History

Hi all! As you might notice, I've changed my comment form recently after it was suggested that the embedded form was the reason why some of my readers couldn't comment.

But now it seems that the new form isn't helping, because I'm just getting new people who are saying that they have a problem. So if you have a problem with the new form but not the old form, would you please let me know? And if you had a problem with the old form and not the new form, please let me know too. I'm trying to figure out the lesser of two evils. I'll love you forever if you mail me. mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com.



OK... now admin is done and I get to the real meat of today's post.

Today as I was preparing to drive around with my family (today is my day off), my muse dangled this little string in front of me. Curious being that I am, I took it and decided to see where it went. And... now I sort of have another major Doorways related project on the to-do list.

Projects, you might ask. Well, I still have to draw more detailed maps of my countries. I still want to draw the important places in my book. I especially still want to write out a significant portion of  two languages.

And now... I have to get the history down. Before book two. Doorways is mainly about events being triggered, but for that to be the case, something must have happened before.

I thought that the current situation was started in the previous generation, but now I'm starting to see that it wasn't.

Except for that, there are some aspects of the culture that could really do with me knowing exactly what caused them.

Fun, but I can see how that will be time consuming.

But fun. I'm actually thinking about starting either in the current situation and working my way back. On the other hand, it might be a lot more natural to just start at a point in the past and working my way to the present.

Of course, the latter method can be a study on its own...

Anyone else discover the need to write out the history of the places and cultures in your books? How did you go about it?

To revise or not to revise...

Today is Woman's Day, so first thing that I want to do is paid tribute to all you lovely ladies out there. May you be blessed. :-)


Woman's Day is a public holiday in my country, so I put in some extra time yesterday so that I could have the whole day off today.


The plan was to revise thirty pages of Doorways, or to read. Instead, I'm typing this from in front of the t.v. For some reason, I just don't feel like doing anything more consuming than that.


Usually I don't feel all that guilty, but today I do. I mean, I made time to write. Why aren't I writing?


I'm thinking that I'll push myself to do some revisions later, although I'm not sure if I'll be able to get anything productive done.


What do you do when you just don't feel like writing/revising, even when you planned to do it?

I'm posting elsewhere today.

Hi all, just want to let you know that' I'm at Ellen Brickley's blog, so please feel free to come and say hello.

X

Writing Influences

Hi all! Welcome to another GPF. Today I welcome Theresa Milstein from Substitute Teacher's Saga.

She's also one of my older bloggy friends, so please go say hi for me. :-)

Writing Influences

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post “Reverence for Rowling” that discusses why the Harry Potter series made me become a writer.  Certain influences came together to start my story.

1.  The whimsy of Harry’s magical world in comparison with the darker fantasy books of my childhood, made fantasy much more appealing.

2.  I’d seen the author Melissa Glenn Haber speak.   She mentioned that many fantasy protagonists are orphans or somehow the parents are absent.  I thought it would be nice to have a fantasy book that dealt with the relationships between children and their parents in the realm of a fantasy book. 

3.  I used the quirks of the place where I grew up as a setting.

Thus, my first manuscript was born.  I’ll admit the story borrows a little too heavily from the Harry Potter world.  But it got me writing. 

Each of the stories we write are inspired by several factors.  They can be books, songs, overheard fragments of conversation, a NEWS story, or something from our personal lives.

My most recent short story, “My Moment”, which will be included in the Tiny Dancer anthology in October, had a number of inspirations.  It’s boggling that so many influences could’ve come together in a short story.  

1.  I had just watched an episode of “Toddlers and Tiaras”.  One mother admonished her daughter for dancing like a stripper.  That horrifying line stuck in my brain. 

2.  Then I got the opportunity to write a speculative fiction piece.  I read the back of the book, Like Mandarin, by Kirsten Hubbard, which mentions child pageants. 

3.  I recalled XVI by Julia Karr, where she created a society based on the sexual availability of girls ages 16 and over. 

What if I wrote a story 200 years in the future where beauty pageants were a way for poor girls who couldn’t afford college to find well-off husbands?   A story was born.

Writers, will you share you story influences?

Thanks so much for stopping by, Theresa! 

If anyone still wants to guest post before the end of the year, you better move quickly. I only have two more Fridays left. Contact me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com if you're interested.  

