What I'd like to write.

I think its appropriate to open a dialogue in a writing blog with a list of the things that I hope to write someday soon, and why I want to write them. I think I know better than anybody here how daunting it can be to get back into writing, after a long hiatus. Most of my fellow lunatics can't remember a time when they weren't writing. Huh, maybe that's why I'm here? Anyway, this should give me a clear list of things to work toward, and give others an idea of who I am, and maybe where I’m coming from.

Before I do that, let me share a little about my history with writing. I was one of those typical angsty teenagers, writing about all the trials of high school. I can remember some particularly dark pieces coming shortly after I broke up with my first serious boyfriend. Of course, it was all ridiculous. There was always this burning thought though, that if I just pushed myself, I could write something great. Still, I never tried.

Then, something got in the way. Suddenly, not just writing, but all creativity was something that I didn't "have time" for. My life was overtaken by social interaction and at best, reading. It was great for a few years, but this hunger to write is creeping up on me, and I don't know how long I can go without satisfying it. So, lets get some ideas on paper, shall we?

I’d like to write a series of short stories, exploring the seven deadly sins. This idea has been done to death by writers everywhere, but still, it seems like it would be fun, especially if I could make it happen in 5000 words or less each time. If I could get these finished by the time seven months is up, I would be happy.

I’d like to write a poem every day for 30 days. Largely just to get me writing again, but also because I think poetry is the best way to get your most basic thoughts on paper, because there often isn’t any room to beat around the bush. I will do this starting the day after the half marathon, and maybe use the same blog, I’m not sure yet.

I want to write an erotica novel. Plain and simple. I want to do this by the end of the year. I don't know how realistic this one is.

Eventually, I want to write a book about my opinions on the current situation, and future of Canadian Politics, and also what we should do about it. This goal is probably my most serious, but also the furthest away. If I do follow my goal to get a PhD,I am going to have to write a thesis, so maybe… Maybe, this is the answer.

I am learning very slowly about myself that I need to write these things down and set hard deadlines, or they will never be finished. I just want to get writing again, but it is terrifying. I am afraid that nothing I write will be any good, and I am afraid that nobody will like them.

Romance

One of the most interesting things I've noticed in the piles and piles of romance novels I read is that romance itself is not usually the primary theme.

Security tends to feature more prominently: physical, financial, psychological and emotional.

First, the physical: so many Harlequin men are tall, dark, handsome, and muscular because that means they are physically imposing. They can protect Heroine from harm and beat up bad guys and Heroine has to lean up to kiss him.

Financially, when was the last time anyone read about a poor Duke? Even if Hero is a manual laborer, he'll be at least comfortable. That's because living happily ever after in a dingy one-bedroom third-floor walk-up is not anyone's idea of romance.

Psychological security is one of the hardest to define, since it has a lot of overlap with emotional. One of the biggest ways psychological security is woven into romance is in that Heroine will not be awkwardly more intelligent than Hero, and if she is, he'll think it's sexy, not be threatened. Heroine is free and safe to be exactly who she wishes to be.

Emotional security is the one at the heart of romance: by The End, both Hero and Heroine must know that the other loves them completely. The love must be mutual, providing security that Heroine nor Hero will not have their heart broken later. In true Western fashion, the love will also be monogamous, and promise to last lifetimes.

Starting Out

I said it before, and I definitely mean it: the fellow writers on this blog are amazing, and I respect each one of them immensely. Everyone here has a very specific and unique style of writing they use, which suits them well, but that I could never pull off myself. In particular, KB uses a very distinctive style, but one that I think would counter my own so horribly I'd never be able to draw from it.


The main reason behind this is her lack of chapter-breaking. She does it in such a way that makes you hesitant to stop reading. Personally, though, I need chapter breaks in anything I write for more than 5000 words, so despite admiring KB's work, I could never do anything like it myself.


