As I've gotten more serious in my writing, I've noticed that I've developed a specific habit in my reading. When I finish a book, I don't consider myself to be really done until I've read the acknowledgment pages. I'm not sure when I started, but suddenly I've realized how much I enjoy seeing those pages of thank yous.
It's not as if I know the people they're thanking, although occasionally they thank other authors and I always find it interesting to see who is friends with who. I think I just like seeing the army of people who come together to get these books out on the shelves. Agents, publishers, editors, people over seas, beta readers, illustrators, people who helped with research or acted as sounding boards, friends, families and writing groups.
People tend to think writing is a solitary career. That writers just hole up in some remote locale pecking away at their keyboards while living a hermit-like life. While that may be right to an extent, the final product that the readers see on their shelves or even the self published ebooks are rarely, if ever, a solo project. By the time you read the back cover, a review or a blurb, there are already a score of people who have fallen in love with the story, picked their "teams" and are telling their friends and relatives about it.
We've discussed in other posts that not everyone is going to enjoy the same story. Different things appeal to different people. Even so, please remember that while you may dislike something you read, somewhere out there is a veritable army of people who enjoyed it and believed in it enough to help the author to polish the plot, promote the story and make it the best it can possibly be. It takes a whole lot of people to publish a book and even if you don't enjoy the story, at least give the author the credit deserved for gathering their troops and working hard to bring you the best they have to give.
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About Me
- MBee
- Educator. Aspiring author and budding photographer. Jack of all trades...Master of none. Yet anyhow. Current Works in progress include: The Other Side (YA paranormal romance), Embers to Ashes: a Destined Journey (YA fantasy) and Red Dust (YA soft sci-fi) Heavyweight (YA contemporary gay fiction)Tears of a Clown (YA contemporary spoof)
A lovely writer friend, Patricia Lynne tagged me for this meme about how writers are the Gods of their little universes. I have to admit, it's probably one of my favorite things about writing. I get to make the landscape and setting, I get to dictate the weather, how long things take, what time of year it is, etc. I can make all my characters ten feet tall with ginger hair and five eyes. That might make for a pretty funny looking character, but hey they're my creations so I can have them look anyway I want.
Now, I know we've discussed before about characters having a mind of their own, and I find that is very true, but that's not to say I can't override their crazy ideas and actions. Admittedly, I don't do that often. I much rather prefer to let the characters and their actions guide and lead the story. Sometimes they come up with ideas that surprise even me! Go figure, right?
Ultimately, us authors, the God-like figure in the literary creation, has final say over what happens, when it happens and how it happens. Some of us might use that power for good, and others for evil but it's our story, our creation. We get to say what goes. The readers get to follow along and immerse themselves in the world the authors have created. They might not always like our choices, but I welcome them to come up with some fan fiction and make our characters work for them. Hmmm..would that make fan fiction authors demi-Gods?
Today's Q. & A. is part of another blog tour with Novel Publicity and debuting author dk LeVick. Below he's given some great responses about his writing and his fantastic first novel, a young adult, historical multicultural contemporary story called Bridges a Tale of Niagara.
When a faded picture sets in motion a perilous journey for five young men, they not only encounter harrowing adventure in the forbidden Niagara Gorge, but are forced to confront the swirling illusions of the world they knew changing their lives forever.'Bridges' brings together a series of historical events, in a twist of mystery and revelation with a group of 1962 teenagers caught up in the complexities of a changing world around them, exploring the questions of all peoples of all times.
Literature, like fashion, seems to go in trends. The recent vampire trend is just a reboot from the late 80s and early 90s when we were graced with such awesome movies and books like The Lost Boys and Interview with a Vampire. When we had enough of bloodsucking, it went away, only to be resurrected (ha ha!) 10+ years later. As vamps are slowly making their way back out (although I still think they'll be around for a while), a new trend has been creeping onto the shelves.
If YA lit is your thing, you'd have to be blind not to notice the immense amount of dystopian books that have hit the scene recently. While I'm sure there were books out before it, the Hunger Games trilogy seems to have really brought notice to and possibly encouraged other authors to write this specific genre.
What's the draw of these bleak dark stories? Do people notice things going on in real life: war, natural disasters, morally corrupt people, and think that these may really be a reflection our future to come? A premonition of sorts? Or is it more the strong main characters (often female) who have suffered but haven't given up, who have a change of heart and don't blindly follow what their new governments deem as right, who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their loved ones and their communities?
Personally, I think it may be a combination of all of the above. Like many, I have been sucked into these stories: Hunger Games, Wither, Divergent, Delirium, Matched, Enclave, The Maze Runner, even Inside Out and Outside In, while having the sci-fi twist, I'd still call it a dystopian. Yes, there are definitely depressing aspects to these stories and I often try to put myself in the main character's shoes. Would I have been able to continue on in those situations? Would I have conformed or fought for a better life? They make me stop and think. I spend a lot of time wondering if our world could really mimic some of these disaster wrought lands.
