Tools Of The Trade

 In 6his case, reference tools. that's our subject for the week, what is the one essential reference tool we simply cannot live without. 

One? Good heavens, that's a mall number. I can think of an easy dozen. first and foremost, the internet. Where would I be without google to send me do2wn a rabbit hole or twenty? The thing is, I research bloody near everything, except names. I just yank those out of the air. 

Back in the day, when I was writing for role0kayingGames and the 'Net wasn't quite s useful as it is today I'd spend a fortune on research books. I'm completely serious. It was over seven hundred dollars worth of books on the Old West before was satisfied that I had enough information.  I spent a fortune that was absolutely necessary because a lot of the esoteric information I needed to add in for authenticity simply wasn't available like it is these days. There weren't a million sites per subject, though I'll grant many of the sites available these days are hardly given to accuracy, they still exist to sort through. It's a bonus that you can use to your advantage if you are careful about the truths you seek and find. 

Her4's one for you. Stephen King's Danse Macabre. IT is, to my knowledge, the first non-fiction book that King ev4er wrote, and it is a hodgepodge of pop culture information autobiography and writing advice, all mixed into one very lengthy essay written as the sort of conversation you might have over beers with q writer at a convention. I absolutely love that book and have read it easily half a dozen times. I'm not likely to ever have beers with King at a convention doubly so because I don't drink, but the information I have gleaned from the book is absolutely priceless. The pop culture I refer to in this case is horror movies and horror books and the references made started me on my personal education regarding both subjects and expanded my very narrow horizons a great deal. Seeing as I started my writing in the horror genre, I needed my eyes opened. Seeing as Stephen ing is literally rags to riches story in the genre I was looking to step into, the book was also a wild ride into the territory of what could be done and what could not be done. Have I had Mister King's success? hell no, but I make a decent living most years. I get by. 

Reference tools vary greatly and depend heavily on what you are looking for. My v4ry favorite tool? The one I access m0re than any other? Talking with my peers. e share anecdotes, we take about what works for us and what doe not. We connect and learn from each other. 

But that's just me and your mileage may vary. I'd also recommend Strunk and White's Elements of Style. 

By the way, the images below are five of the books that my sevenu=hundred dollars in research helped make possible.  

 

The One Resource Every Writer Needs

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is references. We're asking our bloggers what one writer's reference do you often consult? Database, community, club/org, book, etc.

I'm going old school and picking my ragged, much-beloved paper copy of The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale. My copy is the 1978 edition and I may have had it nearly that long. I'm pretty sure I had it in high school. I used it for writing papers all the way through high school and now I use it for writing novels. 

You guys, this is THE BEST RESOURCE EVER. 

It's not a thesaurus, which tends to lead the casual user down twisted paths of etymological absurdity.

It's worlds better than anything I've been able to find online. (I have looked, because sometimes I want a quick reference and I don't want to have to step off the treadmill to pull this bad girl off the shelf.) Online references are so much more limited.

What The Synonym Finder does is allows me to explore and refine a concept. It leads me to branching and diverse terms for the Thing I'm Trying to Describe. You'll note I have sticky notes in place for words I often use - like "blue" and "black" - that I want richer, more precise and more interesting images for. 

Everyone should have one of these!

Planning to Succeed

Photo by Emma Matthews

This week's SFF Seven blog topic is what's on our mind, so this was a super easy week for me to post. The thing that's been on my mind of late is how glad I am that I began the year with a plan for my editor/author life. I know that not everyone is a planner and not everyone needs to plan ALL THE THINGS, but for me, a simple quarterly roadmap and to-do lists gives me some sort of weird superpower to actually get things done.

Many moons ago, if you'd told me that I'd ever be the kind of person who makes a to-do list every single morning or who plans out each quarter of the year like it's her job, I would've laughed you out of the room. I was a newbie writer finding my way, writing whenever I wanted or could find a spare hour. To be honest, writing was a hobby, not something I treated like the career I wanted to have. And that stunted my growth, in my opinion. If you don't aim yourself in the direction of your dreams, then how will you ever get there?

Slowly, most likely.

For a long time, I couldn't finish anything. I might have drafted a novel (sad, awful drafts) but going through revisions and seeing a work through to the very end was super tough for me. Granted, my life has been one big roller coaster over the last decade as I took care of my ailing parents and raised teenagers. But hindsight is 20/20, and if I'd known then what I know now, I have to wonder where I'd be in my writing career currently.

That said, our journey is our journey. Maybe you believe we go through things for a reason, maybe you don't. All I know is that over the last decade, I've tried so many different planning systems and methods that if I had the money I've spent on all of those little planners and apps and binders and stickers and Washi tape that I would never use, I could've paid for this new laptop I'm typing on tonight.

