World Building Part 1

World Building. Two big scary words. It's not just for Fantasy worlds anymore. Where do you start? There are certainly enough websites on the internet to help you. But where do you start? What do you need? What do you want? These questions are just as scary. And I really can’t answer them for you. What I can do is share a little about the process I went through as I created the world of Paranormal Shadows.

Which came first? At the time I was watching Charmed (the original) and all the CSIs (Original, New York and Miami). There was an episode in the first season of Charmed that had the police independently investigating a series of murder that were magical in nature. They came to logical conclusions and found the person responsible. I liked the idea and it continued to play in my brain as I paid more attention to police procedures.

So, magic is real. Since an important aspect of world building is consistency, I had to come up with rules. Who could use it? How could they use it? How much power can an individual use? Does the general population know about it? Do people use it in everyday life? The rules of magic were very important. Because it would have a deep impact on how my characters would navigate this world.

So I looked at how I wanted magic to work. The first thing I decided was the type of magic. I chose to make it elemental. Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. Each person could access only one of these. How many people could use it? I choose to make it that only a small percentage of the population could have access to the magical energy field that surrounded the Earth. Then I decided that everyone who used magic had different levels of use. That made things more manageable.

My next mental process became, how to commit a crime with magic. Not every magical criminal was going to be a high power super man who could kill at will. That would have over balanced things against my heroes who would have to be just as super powered. So, I reviewed some petty crimes. 

Breaking and Entering was a test case for me, although it doesn’t appear in any of the books. I picked an element. Fire. A low powered Fire criminal. How did he get in? He melted the locks in the way a welder might use fire, it just wouldn’t take as long. There I had the how. Now for the tricky part. How do I catch him? This is where I looked at forensic techniques. Along with the normal (photos, dusting for prints, interviewing witnesses) procedures, I added a couple more techniques that are magic specific. Does the magic used leave evidence of itself? I decided the answer was yes. Combining these with standard techniques, I am able to catch my criminal.

So that concept worked and I was able to come up with the initial rules of magic and how it worked in the modern world. As I continue to write in this world, new aspects will appear, more rules added, but the foundation is there and I can continue to build on that. Things work as an extension of the real world.

More Word Count Fluff

The first week of NaNoWriMo. You came in with a strong start. The words are flowing. Your story is flowing from your mind like the Amazon River during the rainy season. Nothing can stop you now. Your word count is off the charts. You’ve never had it so good.

Stop.

(Patiently waiting for the screams of protest to die down a little.)

I’m not telling you to stop writing. I value my life far too much.  What I am suggesting is to make you write more, not less. Something I’ve learned over my 17+ years of NaNoWriMo is not to rush the story. Yes, you want to get that first draft written. You want to get that word count. What I’m offering is a way to do both.

For example, let's look at the following bit:

He opened the door and rushed into the room.

That was good for 9 words. It jumps you right into the next scene. But instead, why not expand on it? This is where you can draw in on the five senses. Lets try this again.

His hand curved around the cold metal knob of the door. He took a deep breath, the musty scent of old wood stinging his nose, even as he could see the wood of the door splintering from age. He pushed it open and rushed ahead as dust seemed to billow around him to hold him back.

Same concept, but expanded. And 56 words instead of 9. Three of the five senses used. Sight, smell and touch.

You don’t need to rush your story. Take the time to tell it. The more you add, the better your word count.

Quantity is important. It doesn't matter if you edit it all out later. What matters is telling your story. Enrich the story in your own mind. Add sensation. And most importantly, enjoy the experience of telling your story. That is after all why you’re a writer, isn’t it?

NaNoWriMo Prep

 It’s that time of year again. Writers around the world are preparing for National Novel Writing Month

2020. They took that first step and signed up, committing themselves to writing 50,000 words over the space of 30 days.

Halfway through the month of October, it hits them. That frightening commitment that will eat their soul for a month. Where friends and family will be ignored more than usual. And they still have to try to manage dealing with Thanksgiving and Covid-19 limitations. It's scary. It’s daunting. It’s overwhelming. What was I thinking?

Over the years I’ve been doing NaNoWriMo, I’ve learned a few things. 

Deadlines are not bad things. They taught me how to focus on a single project and complete it in that timeframe.

A little preparation can’t hurt. This was one of the biggest things I learned.

I started out as a purebred Pantser. I made the story up as I went along. Occasionally having to stop to Google something I needed more information on. Occasionally I would get stuck not knowing what to write next, so I would skip around scenes to just keep going. I reached my goal, but when it came to the editing process, I honestly didn’t know what to do with it.

