Happy Halloween!

*flings candy*

*winces as it strikes some people in unintended places*

*flees as the wounded pick up their own fistfuls of sugared weaponry*

Does putting parameters around magic make it unmagical?

This article raises an interesting question. When you construct a "system of magic," does that turn the idea of magic into more of a science? I.e., if, in your novel, magic has rules and variables that it must adhere to in order to work properly, is it no longer magical? And is this a bad thing in the first place?

First off, I think you can have a story with a "system of magic" that also possesses a sense of the magical, or a sense of wonder. These are two different things. A sense of the magical, to me, is that feeling you get when reading that is defined by being strange, beautiful, otherworldly, or awe-inspiring. It's what happens when you stop in your tracks, or in the middle of turning the page and say, Wow, something incredible just happened/is happening here. And this sense of the magical isn't limited to fantasy, or even science fiction books. 

Now a system of magic, in itself, isn't a bad thing. It's a tool, just like a character or plot structure, that can be used to enhance and support the story. How you use it, like with any tool, determines the results. A magic system can convey a very complex, imaginative world, imbued with a sense of wonder and danger. It can display the cleverness and power of a character who employs it in unique ways. It can make us firmly believe that not only are we not in Kansas anymore, but that Kansas has been sucked into another dimension entirely. 

Poorly employed, however, a system of magic can become a deus ex machina, nothing more than an emergency escape button for the characters to push whenever they need a quick fix. Or it can be a confusing jumble of overly complicated nonsense. Perhaps worst of all is when the magical system is nothing better than a vending machine. Put this amount in, get this amount out, every time. You can hear the dice roll in the background, as gamers might say, and the rules surrounding magic's operation feel like they originated from a user's manual. 

The article makes a good point that magical systems have been around pretty much since any form of civilization began. Yet even within those intricately detailed setups that tried to explain how the universe operates according to this pantheon of deities, or that system of karmic balance, there still remains a sense of wonder. Of being in the presence of something far more powerful than yourself. 

It's a tricky balance. How do you make a system with rules, balances and such, and yet maintain the sense of wonder and awe that people want to experience when reading about it? Does magic need an underlying logic, or does that negate the "magicalness" of it, in your head? No big answer here, from my end, but I'd love to hear what anyone thinks.

I see that smile.

Fun advice on how to promote your book

A hat tip to The Swivet, Colleen Lindsay's blog, for this great video from the Daily Show about how to promote your book, including pesky television appearances. 

I see that smile.

Underrated Spec Fic movies

Just a quick post today, as my brain is not forming much in the way of coherent thought. So check out this list of Underrated Spec Fic movies.

How's your brain today?

I see that smile.

"The ego has landed"

Not a phrase you want to be applied to you now, is it? The ego-issue is one editors find themselves facing when dealing with difficult authors--those who refuse to see any problems with their novel or refuse to accept and apply any changes an editor offers. Being stubborn for the sake of "preserving your art" may seem like a noble cause, but in reality, it can often lead to the story being crippled or never reaching the level of writing quality that it could have. We see editors as bullies who want to beat our manuscript into submission, molding it into their vision of our story. They are the enemy and must be defied at every turn.

But in this article, we are reminded that the editor is your friend. Sure, you might not agree on exactly what changes are needed, but for the most part, your editor is going to have more experience than you and will be able to spot certain plot or pacing issues that you might not have recognized. 

Does this mean if the editor says you should consider making your main character a clown, switch the gender of your entire cast and move the story genre from a western to a fantasy that you should leap mindlessly into revisions? Of course not. The story remains yours in the end, and you decide how far you want to take it, and whether you think the editor is giving good advice or not. 

As the article mentions, it's a partnership that often does the most good. Not the writer or the editor dominating the entire revision process, but both working and talking together over critical changes that can make a project shine in the end. So keep it in mind to do your part and at least give any suggestions a serious thinking-over. Accept the fact your book isn't going to be perfect when it crosses the editor's desk. Otherwise yours might be the next ego to make a big 'ol splatter and stink when it lands. 

I see that smiel.

Steps on how to promote your book

Agent Nathan Bransford has had a guest blogger posting for the past week, and man, she has been off-loading a ton of helpful information on marketing and promoting your book. These are really meaty posts that, even if your book is years down the road still, you ought to bookmark these, or copy the text and save them as documents just so you can go back and refer to them when you need some ideas or reminders.

Guest Blogger: Michelle Moran on How to Promote Your Book (Part 1)

Guest Blogger: Michelle Moran on How to Promote Your Book (Part 2)

Moran does everything from touching on all the base lingo and publishing terms that are helpful to know to a running list of steps one can take to build your marketing platform and establish a network that gets news of your book out there in an efficient manner. Tons of great info here, and I think she's got a few more posts to go, so make sure to keep checking out Bransford's blog.