BUT, back to going through what we go through for a reason. All of my early efforts to get organized might not have helped me then, but I went through enough try/fail sequences over the years that I finally, blessedly, figured out what works for me:

1) A quarterly plan. I highly suggest following Sarra Cannon at Heartbreathings blog and maybe try watching her YouTube videos. She has a free 90-day goal sheet and several other free planning sheets for writers that are so helpful. You choose your top three goals for the year, then break those goals down into bite-size tasks that you can actually achieve. Gone are the days of telling myself that I can write and edit a book in 3 months. I know that I don't work that way, and I'm honest with myself. It takes the time it takes, and I've had enough years at this to know what that amount of time is for me, so I plan accordingly. Anything that I don't complete at the end of the quarter rolls over to the next quarter. Like my friend Alexia said in her post this week: It's so good to give yourself credit for what you achieve, no matter how small. Quarterly planning facilitates this, because you don't have to wipe the board clean to feel successful (though YAY if you do!). I always end up feeling proud of myself for what tasks I DID complete, even when I have items left that must roll over. This method was a mental game changer for me. Plus, now that I have 99648895 deadlines, I need the organization to stay on top of things.

2) A simple To-Do List. You can find to-do lists literally anywhere or even print or write your own. I'm highly partial (slightly addicted) to my Rifle Paper Co. to-do lists, and y'all will have to pry them from my cold, dead hands to make me give them up. These lists have saved my life. There's no way I can remember all of my day job, life/mom, writer, and editor duties without lists. I have one for work, one for writing, and one for life. My work and life lists/pads stay at my day job desk. My writer list/pad goes everywhere with me.

3) A Kan Ban board. Sarra Cannon talks a lot about using a Kan Ban board for tracking quarterly goals. Basically, you take a dry erase board, create a 9-box grid, and transfer the info from your 90-day goal sheet onto sticky notes that then go onto the board. Column 1 is Goal 1, Column 2 is Goal 2, Column 3 is Goal 3. The top row is then filled with the tasks needed to get you closer to achieving each goal, and you simply move those stickies from Row 1: To Do, to Row 2: In Progress, and finally, to Row 3: DONE. Sarah has great YouTube videos if you want to learn more. This method works so well, because unlike a planner that you might never open, a board is IN YOUR FACE, a daily reminder, (as long as you don't hang it in a room you never enter). The more you are forced to look at the board, the more likely you are to actually try to tackle the tasks that await you there.

Now, sadly, these methods won't work for everyone, I know, but sometimes, understanding what WILL work takes trial and error. Maybe this will help someone out there find the right path to success, however they define that word. It can literally mean just getting to a point of actually knowing what you need to do to get where you want to go.

Best of luck! Now go make a list!!

Charissa

When the World Goes Sideways

Ah, the many little substances, rituals, and activities we use to soothe ourselves. Corvid is partaking a little homegrown catnip. 

Dad is being admitted to the hospital as I type. Thus, you may understand when I say there's next to nothing but static on my mind. So far, it looks like he'll be okay. Yet another close call. Had Urgent Care not insisted on giving him an antibiotic shot, things would have gone very, very badly today. 

So I'm self medicating with documentaries and fake ice cream (frozen banana, blueberries, plant milk blitzed in a blender). Meditation is probably on tap for the evening, too.

What's your vice of choice when your world goes pear-shaped?

 

When things Don’t Work out the way You wanted them to

Life is like a broken butter dish, you never know—wait, wrong line. But I did crush my butter dish and I don’t know what I’m gonna get to replace it. 

Cracked, broken, disappointments. There’s a million sayings about failing: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Failure is part of success. Think positively and positive things will happen. Hang in there, baby. 

And since we’re all human here—apologies if you’re reading this, ART—we’ve experienced things not going to plan in countless ways. Butter dish, am I right? Though that’s not the only disappointment on my mind this week, I’m also obsessing over how I keep failing to get any writing done. 

So, authors, how do we deal with disappointments in regards to writing?

The past couple of weeks have been challenging for me health wise. It’s difficult to look at screens or even move quickly when your head isn’t on straight, literally. I’m becoming a regular at the chiropractor’s office and I’m running out of audiobooks (that’s my SOS for any audiobook recommendations you may have). And I’m still struggling to get any words down! 

Then I saw a fellow author’s post on Instagram about setting goals for the week, big or small…that you intend to celebrate! These wise words are from @ChandraBlumberg if you’re wondering, she’s positive, uplifting, and has a bright smile. Go follow her. 

