An Attack of Randomness

My brain’s schizophrenic today, so I’m just going to go with it.

Random thoughts and ruminations:

♣ I am one incredibly lucky woman. Despite all my griping, I really have it good and have to give one huge cyber hug to my friends and family for putting up with me. Y’all know who you are.

♣ Speaking of crazy people, the world is full of ‘em. Take a look at this discussion posted on Dear Author about a writer who harrassed a reader after she put a less than perfect score on the Amazon reading recommendations. I think anyone who’s taken the time to write a review should be applauded, even a “I couldn’t stand it!”, unless it’s done as a personal vendetta and not as a subjective review. Of course, how would someone not a part of the vendetta know? Hm…

Well, authors put themselves into the hands of the public every day. Drama’s bound to happen.

♣ Next, similarly along the lines of my earlier tirade toward those who belittle the romance genre, I submit this post from the Smart Bitches, as well the comments engendered by this post. Anyone who thinks that romance and its writers are full of fluff obviously never had (or lurked in) conversations like these. Many intelligent and concise arguments are traded back and forth. I’m so dang proud to be involved in a community that’s populated by such fierce intellect and wit, even if it does make me feel like the doddard of the family.

♣ Jumping to the next item of “What the hell does this have to do with anything?”, I find it interesting that my most popular post by far is The Great Agent search. The dang thing still gets occasional hits. Of course, I say that like it’s been up in the cyber world for a gazillion years, but this whole website/blog thing still fascinates me.

Speaking of which, the following are some of the searches that led people to my site:

kiss methodology of writing
homestar runner sucks
bloodwork of morgellons patient
young generation
confetti generation
but alas! alack! and heavens to betsy, it will begin again – quote
mike rowe quotes shakespeare
i think i’m crazy
extraordinare sluts

Unfortunately, none of them have to do with the “Also” game. But I’m still optimistic! And the last one confuses me. I’m pretty certain that, at least up until now, I have never used the word “sluts” on this blog, so why it came here I dunno.

♣ I don’t think I’ve ever read an entire book on craft (and if I did, I obviously don’t remember), but the closest I’ve come is Paperback Writer’s Novel Crash Test Dummies. It’s a series of posts she consolidated into a free e-book and is a humorous look at the classic mistakes writers make. You can either download direct from here or via her website, which I recommend reading anyway, especially considering PBW still posts about John and Marcia now and then. I love articles on craft, though. For some reason, it’s easier for me to comprehend in smaller doses.

♣ I’m currently listening to a variety of the recorded sessions from the 2007 RWA National Conference. Aside from reminding me that it’s okay not to be attending conference this year, I’m learning a heck of a lot. If you have access to any of the recordings, I recommending taking a look at the sessions available for your hearing pleasure and taking a chance on ‘em. They make a great listening selection during evening commutes home.

♣ I like gold stars. It’s the little kid in me.

That’s about it. My mind’s all a-flutter, but I doubt there’s much else in it that anyone could find remotely interesting unless you have an undying fascination about what the break room looks like in CAROLINA NORTH or what “Cougar” paper looks like versus 50# ivory or whether I should add pomegranate juice to my grocery list.

Yep. That’s what I thought.

Opportunity Cost

During my college course wanderings (the American tradition of “What the hell do I want to do with my degree?”), I took a few of economics courses, most specifically macroeconomics and socioeconomics. In other words, “Big Picture” economics. To be honest, I don’t remember as much as I should, but the one concept that’s always stayed with me is opportunity cost.

Now, what the heck does this have to do with writing?

I’m glad you asked.

Opportunity Cost is what you give up to do something else. It’s the value of everything else you could be doing instead of what you choose to do. For example, when I choose to write, I’m giving up the opportunity to take care of practical needs (laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning) or indulge in hobbies (reading, taking a walk, watching a movie). The opportunity cost of my writing is the time, energy, and money that I need to do it. Every second of every days comes with opportunity costs, and we’ve learned to make decisions almost instinctively.

“This is what I have to do now,” I think. “So this is why I do it.” But that’s not really the reason why. I do what I do because I’ve determined, based on everything else I could be doing, that this is the best choice at the time. 

