The Short-term, Long-term Juggling Act

Writing the Maradaine books takes a certain degree of juggling.  Fortunately, that's something I learned to do back in the stage-acting days.*

Fundamentally, each book has to serve three masters, in order of importance:

1. Tell its own exciting, interesting and complete story.
2. Seed/move forward plot points for the arc of its series.
3. Seed/move forward plot points for the larger arc of Maradaine as a whole.

Early on, numbers 2 and 3 were very minor, but as the needs of each series arc and the larger Maradaine arc has increased, they've needed to take more precedence.  Imposters of Aventil and the upcoming Lady Henterman's Wardrobe and A Parliament of Bodies all have this challenge, and it's only going to grow as I move past that. 

What's the trick to pulling it off?  How do you keep serving the second and third goals from being too much of a distraction?  For me, the big thing is making sure every scene in the book still fulfills the first goal, regardless of the other factors.  For example, all three of those books have scenes near the end that are largely about the greater Maradaine arc.  But they still also serve as epilogue for the story of the book they are in. 

Hopefully, that series-arc and Maradaine-arc seeding has its hooks in you, and you want to know more about what comes next.  There's going to be an announcement pretty soon, so watch this space.

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*- A circus-themed production of Brecht's The Life of Galileo, in which I not only had to learn to juggle, but do knife-spinning tricks, and a host of mild acrobatics.  I could even walk on my hands back then.  Now I am old and creaky.

Long Term Arcs-Managing the big arcs

Great subject, as far as I'm concerned. I've been working on several long term series, and you know what I've learned about managing the big arcs? Not much.

Okay, let me break this down the way it's always worked for me. I write in what I tend to think of as the "tapestry" method. There are a lot of characters, a lot of threads, and the idea is that I use those threads to make a cohesive story. I have to weave them together well enough that a whole tale is told. What I should point out, however, is that I am also a person who believes that art and life should look rather a lot alike.  To that end, I almost always have loose threads at the end of a story. When the story starts people are already having lives. When it ends, the survivors will continue to have lives, though they will often be severely altered.

For me, every chapter of a novel is a short story. It's just that those short stories are connected. If the chapter doesn't move the story forward, I cut it away. Why? Mostly because I'm unbelievably wordy, and I can usually cut a few chapters of detritus without much pain.

Every scene, every chapter, every arc is part of the greater tapestry and when I am done,. nothing is completed. The main story arc is finished, but the world is likely going to move on and so are many of the characters. In the Seven forges series I have written four books and a LOTY of story arcs have been finished, but not nearly all of them. One of the main overlaying arcs, the war between Fellein and the Sa'ba Taalor, has been completed, for now. The war is done. Both sides survived and both are definitely changed by the experience. Several of the characters are virtually unrecognizable. They have changed to that level. So too the land of Fellein, which has been brutalized and broken. So too the Blasted Lands, which have been altered by the actions of gods.

No one and nothing stays the same. That's true of my story arcs, too, The war is over. For now, There are still plans for Fellein and the Sa'ba Taalor. They will involve conflicts but they may not involve a full on war. One major story arc is done. (actually, several) but more possibilities are opened n the process. if there is never another novel in the series then I have told my tale. If there are more, then life goes on and threads left discarded and dangling are once more woven into the tapestry.

I have plans for Fellein.  There are murder mysteries to solve, political battles to wage, new parts of the world to explore. Oh, so many plans.

Time will tel if I get to weave that tale, but the biggest parts of the pattern are all there for people to see, even if, as sometimes happens, those patterns are unpleasing to some.

Never leave your tales unresolved. But don't be afraid to leave a few loose strands to continue on in the tale. Just because Harry Met Sally, that doesn't mean they get together right away, It might take decades.

Long Term Series - Managing Those Big Arcs and Dangling Threads

We're to get a freeze this week, so I'm savoring these annuals and their intense color. Bittersweet to say goodbye, but I also know I love them partly because they're temporary.

And I like the cooler weather, having a fire in the fireplace and associated coziness.

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is weaving in overarching plot lines in a long-term stories, and how to keep those dangling, to-be-continued threads from dangling so much that they distract from the simpler arc of a particular book.

The thing is, you're always going to have readers (YOU PEOPLE KNOW WHO YOU ARE!) who are going to bitch complain about dangling plot threads. This is a good thing. If readers of long-term series - and we all know I'm one of them - don't come away at the end of the book hungry to find out what happens next, then the author hasn't done her job right. At the same time, there's a delicate balance between that and the cliffhanger so egregious that the reader throws that expensive eReader against the wall.

