Every time I start a new writing project (WIP), I always create a mood music playlist in Spotify/YouTube to set the tone for that specific writing project. That way when I hear that playlist or specific songs from that playlist, I can immediately fall into the world of that specific project, no matter what I’ve been doing before then. The music playlist is my gateway into my story’s world…
Tag: Fantasy
Secret WIP 2019 Soundtrack | Track 4
Every time I start a new writing project (WIP), I always create a mood music playlist in Spotify/YouTube to set the tone for that specific writing project. That way when I hear that playlist or specific songs from that playlist, I can immediately fall into the world of that specific project, no matter what I’ve been doing before then. The music playlist is my gateway into my story’s world.
This is one of the Inspiration tracks for The Dark Fairytales.
Walk Through The Fire | Zayde Wolf ft Ruelle
I’m always wondering
If it’s ever gonna end
I can feel it in my bones
I can feel it in my bones
Standing in the dust
Of what’s left of us
(I can see you in my soul)
(I can see you in my soul)
(Woah oh oh oh)
Did we take too many chances
Did we let too many pass us
Did we throw it all away
Did we throw it all away
Did we light too many matches
Turn ourselves into these ashes
Did we throw it all away
Did we throw it all away
We walk through the fire
Is there a way out
Is there a way out
We walk through the fire
Is there a way out
Is there a way out
I try to understand
How we’re here again
(In the middle of the storm
In the middle of the storm)
There’s no way to go, no way to go
But straight through the smoke, straight through the smoke
And the fight is all we know
(The fight is all we know)
Did we take too many chances
Did we let too many pass us
Did we throw it all away
Did we throw it all away
Did we light too many matches
Turn ourselves into these ashes
Did we throw it all away
Did we throw it all away
We walk through the fire
Is there a way out
Is there a way out
We walk through the fire
Is there a way out
Is there a way out…
Of the fire
I wanna know is there a way out
Is there a way out
Show me the way out
Is there a way out
We walk through the fire
Is there a way out
Is there a way out
Secret WIP 2019 Soundtrack | Track 3
Every time I start a new writing project (WIP), I always create a mood music playlist in Spotify/YouTube to set the tone for that specific writing project. That way when I hear that playlist or specific songs from that playlist, I can immediately fall into the world of that specific project, no matter what I’ve been doing before then. The music playlist is my gateway into my story’s world…
This is one of the Inspiration tracks for The Dark Fairytales.
Love and War | Fleurie
I’m next in line and my supply is running out
It’s time to leave, the clouds are hanging low
The truth begins to show
Lover, hunter, friend and enemy
You will always be every one of these
Lover, hunter, friend and enemy
You will always be every one of these
Nothing’s fair in love and war
In life, in love, this time I can’t afford to lose
For one, for all, I’ll do what I have to do
You can’t understand, it’s all part of the plan
Broken pieces of the night
Sing like hollow lullabies
You and I, always in disguises
Lover, hunter, friend and enemy
You will always be every one of these
Lover, hunter, friend and enemy
You will always be every one of these
Nothing’s fair in love and war
Secret WIP Soundtrack | Track 2
Every time I start a new writing project (WIP), I always create a mood music playlist in Spotify/YouTube to set the tone for that specific writing project. That way when I hear that playlist or specific songs from that playlist, I can immediately fall into the world of that specific project, no matter what I’ve been doing before then. The music playlist is my gateway into my story’s world…
This is one of the inspiration tracks for The Dark Fairytales.
The Sound Of Silence | Disturbed
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
“Fools, ” said I, “You do not know
Silence, like a cancer, grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells, of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls”
And whispered in the sounds of silence
Secret WIP 2019 Theme Soundtrack | Track 1
There are five things I do before beginning any new writing project.
- I choose a new notebook specifically for that project. (All a new binder/cover.)
- I set up a visual aesthetic mood board for the WIP. (Both digital – Pinterest, and analogue – binder + wall.)
- I choose a working title for my WIP.
- I set up the Scrivener documents.
- I create a Mood Music Playlist in Spotify/YouTube.
Every time I start a new writing project (WIP), I always create a mood music playlist in Spotify/YouTube to set the tone for that specific writing project. That way when I hear that playlist or specific songs from that playlist, I can immediately fall into the world of that specific project, no matter what I’ve been doing before then. The music playlist is my gateway into my story’s world.
This is the Main Theme Track for The Dark Fairytales.
