Since the pollen from all those damn May flowers that the April showers brought up is keeping me all stuffy and sickly, I would prefer those rains bring me ideas instead...
Speaking of ideas, I don't know about you folks, but they always seem to come to me at the most random times. Actually, they tend to come at quite inconvenient times, like right before I fall asleep, right when I wake up or, my favorite, in the shower. I'm not sure why that is, but I end up washing my hair while repeating the idea (or dialog. It's often a conversation between characters so I must sound like Sybil...) over and over to myself so I don't forget it before I rinse and get out! My friend John says the shower is where he gets many of his ideas as well. Does everyone and why is that? I think it must be a decent part of the population since someone stopped to make this product, AquaNotes, which I have yet to purchase but will at some point!
So now that you have had this crazy, exciting, hopefully somewhat original idea, what do you do next? Do you sit down immediately and start banging out your story? Do you outline? Maybe some research is necessary first. Perhaps you have another project (or uhh 4) in the works and you have to put it on a back burner for a bit. Do you have a notebook where you keep those ideas? Maybe you use a spreadsheet or keep a file on your computer?
Personally, I keep notes in Word or type them up as Facebook notes but never actually publish them. That way no one else will steal my award winning ideas (ha!). My notes are normally a jumbled mass of fragments and grammatically incorrect sentences. I'm just anxious to get everything down before it slips through my sieve of a mind.
If I can, I like to start on an idea immediate. I think it's that initial excitement that gets my stories moving. For this reason I think I shy away from stories that need major research. All that fact finding bogs me down and takes away that burst of creative steam a new idea normally gives me. Now, I'm sure it's different for everyone, so don't go thinking my way is the way it has to be. Some people live to research! I give you guys props because frankly, it tends to bore me to death.
So what becomes of all those ideas? Do they all make it into a full length novel? Umm, not very likely. For me anyhow. They occasionally don't work out to be as grand as I had first imagined them to be. Then I get sad because I put in a lot of time and effort and who wants to see a half finished book sitting on your shelf? I find that if I put the story away and work on something else for a while, when I come back to it, months or even years later, I can regain some of that enthusiasm that got me started in the first place and get back to work finishing it. Never give up on those ideas! They may not become your best work, but love that one small idea led to pages and pages of entertainment.
What's up with you and your ideas? Do you carry around a little notebook or voice recorder to capture them? Do you pounce and get to work on them immediately or let them simmer and see what becomes after they stew a while? Do you ignore them if you're already in the middle of a project? How do you make it work? Inquiring minds want to know!
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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)
I have to admit, I get absolutely giddy when I hear some of my favorite books are being turned into movies. I'm no rabid fan girl, but I do feel like a kid on Christmas morning when the movie finally comes out. Now you're probably thinking,"OK. So you like adaptations. Where are you going with this post?" Well, it's true. I normally like them. I enjoy them and rarely feel as if I've wasted money, but at the same time, I often walk out feeling bit...deflated. A bit disappointed. Do I build it up too much? Is it bad acting? Is it that the actors cast don't match the image I had in my head? It's probably D) a little of all of the above.
Why is it so hard to translate the written word to the big screen and give people that same feeling they have when they read the book? Is it just a case of not having to work at anything? Other than suspenseful thrillers and whodunit flicks, we tend to not have to think too much when watching movies. The visuals play out before us as do the huge action scenes. We don't have to stop and close our eyes and image what something might look like. It's right there in front of us. I guess watching something is just less interactive and maybe it keeps you from connecting to the characters as well.
Stopping to think about it, I realize we don't often hear a character's thoughts and inner monologues in movies. I think that makes a huge difference when it comes to knowing our hero/heroine and their personality. I've often read stories and felt I've made a connection to the characters (hence why I cry if they are killed off or get hurt, etc.) I don't really find that happens too much in movies. Occasionally it will, but it's much more of a rarity.
One of the other issues I tend to have with adaptations is the fact that they rush everything! I get the industry is not looking to make movies 3+ hours as a norm, but sometimes they cut out scenes I, as a reader, deem essential! Maybe it's not causing a plot hole, but you're often losing out on character development and background story. Which again causes you to lose that connection with the character. I guess we can't have it all.
Even with all the flaws and faults, I am still eager to run out and see these movies. I hope that Hollywood will do as good a job as they can getting the important stuff come across well and maybe, just maybe, it will prompt non-readers to pick up the books. Whether to find out what happens next or start at the beginning, I don't care, so long as it's turning people onto reading.
Let's take a minute to discuss specific book to movie adaptations.
