 Faith Hunter
read all posts by Faith Hunter[Quick note: as Laura reminded us {and Misty} rooms for ConCarolinas 2014 are going fast. Make your reservation today.] On to the post.
I just finished the rewrite of BLACK ARTS. And honestly it was the hardest rewrite I have ever done.
“But you say that every time,” you say.
“Yes. And every time it is true.”
Why so hard? Lots of reasons. For one, I no longer am writing standalones as I did as Gwen. (Except that 6 book medical series. And the 3 book saga. Except those.) Each book in a series is built on the plot arcs of previous books and yet there can be no similar plot lines or inciting events. There has to be lots of action. And character stuff and plot stuff that happened in previous books and was left unresolved has to be resolved.
No, “stuff” is not an appropriate technical term. [...]
Continue reading Rules of Thumb vs Tech Talk
James R. Tuck
read all posts by James R. TuckSo I picked up a book called THE FIRST 50 PAGES by Jeff Gerke the other day because, well, I have a book buying problem. (TBR pile is 68 at last count and I KNOW I’ve gotten a ton more books since then)
Anyways, I wanted to share some advice he gives that to me seemed pretty golden.
Here’s the sum up:
Think of your book as a movie. Telling is anything you write that THE CAMERA DOES NOT SEE.
Stop and think about it.
Let it sink in.
I know how we writers are. We feel like the reader needs to know all the back story to really understand what we are trying to write….the ins and outs of the plot, the history and texture of the worlds and characters we have created so lovingly.
It’s bullshit.
They don’t. They don’t need to know anything that doesn’t directly relate [...]
Continue reading I’LL SHOW YOU NOT TELLING (something I read somewheres)
James R. Tuck
read all posts by James R. TuckAs a writer and as a human I must admit, I am a bit of an egotist. Occasionally I swerve over to arrogant assdom, but mostly I reel it in and keep it entertaining.
But often, like the slip of the drunk cousin at the church social, my ego shows in my writing for the world to see.
You see, all my stories are set in the same universe, some more obviously than others, but all of them there. I don’t have a name for it, though I’m leaning toward the Spiralverse.
The Spiralverse is a universe built on the concept that major events cause a resonance that splits reality into a new timeline placed on a new earth. They are all interconnected and separate at the same time. Now this isn’t anything new. It’s been done a hundred million ways. Almost every comic book publisher has one shared universe for their [...]
Continue reading CREATING A UNIVERSE (it takes a lot more than seven days)
Faith Hunter
read all posts by Faith HunterOn Monday, our own Mindy Klasky started a series on how she writes a synopsis, which I am dying to read because … uh … I have no idea how I do it. I mean, I do it, I write them, but I don’t know if I do it right. I know I must have my own way of constructing a synopsis because I have never read anyone else’s synopsis. Synopses. (shrugs) I’ve learned a lot from the other writers here at MagicalWords.net, and I am looking forward to her process.
Through MW, I have discovered one major way in which Mindy and David (and probably everyone else for that matter) do character research and planning in the pre-writing phase. They have their characters histories fully fleshed out, sometimes down to their childhood sports injuries, their pets’ names, the schools they went to (the characters, not the pets) and their [...]
Continue reading Character Preparation … Stuff I Don’t Do
James R. Tuck
read all posts by James R. TuckToday I will be in a car heading to the Olde City New Blood convention in St. Augustine, Fl so I apologize in advance that I will not be getting back here to any comments until later in the day, possibly in the late evening.
That being said, let’s get into the heart of today’s musing.
I’ve been a descriptive writer from the get. I will tell you exactly what a thing looks like and every moment of its existence as it relates to my story. I’ve always prided myself on it and I work to improve what is already one of my best abilities. I seek out new words, looking to boldly go where no writer has gone before.
I use words like eldritch, corpulent, and etheric. I pair words with things and actions that create a jarring feel to them like oilsheen crackle and I use: “A musty, [...]
Continue reading THE METAPHOR OF THE THING (or, getting my Cormac McCarthy on)
Faith Hunter
read all posts by Faith HunterOrder without chaos is entropy, and entropy is death.
I was a Trekie for many years, and one of my early Star Trek memories (original Star Trek) was the episode where Captain Kirk was spilt into two parts by the transporter malfunction. (No one ever mentioned where the extra mass came from to make another whole human. Maybe from the stuff that the replicator used to create piping hot coffee and fudge and uniforms and spare parts, though I never thought the two were connected in any way. But I digress. Back to the episode – The Enemy Within.) The enemy was Chaos.
Kirk was split into two parts, the good Kirk and the bad Kirk, or the creative, passionate, selfish, violent Kirk, and the boring, compassionate, kind Kirk. The evil Kirk went about trying to take over the ship, and the good Kirk huddled in the corner whimpering, unable [...]
Continue reading Of Chaos and Order
James R. Tuck
read all posts by James R. TuckHey hey everybody, nice to see you, glad you could come out. Drinks are in the back,be sure to tip your waitress, she works hard for the money.
I’m James R. Tuck, author of the Deacon Chalk series from Kensington, and I’m the new guy.
I’ve been here before. Faith has been ever so kind to me and allowed me to guest post here when my series launched. I’ve lurked the comments and the posts also because this place rocks. But now, NOW, they’ve given me a key and let me hang my hat.
Muwah ha ha.
Today I’m going to talk to you about story ideas. Not where you get them, if you’re a writer then you have ideas falling out of your pockets when you sit down, but where you get good ideas. You know the ideas, the ones that make you smack yourself for not thinking of [...]
Continue reading THE TWIST (new spins on old stories)
|
How To Write Magical Words
|
