Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Souldancer Rewrite Update

For those who are just joining us, I recently finished the final manuscript for my sci fi-fantasy novel Nethereal. That book's completion followed a rather crooked path since I'd already written its sequel, entitled Souldancer, almost ten years before.

Now that the first (in narrative terms) book is done I'm taking another shot at the second. It needs a lot of work to say the least. Weighing in at a staggering 300,000 words, Souldancer begged for pruning. There are also many plot, character, and world-building elements in need of continuity patches.

I quickly decided that a cover-to-cover line edit was not in order. Instead I've started rewriting the story from scratch. I only refer back to the prior text for general plot structure and place/character/object names. Along the way I've been able to combine several scenes and delete some subplots and characters altogether.

Right now I'm on chapter twenty-one of the new draft. To give you a sense of perspective, the action occurring in the new chapter twenty-one takes place at about the same time as the events of last version's chapter twenty-five. The chapters are now shorter, so I'm currently at a point near page 200 where the last draft had taken 400 pages to present the same information.

That's the gist of it. I'll be around to field whatever questions any of you have about the new draft.

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Composition of a Composition

When I first got serious about writing, I knew that producing a novel-length manuscript would take a lot of discipline. My initial approach was to transcribe the story exactly as it existed in my head. I didn't stop to ask if this was the best approach.

Since then I've learned that there's more to drafting a manuscript than single-minded pounding at a keyboard. Trial and error taught me what I could have learned from more experienced writers if I'd thought to ask. The following list of composition methods should save you some time.

Write in Drafts. Like I mentioned before, composing and editing are two different processes. My rookie mistake was trying to perform both operations at the same time. The result really slowed my progress.

Instead of editing as you go, write one whole draft at a time. Then go back and revise. The idea is to find a writing groove that will maximize your creativity. Don't get bogged down worrying about mistakes. You can fix them later.

Add chapter breaks later. A corollary to writing in drafts is to avoid breaking the first draft up into chapters while writing. If you wait till the revision phase, you'll already know where the natural pauses and cliffhangers are. Insert chapter breaks accordingly.

Or compose in chapters. I know some writers who draft in chapters and save each one as a separate file. This is the method I use because it makes revisions easier (I don't have to search through a whole 500 page manuscript to find a typo that one of my readers pointed out). Instead I can just open the ten page document containing that chapter. Then I copy and paste each chapter into the final manuscript doc.

I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. What are some of your favorite writing tips?

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Defeating Writer's Block: Part 2

I've met many obstacles since I started writing daily over two years ago. Writer's block isn't a single affliction. It's a group of mental obstructions that can delay or derail the creative process.

Writer's block has as many cures as forms. Charlie Jane Anders gives some practical advice for dealing with each head of this hydra. I'll synthesize these suggestions with advice from other writers and my own experience.

1. Lack/Glut of Ideas: I'm distilling Anders' first two types of writer's block into one point since they both deal with ideas. Whether you have no ideas (a rare problem, as discussed previously) or can't decide between myriad ideas, coming up with the right story premise is best handled by writing.

Sound backwards? Priming your creative juices with a little freestyle, stream of consciousness, or observational composition can unearth buried gems.

2. Narrative Flow Problems: once again I find it's useful to combine issues dealing with a story's narrative thread. If you get stuck at any point after starting a project, first make sure you're not being hypercritical. Get someone else to read the story thus far. If your alpha reader can't make sense of things, proceed to phase two: rewrite from the departure point.

3. Character Issues: if you find your characters difficult to write, chances are you haven't motivated them properly. "Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water." The soul of a story is the interplay between what the characters want, the obstacles in their way, and how they overcome those obstacles.

Know your characters' motives. Then make sure their actions are consistent with those motives.

4. Stage Fright: if fretting over what people will think is stopping you from telling your story, I have bad news for you. No matter what you write, someone is going to hate it. Writing professionally isn't about pleasing everyone. It's about producing to a certain standard.

