Living the Fictional Dream

Whew! It has been a crazy two weeks; however, I am proud to report that I did indeed write a story every day. And while not all of the 14 stories turned into greatness, there are several that I think will be worth pursuing, and a couple of others that were more ideas, but that could possibly be developed into something later. All in all, not a bad two weeks’ work. And, now that SED is over, perhaps I can get back to a semi-regular writing schedule over here!

So, on my first day back, I want to talk about a book that I just read, Don’t Hex With Texas, by Shanna Swendson. This is the fourth book in her Enchantment Inc. series, which I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve given the first book as a Christmas gift at least four times.

I discovered the series through my sister. She told me that I friend of hers had a novel published, so I took a look, and that was that. The series is a cross between fantasy and chick lit, but, for some reason, most of the bookstores shelve it in the general fiction area. (I know, because I’ve had to hunt for it! I expected to find it with the fantasy novels, but… not so much.)

Katie, the heroine of EI, is unique, but not in the usual way. See, it turns out that there is magic in the world. In fact, most people have a little magic in them, which means that magic will work on them, too. There is a whole magical community out there (fairies, wizards, pixies, enchanted frogs, etc.) that your everyday people don’t see thanks to illusion spells and the like.

But Katie’s super secret magic power is not really so magic at all. She is immune to magic, which makes her a valuable commodity in the magical world. She gets a job at the “Microsoft” of the magical world (a company that makes magic spells), and soon finds herself bringing both her immunity and her common sense into the wacky world of magic, as well as meeting some interesting guys along the way, such as Owen, an extremely shy co-worker who just happens to be one of the most powerful wizards of his generation.

Don’t Hex With Texas takes place right where the previous book (Damsel Under Stress) left off, with Katie out of New York and back in her hometown in Texas. She thought that coming back to Texas would give her a little respite from the wacky hijinks of the magical world, but instead, the magical world follows her to the Lone Star State.

I don’t want to give away too much of DHWT or the EI series in general, so I won’t say any more about plot, but if you’ve read the other books, you definitely need to pick up your copy of DHWT as soon as possible. And, if you haven’t read any of the EI series, what are you waiting for? Head out and pick up a copy of all four titles (Enchantment, Inc., Once Upon Stilettos, Damsel Under Stress, and Don’t Hex With Texas) and settle in for some the fun.

Shanna writes with a bright and easy style, and the pages just seem to flow by before you’ve realized it. The characters are memorable, and her world building is top notch. These books are good fun with a liberal sprinkling of magic and action — summer reading material that you need to put on your list!

Sadly, the one tragedy is that Shanna’s short-sighted publisher has not offered a contract for more books in the EI series, so, as of now, DHWT is the last installment. However, don’t let that deter you from reading the series. First of all, the stories are fun and should not be missed. Second, the more copies of the existing four books that get bought, the more likely it is that a publisher will take notice and possibly contract another installment. And, finally, because I know some of you out there would want to know this before starting the series, if DHWT is the final installment ever, it leaves the characters in a good place. There are unanswered questions, of course, but no cliffhangers, either physically or emotionally.

Also, if you’ve finished the series and want to know more or if you’re a writer looking for another good blog to read, you should check out Shanna’s blog.

Happy reading, y’all!

The SED contest continues. I’m proud of myself because I have, thus far, written a story every day. Just six more days to go. Here’s hoping I can keep it up!

This contest made me realize just how many fictional worlds exist in my imagination. When I can’t think of something to write for my daily SED story, I find myself turning to these fictional worlds and writing about an aspect of them that I haven’t yet explored, perhaps a small subset of the culture or a minor character who deserves his/her own story.

Of course there is Tyden, the medival-style fantasy world from the novel that is in a constant state of revision. That one is the most fully formed of all of them. But in the past year or so, several more have sprung into being.

There is my science fiction universe in which the Moon has several self-sustaining colonies. Sadly, none of the stories I set there worked out quite the way I had planned, but that world is really vivid to me. I’ve named all the colonies, worked out where they are and what their resources are, and everything. Maybe someday it will actually see the light of day!