I think the reason I need chapter breaks is that I enjoy starting things. This isn't to say that I don't like finishing them, because I do, but I love to start things. Anything, really. I'm pretty sure the use of the phrase 'Want to start...' could be used to talk me into about anything.


The start of a story, though, is unique and, for me, always a challenge. When you start a story, a chapter, or, really, any form of writing, storytelling, or entertainment, you need to be able to hook people. I like to use sound for this effect, though there are dozens of ways to go about it, and I'll try to cover some of the more common and (in my opinion) effective ones below:


BOOM: Not sure if there is a word for this. But, in essence, start your story/chapter/scene with a powerful onomatopoeia. If you are walking down the street, and hear a loud "KASHOOM!" echoing from the street, you aren't likely to look away. Same applies to when you're reading. If there's one thing I learned from my years as a comic-book-enthusiast, it's that some good POW, BANG, WHAM, and SOCK is enough to keep people reading, if only to find the source or results of the noise.


Pretty colors: This is another fairly common one. You present the reader with a powerful or striking image that burns itself into their minds. This is one I see a lot in post-apocalypse settings, and it is also a favorite to movie makers. Sunset over broken cityscapes, blood sprayed across the snow, and even a well-done description of a character all fall into this category, and serve to feed the mind's eye with enough candy to get them reading a bit further. In general, I oppose taking time to simply describe and describe, but at the start, you can get away with it a lot more.


The ____ is ____: Give us the setting/plot. Bluntly. The president is dead. The world is green. My cat is sick. I am a robot. (These are not related, by the way. Though if anyone gives me a story which starts like this will probably earn bonus points.) "Why should I read this?" the reader asks. Sometimes, it's best to just tell 'em, and tell 'em good. You can cater the intensity of this to fit your story, theme, and mood, but I always did like to start with a blunt punch to the face. This is another one I see a lot with post-modern settings, or disaster/incident-stories.


Pants on my head!: An unusual scene is always a good way to hook the reader from the beginning. Because if your story starts out in the middle of a crazy situation, who could resist reading, even if only for the sake of curiosity? I know the only reason I got past page one of some books is because it started out with something so unusual, ridiculous, or intriguing that my curiosity got the better of me, allowing me to swallow that worm hard.


I don't know. Maybe I'm the only person around who enjoys starting a story this much. And obviously there are lots of other ways to open up a story, but these are all fairly common, safe, and effective. Maybe this all seems rather cut-and-print textbook, and has you saying, "We already knew that, Seth, I can see why you get stuck on the end of the week," But it's all quite fascinating to me, and loads of fun.


And who knows. If I can help you guys out the next time you are stuck on an opening for your chapter, short story, or book, all the better.

The Ultimate Rule of Magic Part I

Magic is a fun thing to work with in your writing. In a lot of ways, it can make things easier. You can put people in situations that seem almost entirely inescapable, and then get them out of it. Oh, you killed the main character’s love interest? Just magic them back to life! But the thing is, then things get out of hand. If you can bring her back to life with magic, then why couldn’t you use magic to stop her from dying in the first place? For that matter, why is there even a conflict in the story? Couldn’t you just magic away any problems that show up?

And so you realize that for your story to be worth reading at all, your magic needs some rules. This being magic, you can choose to ignore some major laws of physics (although you can choose not to, as well). At the most basic level, I’ve found that all magic use in a story needs one specific rule:

A magic user can use magic to do absolutely anything they can imagine, provided that they have the magical energy required to do so.

That rule is what I use in my own writing. I apply it to any story I see that has magic in it. And if somewhere in a story with magic my rule doesn't fit, then I know that the author wasn't thinking about how magic works in their story.

The thing about the rule is that it's both restrictive and freeing at the same time. It forces you to make some decisions about how magic works in your world. But it gives you absolute freedom with those decisions. It doesn't even require that they be consistent (although if they aren't, you'd better have some justification).

My first series of posts is going to discuss this rule, and all the implications of it that I can think of. So for now, I'll see you next post.