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Just a short blog about ABNA

2/27/2014

I have just finished submitting the final draft of The Talented to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and the relief from that has been huge. That stress has been hanging over me for weeks, and now that the final draft is done and submitted I can wait with some semblance of calm and peace until March 18th to see if I made it through the pitch round.

On one hand, I'm not worried about the pitch round because that pitch has gotten me through the last two ABNA contests, but on the other hand I realize that out of all of the rounds of the contest, it is the pitch round that is a crap-shoot.

But what's done is done, what's past is prologue, and the next 20 days will be spent waiting semi-patiently until my 1st round fate is decided.

Of course, I'll keep stalking the ABNA boards, but that is more for fun than anything.

Best of luck to everyone in the other four categories and 499 of the people that entered the fantasy/sci-fi/horror category with me (sorry you other 1,500, but I'm not a good enough person to wish all of you luck and keep no spot open for myself. I'm a bit more Howard Roark than altruist.

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The importance of the author's bible

2/25/2014

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It goes by other names: journal, index, list-of-characters-and-events-I-need-to-remember, but I prefer to call it my author's bible.

Maybe it's because of the importance this collection of characters, events, and timelines has that I compare it to a book that so many people give a central role in their lives, or maybe it's just because I heard it referred to this way once and that is what stuck in my mind for all of time, but for whatever reason, I think and call my notes my author's bible.

I mostly use Scrivener for my word processor when I'm working on one of my novels, so I put my author's bible down in the "index" section, but when I am using a "normal" word processor like Word I put all of that information at the bottom of the document so that it is only a glance away.

When I'm writing on paper (which is where I do my rough drafts... a luddite quirk of mine) I have scraps of papers and comments everywhere, scraps that will later become a more permanent part of my bible. Names, ages, connections between people, times when big events happen...everything I need to know before introducing something new.

My author's bible keeps my stories from having too many inconsistencies.

If you have ever read a book where the character's hair changes length (or--horrors!--color), his smile goes from crooked to straight and perfect, or her background information changes (I see this too often, even by traditionally published authors who theoretically have professional editors checking for these inconsistencies) it can really throw you off.

And unlike movies, we don't have people hanging around checking to make sure all of the details match up (and if you've ever watched the Lord of the Rings movies and seen Legolas's eyes changing color from scene to scene, you'll know that those people on set don't catch everything either). Which is where the author's bible comes in.

I keep track of all of my characters, their background info, relationships with the people around them and people that have influenced them in the past, and dates of important life events. I keep track of places, where they are, when they come into play, what happened there. I keep a timeline (and this is the most edited part of my bible because I add even seemingly minor events onto my timeline) and I check again and again to make sure that my details are correct.

An example of something that exists in the bible for my novel The Talented:

Adrienne's pendant necklace--a gift from her dad when he consigned her to the army, used to be her mother's, she wears it on a leather cord around her neck, the pendant has a stylized knot shape and is usually tucked under her clothes. She fidgets with the cord when she's nervous.

From this short note I know everything that I need to know about the necklace--where she got it, whose it was, what it looks like, and what she does with it.

Looking at this I know she wears the pendant on a leather cord--so I'll never have her rubbing her fingers over the chain. I know that she hides the pendant under her clothes, so no one will comment on it unless she--for some reason--doesn't have it tucked in (which would probably be an important detail). And I know that she fidgets with it, which A. means that she has a nervous habit and B. suggests that it is important to her.

Of course, looking at this I, as the author, know other things about it. She was 4 when her dad conscripted her to the army, and it was soon after her mother's death. She's a private person who would never want to be seen as sentimental or girly, which would explain the leather cord and why she hides the pendant. And she thinks of her mother more than she would ever admit, which would be why she is drawn to the necklace when she is uncomfortable as well as another reason why she keeps it hidden.

And I could write all of this in, but I don't need to. The original entry has all of the salient details--all of the things that I might accidentally get wrong. I might say that she has it on a chain, not a cord. I might say that her mother gave it to her before she died, rather than her father as a sort of sorry-I'm-giving-you-away present. I might have it hanging in front of her shirt and have someone comment on it without it being a big deal.

