30 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in Messages
A quick note to remind all you podcasters, bloggers and booktubers that this is the last day to cast your vote for the Planetary Awards!
The categories are:
For voting information and more on the award, check out PlanetaryAwards.WordPress.com
Good luck to all the nominees!
08 Tuesday Mar 2016
Posted in For Writers
At my corporate day job, or as I affectionately call it, That-which-pays-the-bills, the bosses are currently on a “diversity” kick. You might be thinking, “Hey, that’s a noble pursuit in a corporate environment.” And you’d be right. It is important to view the workplace as a plurality of culture, rather than a monoculture. But whenever “diversity training” comes up (and it rears its ugly head at least once every couple of years), rather than being informative and insightful, it’s more indicative of how desperately proper training is actually needed.
Case in point, those in charge of the upcoming bout (a pair of in-house colleagues chosen by leadership) sent out questions to allow us to prepare answers before the meeting.
They were:
So, after we discuss how much it has sucked to be us (I may be paraphrasing the email here) then we’ll talk about how we celebrate who we are…Because that’ll be the general mood after all that.
Setting aside the fact that these questions are incredibly personal and, in my opinion, inappropriate to ask of people in a compulsory workplace meeting, my greatest concern is this: Rather than deconstructing categories of thinking, the questions ask us to point out to our colleagues the ways in which we have been viewed as an “Other”, something they may previously have never done but may possibly do now. Contradictory to the point of diversity, to say the least.
Naturally, my brain turns this idea towards writing as well. In speculative fiction, it has been said that diversity of characters is on the short side or portrays them as victims/stereotypes. Sure, there may be the main character’s quirky friend, distant relative, or (hopefully not exclusively) villain who is non-white, but essentially the hero/heroine tends to be white, good looking, able-bodied, and straight. There is of course nothing wrong with these types of characters, but it’s their predominance in fiction, as opposed to roles of people of color, that is cause for concern.
Why the concern? It’s those darn categories of thinking again. Race is a social construct. It assigns meaning and value based on outward appearance. We are not born with these ideas in our heads. They are accumulated over time based on what we observe actively and inactively from the world around us.
An example: Mainstream media finds the word “exotic” to be complimentary when describing a beautiful woman of color. The thing is, it’s not really complimentary. It’s boxing her into a specific type of beauty, a construct that has additional meaning beyond how beautiful she is. Why the moniker? If she is beautiful, is it necessary to describe her beauty as “non-white”? If beautiful is the normal word, what does it mean that non-white beauty must be described using a different word? They’re insidious, these categories.
Apply the questions to storytelling: Why are main characters usually white, and the secondary “side-kick” characters non-white? In main characters that have multiple backgrounds, do they have brown/black eyes, or are they frequently given “green/blue” eyes, and if so, why? Are those considered more attractive? Why? Are villains always dark haired/dark eyed/unattractive? (Anyone seen the new Star Wars villain? Or any Disney movie?) Why are villains portrayed this way?
Authors have an awesome job. They get to create fantastical worlds, fascinating characters, and amazing adventures to share with the world. But they are also burdened with a duty to ask themselves these types of questions. A willing burden, yes, but one that should be held at all times in the forefront of the creative mind. Because if we are not aware of how categories of thinking can manifest themselves, the complexity and accessibility of our work is likely to be inhibited by them.
As for my work training…yeah, wish me luck. Given the nature of the questions we’re supposed to answer, something tells me the expectation is to talk about “what” I am, which is too bad, because the more interesting story is who I am on the inside.
21 Sunday Feb 2016
Posted in Messages
It’s that time again!
For those subscribed to Amid the Imaginary’s newsletter: If you have a self-published book and would like to include an advertisement in the April newsletter, please e-mail me at FineFablesPress@gmail.com, Subject Line: Advertisement <Your Genre>.
In your e-mail please include the following:
I’ll do my best to accommodate as many as possible!
22 Friday Jan 2016
Posted in Messages, Mission Control
As most of you know, I’ve been working on my first novel for a little while now. I’m deep into revisions right now and pretty much squeezing every last second available in the day to get the new draft to my editor (I’d get a lot more done if we could add that 25th hour). For those awaiting reviews, I apologize for delays. I’m still reading and will post a review to everyone I’ve agreed to review. Your patience is greatly appreciated. Not one of you has prodded me angrily and I love you for it.
