When a Story Breaks Free

Help me.
I’m working on my first book where the story has gone off the rails. 

Let me start from the beginning.  I’m a plotter.  Not a pantser.  I’ll admit that when I started writing so many, many years ago, I was a pantser, but I’d be willing to bet that most people who dip a toe into writing as a child start as pantsers.  Now, I’m not here to debate the merits of plotters vs. pantsers.  I think the world is big enough to hold us all, and even those strange plotter-pantser hybrids that no one really wants to talk about.

So, back in October, I got a wild hair and started writing a story that featured Stefan from the Dark Days series.  At this point, I’m already in strange, dark territory, since I never planned to write Stefan’s personal story.  If I wrote what would lovingly be termed a “spin-off book” for the Dark Days series, I dreamed it would be Nicolai or Valerio.  Hell, I even fantasized about Knox here and there.  Stefan was never in the picture.  He was an uptight, pain in the butt, and no one really ever imagined him as a hero.  Well, at least I didn’t.

But then Stefan met Erin and well… 50,000+ words later I’m in a tangle.

After writing a couple chapters, I stop to create a rough plot outline and make some key notes that would see me through a large chunk of the book.  This is normal for me.  I need to know where my characters are going before we get too far.  It’s much easier to sprinkle the text with hints and clues if you know where you’re going to end up ... in the end.

I get back to writing and… something happened.  Erin killed someone.  Seriously, she wasn’t supposed to do that!  I stood over the poor woman shouting that she wasn’t supposed to do that because the dead man needed to be alive for another several chapters to handle some things, but I don’t think she heard a word I was saying because she was too surprised by the violent act.  I handled the whole thing poorly and she didn’t talk to me for a couple weeks, but we’re on better terms now.

So I’ve jumped back into the book with Erin and we’re working things out.  Our end goal is still in sight – it just means that we’re going to have to take a different road than we initially planned.  And I think the story is going to be better for it.  The end result is that the book is going to be something larger than I initially planned.  The story is moving away from a simple love story about two opposites and their dangerous world.  It’s growing into an exploration of self-discovery, learning what it takes to hold onto your sense of self despite significant changes and pressures, and delving deeper into a world you and I thought we both already knew.

I’m reminded of a piece of writing advice I received a while ago from friend and killer author, Kim Harrison (genius behind the amazing Hollows series).  Paraphrasing, she advised me to change a previous decided event or decision in the course of writing.  If your character is to meet someone at a bar, what would happen if that person didn’t show up?  Instead of driving everywhere, hire a cab that next time. 

Authors make these grand plans, but we sometimes forget that life gets in the way of these plans.  It’s these times when life intrudes that we have a change to make our books shine and help them become something larger than we might have initially hoped.

Working with Gage

The third book of the Asylum Tales is steadily coming together.  Last week, I crossed the 100,000 word mark. It's always a moment where you stop and just stare in wonder at it.  Wow.  I've written over 100,000 words... again!  In fact, I've done that 12 times.  Each of the six books in the Dark Days series and the three books in the Asylum Tales, plus three others that the world has never seen.  It's kind of insane to think that I've written so much on just two topics.  Heck, I've written over a million words on the Dark Days and Asylum Tales series combined if you include the novellas.  Wow.

But I'm totally getting off the subject here.

Progress is rolling forward with Gage.  I'm down to the last two chapters and I think the rough draft is doing to come in at about 110,000 words, which isn't bad for a rough draft.  The key is that this is an extremely rough draft.  I've got notes for a chapter where the opening gets completely re-written so you get to see a particular character.  I've got even more notes on things I need to go back and tweak.  In fact, I think this book has the most editing notes that I've ever taken. 

While this book isn't as complex as the previous two in term of plot, this book is significantly more tricky when it comes to the emotional turmoil.  There are some very important things that I'm trying to make happen and I didn't actually figure out the best way to do that until the last half of the book. So rather than go back and revise, stopping all forward progress, I've made notes for things to adjust when I go through a second time.

With all the notes, I think this book will be just as long as Angel's Ink and Dead Man's Deal.  Maybe even a little longer.  I have also decided that this will be Gage's last book.  I don't know if there will be other books set in the Asylum Tales world, but Gage will not be telling anymore stories.  But don't worry, I've got plenty of other projects that I have been working on for you.

How do you keep going when the spark is gone?

A reader and fellow writer sent me a message on Facebook asking for a little professional advice.  I thought I'd turn my answer into a blog since the question has larger ramifications than just writing and I thought it would also help others who might have this problem.  

The reader's question was (and I'm paraphrasing):

During the past year, I've struggled to focus on my writing.  Life has intruded into my work, forcing me to push it to the back burner while I deal with other issues.  Unfortunately when I do find the time to write, I find myself becoming bored or easily distracted.  I'm close to calling it quits, but I want to write.  Do you have any advice?

I have had this problem before.  The world is creeping in and I'm busy trying to balance family problems, job, finding a new job, paying bills, the car is breaking down, my love life is in shambles, my health is fading, and on and on and on.  You get to be so busy putting out fires and shoring up your life that there's nothing left of you when you find five minutes to sit down behind a computer and write.  But I don't think it's time to call it quits....  If I had, there never would have been a Dark Days series, let alone an Asylum Tales series.

