The Hero's Journey and FanLit Forever
Ok, I suspect some of you have been waiting to see if I would blog about it – maybe in the hopes I would make more sense here than on the board. I’m going to make one last run at it, then let it drop.
Check in here tomorrow for my last explanation.
Alice
Themes – Making a Point
One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in amateur writing has been the failure to make a point. I can only guess how often editors must suffer through pointless fiction.
Most of the time the authors who are doing it doesn’t even realize their story has to make a point. They seem to think simply placing two characters on the page is all that is needed to create moving scenes.
Hah!
If you do not have a central theme around which the book revolves, you will have serious problems with your conflict, episodic and/or chaotic scenes, and a tendency for the writing to drift. In contrast, having something to say can supercharge not only the scenes in the book focused on your point, but the writing experience itself.
Consider the story of Dick and Jane (as standard characters, not the movie) in the hands of a writer with a point. Dick is an agent in a covert ops organization sent to retrieve Jane from an Irish pub where she is being held hostage by the IRA. The theme of the story is overcoming the Stockholm syndrome.
Dick goes into the bar and suggests she leave with him. She refuses. He explains he’s an agent sent to rescue her. She calls the IRA members over and has him trapped. Now he must convince her to free him as well as leaving with him. From here we could easily go into Dick facing his own daemons as the IRA works their Stockholm syndrome magic on him as well as her.
Consider Dick and Jane in the hands of a writer without a point. Once again Dick is an agent sent to retrieve Jane from the pub where she is held hostage. Dick comes into the pub to convince Jane she has to leave. For the sake of conflict, she refuses. At this point a lot of readers are going to ask why not. Maybe Jane doesn’t trust him. Maybe she thinks he is simply an IRA member trying to trick her. Maybe she refuses because she’s trying to get the goods on the IRA members. Which one? All of them? How do you chose?
If you chose all of them you are likely to end up merely confusing the reader. And what happens in the next scene? If you chose the option she is trying to get the goods on the IRA members, then you may find yourself accidentally using an old spy thriller set up, which may be more cliche than you intended. Choose the she doesn’t trust him and you’ve given yourself the theme of trust. Unless you try to change her motivation later on. Then you get episodic.
You don’t have to necessarily know your theme before or while you are writing. It’s quit possible for the subconscious to supply you with a point without your knowing it. Then later, during revision, you can be surprised and delighted with what your muse handed you.
If not, if you are having problems with episodic writing or having no idea where to go, then you had better stop and figure out what the story is really about.
Don’t try to grab a theme out of the air and overlay it. Your point has to come from within the story itself or your characters, dialogue, and much of your narration will seem unreasonable. You may get comments like “cliche”, “does not suspend disbelief” or “the characters seem shallow” on your contest results.
Your point has to be something you believe on a very basic level or what you tell the reader about your characters, and what you show them will not match up. At least not without a lot of polishing.
Afraid having a point will make you preachy? It’s a legitimate concern, particularly if you tried to overlay your theme onto your work rather than drawing it up from within. Themes that are overlaid tend to come from what the author *thinks* should be true, rather than what an author truly believes. It shows.
I could go on about what happens when you switch themes in the middle of a book, or what I mean by drawing something up from within, but this blog has gone on long enough, and I think I’ve made my point.
Alice
Soup Du Jour
Lately I have been packing a thermos of soup with me for work. I had been living off of peanut butter sandwiches, but really, soup is much more my thing. Soup, or rather stew, gives me a full feeling with much fewer calories, gets more vitamins and minerals into my system, can be kept interesting through variety, and does a darn fine job of cleaning out my refrigerator. I love it.
Lately my boss has taken to visiting my desk at lunch time. As soon as I open the thermos and the aroma of soup drifts from my desk, she wanders over. She generally says something like “Having soup? What kind is it?” as she breaths deeply. She looks down into my cup-size thermos and comments on the dark green of spinach or rich orange of carrot. Sometimes she sighs a little wistfully and says something about how she loves soup, but isn’t any good at it.
Well, boss. This blog is for you.
How to make Refrigerator Soup.
Step one, open the refrigerator and see what’s in it. I generally have some left over chicken which makes a nice start. Sometimes there’s some left over pork chop or maybe a steak I can use. I make large batches of legumes – ranging from garbonzo beans to lintels and freeze them in small container with the intention of dumping them into soups. They make a great filler.
Put the water on to boil. I generally fill the pot about half full. I try to use a small pot if I’m only cooking for me so I won’t be eating the same soup all week long.
Put in anything that is going to take longer to cook. Dried beans, if you didn’t precook and freeze them, can take hours. Likewise, rice can take a while, particularly brown rice. Barley seems a little faster. Get them started first, or at the same time as raw meat.
Now for the seasonings. This is the part she is probably skipping. Don’t. Soup or stew without seasoning tends to come out like a cross between goulash and mush.