To paraphrase Neil Gaiman, if you aren't afraid that you've shared too much of yourself, you're doing it wrong.

The author is the person least qualified to judge what others will think. Get a few alpha readers to peruse the first draft. Listen to their feedback. Then draft a second version and give it to your beta readers. Repeat.

5. Editing Hang-ups: some writers love free composition and hate editing. Others agonize over their first drafts but take to revisions like sharks to chum. The reason for this dichotomy is that writing and editing are two separate processes.

Revising a manuscript can be like pulling teeth to more right-brained types. That's how I felt until I realized the intoxicating power of deleting superfluous text. Liberate yourself from useless lines, paragraphs, and pages.

The editing dilemma that most afflicts me these days is verbal perfectionism. Nothing interrupts my writing flow like grasping for exactly the right word to describe the scene in my head. The most useful advice I've gotten on this front came from Nick Enlowe. Use a placeholder word, move on, and fix it in the next draft.

I hope you've found this series on writer's block enriching and entertaining. What are some of your own creative obstacles, and how have you handled them?

Monday, February 18, 2013

Defeating Writer's Block: Part 1

A question I'd probably be asked if I ever left my desk is, "How do you deal with writer's block?" That question is deceptively complex because people who don't practice writing as a discipline often have a different idea of the creative process than those who systematically make stuff up. I know because I labored under these misguided notions until quite recently.

In order to field this question we'll have to nail down the semantics. I've found that many laymen imagine the writing process to be the act of transcribing fully formed stories dictated by some mysterious idea vending machine. That's only partially true.

Creative people aren't Pythian mediums or hosts for the loa. Anyone with the capacity for language can tell stories. The fact is that of the 200 million aspiring novelists in this country, only a small minority realize that writing stories well is an acquired skill. Even fewer take the time to hone that skill.

So, what most people mean when they ask how to beat writer's block is, "How do you write when you're not inspired?" Or worse, "How do you make inspiration happen?" The answer to the first question is, "You write." The answer to the second question is, "You don't need to."

Writing isn't a mystical charism. It's a technical artistic discipline that takes thousands of hours to perfect. It makes no more sense to ask a writer how he can produce fiction while uninspired than it does to ask an IT technician how he can install a network while uninspired.

Many people mistake coming up with a great idea and executing it well for inspiration, which is actually quite rare. The reason that 60 percent of the population aspires to authorship is that everyone has lots of ideas all the time. They assume that coming up with a story premise is the hard part.

Ideas are cheap. Professional execution is a grueling ordeal. Writing isn't a shortcut to an easy living. It's a lifelong commitment to a craft.

That's my experience. What's yours?

Friday, February 15, 2013

Souldancer Excerpt

I've been working hard on the latest revision of Souldancer. It's actually turned into a partial rewrite. Here's a look at my progress thus far.

