 'The Wizard of Oz' is supposedly based (this is argued by different groups in literary circles) on the nineteenth century debate on government monetary policy, with the Wicked Witch of the West representing the railroads, the monkeys representing the Native Americans, the scarecrow representing farmers, the tin man representing factory workers, and the Cowardly Lion representing William Jennings Bryan. James Joyce used Ireland, its relationship with England and the Church, and its self-destructive tendencies as the overarching theme for his entire body of work.
Themes can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. They may be unique and original, or they may have already been used thousands of times because they speak to us as humans. They can be about characters, about death, about life, about a place or time, about the future, about apocalyptic societies, about money, about sex, about social customs and stigmas... basically, themes can be about anything.
How do you weave a theme in to your work? First, you have to find out what those themes are. Writing them out before you start a project, in the middle of the project, and after a project can be useful and insightful. Themes might change as your story grows and develops, and that's okay, but having a list to refer back to can help remind you what you were thinking of before you clacked out those opening lines on your keyboard.
You can introduce themes with a character's thoughts, speech, or mere presence, with an image, with a setting, with an object, with plot... If you look for opportunities to include your theme, you will find them.
Pick themes that are meaningful to you. For example, some of the themes I have used are very general: the idea of soul-mates and love, LGBT themes, themes of self-hatred, the transition from adolescence to adulthood, good conquering evil. Some of my other themes are highly specific: questioning God's existence and His actions as a gay teenager; exploring futuristic dystopias; mirrors, dance classes, and their relationship with body image and self confidence; the future of the human race and their tendency to alienate anyone physically or mentally dissimilar; white suburbia and its tendency to hold young people from means to a ridiculously high standard while completely blocking out people from other cultures... the list goes on and on.
The point is, there are tons of themes out there. They can be anything from "LotR has a theme about heroes struggling to beat the bad guys" (a vast oversimplification) to "Joyce's use of the silver bracelet on the wrist of the unnamed female character on page three draws to mind the image of handcuffs, because the female represents Ireland and her current imprisonment and destitution."
... I suggest starting with something a little simpler before using numerology, Biblical references, and animology to build on your theme, but if you feel up to it, go ahead and try. It can be very fun, almost like using a secret code. Even my Law and Order: SVU fanfic has some color symbolism in it to add a dash of, well, color. But maybe that is because my brain is always on overdrive...
PS: Random fact - color symbolism is my favorite type of symbolism to use when developing a theme! =D
Many writers use some simple, tried-and-true themes already without realizing it. To start in a very general way, good triumphing over evil can be seen as a classic theme that countless stories and novels have made use of for centuries. It has stayed popular because it is a powerful theme, rooted to something deep within our psyche. Also, turning this theme on its head and exploring the shades of gray in between good and evil can be a good way to keep readers (and yourself) engaged. Another common theme is love. True love, sexual love, sacrificial love, romantic love, familial love, destructive love, relationships and how they change people... love has many different faces.
Themes can also become very specific. For example, 'The Wizard of Oz' is supposedly based (this is argued by different groups in literary circles) on the nineteenth century debate on government monetary policy, with the Wicked Witch of the West representing the railroads, the monkeys representing the Native Americans, the scarecrow representing farmers, the tin man representing factory workers, and the Cowardly Lion representing William Jennings Bryan. James Joyce used Ireland, its relationship with England and the Church, and its self-destructive tendencies as the overarching theme for his entire body of work.
Themes can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. They may be unique and original, or they may have already been used thousands of times because they speak to us as humans. They can be about characters, about death, about life, about a place or time, about the future, about apocalyptic societies, about money, about sex, about social customs and stigmas... basically, themes can be about anything.
How do you weave a theme in to your work? First, you have to find out what those themes are. Writing them out before you start a project, in the middle of the project, and after a project can be useful and insightful. Themes might change as your story grows and develops, and that's okay, but having a list to refer back to can help remind you what you were thinking of before you clacked out those opening lines on your keyboard.
You can introduce themes with a character's thoughts, speech, or mere presence, with an image, with a setting, with an object, with plot... If you look for opportunities to include your theme, you will find them.
