RTW: Ultimately, Torture & Death

I interrupt my regularly scheduled Nano broadcast for Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival hosted by YA Highway! This week's topic:

"What are your writing and publishing superpowers (drafting? beta-reading? writing queries? plotting? character creation? etc.) -- and what's your kryptonite?"

SUPERPOWERS

• Story Ideas are easier for me to come by than dust in the desert. When civilians ask authors where they get their ideas, or authors complain that they "can't come up with anything to write," I am completely dumbfounded. I get ideas in passing from dreams, books, movies, television, the news, dialogue from passing strangers - just to name a few. Life bursts with ideas - how could you not stumble upon at least one idea a day?
• Characters are my bread and water (with butter on top ;). Almost all of my stories are exclusively character-driven, meaning I come up with the main characters and basic premise first and then work out the plot when I absolutely have to. (More on plot below...) Most characters are born their own unique person straight from the get-go, and as such flow from my fingertips with ease and pleasure. I always enjoy the new discoveries I make about them every time I sit down to write!
• Beginnings, i.e. the First/Third (for me), are my easiest words to write, where you introduce the main characters and set up the premise and world. And it is a rare day when I don't put down a rather brilliant First Sentence right off the bat.
• And speaking of which, Knowing Where to Start has become a specialty of mine, I'm happy to say. Now when published authors recommend to "cut your first chapter," I'm like, "Already done before it was written!" XD
• Lastly, Encouragement is a natural way of life for me. I love to encourage others in their writing (and in their lives), and love to send emails and tweets with lots of !!! and XD in them! :)

KRYPTONITE

• Plot is the first half of why I have yet to be published. If I had my druthers I would simply follow my characters around all day and not worry about them doing anything particularly exciting or adventurous, because they are just so fascinating all by themselves! But people insist on a plot for some reason, and when I can't come up with anything good enough my books tend to die a tragic death and I move on to something seemingly better. Started books? Probably over 100. Finished books? Under 10.
• Middles, i.e. the Second/Third of a story, are the endless death valley that spans between the beginning and the end for me. I'll get hopelessly confused by my fractured plot and lose focus and direction and the characters will take back over and start worrying about holidays instead of finding the climactic end and... *sigh* I am happy to say I am learning to work through the dreaded middle, but I don't foresee them becoming a superpower any time soon.
• Editing - the other reason I have yet to publish. A first draft is difficult to write, but I've done it. But go back and edit? *shiver* I have yet to do a successful novel edit. Heck I haven't even done a full second-draft edit! And it's mainly because my plot was so weak that it needs a complete re-do and I just don't want to go there. But I'm collecting my tips and tricks and reference books, and once I finish Project V (by December 31st or I die a painful death inflicted by my own hand), that will change (or, again, torture and ultimately self-inflicted death).

So those are mine! What parts of writing are you good and bad at?

Building a World To Be

Have you ever heard World by Five For Fighting? Starting a story is exactly like the song. You sit down, pick up your pen, and create a whole world. It may have some of the same rules as your own, but no matter the genre - from mainstream to fantasy - you will make something out of nothing but your own imagination. You will decide if there "should be people or peoples." You will "raise your army" and "choose your steeple." And no matter what you do, "the satellites can look the other way." ;)

And it all begins with a simple idea, sparked by anything - an overheard sentence, a scene in a movie, the latest book you're reading, or simply life in general. Something sets off your imagination, and suddenly the package arrives: "A.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-To-Be." There are "no instructions or commandments," just a whole universe of possibilities for your story to blossom from if you just "take a chance."

As a writer, you are god. You can do anything. Especially at the beginning, when only infinite possibilities are at your fingertips. You can "lose the earthquakes" and "keep the faults," maybe even "fill the oceans without the salt." Nothing is impossible to you.

So give the song a listen, be inspired and emboldened, and create. It is your world - you make it, you control it.

And in November, go forth and write it.

Opening Scenes: A Very Good Place to Start

The opening scene can make or break a book, and should always be chosen with great thought and care. (If the first draft opening is giving you too much trouble though, don't stress about it. As long as you have the perfect opening scene in place before submission!) 

I am a firm believer in the rule "In late, out early" (my "Rule #1"), especially in how it pertains to opening scenes. You want to begin your book either right as the actual story begins, right after, or smack in the middle of it. If you begin before the actual story, your reader will usually lose interest before they even get to the good part. Begin with the good part.

When I pick my opening scene, I normally choose from two options:

1. Action -- Always a great place to start because it pulls the reader in right from the get-go. But the catch is to then keep the reader caught up until the very end. If you slow for too long, the reader will become bored. Always be sure to keep the story moving.
2. Main Character Introduction -- If you are going open by introducing your character, be sure to put them in a situation that makes the reader curious (or if you're lucky, desperate) for more. An intro can be very dull if executed poorly, so be sure to pick an interesting situation to throw at your character. (Rule #2: ALWAYS keep it interesting.)
(Combining both 1 & 2 can be good, but the action can sometimes overshadow the character, so just be careful.)

Opening with Description: I tend to avoid opening with Description at all costs. In my own reading, every time I come across a large chunk of description beginning a story ("It was a dark and stormy night"...now let me describe it for you in great detail), I usually skip over it - or move on to another book. If I don't like this type of opening, I most certainly don't want to put off my own readers with it.

With Project ID, I chose #2. In my opening scene you discover EP's (my main character) living environment, some habits, a taste of her occupation, and how her mind works in a simple visit from a door-to-door salesman. The reader is moved from one curiosity to the next: Why has she only been asleep for two hours and twenty-three minutes? Why are there paperback novels littering the floor? Why in the world is she studying the encyclopedia like that? Unanswered questions will encourage the reader deeper into the story.

Whatever your opening scene, it has to be just like any other scene in your book: getting across as much relevant information as possible while moving the story right along. If it doesn't do both, then it probably shouldn't be there. My first scene leads EP on to her Division HQ, where she has a confrontation with her rival (an important character she has to work with later). Now riled, she goes straight to her Resident Agency, where we meet her partner - and from there her work begins. Everything should be connected, and each scene should flow right into the other. Anything extra that slows the flow should be cut.

So pick your opening scene well - the choice will make or break your novel. Begin late (with the good part) and never let the flow slow until the last sentence.