Big News!

Last week, a little after posting my last entry, I received some very exciting news. My novel, The Shifting, has been accepted for publication! The publisher is a small, new one called TM Publishing, whom I met at a Publisher's Fair on campus. This is the YA fantasy I wrote for my thesis. Here's my query letter for it:

For a world that has magic down to a science, the rules are about to change.

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Flinn thinks she wants a change: she is a “double recessive” and lacks the gene for controlling the power known as magic. It doesn’t matter how many As she gets in her physics class or how many prizes she wins running cross country; to the rest of the world, she is handicapped.

Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Carter is not as crazy as everyone thinks he is. At sixteen he had an accident that gave him the ability to see into a parallel realm that is full of a wilder, more ancient kind of magic than what humans use. For ten years he has served the Other Realm, saving lives but losing his reputation in the process. For all this, he would like things to stay as they are.

But then Thomas’s wife vanishes and Sarah’s magically gifted friend Ryan casts a spell that not only causes him to be possessed by an ancient evil but also brings the human world into a dangerous collision with Thomas’s Other Realm. Sarah, Thomas, and Ryan must end the spell by journeying across a wilder, more magical America than they have known before, fighting against dragons, skinwalkers, and ultimately the dark being known as the Shifting that would use Ryan for its own evil ends.

Everything is changing, and if a magic-less teenager and a man who has a darker past than he knows can’t bring back stability, two worlds will die.

And then I list the word count (74,400) and some personal details. Well, I'm excited. The title may change, and I don't know anything about the timeline for this being published, so stay tuned for more news. I will not hesitate to share what I know.

In other news, I'm now writing an interesting story that is actually live-action. I don't mean like a play. In order to keep my friend entertained over a long, hot summer I have put together a little quest, or adventure, to get her out of the house and exploring the town. It's kind of fun to do since my main character is a real person - this is a story where I won't be able to control all the variables. The game has just begun, so nothing has happened yet. But that will change, my friends, that will change. I hope my friend can keep up!

Myths and Legends

Sorry for not showing up with a brand new post last week - I was out of town for my sister's graduation and sadly, had other things to do. Besides, by me not posting you were spared my rant about how popular literature has gone downhill in recent years (because that's what I would have posted on). But I still feel like I need to say that a book series that needs to steal 80-90% of its words from another series and drip with X-rated content to sell is textbook bad writing. I'm looking at you, Fifty Shades of Gray.

Anyhow, on to another topic. I just came back from seeing Wrath of the Titans in the local dollar theater and I got inspired - to write about my views on myths and legends in storytelling. In short: I'm a big fan of using them. For the long version, keep reading.

I know I've already posted my opinion of retellings, but here it is again specifically focused to mythology. Folklore is very easy to retell because the stories are so old that the storyteller can take any kind of liberty he or she wants with it. Many of these stories also have multiple versions anyway - in some tellings of "Little Red Riding Hood" the title character dies, and in others she is rescued. And in other, more modern versions, she totally kicks the trash out of the wolf. These stories have survived because they are adaptable, able to mold themselves to their modern audiences. I include Shakespeare and superhero stories in this category - they can be told in many different ways, in different settings. There are only a few details that need to be present in every story, and the rest is subject to interpretation.

Now, myths are valuable even outside of retellings because they appeal to the subconscious. I could get into the Hero Cycle and Jung's collective subconscious here, but I'll leave that to the links. The truth is, using elements of myth in building a story make it stronger. For example, having an invincible character with one weak spot hearkens back to Achilles, reminding the reader of the mythic hero's fighting prowess, pride, and eventual downfall. The writer can use the parallels to add depth to the character. What if this character isn't much of a fighter? We get irony. Mythic allusions add emotion and subtext to a work - see T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland". They can also, if the story is fantasy, give it a "real world" feel because they use faery elements the reader already knows.