Dead Of Night | Ruelle
Don’t know what to expect
My mind is racing, I can barely feel my breath
Like a dream I can’t escape
I wanna run, but I’m still here when I awake
In a pitch black world, anything goes
No telling where the wind will blow
In a pitch black world, anything goes
In the dead of night strange things happen
In the dead of night the world goes cold
When the lights go out all around, whispers fill the air
In the dead of night, better hold on tight
You can shout or you can scream
But it won’t save you from the midnight trickery
When the daylight disappears, you’ll find no shelter in this tangled web of fear
In a pitch black world, anything goes
No telling where the wind will blow
In a pitch black world, anything goes
In the dead of night strange things happen
In the dead of night the world goes cold
When the lights go out all around, whispers fill the air
In the dead of night, better hold on tight
Better hold on tight
In the dead of night
Come take a breath
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t say another word
Don’t let the darkness find you
Holding still, don’t break inside
Don’t say another word
Don’t let the darkness find you
In the dead of night strange things happen
In the dead of night the world goes cold
When the lights go out all around, whispers fill the air
In the dead of night, better hold on tight
Better hold on tight
In the dead of night
Better hold on tight
Tell me, Do you create playlists of inspirational/motivational music?
Requiem at the Death Masquerade Ball
This is the Poem that was the first true seed for my new Secret Passion Project,
The imagery in this poem was so visceral to me that the images haunted both my waking and my sleeping hours. It was the first seed for this world that I have fallen in love with and occupies most of my imagination…
Requiem At The Death Masquerade Ball
The time has come to bid adieu
Creatures remove their masks
The sirens sing a terrible requiem
The banshees shriek with unearthly delight
The werewolves howl into the night
The spirits moan with grief
–
Nasnus rattles his cage of bones and flesh trapped in rage and Grief
Ravens cackle and caw, taking wing bid their dark mistress Morrigan Adieu
Spirits wrathful, Spirits vengeful retreat into Van Gogh’s endless Night
She rises in fire born in Dragons’ breath, Leaving a trail of singed Masks
The fae dance a dirge as the night unmasks decay hidden in dead Delight
A keening claws at the air as the banshees sing their final Requiem
–
Ghostly queens, haunted kings dance to their madness in sweet Requiem
The sand walker drowns his prey in the immortal sands of Grief
Silvery sidhe spin the bewitched across the starburnt night in Delight
Spirits murdered long ago, kiss their beloved a hallowed Adieu
Samhain’s moon rises in skies of blood, the wild hunt tear away your masks
The gods cursed by pride flee into the murderous Night
–
Iridescent masks of silver stardust fall away revealing monsters of Night
Feasting on canapés of terror, feasting on nightmares in Hypnos’ Requiem
The blood moon rises, terrible creatures shed their faceless masks
Bones break, spines twist unmasking wolves driven mad by their Grief
Bound by their curse, madness is both their solace and Adieu
Only the forest and fog hide their bloodthirsty Delight
–
The forgotten gods revel in the music dancing in sinful Delight
Faceless Chaos in mask of anthracite, Nyx feared Queen of the Night
Beautiful Mesperyian cloaked in robes bloodied by those long bid Adieu
All creatures pale to the searing power of their King and Queen’s Requiem
Hades’ dark cruelty masked tonight, His lover’s torment his only Grief,
Persephone, a vision in liquid mercury, glides in his arms watched by Masks
–
Creatures remove their Masks
The banshees shriek with unearthly delight
The spirits moan with grief
The werewolves howl into the night
The sirens sing a terrible requiem
The time has come to bid adieu
–
All seekers of night and masks,
Spirits of All Hallows’ eve bid you Adieu
Those graveyards are emptied as the dead rise with delight,
to this Requiem
Forgotten is the grief,
hush as the Spirits dance you into the Night
© All Rights Reserved Kim Koning
Ssshhh… Secret Passion Project |Following Dark Story-Squirrel Trails #CampNanowrimo
So, it’s been a while since I’ve taken part in a Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) event. I had intentions of doing the official Nanowrimo in November last year but my schedule just didn’t allow for it. But this year I am taking part in Nanowrimo events. The first event, Camp Nanowrimo, starts 1 April. I have signed up. To make things even more fun, I’ve corralled my CP, Darcy, (Writing Critique Partner aka Story Sister aka Keeper of My Manuscript when I want to trash it) into joining in the writing madness with me this year. Actually we’ve decided to make the April Camp Nanowrimo (Camp Nanowrimo runs in April, July, September and Nanowrimo runs in November) an annual tradition for us. Our birthdays fall in the last week of March, they’re one day apart from each other, a few days before Camp Nanowrimo begins. So we thought it would actually be a lovely annual tradition to do the April Camp Nanowrimo together annually…
2019 April Camp Nanowrimo Project
This year I’m finally going to start drafting Book #1 of my new Secret WIP Series. I’m really excited to get started with this draft. This is a passion project. It is very different to my main WIP series The Tattooist. But it is still very much a ME project. It is deep, dark and deliciously twisted. But it is not a thriller nor is it crime. It fits into quite a few literary genres. But if I had to sum it up, it is a grimdark mythological dystopian fantasy. I did warm you, it’s not an easy story to peg into just one genre.
