Month: November 2011

How Do You Feel?

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations1 Comment

In  one of my literature classes in high school, we read a narrative about the Great Plague of London.  I’ve completely forgotten what the book or story was.  But I remember there was a scene where the narrator decided he wanted to go see the mass graves of the plague victims, and he was determined to see them at the time when the workers were actually throwing the bodies in (gruesome, I know).  I vividly remember the class discussion, when the teacher asked why the character felt the need to visit the graves at that most horrible time.

I must have had my writer’s brain on, because it seemed abundantly obvious to me that the character wanted to go at that time because it let the writer describe a more compelling scene.

That may only be one jump back from the teacher’s question, which I think is, why is it compelling in its horribleness?  But I think there really is something else at work here.  For me, the interesting question is not why someone would go look at bodies being tossed into a grave (because frankly, I find it unlikely many people would).  The question is, why did the writer want to write about that?

It prompts emotions.  Sometimes I think that is the core of what we are doing when we seek out stories (novels, movies, any kind of story).  We want to feel something.  And it’s easiest to make someone feel something horrible.  Fear and horror are relatively easy emotions to invoke.  I think that’s why we see so much sensationalism on the news–the news companies have realized that it’s easier to create deeper emotions by talking about kidnappings and murders than by covering positive news.

I often think about this in my own writing.  Some of my most helpful responses from people have been about what they feel when they read a story I wrote–are they worried about a character?  Are they angry with the villain?  Does a scene make them laugh or make them sad?  In a way, “it’s good” or “it’s bad” is so subjective.  But if someone says, “I was so angry with that character, how could he do that?” and that’s what I was aiming for–then I feel more sure that I’m conveying what I wanted to convey.

We don’t normally seek tragedies in real life.  Real life has enough feelings, and most people don’t need to go watch bodies be tossed into a pit in our effort to feel something.  But in fiction, we get to harmlessly try on other emotions and other experiences–and then we do seek out the tragedies, the dramatic love affairs, the hilarious comedies, because they all make us feel.  They help us engage with the story–they draw us into the other life we’re reading about.

NaNoWriMo Day 12 and Strong-Minded Characters

On By cherylmahoneyIn NaNoWriMo3 Comments

Somehow, it’s almost halfway through November.  How does that happen?

I’ve had a very inconsistent week.  As I had hoped, I managed to build up a cushion on Wednesday.  Then on Thursday I wrote exactly ZERO words.  I knew that was going to happen though–I was out all evening for a party with friends.  So as Friday dawned, I was 600 words behind.  I closed the gap a bit Friday, and then today…today has been lovely.

I think today has been what my life might look like if I didn’t have a job and could write all the time.  I’m not usually one for sitting down and writing for hours at a time.  By necessity I’ve been writing for a couple hours every evening (when I can) this month, but usually I’d rather work in maybe half-hour stretches (barring those rare moments of ultimate inspiration).  I had a fairly clear day today, so I spent it alternating writing and everything else.  Eat breakfast; write for a while; go grocery shopping; write for a while; run an errand; write for a while; and so on.

And the grand total–which you already know if you’re looking at my sidebar–was 20,744 words.  That was almost 2,600 today, and it puts me about 750 up on the goal.  One of those good days.

I think I’m foreseeing some good word count days in the future.  My long-awaited second major character who finally turned up earlier this week likes to talk.  I don’t know why I haven’t mentioned his name–it’s Dastan, and he’s one of the princes in the story.

It tends to go that my plan is, say, to drop my narrating princess, Lyra, into any of the boats, just to get her over to the castle and move things along.  Instead, Dastan jumps in to say, “hey, she can ride in my boat, and we’ll have funny and/or character revealing conversations along the way!”  And then they do.  I’ve been a little worried about some future developments in their characters and their relationship, but I don’t think I need to be.  They’ll figure it out.

I have a feeling the above-paragraph may sound insane to non-writers.  Those of you who are writers, you know.  Characters do things like this!

Anyway.  It’s encouraging.  I like talkative characters.  Sometimes I have to go back and rein the in during revision, but it’s still helpful for a first draft.

Excerpt time.  Slight context here: Lyra and Dastan are in his boat en route to the enchanted castle where all that dancing is going on.  It’s just come out that there would be a way for the princesses to escape if they choose to.  And it may help you to know the princes are from a fairly small island country.

