Stepping out at Continuum

Writers, in general, like our solitude. It allows us to sit for long periods of time alone, in front of a computer to write. But to say we're completely solitary creatures, or that writing is a complete solitary craft isn't true. We constantly need to refuel our creative tanks. How do we do that? In so many ways. One of my favourites is the convention scene. 

The weekend just past saw a flurry of authors and fans come together in Melbourne for Continuum 8. It was a fantastic event with lots of fabulous authors from whom to gain inspiration from and lots of wonderful people to connect with and have a laugh and a glass of wine. I caught up with old friends and made new ones.

Sharon Phillips, Jane Domagala (me), Helen Stubbs, Cheryse Durrant, Louise Cussack

I had several favourite moments during the con including the scene writing workshops with Alison Goodman and the fight writing workshop with Alan Baxter. I also loved the panel about writing different gender, sexualities & cultures with Louise Cusack among others. I thoroughly enjoyed the many readings – one of the more deliciously disturbing ones coming from Kaaron Warren and her severed, grey finger with the red nail polish. Two highlights for me were the launch of Jason Nahrung's novella, Salvage, and Kathleen Jenning's Ditmar win.

Me and Jason Nahrung

Kathleen Jenning's and her octopi

Although it's a sad affair when the con ends and everyone goes their separate ways, it's also great to return home full of inspiration and ready to sit for hours again in front of the computer. So on that note, I'm off to create some more fantastical world. See you soon at the next con...

.

PREPRODUCTION – Part 3

This is the final installation of my preproduction posts. I hope they've been useful to you. I've covered ideas, characters, plotting and world building. Now it's time to put it together in the character and story arcs.

Character Arcs

Now that you have your characters what are you going to do with them. All characters have to go through some kind of transformation throughout the book. This may be for good or bad, subtle or major. It may be an emotional transformation, or a financial/situational transformation. It will depend on the characters themselves. But they will change. You've just asked them to save the world and they've done it for you (or maybe not). Such events are going to have an effect on them.

As with plotting, it's helpful to have an idea of the emotional and situational state of your characters at the end of the book. Did they overcome their fears? Learn their lessons? Did they lose everything? Or win it all? Did they triumph, or fail? Did they discover things about themselves that they didn't know before? Did their inability to learn bring about their downfall?

When you know how your characters will change, you can then map out turning points in the novel. These are events that have an effect on the way your characters think or act, which ultimately shape who they are by the end of the book.

Story Arcs

The story arc is very similar to the character arc and encompasses both the plot and the characters. You may have heard of a novel having a Beginning, Middle and End.

The beginning is where you introduce your characters, settings and the main conflict

The middle is where your characters run into difficulties, the tension builds and your characters begin to grow.

The end is where the main conflict is resolved and loose ends tied up (if you like neat endings)

This is a really great way to structure your novel, though I have to admit I have trouble consciously marking these points in my own stories. I do stick to some rules though, like never introducing new plots and characters right near the end of the book. Never give away all of your secrets at the beginning of the book. Remember, you're on a journey and you want to stop and see the sights as you go. If you saw all the sites either at the beginning, or the end, the in between would be boring. So you need to think about where you're going to place pivotal moments in the story. When do I want the reader to know that Billy's new friend is actually an evil sorcerer from another world? How far in does my character realise that they're the chosen one? For how long is the king in denial that the world is sinking?

How you answer those questions will depend on the pace and tone you want to set for your novel. But that's a whole other story...

PRE PRODUCTION – Part 2

Pre production is an important part of writing a novel. Starting a novel without any pre-thought can be like fumbling in the dark for the light switch. In part 1 I spoke of getting an idea for a story and getting to know your characters. This post is on plot and world building.

Plot

This is as important as your characters. In fact, your characters and the plot are usually entwined. I never begin a novel unless I have some idea of how it's going to end. Rarely do you get in your car, without a map, and just drive. If you don't know where it is you're going, you could end up getting lost. Plotting is like a map. It shows you all of the possible routes you can take, but without a destination they're all pretty useless. You don't need to know all of the roads you'll take to get to your destination, and sometimes you can still get lost, but if you've done any plotting then, like a map, you can refer to it and get back on track.

The road you take may change depending on your characters and how they respond to intersections (conflicts). Plots and subplots are a useful way of adding conflicts to your character's lives. Need some spice? Add a subplot about an old rival who's back in town, or give your character a task that threatens to take them away from the main plot, thereby putting more pressure on their shoulders to complete both their task and save the world.

Your plot has to be flexible, as your characters will want to deviate from time to time. But remember, you have a destination and you don't want to be late to the party, so remind your characters where it is they're going and they'll be sure to come back around.

World Building

When writing fantasy, world building is essential. Even if you're writing urban fantasy, you still need to know your setting. World building can be a big job, especially if you're starting from scratch, as I often do. One useful tool is to look at our own world. We have such an amazing planet with diverse landscapes, weather conditions, cultures and species. Draw from all that is around you to create your own unique world.

Know as much about the world as you can before you start writing. Does the setting change? What is the weather like and will it have an effect on how your characters live or make their decisions? Are there lots of trees, or is the land barren? Do mountains divide countries? Is there gold, or precious elements in the ground worth fighting over? How do the people work with/against the land?

World building is so much more than just the physical surroundings. Is there more than one race? How do different cultures relate? Do they clash? Is religion important? What rights do men, women and children have? Is there a social structure? Who rules the land? How is it run?