And for the most part, these would be small things (especially the last), but too many small things can lead to a big problem.

Everyone struggles with mechanics, plot holes, and inconsistencies. To me, the author's bible is one way to eliminate (or at least reduce) the latter.

So, what do you do to keep track of all of these things, and how detailed is your bible? I'd love to hear.

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How would your characters describe themselves?

2/24/2014

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Today, I had my students (who are reading The Catcher in the Rye) write a brief bio on Holden as if Holden was writing it himself. How would Holden describe himself? What does he see himself as?

If you have read The Catcher in the Rye, you know that Holden does describe himself often in the book, which is one of the reasons I gave the students this assignment (it's good practice for their next book, where they will have to do the same activity with a character that isn't as introspective).

We started out this activity describing Holden from the outside, and came up with descriptors like obsessive, troublemaker, violent, etc. but in some of the "autobiographies" I have lines like "I'm not that bad of a kid. I'm really not. I just have some bad luck" and "I'm a terrific guy, really, only I can't concentrate and get kicked out. I am a very suave guy and I am great with ladies." It was interesting to look at how my students describe Holden versus how they think he would describe himself.

And that got me to thinking: how would my characters describe themselves?

Holden is a great character (he's why people read Catcher) and he is a contradiction. Which makes me wonder if all characters should have something contradictory about themselves. If they all should have a blind spot (or two or three) when it comes to how they see themselves versus how readers see them.

And yes, I realize that this is often true of characters already, and I realize that there are writer's tips like "interview your character" that help you get to this point, but I think it would be an interesting exercise for people to write bios of their characters as if it was the character writing an autobiography of themselves.

And I think it might be especially important to do that with antagonists and supporting characters, who are sometimes neglected in the character building process. Yes, your villain is a bad guy, but he probably doesn't think so. And yes, your main character's friend is a funny sidekick with a couple of quirks but who is mostly dependable, but what else is there? What do others see about your characters that the characters themselves don't?

I plan to go through and do this with a couple of my characters tonight, and I'm interested to hear about the results if anyone else decides to do the same.

So, how would your characters describe themselves?

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The Final Stretch to ABNA

2/14/2014

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The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award starts accepting entries on the 16th, which is only two days away. Which means I should have my story whipped into shape in 2 days. I'm giving myself 5 at the most (I don't want to risk it filling up early, although I hear that rarely happens).

In my mind, this is me: staying strong right to the end, where I will sprint across the finish line on the 16th (or 19th) full of strength and glory.

It will be a thing to tell the grandkids about!

It will be what I tell all my adoring fans about when I bring home the grand prize!

It will be something I think about on my death bed!

It will result in me celebrating with sushi instead of consoling myself with a large pizza!

But sometimes I worry that this will be me, lagging behind from the start, hopefully squeaking in right before that final deadline in March.

But to be honest, this is probably me, coming in ahead (making the deadline) but with no real idea what is going on.

I'll probably make it in by dumb luck and little else. But in all honesty, I'm okay with that.

I've gotten into ABNA in a timely fashion the last two years, and I don't think that this year will really be that different. It will be a combination of hard work and dumb luck, and there will be times when I feel like that middle picture there, but I'll make it.

And I hope that everyone else entering the ABNA contest does to.

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The Writing Game

2/11/2014

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Writing is a job (often a second or third job, unfortunately) but it is also a game, the way school is a game.

And you have to know how to play it.

You have to know what parts of yourself and your writing take 100% concentration and effort and which don't.

Think about high school: there were probably some classes that you spent hours studying for, laboriously completing homework and sweating until you got the grade back, and other classes where you did the homework last minute, "winged" the tests, and did just fine.

As teachers, we call this "playing the game" of school. You know how many points you need to get your desired grade, you know yourself well enough to know how much effort you need to put in to achieve such grades, and you don't put in any extra effort.

It's extremely frustrating for teachers.

