Would You Rather… Author Tag

Tags

Author Tag, Brandon Sanderson, Fantasy, TOR, Would you rather, writer

Joshua Robertson once again posted a video covering a fun little set of questions for authors. Like I did with the previous one, I will be answering these with no added explanation (but feel free to ask in the comments or via Facebook/Twitter if you want to). Also, if you wish to do a video or post answering these, post a link in the comments and I will check your answers out!

Keep in mind, these all begin with “Would you rather”

1)…have a Male main character or a Female main character? Female main character.
2)…wake up before dawn every day to write or stay up into the early morning hours to write? Wake up before dawn
3)…write a book that is torturous to write but which is very popular or write a book that is fun to write but which is only known by a small audience? Fun to write, always. Even for an audience of one.
4)…write a SciFi story or a Fantasy story? Fantasy story, although I dabble in Sci-Fi.
5)…use first person or third person? Third person.
6)…meet any character of any book/short-story in real life for one day or personally know any author you wish? I would go with knowing any author I wish (Tolkien), although I’d be very happy to also know Brandon Sanderson.
7)…only be able to write your book in scenes from end to beginning or only be able to write it in scenes that jump around in the timeline randomly? Jump around randomly on the timeline.
8)…only be able to write dialog if you act out the voices out loud or only be able to write action if you act it out in real life? Write the action!
9)…publish with the most successful publishing house in your genre but have to wait 2 years to see your book in print or self publish with no expense or marketing assistance but see your book in print within 3 months? I’d choose to wait 2 years to land a contract with TOR…
10)…write a goofy story or write a serious story? Serious story
11)…have an authorial “voice” that always sounds like the narrator from Planet Earth or have an authorial “voice” that always sounds like Captain Kirk? Captain Kirk
12)…write a story knowing that you will have to kill off the main character eventually or write a story knowing that everyone the main character is close to you will eventually have to kill off? Wow…let’s go with everyone close to the main character will end up dying.
13)…leave your ending somewhat open and bittersweet or leave your ending on a cliffhanger? Cliffhanger to build anticipation for the next book
14)…have your cover art designed by Tim Burton or have your cover designed by Stan Lee? Stan Lee!!!
15)…write in many different genres or write only in one genre? One genre, as there are really only two I might write in.
16)…have all of your characters have some physical deformity or have all of your characters have some internal twisted nature?  Physical deformity would be interesting
17)…have an orphaned main character with good friends or a main character with a good-sized family and family problems? Orphaned with good friends
18)…write the sex scene or not write the sex scene? Not write the sex scene.
19)…write about uncertain dangers and intrigue or write about direct confrontation and violence? Both are fun, but let’s take direct confrontation and violence
20)…have to answer any question put to you by your fans or have no fans asking you questions? I’ll answer any question. Bring them all on!

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A Writer’s Favorite Word to Write

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Ava, end, finished, monster hunter, publication, short story, word, writer, Writing

There are a lot of words that a writer has at their disposal. In the English language alone there is a dictionary full of them, not to mention hundreds of other languages in the world. Some authors are even crazy enough to create their own languages, particularly in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. Yet no matter how many words a writer uses, it is safe to say there is one they prefer to write above all others. It is the holy grail of words, signifying achievement.

That word is, simply, “END”.

Last night I reached that achievement. There is a big difference between completing a 1,000 word flash fiction story on this blog and a 10,000 word story. My serial blog series, Curse of Fierabras, was a longer achievement in terms of length but the satisfaction of concluding that was nowhere near the satisfaction from finishing my latest writing project because it wasn’t broken into fifteen posts.

That one word is the beginning of a transition, moving the project from an incomplete first draft into a work that is under revision. The easy task of writing the story is done, and now it falls on the writer and their beta readers to polish the rough patches of inconsistency and choppy dialogue.

But amidst the incoming waves of rejection (3 so far this month, including one just last night) there is a cause for celebration. It is a rejuvenating sensation that trickles through every fiber of my being, delighting in completion. The task of revision will come soon enough, but it can wait until I am done basking in this elation.

There are more stories to tell. Beta readers to recruit to read the story with a critical eye and offer honest input (a rare thing to find! Interested?). Smaller stories to revise and submit. And books to read. Always books to read.

But for now I shall share another sample from the completed story while I  revel in the joy that comes from writing one little word.

END

*   *   *   *

Ava squatted low to the ground, observing the prints from a distance. Edgar had been right in his description of the tracks, but something didn’t seem right to Ava. She crept closer, skirting along the edge of some thick mud near the prints. She strained, leaning in as far as she could, staring at the tracks for a missing sign. When she realized what it was, she sat up with a scowl on her face.

“These are fresh enough,” she said slowly, “but something isn’t right about them. Edgar, what do you see that is missing?”

Edgar crept closer, hesitating to get too close as he peered at the tracks in the mud. “I see two prints there before it disappears into the grass and bushes beyond. Nothing is unusual about there not being more prints.”

“True, but how could it make these prints along that edge without leaving more in this mud down here? It would have passed right through this, and left an obvious trail behind.”

“Maybe it jumped?” Edgar offered.