The sound of boots on the hardwood floor woke Xander from his dreamless sleep. For one panicked moment he forgot where he was, but then he saw the city lights gleaming through the window.
            I am in Salorien on Keth, he realized, in the home of Astlin Tremore. The latter thought gave him comfort, but his earlier fear returned.
            Is someone else here?
            Xander’s gaze darted about. A row of threadbare stuffed animals languished on a shelf in the square of light filtering through the window. The rest of the room was dark as the Void.
            The floorboards protested as something shifted its weight in the dark.
            “Hello?” Xander whispered.
            Several moments passed in silence.
            “I lied to you,” someone said at last. Little more than a whisper, the voice’s clipped accent was familiar but oddly strained.
            “Who is there?”
Creaking leather and metallic ringing accompanied the unseen speaker’s heavy footfalls. Xander tensed, but his visitor stopped short of the lighted square. Even so, the young man thought he discerned a slight figure standing near the foot of the bed.
            “It’s a lie,” the unknown visitor rasped, “but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
            “Who are you?”
            Twin lights pierced the darkness. Xander shielded his eyes from the sudden glow. Squinting through his fingers, he saw two blazing circles like blue stars; their centers hidden by black moons.
Acting on impulse, Xander willed the burning eyes—if they were eyes—away. He reached for his gift, but the power never came.
The lights moved back and forth like blue fireflies as their owner paced the room.
“I tried to save the others,” the unseen woman said, “but I couldn’t help it. You don’t know what it’s like. A wound in your soul bleeding fire.”
            The pacing figure paused beside the shelf. “They were dying anyway,” she said. “I thought they could close the wound, but it burned them up.”
“What do you—?” Xander began, but a slender arm sheathed in black lashed out, batting the shelf and its worn plush occupants to the floor.
“I didn’t want that for you,” the harsh voice lamented. “You’re not like them.”
“What do you mean?”
The dark figure moved into the light. Xander was dismayed, but not surprised, to see Astlin. Pained longing marred her once gentle face. She’d shed her modest clothes for a suit of the randomly stitched hides of alien creeping things.
The sight irresistibly drew Xander’s eyes, but it seemed a mere projection of something far more terrible. He somehow looked through Astlin to a bright line glowing with orange-red heat. The burning cord led to a familiar, ominous sight: a colossal pyramid darker than any shadow.
A blinding light shone in the distance, mostly obscured by the pyramid. Countless silver filaments streamed from the light to cut through the monolith; but Xander saw two of them intersecting at its heart. One cord—the one he’d seen rising from Astlin—plunged into a fiery rift before joining itself to her. The other kept its pure silver sheen all the way from its origin in the light to its endpoint in Xander’s soul.
“You have what I lost,” Astlin said.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Return to Drunken Zombie


It's been a sincere joy collaborating with Bryan, Randy, Wes, and Dave over at Drunken Zombie through the years. Self-deprecating humor aside, DZ has won multiple podcasting awards and started a thriving local film fest. No mean feats.

Last night I sat in with the DZ guys to record an episode on Vertigo. Now ranked the number one film of all time, it is considered Hitchcock's masterpiece. This movie wasn't what I'd expected on first viewing. After discussing it at length with the hosts I started to see the deeper layers woven into a deceptively simple thriller.

I'll post a link to the episode when it goes online.

Update: here's the link to the episode.
http://drunkenzombie.com/blog/?p=8339

Monday, February 11, 2013

Nethereal Character Interview: Elena Braun

I was reading Michael Hyatt's suggested blog topics for novelists and came upon the fascinating notion of posting interviews with characters from my novels. Why the hell not? Let's try this.

The interviewer scans his notes one more time before setting the smoked crystal tablet back on the desk. Straightening the cuffs of his dark grey uniform jacket, he sits back to wait.

His subject enters: a willowy girl with rose-colored eyes set in a pale face framed by wavy, light brown hair. The single overhead light leaves the entrance bathed in shadow, but the interviewer could swear that the door never opened.

The girl stands halfway between the closed door and the desk: stock still and silent; possibly not breathing.

Interviewer: You can have a seat.

The girl, still in her middle teens by the look of her, promptly seats herself in the only other chair.

I: Thank you. Let's start with the basic facts. Please state your name.

Subject: Which one?

The interviewer pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, eager to put this formality behind him and return to more serious business.

I: The one the station staff call you by.

Subject: Elena Braun

I: Good morning, Elena.

Elena: Saying that won't make it true.

I: Are you feeling alright?

E: shrugs

I: Not sleeping well?

E: It's not the sleep. It's the dreams.

I: You're having nightmares?

E: Saying "nightmares" implies that they're not true.

I: Fidgeting with his notes. Moving on, please give your age.

E: Be more specific.

I: I don't...how old are you?

E: It depends on what you mean by "me". In a sense, I'm primordial. In another, I'm as old as all of the people who've had pieces of me inside them. The soul in the vas was reconstituted 150 years ago.

I: Sighs. What is your physical age?

E: Sixteen.

