Hello all, I just had another story published. It's called "Is Fear Itself" (I posted an excerpt in a previous post). It is part of an anthology called Dreamspell Nightmares 2. You can find out more here:
http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares2.htm
Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Rejection hurts, or, What doesn't kill you...
Being a writer requires a somewhat masochistic personality, I think. We love to write, it's our passion, but often we are left to dig our way out of the smoldering ruins of yet another rejection. This happened to me recently (again). Rejection hurts. But does that stop us from plopping down in front of the computer to work on the next story? No. I rest my case.
Writing is a lonely business, and when another rejection appears so unassumingly in my Inbox, I start to question why I even bother. It would be so easy to say “I don’t wanna write tonight,” and go watch Monday Night Football. I’ve even found myself wondering if I should give up the endeavor altogether. The eternal internal battle: self-doubt versus passion; fear versus dreams of avarice. So why do we continue to put ourselves in peril? Why risk the weight of all those rejections? Simple. Because we MUST write. We can’t picture our life without writing as a part of it. And because the asylum of characters, premises, story germs, plot arcs, and words-words-words running rampant in our heads won’t let us stop. There’s something wrong with us. We’re writers. Do we have any hope?
Yes.
Remember why you’re writing in the first place. What was it that originally juiced you to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)? You have a story to tell. You have characters who are begging for you to bring them to life. You have an opinion to share. Or perhaps writing is a panacea for your inner peace, a therapy for dealing with strong emotions that need an outlet. That’s where you need to look for your reason to continue putting your babies out into the world where others will judge them—and possibly reject them.
Rejection hurts. But in the end, you will be stronger—both as a writer, and as a person.
Writing is a lonely business, and when another rejection appears so unassumingly in my Inbox, I start to question why I even bother. It would be so easy to say “I don’t wanna write tonight,” and go watch Monday Night Football. I’ve even found myself wondering if I should give up the endeavor altogether. The eternal internal battle: self-doubt versus passion; fear versus dreams of avarice. So why do we continue to put ourselves in peril? Why risk the weight of all those rejections? Simple. Because we MUST write. We can’t picture our life without writing as a part of it. And because the asylum of characters, premises, story germs, plot arcs, and words-words-words running rampant in our heads won’t let us stop. There’s something wrong with us. We’re writers. Do we have any hope?
Yes.
Remember why you’re writing in the first place. What was it that originally juiced you to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)? You have a story to tell. You have characters who are begging for you to bring them to life. You have an opinion to share. Or perhaps writing is a panacea for your inner peace, a therapy for dealing with strong emotions that need an outlet. That’s where you need to look for your reason to continue putting your babies out into the world where others will judge them—and possibly reject them.
Rejection hurts. But in the end, you will be stronger—both as a writer, and as a person.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Dialogue, Action & Narrative: Weaving story elements
I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, a friend who has helped me create a three-dimensional feel in my stories. His name is DAN: Dialogue Action Narrative.
Dialogue: character’s words
Action: character’s movement
Narrative: character’s thoughts, which can include observation of setting or other characters, inner monologue, musings, etc.
Fiction is created using DAN in the right proportions. Certainly there are scenes in which only one of the elements works best, and learning which to use when comes with experience. But for this piece, I’m going to focus on how to use all three elements to create a smooth ride for your reader.
The concept of weaving these three elements should not be unfamiliar—we combine these three things in our normal life. You could be meeting a friend for lunch at a restaurant. What are you doing? You’re talking with your friend (dialogue), eating your lunch (action), thinking about what to say, the scenery, etc. (narrative). Writing a scene of fiction, then, is not much different. We want our stories to imitate life, so we need to show all of these dimensions of our characters’ lives at once. Not the boring stuff, though, but the stuff that adds to the plot and character growth.
What do you give your attention to when people around you are doing these three things? Obviously, we can’t read a person’s thoughts. Sometimes when people are doing certain things we take notice, wild gestures with their hands for example. But most likely, your attention piques when you hear someone say something interesting.
Dialogue and Action
In an action scene, people don’t stop talking. Nor do they give page-length speeches either. In a scene that’s mostly action, you want to sprinkle in bits of dialogue, even if it’s just a word or phrase. Without dialogue, the scene would feel stagnant and lifeless, even though your characters may be running away from a T-Rex (a la “Jurassic Park”). Action without dialogue often lacks substance.
Conversely, when creating a scene where dialogue is the prevalent element, make sure your characters are doing something. Even in those scenes that are nondramatic, have your characters engaged in some kind of activity while they’re talking. Dialogue can bring your characters to life, but action and dialogue combined create characters and a setting that are three-dimensional.