Or not even a cliffhanger, but taking TOO many books to get to some promised event. There was a famous author (*cough* LKH *cough*) who burned up so many books with her characters NEVER getting a ball that was only a day away to begin with, that I know someone who literally threw the book against the wall in rage - and gave up on the series.

#ProTip: This is BAD and not the reader reaction we want.

Now, I know I'm an offender in the "but I thought we'd get to the big conflict already" category in more than one series. Still, I'm really trying to steer clear of LKH-level offenses.

The key to managing those big arcs and keeping them from distorting the individual stories lies in both ends. The individual story arc must be complete and the overall arc should be simple.

Complete individual story arc

This is where LKH ran afoul. Each book needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. I know this is basic stuff, but stick with me. The protagonist needs to change in some way and accomplish a key goal. This goal, ideally, should be one piece in the larger arc. If all of these things happen, then the reader will feel satisfied at the end - with at least THAT story.

Simple overall arc

The simpler the overall arc, the less it distracts from the individual books. The example that springs to mind is George R.R. Martin's monster epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. The overall arc is SO complex and overriding, that the individual books are really just installments in one massive story. He's a brilliant writer, and his genius lays in the subtle weaving of this complex arc - but it's so overwhelming that there really is no complete arc in the individual books.

What say you, readers - do I have this right? I'll entertain arguments.

Dream Anthology: Start with Andre Norton

 

The topic this week is which authors, living or dead, I’d want to be in a dream anthology with. I’m going to twist it a bit and tell you which worlds by which authors I’d LOVE to be invited to play in (and then I’ll talk about an anthology below).

First and foremost is Andre Norton. She used to do collections where other authors were invited to write stories set in her Witch World universe and I SO longed to write a story there. I’d probably have written something about the Were Riders because I was always fascinated by them, and their mysterious backstory.

Second would be Nalini Singh. I’d be so honored to write a story set in any of her worlds. I probably gravitate to the Psy-Changeling storyline the most, if I were trying to write a tale for her universe – I’d write one very sexy emotionless Arrow and the heroine who thaws him out…but I’m also fascinated by the Guild Hunter series. Nalini writes more dark and violent themes than I tend to, especially for the Guild Hunter series, but I would find a way to incorporate those elements if I had the chance to ‘play’. Archangels, angels and vampires - oh my!

I enjoy everything Ilona Andrews writes but I’m a permanent ‘guest’ of the Innkeeper Chronicles series (meaning it’s my favorite of theirs – I probably tried too hard to make that oh-so-clever comment work, huh?) and I’m not positive I could juggle all the scifi and fantasy elements as smoothly as the husband and wife writing team does, but I’d sure try.

I’d also love to be invited to spin a story set in our own SFF7-member Jeffe Kennedy’s Twelve Kingdoms. There’s so much rich material to work with there, it’d be hard to pick just one theme and settle to write it. I think I’d want a Dasnarian mercenary hero and the heroine would be an everyday woman who gets caught up in an adventure…uh oh, I’m plotting! Sorry, Jeffe!

And to round out my dream list of anthologies I’d want to be invited to (or Kindle Worlds if such things were happening), may I please set a story on Anne McCaffrey’s Pern? I want to write dragons and riders and fighting Thread!

As it happens I am in a scifi romance anthology with a few of my favorite SFR authors and it releases this very week! Here’s the info:

Blurb for Embrace the Romance: Pets In Space 2:

The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!

10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

Buy Links:  

Amazon US   Amazon CA   Amazon UK   Amazon AU   Amazon FR   Amazon DE

Amazon JP   iBooks   B&N    Kobo    Google Play

Blurb for my story - Star Cruise: Songbird:

Grant Barton, a Security Officer on the Nebula Zephyr, is less than thrilled with his current assignment to guard an Interstellar singing sensation while she’s on board the ship. It doesn’t help that he and his military war bird Valkyr are dealing with their recent separation from the Sectors Special Forces and uncertainty over their future, with their own planet in ruins.

Karissa Dawnstar is on top of the charts and seemingly has it all – talent, fame, fortune and devoted fans, but behind her brave smile and upbeat lyrics she hides an aching heart. When a publicity stunt goes wrong, Karissa finds herself in the arms of the security officer assigned to protect her – and discovers a mutual attraction she can’t ignore.

Trouble continues to plague the pair, driving a wedge between them and leaving Grant certain that Karissa is in more danger than she realizes, from overzealous fans and her own management. Grant is determined to protect Karissa whether she wants his help or not. Can he discover the truth behind what’s going on before he loses Karissa or is there someone else plotting to keep them apart – permanently?

Wishful Anthology

Coming to you live from the annual Novelist's Inc conference in St. Pete Beach - which means this will be short and blunt because I'm blogging between workshop sessions.  Also. I'm warm.