Storytelling has a tradition stretching all the way back to the myths and legends of ancient days. I think it's a mistake to ignore the power they have in modern writing. After all, if the myths weren't good, they wouldn't have lasted long enough for Rick Riordan to make his fortune off them.

News and Romance

Well, I do have some big news this week. I finally heard back from a publisher about Nightshade (they said no), and then I sent The Shifting to another publisher that had also rejected Nightshade but wanted to see other stuff by me. Also, I got a job - I will be teaching kids how to write like college students. Yay!

This week I've kind of been on a romance/fairy tale high, so I thought I'd talk about writing good romance. I read a lot of YA, so most of my comments will be directed toward romance for teens. Some of my favorite writers for this are Alex Flinn (see her fairy tale adaptations) and Meg Cabot. Meg Cabot has kind of a formula, to the point where I can predict who the lead female is going to end up with: lead female has a crush on/is dating some popular guy, another guy enters the scene, hilarity/plot twists ensue, and the lead female learns that her crush is not right for her and this other guy is. While I don't much care for formulas (it leads to writers getting sloppy), it kind of works here. The books are different enough in the details it doesn't feel too familiar.

Then again, we're talking about romance here. There's only so many ways it can end, and no one really reads romance for the intellectual stimulation. Unless you're reading Jane Austen. Then you can wax eloquent about the satiric plots and characters. That doesn't mean that romance is a foolproof thing to write - it can be done really poorly.

First off, writing romance as a genre is an excellent opportunity to work on writing supporting characters. Many romances are comedies, which gives writers the chance to create fun, goofy secondary characters. If the romance is more serious, supporting characters can be deep, wise, nurturing, etc. I've noticed that badly written romances have lackluster supporting characters, but then, most bad writing does.

The hero and heroine should have characteristics that the reader understands are attractive. One complaint I've heard about the "Twilight" series is that it's hard to see what Edward sees in Bella. I'm not going to get into that, but I get the meaning. Love is often arbitrary, but it's easier for the reader to follow the story if he/she can put him/herself inside the narrative and relate to it.

Lastly, I caution about the excess of physical displays of affection in any form. Writing romance is about having the characters find true love, not true lust. And while love has its physical side (note I said excess above), too much takes away from the story. I start to wonder if there's anything deeper for the couple than hourly makeout sessions and if they really can make it after the excitement wears off. In my opinion, it's better to show the couple going through difficult things together, or talking, or fighting, or bantering. It's just more mature.

Romance is a tricky subject to write on because it's so subjective. It can be done a lot of different ways depending on the subject and the audience. But that doesn't mean it's okay to throw all the regular writing guidelines out the window.

Changing It Up

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I did - I went away for the weekend to spend time with my family and watched movies and read. I was sleeping somewhere different for 3 nights, and I noticed something interesting happen. Every morning when I woke up I reached for my notebook because the last dream of the night was intriguing. I now have several new story ideas, thanks to my dreams. When I told my aunt about this, she suggested that it might have happened because I was in a different place.

Biologically it makes sense to me. The room I slept in was slightly cooler than my room normally, and I sleep better when I'm cold. My sleep would have been deeper and my dreams more colorful. But I wonder about the mere act of changing it up and how it affects writing. Maybe there was something in being separated from my everyday life that inspired creativity. I know I write my best poetry when I'm away from home. So today I want to talk about getting away from it all and using escape to beat writer's block.

Travel is great, probably my favorite way to inspire new ideas for stories. However, it's not terribly practical to leave on a road trip every time the idea well runs dry. But while it helps to physically leave, I think it's more the traveler's mindset that boosts creativity. It's about getting out of your comfort zone and doing something different, and thus seeing the world a different way. I was out driving with a friend (not a road trip) and the sky was lit up by the sunset. I wasn't away from home, per se, but the sunset looked so unusual it drew out my imagination. The clouds started to look like a golden reflection of the mountains, which got me thinking What Ifs. What if the sky always reflected the mountains? What would it have to be made of? What if there was someone up there thinking the mountains were the reflection? What if there was another land up there, reversed, so that people walked on the underside of the clouds?