“Maybe you forged these tracks to get me down here,” Ava said. She stared at Edgar, a cold glimmer in her eyes. Edgar looked away, fidgeting under her stare. He looked up to confess when a deep grumble in the distance made them both pause. Ava raised a hand, signaling for silence as she turned toward the noise. The grumble repeated a few moments later, answered by a higher-pitched whistling noise. Ava slipped a knife from her belt, handing it to Edgar before unsheathing her sword. She motioned for him to follow, stealthily moving toward the noises.

They ducked behind a large rock when they were close, listening for a change in the sounds. Hearing nothing, Ava peeked around the edge. “Goblins,” she whispered to Edgar when she pulled back, “three of them are asleep in the clearing. They must be a scouting party.”

“Scouting what?”

“I bet they are checking out the village, to see if we’re undefended now that father is gone. We can’t let them report back or we’ll have the whole horde swarming down on us.”

“But there are three of them and only two of us.”

“There is one on the left, just around the rock. You take him, and I will get the other two.”

“I’ve never killed a monster before,” Edgar whispered back, concerned. “What if I miss and it claws my eyes out or rips my heart from my chest?”

“It is sleeping. It’ll be dead before it knows we’re attacking. My father will be surprised when he gets home and sees three goblin heads.”

Ava motioned for Edgar to circle around the rock. She clutched her knife in her hand, creeping toward the sleeping goblins. They were as hideous and disfigured as she had always imagined, having heard her father describe them in a dozen tales. Their skin was a pale green and looked like rough, bumpy leather. Their joints were knobby, sticking out at angles that looked painful. Thick, pointy ears stretched above the crown of their heads and a long, crooked nose jutted from their face. She watched one snoring, seeing the rows of small, sharp teeth that could tear the flesh off a man with ease. Small patches of wispy yellow hair were matted down atop their heads, making them all look as though they were going bald.

The Adventure

Tags

adventure, character, essence of life, story, why I write, words, writer, Writing, writing prompt

Each carefully crafted story taking both reader and writer on an exciting adventure, creating bonds with the characters through their trials and their triumphs and capturing an essence of life within the words.

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Tonight’s post was in response to the Trifexta prompt which asked for 33 words on why we write. It still amazes me how often a story or character takes on a life of its own while being written, leading things in an unexpected direction.

Perfecting Poetry

Tags

experiment, improvement, perfecting poetry, poet, poetry, reading, writer, writer's block, Writing, writing prompt

I have determined there are a four key things to do in order to write better poems. Two of them I already knew and one other I suspected. But the third has completely caught me off-guard.

Over the past few months I’ve been taking a Poetry Writing class, which has challenged me in many ways. These challenges, although sometimes frustrating, have allowed me to grow as a poet.

I’ve been writing poetry off and on since 1999. During these thirteen years I’ve taken English classes, creative writing classes, read poetry books, read poetry essays, written poetry essays, and written a poem a day for a month. But I have evolved more as a poet in these past three months than the previous thirteen years.

The highest point so far from this course came this week when the rough draft of my latest poem came back with no suggestions for revision from my professor. She always finds some word choice, structure, or other element in the poem to critique and recommend a change on. But not for this one.

I can’t say I’ve “arrived” yet as a poet, but I have a feeling I have at least a few poems that will be accepted for publication. My confidence in my poetry is at an all-time high. And it is all because of these four things:

1. Write More Poetry – This really should be a given for anyone who writes. The more you do something, the better you will become. A blank page won’t get accepted for publication, and the words don’t just magically appear on the page. And, no matter how busy your schedule might seem, there is always time to write. Even if that means waking up earlier or carrying a small notebook and pen with you everywhere you go. If you want to write more often, you will find the time.

2. Read More Poetry – This is another given for writers. A person who writes Mystery novels will read a lot of other mystery novels. Poets have it lucky because there aren’t many novel-length poems that we would have to read. I personally think that the best thing to do is read a variety of poems, spanning across different poetic movements. Read the old, the really old, and the new. Read local and read poems from around the globe. It is easy to stick to a poet or an era you love the most, but that can only take you so far.

3. Use Writing Prompts – It seems like so many of the prompts are meant for poets because they focus on one moment, one scene, one idea. This is a free idea factory for any poet, which takes away the whole writer’s block excuse before it even starts. They also serve another purpose, which is to move you out of the comfort zone. We all have those topics we return to over and over. The prompt moves you into uncharted territory, which is why it also goes well with number four…

4. Experiment – This applies to topics, but also to something far more beneficial. Write poems (note this is plural, meaning do each one more than once!) in new formats, like the sonnet. If you always capitalize the first word of each line, try writing poems without capitalization. If  each line is always a complete thought, write poems where the only line ending with a period or comma is the last line. Mix things up, sprint so far past your comfort zone that you can’t see it any more. This class has forced me to do just that. One of my best poems was also the hardest one to write the rough draft for. I’ve not only discovered new formats for poetry, but I’ve also found that my natural style of writing a poem isn’t anything like what I wrote for thirteen years.

What are some of the things you think are most important for becoming a better poet or writer? Is there one thing that has helped you grow more than any other?