So why would I say writers should "play the game" of writing? Because unlike high school students, writers have a lot more on their plates than classes and homework. Like jobs that pay the bills, and families, and that car that keeps getting flats. Always do your best writing, but be aware of which areas need the most effort and concentration.

If you are great at getting that plot down on paper but have trouble setting the scene, leave working on the scene to times when you are contained and there isn't chaos going on. Don't compound your trouble. Get the plot out when your kids are playing in the next room and you're keeping an ear out for them, or in the 30 minutes it takes for the car guys to repair your tire, or when you're waiting for the pizza delivery guy because you were too busy to buy groceries and all you have in your house are canned beans and some frost-burned broccoli.

Work on setting the scene and adding descriptive details when you are alone in your calm, happy place. Work on it when you're at your writing desk, or in the chair that you never get to sit down in when your family is running all over the place, or that isn't located at the mechanics shop (darn it!). Work on setting the scene when you have that cup of tea (or cider, or vodka) at hand, music turned on low, and the mindset to be the next Ernest Hemingway, not the next Mad Hatter.

So do your best, but know your strengths and weaknesses. Don't spend all the "good" writing time working on the parts that are a breeze, and try to triage at the most difficult times for you to write.

Play the writing game to get the results you want.

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Book Cover Artist

2/7/2014

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Floating in the back of my mind has been the worry that, if I decide to self-publish, I won't be able to get hold of some good cover art. They say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but let's be honest...we totally judge books by their covers. Especially fantasy books.

So I've been thinking and worrying about what I would do and where I would go, and I stumbled upon Ravven. She charges a reasonable price, seems like she works extensively with the author, and most importantly has beautiful art work. I'm not committing to anything yet (because, you know, I plan to win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and then cover art and the rest will be Amazon's problem). But if all of the reviewers go insane and don't select me as the winner, Ravven is someone I will definitely be taking a closer look at.

Fellow indies, I suggest you go and check her out. And if you have another cover artist that you are happy with, I would love to hear about him or her. Here is her portfolio, although of course there is more on the rest of her site.

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Calling all muses...

2/5/2014

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... to the tune of "Calling all Angels."

I need a sign, to let me know you're here
All of these words just read so bad, no meaning's clear
I need to know the plot is gonna pick up
'Cause I feel the middle sagging with no luck

When there is a good thing to write but no good writing left
When I know what I want to say but it don't read how I meant

[Chorus:]
And I'm calling all muses
I'm calling all you muses

I won't give up if you don't give up [Repeat x4]

I need a sign to let me know you're here
Cause the scribbles on my page don't make it clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need to know why you don't just write the stupid thing for me.

I acknowledge (and humbly apologize to) the band Train, who sang (and maybe wrote?) the original lyrics. It was a beautiful song before I got my hands on it.

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Found a new site

2/3/2014

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With the slow death of book stores and physical books and the plethora of self-published authors--some great, some who could do with a little more experience--, I've had trouble finding new fantasy series to read. There are so many of them by so many new authors (I haven't picked up many new fantasy series at all in the last...decade?) that I don't know where to start.

Luckily, I just found a site that, by all appearances, reviews and rates fantasy books, trilogies, and series. It's called Ranting Dragon and seems to be, as my students would say, "legit."

To be fair, the only books I've read on these lists so far are books I was reading from previously selected series (such as The Wheel of Time) so I can't really speak on how accurate, IMO, their rating system is for the other books. However, I plan to buy a book from one of their series soon and read it to see for myself. I have high hopes for this, and if it pans out that I like their suggestions, I've just found a new site to help guide my book selections.

I'm sharing this site in advance of that in case any other fantasy readers have been running into the same problem and want to check it out. It seems like a lot of their reviewed fantasy is urban fantasy, so if you're not a huge fan of high or epic fantasy, they might have some great suggestions for you over at Ranting Dragon.

Check it out and tell me what you think.

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Welcome to my blog

Just a short blog about ABNA

The importance of the author's bible

How would your characters describe themselves?

The Final Stretch to ABNA

The Writing Game

Book Cover Artist

Calling all muses...

Found a new site

Author

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