Then I decided to give being a Planner a shot. No surprises. All the information was at my fingertips . I knew where the story was going. I even knew how it would end. The fight scenes were detailed out and logical. The characters had complete biographies and motivations. The downside? I was bored by the story. I completed it, but I found it extremely dull writing it and reading it. There was nothing for me to discover.

So I am now what is called a Plantser. There is planning involved. I even have an outline. Character names and a brief sketch of their personalities. I have a list of websites I’ll need for more information. However, everything is subject to change. The outline is a guide only and it’ll be okay for me to deviate

from it if the story demands it. My lead Male Character has already changed his name and background, twice and it’s not even November yet.

What’s important is finding the best method that works for you. Whether you are a Planner or Pantser, the point is to get that story out of your head. Remember, out there is someone with a hole within them that is in the exact shape of your story.

What Is A Trope?

As I’ve wandered deeper into the writing community and learning about writing. Occasionally I come

across terminology that is unfamiliar. Most of the time, I don’t ask for an explanation. I just pretend I know what everyone else is talking about. Most of the time I can fake it pretty successfully. But then, I do write fiction after.

Which brings me to a word I’ve seen here and there.

Trope.

What is a Trope?

Well… that’s a really good question. So naturally I had to do some research on the subject. 

To start with, the origin of the word comes from the Greek “tropos” which means direction or way. Of course there is more to the etymology of the word, but if you want to know more, there are plenty of resources on the internet to find it. 

There are a number of definitions of the word. Just as there are a number of different types of tropes. Some tropes are bundled under even other classifications.

For example, for the sake of simplicity: Literary Tropes, Movie Tropes, and TV Tropes. You can take it even further such as Fantasy Tropes, Dystopian Tropes, etcetera. Once I got to this point, I started to get that little stress crease between my brows that usually means I’m struggling to maintain interest.

Let’s wander over to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. That should make it simpler, right? First definition is “: a word or expression used in a figurative sense:” Figure of Speech. So let's wander over to the second definition “: a common or overused theme or device :” CLICHÉ.

I think we’re getting closer to understanding what a trope is. At least I am. I hope. What it comes down to is a Plot Device. Something you see in different genres or media. Something that is used over and over again. In some cases, so often, it’s easy to guess how the story will end or at least what the general plot will be.

Let’s try some examples of tropes. Since I write paranormal mystery/romance, let’s see what the common tropes are in that.

The Paranormal Investigator: This person investigates a supernatural crime of some sort. In television it would be shows like X-Files or Night Stalker or Supernatural.

I See Dead People: This person can see ghosts that others can or cannot interact with. The ghosts may deeply impact their lives or just hang around as a weird roommate.

Soul Bonds: These people are fated to be together. Their destiny is to fall in love and no one else will do it for them. Even if they hate each other at first.

Now this is not to say tropes are bad. They aren't. They can be used effectively to create a good story. After all, the X Files was on television for years.

Which tropes do you see over and over? And which ones do you hate?

Don't Panic!

Last week I freaked out. I mean, I had a serious writer’s meltdown. It included tears and despair and hopelessness. Actually a lot of tears. (I cry at commercials.) I was reading through the rough draft of the climatic scene of my 3rd book.

A friend who is always honest with me, delicately pointed out that it was…. (cringe) FLAT.

He was being kind. It was pure crap. Horrible. Messy. It had as much tension as a broken piece of yarn. And short. Depressingly short. And I had no idea how to fix it. Or even if it could be fixed.

Thus, the meltdown of epic proportions. I wasn’t a writer. I was a fraud. Flop. Amateur. I sucked. Everything I did, sucked. And sucked in the worst possible way.

This isn’t the first time I’ve gone through this. Nor am I the first writer to go through this. I’m pretty sure there are some very popular and prolific writers out ther that go through this morass of depressing self doubt.

Now, this is not to be confused with Writer’s Block. That’s another little monster that will get its own post someday. 

But, guess what? It’ll pass. There are important things you need to remember as you dry your tears: ALL first drafts suck. If anyone tells you differently, they are lying or delusional. The first draft is nothing more than a skeleton. The foundation of your story. The crucial starting point, not the end product.

This is what I did. After sobbing for a number of hours and exhausting myself. I forced myself to read it again. Yeah, it was still pretty disappointing, but I realized something important. I was still okay with the WHAT happens. It was the HOW that sucked. The framework was there. I just needed to give it some life. 