Dialogue Action Narrative
Simply put, narrative tells, dialog shows. While narrative can perform many important tasks in a story—reveal a character’s inner thoughts, describe setting, flash back into the past, for example—too much of it becomes boring. The best way to handle this is by weaving narrative into your dialogue in order to flesh it out. Take the following dialogue scene (excerpted from my own story, “Prey”) as an example, first using only dialogue:
“Harmless? A planet that would destroy itself…harmless? You are fahra-tog—barbarians. Your planet is dying. The Kashoori did you a favor. We saved you from your own foolishness.”
“You did me no favor by taking away my daughter.”
“She would not have been harmed.”
Though the above dialogue may be intriguing and suggest action and tension, it is lacking and makes the scene feel flat. Now let’s invite DAN:
“Harmless?” Her voice seethed with accusation. “A planet that would destroy itself…harmless? You are fahra-tog—barbarians. Your planet is dying.” She threw her jaw out. “The Kashoori did you a favor. We saved you from your own foolishness.”
He stared at her a long moment, eyes ablaze with hatred. Then, slowly, as though smothered by some deep pain, the fire in his eyes dimmed, and his face softened into an expression of melancholy. “You did me no favor by taking away my daughter.”
His mulik. Tarayvi felt a twitch in her gut. She hadn’t expected that. She opened her mouth to speak but found no suitable words. The Terran young were the most important treasure from Earth; their youth made it easier for them to adapt, and therefore they were easier to assimilate into Kashoori society. And their energetic adolescent immune systems held the key to the disease problem on the planet—the Terran sickness, brought by the first human slaves. What could she tell this human?
“She would not have been harmed,” was all she could think of.
Quite a difference. See how much more the scene is fleshed out by weaving narrative and action into the dialogue?
Pacing and Rhythm
There are times when you’ll want to focus on only one of the three elements, but generally you’ll want to create a balance between the three. How you weave them affects your story’s pacing, so weaving well helps you find your story’s rhythm. So whenever you’re crafting a scene, don’t be shy, invite DAN. He’ll prove a good friend.
Dialogue: character’s words
Action: character’s movement
Narrative: character’s thoughts, which can include observation of setting or other characters, inner monologue, musings, etc.
Fiction is created using DAN in the right proportions. Certainly there are scenes in which only one of the elements works best, and learning which to use when comes with experience. But for this piece, I’m going to focus on how to use all three elements to create a smooth ride for your reader.
The concept of weaving these three elements should not be unfamiliar—we combine these three things in our normal life. You could be meeting a friend for lunch at a restaurant. What are you doing? You’re talking with your friend (dialogue), eating your lunch (action), thinking about what to say, the scenery, etc. (narrative). Writing a scene of fiction, then, is not much different. We want our stories to imitate life, so we need to show all of these dimensions of our characters’ lives at once. Not the boring stuff, though, but the stuff that adds to the plot and character growth.
What do you give your attention to when people around you are doing these three things? Obviously, we can’t read a person’s thoughts. Sometimes when people are doing certain things we take notice, wild gestures with their hands for example. But most likely, your attention piques when you hear someone say something interesting.
Dialogue and Action
In an action scene, people don’t stop talking. Nor do they give page-length speeches either. In a scene that’s mostly action, you want to sprinkle in bits of dialogue, even if it’s just a word or phrase. Without dialogue, the scene would feel stagnant and lifeless, even though your characters may be running away from a T-Rex (a la “Jurassic Park”). Action without dialogue often lacks substance.
Conversely, when creating a scene where dialogue is the prevalent element, make sure your characters are doing something. Even in those scenes that are nondramatic, have your characters engaged in some kind of activity while they’re talking. Dialogue can bring your characters to life, but action and dialogue combined create characters and a setting that are three-dimensional.
Dialogue Action Narrative
Simply put, narrative tells, dialog shows. While narrative can perform many important tasks in a story—reveal a character’s inner thoughts, describe setting, flash back into the past, for example—too much of it becomes boring. The best way to handle this is by weaving narrative into your dialogue in order to flesh it out. Take the following dialogue scene (excerpted from my own story, “Prey”) as an example, first using only dialogue:
***
“Harmless? A planet that would destroy itself…harmless? You are fahra-tog—barbarians. Your planet is dying. The Kashoori did you a favor. We saved you from your own foolishness.”
“You did me no favor by taking away my daughter.”
“She would not have been harmed.”
***
Though the above dialogue may be intriguing and suggest action and tension, it is lacking and makes the scene feel flat. Now let’s invite DAN:
***
“Harmless?” Her voice seethed with accusation. “A planet that would destroy itself…harmless? You are fahra-tog—barbarians. Your planet is dying.” She threw her jaw out. “The Kashoori did you a favor. We saved you from your own foolishness.”