Okay, that was a bit of a rant. But the point is, I think writers (especially fantasy writers) should allow the alien in. I once heard a published writer say that she loved her work because she could go skydiving and call it research. While I am NEVER going skydiving, I understand her point. Everything is fuel for a writer's mind, even leaving for the weekend and sleeping in a different place. The combination of a cooler room and different experiences during the day made my dreams unusually inspiring. To finish off, I'd like to list a few things you can do to change it up without having to leave home:

Sleep on the couch.
Look through the grass at ant height.
Join a club/take lessons for something unusual, like fencing or candy making.
If you're an adult, visit a toy store. For you.
Explore someplace remote.
Pretend to be someone else for a little while.
Write a short story outside your usual genre.

Pretty general list, but you know what takes you out of your routine. See you next week!

Killing Off Characters

Summer continues, and I'm still reading a lot. I actually found a pretty good children's series called The Guardians by William Joyce. It's not about owls; that's a different series. The first book is called Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King and is about the magical beings that protect children. Santa Claus, apparently, got his start as a Russian bandit and then became a wizard's apprentice. There's a movie coming out this winter called Rise of the Guardians based on these books. It's made by the people who made How to Train Your Dragon and the trailer looks awesome.

So, from that whimsical comment, I want to change directions and talk about killing off characters in stories. I think it's necessary sometimes, but it can be dangerous ground. I have seen so many books and movies were this isn't handled well or done for the right reasons. Personally, I think the death of a character should impact the story just as much if not more than it impacts the reader/viewer. It should not be done for the purposes of emotional manipulation.I know the movie Moulin Rouge is very popular, and I respect that people like it, but it does this. The death at the end has little to do with the development of the characters or the overt message of the movie - that love is the greatest thing in the world and all you need is love. Apparently a tuberculosis cure would have been better. One can argue that the death influences the plot, but that influence isn't strong enough to justify it. The story could have been done another way, just as strong.

That's not to say killing off characters is a bad idea. When you're writing a story where the stakes are high (think war or the end of the world) sacrifices are going to be made. People die in war. Killing characters, including main characters, is a way of showing the seriousness of the situation as well as the ugly reality of war. J.K. Rowling does an excellent job of this in the Harry Potter series, particularly in the last one. I think everyone who read it felt the weight of loss. On another note, the "moral" of the Harry Potter story seems to be about accepting death as part of life, so the death of characters  actually adds to the message as other characters react to it in different ways.

Likewise, when the main theme of a story is death it makes sense to have a character die. It almost goes without saying. If the story is about someone who is terminally ill and the conflict comes from that character's or their family's struggle accepting it and moving on, then the death is acceptable in the context of the story and is not simply there for emotional manipulation.

But on the whole, I think killing characters should be something a writer thinks deeply about. When you kill off a character, you take away the possibility of that character influencing the story later in a brilliant, creative way. Imagine how The Lord of the Rings would have ended differently if Tolkien had written that Bilbo kills Gollum in The Hobbit! If the story is better served by having that character die - if it influences another character to behave a certain way, or if it strengthens the theme - then by all means, do it. But if it's only to create an emotional response in the reader, that's not good enough. Your writing should be strong enough to do that on its own.

Book Review: The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy

I've done some writing this week, but right now the pacing is out of whack and I need to banish my inner editor before I'll be able to feel good about what I've written. There have been some fun results of my brainstorming (on how to get my pacing back to normal): I managed to come up with a whole, elaborate-yet-brilliantly-simple plan for Jeremy and Becca as well as a couple of friends for Jeremy. They, of course, are also thieves. There's Paul, the hacker, and Case, the forger. They also use their skills to help people and aren't crazy enough to use them under Becca's nose. They're not as charismatic as Jeremy, but they're pretty great. Paul has no self-control with a computer (think, "let's see how far I can go before I get in trouble") and Case loves football but won't play it because he's afraid he'll damage his hands. As for the plan, not revealing it to the public.

