NaNoWriMo 2013

So this year's NaNo attempt is not looking great for me. I've not hit any of my daily goals and have fallen more and more behind each day. The weekends were an opportunity to catch up on word count, but there are are myriad of responsibilities I didn't have the luxury of putting off for the month.

As it stands, knowing some of the commitments I have around the holidays and my work schedule... there's no way I'll hit 50K by the end of Nov 30.

What does this mean?

It means I'll finish this marathon at a pace that won't break me, even if I don't get a finisher medal (or rather NaNo Winner icon).  The most important thing I'm going to get out of this is that I didn't give up and finished the writing.

Using Scrivener, I'm setting a new due date - Dec 15. This allows me to have a daily goal of 1,666 with a couple of  0-word days built in.  I'll be fine if I continue with my current pace/daily average.

I can give a myriad of excuses for why I'm not going to finish in time.

• I have an intense job with a longer commute. It also is a new job which means I can't take a few days off of work to focus on the writing. This is also a job that has required me to stay late or go in early a couple of times, so it's not as flexibly accommodating as my situation last year. 
• Craig and I are finally hosting a party at our place after 2 (nearly 3) years of nothing more than a few friends over for a board game night. This meant a top-to-bottom apartment cleaning that has been long overdue. We even found ourselves getting something new at IKEA to store wedding/xmas/bday gifts that we've received in the last 2 years so that they'd have a proper home. 
• Reiterate bullet #2 in regards to the bedroom and overflowing closets. It's time to purge what I don't need/use and find a space for what I want to keep. 
• It's mid-November and I have no more weekends that I can completely devote to writing. 
• I need to sleep. 

When all is said and done, life happens and sometimes, we just can't get away for 30 days and write with abandon. 

However, I can't find a good excuse to stop writing before I hit the 50K mark of this book. There's no excuse of why I can't prioritize the writing over shopping, TV watching, Facebooking, or Candy Crushing. There's no excuse for not sitting down and writing for at least 2-4 hours every day in the attempt to hit that 50K word goal sooner than later. I know if I don't have a deadline, I'm going to put off the writing one day at a time until it's September again and I'm thinking of preparing for the next NaNo run. 

So I'm going to carve out as much time as possible to write out 50K.  Then, I will evaluate my progress in the book itself, and will set a new series of goals that will push me to finish this book, then go back and revise/flesh out book 1 with a smidgeon of more clarity than I had last year. 

Having a second novel written is a damn good consolation prize for finishing late. 

On Race

The other day, as I was working on the novel, I was debating on the merits of including race - Elves, dwarves, snake people, etc that are are human-like, very Tolkien and D&D. Yesterday, I read a blog post by a fellow Fantasy author, Marshal Ryan Maresca, talking about the difficulties of including race in fantasy and sci-fi. But it's not your typical Fantasy Race distinctions, but Race as subcatagories of humans. 

In his post, he only touched upon the topic in terms of clarity and description, avoiding the deep-seeded cultural, societal, and emotional baggage that comes with Race and Race issues.   He goes on and describes two characters in an exercise to describe racial traits... and I immediately saw a reinforcement of American societal "norms" in terms of race - the light skinned, light haired, light eyed character gets an easier time because he can pass for "local." To that, I'd like to point you to the follow YouTube satire that captures the sentiment of race/ethnicity and "local normal" sentiments.

And then there was racist, vitriolic reaction when Miss New York, a woman of Indian descent who was born in the US and grew up in New York, won the Miss America 2014 title. Many of the people who were outraged felt that Miss Kansas - tattooed blond beauty who is in the National Guard and hunts is more representative of "American" than the dark-skinned "foreigner."

So, authors, when you're considering race in your work, take a deep pause and research the loaded history of racism and ask yourself if you want to give your world that amount of cultural depth. If you are writing a world where race doesn't matter anymore, take an example from Suzanne Collins. She did a really good job of it in Hunger Games when Katniss meets and describes the District 11 tributes - Rue and Thresh, who are black. But even though you describe a character as dark skinned, your readers my picture the character totally unlike how you pictured her, as evident by the racist reaction to how Rue was cast in the movie. 

Also, writers, be cognizant of your word choice and connotation when describing physical features that has racial tones.  You may be reinforcing racial "norms" of your society, undercutting it (what if dark-skinned was the norm and light-skinned was the "other"?), or attempting to show that race is no longer an issue for a culture/society (often seen in "future" settings).

Writers, ask yourself - what purpose does race have in my work? If I have race, do I need to include racism and what purpose does it have in my world?


Here's more food for thought -

 What if Captain America was a Sikh man?

How do you deal with race in your work? Do all Humans look the same? Do all Humans enjoy the same ranks/privileges, etc despite the differences in their physical features? Does the racial norms, hierarchies, and [insert colored/racial majority here] privilege exist? How do you react as a reader when you see it in others' works?