The Juggling Act (This is NOT an announcement of a hiatus.)

Hi all! As you can see, I haven't done a TCoML in almost a week. Not because I didn't want to, but rather because I couldn't. I've just been too busy with everything.

I remember last year when I was at University with a lot more subjects than just economics and I managed to post almost every day since August. But then, my life was pretty much in shambles and I was able to add blogging to only studying and writing.

Now, I have to study, to work, to sing, to dance, to edit, to write and to be a leader for my church youth. AND that blog I started in August (incidentally a year ago yesterday) now has 606 readers and I'm still posting (except for yesterday) five days a week. My book is done and I have to edit. I still want to get it done by next year.

And then there are the up and coming projects.

So yes, as my life grew, so did my workload to the point where I struggle to schedule anything.

The last time that happened was in my A-level year. Now I'm going to do now what I did then. I'm not going to schedule. I know what I have to do. I have my priority list (as it is right now):

1) Study and attend class

2) Work, editing, Youth, reading and writing

3) Singing, dancing and blogging

4) Drawing

Armed with that, I know what I should choose when I have time. Didn't sit down to study yet? OK then. My blogging has to move. Unfortunately, that means that I won't be able to always post (although I will try). It also means that I definitely can't visit as many of you as I do usually. As much as I'd love to.

That is and always was the secret to my life: It isn't a balancing act. It's a juggling act and sometimes I need to know when I have too many balls in the air. That's when I start putting some of them in my pocket for later.

But it will only be for ten more weeks. Then ball number one will be gone forever and the rest of my life will begin.

And that will be when I'll be back with a vengeance and in the long run, everything will get done. I just can't do everything at the same time.

In the mean time, I want to ask you to please think of me or pray for me as I go slaying one of the big giants in my life.

What about you? What do you do when your time gets limited? Do you juggle or balance? 

Novel Films Blogfest Part 2: What makes a good adaption?

For today, I decided to go a little off the beaten track with the Novel Films Blogfest. I love reading and watching movies, pretty much equally. So one would think that I would enjoy adaptions.

But...

More often than not, I don't.

And this blogfest got me wondering why.

And this is what I came up with:

1) I generally don't like focus shifts. So if we move away from the story for some big budget special effects, I will hate the movie. I'm looking at you Harry Potter franchise.

2) If the movie veers from the story, but still manages to keep the essence (or my sense of it), I'll love it. For example, Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr.



3) I don't care if the actors are famous or unknowns, but I care when they can't carry the role. Probably why Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando as Marc Anthony is still one of my favorite movies. Also, it pretty much stuck to the plot.

4) I don't care if the book is a bestseller, if the entire story hinges on a massive plot twist, putting it on film might not be a good idea. Because if the ending is changed, I'll probably hate it. If it isn't, I'll spend about two hours bored. Except if the actors are brilliant. And even then I probably won't care. Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor in one movie. Should be a winner, right? Not if everyone who read the Da Vinci Code decided to read the book before it. And not if the real villain is named in every publication out there. Think about it. It could be possible that fantasy novels and sci fi adapt because of this. I mean, sure there are twists (and I'm building up to a big one), but when it comes to epic, the twists sort of aren't the point.

5) And finally, books with either very minimal description (where the visual is open to interpretation) or where everything and everyone is described almost exactly adapt better. Because then people who read the book first won't have a "huh?!" moment. That's why I think that Chronicles of Narnia adapts well. C.S. Lewis style fosters it. Readers know of everything that's there, but not in such detail that seeing something in the movie is jarring. Also it's pretty hard to miss the essence of what Lewis wanted to say. Even in adaption.

That's my take on it, anyway. What's your opinion? Am I writing nonsense or did I miss something else? And yes, I am aware that I'm being very controversial about the HP franchise. But that's only my example, not necessarily the point I'm trying to make...

P.S. Sorry if the picture appear on the right. Wasn't in the plan. But alas the words "Align Left" mean nothing to Blogger. :-/

Why Your Characters Are Smarter Than You

Hello all! Today I have the honor of hosting Angeline on My First Book. In case you're staring at the screen with a slightly confused expression, I am still taking part in the Novel Films Blogfest and will be posting tonight.

