Tag: writer

Just Like Ping-Pong: Crafting Conflict Between Hero and Villain

Let’s assume for a moment that we’re talking about a story featuring classic good versus evil. There’s a hero and a villain. They struggle with each other for victory.

What makes the story good? Lots of things, but interest is a biggie. We like interesting stories. Inversely, we avoid boring stories. What makes an interesting story? Conflict. The hero has to struggle to reach her goal. She must overcome obstacles great and small, and in so doing display character growth and maturity. At the heart of that struggle is their nemesis, the story’s villain.

Good villains go through their own struggles. Does that surprise you? The hero isn’t the only one who must overcome. After all, the best villains are the heroes of their own stories.

Like heroes, villains have goals. These goals run directly counter to the hero’s, hence why they clash. Now, a villain may be stronger than the hero, or smarter, or generally more intimidating. Which is great! It makes the hero’s victory all the sweeter. But if the villain always wins and succeeds in all their schemes right up until the last hour when the hero finally, conclusively defeats her opponent, well … It’s not a bad thing, per se, but it’s a tad predictable, and rather repetitive.

But what if the conflict becomes a ping-pong match?

The hero wins one round. The villain wins the next. They trade blows and barbs; they’re evenly matched up until the last. Now that’s a good story! It keeps the audience on their toes. You don’t know what’s going to happen next. You’re dangling in delicious suspense. “What if?” you ask yourself. What if this story doesn’t end happily? What if the bad guy wins? After all, the villain is a match for the hero. It’s just like ping-pong, which can get really intense if both competitors are skilled.

Okay, we know that good overcomes evil 90% of the time, but the illusion of doubt is introduced. Disbelief is suspended. We are caught up in the moment of the story.

Meaningful conflict is driven by a question that any good story should prompt in the audience: What happens next? It doesn’t matter if deep down we know the answer. The question should still be whispered on our lips.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

A Writer’s Lament

My friends and family know I’m a writer. They know that I’ve published one book and am currently working on a second. That arouses interest, and it invites a question. It’s a question I never feel I can adequately answer:

“How’s your book coming along?”

What do I say? Do I delve into the complexities of plotting and characterization or explain exactly how the story has evolved in the writing of it? Do I describe the process of drafting? Maybe we could have a chat about beta readers or commissioning cover art? Or perhaps I just jump into a lengthy spiel about how writing is so darn fun, the thrill you get when your ideas come together and your vision is realized?

It’s … hard to talk about my work with non-writers, not because of some elitist viewpoint that only writers can understand other writers, but, because I don’t have anything to show for my work until it’s done. That’s the weird thing about writing in the modern era. There’s no physical measure of progress.

I’m no artist or sculptor, whose progress is apparent from glimpsing the picture being painted or the block of stone being carved. I’m not an architect whose building people can watch being built day by day. I don’t even live in the era of the typewriter, when authors ground out their pages and stacked them into a pile. That’s progress you can see. But in this time of computers, all of my work is invisible. It’s in the hard drive, unseen and untouchable, and what isn’t there is in my head.

So, when people ask how my book is progressing, all I can really say, “It’s going good,” or “I’m on track.” Unless they want to be a reader reviewing my work, there’s nothing I can show them. The answer to their simple question – the full, glorious answer of what is going on inside a writer’s colorful mind – takes more than a quick word to fully portray. Microsoft Word documents aren’t glamorous. The writing process itself isn’t glamorous. You don’t see people lining up for tours to see authors at their desks. It isn’t fancy or visibly interesting. All the fun goes on in the writer’s imagination, unseen and unheard. It’s the result that grabs people’s attentions, and only the result.

Cal it a writer’s lament.

How’s my book coming along? Just fine, thank you for asking. But I can’t truly show you until it’s done.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Big Buzzing Bullies

There are bullies under the summer sun. They have no sense of mercy, they inflict harm without cause, and they don’t even have the decency to enjoy it. They buzz around like yellow caution signs of doom. They set up shop exactly where it will worst inconvenience you – butting into your backyard and your homes like they own the place. And if you say anything, they stab you.

I am, of course, talking about wasps. Nature, for all its horrors, is pretty chill all told. Spiders only bother you when you bother them (“It’s not MY fault you walked into the web I set up at eye level”). Tigers and bears and wolves are just hungry, or you got too close to their cubs. Who doesn’t get angry when someone messes with their kids? Sharks are the victims of bad press. Just because someone can’t blink or smile or emote in any way comprehensible to human brains is no reason to discriminate (also, get out of the water). And crocodiles and hippos … okay, they’re pretty bad, but if you keep your distance they’re okay.