On Character Development

Today I managed to do several character sketches to prep for my NaNo project. On a break, I checked out this article pertaining to a school assignment focusing on a child's development. In the article, it describes an assignment were children (with their parent's permission) were to venture out on their own to tackle a task that they wanted to tackle - taking the bus by himself, going to the store by herself, trying something new, preparing his own food for the first time, - tackle it, then write about it.

Reading the excerpts from the kids' essays were inspiring. The kids were taking their first steps to become independent adults - pushing their own boundaries and comfort zones, their awe and wonderment of that "I did it!" moment, and the pride and growing confidence in knowing they can accomplish something.

With that in mind, I'm revisiting the character sketches of my primary characters (and if I have time, my secondary characters) and adding developmental background information that mirrors the developmental markers of people in general -

• First time they accomplished something they didn't know they could do
• First time they accomplished something they struggled to do
• First time they failed at something they thought would be easy
• The biggest failure that resonates with them
• First time the character experienced a sense of loss
• Any lasting rivalries with another character
• Fears (and explain the origins of the fears)

I know that some of these "first" or landmark incidents could happen during your story. Sometimes, the 2nd or 3rd "fail" is the one that resonates with a character the most. I expect very few of these scenes/markers to make their way onto the pages of the main story, but it will go a long way in explaining why a person is a wallflower, or why they always have to make sure everyone is safe, why they notice the littlest details (ala Monk's OCD) and how that can be a flaw.  

How do you develop your characters? What thoughts drive you or inspire you? 

On the Strong Female Character

I just read an article where an author explained why she hated the Strong Female Character. In her article, she talks specifically about the SFC as portrayed in movies, but the arguments translate into story writing in general -

The Strong Female Character falls into one or more of these pit traps:

• many times one dimensional
• is also the token female
• easily becomes a caricature of "strength"
• is still marginalized in the big picture
• is an exception rather than the norm, subtly reinforcing sexism. 
• is still delegated to the role of male main's love interest
• still needs to be rescued

The main characters that we know and love are not merely Strong. They are complex and dimensional.

While the author, Sophia McDougal, writes about the many examples of where the SFC just doesn't work, I'd like to take the time to show examples of how some authors/writers/producers/directors did it right.

Joss Whedon's Firefly series:
The SFC isn't extraordinary, but the norm in the society. The ratio of female to male characters - 4:5
All of the female characters are multi-dimensional and strong in their own way.

• Kaylee - the best mechanic one can find. She's essentially a savant when it comes to ships and engines, but she's a girly girl at heart and painfully shy. She's portrayed as emotionally vulnerable and has a crush on a man that is emotionally unavailable. 
• Zoe: Tough-as-nails second in command. Super loyal and is a soldier who managed to survive a war where she's seen many of her friends killed. She follows orders, even if it's against her better judgement. Very calm, clear headed and methodical. There's a softness in her character that is hinted at since she's married to Wash. He serves as reminder that there is a certain amount of depth to Zoe that we don't normally see since the rest of the crew (and the audience) sees her hardened exterior 90% of the time. 
• Inara: A professional Companion (think Geisha), she's the epitome of willowy strength. She leases one of the Serenty's shuttles and take occasionally takes on clients (done off screen) as part of her trade. She's part of the Serenity, but is independent of her crew, giving them a veneer of credibility. Her strength is in her business reputation, her savvy, and her diplomatic skills. In the few episodes that she holds the spotlight, she was the one who saved the rest of the party from getting conned - proof that you don't need to wield a weapon or throw a punch to be strong (although she does have some combat training, going by one episode). 
• River: She's mentally unstable and is a victim. She's the most overt character that needs to be "saved" in the series, but she does her own share of saving, displaying combat prowess and some psychic ability.  

TL;DR Version: The writers developed the female characters as much as they did for the male characters. Every person has strengths, weaknesses, and flaws. That coupled with a checkered past makes good, interesting characters.

Novels with a well developed (not just "strong") female protagonist:

 The In Death Series by J.D. Robb
Not only does if feature a multi-dimensional female protagonist, there's a kick-ass female side-kick and female supporting characters.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Again, female characters with depth and dimension

What series - be it book, movie, or TV show - can you recall that has a great female characters that are just a great characters in their own right?

The hardest words to write

I think the hardest words I write every day are the first ones.

After a break from writing, it feels like one of the most arduous tasks in the word - to get back to work. The whole ordeal feels like an amusement park ride. The time you spend preparing - getting the coffee, queuing the music, setting up the productivity software so you can ignore social media... that's like being in a 120 min line, each part of the process necessary. Sometimes, you get to fast-track it, but most of the time, not.