Her words were a simple reminder that struck me. I prefer to start my days off with a little yoga and prayer and meditation time before I even come down the stairs. No, it doesn’t always happen because I have a dog that snores and kids that sleepwalk, but I feel better and happier when I start my day off that way. Now, why can’t I translate that to my writing? Why do I only see the pieces that don’t go according to plan and not the celebratory parts?

In 2018 one of my manuscripts was a finalist in the Golden Heart and this national award put me with a group of likeminded writers. We chose our class name: Persisters because we were a bunch of women who would persist in their dreams to write. I’m thankful for each one of these women and wish I had more time to talk with them, but even the bits of check-ins here and there are a boost. They remind me that we all have struggles, writing related and not. They remind me that I want to keep going because they’re proof that hard work does pay off. And they remind me that they’re here for me to unload, writing related or not. 

For me, that’s something that I need to be able to keep writing. Things don't always go according to plan‚ and that’s okay! Yes, this is what happens when the topic is what's on my mind...you get to ramble along with me. 

It's okay because I need my Persisters and fellow authors on Instagram to remind me that I’m not alone in this. I’m going to make a conscious effort to celebrate a little thing, writing related, each morning. I’ll take stock of my to-do list and set an attainable goal that won’t stress me out. And I’m going to keep cheering on everyone else because you never know when a kind word or a bit of encouragement will make all the difference. 

Have you found your writing community and surrounded yourself with those who want to lift you up? 

Reality shifting is totally a new thing

There's this challenge. On TikTok. It's totally new. Like, old people have never done this thing. Seriously.

Here's how it goes: you lie down on your stomach and spread your limbs out like a starfish and here's the trick: you do not go to sleep. Instead! You imagine your favorite fictional setting / person as you count down from 100 and then... you shift. Or, uh, your reality shifts. And you're there, in the other place, the better place, with the hot fictional somebody. Like, really literally there. I'm not making any of this up.

Except, well, the truth is that I make stuff up all the time. All the stuff, all the time. I'm a longtime daydreamer and fanfiction writer, so yeah, I've imagined vivid scenarios with fictional hotties. (You probably have, too. It's okay to fess up in the privacy of your own brain.) TikTok folk are calling it "reality shifting," and it's on my mind right now because of how very big a thing it's become. Teens and young adults are needing to rename daydreaming so they can claim it as their own Brand New Thing, and I respect them for that, and also I totally get where they're coming from.

If I could yeet our stupid reality and replace it with waltzes with Labyrinth-era Bowie or pre-kingly, dirty ranger Aragorn, I would totally.

And the fact is, I do. That's, um, what being a writer is? 

I know!

Crazy!

No one has ever in a long time!

Used their imagination to a replace their crappy reality where they have zero agency with a fantastic reality that they control completely.

So I not only understand the attraction to this challenge but I shall also take it as a challenge myself: I will now attempt to -- no, not reality shift, but also actually yes, to create a fictional world and fictional characters that will give my readers a haven, a safe place, a better place, and most importantly, power over their own minds. And, if they need it, an escape. 

TikTok challenge accepted.

On My Mind: Protagonist Age

On my mind this week are thoughts about determining the appropriate age for the protagonist(s) of a new high fantasy trilogy that's up next in the writing queue after I finish Bix Book 7. It stems from frequent forum discussions about why there are so few women age 40+ starring as protagonists. It's not to say that there aren't any books that slot that need; it's that women of a certain age remain atypical protagonists.  

Is it an issue of the ease of fallibility? The younger they are, the more we forgive stupid decisions. Stupid decisions allow for characters to end up in high-stakes situations far more often and easily than mature characters who know better. After all, brains aren't fully developed until the mid20s.

Is it an issue of fewer responsibilities? Quests are a lot easier when the only responsibility you have is to yourself. As you age, you amass things, people, relationships, and obligations. Responding to an inciting moment for a 40+ carries greater weight than a barely 20 something, yet it's easier? more palatable? more acceptable? for a young adult to cut ties to 'find themselves' or to shirk responsibilities because they can't prioritize?

Is it an issue of implied permission for selfishness? Youth is inherently selfish. The world of a teen/young adult revolves around the individual. Even if they're obsessed with a romantic interest, it is only because they believe that interest will somehow "save" them from whatever ills. If a 50-year-old pulled the same self-centered stunts, they'd be shamed, ridiculed, derided. They wouldn't be heroic, they'd be assholes.

Is it an issue of youthful romance being hot and passionate, where midlife love is dull, tame, boring? Let's face it, as a society, we're conditioned to believe that bedding the hot, young (above the age of consent) thing is a laudable goal regardless of the age difference. But what if a 60-year-old protagonist doesn't want the plaything? Training wheels are tiresome. The drama of youth is tedious. What they want is someone established and content with who they are. They want the butterflies of new love without the angst youthful insecurities. Too blah? No meaty story there?