It is full of dark gods, monsters, creatures and humans. My main characters are all anti-heroes and villains. It is hard to tell the protagonists from the antagonists because in this story everyone is touched with a vein of darkness, only the degrees of darkness separate the characters.
I wanted to write a huge epic world-building story that just allows me to play on the page/screen. My favourite tv series, The Originals, ended its run and I wanted more of the same. I wanted to immerse myself in a world of ruthlessness and deep story threads set in a fantastical setting. In fact, my beloved Niklaus aka Klaus Mikaelson (main big bad in The Originals) and his ruthless siblings is very much an inspiration for many of my characters.
I wanted to have a project that I escape into, in breaks from rewrites/edits of The Tattooist. I had an epiphany that I work better when I am at work on two projects simultaneously. It is the way I read as well, I never have fewer than 4 books on the go simultaneously. Part of this is because I enjoy switching genres, whether it be in writing or in reading, often two or three completely different genres to match differing moods I might be in. I also find that in my writing, working on two wholly different projects set in two completely different genres feed off each other in inspiration and motivation.
This Passion Project has actually been germinating quietly for the last three years, ever since I got back from Europe. A seed was planted and I have been slowly watering it, waiting for the right time to work on it. I feel it is ready to be written now.
The working title for this series: The Dark Fairytales
That is not the real title, I’m keeping the actual title secret for now. This is a deliciously dark, decadent tale that I want to keep to myself for a while.
I’m going to blogging throughout April giving you snippets of my inspiration behind this series. So keep your eye posted for new posts.
Certain dark things are only meant to be loved in secret…..
I leave you with some visual aesthetics from my series inspiration board (it’s a private board) I’ve set up on Pinterest.
Writers: Tell me, are you taking part in Camp Nanowrimo?
Non-Writers: Tell me, what stories are you reading or watching that has you in their grip?
Related
Camp Nanowrimo
Nanowrimo
The Originals (Netflix)
What is GrimDark?
Hello June…I am going all Jackson Pollock on You
It’s June!
It’s time to get a little crazy, go a little wild, ride the winds…
I am going all Jackson Pollock on this month!
For the first time in months I am going to be flinging my creative ink at the canvas of my new WIP without thought of editing and embracing the freedom and unadulterated joy in WRITING that First Draft!
“A dripping wet canvas covered the entire floor … There was complete silence … Pollock looked at the painting. Then, unexpectedly, he picked up can and paint brush and started to move around the canvas. It was as if he suddenly realized the painting was not finished. His movements, slow at first, gradually became faster and more dance like as he flung black, white, and rust colored paint onto the canvas. He completely forgot that Lee and I were there; he did not seem to hear the click of the camera shutter … My photography session lasted as long as he kept painting, perhaps half an hour. In all that time, Pollock did not stop. How could one keep up this level of activity? Finally, he said ‘This is it.’
Pollock’s finest paintings… reveal that his all-over line does not give rise to positive or negative areas: we are not made to feel that one part of the canvas demands to be read as figure, whether abstract or representational, against another part of the canvas read as ground. There is not inside or outside to Pollock’s line or the space through which it moves…. Pollock has managed to free line not only from its function of representing objects in the world, but also from its task of describing or bounding shapes or figures, whether abstract or representational, on the surface of the canvas.”
– Hans Namuth 1950
I love the first blush, the illicit intimacy and the head-rush of a First Draft. First Drafts are all about the Writer, the Creative, the Artist. I love simply getting lost in a first draft and a new story. I love meeting the new characters and watching their scenes in my mind’s eye like a movie. I love that the story can and will go anywhere and everywhere.
What do you love about first drafts?