Puppy Max playing tennis

The first thing that you may need to do is take care of yourself.  The stress has stretched you.  If you can't relax behind the keyboard, you're not going to be able to flip on your imagination and write.  All those stresses are going to be running through your head rather than your characters.  Get away from the keyboard.  You have my permission to take a break (even if it has been several months since you last wrote).  You're not on a deadline, right?  There isn't some sword hanging over your head demanding that you write?  Good.  Walk away (briefly).  Go do something fun.  Preferably something active to get the blood flowing.  Go to the zoo or an amusement park.  Go to a museum.  Go to a park and walk around.  Stretch out on a large blanket and read a book you've been wanting to read but haven't found the time.  Go for a walk.  The key is, take some time for yourself.  Why?

1. The reduction of stress will get your imagination pumping again.
2. Being out and moving opens you up to new experiences, which in turn gets your imagination pumping.
3. Relaxing helps to recharge your batteries and put a smile on your face

So what do you do if you're relaxed, but you're still bored with what you're working on.  Well, that could be a second problem entirely.  That could be the project you're working on has either:

1. Lost its initial direction and gone astray
2. Isn't as strong as you initially thought

If you're more interested in just getting the writing flowing again, my advice is to put that project aside for now.  Give it a break.  Your stress in life has now leaked into your current project and you now stress about being able to write every time you pick it up.  Stress does not create words.

You need to open up a blank page and work on something else for a time.  Drag out something you abandoned years ago or play with something completely new.  Tell yourself: "This is just for fun.  No one is going to ever see this.  This is just for me."  Create a world and play.  Write some fan fiction if that's what floats your boat.  Play in a genre you've never worked in before.  The key is to get some words on the page.  That will break through the stress of not writing and you'll be proud of your accomplishment. 

Sometimes the key is just breaking through the dam to get the words flowing again.  When I'm feeling stressed about a project and can't get anything to start flowing, I pull out a side project and play with it.  After a few days, I'm usually eager to jump back into the original project because I have a new idea.

And that's the key: a new idea.  Don't jump back to the original because you feel like you have to but because you've got a new idea that you're dying to try out on the page. 

If you don't have a new idea and are still bored with the original project, but are determined to complete it, then we're going to have to triage the story and complete a little surgery to find the underlying problem.  However, this post has gone on long enough, so I'll save that section for Monday.

Knowing When It’s Time to Let Go

One of the hardest things for a writer is knowing when it’s time to let a story go.  You’ve just spent the past several days or even weeks working on a story, churning out a flow of words as you craft your tale.  But something isn’t working.  The words are forced and awkward.  You’re not excited about the story.  In fact, you dread sitting down to the computer every day.  These are usually indications that it’s not working and it’s time to start with a fresh page.

Now, don’t confuse a hard story to write with one that needs to be let go.  Hard stories are the best to write, as they challenge you, force you to stretch your skills.  Despite being hard, the words hitting the page still feel good and you’re still excited to sit down at the computer even though you spent most of your time glaring at the screen.

I’ve actually been hit with a story recently that needs to be pitched in the wastebasket.  This rarely happens to me and I am still in a bit of shock that this story isn’t going to work.  I’ve recently been working on a Halloween-themed short story for Gage and the gang from The Asylum Tales.   I decided it was going to be about a Halloween party that goes disastrously wrong.  

In four days, I’ve written just over 3,000 words and it’s been like pulling teeth the entire time.  At first, I thought it was because I was feeling restrained by the small word count that I was aiming for.  Then, I thought it was because I didn’t have the story outlined.  I outlined the last of the story yesterday and the discomfort didn’t fade like I had hoped.  Last night, as I was lying in bed, I thought that I should throw out the story and start over.  At that exact moment, an enormous weight lifted off my chest and I knew it was the right decision.

It may be the right decision, but that doesn’t make it an easy decision.  Looking at the outline, I have to admit that the story is still interesting to me, but I’m not excited about it.  And if I’m not excited about it, you’re not going to be excited when you read it.  The writer’s emotions do bleed through the words to the reader.

So, the white board is being wiped clean today and I’m opening a fresh document to start a brand new story.  The short story is supposed to be between 10,000 – 15,000 words – very short for me.  I can get it written in 2-4 days, so I have plenty of time before my deadline to play around.  It’s a little sad that my first attempt isn’t going to work out, but I’m saving what I’ve written and all my notes.  You never know.  Something might occur to me down the road and I’ll finally figure out how to make the original story work, but I’m not waiting around for that spark of inspiration or intuition.  I’ve got work to do.

NaNoWriMo Fail: Lessons Learned

NaNoWriMo didn't turn out as good as I had hoped.
I admit defeat and I have no one to blame but myself.
I did better than last year, but last year I had book edits land in my lap, which stopped me from making my goal of 50,000 words.  This year?  Not enough planning.

My final total: 31,430 (roughly 63%)  The positive is that I finished one short story and got most of a second short story completed.

It's frustrating that I didn't meet the 50,000 word goal, but it's more important that I learned something about why I didn't make the goal. 

The first and probably most important lesson was that I need to turn off the Internet when I'm working.  The Internet is a great distraction and procrastination tool.  When the words start to slow down, I find myself wandering off to the Internet and dawdling around on various sites.  In the blink of an eye, I've wasted 30 minutes and can't get them back.  The Internet must go off because I simply don't have the self-control to stop myself.

The second lesson is to accept the time when I feel the need to write.  I've lately shifted to a strange sleep schedule.  I have a lot of trouble falling asleep before six in the morning and I find that I have some very productive writing between one and five in the morning.  It bothers me because I want to be on the same schedule as everyone else, but it's just not working out like that.  The thing to do: accept it and move on.  The important thing is to get the writing done and not worry about what time I'm doing the writing.