Is it an issue of a happy stable relationship being a character flaw?  Whatever shall a writer do about romantic tension if their protagonist is in a long-term loving relationship? Default to justifying a cheating scandal? Less heroic, unless they're the one being cheated on, in which case being the victim is trite and overdone. Kill off the loved one as motivation? Again, cliche. It requires more creative effort to show that love can be constant and still have challenges that don't mock or threaten fidelity. 

Is it an issue of the ease of inexperience? Imagine, if you will, a youthful protagonist who wasn't an instant expert. Who wasn't in a position of authority because they hadn't earned it yet. Because, gasp, the old folks with tons of hands-on experience were in charge and not inherently evil? Imagine the protagonist in a position of leadership has to quell another uprising of privileged, entitled youths who can't conceive of the world beyond their limited experience. Is that as interesting as the story of rebellion told through the eyes of the youth?

Is it an issue of mass appeal? Since every adult has been young and precocious in their own way, does it make a story more relatable to the masses if the protag is also young? Does having an older protagonist limit reader enjoyment because of conscious or unconscious ageism? Is "she's too old to do that" a fault of reader perception or author creativity? 

Obviously, I don't have answers. I'm still working through the tradeoffs of an older versus a younger protagonist. Opinions? Considerations? Tell me about them in the Comments!

Taking a Chance on that Love/Hate Thing

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is whatever is on our minds. 

It's been release week for me, so there's not a lot else on my mind. DARK WIZARD released on Thursday, 2/25/21, and it's been a major ride. And I say this with full self-awareness that I have book releases quite regularly. So much so that I'm sometimes chagrined by how many of the covers down the right side of this group blog are mine. 

But, as someone trying to make a living at this gig, and to support my Parkinson's-afflicted hubs, I feel like I have to keep up that pace. If I had a book or series that hit big and made tons of money or garnered juicy options, I would likely ratchet down my pace a bit.

(Or maybe not - I feel like I've found a sustainable pace for productive creativity. I might take more time off between books, alternating writing with business-focused activities.)

I've talked a lot about this on my podcast (listen here or watch on YouTube here) and I wrote a post for the SFF Seven in early January about it, which explains a bit more about what's going on in my life.

But I didn't tell you the entire story there. I glossed a bit. It was too fresh, too raw.

Last year I was seriously hoping that DARK WIZARD would be that "hit big" book. I'd been nurturing the idea for a long time, my agent thought it was a good ones, and she loved the initial pages. She thought it could be a big book, too. We came up with a fantastic, high-concept comp - The Witcher meets The Selection - and I wrote up the first quarter of the book for her. She loved it! My beta readers loved it! There was serious excitement.

Also, though I'd planned to stop there and go on submission with just that much of the book, I couldn't stop. I couldn't write anything else but that. The book had me by the throat and demanded to be written.

I finished it and those who read for me pronounced it probably the best book I'd ever written. In great excitement, I sent it to my agent to read.

She hated it.

I was crushed. 

We've had conversations since then. She says she doesn't hate it; she just thought it wasn't marketable. Regardless, she had a very strong reaction to the book and she didn't want to take it on submission. 

This is something that happens with creative work. I read a study years ago where they looked at the habits of people listening to a radio station. If a song came on that they loved, they'd be happy with the station. But if a song came on that they hated, they'd change the channel. Interestingly enough, it turns out that when people really love something, like a song, a statistically consistent equal number of people will hate it. So, for every person that was happy with the radio station, another was repelled enough to change the channel - not a desired outcome for the advertisers. However, if the person neither loved nor hated the song, they wouldn't change the station. So, the corporate-designed playlists moved to including music that people didn't feel strongly about either way. The triumph of mediocrity.

I think this happened with DARK WIZARD. That while so many of my early readers loved it, my agent was equally repelled. So, as you can likely imagine, I was nervous for release. 

You guys, it's been performing so well!

And so far, it's all about the love. People are saying the nicest things about the book, comments about how compelling the world is, how vivid the characters. 

Yes, readers are having strong reactions, but that's something I'm happy with. I'll risk the hate to have the love. 

"DARK WIZARD is pitch perfect. The best two main characters I've read in a long time. The world is finely drawn and lustrous, the hero and heroine so real, they walk off the page. DARK WIZARD will be on my keeper shelf for freaking ever. I can't wait until book 2 comes out, because I'm desperate for the rest of the story, but also, because I'll get to reread book 1 in preparation. (If I don't reread it sooner, which I probably will.) If you like fantasy romance, clear your day."

~NY Times Bestselling Author Dana Marton

Available at these Retailers