And what about animals and plants? I could go on. World building is really about using your imagination. Have some fun with it.

Next time: Pre production Part 3, Character and Story Arcs.

PREPRODUCTION – Part 1

I've just begun a new novel, about a week ago. I've been nonstop busy working on it. So how many words of my new novel have I written? I hear you ask. None. And I won't until I've done some preproduction.

If you try to start a novel without any pre-though of what you're writing, you'll more than likely fail. There are those who choose to write organically – without making any plans – and it can be done, but it can make for a difficult journey. Preproduction is sort of like packing the esky for a trip to the beach. Sure you might forget to pack the potato salad, or you packed too much bread, but you have the sausages and the steaks so it's all good.

I'm going to break this post up into three parts, going through the things I take into consideration before I begin writing any novel. In this post I'm going to talk about the idea and characters, and then in later posts I'll follow with plot, world building, character arcs and story arcs. So let's begin.

The Idea

Without the idea there is no novel. Ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere; a bird flying over the sky, a story on the news, a conversation you overhear on the bus. Each writer will find their own unique way of sourcing ideas.

An idea can be exciting and the thought of turning it into a novel even more so. But don't hack into the sculpting clay just yet. An idea is not a story. It is one piece of information.

In business, if you had a new concept that you wanted to present to the boss, you would think about it first, the pros and cons and how you would make the idea work. Writing a novel is no different. So take this new and fabulous idea and spend some time thinking about it. Mull it over in your head. Question it's plausibility as a solid idea. If it's flimsy, don't throw it away just yet. Think about ways you could strengthen it. What themes can you draw from this idea? Do you want your story to have a message? Does the idea have the potential to grow? If you can answer these questions than you've made a start.

Characters

You can't begin your novel without characters. Who wants to read a book about settings alone? You need to find characters that will fit in with your themes and ideas and also ones that will clash and cause conflict. You need to spend some time getting to know your characters, asking yourself questions about them – what are their beliefs, their goals, their fears, their passions? It's not imperative to know everything about all of your characters before you begin, but you need to have a good idea of what drives your main character before you try and tell their story. How would you like it if someone tried to write a book about your life without ever asking you a single question?

Getting to know your characters can take some time, so be patient. I find it helps to write a short biography of their life, before they met you. Where did they grow up? Who were their friends? What sort of relationship do they have with their parents? And so on...

When I'm getting to know my characters, I like to know how they'll handle the situations I have in store for them. I'm talking, of cause, about the plot and their journey throughout the book. But that is for next week. For now, spend some time thinking about what your characters would do if... Throw as many conflicts at them as you can. Test their strengths and weaknesses. They just might surprise you.

Next time: Preproduction Part 2 - Plot and World Building

MANY DEATHS

Welcome 2012. This is my first post for the year and today is Australia Day, or as we Ausies like to call it, a good excuse for a bbq day.

Away with all the bright happy stuff, I thought I'd talk about writing death scenes. There are many ways to kill off a character, which most writers love doing. I mention few in this blog, but would love to hear the different ways you slay your characters.

The deathbed scene: this usually occurs when one of your characters has been struck down by illness, or injury, old age, poison (if it's slow acting). I've written a few of these myself – the raspy breaths, the fevers, the mumbled words before death. The deathbed scene is a great way to set up mystery or leave things up in the air. The departing never quite get to finish the words that will save the protagonist's life and save the world. These tend not to be gory (unless someone is coughing up blood or has pussy boils, etc...), though you can make them disturbing by changing the level of agony in death.

Accidental: Can't say I've written an accidental death scene before. I could imagine that this sort of death might be used to break a character's spirit, or change the way they perceive life and death. Any death scene should push the story along in some way. This isn't my favourite. The king accidentally dying before he can sign the peace treaty might give the antagonist a chance to continue the feud between kingdoms, but it works better if the king is murdered by the antagonist who makes it look like an accident. Maybe an accidental death sets off a chain of events. Who know?

Suicide: I have written a suicide scene recently. I really liked the character and didn't want her to die, but it was necessary to help unleash the evil my protagonists had to face. Like the accidental death, this is may set off a chain of events. The beginning of the movie, Constantine, starts with a suicide, that effects the lead female character and sends her on a journey to Hell.

Bloody Murder: Most of my death scenes are a result of bloody murder. Swords, knives, teeth, bear hands, axes, holding heads under water, pillows, poison, magic, fireballs are just a few ways to kill off a character. Murder can add mystery, it can begin wars, incite acts of revenge, send others into hiding, inspire terror. It's a dominating force in fantasy. One character plotting murder against another character is always a great tool and adds conflict. How bloody you go is up to you. There are, however, a few things to take into consideration. Who is your audience? Can they handle a lot of gore? Is it in your character's nature to be brutal?

Sometimes the hint of violence can work much better than the gore, as it allows the reader's imagination to take over. In my book I have a scene where a man is sacrificed by cannibals. I needed to show that the threat of death to my protagonist was very real. I was able to do it by taking the reader up to the point right before he's killed. It was enough for them to know it was happening without having to show it. Whereas, I have another character who was quite happy to watch his victims die. When he kills I show the blood, as it fits his personality.

No matter what kind of death scene you write, be sure that it helps to further either the plot, or your characters' development for good or bad.