Wasps don’t keep their distance. Wasps don’t need a reason. Wasps go out looking for trouble. Those narrow, spindly bodies, those pitch-dark eyes … Just look at the villainous invertebrates!

Look at them! Look at the vile monstrosities!

Not at all like the humble bee. Bees are selfless. Bees are productive. Bees can coexist with mankind. If you rile them up, they’ll sting once and give their lives for the colony. See, even if you’re being swarmed by bees, they’re still quite heroic when you think about it. They give themselves for a greater cause. Not wasps. The only thing a wasp has to give is PAIN.

They don’t produce honey or wax or even jelly. They got nothing (except the aforementioned giving of pain). All animals, no matter how scary, are reasonable enough when you get to know them. Except wasps. They gang up on you because you looked at them funny. They are genocidal, resource-hording invaders. They’re under your feet. They’re in your walls. They want your PB&J sandwich. They’ve claimed your favorite climbing tree and will obliterate you if you get too close. Screw you, wasps.

Wasps are jerks.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia; License under CC BY-SA 2.5

Committing to First-Person Narratives

When you think of writing a book, “commitment” is a word you might associate with time discipline, writing a certain number of words per day, or setting aside a chunk of your budget for publishing and marketing. You wouldn’t necessarily think of the writing itself. After all, writing is all about making changes. That’s what drafts are for! But there is at least one piece of the puzzle on which you have to make a choice early on, and from which backing out can be painful. That is choosing your narrative point-of-view.

Now, third-person is common and popular, but what if you go for first-person? Ah, then you really have to commit, because first-person narrative has a whole set of pros and cons to it that change the way you tell the story.

The pros? Writing in first-person lets you get inside the head of your POV character, whether they be the protagonist or someone else, and really dig into their psychology and the world they live in. It’s a very personal method of storytelling. You really get to know who this character is as a person. Plus, you get to shape the story and its twists and surprises in a fairly organic way. The reader can only know what the narrator knows (or thinks they know). And the narrator doesn’t have to be honest or reliable.

On the other hand, first-person limits the scope of your storytelling. You can’t describe a distant scene two countries over, you can’t pull back and dedicate a few paragraphs to an unbiased history of the setting, and most importantly, you are restricted to the one character. You can’t jump between multiple peoples’ perspectives.

Ok, that’s not true. Crazy geniuses can write books that feature multiple POV characters told from multiple first-person perspectives, but I’m not brave enough to try it. But if you have written or read such a book, let me know in the comments. I’d be interested in reading it.

Your narrative is narrow in scope. That’s not to say the story itself has to be . It can be a sprawling epic, but you will only see it through the eyes of one person. That’s why you have to be sure of yourself before you start. You’re gonna have to commit.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Writers, You Can’t Be Perfect

There is no such thing as a perfect story.

To strive for perfection is something that writers do. We put all our effort into writing stories that are perfectly plotted, that contain no plot holes or leaps of logic, that are devoid of unnecessary fluff, that are devoid of grammar and spelling mistakes. Perhaps even more, we want to write a story that everyone loves and that has no detractors whatsoever, a story that perfectly conveys the message we want to share with the world. We strive to be perfect, but we will never get there.

But this fact should not lead to discouragement. If an author wrote a book that everyone somehow agreed was perfect, what point would there be to continue writing anything else? If you’ve achieved the absolute height of the craft, why keep going?

Perfection is a hypothetical. We may use it as a target to direct our efforts, but we won’t ever “get there.” No, the best writers keep writing to refine their craft and to improve. Always improving, always discovering new ways to tell stories and make them exciting, interesting, impactful. I’m not a particularly good writer, but I look back on past work and see the maturity that’s taken place.

Aim for excellence. Aim for quality. Don’t worry about writing the next great American novel. Don’t despair at the mistakes you see in your work after it’s published. Recognize them sure, and learn from them. And then look forward to writing an even better novel next time.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Improve Your Writing … By Writing

If there was a magic trick to becoming a better writer, if there was a special class or a magic book, I’d be recommending that here instead. But, obvious as it may sound, the only way to become a better writer is to, well, write.

It’s one of those facts of life that’s so simple that you think there must be a catch. There isn’t, except that it requires hard work and discipline. To become better at something, you need to do it as often as you can.

