Living the Fictional Dream

Lately, my muse is whispering superhero fiction in my ear. I believe I blogged a little about that a few days ago. I’ve written two superhero stories already, one of which was published by and the other accepted by A Thousand Faces. I have two more written and in the revision process (sadly, I haven’t been able to get a lot of feedback on them — everyone is so busy for the summer — but I shall muddle through), and ideas for another one or two.

I’ve been trying to figure out what is so interesting about superhero fiction. I’ve always been interested in superheroes, but I’ve never been much of a comic reader. I find the characters in comics fascinating, but I never really got hooked on them. Even though I think that comic art can be gorgeous, I personally prefer more meaty prose to pictures. But I definitely appreciate the art of comics. And I’ve always enjoyed the various superhero movies and TV shows, even before special effects got good enough that Marvel started selling rights to Hollywood willy-nilly.

After thinking on it for a while, I’ve decided that the thing that makes superheroes interesting is how they put the normal life stuff into a grander more life-and-death perspective. If I have a bad day, I suffer, and maybe my friends or family suffer a bit. If Superman has a bad day, Metropolis and even the world suffers.

It’s especially interesting to me when superheroes have to deal with the mundane. We’re so used to that image of the perfect superhero — the one who swoops in and saves the day without wanting anything in return, the one who thinks of others first, the one who fights for truth and justice because it’s the right thing to do.

But what happens when s/he is out of the public eye? What do they really feel? What is their life really like? Do they hate cleaning the house, or is it no big deal since it’s done in five minutes anyway? Superheroes doing housework, superheroes having issues with their spouses, superheroes on blind dates, superheroes feeling like they aren’t part of the “cool” superhero crowd… all interesting to me, as is how they might deal with it.

And, let’s face it, it’s also awesome when superheroes toss those emotional mundane issues aside and show up to save the day despite their personal lives. Also, with superheroes, anything can happen — the possibilities are endless with that amount of power at your disposal.

Though, how is all this superhero stuff so different than, say, Buffy the Vampire Slayer? That show was founded on the premise that “high school is hell.” We saw all the traditional teen stories — the prom, losing one’s virginity, dealing with a divorced parent dating again, having friends suddenly change on you to hang out with a new group — but we saw them through a filter of the supernatural. It was looking at the same thing through a different lens and finding a story there there that resonates.

Despite having more supernatural origins, Buffy herself was a superhero of sorts. Not in the traditional cape-wearing, radioactive-spider-bite way, but she had superpowers of her own. She had mundane things to face, and she had to burst in and pummel her way to saving the day on many occasions, despite boy problems, friendship issues, and anything else that came along.

So really, superheroes are another realm of genre fiction, just like fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Probably some of all of those. So, perhaps my muse’s new interest in superhero fiction is just another facet in a life-long interest in genre fiction.

Either way, I’m definitely enjoying the flight, and I’ll ride it out however long it lasts. Maybe when it’s over, I’ll have enough superhero short stories for a collection. I think, though, that eventually I’m going to need to give my superheroes’ city a name. I can’t keep calling it “the city” forever!

So, if you’re out there and have read this long, what do you think makes superhero fiction so interesting? Or, if not superheroes specifically, what is it you like about genre fiction in general?

Superhero fiction is eating my brain! As in, I suddenly have so many ideas for short stories in my original superhero universe that I can’t write them down fast enough. Since “Bridge Club” was accepted by A Thousand Faces (no word on the release date as of yet), I’ve written two more.

One was a SED story during the midst of the competition, but it actually turned out fairly well. It’s about a superhero with ocean powers. I need to revise it and then send it out to my writing group. Then the second one popped into my mind this morning, and wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it down. It’s about a female superhero this time, which is a change of pace. It is somewhat in answer to a prompt that I gave to my writing group in May — writing a story about a superhero on a blind date — but it also ties in really well with “Bridge Club” and the rest of my superhero ‘verse.

Strangely enough, I have another idea bumbling around in my brain for a story about a woman who can change her appearance (yes, I know… Mystique, but what super power hasn’t been used already — it’s what you do to make the character unique after the super powers!).