Pick themes that are meaningful to you. For example, some of the themes I have used are very general: the idea of soul-mates and love, LGBT themes, themes of self-hatred, the transition from adolescence to adulthood, good conquering evil. Some of my other themes are highly specific: questioning God's existence and His actions as a gay teenager; exploring futuristic dystopias; mirrors, dance classes, and their relationship with body image and self confidence; the future of the human race and their tendency to alienate anyone physically or mentally dissimilar; white suburbia and its tendency to hold young people from means to a ridiculously high standard while completely blocking out people from other cultures... the list goes on and on.
The point is, there are tons of themes out there. They can be anything from "LotR has a theme about heroes struggling to beat the bad guys" (a vast oversimplification) to "Joyce's use of the silver bracelet on the wrist of the unnamed female character on page three draws to mind the image of handcuffs, because the female represents Ireland and her current imprisonment and destitution."
... I suggest starting with something a little simpler before using numerology, Biblical references, and animology to build on your theme, but if you feel up to it, go ahead and try. It can be very fun, almost like using a secret code. Even my Law and Order: SVU fanfic has some color symbolism in it to add a dash of, well, color. But maybe that is because my brain is always on overdrive...
PS: Random fact - color symbolism is my favorite type of symbolism to use when developing a theme! =D
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Borrowing Ideas...
Sorry I haven't updated a lot recently, but I've been preparing to go back to school. That involves seating auditions, so wish me luck! In other news, I've started posting my fanfic at The Academy and The Athenaeum, which will hopefully mean more readers. I am a total comment whore, so the more readers the better! Now, on to today's topic...
Today, I'm going to talk about "borrowing", a not-frequently-talked-about-but-very-frequently-used practice. It is an especially helpful tool for beginning writers. This might sound a little bit like "cheating", so you need to be extremely careful how you use this particular tool. Writers can steal, tweak, and publish each other's ideas, but unless you have original material to substitute for most of the stuff you stole, doing this is worthless.
1. Stealing an idea
Only one idea per work, please. Don't steal the entire concept of a novel or you'll be found out. Pick and choose carefully, and then try and use the idea in a completely different way than the original writer did. Most of the best basic ideas are hundreds of years old anyway and have been used so many times that no one author has a claim to them.
2. Stealing a word or phrase
I have done this, but usually for descriptive adjectives to use during sex scenes. If a particularly vivid image strikes me, I open a word document and copy down something similar (but not identical). Because I like to come up with my own ideas as well, I usually only "steal" one (or maybe two) metaphors or images per sex scene.
3. Using models
The best writers read good books. This is less of something you "steal" than something you "absorb". Pacing is difficult to learn unless you have read a lot of books. If I am struggling with a scene, and see another scene that resembles the idea I'm going for, I will occasionally "model" my scene on that one in terms of pacing, but I DO NOT steal any words or phrases from that scene. My thought process is more like -entrance two paragraphs - argument three paragraphs - rapid dialogue - first physical contact - self-deprecating inner dialogue - sex begins.... something like that. Also, I try to completely change the location, characters, and genre of the book. For example, if I am using pacing ideas from a romance novel, I'll put it in a fantasy world. If I'm stealing pacing ideas from an epic fantasy battle scene, I'll turn it into a courtroom drama.
The 'models' idea can actually be used for entire novels (or sections of novels), but this is tricky. In theory, you could copy down the entire ratio of scenes (filler - action - humor - plot development - sex - ect) that fill one of your favorite novels and try to achieve the same ratio.
This might sound very confusing, so if you have any comments (especially on the 'models' part of the article), please chime in. I'm probably going to expand on this topic, because this particular post is a hodge-podge of rambling information in no particular order.
Now, I have to go pack away my entire wardrobe for school. Ta-ta
Today, I'm going to talk about "borrowing", a not-frequently-talked-about-but-very-frequently-used practice. It is an especially helpful tool for beginning writers. This might sound a little bit like "cheating", so you need to be extremely careful how you use this particular tool. Writers can steal, tweak, and publish each other's ideas, but unless you have original material to substitute for most of the stuff you stole, doing this is worthless.
1. Stealing an idea
Only one idea per work, please. Don't steal the entire concept of a novel or you'll be found out. Pick and choose carefully, and then try and use the idea in a completely different way than the original writer did. Most of the best basic ideas are hundreds of years old anyway and have been used so many times that no one author has a claim to them.