Each of the above examples (laundry, movie-watching, grocery shopping, etc.) comes with its own set of opportunity costs, and all the options must be weighed. When I think of all the daily intricacies involved, I’m amazed by just how much is processed and decided without our conscious awareness.

However, I didn’t bring up this topic to discuss my personal decision to write, but as a way to look at character development and to interpret GMC [Goal, Motivation, and Conflict]. The opportunity costs involved with the actions of a fictional character are exponentially greater than those of my own life because the possibilities are limitless given the very nature of fiction.

Our characters do what they do for a reason, and they’re often consciously unaware of active decision-making just like the rest of us. The decisions of which they ARE NOT aware are as important as the decisions of which they ARE aware. Their conscious decisions are external GMC; their unconcious decisions are internal GMC: their character traits and their personality as it’s been influenced by their personal history.

The reason why your character is unaware of certain decisions is because those decisions have become instinctive and habitual based on her past experiences. She’s learned to think or act a certain way without wondering about it, and it’s often when she realizes that she’s behaving or reacting abnormally, when she becomes conscious of her decisions and the opportunities costs involved, that the relationships within the story become important.

A character arc requires the eventual self-awareness of a character’s motivations before she’s able to change and grow, and it’s the realization of the opportunity costs of her decisions that sparks that awareness.

It’s the best thing to come out of economics class since supply and demand.

Addendum

I’m adding an Addendum to the TBR Challenge:

No more books shall be purchased until I’ve read at least half of the TBR Pile (listed on the left sidebar) unless it’s in support of a fellow writer’s book signing.

Where did this new addendum spring from, you ask? (Funny how y’all can always read my mind. ) A very talented author of romantic suspense from my local chapter announced on our loop that she’s having a couple book signings in May, and I want to be there to support her. Sure, I could probably buy the book later and ask her to sign it, but it’s more fun this way. The trick will be not to buy any other books, but I think I can handle it.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

For the curious among you, the book signing is for Laura Griffin and her new release One Wrong Step, which comes out tomorrow and is the follow-up to her book One Last Breath.

(Man, that’s a beautiful cover. You don’t see too many with those gorgeous purples.)

Friday Feature: One Down, Sixty-Something to Go

One more down from my TBR pile.

The book, Daughter of the Flames by Nancy Holder, is a Silhouette Bombshell category with a sequel or the first in a trilogy or series, I’m not really sure which as the Bombshell line fizzled out in January 2007, so all I know is that it’s Book 1 and there’s Books 2 and 3. Did I know it had a sequel at first? Nope. Otherwise I wouldn’t have read it until I had the second primed and ready to go, but the story ended in an unsatisfying manner. The story is rich in descriptions, the main character is fully fleshed out, but bits and pieces left me confused. I had to reread several lines (especially of dialogue) to understand what exactly was going on, but I enjoyed the story enough to push through.

Then the ending. The main characters land in New Orleans. A comatose long-lost mother dies–wait, no, not really died died–hang on, magic brought her back maybe?–um, wait…okay, now she’s only mostly dead but still not really–wait… Well, you get the idea. A battle seemed to erupt for seemingly no reason. Still, I could go with all this, as the story’s from the heroine’s point of view who, obstensibly, is as confused as I am.

What got me is the confusion between two romantic interests. Toward the end of the novel, she realizes she’s in love with Guy #1. They make love, it’s beautiful, and she leaves. He’s a kind, moral fellow. I really prefer Guy #2, who’s the brooding, uber-responsible type, but I can go with her decision. A Southern, sunny, sweet cop? Yeah, fine.

Then, during the Sudden Inexplicable Battle, Guy #2 kisses the heroine “like a lover” (admittedly, the vibes between the two have been described over and over again so in all honesty I totally should have seen this coming) and then gets hit by…something. A bullet, an energy ball, a renegade mosquito, I’m not really sure. But he’s down, she’s freaking, and he’s carried off for impromtu surgery in the mansion’s OR. Yes, that’s right. The mansion has an operating room.