I do enjoy them and I think, because it's something that hasn't been touched on recently, that the trend will continue to grow and stick around for quite some time. That being said, authors may want to start thinking of writing utopian type stories to pick people back up after they've had their fill of decimated populations, uber corrupt governments and barren wastelands.
My top three loves are writing, photography and music. I've played instruments since the 4th grade: clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, baritone horn and a little tenor sax. I sang in my church choir for years, performed in several school produced musicals and spent a few years in the school choir. I'm the girl you catch in the supermarket singing along with the muzak. I always have music on, sometimes even when I sleep. My life without music would be dull and gray.
I have noticed the trend lately of authors posting playlists to go along with their literary works. Songs that go with the storyline. Songs that fit the mood. Songs that inspire and personify the characters. You'd think, someone as musical as I, would be all up on this trend, but I have to say I'm really not. Not in that way anyhow.
While music is almost always on when I write, I need it to be less intrusive. I need something soothing and often wordless. Music is so ingrained in me that if I listen to certain songs while writing, I find myself distracted, singing along and occasionally typing the lyrics rather than what my characters are suppose to be saying. That always makes for an interesting WTF was I thinking re-read.
Classical seems to work well for me, as does some jazz, depending on the type of scene I'm working on. Even though it's got several songs with lyrics, I'm finding Danger Mouse's new album Rome, awesome to write to. It's very mellow with kind of an eerie feel to it. This song, from the Vision of Escaflowne it perfect for any emotional scenes I write. Action scenes? Tank by Yuko Kanno and the Seatbelts from the anime Cowboy Bebop gives me energy and speed. Sounds silly, but it's true. Ever go to a club and the bass is super loud and you can feel it through your feet? They do that to keep you moving. Same goes with listening to dance music while walking or running. You'll find you're compelled to move faster and slower depending on the beat of the music. I find it's the same for me with writing. For inspiration, Grace Potter & the Nocturnal's Oasis can pick me up anytime as can Adele's Chasing pavements , even if it's about love, I like to think of it as moving forward with my writing, even if there's the possibility of nothing coming from it.
I'm sure there's lots of other music out there that helps me with my writing, but those are just a few that come to mind. What are your music/writing combinations? Do you need absolute quiet to write? Do you make your own playlists to go with your stories?
One of the problems I find that goes hand in hand with trying to be be original is trying to keep your story from being too predictable.
As I'm working on Tears of a Clown, I've been posting chapters on my Facebook author page. My small yet quite loyal fan base humors me with comments and questions. One in particular, has started showing me her amazing mind reading abilities by posting what she thinks is going on and what she feels is coming next. Usually, she is spot on.
This made me a little sad. I don't want to be predictable! I want people to always gasp and think "I never saw that coming!" Silly to be down about it though when the reality is that when you can't be 100% original, people are going to figure things out. Character names will differ, but more likely than not, they've seen the scenario play out before in someone else's book, probably in several other books.
I like to think I was able to keep people in the dark for a little while though and a lot of that was because even I didn't know where the story was heading until the characters led me there. On occasion, they will even surprise me and I'm their God! So to speak. Sneaky stealthy characters. It's a good thing I like 'em.
Another of my lovely little brood told me so long as she doesn't figure things out by the first five pages, she was OK with being able to figure out some plot points. I decided that it really wasn't that bad of a thing. Those who can figure it out are just well read and normally a smarty pants. A fan base who reads a lot and is brainy to boot? An author couldn't ask for much more.
'Cause it goes on and on my friend. Sorry. Some of you are probably cursing me right now for the earworm, but it's true. This book I'm working on does not want to end! I can see it, just over the horizon. It's close enough that I should be able to streeeetch and touch it, but it keeps alluding me!
It's those damn (lovable) characters of mine. They're not ready for the story to be finished. The devious bunch are demanding one more steamy make out scene, one more horrific event to be thrown in, one more hurdle for the heroine to leap over. I'm impressed by their stamina, but I wonder how much of it will end up making the final cut. I hate to feel I'm rambling on in a story, so hopefully it doesn't all come off as filler, because that will just seem like I wasted a whole hell of a lot of time.
Does this happen to people who have plotted their stories out? Do your characters ever run amok and change things on you? How do you deal? I almost always start a story with an ending in mind, but how I get there is left to the characters. As their personalities develop, my stories often take turns and twists even I never expected. It's kind of a cool phenomena.
I do hope my characters get tired and let me end things before I get bored. That will definitely make for a poor ending. Perhaps I need to entice them somehow. A plate of special brownies perhaps? What says you faithful readers?