2. Stealing a word or phrase
I have done this, but usually for descriptive adjectives to use during sex scenes. If a particularly vivid image strikes me, I open a word document and copy down something similar (but not identical). Because I like to come up with my own ideas as well, I usually only "steal" one (or maybe two) metaphors or images per sex scene.
3. Using models
The best writers read good books. This is less of something you "steal" than something you "absorb". Pacing is difficult to learn unless you have read a lot of books. If I am struggling with a scene, and see another scene that resembles the idea I'm going for, I will occasionally "model" my scene on that one in terms of pacing, but I DO NOT steal any words or phrases from that scene. My thought process is more like -entrance two paragraphs - argument three paragraphs - rapid dialogue - first physical contact - self-deprecating inner dialogue - sex begins.... something like that. Also, I try to completely change the location, characters, and genre of the book. For example, if I am using pacing ideas from a romance novel, I'll put it in a fantasy world. If I'm stealing pacing ideas from an epic fantasy battle scene, I'll turn it into a courtroom drama.
The 'models' idea can actually be used for entire novels (or sections of novels), but this is tricky. In theory, you could copy down the entire ratio of scenes (filler - action - humor - plot development - sex - ect) that fill one of your favorite novels and try to achieve the same ratio.
This might sound very confusing, so if you have any comments (especially on the 'models' part of the article), please chime in. I'm probably going to expand on this topic, because this particular post is a hodge-podge of rambling information in no particular order.
Now, I have to go pack away my entire wardrobe for school. Ta-ta
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Worldbuilding
Someone asked me to do a short and to-the-point guide for Worldbuilding, so here's Rae D. Magdon's fast and quick guide to Worldbuilding for Beginners. =D If you're looking for a starting point for your Sci-Fi or Fantasy story, look no further.
1. You get one "freebie".
I give credit for this rule to Holly Lisle, a great author with a great website that you should check out: www.hollylisle.com Anyway, the gist of this rule is that you can only have one unbelievable/illogical thing in your story. In fantasy, this is the presence of magic. In sci-fi, this is warp-speed, inter-dimensional shifting, or whatever method you use to overcome space's vastness so that difference races from other planets may interact. You used your freebie, so everything else in your story has to have some kind of explanation or make at least a modicum of sense. Don't go crazy and use too many deus ex machinas or introduce other unbelievable plot points/characters/additions to your setting, or the reader will just assume that you are bonkers and find a different story.
2. But really, it's not free, because you have to explain it - Magic (part one)
Magic has to have some kind of basic explanation, or at least a power source. Please don't just make your characters omnipotent. This is one of the only things that bugs me about the Harry Potter series, in fact. In JK's universe, magic has no source. A wizard can keep casting spells for hours if they can concentrate hard enough. Orson Scott Card used blood in one of his books. Other writers have used physical energy (you need energy to cast a spell). In the wonderful fantasy book The Alchemyst, characters tap in to their 'auras', which can be depleted. In Sabriel, Lirael, and The Abhorsen, by Garth Nix, characters tap into a vast source of energy called The Charter and use 'Marks' to channel it. These marks can be spoken, drawn, signed, whistled, ect. It's very cool. Anyway, if you're doing a fantasy novel, come up with some explanation for your magic... but remember, keep it short! Show and don't tell.
2. But really, it's not free, because you have to explain it - Inter-dimensional Travel/Power Source (part two)
Sci-fi writers aren't off the hook. You have to explain how your characters conquered space. In Madeline L'Engle's Wrinkle In Time, she uses the 'tesseract', which is a separate dimension that you pass through, allowing you to 'fold' time and space like a wrinkle and walk through it... picture folding a blanket so that you can walk from one side to the other in just a step. In one of Holly Lisle's books, I know that she 'folds' space into a decahedron so you can travel to several points. A certain television show *cough cough* uses Warp Speed... come up with something. Oh, and you have to have some kind of gas/mineral/power source for your technology to run on. Even if you never explain this stuff in your novel, you have to know it.
3. NO prologue
For god's sake, even though Anne McCaffrey did it, you are not allowed to write a prologue explaining the setting of your story. It's kind of like Picasso - he was a fine art student that created realistic paintings before he branched out into cubism. You have to know the rules before you can break them. Even though some great authors have done them, that doesn't mean you have to... really, trust me. Instead of writing a prologue explaining the history of the universe/your magical kingdom, introduce it in tidbits throughout the story. This can even be conversation filler or make for some interesting plot points. It worked for J.K. Rowling, after all... she didn't explain the whole Harry Potter universe, she just told the story and let the reader figure it out by showing and not telling.
