There’s always a rare idea that comes along that makes you giggle. Leave it to a writer to turn it into a tragedy.
Tag: writing
Eat my shorts!
We are rolling into May! Hope everyone is staying healthy, washing hand, and taking care of that ever important mental health! I’ve been keeping busy, splitting my time between different photography ideas and writing lots of flash and short fiction. Which has led to me thinking a lot about brevity in writing.
Flash fiction, in my opinion, is incredibly difficult to pull off. As someone who usually prefers speculative fiction, having to tell a story in such a short amount of time is very alien to me (why tell a story if I can’t construct the entire world around it?). Still, this quarantine has been giving me lots of time to work on my short form fiction. I’ve been engaging in Write-A-Thons where I’ll try to take a story from conception to composed (not edited) in a few short boosts. These pieces range from 1,000 to 3,000 words. I’ve been getting a lot of prompts from the Reedsy Blog. They hold weekly contests, so I figured (since I’m home all the time) I figured I should submit to their contests, if only to stay in shape. You can check these stories on my Reedsy profile, which is linked through my ‘Original Fiction’ page.
One big question is, why write flash fiction? If you’ve been following me for a while, you’re familiar with the short form fiction I pop out monthly. I always treated these similar to how an artist or illustrator will post their works in progress on their websites and so I can keep my writing brain active. I love the challenge of telling a whole story in as few words as possible. As much as my heart belongs to long-form storytelling, I also enjoy giving people the option to read something short and sweet rather than hope they’ll go through a whole novel on faith that I’m a good writer. Not that we don’t have the time now, right?
What are some of your favorite short fiction pieces? What makes a piece of short fiction really entertaining?
Reinventing the wheel…
At a certain point in every editing experience, it feels like you’re just staring at static words. You’ve so carefully reviewed the material so many times that it all starts to blend together into a mess of letters. As someone who edits a lot of their own work, it’s inevitable that things get missed. But recently, I found a technique that works really well for me and I’d like to share it with you!
It works like this. I have my most recent version of my piece that I’m working on open to the right of my screen and a blank document to my left (for those of you with two monitor rigs, good for you). From there, I rewrite the entire pieces. Word for word.
What do I like about this technique? For a start, I feel like I have to be very careful and it makes me focus. I catch words that I glance over in previous edited versions (either that are the wrong word or just completely missed due to ‘static editing’). I have a chance to reconsider grammar that I missed initially. When I’m rewriting the words, I hear them as I’m reading them, so I can reconsider my word choice.
Rewriting also gives me a chance to look beyond just basic word choice. I can examine entire sections and change them. I can expand sections or cut passages to improve the pacing. Without having to think about ‘What Comes Next?’ I get to focus purely on how things sound and can change them accordingly. I can focus more on pacing, descriptions, and incorporating details into dialogue.
Is it time consuming and tiring? Absolutely, but I think it’s important to find a method that works and embrace it. What are some of your favorite editing tricks and tips?
Hitting the Books…
Recently, I’ve been doing some subjects that require some substantial research. Pirates, cowboys, space travel…I’m willing to bet my search history looks like an eclectic hummingbird buzzing from article to article for an information high.
I’m always a fan of using libraries and will usually check out a few books on new subject when I first start working on a story. I’m also a big fan of documentaries and YouTube videos from historians. A favorite channel of mine is ‘It’s History’. Seriously, if you have an afternoon, jump on down that rabbit hole.
I love talking with other writers about things they’ve searched for for the purpose of a story. Below are a couple of examples of questions I or my writer friends have researched for in the pursuit of fiction.
“How much does an elephant cost?”
“What bones could you lose in your hand and still have it work?”
“How much is a human liver worth?”
“What poisons can be transferred by touch?”
“How did pirates get their peg legs?”
“What’s the cost of cocaine in 1975?”
“How long can a person survive in subzero temperatures?”
“How to survive a bear attack?”
I always feel like I should end every search with “it’s OK, I’m a writer!” What’s some of the weird questions that your research has brought you to?
Coffee with Galene
I took a “Celtic Art, Myth and Culture” class the last couple of Saturdays. I always like to incorporate different kinds of mythology into my writing. For a long time in Middle and High School, I was writing a lot about Greek and Roman mythology. I enjoy learning about mythologies and folklore, so taking the course in Celtic myths was a great refresher (and a bit of a mental palette cleanser). So, please enjoy this newest story:
Of Sins, Virtues and Humors
Whenever I start a new piece of fiction and start experimenting with the characters, I tend to try to think of a few different defining factors. Obviously these get modified as I go deeper into the characterization process, but I don’t always want my characters to be carbon copies of each other. So when I start to think about who they are I try to decide three things: their humor, their virtue and their sin.