The final lesson: plan ahead.  Before I write a book, I have the entire story plotted out.  I have a list of how I am going to get from Point A to Point Z with all the major points in between laid out.  Usually the only thing that isn't detailed out is the final fight scene, but that develops as the book develops.  I have not been so detailed when plotting out my short stories.  I have the crux of the problem laid out but not how I'm going to fix it.  That resulted in several days of me staring at the computer, trying to figure out what I'm going to do next.

I used to write by the seat of my pants, but that resulted in a lot of down time as I paused to figure out the next step.  After seven books and three novellas, I've learned that I need a detailed outline before I open that blank page and start typing.  In the end, it saves time and keeps me moving forward.

Everyone has different tricks that work for them when it comes to writing.  Hopefully some of my lessons will work for you and you won't have to learn them the hard way like I did.

Today, I'm working on the last two chapters of my second short story and also coming up with a list of potential titles for the first book in the Tattoo Artist series.

A Little Q&A

Today I’m going to tackle some of the questions that have rolled in from readers:

Question #1:

“I find a writer's life as fascinating as it is isolated. I'm curious what your primary motivation for getting published was and in what order you'd rank the following incentives:
1. To gain the respect of peers
2. To gain respect for yourself
3. To attain "fame and fortune"
4. To become fully self-sustaining in a profession you love
5. Some other reason?

Was there a specific catalyst in your life that prompted an escape into writing?

Before you had caught the eye of publishers, had you ever felt that getting published was unlikely in such a competitive market? Were there many naysayers to contend with?

Finally, once the Dark Days series is written and published, what happens next? Is it the agent who presses you for more material, the publisher, neither or both? Does a new contract get negotiated based on the sales of the previous series?”

Answer:
For me the primary and only real motivation for becoming a writer is simply a love of the written word. I love stories, both reading them and writing them. It’s one of those things where I can’t imagine doing anything else. To me, the odds of “fame and fortune” are extremely slim in the publishing world and I didn’t know any other writers when I started so I wasn’t too worried about garnering their respect. For me, it all comes down to a love of writing stories.

As for a specific catalyst, I don’t think there was anything in particular. I loved reading books and one summer I had finished a retelling of the book Robin Hood, but it was the first time I finished a book with the feeling that something was missing – ie. A kick-ass female lead that could hang with the boys. So, I spent that summer rewriting Robin Hood, starting me down the path of being an author.

I always knew that it was extremely difficult to become a paid author and I never really set my life’s goal as being an author. It was always something I worked on in my spare time. My goal was to write great stories and if I got really lucky, I would one day be published. There were some quiet skeptics along the way, but they have since been pleasantly surprised.

Finally, what happens next… I can’t really say since I’m still learning. My first contract will be completed this fall and I’m hoping for a second contract so I can continue writing the Dark Days Series. In the meantime, I am constantly writing so that my agent and editor always have fresh material.

Question #2

“Does your photography affect your writing or is it the other way around?”

I think my photography affects my writing. I do mostly landscapes so I think that it makes me more aware of my surroundings. But I think it also makes me more aware of how people interact with their surrounds and how it can affect their moods. If anything, I think the photography hobby helps to make me a better writer.”

Question #3:

“My question is what do you do when you get writers block?”

I generally don’t get writer’s block when I’m writing since I already have the book plotted out – I know where I am supposed to be headed. However, I will occasionally get blocked when I am working on the plot outline for a new book. For that, I will go back and look at old plot lines and see if there are things that can be woven in the outline. I will also pick apart the scene, examining each of the characters motivations. In essence, I will pick apart a scene from the different points of view until a new idea strikes me. And under the worst case scenario, I will walk away from the scene for a day and let my brain focus on something else. Sometimes you just need a little down time to get the creative juices flowing again.


Thanks for all these great questions! If you want to know anything else, feel free to ask.

The Secret of Writings Books: Part 3

Tonight’s entry is going to be a short one since I’ve covered character development in previous entries. Character sketches are typically something that I work on while I am creating my plot outlines and working on the rough draft of the novel. The more details you know about your characters the better.

For more on character development and character sketches, please click on the links below.

Character Development

Character Sketches: Part 1

Character Sketches: Part 2

Don’t forget: if you’ve got any particular questions for me, feel free to leave them in the comments field.

In other random good news, it’s Wednesday and I received yet another phone call from my editor today. Not only did Nightwalker stay on the New York Times extended bestseller list for a third consecutive week, but it moved up from #32 to #31. Yeah, Baby! The celebration rolls on.

The Secret of Writing Books: Part 2

You survived last night’s pep talk. You’re charged and you’re ready for more. So, you’ve come back looking for more direction from me on how to write a novel. Now, keep in mind, this is how I write novels and this process might not work for everyone.

The next step comes in outlining novels. This I usually do while writing detailed character backgrounds for my main characters (which we will cover at a later date).

I am aware that there is this entire debate that is ongoing between the plotters (those who create detailed plot outlines ahead of time) and the panzers (those who write books by the seat of their pants). I’m not going to get into this debate. I’ve written both ways, and I’ve discovered that, for me, I work much faster and more efficiently when I have an outline of the plot. If you’re a panzer and it works for you, I would suggest skipping today’s entry and coming back tomorrow when I look at characters.

But for those interested in outlining… let’s get started.

Because of my panzer background, I’ll admit that I am not a detailed outliner. My main focus when creating an outline is to get down the main plot points that need to be covered in a given scene. I don’t decided things like location, chapter breaks, or even subplots until I am writing the scene. However, I will occasionally include a subplot if it is particularly important to me and I’m afraid that I might forget it.