Most soup does well with thyme, rosemary, basil, and black pepper. Cumin, sage, final, file, and chili also work well. You’ll have to experiment to see which combinations you like best. I have been disappointed by bay leaves often enough to think twice before dumping them in. If you use file, wait until you are ready to serve before adding it. I’ve tried combination spices – like “Cajun barbecue” or “Lowrie’s seasoning salt” and decided not to mess with them anymore. Don’t forget salt. Soup sucks it up, so use a fair amount. I like to use bullion in place of salt.
So, you’ve got your water boiling with maybe some barley in it. Chop up and dump in the meat. Add the seasonings. Grab a bag of frozen vegetables and toss them in. You can get actual soup vegetables with potato, carrots, and onion in the frozen section of the grocery store. I’ve used that, lima bean – carrot – corn combo, stir fry combo, broccoli, okra, frozen spinach, and turnip greens (I thought I was buying spinach. Should have stopped to read the label) all to good effect. I’ve also tossed in left over baked potatoes, left over asparagus, etc. and enjoyed the results.
Starting with mostly precooked ingredients (leftovers) and using noodles as my starch I can generally go from boiling the water to eating in about 15 minutes. It reheats well, and I hardly ever burn it after having wandered back to my computer so long as there’s enough water in the pot.
Warning. Using precooked foods will change the taste of the soup. I’m sure my mother could give the chemical changes that take place in meat and vegetables cook in the oven before used in soup. I know there is one. Personally, I like it. You may not.
Alice
Cyber Space
Something weird is going on with my blog, and it’s got me intimidated. A few days ago I noticed that the number of viewings on my blog had doubled from my regular high. I’ve hit the number before, but not without stirring up trouble. I attributed it to May’s writer’s round up, which would be wonderful, because it could be repeated. It turned out Avon had announced the winners of it’s Bottom 503 Awards. One of my entries was included.
All right. So I hadn’t really acquired a bunch of new friends, just some passing visitors. So be it.
Today my viewings hit their all time high. That’s not saying much since I haven’t been around all that long, but it certainly caught my attention. The thing is, I have no idea why! I’ve checked over the incoming links and search engine results. Nothing makes sense.
I have had people find me while looking for a song. I’ve had people find me while looking for egg rolls. I’ve had people who actually were interested in what I had to say about writing. (Cool!) I’ve had a bunch who keep coming in while looking for 10,000 ways not to build a lightbulb. But these people are like ghosts. They leave no trail.
I have a long blog about soup all ready to go, but have been too intimidated to post it.
The thing about cyber space is that it is every bit as hot and cold as deep space. Numbers can blow your socks off at the same time that no one is leaving comments. It can be hard to tell if soup will draw people in, or send them screaming into the night. I have, through my blog, discovered a number of people I really like and am glad to stay in contact with. I’m very selfish about this and would like more.
But who are these other people? And how on earth did they ever hear about little old me?
Most peculiar.
Anyway, stay and have some soup!
Alice
Critiquing Rant
If there’s one thing I’ve done a lot of over the years, it’s critiquing. I have come to the conclusion that most of the time when someone does a poor job of it, they simply don’t know how to go about it.
In my experience, the most valuable thing a critiquer can do is simply write down how they react to the story as they are going along. Something confusing comes up? Say so. Don’t like the hero? Tell the author. If you can also say why, that’s great. But the absolute best thing a critiquer can do is simply allow the author to watch them read.
There have been many times I would dig in my heels and not fix something when a critiquer went to a lot of effort of telling me what to write in place of what I wrote. The same thing in the hands of a critiquer who simply says “I don’t like this part. The hero looks like a dweeb” will get an immediate revision.
Probably the most annoying of critiques is when the critiquer goes through meticulously converting your voice into hers. I don’t want every word altered to suit the critiquer’s taste. Tell me when a phrase doesn’t work at all, or simply leave it alone. This tends to be done more by novice writers than those with more experience.
As to those who viciously tear into someone’s work for the thrill of being able to hurt someone, I tend to blow them off. Their power trip is blinding them so much I seriously doubt they can actually see what I wrote. Why should I care what they think? Besides, those people don’t generally last very long. No one wants to hear what they say, let alone bother reading their precious work. In a small group, they simply aren’t invited back. In a big one they are either reviled, or ignored.
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Alice
Rum Christmas Cake – giggle
This is not a recipe I have tried, but it reminds me of the Galloping Gourmet. Read all the way to the bottom before you try it.
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle rum
2 cups of dried fruit
Sample the rum to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the rum again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and
drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it’s best to make sure the rum is still OK.
Try another cup… just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Check the rum. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the rum to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the rum. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the rum and wipe the counter with the cat.
And my first thought on reading it was “where’s the flour”? Sad.
Alice
Bloging Fiction
I’m toying with the idea of posting an ongoing story here, like maybe each Friday put in an episode. What I have in mind isn’t likely to be warmly received by editors with an eye to publication anyway, so I’m not concerned about using up my First North American Serial Rights on a blog or anything.
What I’m afraid is that I’m not good enough to pull it off.
Oh sure, I could write it easily enough. But could I write it so well that you wouldn’t run screaming? Maybe. Maybe not.
The question is, would you be interested in the lives of the denizens of a boarding house? They duel on the staircase, attend political ralleys, and have a pet pig.