If I could be in an anthology with any three authors alive or dead, here's my dream list:

Andre Norton - because her books are why I'm in this mess to being with.
Robin McKinley - because of The Blue Sword and Sunshine
Arthur C. Clarke - because Childhood's End

Lofty goals. But lets be clear. I'd prefer to NOT have to die to get this anthology. Guess I'd better get on inventing that time machine, huh?

On Shorts and Anthologies

I'm not much of a short fiction writer.  That's OK.  I have a few novella-length things set in the larger world of Maradaine that are cooking away in the back of my skull, but on the whole, I don't think in Short Fiction.

So when the question is asked, "Who would you want to be in an anthology with?" my brain kind of grinds its gears.  I mean, I don't usually think about that, because I don't tend to write the sort of thing that ends up in anthologies.

Unless, of course, you count my first pro sale, which is a short story in pretty cool anthology of Texas writers, Rayguns Over Texas.  And it's got a few big names in there: Michael Moorcock, Joe Lansdale, an introduction by Bruce Sterling.  Plus (in addition to myself), there's great stories by Stina Leicht, Nicky Drayden, Chris Brown and many more.

Plus, I'm pretty proud of this short, Jump the Black.  It's a tight four thousand words that does a lot in a small amount of story.  I occasionally will get an email asking if I'm ever going to do a full novel-length version of it.  And....it's in there, cooking away in my skull.  It'll come out when it's ready.

Release Day! The Imposters of Aventil by Marshall Ryan Maresca

It's Release Day for our own Marshall Ryan Maresca's latest in his world of Maradaine,  The Imposters of Aventil. Veranix is back in this blend of fantasy, mystery, and adventure.

"Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented.” —Library Journal

THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL

Summer and the Grand Tournament of High Colleges have come to the University of Maradaine. If the heat and the crowds weren't enough to bring the campus and the neighborhood of Aventil to a boiling point, rumors that The Thorn is on the warpath—killing the last of the Red Rabbits—is enough to tip all of Maradaine into the fire.

Except Veranix Calbert, magic student at the University, is The Thorn, and he's not the one viciously hunting the Red Rabbits. Veranix has his hands full with his share of responsibilities for the Tournament, and as The Thorn he’s been trying to find the source of the mind-destroying effitte being sold on campus. He’s as confused as anyone about the rumors.

When The Thorn imposter publicly attacks the local Aventil constables, the Constabulary bring in their own special investigators: Inspectors Minox Welling and Satrine Rainey from the Maradaine Grand Inspectors Unit. Can Veranix find out who the imposter is and stop him before Welling and Rainey arrest him for the imposter’s crimes?

Buy It Now:   Amazon   |   B&N   |  BAM   |   IndieBound

Dreams....

So if I were going to be in an anthology with any other authors, living or dead, who would they be and why?

Hell, that's ridiculously easy.

First, Stephen King. Why? Because he's one of the largest influences I've ever had and even his bad books re better than average.

Second, Mark Twain. Why? Because, damn, to this day that man's works remain potent, observant and humorous.

Third, Ray Bradbury. Why? Because he's Ray Bradbury. Enough said.

I can think of others, of course, and plenty of them, but in several cases I have already BEEN in anthologies with them. In all three of these cases I have never been that fortunate.

As with Jeffe before me I can show you one of my dram anthologies that has come to pass.

And I can show you the cover for the next anthology I'm in, too.

If you should find yourselves in Haverhill Massachusetts on October twenty-first, between the hours of 10 Am and 4:30 PM, you might want to visit me and around forty-nine other artists for the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. 

We'll have stuff to sell and there will be free panels, too. 

Joe Hill 
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Sarah Smith
Gregory Bastianelli
Matt Bechtel
Stephen Bissette
Daniel Braum
Dana Cameron
Glenn Chadbourne
Jason Ciaramella
Joseph Citro
Tom Deady
Kristin Dearborn
Rachel Autumn Deering
Barry Lee Dejasu
Amber Fallon
Dan Foley
Craig Shaw Gardner
Christopher Golden
Scott Goudsward
Catherine Grant
Kat Howard
Christopher Irvin
Nicholas Kaufmann
Brian Keene
Toni L.P. Kelner (Leigh Perry)
John Langan
Fred Van Lente
Livia Llewellyn
Bracken MacLeod
John M. McIlveen
Hillary Monahan
James A. Moore
Holly Newstein Hautala
Errick Danger Nunnally
Jason Parent
Philip Perron
David Price
Charles R Rutledge
Mary SanGiovanni
Rob Smales
Thomas Sniegoski
Paul Tremblay
Tony Tremblay
Kenneth Vaughan
Trisha Wooldridge
Douglas Wynne
Rio Youers