I have two, yes only two, movies I think are on equal ground or even better than their book counterparts, and they are decades apart.
The first being To Kill a Mockingbird. I have always loved the book and I had to watch the movie in one of my high school English classes. It's probably one of the most spot on adaptations I've seen. You know how your teachers told you that you couldn't watch the movies and you had to read the books? Well, To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely an exception to that rule (kids, if you do this, I will not be held responsible for your grade should your teachers find out!).
The second is one of my all time favorite movies: The Princess Bride. I think spectacular casting is what helped this adaptation to surpass the book version. Then again, I did see this movie several times before I even knew a book existed. I've read the book on more than one occasion now and while I like it, I stand firm in saying I prefer the movie. That is a rarity for me!
I'm going to throw in two honorable mentions (they are television shows rather than movies and both on going so I'm reserving total judgment).
Honorable mention #1: True Blood (Sookie Stackhouse series). I adore the books and the show does not follow them all that closely, but some of the characters are so spot on for me, that I can't be annoyed by what they've added and taken away. I wait with bated breath to see if they bring in some of my favorite characters from the books (oooh please oh please let a Quinn show up soon).
Honorable mention #2: We are only 4 episodes into the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones, but very little has disappointed me. It's sticking very close to the books and even though I know what's going to happen, I'm excited and anxious to see how it's going to play out. I'm going to be very very happy to see some specific death/torture scenes played out on the "big" screen!
Hmm what are some of the worst for me?
I really disliked the Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief movie. The books were great. Really funny, I thought. I don't think the movie did a good job at all bringing that comedy across. Not to mention I was not much a fan of the Percy they chose. That being said, I'd still see the sequels if they make them. I'm a sucker that way.
I kind of hated I Am Number Four as well. While it wasn't one of my all time favorite books, it's an interesting concept and it could have been done well, but I felt they totally changed the personality of Henri and left a lot of important background and training info out. Also, as much as I can enjoy looking at Alex Pettyfer for two hours, it was hard for me to imagine him a high school student. Most of the cast came off as too old to me. Funny, since back in the day, I was totally convinced Luke and Andrea on 90210 were high school aged (HA!).
What's to come?
I am waiting patiently for the Hunger Games and the Mortal Instrument movies to come out. As two of my all time favorites series, I have a feeling something will disappoint me, but I assure you, that will not stop me from seeing the movies.
Also, I will be very interested to see how The Maze Runner is adapted. Like with the Hunger Games, I wonder if they're going to be able to really portray that feeling of despair and hopelessness that their worlds bring the characters. We shall see.
What is your take on the book to movie trend? Do you have favorites? What takes the cake as the worst adaptation in your book? What are you looking forward to?
I joke with my beta readers about what "team" they are on when they read my stories, but secretly I'd rather them wear "Down with So-and-so!" shirts. To write a character that your readers hate is an exceptional feat. When I say hate, I don't mean they dislike the character because they're poorly written or do embarrassing things, etc. I hate Ms. Swan for being spineless and whiny, but I have no desire to cause her demise. These characters that you hate are the type that turn on you. The type who you might have liked at one point and then they do something so heinous that you wish you could reach in the book and kill them yourself or better yet, maim the author for making you hate that person.
My #1 example comes from a little series called A Song of Ice and Fire (WARNING Spoiler ahead! Skip over this part if you are just now reading the books or watching the show: Game of Thrones.)
Mr. Martin introduces us to a ward of Winterfell, one Theon Grayjoy. While he is technically a prisoner of war, he is treated well and brought up like a sibling to the Stark children. When poor Bran is felled by the Lannisters, Theon is immediately by Rob Stark's side, ready to seek revenge with/for his "brother". He offers to fight for Winterfell. He seems like a stand up young man. I liked him! Then he stabs them all in the back. Sneaky little f*ck. If that wasn't bad enough, Martin has him do something so awful I almost threw my Kindle across the room when I read it. Our author tries to get a little redemption for Theon's character, but his crime is still pretty hideous. I hear the upcoming A Dance with Dragons will have Theon getting his just desert, but if it's short of his head on a pike and being eviscerated by a White Walker, I don't want to read about it. We shall see.
(YOU CAN CONTINUE READING HERE)
I think it's every author's goal to evoke feeling from their readers. We want them to get to know our characters. To love them, to hate them, to want to be them, to want to be friends with them. While it's not necessarily an easy task regardless of the kind of connection you want your reader to make, I think it's infinity harder to make your reader feel that violent hatred towards your precious creations. I'd be happy to hear you tell me you are Team Chaz or Team Judd or even Team Jazz (please! ^_^) but I'd be ridiculously ecstatic for you to approach me and tell me you hate ME for screwing with your emotions. For you to feel ashamed for ever having liked one of my characters. For you to have thrown the book across the room because that character had been double crossing our heroes the entire time (please do not throw e-readers! I cannot reimburse you!). For me to be able to write such a realistic three dimensional character that induced such a passionate response from my readers would be an amazing accomplishment. I look forward to your hate mail!
