Five Fantasy Writing Tips

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like too often in today’s fantasy fiction writers seem so eager to press ahead in their particular “once upon a time…” that they neglect to keep the most simple of writing tools handy to keep my interest.  Just because we are reading or telling stories about barbarians does not mean that we have to end up sounding like one when we craft a tale, does it? Okay, maybe that sounds a bit stuck up, but it kinda bugs me when I try to read through something and find it lacking in ways that feel should have been caught on the first draft.  I'm not trying to ride a high horse about this, and I'm not going to pretend that I know every tip and trick that will help make a story unique. What follows are just a few rules that I try to follow when doing my own writing.  Not trying to sound stuck up, just thought I'd put this out there as part of the way that I go about things:

Some Do’s and Don'ts of Fantasy Writing

1. Don’t be afraid to use a baby book for character names:  How often have you picked up a fantasy book and found that the names of the characters seem to be a hodge-podge of vowels and consonants such as Aaora the Blind, or Nymirec the Ugly, or Sweaui the Witch?  Is there anything wrong with John, Alex, or Jennifer?  Even if these seem bland at first, you may end up liking them more than you own creations.  In addition to this, there are innumerable names in various languages.  Consider doing a little bit of library time to see the meanings of various names.  You may find that a simple sounding name has a powerful meaning or a different language translation that sounds more epic than just calling your hero "Timmy."
2. Do be aware of what are accepted norms of fantasy books:  When was the last time you saw a magician use a bow and arrow?  Has the mighty warrior been tender and compassionate?  Does the smart-alec thief turn out to be an elf?  Well all of these may be intriguing ideas for characters, sometimes it feels like writers are trying too hard to be different.  I need back story with that inventiveness, not "Oh, my magician can wield a bow.  Not to say people can't multitask, we do it all the time in real life.  As a reader I can be open to an elfin thief and bow-wielding magician, or the idea of  an overly compassionate warrior.  However, I won't warm up to these ideas and others if it feels like a cheat.  If you elf is a master thief simply because you needed some object to be in the hero's hands, you can't just sort of drop it in there.  It is sloppy and insulting, sorry, but it is.  Go to a local book store and skim through the fantasy section if you have any doubts or worries about what your characters are doing. 
3. Don’t get too complicated too quickly:  Readers are intelligent and wonderful people.  After all, they are going to be buying your books in the future, aren't they?  Well, your audience may be intelligent, but do not overload them with back story too early on.  A reader appreciates being led through your world as if it is a real place they could visit.  Tell them too much and they might be forcibly reminded of a history lesson.  Although you may have a wise, seemingly all-knowing magician, it won't help to have him explaining every facet of your world.  Let the readers wonder a bit, but don’t give them so much to wonder about that they lose interest in the particular story that you are telling.
4. Don’t use too much dues ex machine:  The aforementioned all knowing wizard cannot be all knowing.  There is no adventure and excitement without doubt.  Doubt in the hero, doubt in the fidelity of the woman, doubt in the lovable but sneaky rogue.  If there is no doubt in the reader’s mind that the story will end well (or sad depending on your story) then there is no thrill.  If the all knowing magician has too many answers, then the reader may look to him or her or whatever “it” that you have created that solves all the characters problems.  Maybe I just don't like my plot points to seem like handouts for the hero.  Granted, the magician could die, the seer could lose her powers and the magical item could be destroyed, but if these things are impervious in your story, then there is no doubt about how the story will end.
5. Do decide whether an action opening is best:  Some of today’s fiction writers seem insistant on getting people’s attention in a fantasy novel by opening with a battle scene.  This may sound good and natural and you may have an orc waiting by who is ready to swing their ax down on a peasant or a witch about to cast a terrible spell on an innocent princess.  However, if you excite your audience’s senses too much too quickly, then all following action will be like bad music after a particularly bold crescendo.  Whatever follows has to be highly intriguing, make us ask questions not out of confusion but out of curiosity.  If you start off exciting, but follow it up with tepid dialogue and pointless meandering then the battle was for nothing, so to speak.  If you want a great example of how to start with action and leave the reader wanting to know more about what is going on, then check out most of Louis L'mour's works.  Whether or not you are into the western genre, there's much to be learned there not only in terms of pacing, but on how to open with action and follow it up with something interesting and engaging.

