Comics? Mockups?

I recently finished reading (accurately, listening to the audio book of...) Karen Joy Fowler's novel WIT'S END. One of the characters, a novelist, always creates a dollhouse of each book. It certainly might be a useful method for anyone writing a book or play to create a physical mockup of their main locales. (For that matter, part of the book's charm is the way it evokes Santa Cruz, California.)

At Foolscap, I found a business card for the "weekly web comic" www.deerme.net. Comics are another way to tell a story. (And don't miss an old but fabulous book Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (originally McLeod) -- see publisher's website.

-- Rachel Holmen

Story within a story -- forget it

Sometimes when I would read manuscripts at MZB's Fantasy Magazine, I would find myself drawing a pencilled arrow at the start of some paragraph, often 3 pages into the story. "Story starts here," I would add. Sometimes all that nice backstory you've worked so hard on, just doesn't belong at the beginning. Start by grabbing your reader's attention. Rarely does the "story within a story" format add anything -- only if one story really DOES illuminate the other should this format be kept.

-- Rachel Holmen

Foreshadowing

I had been mulling a post about foreshadowing -- letting the reader know what's coming. It is often a rather clumsy way to heighten the tension in a story .... "John enjoyed his dinner, not knowing that disaster was waiting...."

Ho, hum.

But for some stories, the ending is known already -- familiar tales such as that of King Arthur and Guenevere. We read new novels on these themes partly to see how a new writer will interpret the old story, much as Shakespeare buffs compare different interpretations by various actors and directors.

And recently I listened to the audiobook version of "Brokeback Mountain". Thanks to its Oscar victory, I doubt there's any who doesn't have at least an inkling of the plot. But I was quite struck by the way the author begins with a skillful foreshadowing of the doom awaiting the characters. By the time the first paragraph is over, we know the story will be about the friendship between two men -- maybe even more than friendship. Since the tale might be unpleasant to some, they can shut the book, turn off the audiotape, right then, and avoid anything they might consider offensive. (And others may stop reading right after Ennis pees in the kitchen sink.) But for the rest of her readers, it simply sets the tone: this story is epic, and parts of it will be sad. Against this backdrop, the rest of the story, with its recounting of brief times spent in country high and beautiful, is highlighted and enlarged. Wow!

-- Rachel Holmen

Beginnings, Endings

I've already spoken about the importance of a good beginning -- grab the reader with something interesting right away.

This week I've been listening to an audiobook of a Tony Hillerman novel, and I've been struck by the effective way he ENDS each chapter. Sometimes it's a sentence that's a bit of a cliffhanger, sometimes something different, but often it leaves you with a lingering thought to chew on before you begin the next chapter.

-- Rachel Holmen

The Prestige

Last Friday night, I did a rare thing for me: I saw a film with friends. THE PRESTIGE is about the lifelong rivalry between two performers, and how their obsession with the rivalry wrecks their lives. The costuming seemed perfect, Nikolai Tesla was a minor character (a plus in my view), the acting was excellent (which is to say, you weren't particularly conscious of it), and the dilemma resonated long after I left the theater. I gather it's based on a Chris Priest story, yet it's hard to imagine it -- with its focus on illusion -- as anything but a film. But that's the wonderful conundrum -- every film starts with a script, and every script starts with an idea. In the end, it's the convincing idea that shapes the whole.

-- Rachel Holmen

Mulling over craft -- learning from stories that fail

I think that some of my first awareness of the craft of writing came from reading a Heinlein story about a failed labor union strike. Heinlein had no sympathy for unions; I, on the other hand, am the daughter of a man who ran the first non-crooked election in an Arizona hod-carriers union during his twenties.

At any rate, I read the story with some shock as Heinlein belittled his union-member character. As you might expect, I found the story unbelievable. But even more, I had suddenly seen the bones behind the skin of a story for perhaps the first time. Heinlein's opinions were clearly visible in his portrayal of his characters, and I was led to think about the author's purpose for selecting this particular set of incidents as the setting for the story.

So even when you read stories that fail -- or PARTICULARLY then -- look for the bones, and look for the structure of the story, the premises the author establishes, the way certain language has failed to carry the story that the author intended.

(Mind, this approach won't work if the story is completely muddled. But the failed attempts of masters such as Heinlein can teach a lot.)

