The Unfortunate Importance of Planning

Every author has their own technique for writing a full-length novel.  Some just get an idea and write it until the story's done.  Take Parnell Hall, he's said in an essay that this is exactly what he does.  Just grabs an idea and rolls with it.  Then you have Sue Grafton who does a little more with her books, she compiles a list of male and female names and plot points and other various details, and generates new characters and a new title for the new book.  Then she cuts herself loose and writes.  Then you have the end of the planning and plotting spectrum--those are the people who keep meticulous notes in a journal and fill out character sketches and outlines.  I don't really know any real-world authors who claim to do this, but every book about writing fiction says it's the way to go.

For some time I've been trying to find my method of constructing a full and satisfying novel.  I've tried each of these approaches at least once.  In my latest novel, I've tried combining them.  I created a short outline of the course I wanted the story to take in my head and then wrote the first chapter.  Then I outlined the next couple of chapters just before writing them.  When they were finished, I outlined the next couple.  So far, this method has been producing spectacular results.  I get to write the story and see where it's going but I also get to make sure scenes that I really like actually happen.

The problem that I'm encountering now is, now that I'm approaching the midpoint of the book, I have to see what chapters I have figured out and what holes need to be filled.  This is proving to be a pain in the ass.  I've started on an outline and a timeline and now I'm just putting together sketches of future scenes.  In the meantime, I'm heading into chapter ten with considerably high spirits.

Lost Lamb Cover is Here

I recently placed an order for a book cover on Fiverr.  The artist did pretty good but it wasn't really the sort of thing I wanted.  Granted, it did only cost five dollars.  So there's that.  I'm actually pretty happy with the cover I got though.  Even though it's not the sort of thing I'd get from a professional artist that would happily charge me $160.  But either way, here it is.

It does have that cool Dresden Files look when it's smaller, so that's cool.  I actually ordered this cover as a sort of safety.  I'm still planning on trying to get this book published traditionally but they may take a long time and I may not want to wait.  In which case I'd just go to Amazon and Smashwords and CreateSpace and do it myself.  Oh but a $5000 advance would be pretty sweet.  We'll see I guess.

Writing is a Pain in the Ass

Every once in a while I wonder why I chose writing fiction as a hobby.  It could have been anything.  I do have some other hobbies too, you know.  I enjoy cooking and martial arts and SCA heavy fighting--oh, and I recently got into home brewing.  That's a lot of fun.  But above all these things, the hardest of them is writing fiction.  There are so many layers and aspects and opinions and expectations.  Even when you think you've done everything right, your piece may come off as hackneyed and bland.  And believe me, critics will tell you how they feel.

I've recently joined a creative writing forum, hoping that I can get a little feedback about my work.  Actually I'm not really sure why I joined, I'd had a few glasses of wine when I signed up.  Not the point.  Hopefully networking with others will help my self confidence on this piece, for which I'd be most grateful.

I'm returning to work on chapter 9 where another group of villains have entered the scene.  Vampires.  The blood-sucking fiends themselves.  No sparkling in daylight here thank you.  I guess this book is almost turning out to be sort of a tour of the major supernatural creatures in the book.  Which I of course plan on doing more with in future books.

Oh yeah, I ordered a cover for Lost Lamb on Fiverr yesterday.  I'm a little nervous that I won't like it, but it's only costing me five bucks.  I think I can handle it.

Holy Crap I'm Back

School has started again (and for me that means I'm back to work) and I've pulling a TON of overtime this year.  It is insane.  Needless to say I've been finding considerably less time for writing fiction.  Goes without saying I suppose.

As for the project at hand, my Urban Fantasy novel Lost Lamb, I'm just coming back in for some revisions on the eighth chapter.  My hero has very deliberately put himself in a dangerous situation with a woman he knows has been killing people around town.  But Jaden is nothing if not stubborn.  It felt like the book would never get to this spot.  I've been wanting to write it pretty much since I wrote the first chapter.  Some serious shit is going down.

Something else I'm trying to do is vary my sentence structure.  I have one format that I seem to use repeatedly in fiction.  I'll demonstrate here:

     The alien ran out of the spaceship door, carefully closing it behind him.

What I mean by structure is this:

     The NOUN VERBED and so forth, VERBING ADVERBLY and whatnot.

This sentence structure seems to be part of my "style" as one person in the writer's group said, but I feel like I really overuse this particular sentence.  I haven't decided how many of them I'm going to strip out but hopefully I'll get it sorted.  I shouldn't worry about it too much.  According to most fiction writing books it's really the image in our head that the words translate to that we will remember--not the words themselves.  I've been rereading the Dresden Files lately and I've found it to be the case.

Do What Inspires You

When I was writing Bad for Business, I decided to find a target tone and setting and stick to it.  I had just read Neuromancer by William Gibson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, both are excellent cyberpunk books, but I wanted more than that.  I wanted to see the world well enough to describe it fully and immerse my mind in living there.  I also watched Blade Runner about six times, and I watched the only season of Almost Human (similar setting).

The point is: I found something that inspired me and wrapped me in that world.  Sure, sometimes I took breaks from those settings to avoid over saturation and burnout.  I tell the other writers in my critique group to do the same.  For Loki, it's mostly Night of the Living Dead movies and playing Resident Evil.  For my brother, it's video games like Space Pirates VS Zombies and FTL, and movies like Pitch Black or Harlock Space Pirate.

If you're working on an idea--or working on working on an idea--find something that gets your creativity bouncing around your head and do the ever-loving crap out of it.  Now that I'm working on my Urban Fantasy novel, Lost Lamb (a working title) my viewing list has changed to include the best works of that genre.  Recommendations include the Constantine movie, Kolchak: The Night Stalker (the one from the 1970s is awesome), Troll Hunter (it's weird and foreign but still great), Being Human, and the shows Buffy and Angel.  My preference leading more toward Angel for the supernatural investigator vibe.

Doesn't look like much but he can kick an ass or two.

 

Bad for Business May Go Animated

I really feel like this novel I'm working on is turning out to be a great piece.  I almost want to get rid of my last novella because I've learned a lot since I wrote it.  I mean, technically my novella is sound but a few things that I could have done better have been glaring at me.  Particularly my shameless and unnecessary over-usage of flashbacks.  I should have focused on the story at hand instead of trying to explain the past.  Part of the reason I made that decision was in response to my writer's group, but still, I could have shown those things with subtle dialogue or quick interior monologue references.

Lost Lamb takes place entirely in the present.  No flashbacks.  I want it to be an exciting story that moves forward faster than you can catch it and takes you through rise and fall of action and investigation.  So far I think I've done well.

I spent the last hour trying to make a mock-up for the cover, but I have nothing to show for my trouble.  I have almost no graphics experience.  Oh, that reminds me--my brother has recently suggested turning Bad for Business into a cartoon.  Not sure if we're looking at cell-animation or 3d artwork, but still.  He's friends with a couple of animators who may be interested in helping us put it together.  I've been thinking about retooling the story when I convert it to a screenplay and maybe I'll even put the storyboards together myself.  If I come up with anything cool for it, I'll post it here.