Writing

A friend and I sat down for lunch a couple days ago, and all she wanted to do was complain about the book she'd just gotten done reading.  So, like I often do, I started questioning her and picking apart what hadn't worked.  Since she's also the one who was the unfortunate recipient of my previous "Middle Books" rant, and since the book she complained about was the latest (not last) book in a series by an author she normally loves, we ended up focusing on middle book issues.

We began with what worked:

• It was a well-written book, with a strong plot, strong characters, and it completed its major story arcs...

Which means it's not any of the problems that I mentioned in the previous post.  It's not a "chapter" book, nor is it a "move the ship" book.

• ... but it was still a deeply unsatisfying read.

Why?

After some discussion, we pinned it down.

Many authors write ongoing series that have very large over-arcing plots: save the world from armageddon, win the war, stop the world-war before it starts, etc.

• For the sake of this middle-book-problem, these series-types include both series that follow one character, and series that each book is a new set of characters on a common background.

So, the simplified picture for these types of series books would look like this:

It's easy to see that each book significantly advances the overall arc of the series.

But what happened in the book my friend complained about --and several other books I've read-- is: (Read more)

I just got done reading a book from one of my favorite authors and found myself seriously annoyed at it.  So, like I usually do, I pondered why I was so upset with the book. Because writing-wise, it was fine.  So what annoyed me?

As I pondered, I realized that it had the same problem that I've run across in many other middle books.  So I broadened my pondering, and pondered why middle books are often so bad in comparison to other books in the trilogy or series.

As I pondered, I drew myself pictures to define concepts better for myself.

There seem to be a two kinds of series:

1. A series of books -- no overall arcs:

2.  A series with arcs carried over multi books:

Since I read for character, my reading repertoire contains, almost exclusively, the second type of series.  So that's what I focused on in my further ponderings.

As I pondered, I came to the conclusion that there seem to be two kinds of problems with middle books, which can appear in either type of series, but as I said, I'll focus on the second type of series.

First Middle-book Problem

The first problem with many middle books is that they are really the first part of the end book, or the next book. 

In other words, the last two books in the trilogy are not two books, but really one book that has been split into two parts.

Since I'm an author, it seemed obvious to ask:

When you are writing a book, how do you tell the difference between two separate books, or one book in two parts?  (Read more)

There are some days and some chores that the only joy to be found in them is the joy of finally having them done.

The last of the contest entries are judged and sent on their way.  Now I can finally go to bed, so I can get up early tomorrow to do all the work that I should have done today but didn't have time for.

I understand that people enter contests because they don't have other means of critique available to them... but if you're one of these folks, please take a moment to appreciate the time and energy that the judge on the other end put into your entry... especially if yours was one of the really bad ones that the judge spent an hour just trying to figure out one useful thing they could say.

*sigh*  I swear every year that I'm not going to do it next year... and I do anyway.  I'm such a wuss when they beg and plead.  :-)

But!  IT'S DONE!  And that's a joyous thing!  :-)

I'm reading contest entries this afternoon (yes, they're waaaayyy late, I know), and I found myself writing the following, then I had to go take my kid someplace. As I drove, I thought about what I'd written, and I realized that I'd never thought about it that way before, and it seemed fairly profound, so I thought I'd share it.

Historical entry page 7:

Ben took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He preferred the backwoods of the colonies to this dangerous jungle of London’s upper society. At least there, he could shoot his predators. {{This is good, but totally out of character for who he’s been presented as so far. Nothing has been mentioned of ‘backwoods’ or ‘shooting’, so I-as-reader assumed he was American upper-crust. If he’s not, it needs to be mentioned waaaaay before this. Don’t make the reader go back and re-evaluate the characters. You need to build the character from one point to the next, not contradict the character from one point to the next. The reader’s assumptions about the character are often based on the words that aren't on the page even more than the words that are on the page. If he’s not American upper-crust, then he’d be doing a lot of thinking of how he should act and re-act. If living the life of the British upper-crust comes naturally, then he wouldn't need to think about how to act or re-act, so he wouldn’t be thinking about it, so the words wouldn’t be on the page. So you can see how the reader’s assumptions are often made by the words that are not on the page.}}

We-as-writers spend tons and tons of time working and tweaking the words that are on the page....  How much time do we spend on the implications of the words that aren't on the page?

I feel like I'm suddenly back in the saddle. 

I haven't written for months because I've been busy on another project that is so off-topic for most of this stuff that I'll just leave it at that.  If it actually grows into anything viable, then I'll go into more detail.

But last week, out of the blue, I started on a new story.  Which, of course, is the last thing I need to be doing as I've already got too many stories in process.  And this morning, my main characters from my very first manuscript started yammering at me, for the first time in years.  So, I'm assuming that I'm getting back into the fiction business.