I see that smile.

The history of a writer

This is worth reading, both to reaffirm how persistence can be the big difference between a published and an unpublished author, as well as seeing a few subtle ways to improve your chances as you

This is Brandon Sanderson's history as a writer, from the very beginning, through various incarnations of Mistborn and plenty of other manuscripts that have never (and never will) see the light of day, to getting a surprise call from Tor when they wanted to publish Elantris.

One of the biggest things I took away from reading this is that it's worth your time to revise a story. Don't just send it out in that first-draft form (or often, even the second draft as well) because the likelihood of it being quality enough to be picked up at that point is slim. Put in the time and effort to improve your skills and the story, and it will pay off eventually. Don't forget that all the years you might wait until your first book comes into print should be years spent as an apprentice to the craft. Don't waste the days sitting around, doing nothing while waiting for an agent to call. Keep writing. Revise. Write more. Get feedback and revise more. Sharpen that pen nub until it could slice pixels. This way, when the break does come, when the book does make its way to the shelves, you will be all the more prepared to write something even better the next time.

I see that smile.

New publication contest

Bantam Spectra, Random House's science fiction and fantasy imprint, is putting out a magazine called Spectra Pulse, filled with stories from well-known authors, articles, reviews and otherwise. Now they've announced a new contest for unpublished authors. The prize is getting published in an upcoming edition, plus $100. 

Check the link for rules and other legalese. Word count is 2k, max, all in the science fiction, fantasy or horror genre, and you have to be 18 or older.

The contest is listed as the "First Annual," so if you miss out on this year's deadline, there's always the next one. But really, January 21, 2009 is a pretty reasonable goal even if you have nothing more than a seedling of a story germinating in your brain. 

Good luck!

I see that smile.

Stranger Things

If you're tired of trying out now television shows, only for them to grow weaker with each episode or be cut off before the season even ends by whoever holds the budget, maybe it's time to try a few online, independent shows. I recently threw up some links to the new sci-fi series, Sanctuary, and now I stumbled across this intriguing production: Stranger Things. 

There are five episodes so far (though two are listed as 2A and 2B) and here's what the production team has to say about their creation:

Stranger Things is the first dramatic science-fiction anthology series shot in high definition and digitally-syndicated through the Internet, predating even the larger-budgeted Sanctuary.

Stranger Things depicts a world of ordinary people stumbling into the secret lives of the paranormal, the metaphysical, the unnatural, and the strange. The stories expose the bizarre and the extraordinary things happening all around us everyday, hidden behind the veil of the "real world."

How can you lose with episode descriptions like, "To appease his shrewish wife, Carl sets out to clone his dead mother-in-law." Each show is self-contained, so it's not a series as such with continuing characters. Perhaps consider it an attempt to resurrect the Twilight Zone appeal. Does it work? Watch and decide for yourself, and then tell us all what you think.

I see that smile.

A guide to literary terms

To get the week off on a humorous note, take a minute to read through this hilarious list that details the differences between various forms of literature.

The Offutt Guide to Literary Terms

A few favorites:

experimental writing: The result of supreme artistic courage when a writer is willing to sacrifice structure, character, plot, insight, wisdom, social commentary, context, precedent, and punctuation.

poem: Prose scraps.

lyric essay: An essay with pretty language.

I see that smile.

Art!

Haven't linked to much art lately, so I figured the end of the week might be a good time to link up some visual delights to help inspire you to push through to the weekend.

http://www.simonfellah.com/

Simon Fellah has several galleries full of sketches and paintings that depict all manner of creatures and situations that make you feel certain there are some fascinating stories going on. Each one of his drawings has a lot of emotion and imagination that keep you staring, trying to catch all the details, whether strange, beautiful, or grotesque. 

Enjoy, and have a great weekend.

I see that smile.

Dissecting a writer's website

A lot of writers, both published and unpublished, have websites. These are deemed important by a lot of folks because it provides that all-important presence in an increasingly crowded and digital world. It's your stake of land that you can develop and maintain however you want. It becomes the center of much of your communication and interaction with the public at large, however big or small your audience is at the moment. (For instance, right now, I think about 20 people check out this blog on a regular basis.) A website might be the only way someone might ever learn of your existence and know anything about you as a writer.

With that in mind, whether you already have a site or are planning on getting one at some point in the future, it is helpful to know the most effective ways to construct and compose this kind of platform. Writer's Digest has put together a comprehensive article that outlines the various methods of getting a website of your own, whether using pre-made templates, hired help, etc., plus the different sections and pages that are essential to have to satisfy the curious browsers who stumble across it. 