4. Explain in pieces
This is related to rule three. If you have to explain something about the world in your novel, do it in pieces. Slip information in bit by bit instead of clumping it all together or the reader will get bored.
5. Fill your world
Creating sentient races/species is hard. You want to be original, but not outlandish. If there is some weird creature in your book, find an explanation for it. Show how it adapted to its surroundings in a sci-fi world, or make it the product of a magical explosion or accident. No huge explanation is needed, just a snippet of dialogue or a few sentences will do, but make sure you do SOMETHING before populating your world with spider-bears. The creatures you use have to make sense...
I will post a continuation to this guide some time tomorrow, but here's something to get you started. ^_^ Have fun.
1. You get one "freebie".
I give credit for this rule to Holly Lisle, a great author with a great website that you should check out: www.hollylisle.com Anyway, the gist of this rule is that you can only have one unbelievable/illogical thing in your story. In fantasy, this is the presence of magic. In sci-fi, this is warp-speed, inter-dimensional shifting, or whatever method you use to overcome space's vastness so that difference races from other planets may interact. You used your freebie, so everything else in your story has to have some kind of explanation or make at least a modicum of sense. Don't go crazy and use too many deus ex machinas or introduce other unbelievable plot points/characters/additions to your setting, or the reader will just assume that you are bonkers and find a different story.
2. But really, it's not free, because you have to explain it - Magic (part one)
Magic has to have some kind of basic explanation, or at least a power source. Please don't just make your characters omnipotent. This is one of the only things that bugs me about the Harry Potter series, in fact. In JK's universe, magic has no source. A wizard can keep casting spells for hours if they can concentrate hard enough. Orson Scott Card used blood in one of his books. Other writers have used physical energy (you need energy to cast a spell). In the wonderful fantasy book The Alchemyst, characters tap in to their 'auras', which can be depleted. In Sabriel, Lirael, and The Abhorsen, by Garth Nix, characters tap into a vast source of energy called The Charter and use 'Marks' to channel it. These marks can be spoken, drawn, signed, whistled, ect. It's very cool. Anyway, if you're doing a fantasy novel, come up with some explanation for your magic... but remember, keep it short! Show and don't tell.
2. But really, it's not free, because you have to explain it - Inter-dimensional Travel/Power Source (part two)
Sci-fi writers aren't off the hook. You have to explain how your characters conquered space. In Madeline L'Engle's Wrinkle In Time, she uses the 'tesseract', which is a separate dimension that you pass through, allowing you to 'fold' time and space like a wrinkle and walk through it... picture folding a blanket so that you can walk from one side to the other in just a step. In one of Holly Lisle's books, I know that she 'folds' space into a decahedron so you can travel to several points. A certain television show *cough cough* uses Warp Speed... come up with something. Oh, and you have to have some kind of gas/mineral/power source for your technology to run on. Even if you never explain this stuff in your novel, you have to know it.
3. NO prologue
For god's sake, even though Anne McCaffrey did it, you are not allowed to write a prologue explaining the setting of your story. It's kind of like Picasso - he was a fine art student that created realistic paintings before he branched out into cubism. You have to know the rules before you can break them. Even though some great authors have done them, that doesn't mean you have to... really, trust me. Instead of writing a prologue explaining the history of the universe/your magical kingdom, introduce it in tidbits throughout the story. This can even be conversation filler or make for some interesting plot points. It worked for J.K. Rowling, after all... she didn't explain the whole Harry Potter universe, she just told the story and let the reader figure it out by showing and not telling.
4. Explain in pieces
This is related to rule three. If you have to explain something about the world in your novel, do it in pieces. Slip information in bit by bit instead of clumping it all together or the reader will get bored.
5. Fill your world
Creating sentient races/species is hard. You want to be original, but not outlandish. If there is some weird creature in your book, find an explanation for it. Show how it adapted to its surroundings in a sci-fi world, or make it the product of a magical explosion or accident. No huge explanation is needed, just a snippet of dialogue or a few sentences will do, but make sure you do SOMETHING before populating your world with spider-bears. The creatures you use have to make sense...
I will post a continuation to this guide some time tomorrow, but here's something to get you started. ^_^ Have fun.