Nothing's moving in the submission process for my erotica.  The one place that asked for the full replied thanks-but-no-thanks, and everybody else has either said we're-too-busy or not replied.  So, need to send it out on a second round when I have the time.

Beyond that, all the kids except #3-son are home for the summer, so the house is full and noisy.  #3-son is working for my brother in Texas.

And, for the most obvious change, I redid the look of the website.  Obviously tons more to do on it, but I decided that if I was going to be serious about getting my act in gear, I had to quit act like the cobbler whose kids didn't hae any shoes, and get my own blasted websites in some kind of reasonable order.  I have my work cut out for me, but it'll be nice to have it done.

Anyway... obviously late, and I have early plans tomorrow, so best head to bed.

Today I spent researching medieval Europe.  Oh, what fun.  **sigh**  There are reasons I swore I'd never write historicals.  And then when this fantasy jumped out and bit me... now there are reasons I swear I'll never write another fantasy. 

But, now I've got a fair amount of the research done, so maybe I will.  Who knows.

However, I did accomplish my aim.  I was stuck because I didn't have words for stuff.  The first scene starts with the hero walking into the king's presence.  What is the hero wearing?  What rank is he in the military?  What are the ranks of his subordinates?  Where does he live?  What does the great hall look like?  etc. 

I know I'm not historically accurate, but I'm close enough to make myself happy.  So maybe I can actually get to work on the blasted book.

Because the first books that are being submitted are erotica, and since erotica isn't inteneded to be the only thing I write... I decided long ago that I needed a pseudonym for my erotica works.  And being the lazy sort, I decided on "Jacqui" Powers, and bought the domain.

Now, finally, I have the website up: www.JacquiPowers.com

It doesn't have much content, but the layout is pretty much set.  If you view it in Firefox, the main text over the book will be columned across the book's pages. 

I must admit that I'm vastly amused with it.

So, as always, more to do, but it's a significant start in the process.

And... as for submission statuses... the agent who asked for the full said "thanks, but no thanks" and another agent finally got around to telling me she was too busy.  So I need to get back to researching agents.

I was checking today how long it's been that I've been working on Sarah's story (on and off, of course)... to discover that I put the first of the submissions to editors and agents in the mail on Sarah's fourth birthday... the exact day.  Weird!  :-) 

I won't go into detail about what a wild ride these last four years have been, or all the lessons I learned while writing Sarah's story, other than saying "wow!" 

Happy belated birthday, Sarah. 

Now if I could only get you to Shut Up! life would be a little simpler... but you're staying true to form, and the next story is likely to be just as wild a ride as the first.  :-)

A couple weeks ago I was talking to myself (something that I regularly do, having only teenage boys in the house) and told myself that it's going on eight years that I've been divorced and it sure would be nice to have somebody in my life.  Myself replies that before I go looking for somebody I need to fix "X", because even if I found somebody today, I wouldn't want them if they are willing to accept "X" as it stands.  I agreed with myself, that I indeed need to fix "X" before I go looking for somebody.  But since I'm not particularly interested in fixing "X", I put the topic aside and think no further on it.

This weekend a character pops up and starts demanding: "write my book, write my book".  I tell the character to shut up, because there are about 10 books in the queue before I can even think about a new book.  Said character quickly acquires a sidekick, and instead of shutting up, they demand even louder: "write our book, write our book". 

Being very unhappy about the added chaos in my head, I grouse about it to a good friend who knows about "X" and who's also a writer.  The friend replies, "you know... writing their book would go a really long ways toward fixing 'X'."

Fudge!  Good, bad or otherwise, writing the book would indeed fix a lot of "X", plus further analysis reveals their book ends up needing to be written before several other books on the list, as events in this book impinge on events in the other books.

Fudge!  **sighing in resignation**

At least the smug little bastards have shut up now that they know I have to write their blasted book.  **grumble, grumble**

Yesterday, I put the snail-mail submission package in the mail... which was an experience given that the clerk at the post office hadn't done an international return coupon in a long while.  At one point they had three gals working on trying to figure out what had to be done for one.  :-)  But it's off.

And today, I sent off two queries.

The hurry-up-and-wait submission process is underway.

But the even bigger news is that yesterday I cleaned off my desk.  :-)  I know it doesn't sound like much, but believe me, it's major.  :-)

Jara's story is still cogitating in the ether, while I try and get caught up with stuff around here.  Now that Sarah is off, Jane is starting to pester me.  Which is good, as hers is the next book that I "should" be writing.  But since I rarely listen to "shoulds", I'll not push her faster than she wants to be pushed.

So, today is work on paying work that I should have been doing yesterday, but I broke the website and need to try and figure out "why" when there aren't any people on it.  Plus a ton of stuff to do around the house.  Never a dull moment.  :-)