Author: ransomnoble

Published Writer: young adult and science fiction

Tools of the (Science Fiction) Writing Trade

Okay, I suppose it could be used for fantasy, too. Tolkien was revered as world-builder, even to the point of making real languages for his fictional characters. He did it before we had such tools as the internet to find helpful resources, or computers to type things on, or so many advantages today’s writers (and the fan world) take for granted.

Other examples of created languages include Star Wars and Star Trek, of course. It’s different to hear them on TV and expect them, but people really do create them for stories and books for a more realistic feel.

The Language Construction Kit

It’s organized as an outline, so you can get as crazy or detailed as you like. You can use it to provide a background, a more realistic form of naming strange characters, or just another way to annoy your English teacher during class. (Last example is not recommended!)

Linguistics is not my particular strong point, so a couple of the questions are lost on me. (Is your language inflecting, agglutinating, or isolating?)  For the most part it is very straightforward and inviting. I find it difficult not to dive right in and try it out!

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Power of Description

When reading, sometimes I take in the amount of description and say, “wow, i’m there.” Other times I feel like “where’s the story?”

Description is a difficult part to get right. Some people want to know every single detail, but a lot of us want the story to move forward. The question is, how much is enough and how much is too much? I find myself struggling with that time and again.

Science fiction and fantasy need a different amount of description than some other genres (say, chick lit). When I build a world from scratch, you’re probably going to want to know whether my critter has blue fur or brown scales or even different facial features. That doesn’t mean I need to spend time talking about my fantasy (human) protagonist’s long, dark, wavy hair every few paragraphs.

A lot of times if a detail isn’t used to further my story, I leave it out. I know I need more description in some of the my work, but it isn’t hurt me to get the story out first, then figure out the details that need to be woven inside.

The trick is balance, I think. Then always checking the story after the changes to be sure it still has the plot somewhere and not hidden by all the descriptions. Writers simply can’t describe their world for ten pages and expect the audience to hang out waiting for action. Then again, if we throw them the details in chapter 22 about the critter they’ve been traveling with for the entire book, it’s too late.

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Energy

Reading a book, do people actually do that?

“70 percent of energy is emotional, not physical.” This phrase really stuck out at me. We talk about energy, how we have it or we don’t, and we don’t always talk about where it comes from or what we can do to keep it up.

All creative people need energy for their art. Is that why when we work those jobs to pay the bills we get bogged down with details that can’t be reconciled to continue our art? So many times the really creative people get sucked into jobs that limit their outlets in the things we can enjoy.

I can’t say it’s better to be a starving artist, but maybe it takes a lot to overcome the daily necessities to be an artist (I mean this broader than just someone who paints – but also musicians, writers, and all the others who get by on their creative talents).

We also ought to give ourselves a break. Indulge the creativity, but rest when necessary to keep that emotional energy high. So many people have the ability to be creative, but if we let our obligations get to us, it might feel like there isn’t room for the rest.

Enjoy the time to be creative. Get carried away by excitement now and then.

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Book Review: Hooked

Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton

My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book has a conversational style that keeps you turning pages. I also found it to be thought-provoking about current projects I’m writing. It’s helpful to think about the beginning, but the author also makes a good point that most books about writing don’t include how to look at a project as a whole. I’d recommend this to any would-be writer.

View all my reviews.

All right- it took me a while to finish it. Part of it was that I had to think while I was reading it. I ought to devote more time to reading.

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Geek Appeal

A new quantum internet? This article, while quite technical, talks about things like teleportation as a reality, not science fiction.

It gets the brain wondering how close we are to some of those Star Trek ideas that seem so far off. It’s all about ‘beaming’ the information from one place to another and I find it fascinating.

If we’re able to get our information from one place to another faster and with great accuracy, it shows we can make great strides for the future. I’m sure there will be more applications for this as time goes by. It only depends on our creativity.

Read about it here.

I hope the next thing they pull from the silver screen science fiction is replicators. It would save so much cooking time!

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Lea Schizas with Bubba and Giganto

Lea Schizas joined me for an interview on her blog tour for Bubba and Giganto. I’ve run into Lea a few times as another author with 4RV and also through the Muse Online Conference.

What inspired you to write Bubba and Giganto?

I find kids nowadays have no understanding of the hurt they cause to other children by their bullying. Bullying can be anything from name calling, shunning because of how one looks or dresses, to the actual physical pushing and shoving. There are consequences for their actions. All of these areas I use to get the message to children that bullying is a no win situation.

Past events in my children’s lives was the inspiration to write about. Although my children were brought up knowing making fun of others, or pushing others is not acceptable, they were in situations where they were bullied because they stood up to help other children who were being terrorized. I’m talking about elementary age here. Very frightening that they start so early, and because of this I believe the more books that show consequences, various ways to combat anger and frustrations, can only be a plus in a child’s life.

What themes are woven through the book? How do you insert them, or do your characters decide for you?

My characters show me the way in most of my books. I create, flesh them out, but when the story begins they take a life of their own. The themes I use are:

Friendships and its importance
bullying, its outcomes, and the danger associated with it
the victim’s need to retaliate but in a way that is dangerous to them
and soccer, a sport that can help to learn sportsmanship

You said you like to end chapters like episodes in comic books.