Some of these elements may come across as common sense, such as including a bio or contact information, but have you thought about how well your site represents your personality? Have you remembered to include any testimonials or reviews for your work? Some good reminders and inspiration in this article no matter where you are in building your online presence.

I see that smile.

Don't stuff the suitcase

In the course of writing a complete manuscript, I always forget how hard the query and synopsis parts are. I mean, they seem so simple, right? 3-4 pages that sum up the novel for a synopsis, and 2-3 paragraphs of catchy overview for the query. Simple. 

Not so much.

When I think of a query, specifically, I think of packing for a vacation. You've got a suitcase that is only so big, but you want to cram everything into it. All the clever dialogue. The racks of exciting action scenes. The humorous chapter titles. The enthralling subplots. You want it all stuffed into the box so that when the agent/editor reads your query, every ounce of your writing potential is oozing through the cracks. (wow, I'm really mixing imagery today, aren't I?)

The problem here is that this leads to information overload and (the killer of queries) confusion. The logic of the story gets mangled for the sake of mashing everything together, because you don't want to hurt the story's feelings by leaving out any important bits.

I've learned that more is less, when it comes to a query. There needs to be a tight focus. I ask myself what is the main plot, and try to draw it down to a single protagonist and antagonist, if I can, rather than referring to every minor character and walk-on. 

There's a particular formula that, while the end result may look wildly different in every case, does represent the essence of what the story summary paragraphs in a query are supposed to portray:

Protagonist A wants Objective B because of Big Motivation C. But Antagonist D is doing everything in his/her/their power to keep Protagonist A from reaching Objective B because of Big Motivation E. 

Does that make sense? You're basically answering the questions Who? What? and Why? Nothing more, nothing less. 

The fun comes in that you are not only trying to communicate these cores of the story, but also trying to do so in a way that shows your writer's voice and gives a sense of the adventure and uniqueness that the novel holds. That's a lot for 2-3 paragraphs, no? And while it might become more familiar each time, I don't think it ever gets much easier. 

Do you have a particular method or approach for queries?

I see that smile. 

Mistborn 3!

Brandon Sanderson's third book in the Final Empire trilogy, Hero of Ages, is out today! Here's the official announcement. Don't forget to check out the book tour and see if he might be coming through your area. Definitely worth making one of his signings at some point.

A review will be coming whenever I get the story done. Of course, not remembering that this was being released so soon, I just took a trip to the library and came home with a couple stacks of to-reads, but the review will happen. In the mean time, let me know what you think of it, should you have the fortune of getting to it before I do.

*hurries off to find a bookstore that has a copy*

I see that smile.

An interview with Nathan Bransford

A quick post today to point you in the direction of this audio interview with agent extraordinaire, Nathan Bransford. Just came across it, though it's been available for a bit. And if you haven't checked out Bransford's blog before, be sure to visit. Besides being funny, the guy provides tons of helpful information on the agenting side of the publishing biz...everything from what agents despise seeing in a query letter to various industry trends and breaking news. It'll keep you busy for a while to run through all the archives, but it's worth it.

I hope everyone's week is starting out well.

I see that smile.

World's Worst Book Proposals

To end the week, I thought I'd share this link from one of my writing email series that lands in my inbox every so often. 

Behold the World's Worst Book Proposals!

Warning: Do Not Read While Drinking Anything. It will come up the nose, I guarantee.

You can browse back through several of the last installments. Yes, these are real. Yes, if I ever wrote something like this, I'd want to be shamed for it too. 

Some favorites:

I know you said to email the manuscript to you for consideration, but I meditated about it and decided to send it to you by mail instead.

I will promote my book as many hours as needed outside my immediate geographical area. I have had several lawyers read the book to make sure that the characters are not identified with local politicians.

i don't want this book to ttake anytime, tell me how fast you intents to publish it and how you market it fastly.

I see that smile.

Win a Time Machine

Now here's a contest worth entering. The steampunk artist AlexCF, whose creative works I've posted a few times on this blog, has designed an impressive time machine which is the grand prize of a contest being run by Solaris Books. It's easy enough to enter. All you have to do is download and read the free short story, Speed, Speed, the Cable, and then answer questions about it here.

Five runners-up also will win the steampunk anthology, Extraordinary Engines.

How can you not be dazzled by these prizes? Then again, the less who enter this contest, the better chance I have of placing...so...not quite sure why I'm making this announcement. Guess I just like you guys too much to let you pass up this opportunity.

I see that smile.

