Chapter One … again

On the fourth of March I posted that I’d finished Chapter One of Juniper Brown rewrites. I can now categorically tell you why Neil Gaiman didn’t make a blog until after he’d finished American Gods. There’s this constant back and forth, and when you go back over your posts you start to think that you’re getting nowhere fast.

I bring this up because I’ve rewritten Chapter One again, this time I would enjoy making it past Chapter Three because I have a great love for this novel. When I finished the chapter I was practically jumping for joy. Although the first song I listened to reminded me of how the book ends. That song is I Can’t Break it to My Heart by Delta Goodrem, I have a great admiration for the artist and wish that I could write songs as well as her.

The song starts about halfway through, but the first song is amazing as well.

I chose to rewrite Chapter One for a number of reasons. The first of these was that I killed off a major character and I didn’t want to kill them. I love the character and feel sorry for them, and I realised that the reader was unable to feel the same way because they hadn’t had long enough to get acquainted with them. I’m slowly gaining some help from books, the writing group and a set of critique partners and friends that are second to none.

Tea has helped me a lot. I think that without tea I wouldn’t have made it through rewriting it again. I have this feeling that I’ll never get anywhere if I keep rewriting and yet I know that I must. I’m a writer who must edit as I go along. If I don’t do this I get this niggling sensation that practically kills me and I’m unable to do anything about it. So I change things, remove characters, change words, edit dialogue. It’s how I work.

Now I can sense you writers out there yelling, ‘You only made it to Chapter One, you eejit! Get on and write!’ So here’s to Chapter Two, no doubt you’ll read about it here first.

Until next time, that is all.

EDIT: Also watch Natalia Kills:

Blocked and not in the Nice Internet Way

Once again I have been riddled with writer’s block.

I am unable to fully comprehend what my problem is. I have been thinking that it’s because I wrote Chapter One and now I’m rewriting it before I continue so that the storyline moves along smoothly. However, I know that on my laptop there’s a chapter that I loved only a few weeks ago. Surely, then you’d tell me to turn away from the laptop and write the chapter long-hand. I have to admit there is something cathartic in
scrawling across a page with a pencil, not caring about the words until you go back over them. (That last sentence comes courtesy of receiving a burst of inspiration last week and writing the end of the novel. – I must add that I love these last few pages, to me they’re filled with emotion.)

However, when it comes to making the book live up to these last few lines, all I can think is, ‘was that it? Is that my inspiration soaked up?’ I’m currently reading The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner, and I must say that it’s been helping me; although I will not be able to make my quota of ten books this month, although I did just reach fifty, so by rights, I’ve caught up with myself.

I’m asking for cures for writer’s block since my  usual cure didn’t work: this cure consists of moving away from the laptop, walking across the room and drinking a cup of tea. I mull over the novel and consider it, so much so that I’ve decided that a character cannot die in the first chapter, two characters must be thrown together and my antagonist is a bitch. Yet I can’t write the novel, I can’t bring myself to actually put pen to
paper, or press my fingers against the keys and create magic on the screen.

I want this book to be everything I love about prose; I want it to be dark and seductive. I want my characters to be loved at some points and hated in others. I’ve been considering one of my characters over the last few days a lot as well. Is he being controlled or is he doing something for his own means? Questions keep arising and I debate whether I’m able to write my novel.

Some writers seem to find it easy to write a first draft, but if something niggles me I go back and fix it immediately. I wonder whether my problem stems from writing a first draft over a year ago and seeing it as nothing but problematic. In the beginning my cast of characters was huge! Seriously, I’d bring in new characters all the time and they’d be exactly the same as other characters.

A beautiful critiquing friend of mine, carraka.wordpress.com, told me that the same problem was rising in the rewrite. I’d realised this problem
and decided to fix it. I am not killing my babies, I’m completely slaughtering them. Characters are being cut left right and centre. There are only three characters left that were in the first draft; two MCs and an antagonist. Or they could all be antagonists – Juniper Brown could be the ultimate anti-hero! She’s not, but she could be.

What’s also amazingly humorous is that I can sit here and write a blog, I can exalt my characters and my drafts, but I cannot for the life of me write.

So please, please, please, if you’re reading this, help me with my writer’s block. Give me your wisdom, or your kind words. Offer to send me boxes of Yogi Licorice Tea because it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever tasted.  Just, please, help me.

Until next time, that is all.