“What would you do?” I asked.  “If we decided to run?”

“I can’t speak for my brothers…”

“I didn’t ask about them.”  People always assumed that my sisters and I were of one mind all the time; we encouraged it, but it still frustrated me.  “What would you do?”

He shrugged one shoulder.  “I’d be sorry.  And I’d say Godspeed and good luck.”

“You wouldn’t try to stop us?”

He looked away, across the water.  “How do I put this…  I love my country.  It’s a good place.  And I’ve been trapped there my entire life.  Since the spell, sure, but before that too.  I’m not really a believer in trapping other people.”

“Try being trapped in just a castle.”

“I’d rather not.  How do you stand it?”

Do you know, no one had ever asked before.  My sisters had known me forever, and they were all in the same situation besides.  No one else at home would have that kind of conversation with us.  They wouldn’t ask—and even if they did, we wouldn’t answer.  Our anonymity held us together, but it kept us separate too.

So there was a definite thrill to answering, “I read stories.  In one way I’ve never been out of the castle—until now—but in another way…I’ve been so many places.”

Favorites Friday: Prolific Writers

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites FridayLeave a comment

Since I’m working on writing a novel this month, it seems appropriate to do a Favorites Friday on very prolific writers–who must be writing their books quickly too.

Most of my favorite authors seem to get a book out about once a year, sometimes less.  And when I’m eagerly awaiting a new installment, that seems like a very long time!  But I can think of three favorite authors (two living, one dead) who seem to manage a faster rate.  I know frequent publishing is normal in the Romance section–but that’s one reason I don’t read romances.  I find it hard to believe an entire genre’s-worth of writers can really publish three books a year without ruining their quality.

But here are three writers who do write good books at an astonishing pace.

Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote over seventy books in his lifetime, typically two a year.  Granted, they almost all have the same plot, but the quality of the writing and of the adventure is solid.  I’ve heard that Burroughs defies everything writing teachers want to tell you about the importance of revision.  He’d typically write a draft, re-read for punctuation and the occasional word change, and that was it.  His novels are practically first drafts.  Once in a while it shows, but most of the time it doesn’t.  And since I’ve read 47 of his books so far, I’m so glad he wrote as many as he did!

Author’s Site: http://www.tarzan.org/

Geraldine McCaughrean knocks me over every time I look at her book list.  It just goes on…and on…and on!  Seriously, check it out–you have to scroll for a long time.  🙂  Her “About Me” on her website says she’s written 160 books (that really is one-six-zero).  I’ve been meaning to read more of her books…so now I just have to decide where to start!

Author’s Site: http://www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk/index.htm

L. A. Meyer has a shorter booklist, having written nine books in the Jacky Faber series.  They do come out about once a year, but somehow they feel more frequent–and I include him here mostly because he has a wonderful knack for always having a new book coming out just when I happen to think of looking for one!  Perhaps they feel more frequent than other authors’ books because he only writes one series–so I never have to wait an extra year while he’s writing something I’m less interested in!

Author’s Site: http://clairdeloon.com/

I know there are other writers who write/wrote a lot–Isaac Asimov and Piers Anthony both come to mind as having very lengthy bibliographies.  So, who am I missing?  Any other favorite writers who put books out at a fantastic rate, and still keep up the quality?

NaNoWriMo Day 8

On By cherylmahoneyIn NaNoWriMo1 Comment

It’s been a few days since my last NaNo update, but there isn’t too much to report.  I’ve been hovering right around the word count goal for the last few days.  Yesterday was higher–today was lower.  In the end it evens out to put me at 13,681, about 350 up on the total goal.  Not bad, except that I’ve been trying and failing to build up a cushion against another Thursday when I won’t have time to write…we’ll see how that goes later this week.

On the plus side, I finally got to introduce a delayed major character today, and thanks to his entrance I think I see a lot more dialogue in my future.  I like dialogue.  I also have a clearer picture of my next several scenes than I usually have at the end of the evening, so I may be able to get that cushion written up tomorrow after all.  Crossing fingers!

Excerpt!

The library is my favorite place.  It had limited competition, since I had never been outside of our castle, but I think it would have been anyway.  It seemed in a way a wondrous thing.  Every room in the castle had some purpose—rooms for sleeping, for eating, for sewing, for dancing.  They were practical and tangible.  And I loved that there was a room simply to store information, ideas, thoughts…and stories.