-- Rachel Holmen

Sad September

The fantasy/science fiction world lost two noteworthy men this fall: Charles Grant, a publisher of fine-quality small press books, and -- far more painful to my heart, for although I admired Charles I must say I didn't feel I knew him -- Mike Ford, brilliant and funny, who never had major fame but wrote a lot of stuff I really liked. I never exactly had a crush on Mike, but that's sort of how I felt about him. He wasn't quite 50, but diabetics have a tendency not to last as long as we would like. The Nielsen-Haydens have some nice links on their blog to his work. Farewell, friend.

-- Rachel Holmen

In Media Res

(At least that's how I think you spell it.) It means, begin the story in the middle, at some really interesting point in the action. Then, once you have the reader hooked, fill in some of the background. Then move on to the story's dramatic -- or inevitable -- or wrenching -- or heartwarming -- conclusion.

It's an old technique, but tried and true.

Examine some of your favorite tales. Where does the story begin? When you find yourself relating a bit of the story to someone else, WHERE in the time sequence is the bit you relate?

-- Rachel Holmen

Writer? or Author?

Mickey Spillane died yesterday; his wife commented to the obit writers who phoned that he had always claimed to be a writer, not an author? The difference, in his eyes? A writer creates books that sell.

-- Rachel Holmen

Read the good writers, listen to them speak if you can

Below are some links to information about Octavia Butler. She died unexpectedly last weekend, and I am very sad. I admired her work; and I had been fortunate enough to meet her a few times, but I was always in awe of her tremendous dignity.


Delany-Butler conversation, 1998

MZBFM interview, 1999, which Marion and I commissioned since we both had such respect for her work (Thank you, Wayback Machine.)


2000, from Strange Horizons
This article has a few good links to the unofficial Octavia Butler website and a bibliography with comments.

2000 interview in Locus

Nice pic by Beth Gwinn:

Commentary from Washington Post, Jamal Simmons' column


obituary at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website -- contains link to Seattle newspaper obituary

March 1, 2006: New York Times


Comment from Joe Haldeman

Nothing I can say right now sounds anything except stupid. So all I will say is: read her books. Read other good books recommended to you by readers you respect. If you aspire to craftsmanship as a writer, seek out the writers you like and listen to them speak, at science fiction conventions and other venues.

-- Rachel Holmen

Read your dialog (at least) out loud

Your writing will sound more natural if you practice reading it out loud, preferably with an audience. You'll quickly catch on to what sounds too stuffy, to which sentences are too convoluted for the listener to follow.

This is especially important for dialog. If someone's going to say it, it must sound the way someone WOULD say it. You can get away with certain words in written speech which are hard to use clearly in spoken speech. But in general, write it the way you'd say it.

-- Rachel Holmen

It doesn't matter if a story IS true; it must SEEM true

Occasionally during my days at MZB's we would reject a story and get back a letter complaining, "But the story is true!"

Marion's rejoinder was always that it mattered not a whit if the story WAS true, it had to SEEM true to a reader.

This requires walking a fine line between oblivion and defensiveness. Picking a believable tone is important; there's no need to sound stuffy and academic, but your narrator must appear to be credible (or if not, this must be deliberate -- for instance you can create a pretty interesting story if you tell the same incident from three points of view, two of whom are the same narrator under different circumstances; in one of the circumstances, the narrator must appear to be explaining why he has lied in the other circumstance).

If your story is flat-out fantasy, you need to put in enough plausible details to bolster the illusion so that your reader can suspend disbelief enough to enjoy your tale.

-- Rachel Holmen

Providing Background

All fiction needs to convey some information about the background of the story. What's the world like? Politically, socially, physically? Yet no reader wants to wade through a lot of information to follow the story. One of the most important skills in the craft of writing is conveying information subtly, in small, easily understood pieces. Too many facts at once, and you are guilty of creating an "expository lump". So rather than saying "Borzania was 12.5 miles wide (measured east to west), 17.37 miles from north to south, and contains two major lakes, Chuvo and Gandar. The country is ruled by a hereditary monarchy, and the current king is named Fletchit," you might have two characters discussing how long it would take to travel to some point in the next kingdom (which provides an opportunity to discuss the size of THIS one, while also conveying something about its rulership); they can debate how to get across one of the lakes; and so on. Remember the adage, "Show, Don't Tell" as well.

--Rachel Holmen

And WHEN?