Revising Serendipity

Over at madeleinerex.com, I noticed that the lovely Miss Rex has posted about ‘revisions’ and I thought, ‘well maybe I could discuss revising novels as well.’ Only mine, is going to be a lot more self-centred, and discussing how I am revising ‘Serendipity’ and how I’m changing it.

I’m calling it ‘revising’ but really I should call it ‘rewriting’. I mentioned last time how I’ve culled superfluous and annoying characters. This, however, has led me to change other things as well. I’ve decided to make the novel multi-viewpoint, as I want my readers to know why I feel so sorry for two of the characters. To do this, I’ve been re-reading Cassandra Clare, as I love how she does this, which yes, does mean I’m re-reading ‘Clockwork Angel’. Therefore, my only review, is going to be edited to accommodate my new thoughts on the novel.

I’ve found this revising quite difficult. I can remember where I changed outcomes because I didn’t want to hurt Juniper, and now there’s a big ‘rain scene’ that I love. This comes from the chapter entitled, ‘Ethics Don’t Apply’, the song has been rewritten and Lizzie Frost, who I’m sure you’ll remember, has been kind enough to compose a splendid piece, so you’ll be hearing that soon, I hope.

‘Killing my babies’ is becoming increasingly difficult as sometimes there are lines that are too Americanised. And whereas before it was urban fantasy, now there are parts that are actually quite fairytale. My characters have also become a whole lot more twisted to accommodate my twisted brain. Wait until you meet Norah; if you’re anything like me, then you’re going to be screaming at her not to be so stupid.

Big fight scenes. I was recently told that I can write exceptionally emotional scenes but when it comes to action sequences I should steer clear. With this in mind, I’ve been editing out unnecessary fight scenes – I had Buffy in my mind with this novel, way too much – and making sure there is actually character development. I’m hoping Juniper will finally stop being a victim.

Did this really discuss revision? Probably not, but it’s all I could think of.

This message has been endorsed by Charlie, until next time, that is all.

Attention! (to detail)

Our computer (at the moment since mine snapped in half and the replacement froze) is situated next to a window, outside of which is one of the most amazing views. There are hills that don’t roll, they seem like fluid, rising further towards the sky and trees currently block my view of the large farm house that I’d always been able to see up unto, I don’t know when. I’ve not been paying attention, when I first moved here I loved that view, there are days when I’m upstairs and spend hours just watching it, but the simplest of details, like these new trees I’ve not noticed until now.

There’s no colour, unless grey and white are seen as spectacular visions from the spectrum. I mean, I do find winter amazing, it gets me ready for ‘Game of Thrones’ and also I can envisage The North Clans for ‘Candlelight’. Four small black birds are playing with each other. They’ll fly around for a few moments then three will stop on the telephone wire, whilst the fourth hides, two minutes later this fly out and take a third away. They’ve been gone longer than usual, but I’ve only noticed this because I’ve been watching, in fact whilst I was writing that last part of the sentence they flew past my window, as though to say ‘hi, thanks for watching’.

I don’t know why I chose to blog about this, it just seemed exceptionally important, as though I had to tell everyone how I wasn’t paying attention well enough. Perhaps we could take this in some writerly way and say that if I’m not noticing the ever-changing landscape then how can I capture it well enough? Right? Let’s go with that, let’s pretend that’s where I was going.

Noticing the smallest things about the landscape is amazing. It’s these small details that will really anchor a piece down for the reader. When you see something that you’d like to write about, write about it. Keep a pen with you wherever you go, you can write what you see on the back of receipts, bus tickets, your hand. If you have a school book, write in that, then glue something over it once you’ve noted it down elsewhere. Just take moments in the day to stop and think about what’s in front of you, writing with the five senses is one of the best gifts.

You’re observations don’t have to be visual. In ‘Candlelight’, Alethea moves so fast that she rarely gets the chance to stop and take a look at what she’s passing. This doesn’t mean I can’t describe the landscape, there is always the sense of smell and touch. I’m not telling you to be overly descriptive, just to take notes of the world around you, they say write what you know, and you’ll know the area you’re living in. Even if you’re a fantasy writer, you can write about these small details.

Also, something to remember is that your writing voice is uniquely yours, no one else can describe things quite like you. – Yes, I’m quoting someone else, but I can’t remember who, and for this I must apologise. Either way, you might think it’s unimportant now, but when you want to write about your experiences in the future and those small things are niggling in your mind, and you can’t quite grasp what they are, you’ll kick yourself.