I: Now we're making progress. You've been briefed on the upcoming mission?

E: Yes.

I: How do you feel about it?

E: About what?

I: The Exodus Project.

E: What about it?

I: Well for one thing, are you confident of a successful outcome?

E: That's a relative concept.

I: Forgive me for saying that you seem generally pessimistic.

E: It's a bad time for long-term planning.

I: Switches off his tablet and folds his hands on the desk. I think we're done here.

E: Rises quietly and leaves.


He didn't get much out of her. Perhaps he asked the wrong questions. Anybody else care to ask?

Friday, February 8, 2013

Agent Queries

I've recently started looking for a literary agent. Getting professional representation is almost as hard as getting published. Authors I've talked to say that getting an agent can take 30-60 attempts, even for an outstanding book. Knowing this figure, I started researching ways to improve my chances.

Match prospective agents to your style and genre. Agentquery.com and Writer's Market provided me with a wealth of information on how to track down agents that specialize in my kind of writing (or as close to my kind of writing as anyone gets). Agent Query has a robust, customizable search feature that will give you agents' names, contact information, and most recent sales.

Make sure that the agent is accepting new clients. Many agents already have full client lists (some represent about 50 at once) and only add one or two new clients a year. Check agents' profiles on their agencies' web sites to see if they're seeking new clients. Agent Query also lets you filter searches by agents with openings on their client lists.

(Optional) check to see if the agent is an AAR member. The Association of Authors' Representatives is a voluntary professional organization of literary agents. AAR agents adhere to an admirable list of principles, including the requirement that they not charge reading fees. Considering the glut of inexperienced and scam agents that entered the market in the last several years, AAR membership is a good sign that an agent can be trusted.

Write a query letter. Unlike publishers, which usually want to see your whole manuscript (or at least several chapters) up front, most agents prefer that first contact be made with a short introductory letter. There are almost as many tips for writing query letters as there are agents, but some guidelines are constant.
  • Keep it short: between 250-300 words. Agents are busy and you must grab their attention fast.
  • Each query has three parts: project details, a hook, and an author bio. Include such details as the book's genre, the total word count, whether it's a standalone story or part of a series, etc. The hook is a sales pitch that should sound like the blurb you'd want to appear on the back cover. As for the bio, give relevant information only, such as past publications and any special expertise that qualifies you to write this story.
  • Personalize each query. Name the agent in the salutation. Mention books that the agent has sold which are similar to yours. Tell the agent why you chose him.
  • Share information about your book's characters, plot, and themes. Explain the action of your story in terms of who the main characters are, what they want, and what's keeping them from getting it. Don't be afraid to reveal spoilers (but the ending can wait for the synopsis).
  • Sound humble without being self-deprecating.
  • Sound confident without being arrogant.
  • Set the proper tone. The query letter should convey your writing style. It shouldn't be dry, stilted, and excessively formal. Neither should it suggest undue familiarity. Use your narrative voice in a professional manner.
  • An agent's time is valuable. Thank him in the closing.
Again, Agent Query has more detailed guidelines.

Agent Kristin Nelson shares and analyzes a successful fantasy novel query letter.

Of course, there's lots more to know about finding an agent. Feel free to ask me for specifics. If I don't know, I'll do my best to find someone who does.

In the meantime, I leave you with this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c9fc-crEFDw

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Nomen Omen

"The name is an omen."
     -ancient Roman proverb

I've been giving serious thought to choosing a pen name for my fiction writing efforts. It's been pointed out that distinguishing my novels from my nonfiction commentary would help to narrow and target interest in each area. Sounds reasonable.

Any thoughts on whether adopting a pen name is a good idea? If so, I'm taking suggestions on potential names. Diego T. Iglesias is my current favorite (major points to anyone who guesses why).

Besides, compared to Jason Pargin I don't think it's too much of a stretch. I'm not of Latin-American descent, but I do have a fondness for Latin.

What do you think?