I have two urban fantasy universes (distinguished from a fantasy world because they are layered on top of the real world instead of being created completely from scratch). One is a Y/A universe inhabited by Sirens. My 2006 NaNo novel was set in this world. Sadly, novel revisions aren’t coming along quite as swiftly as when I wrote the whole first draft in one month!

The other is a world of Thropes (short for Therianthropes, which means shapeshifters of all kinds). My shapeshifter universe has a whole Thrope society made of of werewolves, werecoyotes, werepanthers, werefoxes, wereleopards, wererats, and more. I’ve written two short stories set in this universe, one of which, “Alpha,”  will be published in Electric Spec at the end of the month.

I’ve recently created a super hero universe, as well. The first story, “Zero to Clean in Ten Minutes or Less,” was published in A Thousand Faces, issue 4, and the second of which, “Bridge Club,” will be published in a forthcoming issue of ATF.

There is my fantasy world (loosely based on 18th century Earth) in which people who survived the fall of Atlantis roam the Earth, first seen in “The Widow and the Stranger,” published in Allegory e-zine. And I have another medieval-style fantasy world about immortal sorcerers who devote their lives to a mysterious Game. One story set there has reached round two in a flash e-zine, but I haven’t heard back about it yet. Oh, and there is my Christian vampire hunter world — more urban fantasy — only one story so far (scheduled out in Afterburn SF early next year), but ideas for several short story ideas have occured to me. And, there are a few others, less well defined than the ones mentioned above.

All these ‘verses beg the question — how much room do I have in my imagination anyway? If my imagination is anything like the Book World in the Thursday Next series (which  highly recommend if you’re looking for smart, funny, highly literate fantasy), things must be going amok in there!

But, that’s why we’re in this writing game, isn’t it? Because these worlds and characters are there in our minds just waiting for their stories to be written down on paper (or via the keyboard). We don’t do it for the money or the glory (there isn’t much of either of those to be had). We do it because we enjoy it (at least sometimes), and because the stories are out there waiting to be told.

If I don’t tell the stories of all my imaginary worlds, who’s going to?

This has been a great week for me! “The Dragon Thief” was published, and I’ve had two more stories accepted — one by A Thousand Faces and one by Perpetual Magazine. I’m really excited by both of these acceptances. The story I sent to ATF was one that I came up with on the spur of the moment, and ended up working out better than I had ever hoped. The one accepted by PM is a story I wrote quite a while ago and had about dispared of ever finding a home for. And the PM editor said such nice things in the acceptance email. What a great week!

And in honor of what a good week this has been, I’m going to share more links with you. Hopefully, y’all will find something here that piques your interest!

First, if you like flash, you need to go check out “Visions of Hummus-cide” at Bewildering Tales by Stephanie, one of my writing group pals. If you weren’t a hummus-convert after Buffy the Vampire Slayer (”Attack the Mayer with hummus. … He’ll never see it coming.”), this story will bring you over to the cause.

Next up is the mid-June issue of All Things Girl. The update includes part two of their interview with Stephanie Meyer (author of the Twilight series and The Host — which, if you haven’t read them yet, you definitely need to).

And here’s a fun one for all you writers out there — The Random Title Generator. If you’re out of creative ideas, try some of these automatically generated titles on for size. Perhaps you’ll create your next great story after being inspired by titles like “Shakespeare, As Written by a Dinosaur,” “My Friends Call Me Fuzzy Banana,” and “Always Share Your Moonlight”!

Finally, if you want to find out what’s going on in the world of television, you should check out my two favorite TV columnists over at TV Guide’s website: Matt Roush and Michael Ausiello. When Matt recommends something, I always know to pay attention, and Michael always has the latest scoops and a smattering of spoilers. However, apparently Michael is actually leaving TV Guide, so you’ll have to check him out there fast!

And I’m out… for today. Happy clicking!