So please, even if you don’t use everything, at least you’ll know the details for future reference. Even though this was spur of the moment, I hope I’ve helped in someway.

Until next time, that is all.

The Process of Writing, Part Six: That First Chapter

The Process of Writing, Part Six: That First Chapter

So, I have a problem with tea. I don’t know what it is, but I find tea an exceptionally enjoyable beverage. However, I can’t stand milk – in our house we have skimmed milk and anything closer to the normal “full-cream” variety would lead towards many an argument. I still have skimmed milk in tea, not a lot, just enough not to taste the bitterness of the simple tea-bag in water. I also have sugar, or sweetener, depending on my mood. If I’m in a particularly unhappy, disgruntled, despondent mood then I will have sugar; if I’ve pushed myself to lose weight then it’s sweetener all the way.

I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve mentioned this when I should be discussing how I write a first chapter. The answer is simple: drinking tea is how I begin preparing myself to write my first chapter. We’ve been through all the basics, of initial sparks, expanding upon those sparks and creating plans and characters, but at the end of the day, if you’re not in the right frame of mind then you may feel like you don’t want to write. For two months now, I’ve not been able to write. Once I found myself alone, in the silence, with a cup of sweet tea and nothing but the storyline in my head that’s when I managed to figure out that none of the ideas I had were right for the time. Juniper Brown #2 was calling and I’d taken too long to pick up.

However, tranquil repose might not be the best place to write your novel. JK Rowling apparently wrote the first Harry Potter book in a café; the hustle and bustle there would be too imposing for me to write in, but whatever works for the writer I guess.

Let’s begin then:

The War with the Blank Page

Writing the first chapter is difficult, especially considering it means looking at a blank page for the first time and realising that now your story is about to come to life. Whether you write your chapters out of order; you write on the page or on the computer, you’re still going to be faced with that blank page, and that’s one of the most difficult things for a writer to face. Pages are the Titans and you are the Olympians beating them into submission.

Seems more exerting than you thought? It’s not, it’s all about finding the flow. Once you’ve picked up on your own individual style, then you’re novel will be influenced in this manner, creating the flow I’ve just mentioned.

Introducing the Main Characters

I find this one of the worst things; unable to figure out how to introduce the characters that have entered my mind and make them fully-formed immediately on the page, is difficult. You can’t just force them onto the page with an info-dump of information about their appearance, their character and their hardships, it’s all got to come in a slow, gentle motion; it’s a jog not a sprint.

Sometimes characters appear and then their character is actually “built up”, if this happens, brilliant, if it doesn’t, then you’re going to have to come up with a plan of how. Try reaching the place where you like to write the most and I’m sure that it will flow easily.

Action

You can’t bore the reader in the first line, you have to make the reader want to read on. This is something that can be done differently each time. Beginning in the action and then going back and introducing the character is okay, but the reader may see this as an unnecessary prologue, even if you call it “Chapter One”. Look at some of the books you’ve enjoyed and note how each different author began the book; find the one you like and see if it will work for your novel.

Until next time, that is all.

The Process of Writing, Part Four: Is My Goodie a Baddie?

Annette Green of the Annette Green Author’s Agency (of whom I received a rejection letter on Instinct ) once said, “I’ve had to turn down novels where there has been a great story, very well written, but the characters and their attitudes are so repugnant that I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to spend 300 pages in their company.” This is something I’ve mulled over many times when I have considering that disgrace upon my reputation that is “Instinct”.

The story involved a girl finding out that she was actually a were-cat come Goddess who had to save the world from Chaos taking over. She was in love with a werewolf. My whole spin on things was that it would be better than “Twilight” needless to say we scored an Epic Phail there. Either way, it was the first thing that I sent off and when I read that Annette Green had said this I decided to take a look at Sanura Bastet, my MC.

Looking over the ideas now, I must say that the character was a badly carved out person. I hadn’t made a plan and I went in all gun’s blazing. Needless to say it ended terribly as I added lesbian undertones and other weird-yet-slightly unwonderful things. I even wrote the word as “vampyre” just to remove any connotations to “vampire”. The comment about the former insinuated that the vamps were human fire-balls with sharp teeth kind of forced me to change it.

Basically, never write something because you think people will like it. Write what you would like to read.