In the past, we talked a little about prepping for rejection. This post is along the same lines. I recently became a member of a community (Book Country) where you can post chapters of your work for people to read and review. I was totally excited to get real feedback from people who don't know me and weren't afraid of hurting my feelings.
I posted several chapters of three different projects I'm working on. In the beginning, it was good! People liked things but gave good constructive criticism on how I can improve the story, make the characters stronger and less cliched, etc. I felt really good about the responses and energized to make changes and edits.
Then I got a review on my favorite story. The commenter didn't say anything particularly harsh. They didn't say I shouldn't quit my day job nor that my writing was a joke. They didn't say the story was dumb, in fact they thought it was an interesting concept. Not too bad, right? Until they started saying my dialog needed serious work and suggested how I could make some major changes to the main character. For some reason, the dialog comment really hurt. I consider the dialog one of the strong parts of the story and others have backed me up on that (without my prompting, I promise). I think it's realistic and does a good job at showing the characters' personalities. For this person to say, in not so many words, that it sucked, HURT. It put me in a serious funk and I did not feel like writing. I was second guessing myself, questioning if I really had any story telling talent at all.
Yes, it was a bit exaggerated and all drama queen on my part, but I was surprised at how hard it hit me when other comments didn't cause the same kind of reaction. Logically, I know that not everyone is going to like what I write. I may not be up to award winning writing skills, but I know I've got something special not everyone has. I know that others have been very vocal in how much they enjoy that particular story.
So what do I do to keep such a funk from setting in? I have to thicken my skin. I have to remember that you can't please everyone all of the time. I have to look for the good points and take the bad with a grain of salt. I have to remind myself that these people are trying to help and they may have a point but that most definitely doesn't mean I suck or should stop writing. I think I'm going to leave little notes of inspiration around for myself. Feel free to use some of these in your own skin thickening, motivation pushing quests.
"The work never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with. William Faulkner"
Slow reading month for me, but I think it's due to the high volume of writing I've been doing. Next month will probably be better since I know a lot of great things came out recently! As always, if you have questions or comments on anything I've read, please speak up!
Recap of the rating system:
 | Outstanding. You need to run out & get this NOW! |
 | Great! |
 | Good. |
 | Meh. I was not much of a fan. |
 | Under no circumstances should you waste your time with this. |
| Title | Author | Rating |
| City of Fallen Angels | - Cassandra Clare | |
| Daeva (beta) | - Chris Cook | |
| The Last Hunter | - Jeremy Robinson | |
| White Cat (re-read) | - Holly Black | |
| Red Glove | - Holly Black | |
| Hex Hall (re-read) | - Rachel Hawkins | |
| Demonglass | - Rachel Hawkins | |
| 13 Little Blue Envelopes (re-read) | - Maureen Johnson | |
| Infinity: Chronicles of Nick | - Sherrilyn Kenyon | |
| Invincible: Chronicles of Nick | - Sherrilyn Kenyon | |
Like anything else, I think it's important, when setting writing goals, that your goals be realistic ones. If they aren't you're going to struggle to reach them and possibly get discouraged and give up. We can't be having that folks!
In today's busy world, we are constantly running, whether it be to our job that pays the bills and supports our writing habit, taking kids to soccer/band/dance/karate/etc, getting groceries, dropping off drying cleaning, and so on and so forth. Then there's housework, cooking, yard work and home maintenance, not to mention needing time to actually relax and you know, sleep. Therefore, when you go to set your writing goals, these are all things you need to keep in mind. Are you going to be able to block out two hours a day to devote to writing? Is it going to cut into family/social time? Will it cut into your sleep? (Note: this blog writing is definitely cutting into my beauty rest. See what I sacrifice for you people?) If the answer is yes, then perhaps be more flexible with your goals. Opt for a daily word count to reach rather than a time period. Some days you may find you reach that count quicker than others and then you can decide if you want to continue because you're on a roll or to call it a night and do something else. Whichever method you choose, make sure it's something attainable.
Besides daily writing goals, you should be making goals for finishing your stories, editing, writing your query letters and getting them out. Again, make the goals realistic. Maybe you edit five pages a day. Maybe you give yourself until the end of summer to finish that story. Maybe you plan to query four agents a week for a month. All realistic goals.