I love to use cliffhanging chapter endings only to entice the child to continue reading. As writers we need to instill a love for reading and writing in our younger generation. Since kids love to read comic books I figured the closest connection – seeing how my books for that age level don’t have pictures – is to use these cliffhanging endings, use humor that kids can relate to, come as close to their ‘lingo’ as possible, and use social themes they can associate with.

What do you hope to give kids or inspire in them with your writing?

The most important thing for me is to instill a love for reading. That’s why I believe with all my heart that writers need to try and touch kids with their words using areas kids can relate to: using humor, their ‘now’ speech, and characters they can step into their shoes and say, “Wow, sounds like me.”

What do your characters teach you, if anything?

They teach me patience. I try to move them at my pace but that never goes as planned. They have their own speed I need to work with.

The reviewer said ‘another surprise ending.” Do you ever get surprised by your endings?

Oh heck, yes, all the time. I write when I get a title. From the title I know who my characters are and what the obstacle will be. As for the ending, that pace I mentioned above, comes from my characters and they lead me to their conclusions.

How do you spend your downtime? (Do you get downtime as a full-time mom and writer?)

Downtime? Shoot, I knew there was something I was missing. I read, watch TV, go to the movies, play board games with my kids, and if there’s time…I sleep.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I’ve begun another adventure with Bubba and Giganto. This time the boys will combat students’ indifferences when it comes to children who have disabilities.

I hope you check out Lea and her book as well as continuing with the tour.

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What Not to Write

In trying to find that perfect idea, there are often things that stick out – that have been done before and catch a writer’s attention. I wonder sometimes if a lot of us, when starting out, haven’t put enough time and thought into making up our own worlds, so we jump off from someone else’s.

In writing books, they sometimes mention ‘red-flags’ that editors have just gotten sick of seeing. It isn’t to say those topics aren’t or haven’t been done well, only that they’ve been done so often (and so often badly) that you have to have a stellar manuscript to make it past the first page, or even the first paragraph. A good thing to remember is an editor only has so much time; they’ve been inundated with lame attempts at the same topics- sprinkled liberally, annoyingly with adverbs, containing cliches by the dozen, and descriptively painting details of a world for the first 21 pages. No wonder they have red-flag lists.

Here’s an example from the online science fiction magazine, Strange Horizons. My friends discussed it (writers discussing writing? oh my!) and it amused us. I like the organization of this list. I will admit to working on something similar to one of the items, but I’m hoping, of course, that it works! Always something to consider, especially when those rejections start pouring in…

Excerpt:

10. Someone calls technical support; wacky hijinx ensue.

  1. Someone calls technical support for a magical item.
  2. Someone calls technical support for a piece of advanced technology.
  3. The title of the story is 1-800-SOMETHING-CUTE.

19. Some characters are in favor of immersive VR, while others are opposed to it because it’s not natural; they spend most of the story’s length rehashing common arguments on both sides. (Full disclosure: one of our editors once wrote a story like this. It hasn’t found a publisher yet, for some reason.)

28. Strange and mysterious things keep happening. And keep happening. And keep happening. For over half the story. Relentlessly. Without even a hint of explanation.

  1. The protagonist is surrounded by people who know the explanation but refuse to give it.
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A purpose to goals

Reaching for the stars might be beyond your grasp, but the effort makes you better, right? At least, as long as you don’t allow yourself to become discouraged.

Goals are there to keep us stretching to improve ourselves. Often we don’t get specific enough or give ourselves the tools to make it. I keep evaluating mine, and a friend sometimes reminds me to revise them.

Things to remember:
1. Be specific about what you want to accomplish.
2. Make sure you have a time frame in mind.
3. Check your progress in time intervals.

Example: I want to revise the current novel I’m working on. I’m editing one or more chapters a week. I’d like to finish it by mid-year, which may be difficult. If something comes up that requires more of my attention, this goal can slip without me giving myself too much trouble.

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Coming Soon

The Art of Science may not quite have a release date yet, but with the finishing touches, it’s getting very close.

Check out the new page to see the cover and the back blurb. Comments are welcome and I hope you’re almost as excited as I am. (I’d love it if you were more excited, but I’ve had time to build it up!)

Now I get to do all the things that come next: Promotion, promotion, promotion!

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Writers on writing…

I should be writing.

That’s the name of the site and the podcast by Mur Lafferty. I listened to this podcast in the car yesterday, and I learned a bit about podcasting through the interview with Scott Sigler. The website has more information – a great resource for budding writers.

Scott Sidler was adamant with his last contract about wanting to give away his novel for free. But, wait, we’re authors for a living, don’t we need to make some money? He talks about the younger generation wanting things online, and he gets our feet wet with podcasting, for free, a chapter a week. His point is that although some will wait for the entire novel at that rate (3 or 4 months), others will go out and buy the book that is already available in the bookstores. He’s increased his audience that way.

Made me think about that novel I have coming out. With a Young Adult audience, it’s very likely that could spread the story to places I can’t travel to or otherwise might not reach.

It’s something I think I will look into and discuss with my publisher.

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