In the mean time, more on Angeline.

Angeline Trevena is a writer based in rural Devon, UK. She has been writing her entire life and is a published poet, short story writer and journalist. She has completed NaNoWriMo twice and is currently taking part in the summer version; Camp NaNoWriMo.

You can find her at her website or follow her on her blog.

Alrighty then. Take it away, Angeline.

 

Why Your Characters Are Smarter Than You

I admit it, I'm not a planner. I start a novel or a short story with two things in my head; the beginning and the ending. I have a vague idea of how I'll get from one to the other, but that's always open to change. And why this haphazard approach? Because I know that my characters are smarter than me.

Everyone will agree that you need to know your characters. Every single thing your character does, whether it's leaving their husband or having jam on their toast, every decision they make is motivated by what has happened before. This might be what has happened in the book, or pre-scenic action.

Before you even write one word of the story you must know you character as well as you know yourself. Beyond the basics of their age, occupation and physical appearance, you need to know if they ever broke a bone as a child, or if they prefer orange juice with bits in it, or which wrist they wear their watch on. All of these things shape their future and are, in turn, shaped by their past, however insignificant they may seem. If your character broke their ankle as a child, it may still give them pain on cold, damp evenings. They may prefer bits in their orange juice because their Grandfather owned an orangeree and that's how he made it. They might wear their watch on their right arm because they are trying to cover scars with it. If you aren't going to plan your novel, it's even more important to know your characters inside out.

As you start writing you will hit a point when your character does something that surprises you. Don't panic, just go with it. In fact, you should celebrate this moment; if your characters are starting to make their own decisions it means you've written them well enough for them to be real.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation when you had to make an instant decision? When you really had to improvise and think on your feet? And did you react in exactly the way you thought you would? Probably not. We can always surprise ourselves, and your characters won't always do what you expect them to either.

It can be scary to feel like you're losing control, but sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. As long as you keep your end goal focused in your head, then it's no bad thing to let your character wander, let them explore the world around them and the world inside them too. Afterall, you have the entire editing process, and that's your domain, that's where you can put your foot down and pull your characters into line.

If you have to force your characters to do something, then it's probably not right. You don't want to alienate your readers by leaving them thinking "Why did he do that?" or "She would never have said that."

I have often found that my characters have much better ideas than me. They kiss people I hadn't thought they would, they say things I didn't expect, they introduce characters I didn't outline and sometimes they change the entire story, and more often than not their ideas make for a much more exciting, engaging, full and believable story. They're living it, they're breathing it, and they have an insight into their lives that is only settled somewhere in your subconscious. Your characters are just the instrument you use to unlock that.

Never worry about losing control in the first draft: let your characters breathe, let them stretch themselves, let them experiment. You can take back control in the second draft; brandishing your big red editing pen like an unforgiving sword.



 
Thanks so much for this great post! Sounds like I could have written it. My characters also hijack my writing, leading me faaaaaaar away from what I thought was possible.

What about you ladies and gents? Ever have a character take over the run of the story? Do you ever manage to go back to where you thought your story should go, or do you just let the character have full control?  

Novel Films Blogfest Part 1

Hi all! After being rushed off my feet, I finally managed to sit still long enough to go draw up a list. Unforstunately it isn't all that refined (as I am once again late on the way somewhere else), but it's the best I can do.

To think I was being clever when I signed up when the dates clash with classes. > .<

Aaaaanyway. Here's the list, I'll probably expand on it later, once I have time.

The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Lord of Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sherlock Holmes (based on the premise and characters of the Sherlock Holmes book series)

Charles Dickens 
A Christmas Carol

Oliver Twist

Alexandre Dumas 
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Man in the Iron Mask
The Three Musketeers

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

Robert Ludlum 
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy

Animal Farm by George Orwell

J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (aka Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabahn
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

What was your favorite book to movie addaption?

Blog Fest Admin

Hi all! Just want to let you know that I'm being hosted by Christina Dos Santos with a post about cliches. So please head over and say hi. ^_^

Also, I will be doing the blog fest post later today (along with the explanation of what said fest entails). I'd do the whole thing now, but I have a ton of work, so I need to graft right now. Alas, the life of the economics student...

Anyway, I'll be back later! X