I thought I would give a glimpse of what I’ve been up to though. In my Mission Control series I critique the opening paragraph, or the hook, of a novel. But let it not be said that I’m opposed to the same critique. So, here it is, the first paragraph of my soon-to-be-published Fantasy novel “A Ransom of Flames”:
My child died before she took her first breath. As she left my womb I felt her life ripped from the world, devoured, like the heart of a doe beneath the jaws of a predator.
Just so everyone knows, I wrote these words BEFORE I ever conceived my sweet little girl born last June. Essentially, I tried to think of the worst possible thing that could happen to my main character, Maleia, and led with that.
So, there you have it. I’ll put up the first chapter at some point, but for now, any feedback on this snippet is welcome. How’s my hook doing?
31 Thursday Dec 2015
Posted in For Writers
Tags
Book Marketing, Dystopian, Fantasy, Paranormal, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book, Speculative Fiction, Steampunk
In a previous post, I announced the completion of a research project in which I surveyed dozens of book review bloggers to determine trends in speculative fiction. I shared some genre specific results, but I also mentioned themes that crossed genres completely. Here I’ll delve into further detail of one of them:
Romance
Now, we’re talking about dating or candlelight dinners. We’re talking about LOVE, that truly awesome force which drives us (and characters) to euphoria or despair (sometimes both). Personally, I really enjoy romance in a book. When it’s absent, I usually notice it. Why? Because human beings that are set in extraordinary circumstances, a must for any good plot, inevitably bond with one another. Throw in attraction and some banter, and sparks are bound to fly.
Even the bleakest of story lines include this important element. The Walking Dead has it, Lord of the Rings had it, even Game of Thrones (“You know nothing, Jon Snow.” *sniff*) As I said, I’m alright with this. It adds depth to characters. It makes me worry and hope and root for them. But love, like any deep emotion depicted by a writer, must be treated carefully or it has the reverse effect on a story.
This, I suspect, is the reason why “Romance” was mentioned by a significant number of bloggers in my research (Significant meaning: called out by at least 20-25% of blogs surveyed. In this case it was 64%). Three main points were specifically indicated as trends that readers of speculative fiction are fed up with in the romance category:
The Love Triangle
This one has been around for ages but I think the Twilight books really wore the trope out for many readers. That isn’t to say it should never be included. It’s a good source of friction between characters and opens the door for a lot of angst and agony. All good things for a story. But, be careful to give it a unique treatment. And for God’s sake, don’t make EVERY dude in the book hot for one girl.
Love at first sight
I think Romeo and Juliet started this one…or was it Adam and Eve? Those surveyed advised that “attraction” at first sight still works, but the devastating, this-is-the-one, love to end all ages kind of love does not work in a first sight scenario. Maybe people have experienced this personally, but conveying it on the page is just not working for readers, no matter how much the author feels it between their characters. If no one else does, it’s the tree falling in the forest situation. Build the relationship, that’s the advice the bloggers repeatedly gave.
And on a side note, you can play around with this ‘at first sight’ thing. Here’s an awesome example found in a commercial from the Netherlands. You can thank my Dutch hubby for finding the link for me:
Abuse as romance
Finally, this one had the most poignant comments from bloggers. Many noted that it appears to be on the rise in fiction. A disturbing thought. It took the form of men against women.
Physical abuse: Punching wasn’t mentioned, but pushing and forcing a girl from one place to another, aka. kidnapping, was.
Mental/Verbal abuse: Nearly all of them called out bullying and name calling/running the girl down.
Emotional abuse: Threats of abandonment. Withholding affection if she didn’t comply with the guy’s line of thinking.
And these things stemmed from the supposed male protagonist, the girl’s love interest. According to those surveyed, no matter how badly the guy behaved, the girl was so in love that she either forgave him when he showed the smallest glimmer of kindness, or she couldn’t leave him/overlooked it because he was so damn hot. *shudder*
There you have it folks. Things to watch out for when crafting those romantic plots/subplots. The essential point here? Love can take many forms, but when it comes to fiction, it should never be cliché.
