Can You Hear Me How?

I love the way the Brits say "Jaguar."Or maybe there's just something about an accent (and a nice suit). Either way, this commercial got me thinking about dialogue and the way characters speak. I know when I'm writing dialogue, I hear each character speak in a certain way and try and put that on the page. This has been a challenge with the characters in my current project, The Whirlwomen Trilogy. The characters are from different regions, eras, cultures (and possibly more) and I try and keep those distinctions present through their speech.

I maintain these distinctions in various ways. For instance, my time travelers from ancient Ebla do not use contractions. This gives their dialogue a formal tone. Conversely, the budding mage from N'awlins has a relaxed way of speaking littered with contractions--some of which he makes up on the fly. The time leap involved in the story also offers a convenient way to give characters distinct voices through their word choice. Just think how the English language has been influenced over the years due to technological and sociological shifts. Better yet, google it.

Accents, however, are a little more difficult to convey aside from including them in the character description. Spelling variations sometimes work-- "I love the sneekah bah!"(Snicker bar). But they can also be hit or miss, or worse, considered a typo. If I'm going to use a spelling variation, I make sure it is an effective one. Oftentimes, my editor disagrees.

Dialogue sets characters apart. It can also show how a character is acclimating to a new environment through subtle changes in lexicon. Write precise dialogue and each characters will have a unique voice bringing them that much closer to stepping off of the page.

One Less Lament

Writing has gone something like this the last few months: Sit down. Open laptop. Open work-in-progress. Stare at work-in-progress. Write a sentence or two. Rewrite a sentence or two. Hit the Safari tab. Get lost online sending out resumes, checking Facebook, clicking through news sites, checking email, checking blogs (and lamenting how long its been since I've made an entry), rinse, soap, repeat. Hence, my progress has been rather dismal. 

Then comes the guilt. I have the time, why am I not being more productive? I'm waaaayyyy behind publication schedule for Book II of the Whirlwomen Trilogy--am I ever going to get it to market? Will my readers even care when I do? Will this project end up on my closet shelf with the other half dozen that are in various states of incompletion?

It's not a productive cycle. Nor is it any good for my writing esteem. 

The thing is, nothing is moving along productively in my life right not. My income has been drastically reduced for an extended period. Contract work has been inconsistent and finding a new job elusive. The embarrassment around my finances has me avoiding social interactions and isolating. Constantly being on the verge of panic does not support the creative process. 

You hear the stories of writers being on the edge of total ruin just prior to their breakout novel being published. It makes good publicity fodder and has probably contributed to one or two writers actually choosing to suffer as part of their craft, but that just doesn't seem to work for me. I don't like to suffer. I don't like high-anxiety. I like comfort and stability. I've convinced myself that anything else scares my characters away, stifles my stories. 

But things are what they are for now. It'll be a shame to look back on this period and realize I had so much time to write and didn't. My favorite yoga teacher often says during more challenging postures: "It's just a situation. Situations are temporary. Don't let the situation take you out." It's much easier said then done, but those really are words to live by. Each time I let "the situation" immobilize me creatively, I'm telling myself I'm not really a writer. Why? Because writers write. No matter what.  

So once again, I'm in front of my computer. After I finish this blog, which is more of a mental dump then constructive, informative reading (sorry), I'm going to get back to work on "Flicker". I may not be that productive, my characters may still be in comas, but at least I'll be back in the game, have one less lament. Like a good day on the yoga mat, a few pages on the computer screen reminds me that pushing through the discomfort oftentimes leads to nirvana.

Vanishing Cheap Tricks

One of the challenges I’m having in writing "The Whirlwomen Trilogy" urban fantasy novels is NOT making every moment magical. Falling back on the paranormal to explain or progress too many plot points in a story set in modern-day makes what should be the exception predictable and mundane. Readers want their imagination stretched, not bombarded with so many mystical interventions and newly discovered powers that they lose sight of, well, reality.

Here are three guidelines I’m using during the first-draft rewrite of “Flicker” to weed out paranormal overkill:

-One of my main characters is still discovering the extent of her powers and I'm itching to give her magical abilities infinite rein. But I can't unless she's evolving into a superhero, which she is not. So, I'm checking to make sure that I maintain a 70/30 balance between obstacles that are overcome with normal human capabilities and those that are surmounted with discovery of a new power or extension of a known one. 

-Another character in "Flicker" is a shapeshifter. She leans towards shifting into cats and birds, but her ability is unlimited. She's a perfect scout in situations dangerous for humans, which is fine, as long as she doesn't become the hound dog of the group just because she can. To avoid this character rut, I'm limiting her shapeshifting to fight or flight situation and having another character who is a skilled tracker (in this world and beyond) flex his keen ability when the need arises.

-Finally, the biggest challenge is not being cliché. That's true with any kind of writing, but in fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal fiction, where the author is limited only by her/his imagination, I think it's critical. That's not to say I can't use magical/paranormal device that have been used before. I do, however, have to showcase my character's more traditional abilities in unique scenarios or have them used in a new way. A great example is the way J.K. Rowling gave the magic wand and flying broom stick a modern-day makeover in the Harry Potter series.