Alice
Naughty Joke. Don't Read This.
I get all kinds of things in my email. Now and then I’m bound to share some of it with you. Forgive me.
Fred and Mary got married but can’t afford a honeymoon, so they go back to Fred’s Mom and Dad’s for their first night together.
In the morning, Johnny, Fred’s little brother, gets up and has his breakfast. As he is going out of the door to go to school, he asks his mom if Fred and Mary are up yet. She replies, “No”.
Johnny asks, “Do you know what I think?”
His mom replies, “I don’t want to hear what you think! Just go to school.”
Johnny comes home for lunch and asks his mom, “Are Fred and Mary up yet?”
She replies, “No.”
Johnny says, “Do you know what I think?”
His mom replies, “Never mind what you think! Eat your lunch and go back to school.”
After school, Johnny comes home and asks again, “Are Fred and Mary up yet?”
His mom says, “No.” He asks, “Do you know what I think?”
His mom replies, “Ok, now tell me what you think?”
He says: “Last night Fred came to my room for the Vaseline and I think I gave him my airplane glue.”
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The things people email me. *grin*
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Alice
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Avon FanLit
Apparently Avon liked one of my entries after all. Scalawag! won “The Thrill Ride” award as “Best Action Sequence” in their Bottom 503 Awards.
I am honored and thrilled, but… it wasn’t even my best entry.
Oh well.
Alice
Avon FanLit
Apparently Avon liked one of my entries after all. Scalawag! got an honorable mention type award as “Best Action Sequence” in their Bottom 503 Awards.
I am honored and thrilled, but… it wasn’t even my best entry.
Oh well.
Alice
Challenge 2 for FanLit
It is indeed going to be a Holiday story. Any Holiday. I’ve already put my dibs in on the 4th of July. Maximum of 15,000 CHARACTERS including spaces, and no more than 3 submissions. For details, click on FanLit Forever
Alice
Challenge 2 Tonight
FanLitters, I will be closing the poll and announcing the rules for Challenge 2 tonight both here and on FanLit Forever. Get out your pens. It looks like it’s going to be a Holly Jolly St. Patrick’s Day.
Alice
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Reading Through Writer's Eyes
Warning! Taking this advice may significantly reduce the number of books you enjoy reading. Do not try this if you are not willing to do anything and everything necessary to become a good writer. Those who are already published may or may not see the same benefits as those who are not.
I still clearly remember the day a writer on a panel at a Science Fiction convention announced that becoming a good writer had ruined her as a reader. She could no longer read a book without seeing the mistakes. I chuckled to myself that it would never happen to me. I thought I already was a good writer and I still enjoyed most of the books I picked up. Ten years later I reread what I had done then and all I can say is “parts were good.” Now a days I give up on anywhere from a fourth to half of everything I start. I simply don’t want to waste my time on inferior work. Worse, there are times when I can’t reach that magical condition in which a book becomes my whole world. It isn’t the writing. It’s me. Nor can I say I am a good writer, though I can certainly say I am a better one than I used to be.
So be forewarned. This technique can mess you up.
Text books can tell you a lot about how to write. They can tell you to add more details, to use dialogue tags a certain way, to get your character’s goals, motives, and conflicts lined up well, etc., etc. But nothing will teach you how to bring it all together – or not – better than reading novels with an eye toward how it’s done.
I recommend taking a book you’ve already read for pleasure and reading it again. This time if you find yourself putting the book down when there isn’t an outside force distracting you – like screaming kids or something on the stove boiling over – stop and see what you were reading. Chances are there is something about the book itself that caused you to set it down.
Lack of conflict heads the top of the list for boredom makers. Confusing wording, a lack of vivid imagery, or too many cliches can also do it. Look for yourself. Think about what it is in the book that caused your reaction.
Rereading books you didn’t enjoy as much with an eye toward where you disliked something and what the something is can teach you a lot. It doesn’t take long for cliche’s, passages out of character, and plot holes to start leaping to your attention.
Look for the good stuff too. What is it about a scene that made you laugh or cry? How are the details handled in a book that really draws you in and makes it real? Take note of word choices and sentence structure when considering the way a book flows.
If you do this, every novel you pick up has the potential of becoming a text book.
Now try going back to reading just for fun. Seriously, if you can’t turn off the internal editor, you aren’t going to enjoy reading anymore.
Alice
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How do you email to someone you only know through their blog?
So far I’ve only gone looking for an email link from a blog in two cases, where I really should be able to figure the email out if I go looking in my ancient email folders. Still, it seems people expect you to be able to contact them, but don’t make the info easy to find. Is there a secret handshake I don’t know about?
Alice
Congratulations Sukie!
Sukie has stepped forward to take her bow. She is the one who wrote Something Old, Someone New, our first ever FanLit Forever winner. She had another entry that also did well in the round.
Unless something radical happens, it looks like a story with a Holiday theme – you pick the Holiday – will be our next challenge. The poll for it closes Wednesday, so we’ll know for sure then. Personally, I’m thinking Fourth of July.
Alice