I was looking at two thousand words in desperate need of help. I broke the action down by what takes place and in what order. I realized I left a lot of things out. There was no description of where the action was taking place. No internal dialog from the characters. No details of the action itself. Just a list of things that happen.

Once I realized I had to build on what was already there (and pay homage to the grammar monkey), I was able to calm down. So those two thousand words became five thousand. The tension leading to the action was hyped up. The tension I felt I was able to inject into expanding on what I had already written. 

I was able to fix it. I’m also feeling a whole lot better with the result. So don’t panic. You’ll know if you

need to fix it or replace it. Let the emotion you feel out and then dive back in and take care of your darling. After all. YOU are the Writer. This is your story, your world. You RULE!

New vs Old Authors

 I had an interesting conversation lately. It started with an observation by a friend about science fiction authors (well known ones) coming to the end of their careers. I wasn’t aware that writers were even capable of retiring unless they were dead. They write until they croak. In some cases someone will take over and continue writing for them.

Needless to say, that didn’t sit that well with me. I’m a Golden Girl.

This led to another conversation about age and publishing. I was told, by a person who dabbled at writing, that publishing a book was a young person’s game, especially fiction. Apparently there are some that believe that if you’ve crossed the big 5-0, then the books you write are memoirs or historical topics.

They didn't think they could craft a book that would appeal to younger readers. Or they didn’t think they could write characters younger than they were. Or they thought the environments they would write in would be too dated. Or they weren’t computer savvy enough to write an eBook. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Now on the other end of the spectrum are those that think they’re not old enough to write a book. They believe they don’t have enough experience. Or they haven’t been around long enough to be taken seriously. 

I did a little research. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein completed that manuscript before she was 21. Stephen King is currently 73 and he has a book set to come out in 2021. 

What this tells me, is that age doesn’t matter. This is just a reason that some use not to get that book

out. Another thing they allow to hold them back. I heard someone say that out there somewhere is a reader with a hole in their soul that is the shape of your book.

You have that story inside you. Write it. Someone will love it as much as you do. 

Don’t let ageism stop you.

The Casting Couch

You’re starting your book. You’ve worked out the plot, the main characters have names, and you have a general idea what they look like. Or do you?

Some authors have the ability to mentally see what their character looks like in precise detail. That little mole under the left eye. The long eyelashes unfairly given to a man. The tiny scar she has on the edge of her collarbone. The way the hair grows back from her brow.

Unfortunately, I’m not that good at that. I generally manage hair color, eye color, and probably height. I get stuck on coming up with details beyond that. I can’t mentally see them beyond a vague blur of their features.

I flip the idea sideways to make it work for me. If this was a movie, who would I cast in the role of the main character. Then bang (!) I have a clear image of what my character looks like and some physical traits which I can modify depending on my plot needs.

Let me give you an example of how that worked for me.

In the book Watching Shadows - Book 1: Paranormal Shadows I had the character of Tyler Buchanan. I knew the kind of person he was and that he had a quirky sense of humor and charm. But for his physical description… Vague is the word. Until I saw him on television. More precisely, I saw him on MacGyver. Richard Dean Anderson became the physical template of Tyler Buchanan. I aged him a little, put a few gray hairs at his temple and suddenly he became easier to write and describe. His personality settled right in with a perfect fit.

I did the same with other characters in the story. Evan Richardson is Ben Browder. Alonsa Matthews was physically based on Holly Marie Combs.

Now that being said, I realize that how I see my characters and how a reader will see them in their mind's eye are two very different things. This is just my process on one aspect of my novel writing. I pin their pictures to the wall while I’m writing.

Of course there were times I looked at Tyler and said “What is wrong with you?”

So how do you come up with your character looks? Comment below.

NaNoWriMo - To Panic or Not To Panic

I see you out there. Sneaking into the Halloween candy with furtive motions as you contemplate tomorrow. Tomorrow. November 1st. All Saint's Day. El Dia de los Muertos. National Bison Day.

Great big scary, ain't it?

Whether you're new at it or a veteran, Day one is one of the worst days. Whatever time you sit down to start the next Great Novel, you all have to face the same thing. 

That first blank page.

How do you start? You type Chapter One. Your word count is now a rocking two. Your mind starts to swirl and cramp. Where to start. How to craft that first sentence that hooks the reader. 


BUZZZZZZTTT!!!!!!


Now that you've wasted a couple hours of your life along with inhaling several pounds of leftover Halloween candy, take a step back. Take a deep breath. There, that's better.

