I will be posting about dialogue at Unicorn Bell all week -- drop on by! I'll be critting dialogue submissions of up to 500 words.
Index
Monday: Intro
Tuesday: Character
Wednesday: World
Thursday: Reality vs. Necessity
Friday: Research vs. Development
Saturday: My dialogue in the hot seat, if nothing else
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Mid-year's Resolutions
At the beginning of the year, I had resolved to query Course Corrections and hopefully finish the six parts of Disciple.
My CC query is currently sitting in the e-slush pile of a small press publisher whose work I've enjoyed. Part IV of Disciple is in progress and I'm getting chunks of Parts V and VI as lines of sight open up. Remember the asteroid bombardment (starts at 6:30) at the beginning of Armageddon? It's kinda like that...
Whatever happens with CC, I've decided that I will publish by the end of 2012. My post on T: Target during the A to Z Challenge got my mind rolling and I've done some homework on freelance editing services, proofreading services, and the cost thereof. Next up: cover artists, tips on html e-book layout, promotional services, and finding those ISBNs bought back when I was just another fool in the RPG publishing industry. (Long story, bad ending, don't ask...)
While I've gotten positive responses to CC, I can't help noticing that Disciple gets stronger, more positive responses. Plus, it's a six-part monstrosity I can roll out, not just a book and a sequel. So let's lead with that. I resolve to publish Disciple, Part I: For Want of a Piglet by the end of 2012.
There will be a Kickstarter project and I will gladly offer e-books, POD paperbacks, autographs, cookies, firstborns, whatever else people would like as an incentive. What kinds of goodies would you want?
No dates carved in stone yet, only that I should finish Part IV before the end of June and that's probably when the Kickstarter project will get put together. And I'll revise Part III. And work on Part V, and, and, and.
If you'd like to recommend a fantasy artist who is looking for work, please comment! I've been stumbling around deviantart.com overwhelmed by the talent out there.
In unrelated news, I was awarded:
by Alicia of Saffron Wine (Who recently posted about various oils to use in the kitchen. I must confess to using just plain old canola, rendered chicken fat and sometimes bacon grease, as I am, uh, a "rustic style" cook... good thing my cholesterol is OK. :D) Thank you, Alicia!
Now, she did not answer questions or provide factoids as I've seen on other blogs that got this award. So I will answer up to seven questions posted in comments, so long as they are not too personal.
In more relevant news:
Next week is my first shift at the helm of Unicorn Bell! I will be talking about dialogue in all its wild and wooly forms, and volunteering to critique submissions. If you have anything you'd like me to tackle in specific, post in the comments and I'll try it next week over at Unicorn Bell.
My CC query is currently sitting in the e-slush pile of a small press publisher whose work I've enjoyed. Part IV of Disciple is in progress and I'm getting chunks of Parts V and VI as lines of sight open up. Remember the asteroid bombardment (starts at 6:30) at the beginning of Armageddon? It's kinda like that...
Whatever happens with CC, I've decided that I will publish by the end of 2012. My post on T: Target during the A to Z Challenge got my mind rolling and I've done some homework on freelance editing services, proofreading services, and the cost thereof. Next up: cover artists, tips on html e-book layout, promotional services, and finding those ISBNs bought back when I was just another fool in the RPG publishing industry. (Long story, bad ending, don't ask...)
While I've gotten positive responses to CC, I can't help noticing that Disciple gets stronger, more positive responses. Plus, it's a six-part monstrosity I can roll out, not just a book and a sequel. So let's lead with that. I resolve to publish Disciple, Part I: For Want of a Piglet by the end of 2012.
There will be a Kickstarter project and I will gladly offer e-books, POD paperbacks, autographs, cookies, firstborns, whatever else people would like as an incentive. What kinds of goodies would you want?
No dates carved in stone yet, only that I should finish Part IV before the end of June and that's probably when the Kickstarter project will get put together. And I'll revise Part III. And work on Part V, and, and, and.
If you'd like to recommend a fantasy artist who is looking for work, please comment! I've been stumbling around deviantart.com overwhelmed by the talent out there.