So, how can you tell whether your character is a good protagonist, or a bad protagonist is simple. Read through your work. If you feel awkward reading something, it probably means that it wasn’t needed. There’s a scene in Instinct where Sanura is screaming at her father. I stole a line from Jeremy Kyle and every time I read it I cringed. These unplanned, badly thought out characters were horrendous.

Sanura, Kosey, Adanya, Zo, Ana, Caleb, Mister Spire. ← My main characters, and I have to say that I ended that story on a bad note. I wrote it because I wanted something to be published. I was desperate. Thankfully that desperation has dissipated, but I still sometimes feel that if I’d treated my characters with the same respect that I treat characters now, then I wouldn’t have met such a Hellish mess.

Now, today’s session is incredibly short, and is more of an extension of what I said last time. And once more, I seem to have waffled on about how bad choices lead to bad things. Basically plan your characters, don’t make them repugnant, make them respectable. In fact, if they are good characters, they’ll most likely make themselves.

Speak to you soon.

 

Next time: The Process of Writing, Part Five: To Plan or Not to Plan.

The Process of Writing, Part Three: Character Creation

The Process of Writing, Part Three: Character Creation

I hope my bit of pseudonomical help, actually helped someone last time. Pseudonomical, is that even a word? Eh, the dictionary isn’t too far away for me to reach, but at the moment I’m going to choose not to use it because I’m hoping that you can guess as to what pseudonomical may mean. If you don’t, I’m using pseudonym as a root word. It may not be the root of the root word, but I’m sure that it will be fine, and I’ve my fingers crossed that it will work.

I say that I’d mention character creation here, and how the characters in our heads have to remain true when they appear on the page. I used a method of Holly Lisle’s to come up with the example that I’m about to show you, if I’d had the character planned enough in my head it would have worked, alas I didn’t and all I ended up with were a few points:-

Name: Paige Demeter Braddock

Age: 17

D.O.B: 17/06/92

I really didn’t go that much farther. I knew where she was going to live, what the first scene was going to be and who she would eventually end up as, yet, because I didn’t have this fully-formed character in my head, just this brief spattering of a beginning and an end, I decided to forego this character in favour of Felix Booth and Phantasmagoria, the story I am now planning. As you may be able to deduce, the events that involved PDB and FB: Phantasmagoria, only happened a few weeks ago.

So, after I’d tried a great many methods and failed, I decided that I needed to know everything about my characters before I even thought about writing a plan, before I even decided to put this idea into action. In this, I managed to expand upon the antagonist of my novel.

If you have read James N. Frey’s self-help book, “How to Write a Damn Good Novel: Two” then you will have read what he has to say about characters and how all characters should have a motive, even if it is the smallest motive. They also need to be well-rounded. Now, as soon as I read that line, three motives popped into my head.

These concerned three characters that although they may have villainous qualities I have come to know and love. Now, one of the themes in Phantasmagoria is more of a question than anything. One that I thought long and hard about myself, trying to figure out what my answer would be: What would you do if you could lawfully travel back in time?

Now, there would always be consequences upon the present day, but this one thought added to the motives of my villains and I found myself knowing that thse characters weren’t all bad, they did what they did because they needed absolution; as is the case with many characters. Within life, many of us may find that we are searching for absolution in something, it may be the smallest of things but we want it and we will have it, it doesn’t necessarily make us villains, but it doesn’t make us the best of people either.

This is something that I wanted to portray with my main antagonist. I know that he has done evil things, some of them incredibly unforgiveable, but these evil things are simply because of a craving, one aching thing that he wishes he could change. Which is why he searches for the ability to travel back in time; even though in his world, it could potentially mean expulsion from the society.

It is with the things I have mentioned above that you are able to create well-rounded characters.

 

1. Pose a question that surrounds all of your characters. This is probably the question that you will want to answer in your novel.

2. Think of your character’s motivation. Why do they do the things that they do?

3. Consider your character’s backstory; there is no doubt that this will influence their motivation.

4. Who is your character? This is the point where you must decide, are they an antagonist, or purely misunderstood, or are they both, could they be part and parcel to their own eventual downfall?

 

So, there we have it, four questions that you should ask yourself when you are planning a novel. It’s a tried and tested method that I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and it’s that gut feeling that it provides that makes it all the more worthwhile, I really recommend it.

I hope that I’ve helped you consider more options on expanding your characters and really getting to know them. You’re Maria Von Trapp and these are your children.

Next time: The Process of Writing, Part Four: Is my goodie, really a baddie?