The best way to explain my process might be to just show you. Below is a snippet from the plot outline I created for Nightwalker.

Intro of Mira and Danaus
Introduce Joseph
Meet in nightclub
Pictures
Dagger
Accosted by Lucas
Questions her working with Danaus
Mira asserts dominion over city
Warns that Elders are watching
Humans are beginning to ask questions
Bodies found


If you’ve read the book, you know that there is a lot more meat around the brief points that are listed above. For me, the plot outline is a device that is used to simply jog my memory when I forget what was to happen next. The items are also supposed to key on important things that need to be accomplished. In the night club scene between Mira and Danaus, the key thing is that Mira needs to see are the pictures and the dagger that Danaus is carrying. Those two items move the story along to the next plot point – Nerian.

Not all my outlines are this sparse. The outline for Book 3 and my side project are more detailed because the plot didn’t flow as easily as it did for Nightwalker and Dayhunter. I have also been known to add color coding so that certain things immediately jump out. I will frequently put everything in red text when it is a fight scene. That helps me keep an eye on things such as pacing and tension. If I don’t think Danaus is showing up enough in the book, I’ll color all of his scenes blue.

Do I veer from the main outline? Yes, but I never wander too far. The outline marks my main plot points that need to be covered. If I start wandering too far from my outline then it means that there is something wrong with my plotting and it’s time to go back to my outline to figure out what went wrong. However, very little of my subplots are actually on the outline. This is where my panzer style comes in. I rely on my knowledge of the characters to help me create the subplots as I’m working. At the moment, I’m in the middle of a pair of chapters that were not a part of the original outline. However, they a.) add to the tension, b.) add to the main plot, and c.) create a nice relationship building/destroying moment with three different characters within the story (subplot).

In summary, I think outlines help you stay on task, help get rid of the risk of writer’s block since you know what is supposed to happen next, and help you create more dynamic scenes. Keep in mind that you need to be efficient in your writing. Each of your scenes need to accomplish more than one thing. They are not there just to move the story along, but they should also develop characters, develop subplots, and expand your world building.

I hope this helps. If you’ve got something specific that you would like me to cover, please leave me a comment and I’ll try to cover it.

The Secret to Writing Books: Part 1

Don't snicker at the title. We both know there's no secret to writing books. The title for this series was almost "Hot Dogs and Books: The Gory Underbelly of Novel Writing," but I thought that it might be seen as tasteless.

Anyway..... my twisted sense of humor is showing tonight, but you have to keep your sense of humor when it comes to writing novels.

So, you've decided that you want to write a book. There are several aspects to this process that you have to keep in mind, which I will go over during the next couple of nights.

Okay, this is your last chance to walk away. Are you really sure you want to write a novel and try to get it published? Sigh. Yeah, I thought so.

Step 1: Mental Preparation

It may be hard to believe that more than half of this game is mental and your biggest enemy is not time, skill, or creativity. It's yourself. You will sabotage yourself with a lack of determination and doubt. You will either get bored with what you're working on and start working on a new project because "it's more interesting" or "it's a better idea." I guarantee you that if you start down that path, you will never finish a book. I know, I walked that path. I've got dozens of books started, a scattering of really good scenes with no endings, because I never finished a project I started on. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was frequently nagging me about handing him the next chapter in the book. I finished the book not only because I loved the story but also to please my audience of one.

The other half of that is doubting that the idea is good enough for a novel. You can't doubt your skill, your idea, or creative flow. You have to create for yourself a "doubt-free zone". This is hard, I know, because I struggle with it today. You have to create a mental and sometime a physical spot where you can work without worrying about whether your idea is good enough. Part of this will be conquered by creating a plot outline for you novel. You will create a path for you to walk on that will help give you a sense of security, and when you're feeling strong and brave, I promise that you will be able to confidently veer from that path on occasion.

So, here is the first check list:

1. Are you determined to finish this novel once you've started it? The average novel length is around 100,000 words. Nightwalker was just over 115,000 words, or 370 pages. Dayhunter, so far, is coming in right around 115,000 words. I've heard that the average Young Adult (YA) novel comes in between 60,000 to 70,000 words. Ask yourself, are you willing to stick with something for that long. Not every one is. Some people are brilliant short story and novella writers. They can accomplish everything they need to accomplish in a shorter construct.

2. Have you pushed your doubts aside? Part of this comes with being able to say: "Yes, my first draft is crap and I'm okay with that." You know, the first draft is most likely not crap, but you have to be willing to be less than perfect. Perfection comes with the second, third, fourth, and tenth draft. Nightwalker did not sell in its original format. It didn't sell in the second, third, or fourth draft. I edited that monster for close to two years while trying to sell it. And even after it sold, it went through massive revisions. That's the nature of the beast. Just write the book and let yourself enjoy the story. Perfection will come later.

Okay, go look in a mirror. Do you see a lean, mean, writing machine staring back at you?
Are you going to finish what you started?
Are you going to stick with it even when you are stuck writing a somewhat boring, transitional scene?
Are you going write at least 500 words on the nights that your really, really don't feel like writing?
Are you going to put aside all other story ideas until the current one is done?

If you can answer "yes" to those questions, then you're ready for the next step: plot outlining. Unfortunately, I've rambled way too much already tonight so we'll look at how I outline my plots tomorrow night.

Focus

Rachel Vincent brought up an interesting topic over on her blog today that I thought I would chime in on.