I’m totally going to have to investigate other markets that might be interested in original superhero fiction, because Frank over at ATF is going to get tired of me!

And now, in a totally random subject shift, I was reading Shanna Swendson’s blog this evening, and I came across this post. It’s all about what a reader can do to support a favorite book series (her Enchantment Inc. series or any other series). If you’ve ever wanted to help out the sales of a series so that the publishers might decide to continue it, you should check out her ideas on things you can do. There’s more that just buying a copy of the book yourself or buying it for other people.

I especially note her comment about used bookstores. This is a rant that I’ve given many times since my college days working for local mystery writer Carole Nelson Douglas. Used bookstore sales don’t count with the publisher — only new sales do. Now, I understand budgeting and not being able to afford to buy all your favorite books new. It’s a common problem. But, if that’s the case, then you should pick and choose the ones you buy and put your money to where it will do the most good. I save my Half Price purchases for books that are either (1) best sellers (Meg Cabot, Robert Jordan, etc.) or (2) old and/or out of print.

And that’s it for me today. Have a good one!

It is day two of my writing group’s challenge to write a story every day. Thus far, I have written the two required stories. I’m not very enthused by either of them, but my cumulative word count for the two days is 7K and change. That’s some serious wordage!

The first story is the one that really got up there — it’s over 6K on its own. Sadly, it didn’t work out like I’d planned. It is a story set on the moon in a future time when mankind has self-sustaining colonies there. Every since I read about this contest sponsored by the National Space Society I’ve wanted to submit a story. It would be such a cool anthology to be included in. The readership would be way up there, for one thing, since it would be marketed to the whole NSS membership. And, for another thing, I’ve been a sci-fi geek from way back — I love stories about colonies in outer space, travelling in space, etc. You’d think the “Return to Luna” theme would be right up my alley.

The first thing I did when I heard about this anthology was research for world building. I read up on theories and ideas about lunar settlement, the moon’s geography, etc. I came up with what, in my opinion, is a good concept for what life on the moon could be like — there are some sci-fi contrivances, such as terraforming, but not too many. I wanted to keep it more realistic than, say, Star Trek with its replicators and warp engines. My lunar civiliation was multi-cultural, as well. It has five colonies, each one founded by one of the top runners in the space race right now — Japan, China, Russia, India, and the U.S.

Then I started my first story. I wrote on it and wrote on it, then I stopped, and then I wrote some more. But it was never finished. It got longer and longer, but the plot didn’t come to fruition like I’d hoped. It just didn’t gel. So, I abandoned story one, and when my writing group’s contest began, I thought that maybe I could write another one instead. Use the same world, but different characters and a less ambitious plot.

When I started the story yesterday, it felt brilliant. I knew this was the concept that would work and get me into the NSS anthology. But, there is always that disconnect between the story you see in your head and the one you get down on paper. By the end of the day yesterday, I absolutely hated the second moon colonization story. It took all these rabbit trails, and I’m not sure that it goes far enough toward the joy and wonder of living life on the moon. The story is securely set on the moon. I tried to make the world believable, which I think it was, but the plot is a smaller, more emotional plot. While I think the lunar setting added interest, it isn’t integral to the plot like I wish it were. Plus, instead of the 2K I’d hoped for, it’s over 6K. Darn and blast!

I guess every writer has this trouble from time to time. You have a good idea or something inspires you, and the story either dies a quiet death or becomes a huge train wreck, and even throwing more work into it can’t save it.

I’m not quite sure that I’ve given up on the NSS anthology. I still have a few days left to either work on story two and fine tune it to something I’m happy with or to possibly write another one as one of my daily stories for this week. Who’s to know?

What you writers out there think? What do you do when you have a story that just won’t sort itself out, no matter how much you try? Are you quick to abandon them, or do you continue to fiddle with them time and time again?

I’m probably more of the latter, though it does depend on how much effort I’ve put into it. The more I’ve worked on stories, the harder it is for me to let them go.