If you're anything like me, goals and deadlines are the motivators to kick you in the ass and get you going. I am quite the procrastinator (hence why I am typing this after midnight...) and deadlines are what make me really buckle down and not be as distracted by the shiny things around me. It really helps me to have one of those big wall calendars with my deadlines marked in BIG RED MARKER. There's no missing it and then I can feel the pressure as the day creeps closer. Might sound funny, but I swear it really works.
So go ahead and make those goals, but don't make them something crazy like swearing to write 10,000 words a day. Someone might be able to keep that up for the short term, say during the final days of NaNoWriMo, but it'll be the rare person who can keep it up on a regular basis. Don't self sabotage by trying to keep up an unrealistic pace. Be pragmatic and while goals important to keep you motivated, don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. Sometimes life is unpredictable and things happen. Forgive yourself and start again the next day.
Continuing from Tuesdays post about world building, I decided to share some of my own tricks of the trade.
Firstly, I personally try to keep things similar to what we already have. Perhaps I will add a slight twist, but it won't be so unusual that the reader won't be able to picture it. For instance, in my story Red Dust, which takes place on a strange planet, they have animals I named Doubleheads. They look just like horses we have here, except they have two necks and two heads. Different, but easy enough to imagine, right?
Another tip, be cautious when making up names. You want your reader to be able to know how to pronounce them, especially if it's a name that comes up often. If you're set on your odd names, throw a pronunciation in there somewhere, whether it's in a glossary in the back or your character explaining to someone else how to say their name. When it comes to locale, I will often make up town names, but I also tend to use people's last names. In Embers to Ashes, the town my main characters come from/start their journey in named Corso, which is the married name of one of my closest friends. It's easy to read and not overly common. The other caution about making up names is you better write it down somewhere or remember how to spell it. You don't want to have to keep looking back to see how you chose to spell that weird name.
If my characters are taking a journey, I must sketch a map. Now I'm no topographer or a cartographer, so my maps are very very basic. They contain town names, squiggles for rivers and streams and upside down Vs for mountains. Simple, but an important aspect in world building. You need to know what the landscape is like. Are your characters going to get flooded in a valley? Do they need to dress warm because they're going through a mountain pass? Will they be going through a dense forest where they can hide out? Knowing those things in advance can help your plot move along and again, it's good to have those town names somewhere where you can see them.
Another great use for your map, other than the world building aspect, is to use it for a timeline. You can track your characters from town to town, jotting how long it takes for them to travel from place to place. If I don't do this, I'm often going back to re-read and see how many days have passed. If you want to keep your map pristine, use those little sticky tabs that they sell to mark pages in text books. They come colored so you can use different colors for different characters and some have a space that allows you to write on them so you can make your notes there and keep track at a glance where specific characters are.
The last tip I'm going to share is really something that can be used in any type of writing, but I find it especially helpful if I'm world building. It simply involves making a spreadsheet in Excel. Mine are normally all about the characters. I'll make columns for their name, age, hair color, eye color, basic physical traits. As I mention in a previous post, I'm more about a character's personality than their physical features, so it's helpful to me put down the basics so I can find it easily if I don't remember. I also tend to research names if I'm doing world building, so I will add the origin and meaning of the name to my spread sheet. In my YA fantasy Power of the Stars, there are 10 characters. Each one has a different power related to their zodiac sign. I make sure their sign, their actual birthday and then the power they have are in the spread sheet. Also, since they are younger characters (10-16) I pair them up to travel, to train together, etc. That goes into the spread sheet as well. When you have that many characters to focus on, you better write stuff down or you'll spend a lot of time back reading to find answers to silly little things that are important to keep constant.
I will also add to my spread sheet any items I make up. Food names and descriptions will have their own section. When it comes to food names, I often will just use a name in a different language. For example an apple like fruit is called a ringu which is the Japanese word for apple. I may also make a page for plant life and it's uses. In Red Dust, specific flowers can be ground into powders that will eliminate pain, stop bleeding, help one to regain strength, etc. I am sure there are several other aspects of Excel that could help with your world building and writing in general, but I keep it simple. The more things I have to update, the more time that takes away from the actual plot writing.
These are the basic things I will use. There's also research into weapons, fighting styles, castles and strongholds, etc. anything I think will come in handy for the story that I can manipulate to fit the world. I have no doubt that many of you have your own tips and tricks you use whether you're building a fantasy elven world or a science fiction futuristic planet. Feel free to share them here! I hope that my few ideas and tips will help some of you in your world building processes.