________________________
In other exciting News just in from this weekend…The anthology that could…
WooHoo! I am now a contributor to an AWARD-Winning anthology! “Tales for Canterbury” just scooped the 2012 Sir Julius Vogel Award in NZ for the Best Collected Works in Speculative Fiction-SciFi/Fantasy/Horror. This is a national award awarded annually at the NZ National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror. Congrats to our editors: Cassie Hart and Anna Caro on scooping the win! The editing team did a brilliant job in pulling together a great crew of authors, who all contributed incredible stories all for an amazing cause. Once again, I am so proud and pleased to be part of a fantastic crew of authors and editors who helped get this anthology out there.
There are still print copies available on the current print run of Tales for Canterbury. You can buy them here. *All profits* will be donated to the NZ Red Cross Earthquake Appeal. See talesforcanterbury.wordpress.com for more details. (* ie after we’ve paid any applicable transaction fees, printing, and shipping costs – neither Random Static nor the authors are keeping a cent)
A little background on the Sir Julius Vogel Award: The awards are named for Sir Julius Vogel, a prominent New Zealand journalist and politician, who becamePrime Minister of New Zealand in the 1870s. He also, in 1889, wrote what is widely (though erroneously) regarded as New Zealand’s first science fiction novel, Anno Domini 2000 – A Woman’s Destiny.[1] The book — written and published in Great Britain after Vogel had moved from New Zealand — pictured a New Zealand in the year 2000 where most positions of authority were held by women – at the time of writing, a radical proposition. In 2000, New Zealand’s Head of State, Governor General, Prime Minister, Chief Justice and Attorney General were all women, as was the CEO of one of the country’s largest companies, Telecom.
Related articles
- My Debut Short Story | Release of Tales for Canterbury (kimkoningink.com)
- Why creativity is not about originality (romankrznaric.com)
- The joy of writing … starting young (wordznerd.wordpress.com)
- Bent Wrists Lesson 9: Cheer Camp for Writers (joyinthemoments.com)
- Fans remember Pollock (timesleader.com)
- Arts | Long Island: ‘The Persistence of Pollock’ Is at the Pollock-Krasner House (nytimes.com)
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The Many Ways to Skin a Cat | Maria V. Snyder
Blog Series: Researching “The Many Ways to Skin a Cat” in Publishing
Over the next few weeks I am going to be looking at all the ways “to skin a cat” in publishing. I am going to interview and feature guest posts with different authors from different publishing options. So if, like me, you are at that painful and exciting point of trying to make the most informed choice…stick around and watch this space. Perhaps one of the options will stand out for you and perhaps one of these authors that I interview or who guest-post will inspire you down the same path.
I am coming at this with a completely open mind and non-judgmental attitude. I am doing this series as much to get more information for myself and educate myself as I am any reader whom finds this interesting or useful.
Open Call
Also if you want to be one of the authors to be interviewed or guest post on this topic in this series, please shout out.
*My Guarantee: No Cats will be harmed or skinned in the writing of this series!*
😼 😼 😼 😼 😼
Today I have the pleasure of a well-known author’s company. I have been a fan of her’s for just almost 3 years now. When I picked up her book, Sea Glass, I was captured by her writing style, her incredible world building and her exquisitely crafted characters. I couldn’t get enough of her other books. If you are a teen or have a teen in your house, you will know exactly who I am talking about. If you love reading books written by story-weavers then you will know her too. She has carved a niche in readers’ hearts all over the world. She has written 3 successful series of books and many short stories. From when her first novel, Poison Study, was published in 2005, nothing has held her back from creating new worlds and weaving new stories.
So make yourselves comfortable as the talented Maria V. Snyder and I have a conversation about Publishing.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about you as a beginning author and can you tell us the best advice you ever received before being a published author?
Maria >> I started writing because I was bored at work (shhh…don’t tell!). I’ve always enjoyed reading and being creative and I had dabbled with painting, acting, and dancing, but lacked the confidence to pursue any of those for my career. The best advice I received was to be persistent – to keep writing and submitting. Truthfully, when I first heard it, I thought it was one of those “eat an apple a day” type of advice – something you say that doesn’t mean anything. But it proved 100 % true in my case – persistence paid off!
2. Nowadays there are so many options for authors but the sheer amount of publishing options can create confusion.
If you were starting out now as an author, would you still have made the same choices in publishing that you have made?
Maria >> Good question! At the time I was sending my first book, Poison Study around there were other options like self-publishing, digital formats, and print on demand available, but I really wanted to be published by a traditional publisher and if I hadn’t sold the book, I wouldn’t have pursued those other options. In today’s market, e-publishing is more popular, but I think it’s very difficult for a new author to stand out without spending lots of time and energy on marketing. If I was just starting out, I think I would still try to find a traditional publisher first before looking into e-publishing, but I wouldn’t rule it out like before.