When I start a story, I’m not the type to fill out endless character profiles. I have a basic idea for a character, and then start writing. Afterward, though, when the first draft is done, those kinds of tools are invaluable. The help me to make the character more consistent. This is for novels. Short stories… character consistency is a little easier to get… or at least to see when you don’t have it.

The more realistic the characters are, the better the story is. Over the years, I’ve found help with smoothing out those fictional personalities in what might seem, at the surface, a couple of unlikely places.

The first one was a book called What Color Is Your Aura by Barbara Bowers. Now, I don’t know much about auras and I’ve definitely never seen one, but it has an interesting way of categorizing and describing different personality types.

When I read the descriptions of the different personality types, orange jumped out at me. I didn’t know it when I wrote the first draft of a novel-in-progress, but I had created an orange character — a minor character who was a physical being, an adrenaline junkie who lives for physical challenges like fighting. Realizing that about the character, I was able to refine him. Even more, I was able to understand why he did some of the inexplicable things that he did. Understanding his motivation made me better able to write from his point of view. And the aura book helped me do just that.

The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman gave me more insights into familial relationships, especially sibling relationships. I found it an interesting read as a sibling myself, but it was also fascinating as a writing resource. It helped me get out of the older sister compliant point of view and to understand some of the other possibilities.

So, I guess the point of this post is that you never know what’s out there that can help you better your writing. Neither of these books is about writing per se, but both have helped me in that area. So, as writers, we should keep our eyes and ears open. Anything might be just what you need for a particular story, even one later down the line.

A cliffhanger irritates me, be it on a TV show or in a book series. The idea behind them is to leave the public wanting more, to make it so they have to come back to the next chapter, the next novel, the next episode, or the next season.

And, I will admit, they work. I can’t tell you how many times I open up a book to read a little before bed, and, before I know it, it’s approaching midnight and I have blown through several chapters at one go. I want to keep going because there is no good place to stop. Every time I get to a section break or the end of a chapter, something dramatic happens, and I have to know what happens next, just like the dramatic happenings right before a commercial break on a TV show.

The worst ones, though, are the cliffhangers between seasons or book releases. Those are the killers, and the ones that I find the most unnecessary. I do understand that the same principle still applies. The writers want to leave the public wanting more, ensuring they will tune in next season/buy the next book in the series.

But it’s so cruel… At least when it’s a TV show, you’ve only got three or four months to wait (cable shows like Farscape aside). I just finished watching this season’s Supernatural, and since the show runners knew they were going to be renewed for next year, they left us with a doozy. That final shot of Dean was haunting, and I have no idea how they’re going to get him out of this one! It’s agony waiting until next fall!

But a book series is even worse! Publishing moves slowly… like a glacier, sometimes. It depends on the author and the publisher, too. Take P.C. Cast’s House of Night series. Crazy things happened to our heroine in the last book, and drama came crashing down hard. Now everything she used to be able to depend on is ripped asunder, evil threatens, and I’m left to wonder until maybe the fall. I’m not sure.

And then there is George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. The thing has the worst cliffhangers I’ve ever read, and the guy takes forever to finish a book. Multiple year-type forever! If the books weren’t so amazing, I wouldn’t even bother because it’s so frustrating, both waiting for him and waiting to find out if the characters in jeopardy at the end of the last one are going to get out of it OK (and with GRRM, you seriously never know!). The cliffhangers are even worse this time. Because of the length of the last novel, he cut it in half and each half addresses some of the characters. So the characters in jeopardy at the end of A Feast for Crows won’t even be seen again until the book after A Dance with Dragons!!!

I guess that my opinion on cliffhangers is that they are a tool in a writer’s arsenal, but they should be used judiciously. You should keep your readers/viewers in mind. If you’re not going to be able to continue your series, definitely don’t leave it in a cliffhanger. Heck, if you’re not 100% sure you’ll be able to continue (i.e., you don’t have the signed contract in hand), don’t leave it in a cliffhanger. And, you know what? If you’re going to be a year or more between installments, think about giving your readers a break!