But, you might ask, what about writing classes? What about exercises? What about reading and research? Those are important, make no mistake. There are plenty of good resources for writers nowadays, especially online. There are tons of excellent blogs that I personally peruse for advice. But if you want to be the best writer you can be, you have to delve headfirst into turning that idea that’s been clattering inside your head into reality. You need to practice your craft.

Write, keep writing, and never stop writing. Practice, practice, practice. And after you write, go over what you’ve written. Look at it with a critical eye. Learn your strengths and recognize your weaknesses. Improve upon them. Seek feedback from friends and family and writer groups. And keep writing.

With every new project, with every completed draft, and with every review, you will improve. Don’t let up. Keep pushing yourself. Accept no substitutes.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

A Word of Wisdom from Terry Pratchett

Miss Tick sniffed. “You could say this advice is priceless,” she said. “Are you listening?”

“Yes,” said Tiffany.

“Good. Now … if you trust in yourself …”

“Yes?”

“… and believe in your dreams …”

“Yes?”

“… and follow your star …” Miss Tick went on.

“Yes?”

“… you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy. Good-bye.”

Courtesy of The Wee Free Men by Sir Terry Pratchett, 2003

It’s true, you know.

Remembering Dinotopia

Do you remember your favorite book from your childhood?

In truth, there are so many books I loved as a child that I can’t remember them all. I just remember the hours spent in my room, lost in words and pictures. But there is one that does stick out in my memory.

I have very fond memories of an illustrated book called Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time. It has beautiful imagery, wonderful worldbuilding, and is a tour de force of creating a fully-realized fictional world, courtesy of National Geographic artist James Gurney.

Dinotopia is about an island hidden from the rest of the world where dinosaurs and humans live in peace and harmony. It is presented through the eyes of a 19th-century explorer and his son who are shipwrecked on the island and gradually become a part of its strange, beautiful, and intricate society. Gurney put a lot of thought into how such a world would function, not just the cities and the clothing and the festivals and the government, but such mundane things as bedding, waste disposal, and timekeeping.

And it’s gorgeous.

Remember what it was like to be a kid? When there were no strange grown-up responsibilities and nagging worries? Remember when nobody could take away your joy because you clung to it so fiercely? Dinotopia reminds me of those days, and it reminds me that we are still able to keep that joy throughout our lives.

Most of all, it reminds me how fun it is to curl up with a good book.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Image: Cover of Dinotopia by James Gurney; Fair use

Likeable Character and Charismatic Characters

There’s a fine line between being likeable and being charismatic. A likeable character – affable, friendly, trustworthy – is someone you want to be around for a chat and a drink. A charismatic character – inspiring, motivating, commanding – is someone you want to watch from a distance . There can be overlap, of course, but when writing a charismatic character, keep in mind that they don’t have to be nice. And a likeable character can be as dull as dirt, oddly enough. It depends on the reaction you’re trying to get out of your readers.

Understanding the type of character you’re writing and the feelings you’re trying to draw out of your readers is important. Likeability and charisma are just two of the facets found in any character, but they are important ones. Consider your protagonist. Does he draw others to himself? Does he make friends (and allies) easily? Why? Do you intend for him to be just plain affable and good-natured? Or maybe he is forceful and commanding, the type of person who gets what he wants through panache and strength of personality?

Knowing which you want determines which of the two traits you’re shooting for.

Likeable characters are, well, easy to like. And we like people who are like us. Most importantly, such characters possess empathy. They have hearts, and they not only understand how their actions affect others, they care about the consequences of those actions. And we generally like that in the people we’re in close contact with on a regular basis.

Charisma is awe. We don’t necessarily want to be around them constantly. We are amazed by them, but they are best enjoyed from a distance. They’re natural showmen, they get others pumped up and ready to see something spectacular. They represent what we want to be. A charismatic character can become a symbol or ideal to aspire towards.

Is there overlap? Absolutely. Many, many characters in fiction possess both traits. But even then, there tends to be a weight toward one or the other. Whether hero or villain – yes, villains can be easy to like, too – the two traits must be separated from one another to recognize them for what they are, and ultimately, to understand the impact you want the character to have on your reader.

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Ode to the Ant

Behold the ant

Small and squishy, or so they say

Feeble and tiny, or so they claim

And yet…

Watch the ant work without ceasing

Watch her climb and build and lift and strive

Alone she is ended by the bottom of a shoe

In her thousands she makes fodder of your toes

Behold the ant

She is small, but she is mighty

She lifts boulders bigger than herself

She builds cities beneath our own

She farms, she wars, she thrives

Don’t mess with the little ant

She’s clearly doing something right

And there’s more of her than you

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.