3. How long did you spend in the pre-publishing trenches before you got an agent?
Maria >>About four years.
4. Rejection comes with the territory in the publishing industry.
Did you receive many rejections before signing with your agent? How did you persist submitting in spite of the rejections?
Maria >> I received 40 rejections from agents for Poison Study. After I exhausted all the agents who represented fantasy, I submitted the book directly to the publishers. I had a list of 20 publishers and I was determined to send the book to all of them before putting it away. While all this was going on, I wrote another book, Storm Watcher for kids ages 8 to 12. When I finished that book, I sent it to 20 agents and actually found one who wanted to represent me. When Poison Study found a publisher (#18 of 20), I called my agent and asked her to negotiate the contract. She asked me why I didn’t send her Poison Study when I was searching for an agent. I told her she hadn’t listed fantasy as one of the genres she represents and she said, “Oh, I take anything I like.” Sigh! This was back in 2003 – she never did sell Storm Watcher, however, I recently sold it to a small publisher (Leap Books). Even after 9 years, I didn’t give up on it. It is hard to persist when the rejections keep rolling in, but I was determined to exhaust all the publishers before giving up.
5. Many unpublished authors believe that the golden ticket to success is signing with a top literary agent. Would you agree and why/why not?
Maria >>In my case, I sold Poison Study on my own and my agent helped with the contract. However that was 9 years ago and many publishers were still accepting unagented submissions – I found 20, but today a writer might only find 5 as editors are relying on agents to pick the gems from the slush pile. An agent is very helpful and I always suggest you try to find one first, but if no one is interested, then to go ahead and submit on your own. Be careful about which agents you query – not all are reputable. I’ve an article about finding agents on my website here: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/advice/findingL.php
6. Do you get nervous when a book submission and a new contract is under way, worrying whether it will be accepted or not?
Maria >>Yes! During contract negotiations, I’m always so thankful to have my agent. He (my second as my first passed away) loves to negotiate and I can hear the glee in his voice as he reports to me on how it’s going. He also gives me feedback on my novels as I working on them so I know if I’m in the ballpark or not – since he’s been in publishing forever, he knows if one of my projects won’t fly with my editor.
7. Can you share with us the process you go through once you have finished writing your book up until the time it is published?
Maria >>After I send off my book, both my agent and editor read it and send me comments. I revise based on their comments and re-submit. Then I get the copy edits and a few more comments from my editor (or her assistant). I revise again, and either agree or disagree with the copy edits then re-submit. Then I get the galley proofs and I have to go through every single line, looking for errors and typos (not fun) and then type up ALL the changes on the Author Alterations (AA) form (which is hell on earth) and send in the form and the pages with the changes. About six weeks before publication, I receive a box of books in the mail (always fun!). During this time, I’m also making up bookmarks with the cover art of the new book, updating my website, writing newsletters, preparing for blog tours, sending out review copies to bloggers and media, and doing a ton of other marketing and promotion. With Touch of Power, I had two blog tours (one in the US and one in the UK) and did a number of events for the Australian release.
8. Nowadays the world is a smaller place through social media and the internet and readers/fans can now have and often demand to have more direct access to authors. How important a tool do you believe social media is to an author today and what tips would you give an author in how to use it effectively?
Maria >>Social media is wonderful! I always encouraged my readers to contact me through email, but I noticed once I had a Facebook page, the number of emails I received went down. The trap is spending too much time on these sites and not enough writing your book. I’ve fallen into that one many times. If you’re a new author, I’d suggest that before your book is released, that you set up a website, blog and make a Facebook page at the least. Some authors also do Twitter and Goodreads and other sites, but I think if you have too many, it’ll suck up all your time. I use Facebook, Goodreads, my blog and website and I’m barely keeping my head above water (and I have a quarterly e-newsletter, too). The nice thing about my blog is – it will automatically show up on my Facebook and Goodreads pages, saving me time. I’d suggest you set aside a certain amount of time each day for social media and stick to it so it doesn’t dominate your life.
9. What would you say has been the biggest learning curve for you in the Publishing Industry, and what has been the greatest challenge for you?
Maria >> The biggest lesson was that not all books/authors in a publishing house are equal. Certain titles and certain authors get more support and more marketing dollars because their books sell like crazy. It’s not personal, it’s business. The greatest challenge for me is to say no. I really enjoy marketing and promotion and visiting schools and answering emails, and doing Q&As, that I don’t write as much as I should. Plus my children are teenagers and will soon be off to college and I want to spend time with them – so juggling all my commitments is a constant challenge.