An Urban Adventure from Tamora Pierce

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

I recently reread Terrier by Tamora Pierce, in anticipation of the third book in her Beka Cooper series coming out (Terrier is the first).  As I generally expect from Tamora Pierce’s books 🙂 it’s an excellent story with a strong female lead and solid characters of both genders.

For those familiar with Pierce’s Tortall books, Terrier is set a few hundred years earlier than her usual time period.  George Cooper is a major character in Song of the Lioness and the Trickster books, and this series is about one of his ancestors.  George is the King of Thieves, but his ancestor was a…well, I suppose policewoman is the right word, though it sounds too modern.  She’s a member of the City Guard, who are a little rough around the edges but work to keep the peace in Corus, Tortall’s capital city.

Terrier is about Beka’s first six weeks or so as a City Guard, or a Dog as they’re known in the slang.  She starts out as a Puppy, assigned to two more experienced Dogs who mentor her.  Beka is from the poor Lower City, and that’s where she chooses to work too, among the people who are often forgotten.  She quickly latches on to two crimes to investigate–one involving a string of child-kidnappings and murders, another involving mysterious, magical rocks and mass-murderings of the men hired to mine them.

I love the plot of this.  Many of Pierce’s books cover a longer scope of time, and pick up more threads.  I love that too, but I also enjoy the focus of this one.  It’s essentially a weaving of two mysteries, while Beka learns the ropes of being a Dog, and grows in the process.  Some of the character growth, especially at the beginning, seemed a bit swift, but in some ways I did enjoy the compressed timeline that made things move faster.

There’s a good cast of supporting characters, from Beka’s mentor Dogs, Goodwin and Tunstall, to her friends, among the Dogs and among thieves at the Rogue’s court–the Rogue is a bit like a mob boss, who has a tacit understanding with the Dogs because he keeps order among the criminals (that’s also George’s job, a couple centuries later).  Even the villains are well-drawn characters.  And I must say, I loved Lady Sabine, another female knight.  This was long before Alanna, when girls were allowed to hold the job.

There’s also Pounce.  Pounce is Beka’s enigmatic black cat, who has purple eyes and sometimes talks.  You may remember how much I love Faithful, Alanna’s purple-eyed, talking black cat.  Definitely not a coincidence, and we get just a little more insight into Faithful/Pounce’s origins here.  Much as I love Faithful, though, I’m not sure Pounce gets developed to the same extent.  I enjoy him immensely, but I don’t think he has the same bond with Beka that he had with Alanna.

Beka, however, is another good heroine.  She has big dreams and goes after them, and she’s a strong female role model, as Pierce is so good at writing.  She’s grittier than some of Pierce’s heroines, with her Lower City background.  This is the most urban Tortall book I’ve read–I’m not sure there’s a plant in the whole novel.  Usually other books set in Corus are at the Royal Palace, and somehow I think there’s more open park around there.  Beka has magic, but a new kind–and a grittier one!  She can hear ghosts.  People left with unfinished business–often those murdered–will end up as ghosts, inhabiting pigeons.  Beka has learned to seek out these ghosts to get clues to crimes.  She also can hear voices captured by dust devils, which apparently hang out on certain corners.

I did have one problem with Beka’s character.  She’s supposed to be shy.  I’ve read this book twice now, and I just don’t quite believe the shyness.  I find it hard to accept that a girl who grew up in the rough Lower City, who wants to be a City Guard, and who can leap into a tavern brawl, baton swinging…can’t look a new acquaintance in the eye and answer a direct question.  Fear of public speaking, sure.  Fear of approaching strangers, inability to come up with quick replies to saucy comments, sure.  But Pierce takes it one too far, I think, and it just doesn’t ring true to me with the rest of her character.

But that’s one flaw in an otherwise very good book.

There’s far less shining lights and dramatic magic and epic swordfights in this book than in many of Pierce’s others.  This is more a pound-the-pavement, get into fist-fights kind of book.  In some ways it’s darker, although there have been monsters and murders in earlier series too.  And next to something like The Hunger Games, this is a cheerful book.  I like the realism of fighting to make a positive impact in a tough world, and the hopefulness that it really is possible to do that–and to make good friends, chase your dreams, and have some laughs along the way.

Author’s Site: http://tamorapierce.com/