As far as the more minor cliffhangers between chapters go, I can see why they are so popular today. In this world where TV, movies, video games, etc., take more of the public’s time and attention away from reading, you have to build that excitement and make them unable to put the book down in favor of something else. If the reader puts the book down, they might never come back again. So, I do understand them for pacing, and it can make a very exciting read at a breathless pace.

Personally, I prefer a mixture of dramatic moments and restful ones, but I fear I am in the minority on that one.

We’re going into summer now… time to cool my heels until the next round of television comes back to relieve me from my post-season-finale-cliffhanger madness. Maybe a few of my favorite book series will come out with new installments to pass the time until fall? Or perhaps I’ll have to find some new ones…

I will say, though, that there are more important things than cliffhangers. They may irritate me (whether or not I understand the purpose, they still irritate me), but there are more important concerns. For me, if I love the characters, the universe, and the story, if the book or show sucks me into that vivid fictional dream and won’t let me go, then I’ll be back. Cliffhanger or no cliffhanger. And if it doesn’t, that’s when I walk away.

Over the holiday weekend, I read The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. Actually, the first one was a re-read, as I discovered the original Penderwicks novel last year, but the story definitely stood up to re-reading, which is a good point in favor of author Jeanne Birdsall.

These books would be considered middle grade, I believe, as the main characters, the sisters, are all 12 or younger. The oldest sister, Rosalind, is the mother of the brood, as their mother died of cancer two weeks after their youngest sister was born. Skye is 11, and the rebellious and tempermental one of the bunch — she always speaks before she thinks. Skye is brilliantly smart at math and teaches herself algebra for fun. Jane, the third Penderwick sister, is 10 and a budding creative writer. She writes adventure stories about a heroine named Sabrina Starr, who always rescues things. Jane also is a budding soccer player (and she turns into an English soccer player named Mick when she’s challenged or frightened on the field), and in the second book discovers a talent for acting. Finally, there’s Batty (full name, Elizabeth, after their mom), four years old, with a nose for trouble, a penchant for becoming invisible at a moments notice (being invisible means standing very, very still) and a nearly psychic relationship with the family dog, Hound.

In The Penderwicks the girls and their absent-minded professor father rent a cabin for the summer where the girls become friends with Jeffery, the son of the tempermental woman who owns the cabin. Skye learns about the dangers of first impressions. Jane has her first experience with a “real” publisher. Rosy experiences her first crush, and Batty meets the two rabbits and has other adventures, such as finding herself being charged by a bull. We learn about the Penderwick Family Honor, MOPS (Meeting Of Penderwick Sisters) and MOOPS (Meeting Of Older Penderwick Sisters), and other tidbits of the life of this charming family.

When the Penderwicks return to Gardam Street, the girls find themselves embroiled in the “Save Daddy” plan — a plan meant to thwart their Aunt Claire’s plan to make Mr. Penderwick re-enter the dating game. In the process, Rosy discovers hidden depths in their neighbor, Tommy; Jane and Skye switch homework assignments with disasterious concequences; Batty encounters the Bug Man; and they meet their new neighbors, Iantha and her son, Ben.

These books are written for children. An adult can see the plot coming a mile away (I was not fooled for a moment when Mr. Penderwick announced his date with Marianne Dashwood). But the strength of these tales is their charm and the ease of the writing. They took me back to being a girl who loved spending her days with the March sisters, the Pepper children, and so many others in old fashioned stories like Little Women, A Little Princess, The Five Little Peppers, and The Secret Garden. In books like that, everyone tried to be good, accepted the consequences of their actions with honor, and were rewarded in the end. They also always loved each other and knew how to make their own fun with their imaginations.

The Penderwick stories are firmly set in the current day world, but they are written with the charm of those old fashioned children’s stories. The Penderwick girls always have much more important things to do than play video games or watch TV. They would much rather practice their soccer, play secret agent, write stories, splash in fountains, or wear butterfly wings. It’s like The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys come to life!