10. One of the most important relationships any author has is the one with your editor.
Have you had one trusted editor for the length of your writing career or have you had a few different editors?
Maria >> My very first editor, the one who called me to offer my first contract left the company six months later. I’ve heard horror stories about orphaned authors and I would have had a heart attack, except my new editor called and told me not to worry since she was going to take me on. And I’ve had the same editor at Harlequin since! Love you Matrice!
11. There is a lot of talk about how Indie Publishing and Traditional Publishing are at loggerheads with one another.
What are your feelings about the rise of Indie Publishing and the digital book format?
Do you believe it can work alongside traditional publishing or is it a threat to traditional publishing?
Maria >> I believe the rise of Indie Publishing is great for authors. It gives authors more options and greater control over their stories and more control over what type of stories they write. I think it will also lead to changes to the traditional publishers’ contracts that will be better for authors. They’ve always been the gate keepers and authors had to agree to their terms in order to see their books published. This isn’t the case anymore. I think most publishers are adapting to the changing climate and both Indie and Traditional will exist together in the future.
12. If an unpublished writer came to you to get advice on whether they should go the Indie route or a more Traditional route in publishing, what 3 tips would you give that writer?
Maria >>
- I’d tell her to do lots and lots of research – there are a few success stories about self-published books hitting big like Amanda Hocking and E. L. James, but there are far more stories about low sales.
- I’d also recommend he hire a professional artist – book covers are still important no matter the format.
- And I’d suggest no matter what the format, that she give away copies of her books to book bloggers/reviewers – that’s the best way to generate interest and buzz about a book.
Maria, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and chat with me about Publishing and your writing journey. Thank you for the many generous tips and advice you gave. I know, that you made the Traditional Publishing process much more transparent for me and many others. I think we can all relate to you when you tell us “It is hard to persist when the rejections keep rolling in, butI was determined to exhaust all the publishers before giving up.”. Rejection is a really difficult pill to swallow and the literary world is such a subjective world that it is hard to know what the perfect formula is for acceptance. “The best advice I received was to be persistent – to keep writing and submitting. Truthfully, when I first heard it, I thought it was one of those “eat an apple a day” type of advice – something you say that doesn’t mean anything. But it proved 100 % true in my case – persistence paid off!” – I have to agree that is Brilliant advice. Persistence in writing and determination in seeing your book published is key. Thank you again Maria. It was a true pleasure to hear your views on the “many ways to skin a cat” in Publishing. ~ KimAuthor Notes
Maria V. Snyder switched careers from meteorologist to fantasy novelist when she began writing the New York Times best-selling Study Series (Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study) about a young woman who becomes a poison taster. Born in Philadelphia, Maria dreamed of chasing tornadoes and even earned a BS degree in Meteorology from Penn State University. Unfortunately, she lacked the necessary forecasting skills. Writing, however, lets Maria control the weather, which she gleefully does in her Glass Series (Storm Glass, Sea Glass, and Spy Glass). Maria returned to school and earned a MA in Writing from Seton Hill University where she is currently one of the teachers and mentors for the MFA program. Her published young adult novels include Inside Out, and its sequel, Outside In, both are about the dystopian and fully-contained world of Inside. Her latest release is Touch of Power, which is about healer dealing with a plague stricken world.
You can find her at:
Her Website: http://www.MariaVSnyder.com
Her Blog: http://officialmariavsnyder.blogspot.com
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- Maria V. Snyder Interview and Giveaway (yabookscentral.blogspot.com)
What happens after The Day the Sun Stops Shining…Find out what could here!
Christmas has ended… The gifts unwrapped, the tree lights dulled…
Not a sound stirs until midnight on the 26th…
The stars fall from the midnight sky and the moon rises…
This moon does not disappear at dawn nor does it pale…
The sun has stopped shining…
Day has deserted the world…
What happens now?
…
Join me and other Indie Authors for “The Day the Sun Stops Shining” Blog Tour.
It starts 26.12.11 and ends 31.12.11…
There will be giveaways, interviews, contests…
Do you write or read dystopian, fantasy, paranormal, horror or science fiction?
Follow this tour…sign up if you are a writer…
Don’t miss out…it might be your last chance…before the sun stops shining…
End of the year? End of daylight? End of the sun?