I’m pretty sure he doesn’t die because he pops up in the synopsis for the second book, but he doesn’t recover by the end of the book, and the heroine tells him through their mental connection that if he dies, she’ll die too. Now I’m a bit frustrated. I’d been rooting for Guy #2 but had finally resigned myself to Guy #1, and now she can’t live without Guy #2 even though she spoke to Guy #1 and confirmed her love for him right before her mental chat with Guy #2 on the operating table. What the hey? No having of cake and eating it too, missy!

And even though I preferred Guy #2, I wasn’t 100% on board with him either as he used magic for things like flipping on a car’s turn signal. Yes, that’s right. He waved his hand over the steering wheel to magically flip on the turn signal. It’s not like his fingers were broken, and the fact that he had to move his hand anyway seems like it’s just as much effort as having done it manually, so my practical side’s kinda rolling her eyes at that. And I’m not even going to get into the fact that he gets the car to magically drive itself despite the fact that they’re in the city where he has repeatedly told the heroine the magic comes and goes. You’d think the possibility that the magic would suddenly not work and the car may crash would have him paying closer attention, but hey–what do I know?

But despite all my quibbles, I’m adding the second book, Daughter of the Blood, to my To Buy list once I’m done with the TBR Challenge. I have a sneaky suspicion that, at the very least, these are two books of a trilogy since the second ends “with a shocker”, but with the next book, Son of the Shadows, now carried by Nocturne, I’m more optomistic that I’ll be able to finish the storyline because, in all honesty, it is a good story.

A Word to Those Who Belittle Romance

I knew what I was getting into when I joined the Romance Writers of America and officially proclaimed myself a writer of romance. Despite being the most popular form of fiction, some people feel the need to belittle or denigrate the genre. I wonder what it is, specifically, that makes a small portion of the population feel the need to criticize. Is it the fact that so many of the authors and readers are women? Is it the regulatory Happily Ever After? The argument that it’s predictable is an outrageous criticism as all genre fiction is predicatble: mysteries get solved, bad guys lose, demons get sent back to hell, cowboys ride off into the sunset, and the planet Zebedar III is saved from imminent doom.

The argument of the sexual content is pretty null and void in my book, too, since so many other genres utilize it. And why wouldn’t they? It’s a natural function of healthy adults and an efficient way of progressing relationships within stories, no matter how graphic they may or may not be.

So many literary works could have easily been categorized as romances, especially if the ending is tweaked to make it happier. Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations could even have been classified as ”Lad Lit”. Heck, the happy ending’s not even mandatory for that one. So is it the HEA that does people in? And if so, why does a sad ending automatically make a story stand above one with an HEA? Is something taken more seriously if it’s melancholy, bitter, or outright depressing?

Perhaps this is more the case. Perhaps some people think the idea of an HEA is ridiculous. Life’s not like that, they might say; it’s unrealistic. Well, yes, but come on. Some people may want to read about life and all its heartache, but others want to succumb to something safe and warm. Movies and television cater to this. Sports. Hobbies. They’re all an escape from work and responsibilities and the live-a-day life. Romance can’t be criticized for doing the same.

It’s certainly not the writing itself. Like every genre, romance has its good and its bad, and while the bad can be cringe-worthy, the good can be breathtaking. So many romance authors have crafted exquisite plots, beautiful prose, and profound characters. And what they really write about is the relationships between people, and not just between the hero and heroine though that is, naturally, the main focus. We write about how people relate to each other, and how those people grow from these relationships. Only our characters often benefit from the relationships as opposed to being injured by them, though many by no means are unscathed by the hurt people are capable of inflicting. Our stories are about healing and compassion. So why do they sometimes receive a sneer and snide comment?

It’s a sad, cynical person who doesn’t see the good in making another person smile.

My name is Nicole Reillan. And I write romance.

Red Light, Green Light

I watched the movie Sweet Land last night that had me thinking of narrative time jumps. The movie’s very good, but I almost didn’t get past the first 10-15 minutes. For the first five or so, the present overlaid with the past both in flashes of dialogue and images. Then, to make matters worse, the story began to jump between the present, the past of the late ’60’s (or so said the synopsis on the back of the movie), and the past of the early ’20’s. I had a hard time anchoring myself until it picked up the 1920’s storyline and began to follow that through.