He stared at her a long moment, eyes ablaze with hatred. Then, slowly, as though smothered by some deep pain, the fire in his eyes dimmed, and his face softened into an expression of melancholy. “You did me no favor by taking away my daughter.”
His mulik. Tarayvi felt a twitch in her gut. She hadn’t expected that. She opened her mouth to speak but found no suitable words. The Terran young were the most important treasure from Earth; their youth made it easier for them to adapt, and therefore they were easier to assimilate into Kashoori society. And their energetic adolescent immune systems held the key to the disease problem on the planet—the Terran sickness, brought by the first human slaves. What could she tell this human?
“She would not have been harmed,” was all she could think of.
***
Quite a difference. See how much more the scene is fleshed out by weaving narrative and action into the dialogue?
Pacing and Rhythm
There are times when you’ll want to focus on only one of the three elements, but generally you’ll want to create a balance between the three. How you weave them affects your story’s pacing, so weaving well helps you find your story’s rhythm. So whenever you’re crafting a scene, don’t be shy, invite DAN. He’ll prove a good friend.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Dreamspell Horror Volume 1 now available!
Dreamspell Horor Volume 1 is now available in ebook formats! Along with several other great stories by other authors, my short story "Wishes Are Forever" is in this book. The story is about two young girls who find a strange device in the woods that grants wishes. But its intoxicating power brings out the worst in them, and they end up wishing they'd never found the thing.
Available at Amazon (for Kindle) and AllRomanceBooks.com (PDF, Mobipocket and EPUB). Coming soon to Fictionwise too. Follow the link for more information on the book and where to buy it. Get your copy today!
http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellHorrorVol1.htm
Available at Amazon (for Kindle) and AllRomanceBooks.com (PDF, Mobipocket and EPUB). Coming soon to Fictionwise too. Follow the link for more information on the book and where to buy it. Get your copy today!
http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellHorrorVol1.htm
Friday, November 12, 2010
Dreamspell Nightmares now available!
Dreamspell Nightmares is now available in both print and ebook formats! My short story "Security System" is in this book (see a sample in one of my earlier posts), along with many other great stories by other authors. Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Omnilit, and Fictionwise. Follow the link for more information on the book and where to buy it. Get your copy today!
http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares.htm
http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares.htm
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Excerpt from short story: "Is Fear Itself"
Note: This story is being published in the L&L Dreamspell "Dreamspell Nightmares 2" anthology, coming out soon! (http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares2.htm)
A deep space salvage crew boards a derelict ship. Their mission: to prep the wreck for towing. But something onboard may wreck their mission instead.
As Scavenger 17 closed the distance to the derelict ship, a vibration ran through it. A metal panel buzzed. The ship shuddered, shaking the crew in their seats, then rocked as though struck by something.
“Chrissake!” Talbert shouted.
“Cheng?”
“Heavy solar flare, Captain,” Iris Cheng reported. “There'll most likely be more. Star in this system is a hyperactive gee-one.” Brushing some of her long black hair over an ear, she gave Talbert a deliberate gaze. “Hot sector.”
“Aw, you rock my world, Cheng.” Talbert shook his head, a goofy grin on his scruffy mug.
“One thousand meters,” Devereux said. “I have the full ident: N'Sabi, D-S-one-seven-zero-one.”
“Okay, focus people,” McInchak said. There was already one snafu because of the solar flares and he wanted his crew sharp. “Kennicot, start crawling. Cheng, run a hull integ on it, and try a biologic scan while you’re at it. Dev, open me a channel.”
The cramped cockpit cabin of Scavenger 17 became a hive of activity, with the crew rustling about in their consoles, busy with their specific duties.
McInchak rubbed his square chin. N’Sabi. He vaguely recalled some media buzz on her about six or seven years back, something about it being the first zoological transport to make a hyperspace jump with “live cargo.” Big news at the time, especially since she’d been commissioned only three years prior, and up to that point it was a feat no one else had been able to accomplish, the usual result being what was termed critter fondue.
“You’re on,” Dev said, as the com unit crackled to life.
McInchak cleared his throat. “D-S-one-seven-zero-one, this is Captain Ewan McInchak of the salvage ship Scavenger Seventeen. Do you read?”
Only static emitted from the com unit speakers.
“Com could be knocked out, Cap,” Dev offered, brushing his dark moustache with forefinger and thumb. “By the looks of her, she’s been through hell.”
McInchak grunted. He could almost feel the worry lines around his eyes burrowing deeper.