Let us tell you what might happen after The Sun Stops Shining…
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- Apocalypse 2012 Back On? Second Mayan Inscription Uncovered (rombizco.wordpress.com)
- The case for optimism, cont’d: On dystopian YA fiction and our missing utopian futures (bluejaysway.wordpress.com)
- A dystopian nano for 2011? (tangledwords.wordpress.com)
- “Spaceman” Reveals the True Horror at the Heart of Dystopian Fiction (Review) (popmatters.com)
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- Why is dystopia so appealing to young adults? (guardian.co.uk)
- 21st December 2012- End of Existing Civilization ? (currentindiaaffairs.wordpress.com)
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Losing yourself in your character’s world
World building = Creating complete new worlds that live and breathe and surround your characters
World building is often underplayed if your WIP is not a fantasy or a sci-fi but world building underplayed is to the detriment of your story and your characters. The reader cannot see what you see in your mind without you doing some world building. World building is more than just your setting of a scene or description of a place. World building is about building a world for your characters as much as for your reader. It is about translating this “new” world so effectively to your reader that they leave their own reality to enter that of the one you have created. After all, is that not the end goal of fiction.
What if your world is some place real? Then you need to write what you know. This does not mean that you are limited to your small town that you have lived all your life. No, it means that there are a multitude of ways to get to know the place you are wanting to set your story in. Now, with social networking and the internet there is no time for excuses anymore. You could travel to that place and immerse yourself in the 5 senses peculiar to that place. But not everyone has a bottomless wallet nor a disposable schedule. What then?
Google Earth and Google Maps are the cornerstones of the traveller who sits in his living room wanting to explore the world. With Google Earth you can get accurate current time images of a particular street let alone just a town. Google Maps is fantastic for authenticity of urban areas in particular. If you are writing about New Orleans, for example, you want the reader who lives in New Orleans to believe you have been there also instead of them finding huge plot holes in your setting. Google Earth and Google Maps are simple to use and cost you nothing but your time. Be careful though, you may get lost in the wonders of these tools.
Another way you can “travel” and “explore” somewhere is to search for personal blogs or travelblogs that post about the place you wish to write about. Bloggers and travel bloggers in particular can give you a wealth of information. Their posts can also add colour to a place by writing about the people, the specific venues, the culture and the vibe of a place.
There are other parts of world building that you may want to explore for your WIP. What about the activities that your characters occupy themselves with? You may have a character who is a detective and needs to be a good shot. Ask your local police station if you can spend a day with a patrol car for research purposes. You might have a character who is a sword-fighter. Find a fencing class and go for a couple of lessons.
Costumes are another favourite of mine for world building. If I am writing about the tightness of corset stays, I need to know what wearing a corset feel like. If I am writing about a character needing chainmail as armour then I need to know what chainmail feels like.
Food and drink is another way to world build. Taste the foods your character eats. There is no better way to find out the sweetness or the tartness of something than tasting it yourself.
This is what I believe is meant when you hear the cliched saying: write what you know. Learn to know things to be able to write about them. Your diligence in immersing yourself in your characters’ world will come across as dedication to your reader. Your reader will see what you see and what your character sees. The experience of writing your WIP with your new knowledge will be palpable with richness of actual experience which will make the reader’s experience of reading your story the richer for it.
For this week, I challenge you to come up with a place where a new story is set and build a world around it using the tools above. You are not expected to travel there in body but travel there in mind through all the above and tell me what you find. Your only borders and limits are your own imagination. You may just spark a new idea for a story.
In the name of Research and world building, I spent this weekend at the Gypsy Fair…surrounded by essences with the names of Dragon’s Blood, Black Magic, Night Queen, Liquid Moon and hearing the soft tinkling of hand blown glass and crystal wind chimes…took photos galore, bought chakra oils and perfume and cleansing herbs (all again research material) and bought a gypsy dress to truly immerse myself in “being” a gypsy. I took a walk inside the home of one of the gypsies – an original horse drawn painted wagon. I watched a fortune teller read the tarot for someone and saw another read their palms. There were sounds of guitars from the traditional gypsy band, laughing children, barking dogs and miniature horses. It was truly like entering another world. I was so entranced that I am even considering traveling with the gypsy fair for a week: now wouldn’t that be incredible. (More to come on this excursion in an upcoming blog post.)
Tell me: what is the craziest or weirdest activity you have undertaken in the name of world building/research?
What activity would you like to take up in the name of world building in your current WIP that you have not done already?