Then... you finally get there. You sit down to write... and the words can't seem to make it on to the page. This is that climb. During some part of a great roller coaster ride, you have that slow climb where you anticipate the best part of the ride. A person doesn't always remember this part of the ride, but it's there. To me, the first few words, few sentences really, of writing each day is this slow climb. I pray that the ride doesn't break down during this climb since the rest of the ride is going to be awesome.

Literary vs Clarity -- Is one really at the expense of another?

Classic Literary and Contemporary Literary can arguably be two different genres. I think the problem with clarity lies with writers who live in our times, used to our language, yet strive to emulate the language of 17th, 18th, and even 19th century American and British authors. 

On top of that, they take the "show, don't tell" mantra of literary writing to an extreme and get lost trying to sound sophisticated or poetic in their prose. When the words get in the way of the story, then you have a problem. 

Amy Tan, Tim O'Brien, Toni Morrison - These are contemporary authors whose works use clear language. Morrison uses speech patterns and diction of the old south. Tan utilizes her bi-lingualism to craft pieces that are at times meta. O'Brien is clear, concise, direct - like a soldier. But you don't need to read a passage 4-6 times before seeing the big picture. 

The "too simplistic writing" may not be a critique of the language or syntax used, but rather a critique of how the story is treated. Let's take a story about a girl who runs a marathon. The simple story begins at the start of the race, follows her through the course, and then as she crosses the finish line. She did it, we're happy. 

The "literary" version may have you be with her at the start - feel the cold air, excited hum, etc, etc, and then flashes back to the point in her life where she started training... how did she get there.  The race starts... and as we follow the race, we have a series of flashbacks that reveal her process. Turns out she's a survivor of a devastating illness; she suffered an injury or setback that prevented her from running before; etc. When she crosses the finish line, it's the ultimate climax for her story and journey - defeating the odds, overcoming a bad situation, perseverance. It highlighted the character's growth and showed that the race represents so much more than start to finish. 

If you immerse your readers in with enough sensory details, but with the clarity of language that doesn't detract from the story, you'll have readers who are emotionally invested in the growth of your protagonist. To me, that's great writing. 

Countdown to Camp NaNo

I'm excited. In about 3 weeks, I'll be diving into Camp NaNoWriMo - the less ridged off-season version of NaNoWriMo. While I really want to begin work on writing Book 2, I still have to finish and revise Book 1. Since Camp NaNo is flexible, here are my options:

1) Make April's focus to be revising Book 1. The first part of Book 1 is already in the hands of my beta readers and I need to get the remaining part of the book - the ending- to them so they can finish reading and give me a critique. A part of me feels that I need to finish B1 before April so I can move on. If I move on and finish Book 2 before revising Book 1, I'll look at it with fresh eyes.

2) Include the word count in finishing Book 1 in April's word count. (I don't like this option).

3) Leave BK1 unfinished and come back to it after the April goal (focusing on new material) is met.

4) Work on BK1 to finish the story, but then move to a completely unrelated project for the remainder of the month.

Option 1 is what I'm leaning towards. I really don't want a pile of unfinished work that I can't find the motivation to revise. I also have that publication contest that I want Book 1 to be ready for by December.

This year, April's format from NaNo is flexible. They merged it with their Script Frenzy event so participants can either work on a novel or a script. The word count goal is participant's choice - to make it either more manageable or more challenging. I may bump my goal to add to the challenge. Since I plan on participating in July as well, I may leave the new material for that month -- where I won't have to report in to work (yay for summer breaks)!

I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on my options... or if I may not be considering an option.

On Gender

I love a strong female character, specifically, a strong female protagonist. Even better when that female protagonist breaks gender roles. One of the best examples of strong females in a gender-role bending fantasy world is the Dark Jewels series by Anne Bishop. Queens rule and women automatically wield more power then men. Yet, Bishop manages to balance societal the role-reversals without compromising the masculinity and femininity of the male and female characters respectively.

My favorite Greek classic? Antigone, of course. A woman who stands up against the authority of the house patriarch and the head of state.  I've also been fascinated by the accounts of female pharaohs and the Queens that were the heads of state. 

Female rulers were not unheard of, but were rare. And most of the time, that rulership came with a caveat - acting Regent until the Crown Prince comes of age, or only succeeded to the throne if there were no sons in the family. Even Queen Elizabeth I kept her reign for as long as she did due to her refusal to marry and was lauded as "The Virgin Queen." 

A writer in one of the communities I belong to posed a question to the group. He was changing the gender of one of his characters from male to female. And due to this, came across a stumbling block in a line of dialog where the character references male genitalia in a nearly crude way. This got me to thinking about gender and its place in a fantasy world. I passed along the questions I'd asked myself when I was world building. 