In general, it is in the best interests of the writer to make their own decisions as to what is working and what is not working in a novel before submitting it for publication.  However, this does not mean that you should approach the process cold with no research at all.   It may very well be that Reynuk the barbarian will be accepted as a name, and that your landscape will be dotted with villainous werewolves who will be content with nothing less then the devouring of every man, woman, and child.  I guess though as a reader and a writer it would be nice to come on story that breathes new life into the fantasy genre with Red Weddings, sparkly vampires, or heartthrob werewolves.

But that's just me.

The Importance of Distraction While Being Creative

Crazy thought here, but I think it's important to have stuff going on around you while you are trying to get something creative done. Whether it's a sketch for tee shirt contest, outlining a story, painting a painting...or working on a blog.

Having distraction around you can be a good thing.  Whether it is a bit of too interesting music, a list of chores that you keep thinking about that needs doing, or a child that needs attention or whatever; having these things going on in the background can be helpful.  Now, I'm not advocating working in a full on hurricane, but what I am saying is that if you are doing something creative that requires a bit of concentration, having constant distractions can actually help you to grow in your creativity.

Between building up a movie podcast and blog with my brother, writing a kids book, trying to be diligent in getting content made for this blog, a gaming blog in the works, not to mention the freelance work I do here and there--things have been busy.  And the midst of that busyness there has been plenty of opportunity to learn this same lesson over and over and over again.  If you can't get the fun stuff done when the world seems to be blaring a trumpet in your ear, how can you be expected to do it in those craved for quiet moments?  And what if those moments never come?

You could spend all day pining for those perfect moments to be creative.  You might imagine yourself looking up from a drawing board, sketch pad, a notepad, or a laptop as you look out a window and think some grandiose thought about the human condition or what-have-you.  You pensively stroke your chin, knowing that a profound bit of artistry is on the verge of emerging from your ever fertile brain.  The only problem is that you've been waiting all day for this mythical moment and that bright, sunny light is a street lamp and the grandiose thought is actually you contemplating having a bowl of popcorn while binge watching something rather than working on the stuff you were planning on doing all day.  What's the point of trying after all, the best inspirational moments have passed.  They were gobbled up like so much else of your day.

The problem isn't really that you don't have the time though or that the "really good thoughts" have been used up for the day.  The problem is you didn't buckle down during the distracting parts.  Those awesome, chin-stroking moments were available to you all day long, you just had to not let the distractions win.

It's a constant struggle to get the ideal moment that we dream of. I'm not saying that they never happen, or that they are a rare thing.  What I am saying is that if you can't get yourself to thinking creatively, to be imaginative against the relentless press of the mundane--then how do you expect to have the discipline or ability to fully appreciate when the perfect moments do come along?  What will it matter to you if the sun is shining as you look out the window onto the most inspirational scene imaginable if that becomes the norm for your creative time?  Yes, we need to take full advantage when they come along, but we also need to be ready for the hard push that will come before those perfect moments.

I guess for myself I've started to learn to appreciate those moments a bit more and learned to push myself to be creative even when the world seems to be coming hectic and unglued.  If I hadn't started to learn to be creative during the distracting times, then the quiet moment like the one I am enjoying as I write this would seem less special to me.

Distraction is helpful.

Never Sell Your Creative Work for a Pittance

Never sell your creative genius for a pittance has been some of the best  writing advice I have ever received.  Yet sadly, I all too often see freelance job sites with job offers demanding that you do just that.  If you visit many freelance writing sites these days you might see what looks like a wasteland of low paying job with high output demands.  Sometimes I run across jobs that pay fairly and the job sounds like something I can sink my teeth into, and best part is I retain the rights to the creative writing that I do. Most times though, I see things as ludicrous as asking the writer to compose 50 thousand word original stories for $300-$500, all rights to the story forfeited upon delivery to the client.  Extra points to the ones that have the audacity to ask for it in less than a month.

