Living the Fictional Dream

Last weekend, I read Meg Cabot’s new book, Airhead. Let me start out by saying that I very much enjoyed the book. I’m a Meg Cabot fan, and love everything of hers that I’ve read (The Princess Diaries, Jinx, An American Girl, and even her adult novels, like the Heather Wells mysteries), and, despite the title, Airhead was no exception. Em Watts is a fabulous character with believable issues, but Meg also managed to make the celebutants/models sympathetic, as well.

But, while reading, I started to worry. My page count was rapidly dwindling, and it felt like the main plot had yet to really get going. And when I reached the end, my worries were realized. Airhead, to me, doesn’t actually feel like a complete story… it feels like the first installment of an ongoing series.

This got me thinking about the novel-writing biz. Everything I’ve read — author blogs, agent blogs, etc. — stress that in the writing game, you shouldn’t think about writing a good series. You need to think about writing a good novel. The series will never sell if the novel doesn’t stand on its own. After thinking about it, especially in relation to books I’m reading, I have to agree.

I’m not saying that every novel needs to tie up all loose ends. That would be no fun at all. But I think that a series is better served if each installment has its own specific plot that can be resolved by the end of that book, leaving just the overarching character development and possibly a larger series-long mystery to spin out between books. Some great examples of this method are the Golden series by Jennifer Lynne Barnes, the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, and the Midnight Louie series by Carole Nelson Douglas. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling also does it well. The more I think on it, the more great examples that come to mind.

This method works because the reader gets a sense of closure at the end of each installment of the series. The reader can feel content with the money that they paid for the book and relax while they wait for the next installment to be written (which usually takes at least a year!). And yet, there is still a sense of anticipation because there are elements that the reader wants to find out more about. It’s the best of both worlds.

After reading Airhead, I wish that I would have waited to buy it. The first novel was quite good, but it was just enough to get me really into the characters and the storyline, but by the end, nothing had been resolved. It was all setup for future stories and not a complete story in and of itself. Mysteries upon mysteries were set up, as were many, many relationships (friendship and romantic), and yet none of them got any kind of resolution. Had I known that going in, I would have known that this is a series that I should wait and buy all of in a clump (or at least three or four installments in a clump). I still would have read it eventually, but I wouldn’t have done so now. (Especially not for the price of a hardcover!)

Of course, Meg Cabot is a best seller, so she can write whatever she wants. The advice I read in agent and author blogs doesn’t apply to her, as she already has a publisher, an agent, and many more people lined up to accept anything she decides to write (what an awesome place that must be, right?). And she’s not the only writer who does this. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is totally like this… one novel fades right into the next, each one ending in a huge cliffhanger that leaves readers gnashing their teeth and cursing his name for two years until the next installment is published.

Perhaps the conundrum is similar to the difference between an episodic TV series with continuing elements and season long major plot arcs (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural) and a soap opera or a soap opera-esque series like Lost. I like both types, but I really prefer the former and tend to watch the latter in large clumps of episodes as opposed to every time it airs. I also feel like that the episodic series model works better in the Y/A genre than the soap opera model — of course, that’s just my personal opinon, and I’m sure that many people think just the oposite.

If I’m ever lucky enough to be the published author of a book series, I’ve already made my decision. I would definitely go the route of each installment being its own story with continuing elements, instead of using the other formula. I wouldn’t want someone to finish reading an installment in my series and be disapointed the way I was when I reached the end of Airhead. And, when it comes to Airhead, if you like Meg Cabot, I defintely recommend the book, but I would advise waiting to buy it at least until the sequel (Being Nikki) is released so you can read them both at the same time.

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!

Last night, Stephen and I watched the last three hours of this season of Lost, and I really enjoyed it — probably more than any episodes of the show since season 1. If you gave up the show during the downturn of season 2, I would highly recommend catching up. It just gets better and better. That said, while this post is going to talk about writing, there will also be some spoilers for Lost, so read at your own peril.

Sawyer has long been one of my favorite characters on Lost. Since we first met him, I was sure the character had something more than a cocky attitude and a charismatic smile. I knew there was a hero underneath, masked by all the hurt he’d endured over the years, starting with what happened to his parents. However, my opinion was met with vociferous resistance in some quarters of my acquaintance, especially because every time he did something “good,” he would soon follow it up with something selfish or his self-serving motives would be revealed in the end.

But in the current season, Sawyer has finally been revealed as a good guy, albeit, reluctantly so. The other people on the island have become his friends (at least some of them), and he actually cares about them. He’s done many things for Kate, just because she wanted/needed him to, proving genuine feelings for her. He left the safe house to rescue Claire in the commando attack. He trailed her into the woods and took care of Aaron when she was gone (I will never forget that scene of him holding the baby in the clearing where Claire disappeared!). When Locke and Ben wanted Hurley, Sawyer wouldn’t let them take him, only backing down when Hurley told him to. Despite antagonism in the past, he refused to let Jack go to the helicopter alone. And when all he had to do was jump on the helicopter and leave, he organized the search party to find Hurley. And his bad-boy-gone-good thing was cemented when he took that flying leap from the helicopter and swam back to the island on the off chance that without his weight Kate (and the others) would be able to make it to the freighter before the helicopter ran out of fuel.

My growing enthusiasm for Sawyer’s character got me to thinking about characters in general. What is it about Sawyer that makes him such a great character (to me anyway), and how can I think about that in light of developing characters that other people would feel that way about? And while I was thinking about all that, I read this article at author Shanna Swendson’s blog. Check out number 3 on her list of why it’s important to talk about TV, which discusses characters who earn their fans love.

This is totally Sawyer — he started out a snarky conman with only a charismatic grin to cover up his selfishness, and over four seasons, he’s become a guy that you can count on in a pinch. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a reformed bad boy, but his heart has finally been tapped, and watching him you get the feeling that once he cares for you, he’s going to be behind you all the way.

But I think there are other lessons to learn here, too. Stalwart and true heroes and heroines can be good characters, but it’s that flaw that really gives a character oomph (at least for me). The flaws humanize them, give us something to relate to, and, darn it, just make them more interesting. It is way more fascinating to watch someone struggle than someone who makes the “right” choice as a matter of course and without thought. And a story of being redeemed is so compelling.

Who is more interesting? Max or Michael on Roswell? Jack or Sawyer on Lost? Logan or Duncan on Veronica Mars? Luke or Han in Star Wars? The Phantom or the Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera? The list could go on and on. And in my experience, in the fannish communities out there, it is the scoundrel or the reformed bad boy who have the passionate fans.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I like all of those characters I listed. They all have their place — sometimes you need the stalwart hero type. And some of my closest friends eschew the scoundrels and are devoted to the heros. So, in that sense, it’s all a matter of individual taste. But, there is something to be said for writing what one enjoys. If you don’t, it’s more like work, and who would get into this fiction-writing business if they weren’t doing it for the love. No one is doing it for the money (at least, not until they actually land an agent and a six-figure book deal!).

Another thing to consider is that we need all of those types of characters in our arsenals as writers. There are some things that a stalwart hero is just not going to be able to do, and that’s precisely when the scoundrel is needed.

In any event, as a writer, I would love to create a character that makes someone else as excited about a story as Sawyer makes me about Lost — if I can do that, then it’s definitely worth it.

So, if you’re out there and still reading this, which one do you prefer? The stalwart and true hero or the reformed bad boy/scoundrel? Or someone else entirely? Who has you screaming at the TV or paging through the book faster to find the next page where s/he appears?

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.