How is gender treated in your world? Does a female warrior have something to prove? If it is rare enough that she is the only female in the group... does she constantly have to prove herself? Is she the only female in a unit? Squad? Platoon? In the entire army? Does she sleep in the barracks with the men or does she get her own quarters? Are there traditional gender roles and this character breaks that mold? If there are female warriors, fighters, mercenaries and knights, are their also male servants? Male servants to female gentiles (in lieu of handmaids) or without the need to make those males into eunuchs? Are you in a patriarchal society? Matriarchal? Is it taboo for a woman to lead her house? Are masculine women part of the norm? Are there feminine heterosexual men that are part of the norm? Can a woman legally have property or does her property become her husband's when she marries? Is female virginity sacred? 

The gender of a character is really touchy. Keep in mind that gender equality is not the same as gender neutral. If a female character acts exactly as a male character would, she might come off as "butch."  If we make the assumption that gender in the fictional world is similar to modern gender roles... A male character has male privilege. There are some things that are assumed that a man can do and a woman needs to work doubly hard to prove herself "in a man's world." You'd rarely see a man work doubly hard to prove himself in a "woman's world." Hell, sometimes, a male has to defend his masculinity if he wants to delve into an area that is considered to be a "woman's" domain. 

What are your thoughts on gender roles, masculinity, and femininity in fantasy and sci-fi? What is the norm in your world? 

On Revising and Publishing

I worked damn hard to write a book. Now, I'm working damn hard to revise, revise, revise.

And, following some self-promotional links in a couple of G+ writing communities, I decided to read some of the stuff they were self promoting. It's a book. A YA Book. I've read some pretty darn good YA stuff and have a few YA authors that I really like. Tamora Pierce being one of them. In addition, there are those who we all know who've have made it to Mainstream USA and Movie Deal Land. The cover looks amazing and professionally done... so what have I got to lose? 

Here's how it went -- 

*reads first page* Huh? 

*re-reads first page* - Oh. There are two figures here, and this is supposed to be a dream scene... it said so in the first line, so maybe the disjointedness is intentional. Wait, was this sentence referring to Red or the Other One? Two "hes" and "his's" each wearing a cloak... *head hurts.* Oh great, now there is a third un-named, hooded/cloaked figure slipping through the shadows. 

*puts down Kindle. Thinks for a bit, then removes book from device.*

Call me a literary snob. Maybe my literary standards have been ingrained in me through my years as an academic who studied writing as an art.  Maybe I'm the type of reader that is not the right kind of audience for this novel. Perhaps this will one day be the Jackson Pollock of YA fantasy literature and I am more appreciative of the classics. 

My work may be just as bad, and when I revise my work from cover to cover, I will be just as critical. 

I felt that this novel (in the first 3 pages, so it may be too much of a snap judgement, but agents and traditional publisher make just this kind of judgement) could use some MAJOR revision. Language needed to be tightened, characters needed to be fleshed out, and more time needs to be spent refining the work. 

The initial "feel" that I got from the book's opening was something gothic, akin to Frankenstein or Dracula, but abrupt shifts in the focus within the sentences/paragraphs, the language of the characters' dialog, and the grammatical/punctuational errors all detracted and distracted from the mood the author tried to create. These are things I'd expect a good group of beta readers to catch. These are the things I'd expect a good agent or editor to catch. 

So I did some sleuthing and my suspicions were confirmed... this was a self-pub work being distributed by Amazon.  There's a reason why it's free. I felt deceived and cheated by the 4-star ratings that it has... until I saw that less than two score of readers have bothered to review it since 2009.  

So, here're my questions to the published authors out there, whether you are self-published or traditionally published (and if you choose to answer them, indicate if you were a self-pub or not)- 

1) What is your revision process and how many revisions did you end up going through before publishing? 

2) Questions on test readers: 

How many people did you ask to read your initial work and did any of them offer constructive critiques? Were there any writers in this group of readers? 

If you had multiple revisions, did you have separate groups of readers for each revision? 

3) Did you have a professional to edit and proof your final revision? 

4) And if you are self-pub, did you try the traditional publishing options before going the self-publishing route? 

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for answering! 

-JWM

Getting over the hang ups (over thinking)

One thing about writing that seems to hang me up is the idea of being "fresh" or "new" without being too removed from one's audience. I have my beta readers in line and a very short novel that I expect will need heavy revision

I'm currently fleshing out the last few chapters of the novel and have come upon a few major stumbling blocks. One is the niggling feeling that the literary device I'm using is contrived. Then, there's the idea that I'm doing something that feels like every fantasy writer before me has done it before. Or worse, the little voice in my head that says, "Didn't the ________ storyline do something similar?" 

Is this valid? Or am I just using this as another excuse to let the work sit? 

Preparations

I'm participating in Camp NaNo in April.
It's going to be like November - where nothing is more important that putting words to paper. I will write my ass off. I will get book 1 ready for the beta readers. I will write Book 2 in April.