“Several people have asked me lately what I think the key is to staying focused long enough to finish an entire book, rather than flitting from one idea to the next, none of which ever get completed.”

This was actually a problem for me for a long time. Up until about five years ago, I was constantly flitting from story to story, overflowing with energy for the first 50 to 100 pages, and then a new story idea would catch my eye and I would be off and running on the new story idea without ever finishing my previous story. This was a constant problem since I also didn’t stick to any one genre. I have massive piles of unfinished stories in traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, action/adventure, contemporary romance, historical romance, and stuff I don’t even know what to call it…

Is this a bad thing? Yes and no. If you never finish a story, then you will never have a story to be published if that’s your goal. However, all these fragments were great practice for me. They honed my writing skills, strengthened my character development, added new depth to my plotting, and just helped me become a more twisted individual.

But it has to stop sometime, right? And it did for me. Why? Because I met Mira and Danaus. Those two characters from Nightwalker became a driving force for me. I loved them so much that I had to tell their story. And I knew once I started building their world that I couldn’t limit it to just one book. Their world was too big, their adventures and lives too grand to limit to just one puny book. They needed to meet the world, which meant I had to finish the book!

So, what can you do to stay focused on an entire book?

1. I totally agree with Rachel on this one – you have to love what you’re writing. You have to truly be passionate about it, because there are going to be days where you don’t want to write at all. This love affair with your book will help you get through those days.
2. Outline. Outline. Outline. I know this comes down to the plotter vs. pantzer debate, but I believe in outlining (and this is coming from someone who didn’t outline a single book until Nightwalker). If you’re not a plotter, keep it as a bare-bones outline of just main items. I’m still a pantzer when it comes to my subplots. The outline will keep you on target and on task.
3. Don’t start new projects until the book is done. If you have a great idea, make some notes. Draw up an outline. Don’t start writing scenes! You’ll have distracted yourself and it will be that much harder to get back to the “old” idea.
4. Set a deadline. I think this helped me the most in finishing the second book. I had an official deadline from my editor that I had to meet. Give yourself a deadline, whether by chapter or for the whole book. If you’ve got a blog, also look into putting up a progress meter – it’ll keep you honest and it also give you a sense of accomplishment.

These are just a few suggestions of stuff that has helped me. That doesn’t mean the temptation isn’t still there. I’ve got a side project that I am positively itching to get back to that doesn’t have to do with vampires, werewolves, or naturi. But until I finish the edits on book 2 and finish writing book 3, the side project stays packed away.

Character Sketches: Part 2

I know I've said it before, but I'm going to repeat it. The devil is in the details. Yet, so is the soul of a character. Strange coincidence, no? I'm joking. But I think a person comes alive in the strange eccentricities and habits that people develop in years of life. Why should characters in your stories be any different?

Do you have a character that touches their visor every time they drive through a yellow light? Or refuses to walk over one of those open grates in the sidewalks? How about a female character that refuses to wear anything but underwear from Victoria's Secret? It's these extremely random facts that breathes life into the character, grounds them into something that a reader can understand and potentially relate to.

Here are some more details that you may to consider jotting down when you're working on your next character sketch:

1. Physical imperfection or things that your character might want to change about him or herself: this could affect how your character acts around other, how she/he dresses, confidence levels, etc.

2. Characteristic gestures: a list of these can help when writing as they can be used along with dialogue tags. (ie. running fingers through hair, drumming fingers, rolling eyes, etc.)

3. Personality type, quirks, and eccentricities

4. Bad habits


In a side note, here is a great music video for Weezer's latest song. It contains all the great viral videos that have taken off during the past couple years. Enjoy and have a great weekend.

Character Sketches

In a break from my usual babbling about nonsense, I thought I would spend the next few days talking about some of the things I've learned about the craft and art of writing. Today, I'm going to start with something that is near and dear to my heart -- the character.

In a statement that will likely upset some authors and a few readers, I believe that most books fall into one of two categories : character-driven and plot-driven. In this, I mean the driving force, the main focus, of the book is either the main character(s) or it's some event within the book (ie. the plot). Now, I will admit that there are some amazing writers out there who can accomplish both, thus writing books that absolutely blow your mind. How can you tell which the book is? Why did you read it? Are you reading it to see what a character does or if she falls for this guy that's she's been giving the cold shoulder for the past 3 books? Or did you read the book to see how some horrible event is averted?

Now, before anyone's feathers get ruffled, that's not to say that a plot-driven book can't have great characters or character-driven book can't have a kick-ass plot. I've read both. But one or the other tends to be the driving force in the book.

So, why did I dig myself this hole in the first place? Oh, yeah... characters. I write character-driven books. It can't be helped. It's where I start with every story I write. It all begins with a character walking into my life and saying "Jocelynn, I've got a story for you to tell." Well, not all of them have been quite so polite, but you get the picture. And like the dutiful writer that I am, I scurry off to get a pen and paper so I can start making notes about the character that has just been born.

As a result, I tend to keep extremely detailed character sketches of my main players. The minor character still get some notes, just enough to jog my memory of eye color, hair color, height. But the main characters get several pages. I try to write a complete history of each character. I will say that 95% of the information that I place in the character sketches never appears in the books. However, I know that information and I know in a more complete way how my characters' motives and decisions are going to be affected by those past events. One thing I've heard from several editors over the years that a book should read like it's the tip of the iceberg poking out of the water. The writer should have this whole mass of information just below the surface to back up his/her writing. The writer is giving the reader only a small snapshot of the world the character is living in. However, it should feel like the rest of the world is still functioning even though your character is focused somewhere else.