The advice you'll hear about how to start will go along the lines of: Just write something. It doesn't matter what. That kind of advice tends to not to be much help to me. I need more help than that. If you're reading this then, like me you'll need a little more help too.

So, how to start. 

Tip #1: You've been thinking about this book for a while. Scenes have been swirling around your head all through the month of October. Stop worrying about where your novel starts. Write the scene that has been in your head. Start there. You can worry about where it goes in December.

Tip#2: The first words you write are: It was a dark and stormy night.
Now write why your character is thinking that. Is it a dark and stormy night or a bright and sunny day? Are they on a planet or out in space? Why would they think that line. As you write you'll find the ideas start to flow and you can transition to where you want your story to go.

Example:

      "It was a dark and stormy day. Hunter Reid glanced up at the cloudy sky and frowned. It would be darkfall soon and he was no where near where he had planned to camp for the night. Thanks to a landslide that had blocked part of the sixfor, Hunter would now have to find another route to Orange. And it didn’t look as if he would be making his usual overnight spot before the mists started. There was nothing more miserable than trying to sleep in the mists. It seeped into everything and made everything colder. "

Excerpt from Orpheus Rising

That was how I started NaNoWriMo 2005. It's my usual go to when stuck.

So what are your tricks for starting a new novel? Let me know in the comments below.

NaNoWriMo Tips & Tricks

So, it's halfway through November and you've been banging away at your story. Your words flow, the story unfolds, your word count is on target and then..... nothing.

Writer's Block. There are those who say Writer's Block doesn't really exist, but I disagree. The imaginary voices in your head stop talking. Your characters are sitting around staring at you, waiting for you to tell them what to do.

You're stuck. You need to keep writing. The advice from others is... write. It doesn't matter what you write. Write anything.

I have always found that little bit of advice useless. How many times can you write "All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy" without beating your head on the wall.

These little tricks I've used are for when you've stopped banging your head and you've stepped outside and taking a deep breath. These little tips are also wonderful for word count.

Last but not least, these are suggestions you are free to ignore once you finish reading this post. I won't be offended. Really. I promise.

1. The Coffee/Tea Ruse: Chose your primary or secondary character for this. Have them make coffee/tea the same way you do. Detail every single step of the process. Pour the water. Measure the grounds/tea leaves. How much water. How much coffee/tea. What do they think about while it brews? Coffee/tea done? They pour it into a cup. How do they take it? Black? Cream and sugar? How much of each? They take it to the kitchen table? Or do they go outside? Do they sit on a chair or on the top step of the porch?They sit down and take a sip.

The above was 100 words. Now image how many words you'd get if you filled in the blanks. When I do this, the character is thinking during the process of either what happened or what is going to happen. I often get sparked with an idea for another scene or other interaction and I'm off again.

2. The Song & Dance Routine: Chose a character at random. Then pick your favorite song. It can be a current pop song you've been humming the last couple days. Don't stress on which song. If you're stuck on that, turn on the radio and chose whatever song is playing.

Now, your character has to sing. It doesn't matter how badly or how well they sing. Not only do they sing it, but they have to act it out. If you chose more than one character, they they have to dance together for the duration of the song. When they are done, the bow to the applause of the Ninja Hamsters. Where did the Ninja Hamsters come from? Let your characters ask that question. You don't have to give them a valid answer.

I've used the second method myself. In one of my earlier science fiction NaNo attempts. I had the characters break into a rendition of "I'm Just A Sweet Transvestite" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. In a world where women are rare, that wasn't completely out of place. I got almost 1,000 words out of that scene.

3. The Sex Scene: I include this because I know a lot of writers will use this when they are stuck. It doesn't matter if it's appropriate or not. Just detail it out.I don't use this method myself since sex scenes are as hard for me to write as action scenes.


These are just a few ideas to help you along with NaNoWriMo. It doesn't matter if you need these scenes or not. It's your word count that matters. It is Quantity, not Quality we want during November. Quality is for the editing process in December.

Now, gag your internal Editor and prepare to Write Your Novel!

Do you have any tricks you use to keep you writing? Share in the comments below.

Writing Preparation

So here we are in October. The month has a lot of meaning for me. It is my favorite time of the year.

It is the first full month of Autumn. The air is turning cool, the sky is a different shade of blue. And the trees. Oh, the trees. Changing out of their summer dresses and into their lavish fall gowns. Scarlet shades of red. Golden yellow, bright and waving. Warm orange, standing tall between the reds and yellows. Even the rustic browns stand out like accessories against the vivid shades of their peers.