Most stories are told in the past tense: I remember when. But it's consdered very modern in some circles to put everything into the present tense: I'm walking along Main, and I see a spaceship at the next corner. You could even, I suppose, write the story in the future tense: And then you will walk along Main, and you will see the spaceship. But that seems as much PREscriptive as it does DEscriptive.

Another decision is the time setting for your story -- again, one is pretty much limited to past, present, and future. Past is nice because you can romanticize it, justify all your research. Present seems easy, but stories set in the present have a bad habit of becoming dated as time passes, and with hindsight come questions such as, "What do you mean, you didn't NOTICE the political implications of the women's movement?" Some writers take to science fiction because they can invent any world they want, probable or improbable, but it's hard not to base things on the NOW and then you might as well plan to exaggerate some aspects to make a point. Writers who have not been regular readers of the sf genre can also make howlers of mistakes by forgetting some of the basics of science.

-- Rachel Holmen

Who's telling this story?

How do you want to tell your story? Do you want events to unfold as described by some neutral observer (usually called "the omniscient narrator"), using the third person? This is the style used for newspaper articles and most academic writing. "John Smith, a tall brown-haired man, was walking to work when he noticed the spaceship landing at the next intersection. The light was still green."

Or do you want to tell the story from John's point of view: a first-person narrative? "I'm John. I walk to work every morning -- keeps my cardiologist happy. Tuesday I was shocked to notice a spaceship landing at the intersection of Grant and Stockton."

More rarely, a story is written in the second person. "You remember, darling, how we used to walk to work? And the day you saw the spaceship landing? You thought the markings seemed Russian, but of course they were Phringlant."

A related issue is whose activities you follow in the story. Do you report only on what John does? Or do you follow Mary as well, and George, and Sam, and the Phringlants? A classic bestseller such as Alex Haley's HOTEL follows a different person each chapter for a while, then brings characters together in some chapters for interaction that advances the plot.

Short stories generally only follow one person, and are typically written in the third person. But you add texture to longer works when you trace the actions of various characters. (And sometimes you can even get away with telling an entire story from a differing point of view, and sell it as a stand-alone novel. Consider Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME and ENDER'S SHADOW.)

-- Rachel Holmen

Don't make the magic too convenient

The essence of fantasy is some magical element. But don't let the magic be too trivial, too convenient. Every action of daily life should NOT be magical: magical warm rooms, magically heated food, no illness, no disagreements with anyone. In order for the reader to feel engaged with your characters, they must have obstacles to overcome, and a worthwhile goal to attain. Omitting these elements leads to a rather boring story. Magic should have a price -- a common cost is the slow slide to selfishness and evil; or the user might be exhausted for days after casting a spell; or the user might have to abstain from some food or drink or activity in order to wield power. (Often the magic user must be celibate; personally, I feel this ties in too well to our already-restrictive culture. But how about a wizard who can't drink coffee if he wants to succeed? Now some folks might find THAT a real sacrifice.)

[revised slightly on April 12 -- Rachel Holmen]

Evoke the senses

Draw your reader into your story by making references to touch, smell, taste, temperature, and other sensations. I just finished an audiobook (Justice Hall by King) where the author vividly describes the character standing in a cold room next to a warm fireplace, turning this way and that to warm herself. Much better than simply stating, "the room was cold." -- Rachel Holmen

Poul Anderson's approach to science fiction

I'm told that Poul Anderson's approach to writing science fiction was to ask himself, "Suppose we were wrong?" (Presumably he asked this question about established scientific principles, then set about devising an alternate explanation -- and then based his story on that.) -- Rachel Holmen

Odd facts can liven a story

What are the three oddest facts that you know? What whole fields of knowledge are familiar to you? A solid factual background makes fiction interesting, and adds a foundation of believability. -- Rachel Holmen

Beyond dragons

If you want to have a fantasy animal in your story, consider the whole pantheon of such creatures. Dragons fascinate us with their power and intelligence, but consider unicorns, selkies, griffins. Study the folklores of other cultures to learn about their magical creatures. (There's a local bank named after the Nara, and the logo shows a bird with three legs. Now I want to know: what's a Nara?) Baba Yaga, a Russian witch, was famous for her house on bird legs; so if you want to create a magical animal, it doesn't even need to be a whole animal -- use parts of one. -- Rachel Holmen