These are only loose guidelines that are specific to my work, but they do reflect observations made while reading popular fantasy and sci-fi works by well-known authors. Much of learning the craft of good writing is in good reading. 

Wishing everyone some Happy Holiday Reading!

iTunes U: Learning Management and Inspiration

I recently updated my iPad and was immediately intrigued by the iTunes U app that was installed during the process. The app is a doorway into a world of learning, inspiriting and research that speaks directly to my obsession with knowing a little bit about everything. And for those on a more organized learning curve, like college students, the app is an extension of the classroom that can be utilized on-demand.
iTunes U gives instant access to free, educational media including lectures, white papers, how-to's and curriculums. Learn best practices and trending theories from business leaders and educators; chill out with 3-minute meditations designed to increase mindful awareness (right on!); or listen to Ian Frazier expound on The Art of Literary Humor. Students can search for the most recent lectures and papers by college professors and the more tech savvy k-12 schools are providing content for parents, teachers and students that significantly expand the educational experience. I think it's a pretty cool way to get in the know about stuff you didn't even know you cared about.
I have to admit, however, I already struggle with limiting the time I spend online drilling down on topics that catch my interest, or are necessary to move my writing along. But with iTunes U, the difference for me is that it offers organized extemporaneous information loading. I know that reads like an overwritten contradiction, but this is where that comes from: When I first opened the app and figured out what it offered, I was relieving myself from writing that wasn't going well. I needed some inspiration and motivation to chew on that would get me back to work sooner rather than later. I needed some fundamental reminders that would shoosh the editor and quell the critic.
So, the first course on my iTunes U bookshelf ends up being "Creative Writing: A Master Class." The suggested duration of the course is 8 weeks, but I get what I need in about 8 minutes when I plug into a video of award-winning playwright/screenwriter Suzan-Lori Parks and her first rule of thumb is "entertain all your far out ideas." Those words (golden to a writer in the midst of an urban fantasy trilogy) and the anecdote she offers with them have me nodding and smiling and eager to get back to writing.

Last Night

I just spent 20 minutes I intended to spend writing on making a voice memo on my iPhone. The VM was intended to be a custom alarm. However, I couldn't figure out how to make the memo a sound option for my alarm. There's gotta be an app for that, yet another diversionary tactic. I still have a 3Gs, which my youngest niece has the nerve to joan me about, so answering that question would take at least five minutes. That would mean even more time spent doing other than what I'd intended. But this is how it gets towards the end. All sorts of distractions crop up to lure me away from being in the thick of the mano a mano and scared to write the ending that's not going to make everyone happy.

That's why it's a trilogy, I tell myself, you have two more books with which to make everyone happy.

Now I want to Google for statistics that equate high book sales with happy endings. But, look! Here I am putting words together in some writing fashion. And at least my distractions were writing related and I have done SOME writing today.

Like a relationship, a good story needs constant love and attention. Ignore it and it will wander. I have to get back to my feisty, sister/mother/archeologist/bullshiter who is smack in the middle of some new kind of madness. But now I've spent so much time writing this meandering blog, that I'm sleepy.

Ironic because the voice memo that started all this says: "Get up and write. You heard me, darling, get up and write. You have a wonderful tale to tell and you're almost at the end of the first bit of it, so get up and write!" My voice is full of the love; the peacefulness; the excitement I feel for my writing and life in general.

There's no app for that.

Time management is a writer's best friend. Putting words to paper takes time--regularly. I've always struggled with this. Not because I don't have the time, but because I haven't always maximized use of it to reach my creative goals. Now at times, the flow just wasn't there, so I unpacked the dishwasher instead. Other times, I was stuck at a certain point of a story and the next scene just wasn't making itself clear. So in addition to time management, there is the issue of find the right time to tap into your creative flow.

Early morning works best for me. When the world is quite and my mind hasn't started racing from thought to thought like a FedEx truck racing between delivery points. Unfortunately, I also enjoy lounging in bed watching the rising sun turn the sky from night blue, to gray, to pink....My saving grace is that when I do get up early and go straight to my keyboard, the payoff is that I feel productive before most people have had their morning coffee, which sets the tone for the rest of my day. And usually, If I have a productive morning, I wind up getting back to work later in the day and the pages start piling up. Now, THAT'S a dynamite feeling.

So I encourage you to find your writing time and stick to it. Set realistic goals and when you fall short, forgive yourself and get back to work as soon as you can.

I'm at the critical stage of the first book I plan to ePublish. Maybe 50 pages from completion and a clear idea of how the story ends. I'm prepared to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite until all the dots connect and I've lined up an editor to give myself that extra push to get the job done and am researching the process of formatting my text for the Kindle, Nook and other eReaders. Admittedly, I'm a little anxious about how it will all turn out, but I keep reminding myself that anxiety is excitement with the brakes on.

I'm really looking forward to setting my characters free.