A CD of Writing Excuses

Not what you're thinking. Writing Excuses is a podcast series run by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor and Dan Wells, covering many aspects of the writing bizniz and how to overcome challenges of the craft such as humor, plot pacing, character POV, and much more. It's a great series to listen to, and now, if you'd like, you can own their whole collection thus far on CD. 

Here's Sanderson's announcement about the new product:

http://brandonsanderson.com/blog/707/Writing-Excuses-Podcast-CD-Collection!

And here's the link to actually purchase the CD for a piddling $10. 

The podcasts are easy to listen to, and the guys all provide great advice from their various perspectives on the industry and craft. They also share a great sense of humor and offer engaging questions and challenges for us to try out in our own writing pursuits.

So be sure to check out the series, and if you are so inclined, snatch up that CD and support their future efforts.

I see that smile.

Sanctuary Webisodes

You all seen the ads for this upcoming sci-fi series? Sanctuary is a new show coming to town that brings together creatures of myth, legend and horror, and gives them a safe place to hide from angry mobs and the light of day. 

Sanctuary is the story of a 157-year-old cryptozoologist, Dr. Helen Magnus, who provides help and care for the misunderstood creatures that hide on the fringes of society--often considered "monsters." Everything from bigfoot to mermaids and beyond, she takes a special hand in. Now she's recruited a new member to Sanctuary's team, Dr. Will Zimmerman, who must bring his own unique skills to the table while adapting to the strange world Sanctuary contains. 

Sounds like fun. 

The fun thing about the show is that most of it is being shot against a green screen. I.e., except for the actors and a few small props, most of what you see in the background and otherwise is entirely virtual. Makes for an interesting look to sets, plus a lot of flexibility as to what they can do with various creatures and environments.

If you want a taste-test, the first episode is available on youtube as a series of 4 webisodes. Find the first one here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-v4MJScz0

Seeing as I don't have a television at this point, I'll have to catch up on episodes when they become available online or wait until the season dvd is released. Either way, this looks like it could be good. Anyone else excited by the potential of a new show that might actually be fun to watch?

I see that smile.

For my Christmas present? Please?

Maybe a few years' Christmas and birthday presents rolled into one?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/09/11/immersive.cocoon/index.html

All I need to do now is figure where these tubes plug in.

I see that smile.

Bwahahah

Must share. Laughed so hard.

http://xkcd.com/483/

If you haven't discovered this webcomic, by the way, then you are missing out on some amazing geek humor. Do yourself a favor. Start at 1 and move forward. Poignant, hilarious, and nerdish, all rolled into one. How can you lose?

http://xkcd.com

I see that smile.

Recovering

My body decided to call for an "abandon ship" yesterday. I wish it would at least give some warnings when it plans to do that. Anyways, home again today, trying to find some more solid ground to stand on. Can't say ye ol' thought processes are chugging along at 100% either. 

So here's something for you to research and let me know about. Anyone seen this website before?: 

http://www.wowio.com/

It's tagline is Free Books, Free Minds. Now, I'm all for free reading, but what I wonder is are these free because they're all independent, self-pubbed releases? It looks like the main catch is that you can read the ebooks online for free, but if you want to download them or transfer them to any kind of ereader, that requires a fee. Not a bad deal, I suppose, but plenty have talked about how reading on a computer screen never comes across as very relaxing or enjoyable when a book is involved. Graphic novels? I could see that, with the popularity of webcomics and all. But would you enjoy switching most of your reading time to desk time?

If you've used this site before as well, let me know what your thoughts are.

I see that smile.

What agents hate

Pretty self-explanatory of this article. A good handful of agents were surveyed by Writer's Digest and asked what they hate to receive in queries and submissions. Their answers? 

Right here.

Some of them are obvious, sure, like:

“I hate it when a book begins with an adventure that turns out to be a dream at the end of the chapter.”
—Mollie Glick, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

But some might be helpful when going back to revise that crucial opening chapter:

“I don’t really like ‘first day of school’ beginnings, ‘from the beginning of time,’ or ‘once upon a time.’ Specifically, I dislike a Chapter 1 in which nothing happens.”
—Jessica Regel, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

“Avoid any description of the weather.”
—Denise Marcil, Denise Marcil Literary Agency

“I don’t want to read about anyone sleeping, dreaming, waking up or staring at anything.”
—Ellen Pepus, Ellen Pepus Literary Agency

Check through the rest and see if you fall into any of those traps. Of course, agents are subjective just like anyone else in this business, so there will always be exceptions to the rule, but most of these suggestions are pretty good ways to improve the materials you send across their desk/through their inbox.

Hope this helps.

I see that smile.