I’ve always had an idea in the back of my mind — writing Little Women for today’s world. I even have the names of my sisters all picked out. It looks like Jeanne and the Penderwicks beat me to it!

Unless you really enjoy children’s literature, like I do, I probably wouldn’t recommend sitting down with the Penderwicks. However, if you do enjoy children’s books, then definitely give the Penderwicks a try. And if you have kids, especially daughters, I think this would be the perfect book to give them, or, even better, to read with them at bedtime.

Today is a day for sharing. Hopefully, you’ll find these links as fun and/or interesting as I do!

First of, I want to give a shout out to Alex, one of my fellow writing group members. He wrote a flash fiction mystery, and it went live on Every Day Fiction this morning.

Second, Jens, another Writer’s Ink member, has redesigned his blog. Check it out. The new graphics are awesome. My favorite is the space ship, but the dinosaur is cool, too. Apparently, the preferred viewing browser is Firefox. Also of note, Jens is going to start putting original flash fiction on his site regularly, so that will be worth checking out!

Here is the link to mystery author Carole Nelson Douglas’s website. If you enjoy mysteries, genre-bending, and strong female protagonists, you should definitely check out her books. And I’m only slightly biased from the fact that I worked as her personal assistant for three years during college and early grad school! (Talk about having one’s eyes opened to what the real life of a midlist author is like!) If you enjoy urban fantasy, I highly recommend her newest series about a heroine with a mysterious past named Delilah Street. The first book is called Dances with Werewolves.

If you’re looking for something good to read in the speculative short story line, I’m going to point you over to Strange Horizons. I’m sure most of the short story writers who drop by heard of SH long ago, but I thought some of the nonwriters who pop by every now and then might be interested. SH is actually considered a professional market for short stories because of their pay rates, but you can read the stories there for free. I have read many interesting science fiction and fantasy short stories there, so it’s definitely worth a spin around the archives.

If you write, but you’re in need of some inspiration, you should check out my friend Melissa’s website, Cafe Writing.

If space westerns are your thing, you’ve got to take a look at SpaceWesterns.com. This site has quality short fiction. I’ve never been disappointed by a story there. Jens has a story there, and I really love some of the space westerns with female protagonists, like A Llama’s Tale and The Clone-Wrangler’s Bride.

Residential Aliens is a speculative fiction e-zine with a spiritual slant, which I know will appeal to some of my dozen blog readers. I particularly enjoyed the story “Morning Coffee.”

And, finally, in a departure from the writing theme, I want to recommend two blogs that focus on Fort Worth, my hometown. West and Clear includes notes about current events, Fort Worth news, and lots of current happenings. Occasionally, Stephanie, another Writer’s Inker, even contributes reviews. Fort Worthology focuses on urban development in Fort Worth, and is always chock full of the latest information on many of the construction sites around the city — especially those associated with “new urbanism” and the downtown area. Kevin, the author of FWology, is Writer’s Ink support staff. Kevin also includes a lot of his own urban photography on the site.

So, the next time you have some free time and need something to check out on the web, try one of these sites. You won’t be disappointed.

When I was in grad school, professors discussed the intentional fallacy of literary criticism — the danger of interpreting a piece of literature in a certain way because that meaning is what the author intended. I remember being perturbed by that idea at the time. After all, if an author doesn’t know what his or her writing is about, then who will? The discipline of literary criticism has plenty of ideas!

What the intentional fallacy (and literary criticism in general!) helped me realize is that there isn’t just one correct interpretation for a story. A reader with determination can extract nearly any meaning out of a story that they want to. I read papers in scholarly journals reducing great works to a certain meaning based solely on the treatment of women, philosophical ideals, wealth, or the type and amount of food eaten by the characters. Someone determined enough can probably prove their chosen interpretation for any work.

Personally, though, as a reader, I don’t want to have to think that hard about it. I want to enjoy what I read, I want it to affect me emotionally (affective fallacy anyone?), and I want it to tell me a good story with characters I like. I want to be transported to a reality different than my own. I want that vivid, continuous fictional dream. If I get those things, then to me, the story is a success.