In unrelated news, I was awarded:
by Alicia of Saffron Wine (Who recently posted about various oils to use in the kitchen. I must confess to using just plain old canola, rendered chicken fat and sometimes bacon grease, as I am, uh, a "rustic style" cook... good thing my cholesterol is OK. :D) Thank you, Alicia!
Now, she did not answer questions or provide factoids as I've seen on other blogs that got this award. So I will answer up to seven questions posted in comments, so long as they are not too personal.
In more relevant news:
Next week is my first shift at the helm of Unicorn Bell! I will be talking about dialogue in all its wild and wooly forms, and volunteering to critique submissions. If you have anything you'd like me to tackle in specific, post in the comments and I'll try it next week over at Unicorn Bell.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Managing name avalanches
Over at Unicorn Bell, Huntress posted some pet peeves -- which included the writer dumping names, terms, and titles onto the reader too quickly.
Coincidentally, at this stage in Part IV of Disciple I need to introduce a bevy of new characters. Six, in fact. All of whom have titles. For extra complications, there are also going to be a handful of background characters that the reader doesn't need to pay attention to.
I knew I was in trouble when I was outlining Part IV because I had to introduce a stack of characters and while my narrating MC may have perfect memory my readers surely do not. So I started pulling out a few tricks I've picked up for telling characters apart. Most of them are, not coincidentally, stolen from movies/acting.
Visual cues
This is easier to do with pictures, admittedly, but a strong visual element attached to a character is an easy way for the reader/viewer to tell them apart. We do this in real life, too -- which is why when somebody gets a drastic haircut, for example, we might not recognize them for a moment. Or if someone you always see in a business suit turns up in jeans and a t-shirt.
I picked a distinctive feature to emphasize when the character was introduced, and I'll sneak it in quickly the next time they turn up. I can't do this with all of them, though, or the cues themselves would become an avalanche.
In my case, I put one of the new characters in a distinctive blue uniform. Nobody else of importance is wearing a blue uniform, and now that it's linked to her, she'll be wearing it throughout the story. But that's reasonable -- it's her uniform, after all, and she's on the job.
In prose, unlike TV/movies, we can also invoke smell or texture cues. If it's reasonable.
Unique speech patterns
A lot of people hate written brogues -- I suspect most of that stems from when you start replacing syllables with apostrophes and words become unrecognizable. But they can be an easy way to differentiate characters, so long as you don't hit the reader with six different brogues at once. Or more than two, really.
I did not have this aspect to play with, unfortunately, because of who these characters are. But it could be useful in other situations.
Strong, distinct first impressions
How fast can you sketch a character? The personality, not the appearance. A clear personality will separate any character from the crowd -- important when you've got background characters that aren't important at the moment.
In my case, one of the characters was introduced, described (I assume the reader will promptly forget that) and then opened her mouth. Hopefully, what came out stamped her with a big, red CLUELESS.
Another one got in an MC's face for an alpha-dog staring contest. TROUBLE.
The point is for the characters to hit the ground doing what they do best. What they'll be doing most often. We don't meet them on an off day or in an oddly introspective moment, because it's that first impression that sticks. This is just as important for the supporting cast as for main characters.
Spread it out AMAP
Breaking up a slew of introductions with some familiar faces to remark on the newbies, give the reader a little breathing room, helps too. The more you can break it up, the less it will feel like an avalanche of information, too.
Since I had six to throw at the readers, I started by introducing just two. End of scene, little bridge scene, then the big introduction scene for three new characters. End of scene, a few of other scenes, plot developments, and number six will be joining us a little later. Hopefully this will minimize confusion.
... and then I'll give it to my betas and see if it worked.
Coincidentally, at this stage in Part IV of Disciple I need to introduce a bevy of new characters. Six, in fact. All of whom have titles. For extra complications, there are also going to be a handful of background characters that the reader doesn't need to pay attention to.
Visual cues
This is easier to do with pictures, admittedly, but a strong visual element attached to a character is an easy way for the reader/viewer to tell them apart. We do this in real life, too -- which is why when somebody gets a drastic haircut, for example, we might not recognize them for a moment. Or if someone you always see in a business suit turns up in jeans and a t-shirt.