Last night, I went with a group of friends to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and after it was over, there were mixed reviews that ran the gamut from loved it to hated it. I went in to the movie with low expectations, having heard only lukewarm reviews thus far, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The movie felt like an Indiana Jones flick. It had the action (exciting, but not too realistic with the blood and gore) and the requisite chase scenes. Indy, though more grizzled than in days of old, still looked dang good in his hat and knew how to use his whip. There were crazy archeologist types and evil armies (this time Communist instead of Nazi). There was an evil woman with a bad accent. There were plenty of bad jokes with that Indy flare. And there was a quest for an ancient artifact that took us to exotic locations. In addition, we had my favorite Indy love interest of all time.

And, in addition to all the classic elements, there were new additions that made the movie unique from its predecessors. There was a spunky kid. The setting and time period were new (the fifties flare was amusing). And the plot about the artifact was definitely new territory for an Indy film. Some people in my group thought the plot about the artifact was too out of this world, too absurd, but to me that is what an Indy film is all about. Tell me that an immortal knight guarding the holy grail isn’t aburd!

Personally, I enjoyed the film. It was an adventurous romp through the classics, but with enough uniqueness to make it stand on its own. I wouldn’t have liked the movie if they’d tried to make it a current-day action flick. I don’t want my Indy tainted with “realistic” violence and gore or hatred and angst. If I’m going to see Indy, I want fun, excitement, and adventure without worrying about how if Indy had really fallen that far he would have broken a limb, or worse! But some of my compatriots felt that it was too over the top, too cliche, not worth the price of admission.

The range of comments got me thinking about stories in general. It reminded me of the dichotomy you often see in genre fiction between genre conventions and new twists.

Some readers, editors, reviewers, etc., don’t like a genre story unless it brings something new to the table. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like new twists as much as the next girl, and reading a sword and sorcery story with an Asian setting and martial arts or a vampire story where the vampires glitter in the sunlight instead of bursting into flames is interesting and memorable. Striving to redefine genre fiction is great!

However, during all this redefining and all this emphasis on the new, I don’t think we should forget the old, the traditional, or the classics. They became classic for a reason, and I believe that stories upholding the genre conventions can be just as enjoyable to read as those that bend and twist them.

And I don’t think I’m alone. Otherwise why would e-zines promising us stories in the same vein as the pulp novels of old be springing up all over the web? Ray Gun Revival, Blazing Adventures, and Big Pulp all claim to publish stories that harken back to the Golden Age of pulp fiction.

But just because you embrace the old conventions, that doesn’t mean a story has to be stale and derivative. There are so many elements that make up a story. The characters, with their own unique motivations and personalities are a big one. As is the plot itself. Watching the new Indy movie was like that for me — it was a new Indy adventure with the classic Indy feel and style. Good fun was had by all.

And think about category romance novels. Yes, a lot of people look down on them, but I’m not one of those people. It takes skill to write a good romance novel. I tried to write one once, thinking it would be an easy way to break into the novel-writing market, and boy was I wrong. I don’t think I got past chapter one.

When you pick up a romance novel, you expect it to have a lead female character and a lead male character who have an instant attraction. Problems will ensue, which keep the characters from getting together. There will be romantic scenes (though not always sex… it depends on what line you’re reading), and in the end, there will be a happy ending. But there are a million ways to take that formula and make it unique. Characters, supporting characters, locations, plots, etc. It takes skill and good writing to pull off a success in that genre. And, there are convention benders in the romance genre, too — nowadays there are so many subgenres, the sci-fi romance, the urban fantasy romance, etc.

Now, don’t take this entry as me being against changing genre conventions or finding that ellusive new twist. It’s not at all! I think a writer who succeeds in that has done a great job with his or her story.

It’s just that I also think there is plenty of room out there for a conventional stories, as well, as long as the writers take the time to breathe life into the conventions and don’t just follow a formula. If you’re going to write golden aged pulp, do it with style, do it with unique characters, give us a fun, adventurous romp. And, in the end, there will be stories out there for everyone.