But, there are themes in stories, and symbolism. The author’s intent is there, too, whether or not you take it into account. But the thing that no one can predict is what the reader brings to the table. Everyone looks out onto the world from his or her own window made up of their experiences, thoughts, and perceptions. That means every reader brings something of his or her own to the story. Something that resonates deeply for one reader may not be more than a blip to another.

Take C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, for example. Lewis has stated that he did not intend to write the series to be a Christian allegory, but you cannot deny that the Christian themes do exist. But (at least in my readings) a direct Biblical interpretation doesn’t work. There are too many elements that don’t fit. To me, it’s a beautifully drawn fantasy world with characters we like. I do see the Christian symbolism (Aslan’s sacrifice always brings me to tears, and my heart soars at his resurrection), but that isn’t the end-all, be-all of the stories.

And, in the end, I think that’s the way a discerning reader should think. No, I’m not saying that my personal take on Naria is the “right” one. I’m saying that a discerning reader reads the story with what they bring to the table and takes away what works for them.

Trying to force someone else to see your interpretation as the “right” one… it just doesn’t work, for the most part. And it stands more of a chance of turning the other person off to what might be a very enjoyable and very meaningful read.

But how does that relate to my stories? Do I think that my interpretation as the author should be important? I do think authorial intent has a place. I always find it interesting to know what writers were thinking when they wrote their stories. What did Lewis think about Narnia? Why did my fellow writing group member Jens chose a particular theme for a certain short story? In Twilight, why is Stephanie Meyer so hard on Bella? [I read in an interview that she's anti-human (humans would always need rescuing when vamps and werewolves are in the mix), not anti-female, which she has been accused of.]

But the authorial interpretation is not the only one. There are as many interpretations out there as there are readers. And, to me, that is the whole beauty of this game… the sheer possibilities of it all!

The one constant about Stephanie Meyer’s books is that I cannot put them down once I start them. I read the Twilight, Meyer’s young adult series, first, and was totally sucked into the world of Bella, Edward, and Jacob with each new release. Last Wednesday, I found The Host, Meyer’s new adult novel.

The tagline is “science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction,” and that’s a fairly apt description. There are elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but the main focus of the novel is the characters and their relationships. There is plenty of romance, of course (What would a Meyer book be without true love?), but friendship and familial relationships are also there, front and center.

Wanderer is a soul — an extra-terrestrial that can only live through a host body. Her kind have taken many planets, and justify their actions by the improvements they leave on the societies — peace, trust, pleasure. But Earth gives the souls more than they bargained for with all its strong emotions and its crazy fifth sense (smell!), and Wanderer — who has lived on nine planets in her lifetimes — personally gets more than she bargained for when her host body’s consciousness, Melanie, refuses to leave. Under Melanie’s influence, Wanderer seeks out her little brother, Jaime, and her true love, Jared, and finds herself amongst a small cell of “rogue” humans, which leads to much more than Wanderer ever anticipated.

The love triangle between Melanie, Jared, and Wanderer is fascinating. It’s not often that a love triangle involves only two bodies. And what’s also interesting is Wanderer’s observations on humanity as a whole, and her struggle to understand the value of love, rage, and individuality versus utopia.

I started this massive tome on Wednesday night and was finished by lunchtime on Friday — it was that engrossing. Meyer’s writing style always affects me that way. Her world is so vivid and compelling that once you enter, leaving is like being ripped away.

I’m not a huge fan of the first person point of view, but in Meyer’s hands, it works. I had worried that the feel would be too similar to the first person narrator in Twilight, but that was not the case at all. Wanderer’s voice was very different than Bella’s, and sets an entirely different tone. there is no mistaking the two. Wanderer has none of Bella’s rampant teenaged insecurities (which was actually a bit of a relief).

I don’t want to say too much more, as I don’t want to spoil the plot. I’ll just say that if you were pondering giving The Host a go, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy. It is well worth the price of admission — even the hardback price!