Related articles
- Lose yourself | Find Your Character (kimkoning.wordpress.com)
- Building my world (cheddarnightmares.wordpress.com)
- Firefly Friday – Weaving in World-building Without Infodumping, a writing tip (angelaquarles.com)
- 10 Impressive Spots On Earth You Can See With Google Maps Satellite View (makeuseof.com)
- 40 Unbelievably Interesting Google Earth Photos (mt-soft.com.ar)
- World building 101 (antipope.org)
- Worldbuilding & Relevance (undiscoveredauthor.wordpress.com)
Scene 1, Chapter 1, “ACTION”, Take 2
I have been rehearsing the first few scenes of my novel in my head this week. I decided I needed a break from the actual writing of the WIP to allow for the critique to marinade in my mind for a bit. After attending my first conference, I came away feeling refreshed and challenged. However, I also started looking at my WIP properly and realised that I needed to take a step back to be able to see it clearly.
One of the speakers at the conference was the talented Chris Vogler. Chris works in two mediums, story-telling and movies. Chris gave an inspiring talk on inspiration. A lot of his workshop though was an equal blend of movie talk and writing talk. This got me thinking. If I looked at my WIP with the eyes of a director, would I be happy with my scenes or would I need to do a couple more takes? This fresh perspective has allowed me to critique my novel from a removed space.
So, thinking like a film director, I began:
Scene 1, Chapter 1, “ACTION”
Cutting and editing a WIP is necessary to get to the fresh new branches needed for blossoms. Prior to the conference, we had been told to submit the first two pages of our WIP for a cold read and critique. Looking at the first two pages of my WIP, it struck me that I was “explaining” the story rather than “telling” the story. So I experimented with cutting the first 2 chapters of my WIP and making the third chapter the starting point. All of a sudden, I had action and movement with the first few words of the story. I decided to submit the edited WIP from the third chapter to see what reaction I would get in the cold read. The editor liked the language of the story and her interest was piqued, however I was “explaining” too much. At first, I was annoyed with this critique. Did she not know that I had already cut – very painfully I may add – the first two chapters of this WIP? Now I needed to cut more?! Again, I reminded myself to take a step back. I did not cut anything else from my WIP. Over the next few workshops, I let the critique from the cold read marinade in my mind. I started adding info from all the workshops into the critique.
I have now taken a week off from the actual “writing” and “cutting” of my WIP. This week has been a week of “cooking”. I needed to turn all the info and critiques from the conference into some sort of stew that would make a gourmet meal out of my very basic meal of a novel. At the same time, I have been using the editing part of my brain and been critiquing a WIP from my critique partner.
Now I sit here, one week after the conference, with fresh eyes and ready fingers. I am brought back again to looking at my WIP with the eyes of a director viewing a scene. I realise that, annoyed as I was initially by the cold read and subsequent critique, the editor was correct. I was “explaining” too much. I was not giving the reader the benefit of the doubt and was actually “dumbing down” the WIP.
Epiphany • a moment of sudden revelation or insight.
It was also during one of the workshops that I had an epiphany. It was not my first epiphany of the conference and it would not be my last. I have realised that in my fantasy WIP I was spending too much time “explaining” because I was trying to build my world for the reader. There was a key ingredient I was overlooking. It would mean a complete restart but it would give me the bones of this story with ACTION rather than BACKSTORY through EXPLANATION. To tell the story of my 2 MCs, I needed to start with the conflict that created their world. So this brings me to “TAKE 2”.
So I do not need to throw out what I have already written but I realise that I have enough story here for 2 – 3 stories. I was trying to fit too much into one WIP. I also realised that I was starting with story 2 and that I needed to start with story 1. So now it is time for TAKE 2.
Before I begin TAKE 2, I am going to remember the first words called out at the first filming of a scene: “ACTION”. I need to start with ACTION. I need to give the reader the benefit of the doubt. I also need to keep the reader/viewer hooked with a little teasing. I realised I do not need to explain the story away with too much backstory. Backstory has its place but for the beginning ACTION is key.
Time to begin: Scene 1, Chapter 1, “ACTION”, “CUT”, “Take 2″…
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Food for thought….
What is your editing/cutting method?
If your WIP was a film, would it have people on the edge of their seats or would it leave them yawning and frustrated?
Have you done a cold read of your own WIP as if it was another writer’s WIP?
© All rights reserved Kim Koning
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Related Articles
- “How Do I Critique My Own Work?” (gointothestory.com)
- Chapter thoughts (tobiasbuckell.com)
- On Those Pesky Powerful Emotional Experiences (advancedfictionwriting.com)
- Getting Unstuck With Your Fiction Writing (advancedfictionwriting.com)
- Decision time (darcknyt.wordpress.com)
Kim Koning 