Am I making any sense? I hope so. I'll go more into some of the details I list for my characters, but today I have a writing prompt I picked up while I attended the Summer Writing Festival at the University of Iowa a few years ago.

You have your character all sketched out in your mind or on paper. Now image that character has a box in his/her closet. It can be any size box -- shoe, jewelry, etc. But the box is shoved in the back of the closet and it's hidden under a pile of sheets and old clothes. Someone wouldn't spot the box unless he or she was specifically looking for it. In other words, this box is hidden. What's in the box? Why is the box hidden? When did your character hide the box and its contents? How often does the character remove the box from the closet? Does your character ever open the box? Why?

I completed the same exercise with one of my nightwalkers when I was in Iowa. Tristan kept in a shoe box a gold watch made for him by his father and given to him on his wedding day. In the comments, please tell me what your character has hidden if you complete this writing prompt. It can be serious or funny.

A Look Back at the Beginning: Part 2

I recently received a reader question about how many manuscripts I wrote before I sold and how I got my agent. Last night, I discussed how many books I wrote and when I got started writing. Tonight, I am going to talk about finding my agent.

There are stories of writers who managed to snag an agent within a few weeks of sending out their first query letters. I’m not one of those writers. Actually, it took me roughly two years and a stack of rejection letters to win over my agent.

I tried the usual route of the Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents. I searched the Internet and I had a few connections that were kind enough to recommend me to their agents. No luck. Of all my rejection letters, I will say that I had a very strong response overall. About 30% were just plain old rejection letters. No name, no signature. Another 10% were rejection letters with a handwritten note. Another 30% asked for the first 3 chapters. And another 30% not only asked for the first 3 chapters, but they went on to ask for the whole book.

The rejection letters were mounting and I will admit that I got discouraged. It’s hard not to. I was getting a lot of positive responses; the most popular being that I had a great voice. But for some reason no one could quite pin down, no one wanted me.

A good friend once told me that I wanted to find an agent who loved my book as much as I did. I understood what she was saying, but I can’t say that I necessarily believed her.

It had been 2 years of rejections. I was getting worried. Was urban fantasy getting too saturated?

I had just received an issue of the RWA magazine, which listed several agents that were looking to take on new clients. I copied down 5 names, all that I could contact via email. I drew a line in the sand. I needed a serious bite from someone in this group of 5 or I was going to pack away the manuscript and start on something new. If I was lucky, I thought I would be able to sell the new project and maybe be able to sell my urban fantasy at a later date when I was an established author.

From the group of 5, I got some very serious bites. Out of the 5, only 1 rejected me outright and 3 immediately asked for samples. One I don’t think I ever heard from. From the 3 that asked for samples, 2 asked to see the whole book.

However, one asked faster than the other. I couldn’t give her an exclusive look, because the book was actually with another agent and an editor who had yet to give me a final decision. I did promise not to send the book to anyone else. She asked to me hold off for only a week. I was willing to give her more time. That weekend was Mother’s Day. I didn’t expect her to read my book over Mother’s Day.

The following Monday, I was prepared to email her and tell her that I was willing to give her more time to review the book. Instead, she called me. She wanted to represent me. What really awed me was when she started talking about my characters. I could hear it in her voice. It was the same tone of love and excitement I used when I talked about them. And the clincher: she hadn’t finished reading the book yet. She still had about 100 pages left. She saw something in that book she couldn’t pass up. She saw something in my ability that she didn’t want to pass up. I was honored, flattered, and humbled in that moment.

My friend was right. I had found someone who loved my book as much as I did.

A couple days later I signed some paperwork making it all official. After a week of quick revisions, my agent had my book in the hands of several editors in all the big publishing houses. We got several serious nibbles.

My same friend warned me that it might take a while to land an offer.

We had an offer before Father’s Day.

So my advice… it’s not anything new. Stick with it. You’re going to get lots of rejections letters. Lots of rejections letters. No matter what I say, you’re going to take it personally. Just don’t let it stop you. If your writing is important to you, if you feel like this book MUST be shared with the world, then don’t let a few “no”s stop you. In the meantime, this process involves a lot of waiting. While you’re waiting, be working on that next project. You might not sell your first book first. Your third book might sell first and then you get back to your first one.

Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Associates is my agent. She’s amazing. She believes in me. I’d be completely lost without her.

A Look Back at the Beginning

A kind reader has provided me with today’s writing prompt:

“Maybe when you get the chance you could write a post about how you found your agent/how many manuscripts you wrote before you got picked up... Us pre-repped writers love to hear that stuff! :)”

Let’s see… I started writing stories when I was 12. I spent one entire summer seated on my bed with a battered notebook in my lap, re-writing the story of Robin Hood. Weeks prior, I had finished a great re-telling of the story by a wonderful author, but I was left feeling like something was missing. For me, the tale needed a strong female figure. So, I rewrote it. It came out to be about 50+ pages handwritten and I still have it buried somewhere under an enormous pile of unfinished manuscripts.

For the next couple years, I wrote stories about girls in high school, silly romance stories that will never ever see the light of day. Around my freshman or sophomore year in high school, a friend introduced me to fantasy fiction and I found my home. I have never gotten around to reading as much fantasy fiction as I would like. I was given Raymond Feist’s Midkemia series and I was in heaven. This was the kind of stuff I wanted to write. It sang to my creative heart in so many ways. Feist is an amazing storyteller and that is what I want to be.