In other words, I love Autumn. At the end of the month we have Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain. It is also the most stressful day of my year.

The reason for my stress is that October 31st is also the day before the start of NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo aka National Novel Writing Month is an annual event where writers around the world sit down with their laptops or tablets or notebooks & pens and attempt to write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days.

I've been doing this event since 2004. I wrote about 2000 words of a paranormal romance and promptly crashed and burned. Unmotivated and no real idea what to do with it.

2005 on the other hand I slammed out a fully fledged apocalyptic science fiction novel. A fantasy in 2006. 2007 was another science fiction novel. 2008... and so on. I've succeeded seven times in the last 11 years which isn't too bad.

So now begins the planning stage. Though I'm more of a Pantser than a Planner. But I do like to have a basic idea of what I'm going to do and I've start doing research that I use while writing.

So are you going to sign up for NaNoWriMo this year? Let me know in the comments below.

Battling the Procrasti-Demon

Welcome to the Procrastination Relief Workshop.

Ummm....

Well, we haven't gotten around to setting up anything or send any invitations... But I'm sure we will... eventually.

Does this sound familiar?

I'm going to write a novel.

But I haven't gotten around to it. But, I will. Someday. When I'm ready. When the time is right. When I settle down. When I have more time. After the baby. When the kids go to school. After I've settled into this job. When my spouse gets a raise. After I pay off the house. When the kids start high school.

You say you're not that bad?

What about these:

Tomorrow. This weekend. After my TV show goes off. When the kids go to bed. After dinner. When the dishes are done. In the morning. After lunch. When I'm on break.

Or this...

I read this blog first.

I battle the Procrasti-Demon daily. Unfortunately it wins a lot. I was going to write this blog last night, but I was enticed away by the lure of watching Chess in Concert for three hours. By then it was bedtime. I'll do it in the morning, I said. After I've had my coffee.... Let me watch the morning news first.... After this movie... When I finish hanging up the laundry... After I eat...

And my day is gone and the Procrasti-Demon wins again.

The thing is, it doesn't always win. There are moments when I can ignore him. I just have to keep trying. Eventually my wins will outnumber my fails.

How do I know I'm getting anywhere? Well, I've written more blog posts in the last month than in the last couple years. That's a win.

I'm also trying the reward system. If I post a blog today, I get a Root Beer Float ice cream bar.

So if you're reading this, I'm eating ice cream.

Okay, you're read my  post. Go write something!

Release the Kraken... Editor!

You suffered through the first draft. You struggled and sweated. You bled as you beat your head against writers block. You wept acid tears as your characters did what they wanted and not what you wanted. In the end, after months (or years) of effort, you produced a bouncing baby book.

You were happy. You were relieved. Even a little sad. The hard part was over.

Or so you thought.

Editing is like dealing with a two-year-old. Or herding cats. Now you have to tackle your novel and wrestle it into a coherent form. The Grammar monster laughs at you. The Spelling Bee throws darts at you. Cargo ships are flying through your plot holes. The internal editor you had gagged during the draft process is free to tell you that you suck.

If you can afford a professional editor, then do it. But if you are like me (dirt poor) there are ways to get you through. A writing group is a huge help. I sent Shadow Watch to my writer's workshop and they combed through my baby and eviscerated it. Going through all their comments one by one was a big part of the editing process.

Sometimes you're going to have to let go of things. That scene you thought was perfect doesn't belong. You have to add scenes in order to make the rest make sense. You have to scale back on a scene to make it fit the plot.

In my case I have to go through each chapter four times. Three for the critiques and one for myself. A lot of work? Absolutely. But in the end I have a novel I can be proud of.

Then End is Near (The 2nd One)

My first novel. Not the first one I've written, but the first one I'm going to put out into the world. NaNoWriMo 2008 was when I wrote this. I had such a sense of relief when I reached The End. It was stressful and crazy-making. But I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything.

I found a writers group that does critiques and I joined. Then last year I got brave and handed them the first chapter. I refer that that experience as having my baby eviscerated a piece at a time.

The evisceration is almost over. I handed them the last chapter and I expect the final notes this weekend. The End again.

.That means the start of Phase 3: Editing. Taking what they have given me and cleaning it up to make it publish worthy.

I am relieved to learn over the past months that the skeleton and some of the vital organ are worth keeping. I was lucky enough to find a group honest enough to tell me when I've written something that is crap or is good.

It's been a roller coaster, but it was worth it.