I picked a distinctive feature to emphasize when the character was introduced, and I'll sneak it in quickly the next time they turn up. I can't do this with all of them, though, or the cues themselves would become an avalanche.
In my case, I put one of the new characters in a distinctive blue uniform. Nobody else of importance is wearing a blue uniform, and now that it's linked to her, she'll be wearing it throughout the story. But that's reasonable -- it's her uniform, after all, and she's on the job.
In prose, unlike TV/movies, we can also invoke smell or texture cues. If it's reasonable.
Unique speech patterns
A lot of people hate written brogues -- I suspect most of that stems from when you start replacing syllables with apostrophes and words become unrecognizable. But they can be an easy way to differentiate characters, so long as you don't hit the reader with six different brogues at once. Or more than two, really.
I did not have this aspect to play with, unfortunately, because of who these characters are. But it could be useful in other situations.
Strong, distinct first impressions
How fast can you sketch a character? The personality, not the appearance. A clear personality will separate any character from the crowd -- important when you've got background characters that aren't important at the moment.
In my case, one of the characters was introduced, described (I assume the reader will promptly forget that) and then opened her mouth. Hopefully, what came out stamped her with a big, red CLUELESS.
Another one got in an MC's face for an alpha-dog staring contest. TROUBLE.
The point is for the characters to hit the ground doing what they do best. What they'll be doing most often. We don't meet them on an off day or in an oddly introspective moment, because it's that first impression that sticks. This is just as important for the supporting cast as for main characters.
Spread it out AMAP
Breaking up a slew of introductions with some familiar faces to remark on the newbies, give the reader a little breathing room, helps too. The more you can break it up, the less it will feel like an avalanche of information, too.
Since I had six to throw at the readers, I started by introducing just two. End of scene, little bridge scene, then the big introduction scene for three new characters. End of scene, a few of other scenes, plot developments, and number six will be joining us a little later. Hopefully this will minimize confusion.
... and then I'll give it to my betas and see if it worked.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Where the story begins, part 2
Since I'm a plotter, I sketch out all the plots in a story before I start writing. In each part of Disciple, that includes: the external action, the emotional arcs of Kate and her two co-MCs, and Kate's mastery of her magical ability. All the stories include these, but which one is the primary plot varies from Part to Part.
 |
| Humming "Drive" by Incubus |
How do I know which plot is the primary driver of the story? Well, because of the overall progress of Disciple, that was easy to pick out in Part IV. But when it's not so easy to tell, the question I ask myself is:
What's the most important thing that happens in the course of the story?
That's your primary plot. I'm biased toward these being changes in a character, personally, but it can be an external goal. Catching a serial killer, for example.
In my scifi novel, Course Corrections (McBride's Eight? I'm waffling) I had to ask that question, think hard, and then revise accordingly. The primary plot was: Maggie McBride becomes a leader.* Therefore, the story began when she decided to do the thing that made her a leader -- to rescue her cousin Neal. I hadn't written that scene in the first draft because I hadn't realized it was the primary out of the handful of plot threads... so I added the scene in revision.
If the plot were: Neal McBride escapes prison, the story probably would start when he was captured, or maybe at his trial and sentencing.
Where does that primary plot start? What is its inciting incident? Figuring that out is another blog post. But for now, whether you're a plotter figuring this out ahead of time or a pantser hacking your manuscript into shape:
The story begins when the primary plot begins.
Everything before that is extraneous, to be brutally honest, and every page you make your readers slog through to get to the story is a risk. A risk that they will put the story down and find something more interesting to do. You can take that risk -- I put about three pages in front of the scene where Maggie makes her choice, and I did it for the purpose of introducing Neal as a sympathetic character who deserves rescuing. (did I succeed?) Or you can jump right into the plot on page one.
How many pages are you willing to read before you know what the plot is? "It depends" -- on what?
*Though having read Ursula LeGuin's recent post, this may be the story, and the plot was how she went about doing that (rescuing her cousin.)
Part 1 is here.
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