Monday, July 21, 2014
Fallacy now available for free!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Cover Reveal for Defiance!
Rewritten IV: Defiance
Laenyn became a Keshaan to protect her family--even at the cost of someone else's. But six years later, the fearless eyes of the woman she put to death still burn in her memory.
The ruin spread by her choice to obey haunts her. War and vengeance chase her in the night.
Obedience left blood on her hands; only defiance will wash them clean.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Characterization: Show vs Tell
I actually learned the danger of telling versus showing when reading, long before I ever started writing. Early on in the book The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, the reader encounters this paragraph:
Of course, as an author, I'd like to believe that I understand my characters better than anyone. But statements like that--telling as opposed to showing--can undermine a great deal of the characterization readers have inferred from your books. This is, of course, just my opinion; I've met plenty of people who agreed that Lyra was unimaginative. But I would have liked to make up my own mind about that, rather than having the author tell me what I should be taking away from the story.
I was in elementary school at the time, and I still felt that strongly about it, so I don't think children's or YA fiction should be any different in that regard.
Without a doubt, I am not perfect about avoiding telling. But I try to keep it as much out of my novels as I can. Showing what a character does is much more powerful. It's difficult to bite my tongue when characters make false assumptions, but all real people make those mistakes. It's part of why life can get so messy. I just hope that intent comes through for readers.
(Note: I've been feeling a bit better off and on lately, but I apologize if this entry is a bit incoherent. I probably ought to get a little more sleep, haha.)
“Half a dozen brats turned with expressions of derision, and Lyra threw her cigarette down, recognizing the cue for a fight. Everyone's daemon instantly became warlike: each child was accompanied by fangs, or claws, or bristling fur, and Pantalaimon, contemptuous of the limited imaginations of these gyptian daemons, became a dragon the size of a deer hound.”Which is very much in line with the Lyra we get to know throughout the book. Incredibly clever, quick-witted, a skilled liar, and highly imaginative--or so I thought.
“It wasn’t Lyra’s way to brood; she was a sanguine and practical child, and besides, she wasn’t imaginative. No one with much imagination would have thought seriously that it was possible to [spoiler redacted]; or, having thought it, an imaginative child would immediately have come up with several ways in which it was impossible. Being a practiced liar doesn’t mean you have a powerful imagination. Many good liars have no imagination at all; it’s that which gives their lies such wide-eyed conviction.”I recall reading that first sentence several times, getting increasingly angry, and finally setting down the book. I wanted to shake the author and tell him that he was wrong about Lyra! She was imaginative and bright and brave all at once. She could be practical while having a keen imagination, and an imagination can counteract the bald logic that sometimes gets in the way of hope and action. I felt so angry that I didn't pick up the book for several days, and I still cringe when I read that paragraph.
Of course, as an author, I'd like to believe that I understand my characters better than anyone. But statements like that--telling as opposed to showing--can undermine a great deal of the characterization readers have inferred from your books. This is, of course, just my opinion; I've met plenty of people who agreed that Lyra was unimaginative. But I would have liked to make up my own mind about that, rather than having the author tell me what I should be taking away from the story.
I was in elementary school at the time, and I still felt that strongly about it, so I don't think children's or YA fiction should be any different in that regard.
Without a doubt, I am not perfect about avoiding telling. But I try to keep it as much out of my novels as I can. Showing what a character does is much more powerful. It's difficult to bite my tongue when characters make false assumptions, but all real people make those mistakes. It's part of why life can get so messy. I just hope that intent comes through for readers.
(Note: I've been feeling a bit better off and on lately, but I apologize if this entry is a bit incoherent. I probably ought to get a little more sleep, haha.)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Snowflaking
I recently decided to try out snowflaking--a writing process that runs rather counter to my typical strategies. Usually I start off with a concept, loosely outline it, then watch my characters bulldoze through my plans and make something far more interesting. On the plus side, my stories end up surprising me quite often, keeping me engaged, and developing naturally and organically. However, this method has a fair number of problems, as well: unanticipated plot holes, a great deal of rewriting (approximately four beginning-to-end drafts before hitting the final copy), and sometimes losing the story entirely, which results in more abandoned projects than I'd like.
So I'm trying out snowflaking! If you don't want to read the full summary at the link above, here's a short explanation: You start with your story in a nutshell--a single sentence explaining the concept. Then you turn that sentence into a paragraph, then each sentence in that paragraph into a paragraph of its own, until you have a fully-formed sketch of a story. (At which point you get to flesh it out and turn it into a proper novel.)
So I've been hammering out a concept for a superhero novel. Examples of my progress are under the cut:
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Unmaking collection is now available on the Kindle!
Unmaking is now available as a collection for $4.99!
A collection of 20 micro short stories and 1 novella spanning from the creation of the universe to its unmaking. Retold creation myths and ancient legends, urban fantasy with fantastic creatures, and post-apocalyptic fairy tale remixes are connected in a loose daisy chain that circumnavigates multiple time lines and settings.
From the world’s creation and past its destruction, they persist.
Includes the following:
Creation Myth: Weaving
Retold Myths: The Box (Pandora’s Box), Moon’s Child (Artemis), Still Waters (Narcissus), The Undertaker (Charon), Unseen (Psyche and Cupid), From Dust (Pygmalion and Galatea), Stolen (Hades and Persephone)
Urban Fantasy: Summer Pool (Mermaids), Unbidden (Unicorns), Ill-begotten (Succubi), Cove Song (Sirens), The Nausea of Displacement (Magical Objects), Mundane (The Sight), Awakening (Vanishing)
Post-Apocalyptic Fairy Tales: Home Before Nightfall (Cinderella), Marred (The Ugly Duckling), Fractured Glass (The Snow Queen), Confined (Rapunzel), Mutation (Beauty and the Beast)
Post-Apocalyptic Lesbian Adventure Novella: Chasing Shadows
This collection contains all other Unmaking bundles (Cyclical [$0.99], Unlikely Places [$0.99], Through the Cracks [$0.99], Ill-Fitting [$0.99], Fallen Towers [$2.99]) as well as the novella, Chasing Shadows [$2.99]. It features full-color covers for all stories. Buying the series as a collection gives readers a 50% discount as well as access to bonus material.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Veracity now available!
The ebook version of Veracity is now available via Amazon! Go take a look!
***
Lies protect Haven. There are only so many ways to hide--trickery and deceit are her only options. Each time she finds a new family, she knows it will only be a matter of time before she's found out.
Only one truth has lasted throughout her life: There is no home for someone like her.
She's running out of hiding places.
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