07 Saturday Nov 2015
Posted in For Writers
That’s the question I get stuck on at every writing session. Now, I did do some prep work before this NaNo monster took over my life. I’ve got the story planned out from start to finish, the main events determined, the relationships I want to build jotted down, but it’s that connective tissue that’s tricky. Sure I’ve got point A to Z figured out but how to arrive at each train station has me wishing the stories in my head came with a GPS.
My solution to this is to make a note of the gap and move on to the next part. A watched pot and all that. I let “the boys in the basement” work on the issue while I continue with other things. A term coined by author and writing coach James Scott Bell, it means that when you get snagged on some part of the story, don’t let it rob you of momentum. Your mind (the referenced “boys”) will continue to work on the problem even while you are writing something else. Then, suddenly, the solution emerges when you least expect it.
I’ve used this in the past and it definitely works. Considering the speed at which one has to barrel through the words during NaNo, remembering that bit of advice keeps the frustration monkey off my back.
“Hey, I can go back to it later. It’ll come to me.”
Who knew it could be so simple?
Current word count: 10,003
Words needed to reach goal: 39,997
Days remaining: 23
Units of madness: Incalculable
How is everyone else doing with their NaNo projects? What tricks do you use to push past the sticky spots?
28 Wednesday Oct 2015
Posted in Messages
Hey there, fellow scribes!
Just a friendly reminder that the deadline to send in your Short Story contest submission is this Sunday, November 1st, 12:00 pm U.S. CST !
Some fabulous prizes are up for grabs and there’s still space for additional entrants so polish up your story and e-mail it to me at FineFablesPress@gmail.com.
One final note I neglected to include in the original post: By submitting you are authorizing me to publish your story one time in the quarterly newsletter (if you’re the winner) and post it to the blog (if you place in the top three). The copyright and intellectual property rights remain with you.
Need a refresher on the other guidelines, here’s the link
Happy Wednesday!
23 Friday Oct 2015
Posted in For Writers
Lately I’ve been reading Shakespeare again. I know what you’re thinking (Nerd!) but hear me out. After all, the guy was a speculative fiction author. Fairies, ghosts, witches, you’ll find all of these creatures in his work. And seriously, who doesn’t love Puck?
I also find reading him helps steady the cadence and structure of my writing. This might sound strange since it’s challenging just to understand what the hell characters in his plays are even saying, but it’s so worth the effort. There’s a reason why they call him the master.
It’s often taken for granted just how integrated certain lines from these stories are with the common vernacular. Many don’t realize they are actually quoting Shakespeare when they use them. A few examples:
“Murder most foul.”
“The lady doth protest too much…”
“To sleep–perchance to dream.”
“All the world’s a stage…”
“This above all: to thine own self be true.”
“To be or not to be, that is the question.”
“The rest is silence.”
And this is only from Hamlet. So, why are they remembered so well? In a word: Simplicity. It’s what I notice most about his works. He uses simple words to convey weighty themes like love, grief, and betrayal. This is a good reminder as we approach NanoWriMo. It’s so easy to fall into purple prose with wildly uncommon word choices. We think we’re weaving poetry when really we’ve just wandered into metaphor mania.
Put the Thesaurus down and back away slowly
The puzzle of language has always held a fascination for me. It drove me to learn several languages. Those unknown vowel and consonant combinations would stare back at me like a wall I couldn’t see past. The curiosity to know what they said, unfiltered by translation, became a fire that consumed me. Living abroad, I was that student who’d randomly flip through the language dictionary just for the fun of learning new words. (Okay, go ahead and say it. — Nerd! — I know.)
Miraculous lines of code, that’s language, even if you speak only one. For the speculative fiction writer, it translates into a universe of worlds. Shakespeare did it with just twenty-six letters and he didn’t reach for complicated words to accomplish this, not even in some of those amazing soliloquies. One of my favorites — and I have many — is from Hamlet in the crypt, that moment he indulged in grief and frustration, when he wondered aloud if we put up with so much cruelty in life because the confrontation of it may consequent our deaths, and so through fear, we do nothing:
“…Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprise of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.”
*ecstatic shudder*
Proof that the lyrical and the memorable do not have to come from ten-letter words or complicated metaphors to be effective. Simplicity. It’s the lesson I continually learn.
Amid The Imaginary 