I cannot stress how sad, and how absurd it is to place such demands on a writer.  To not only ask them to while away the hours working on a story, but to tell them they have no rights to earnings from the story once it is delivered--for me that would be like asking me to give up my kid once she was smart enough to be in grade school and never get to see her again.  Before I get any farther, I want to make it clear that this is not meant as a rant against "unfair wages" or whatever the lingo would be.  Just that I wish those putting up the job offers would actually have an iota of reasonableness in their offers.  It is those types of offers that give businesses a bad reputation.  Anywho, I digress.

I am sad when I see this kinda of thing pop up, because often with these freelance writing sites who I am up against when bidding for a job.  The very fact that there are several people who are already applying for these types of jobs just makes me sad.  I privately hope that most of them are brave enough to challenge the exclusive rights demands, even if they ask for only a small portion of any and all profits that are made when the book is sold that would be something.  Now, I think it is important that I make a thing or two about selling your stories and writing before I go any further with this.

When I talk about low paying writing jobs, I'm not talking about the ones where you are writing a short blog about kitchen knives, or the best winter clothing, or a variety of topics on which you may not be an expert but can research for an article.  I've done this myself, I don't get much money for it, but these are not exactly beloved possible masterpieces that I've sold the rights to.  I have what might be best called "no emotional attachment" to those writings.  I think a skill that all of us who write and write well have is the ability to produce quality "product" for clients in need.  You need to sell propane and propane accessories and would like a 500 word article but can only pay eight bucks?  Not a problem, that's grocery money for me and I don't mind doing it.  I would feel no loss in selling that writing and not being able to claim it as my own.  However, that isn't what the people who post the pittance jobs are looking for.  They seem like they could care less about short articles on propane, hiking, or cooking or whatever else.  What they are looking for, in my opinion, is a jackpot.

Those type of jobs seem to crop up for the sole purpose of getting a million dollar story for pennies per word and claiming it as their own.  After all, if some one produces the next Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or Twilight or some other high-selling and popular series; what does it matter that $300 was spent on buying the book?  After all, if you are the buyer in that case you've just captured lightening in bottle and have all the money you spent and more back in the bank.  Maybe it sounds like I'm being too cynical here, but the funny thing is that this thought process doesn't come from cynicism but from hope.

The fact that there are people out there looking for a veritable cash cow within the freelance community, that there are people hoping to get rich quick (at least in my opinion) with some one else's work--to me that means that there is a chance that it could happen and that it could be me who has the opportunity to write something great.  It can happen to someone else as well.  I'm not saying that this can only happen to one person and that there is only one prize to be won, so to speak.  I'm thinking that there is something to be found.  Something to be done.  Multiple possibilities of something awesome just waiting to be discovered.  Maybe it will be me.  Maybe it will be you.

Just please, please, if you get that big break and write something truly awesome and eye-catching that fills a reader with wonder and you think you know it in your heart that it become something--don't trade it away for a pittance.  It might be hard to tell at times what are the winners and what are the ideas that just aren't going to go anywhere, but holding on to the right to claim what is yours is something we as writers need to do more of.  

I know that I have more to say on this, but it will have to wait until another time.  Life is happening around me, so to speak (ie I have my little girl to take care of) and I need to get to that.

Taking the Long Road to Short Trips (Part II)

      So, as I said before, I don't want to waste my life or the time given to me.  I want to utilize my ability to write both so I can engage in fun, entertaining creative endeavors.  I would also like to use my writing in a practical way to help provide for my family and put away a little at a time for my daughter's college fund.  To that end, I need to start "producing more product" so-to-speak.  I need to get more basic writing jobs and I need to work more on the creative projects that I love.  However, I have a huge stumbling block to this as I mentioned before, which is the knick-knack-paddy-whack-junk-and-stuff that is around my home.  So now that I'm over a year out from my last day at my retail job and have the opportunity to work from home, I find myself doing more work ON the home than in it, in a manner of speaking.  Why not just ignore it?  Why not get some work done that I want to get done?