As the title of this post would imply, I have done a lot of reading lately and have found a couple pretty fun books. Since I've been on a superhero kick lately since The Avengers came out - I saw Chronicle  and rewatched X-Men: First Class since - several of these books have been superhero stories. The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy: The Hero Revealed by William Boniface is a light, fun summer read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story takes place in Superopolis, where everyone is born with a superpower, wears a costume, and has a name like Plasma Girl or the Amazing Indestructo. Everyone, except Ordinary Boy. When O Boy and his friends uncover a plot (somewhat by accident) by the villainous Professor Brain-Drain, they get involved.

If you like the movie Sky High, you'd get a kick out of this book. It mocks superheroes in a loving way - most of the people in Superopolis are incredibly stupid and are pretty much useless if they can't use their powers. O Boy, of course, is more intelligent than most. One of the most fun things about the book is that each person in the city has a different name and superpower, and they're not all amazing. There's the Inkblot, who can repel ink, Puddle Boy, who makes puddles, and Melonhead, whose head resembles a watermelon and can spit seeds. See? Like Sky High.

The book is middle grade, and I'm not going to say it will change your life. But it is a fun, fast read for those who love superhero stories. It's clever in its treatment of comic book traditions, and is a pretty entertaining depiction of what a city full of superheroes would be like.

Summer Viewing List

Hey, I'm afraid I haven't been that exciting this past week: not much readable writing, or even deep thinking about the elements of good writing. I did go see The Avengers over the weekend, which was written and directed by Joss Whedon, who I talked about last week. Therefore, the characters were awesome. And the movie was awesome. I have already had a post about my "Summer Reading List", but as I have said before, I am the Story Fanatic, not just the Book Fanatic. There are some excellent stories in movies, so I thought that today I would give a list of some of my favorite films, a summer viewing list, if you will.

Anything by Pixar: they don't make a bad movie, and their characterization is excellent
How to Train Your Dragon: good writing, good music, exciting plot
Enchanted April: slow-paced movie, but inspiring and perfect for lazy summer days
Disney's Beauty and the Beast: one of the best movies ever. 'Nuff said.
A Knight's Tale: rock and roll and jousting. Fun characters (Chaucer), fun plot, just a great jaunt.
The Prestige: this is an excellent example of the genre of the fantastic and is mind-bendingly interesting
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: based on Homer's Odyssey but set in the 1930s with escaped criminals. Very well done
Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr. does an excellent job as the title role - snappy dialogue, action, excitement. Actually, I have a soft spot for all Marvel films.
The Princess Bride: do I have to explain this one? It's a classic!
Penelope: modern-day fairy tale with great characters. Uses a lot of traditional fairy tale tropes.
Sherlock Holmes: see note for Iron Man, but with a Watson adding to the awesome. No to be confused with BBC's TV show Sherlock, which is also excellent.
All 3 of the Lord of the Rings films: well-made, wonderful adaptation. Music and casting top-notch.
Tangled: one of Disney's best. Fun, clever story, and both the guy and girl are strong characters.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: not true to the book at all, but the sense of humor in the film alone is worth watching it.
While You Were Sleeping: one of my all-time favorite romantic comedies because of the crazy family.
Hairspray: because I had to have a musical on this list, and this one reminds me of the fun, carefree elements of summer.

Just so you know, this is a just a list of some of my constant favorites, the ones I don't say no to watching. There are more, and I'm about as picky with films as I am with books. I'm also a fan of Hitchcock films, I love a good action flick (yes, there is an emphasis on good), and I like way more musicals than I listed. I tend to go through phases with movies, just as I do with books, and summer tends to be more action/adventure.

On a final note, I just realized a lot of the movies on my list are based on  or inspired by books. At least 8 of them. Huh.