A deep space salvage crew boards a derelict ship. Their mission: to prep the wreck for towing. But something onboard may wreck their mission instead.
Is Fear Itself
As Scavenger 17 closed the distance to the derelict ship, a vibration ran through it. A metal panel buzzed. The ship shuddered, shaking the crew in their seats, then rocked as though struck by something.
“Chrissake!” Talbert shouted.
“Cheng?”
“Heavy solar flare, Captain,” Iris Cheng reported. “There'll most likely be more. Star in this system is a hyperactive gee-one.” Brushing some of her long black hair over an ear, she gave Talbert a deliberate gaze. “Hot sector.”
“Aw, you rock my world, Cheng.” Talbert shook his head, a goofy grin on his scruffy mug.
“One thousand meters,” Devereux said. “I have the full ident: N'Sabi, D-S-one-seven-zero-one.”
“Okay, focus people,” McInchak said. There was already one snafu because of the solar flares and he wanted his crew sharp. “Kennicot, start crawling. Cheng, run a hull integ on it, and try a biologic scan while you’re at it. Dev, open me a channel.”
The cramped cockpit cabin of Scavenger 17 became a hive of activity, with the crew rustling about in their consoles, busy with their specific duties.
McInchak rubbed his square chin. N’Sabi. He vaguely recalled some media buzz on her about six or seven years back, something about it being the first zoological transport to make a hyperspace jump with “live cargo.” Big news at the time, especially since she’d been commissioned only three years prior, and up to that point it was a feat no one else had been able to accomplish, the usual result being what was termed critter fondue.
“You’re on,” Dev said, as the com unit crackled to life.
McInchak cleared his throat. “D-S-one-seven-zero-one, this is Captain Ewan McInchak of the salvage ship Scavenger Seventeen. Do you read?”
Only static emitted from the com unit speakers.
“Com could be knocked out, Cap,” Dev offered, brushing his dark moustache with forefinger and thumb. “By the looks of her, she’s been through hell.”
McInchak grunted. He could almost feel the worry lines around his eyes burrowing deeper.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Excerpt from short story: "Security System"
Note: This story is being published in the L&L Dreamspell "Dreamspell Nightmares" anthology, coming out this summer. (http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares.htm)
Cole Renier peered down at the foreboding building from his crouched position on the wet, sloping ground that ran down from the railroad tracks. A shiver went through his lean frame as he studied the huge, lifeless structure spread out below him, some fifty yards away. Until recently, it had been the site of the thriving A.B.T. Research facility; but now the place looked desolate and seemed to shun even the meager light offered by the stars. Wind rustling through some shadowy trees whispered a caution in Cole’s ear.
“What’re we waitin’ for?” Angelo said, his voice a little too loud for Cole’s liking. “Let’s get down there already. We wanna be first ones in, don’t we?”
Annoyed, Cole glanced at his stocky, dark-haired friend, who was squatted next to him in the underbrush. Angelo Cirelli was somewhat of a loose cannon—fearless, with too much adrenalin at times—but he was a good friend, and definitely made their urban explorations more interesting.
Cole knew that Angelo was fired up about this place. With its recent unfortunate history, the site held great promise. The urban legends surrounding it had created quite a buzz within the urbex community. Word was the building still had a heartbeat. But to Cole’s knowledge, none of the other urbexers had breeched its imposing, windowless walls, though it was rumored that a group called The Interlopers had plans to infiltrate the place. “First ones in” gave you bragging rights online.
Security System
Cole Renier peered down at the foreboding building from his crouched position on the wet, sloping ground that ran down from the railroad tracks. A shiver went through his lean frame as he studied the huge, lifeless structure spread out below him, some fifty yards away. Until recently, it had been the site of the thriving A.B.T. Research facility; but now the place looked desolate and seemed to shun even the meager light offered by the stars. Wind rustling through some shadowy trees whispered a caution in Cole’s ear.
“What’re we waitin’ for?” Angelo said, his voice a little too loud for Cole’s liking. “Let’s get down there already. We wanna be first ones in, don’t we?”
Annoyed, Cole glanced at his stocky, dark-haired friend, who was squatted next to him in the underbrush. Angelo Cirelli was somewhat of a loose cannon—fearless, with too much adrenalin at times—but he was a good friend, and definitely made their urban explorations more interesting.
Cole knew that Angelo was fired up about this place. With its recent unfortunate history, the site held great promise. The urban legends surrounding it had created quite a buzz within the urbex community. Word was the building still had a heartbeat. But to Cole’s knowledge, none of the other urbexers had breeched its imposing, windowless walls, though it was rumored that a group called The Interlopers had plans to infiltrate the place. “First ones in” gave you bragging rights online.
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