     Well, this is the work I want to get done, because if I don't then I can't get work done.  Do you get what I mean?  It's not just a general lack of focus or drive, it's that I can't get from point A to point B without actually travelling over that distance.  For me, that distance involves my share, and what seems like several other people's share, of cleaning and de-cluttering.  I want to know that when I look up from my writing the only things that will be really vying for my attention will be my daughter's baby photos and a small (VERY small) collection of oddities that I have long used for inspiration while writing.  Personally, I feel like in the end whatever writing I get done won't feel nearly as fulfilling as it could if I know that I can't unwind at the end of the day because I have cleaning to do.  For the record, I know that with a little one in the house, there will always be cleaning to do.  But there are things that should have been dealt with a while ago that I could never get to thanks to the former job.  Now it may sound like I am laying a large amount of blame on that job for a messy home, and yeah, oh heck yeah I am.  This will be something I talk about in my Junk Journal book.  The truth is it agrevates me both at the old retail job and at myself for letting it get to me.  I allowed the old job to make me chase after countless doo-dads and thing-a-ma-bobs as a distraction.  Although I had a freelance writing job with a tee shirt company (an opportunity that I am still ever-grateful for), I never got in writing of any other sort.  I wasn't putting nearly as much as I wanted to into the career that I really wanted to follow.

So now that I have this opportunity to keep moving forward in my writing career, why choose to slow down for stuff that built the basis for holding me back?  Why occupy my time with this junk around me rather than writing?  Well, in one of life's ironic twists, I have something to write about as I come out of the experience.  I want to de-clutter and clean up, but I need the catharsis and closure that will also come with writing about the junk that I am donating and disposing of.  If I just toss it out whole sale in attempt to be done with it, I feel like that will be the old way, the old, terrible job winning in the end.  Not only would it have robbed me of time with my family, time building my career, but it will have given me nothing to show for it.  So I guess that is my writing lesson to be shared for the day.  All those cliches' about writing from your pain and frustration have some truth to them.

I could probably write a whole book about the daily struggles that my past health issues gave me.  I could do a mini-series on what it was like those final months leading up to the liver transplant that saved my life.  Maybe some day I will write more about that.  What I need to write about now is the long road that I am I taking.  Ah, the post title, now I finally get to it, right?  I am taking the long road of frustration and annoyance and heartache that will come from going through all this junk.  But I choose it because it is the only way it can be done.  In the end I will end up with shorter trips to the ol' writing table or whatever metaphor best fits here.  It may sound silly to keep thinking about how the former retail job pushed itself into my life, but it ate away at me just as much as my liver disease and declining health did. In a way, that retail job took much more and gave far less then my sickness did.  But whatever little good that it did, I am going to squeeze what I can from it and write about it as best I can.

   

Taking the Long Road to Short Trips (Part I)

I don't want to waste my life.  I want to get things done.

I mean, who doesn't?  I want to be able to enjoy my down time.  Again, who doesn't?  But the fact is that I can't get things done (things being writing projects) and I can't enjoy my down time to its fullest with the random boxes of junk that I have lying around my apartment.  Well, to be clear it isn't like they are lining the halls and spilling out of the closets.  They are tucked away in my bedroom and in the bedroom closet.  Safely out of site, and out of mind.

But they aren't out of mind.  Not really.  For a while now I've had these things sitting in the bedroom, taking up space, and generally just sort of being there.  It probably wouldn't bother me nearly as much if I was still working my terrible retail job or working the theater job.  (That one was awesome, so I won't knock it.)   However, now that I am doing writing from home as my full time job, my home is my office.  The dirty corners and untidy areas are my work space and my job site.  Okay, true enough I don't stuff myself in the closet with my laptop in order to get my writing done, but the mental effect the untidiness has on me does effect how well I concentrate on my writing and how much output I can expect from myself on a daily basis.  So to that end I've been spending more time the past couple of weeks working on my "Junk Journals" book project and de-cluttering my home.  Good.  A bit of irony with this continued work on decluttering is that I haven't had a chance to really do any "for me" writing.  Oh sure, I've been working on my job related copy writing things, gotta keep limber.  But I just haven't put in the time lately that I want to on getting writing things done.

I want to say more about this, but the truth is it is kinda late and I am tired.