Whether it’s the Ninja Turtles, The A-Team or the gals of Sex in the City, the four humors are cornerstones of any ensemble. They’re different enough that they sometimes get at each others throats, but at the end of the day they all need each other to be balanced. The Four Humors as a medical practice is outdated and inaccurate, but the idea of using the temperaments represented by these humors is a practical method to make sure that your ensemble is well balanced. While having a group comprised of “No-Rules Anti-Heroes” sounds fun, it gets a little stale when there isn’t a more rational, moral brain to try and balance their habits out. Facing off against the Big Bad is good conflict, but fighting within the group is a good chance for character growth.
Is your character charitable? Are they kind? The less popular cousin of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Principle Virtues are a good starting point for defining your character. These often coincide (to an extent) with the humors above, but it’s nice to figure out what your character tries for. Even villains believe they’re doing things for the right reasons, so why shouldn’t your hero have a defining trait that drives them?
And, on the other side of the coin, each character I make tries to incorporate a sin. No one is perfect, nor should your characters have to be. Maybe your Anti-Hero has a problem with Wrath. Your great hunter takes their reputation a little too seriously and suffers from pride. Figuring out the fault that your character has creates conflict not only within the group, but within the character. It gives them something to overcome or something to hinder them on their journey.
With these building blocks in place, you can start to flush out your character by asking ‘Why?’ rather than ‘What?’. These help you to ask more questions and ultimately find the characters in an organic way.
What do you look for in a character? Where do you start?
Under the Stairs at Ridge Way
Hello everyone! It’s the third Sunday and that means New Fiction!
Enjoy:
Burnout Recovery
Man this month, I tell ya.
After a thorough (counts on hands) three weeks of being understaffed and overworked, the day job really starts getting to you. When I’m not on my feet, most of my time is going to writing or errands (with the occasional bout of D&D mixed in for flavor). I’ll be very glad when this month is over and things make sense again. But I’m still trying to keep dedicated to my writing work.
Writing while combatting burnout is, to say the least, stressful. But I find myself doing a lot of plotting/planning while riding the bus or during my almost daily run. Sometimes though, I need to step away from the keyboard and lay on my couch, letting my mind wander.
Tea helps a lot. I find a great deal of relaxation in the actual tea making process. It’s a very sensory process: the smell of tea, the milk spiraling in as it mixes or honey dripping down into the mug, the sound of the boiling water, the warmth that fills the cup and (of course) the taste. It gives me a break to stop focusing on what I’m working on a difficult scene because I focus on the process. And then, once it’s finished, I have a nice cup of something hot to regain my focus.
Burnout happens. A lot. Writing is a very solitary profession and it’s not like you can pass it off to someone else and take a break. So, it’s important to say “Five Minute Break” when you’re fighting a scene. But it’s even more important to come back recharged for round two when you’ve finished making your tea. Just don’t forget it’s there. Nothing worse than cold tea.
Getting Motivated!
I hate alarm clocks. I hate the sounds they make. I hate the “Is it snoozed or is it off?” uncertainty. I hate how they always seem to go off right as you’re getting to a good part in your dream. But, I’ve recently decided to embrace my alarm clock and let it be my ally in my writing (so far, it’s an uneasy alliance but has promise for strong relations).
These last few days/weeks have been kind of rough. Work has been extra stressful and things have been kind of tricky to work out in other areas. My writing, sadly, has suffered because of this. So, I’ve decided to try a new approach. Screw inspiration, embrace the motivation and dedication. There are a few things that I’ve done in the past and will continue to do to make this a reality.
Firstly, I need a schedule again. This has been an issue for me in the past. I get flustered through out the week with a sporadic work schedule and weird morning shifts. So, I’m going to start using my time more efficiently. The blue is the time that I set aside for writing task: Querying Agents, working on a new project and writing blog posts (like this one here). It’s mostly and an attempt to stay in the mode of writing. Doing it first thing in the morning means I won’t be out of energy to do it when I come home at 6:30 or 8:00 at night. By making this schedule and keeping it, I’ll be able to establish a better sense of dedication to my work by sectioning off time at the beginning of the day to write something. I’m using iCal, but Google Calendars and other free apps are also good options.
The next big struggle is motivation. I find that seeing my progress is really helpful. Part of what makes Nanowrimo work really well for me is the accountability and daily goals that make is so much easier. A friend recently recommended the site Pacemaker (pacemaker.press) for developing and keeping a Writing Plan. You put in your goal, your timeframe, your pace preferences and it helps develop daily goals for you to aim for with writing (or any other goal). You can upload these goals directly into your calendar and update the site as you go along. As you can see, it’s pretty hit and miss for me (last month in particular, but yesterday was a great day).
Any art is a matter of habit. The more you do it, the better you get, the easier it is. The problem is waiting for inspiration, for those beautiful moments when the words come pouring out in a string of eloquence and elegance. But that only happens about 10% of the time you sit down to write. If you’re lucky. So, screw inspiration. If it comes it comes, but it’s up to the artist to be waiting for it when it arrives.
Da Vinci’s Lady: Part 5
The Conclusion of Da Vinci’s Lady! Enjoy!