So, in my freshman or sophomore year, I started my great fantasy series. I still have the map I designed of the world. I actually finished writing the first book and I’ve got the second book half done. But I’ve never finished it. Somewhere along the way, I decided that what I was saying wasn’t fresh or new enough. I needed a new angle to the fantasy genre, something different to say. So, the series has been put aside. However, it is one of my long-term goals to return to it one day. The idea, the heart of the story, is a good one. I think the world building and some of the main characters need to be completely revamped.

Over the years, the writing has never stopped. I hopped through genres with the same frequency that some people change their hair color. For me, it’s about following what the story demands and not worrying about what genre the story will fit in. I’ve written fantasy, science-fiction, horror, romance, historical romance, paranormal historical romance, dark fantasy, and action/adventure. And a few things that I haven’t found a description for just yet.

How many manuscripts did I write before I was picked up? I actually completed only a few books. Many stories were just practice, or an effort to get a story out of my head finally. And a part of me misses those days of just writing with no goal, no need to actually reach the ending.

Nightwalker is the first book I’ve ever tried to sell. I’ve written a lot of things that I love and have enjoyed, but Nightwalker was the first one that I felt like I needed to share with the world. I couldn’t keep Mira and Danaus to myself. They deserved better than that, I owed them that.

Okay, so I’ve rambled way too much already, so I will save the other half of the question for tomorrow night.

A Muse-Less Mira

Continuing with yesterday's theme of muses, I wanted to talk a little about Mira and the Dark Days Series.

The series actually started as a short story, which actually started as a writing experiment. I wanted to write about this dark, mysterious man. He came with his own muse, oddly enough. I saw him while flipping through a gaming magazine years ago. He was dark, grim, and deadly -- he was perfect. Looking at that picture, I instantly knew it all. I knew his past, the sound of his voice, the smell of his skin, and the feel of his hands. I knew watching him fight was like watching the ballet; grace, beauty, and balance.

But Danaus was also reserved and private. He wouldn't be willing to tell his own story, so I needed a storyteller.

For Mira, there was no specific muse or inspiration. Mira simply opened her mouth and I knew everything there was to know about her. I had been perfecting her over a series of short stories until I finally found the perfect home for her. Mira doesn't need a muse. She had way too much personality, far too much to say.

For me, writing the Dark Days series is like watching someone else's life. I'm here to relay what is happening in their world. I just feel honored that they let me into their lives.

Musing on Muses

I’ve got my little table at Panera with my to-go cup of café mocha and my blueberry scone. I guess that means I’m ready for either a little people watching or some introspection.

I think today is an introspective day. I’ve had the concept of the artist’s muse floating in the back of my head for the past couple weeks and it’s a topic that I’ve been wanting to touch on, but I’ve been waiting for a moment when I actually had some time to write a cohesive and coherent thought.

In general, the concept of the muse traces back to Greek mythology and depending on which story you read, there are either, 3, 7, or 9 muses. Without going into the history (too late), the idea of the muse is a source of inspiration.

I guess the question that has been nagging at me is “do I have a muse?” Do I have a source of inspiration that I fall back on when I’m working? For the most part, my artistic creation comes in the form of the written word, but I also do some landscape photography on occasion when I need to get away from my computer and re-fill the creative well.

At first, I thought maybe music was my muse. I tend to listen to certain types of music when I’m writing fight scenes vs. dramatic, secret-revealing scenes. I listen to a different style of music when I’m plotting and outlining the book vs. when I’m actually editing. But, in the end, I don’t think music is my muse. I use music to not only lift me out of “reality” but also to preserve a certain mood. Dark, grim music for dramatic scenes and fast, angry music for fight scenes. But, as a sort of inspiration … not quite.

A number of my stories come from just walking down the street or sitting in a corner booth at Panera and watching the people around me. I’ve got a side project that I’m toying with whenever I have a little free time. It was born out of my trip to Las Vegas last fall. I was walking down the Strip and my mind just kept asking “what if?” What if you live here? What if you were a part of the “behind the scenes” crew? What if …? Mixing in my own twisted imagination and a need for the surreal, I came up with a story. Sometimes, the massive, unpredictableness of the world around me is muse enough.

Three Steps Forward...

I'm sorry I have been so reserved recently in my posts. A mix of personal issues and lots of work have made me extremely distant and reluctant to post anything, but I think I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am home again, blanketed with gray skies and temperatures that struggle to break above 50 degrees, but at least it is home. I have heard from my editor and the book will be back in my hands again before the end of the month. The copyeditors have had their way with my darling book and they will be sending it back for me to approve of their edits. I have been told that I will have only a week to go over the book, but it doesn't sound as if that is going to be a problem.

In the meantime, I am fighting my newest project. I had completed the first three chapters, but I had been truly happy with only the first chapter. It was around 2 in the morning, laying in bed, staring at the black ceiling that I realized that I was going about this book all the wrong way. The result -- chapters 2 and 3 have been completely scrapped, the POV has been narrowed from three storytellers to just one. Many of the themes and tones remain the same, but I think the narrowed focus will help to get and keep the reader invested in the storyline.

It's very rare for me to scrap big chunks of a book during the rough draft. I'm not particularly fond of doing it during the revisions, but I will. The rough draft I treat differently. At the onset, I tell myself that it is all good and just to get it down on paper, changes can always be made later. Unfortunately, this one just felt wrong. I wish I could be more specific, but after writing for more than 18 years, much of what I do now is driven by instincts and subconscious planning.

If anything, I've learned to be willing to start from scratch again and again and again, until it is finally there.

What's in a Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"
~William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet," Act 2 Scene 2

It's not often, but I have to disagree with Mr. Shakespeare here. A name carries so much weight and meaning sometimes that it cannot be easily fobbed off as an afterthought.

I blame my parents. After being given a somewhat unusual name upon my birth, I have been fixated on names and providing characters with the right names to fit who they are, who they could be, who they are going to be, or maybe even someone they could never be. A name is often the first taste a reader gets of a character, that first impression that can never be erased but is carried forward throughout the book so that it flavors every impression afterward.

With Nightwalker in the hands of my editor, I decided to play with an idea I have been allowing to stew in the back of my brain. Before I ever make any notes regarding a book, it has to be allowed to ferment in my imagination for a while -- at the very least a month. I need time to let the main character walk around in my brain so that I can learn the cadence of his step. I need to know him well enough that he can be distinguished from all the other characters in my head simply by the sound of him walking about.

So, now that I know the character and some good bits of the book, it was time to take the next step: sketching out the main character. That's how I work. Some people start with the plot, I build my plots around my main character(s). But a problem immediately arose: I have no idea what his name is. I can see him as clear as day standing before me. I know the texture and length of his hair, the smell of his skin, the taunting half-smile lifting one corner of his mouth. I know the secrets he hides and the lies he tells. But I don't know his freaking name! So, until I know his name, I can go no further... Almost.

I did write the first chapter, which only indirectly involves. The poor man has been given a temporary name because I am impatient, but neither of us is happy about this. Do you have any suggestions for me?

A brief description stolen from the first chapter:

"XXXX was also a stunning figure of a man. Standing at more than six foot, he had the broad shoulders, narrow waist, lean muscular build of a Calvin Klein model. His long dark hair and equally dark gaze put him somewhere rock star and romance novel pirate. He was a master magician and all sex appeal."

Other adjectives: confident, quiet but not brooding, reserved when not performing, pensive, almost ghost-like, sincere

New Ideas

I've been a little under the weather recently, which has succeeded in significantly slowing me down.... but not my brain. I've got a new book idea. Oh man, am I in trouble! This one switches over to the traditional fantasy genre. It's where I started writing so many years ago, but I stopped because I was worried that I couldn't come up with something fresh enough to stand out in a crowd. Well, I like this one. I really like this new idea, but the problem lies in the fact that I've only got a few more days before my book edits come in and I have to return to the task of dealing with vampires and other creatures that go bump and suck in the night. Not that that is a problem. I love writing vampires. But I am also the type of writer that has to play in several different fields.

So, the task is to make as many notes and outline as much the plot as possible during the next few days and return to it ... someday.

Finding An Agent: Part 2

As I prepare to head out to the RWA conference in Dallas, I thought I would touch on the dreaded "fast pitch". At many writer conferences, editors and agents will block out slots of time to meet with aspiring writers. In general, the writer is given about 10 minutes to pitch his/her book to the agent or editor.

I've done this and I will admit that, for me, it was one of the scariest things I had ever done. I was sitting across a tiny table from an editor, trying to seem relaxed while convincing her that she just had to have my book. At the end of the interview, she asked me to send the whole manuscript to her. (But she didn't sign me -- the book deal came much later for another publisher)

Below I have listed a few items to keep in mind:

1. Practice your pitch
There are at least a couple different kinds of pitches. There's the 30-second elevator pitch. It's just what it sounds like. You happen to run across an agent or editor in the hall, on the elevator, at the bar (QUICK TIP: Don't try to pitch them while in the restroom. It's rude. Give the person a little time the handle the basics of life) and you give a brief synopsis of your book. It's just a basic couple of sentences the summarizes the plot of your book. A tagline is also helpful in giving them a way of grounding your idea in something he/she already knows. I've seen Kim Harrison's books sometimes described as "Buffy meets Columbo."

Another kind of pitch runs closer to 10 minutes and walks the editor through the book. The goal is to be informative, energetic, and engaging. If you can get the person asking question about the book, it is a good sign of interest. The agent/editor not only needs to know how the book fits among those that are already out there, but also how your book is different. What is your edge?

Once your work out your pitch, practice it. Pitch your friends, family, talk to yourself in the mirror. Have it down. When at a conference, you never know when an opportunity will present itself. Be ready!

A few other things to keep in mind:

2. Believe it or not, agents and editors are people, too.
They understand that you're nervous. All the agents and editors that I have met so far are nice people, who generally enjoy their jobs. They are patient and understanding. At one workshop, one editor said that it was their job to say "no." That's fine. It's your job to convince them to say "yes" and you do that by being great.

3. Be considerate.
Try not to stalk and as I mentioned before, don't try to pitch someone while in the bathroom. If you happen to run across someone in the hotel bar or in the hall, you can approach them then. Just remember #2, give them a little space.

4. Be aware of odors.
Try not to each onions with lunch just before your meeting and I have also been warned to not wear strong perfume ahead of the meeting. Little things like that can distract the agent/editor from why you are both there: your book.

5. Business cards
Finally, don't expect to hand over your manuscript or even a synopsis while at the conference. Most editors don't bring an extra suitcase to lug home 50 pounds of manuscripts after a conference. However, have your business card with all your contact information ready. If he/she wants to see your book, you will usually exchange business cards and the agent/editor will give you instructions for sending your book.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you've got any questions, feel free to post them in the comments section. I will try to answer them during the next couple of days.