Time jumps in stories are always very difficult for me to follow unless they’re a prologue or some similar past that leaps once and then follows a present storyline. I’m a very linear thinker. I write from beginning to end (save for one); that’s just how the story naturally evolves for me, so to ask me to keep up with constant back and forth between three separate times is confusing. I view them as three different stories entirely, even though they’re all referring to the original, the 1920’s story. For me, they have different characters, different themes, and different endings. I see the connection between them, the common thread, but they still remain separate. Even flashbacks can throw me off unless they’re handled really well.

I haven’t decided yet if the 1960’s storyline and the present storyline were entirely necessary to the plot. The movie is based on a short story by Will Weaver, “A Gravestone Made of Wheat“, which I haven’t read yet, so I don’t know if that’s how it was presented in literature though I’m assuming so. Maybe in the story it was necessary, but I go back and forth about the movie adaptation. There’s no clear POV in the 1960’s story, and the present story is just a way of rounding off a straight-up romance in a “literary” fashion, which I say with no ill will. Some people like to cut at the HEA, while some like the bittersweet. I’d have preferred if the movie focused entirely on the 1920’s storyline, but it’s still a wonderful film.

I don’t see this schizophrenic time jump in too many novels, though. I wonder if it has anything to do with the media, as I’m sure it’s easier to manage rapid back-and-forth with images rather than words. This, in turn, makes me wonder if that’s similiar to how authors who use the cut-and-paste writing method see their story. I see mine in emotions, for example. People and actions are colored in auras of various intensity, which evolve and change as the story grows. Do people who write scenes regardless of their place in the story see flashes of detailed images and sounds?

Oh, the ponders I ponder.

A Woman Pretending to Be a Man Pretending to be a Woman?*

“I like the story.”

I beamed. “Thanks.”

“Except your hero sounds like a woman wrote him.”

“Oh. Um…” What does one say to something like this? Duh? I glanced down at myself. Unmistakeably female. I had vague recollections and clutter-fueled memories of typing masculine descriptions and short structured dialogue. My hero, therefore, was most definitely written by a woman. I looked at the thin stack of papers on the table as though the words would rearrange into a detailed explanation of what it was about my hero that gave away my gender.

“You mean he’s too feminine?” I asked, when the printed words stayed put. My hero was, after all, mostly beta. I know the dangers walking that line. Heaven forbid I somehow emasculated him, despite my strong efforts to keep him distinctly male even with his passive-aggressive tendencies.

“No, he’s definitely a guy.”

Whew. 

“He just…”

“Sounds like a woman wrote him.”

“Yeah.”

I stared at my would-be critiquer. Herein lies the conundrum. The closest I can figure the problem, it’s not that my hero sounded feminine or acted feminine, but the explanations and descriptions associated with his point of view were feminine. What I, an author and woman, noticed and described about him was feminine.

Of course, I could very well be wrong. This is one of those melon-scratchers that I’ve never been 100% clear on. I know I’ve read female characters written by men who were undoubtably written by men. In fact, I read a book by a male author who is applauded for writing believable women, only to wonder where the hell someone had gotten that idea. Could I pinpoint where the problem lay? Nope. Then again, I hadn’t been analyzing works as much as I do now. Anyone have any ideas on this subject? Or any suggestions of authors to read who have realistic characters of the opposite gender?

[*From the Julie Andrews movie Victor Victoria.]

Just a Few Things

Checking in to do a little catch-up.

First, the Infamous Kate W., by virtue of being the only one to take a guess on the FOF Game, has won. She guessed well, too, getting only one wrong. Stories 1 and 4 are false; Stories 2, 3, and 5 are true. She says not to worry about the paperback, but I shall hunt her down anyway. I can’t buy books for myself until I get through the TBR pile, so I feel the need to buy for others. The bookstore is my refuge. I have to slowly back off the habit, I think, lest I break out into hives. Not that I’ve ever actually broken into hives, mind you, but I believe them to be very red and very itchy.

Next, since we’re speaking of the TBR pile, I must confess to having “discovered” four more books when rearranging my apartment with my mother this weekend. Well, four or six, I can’t remember which, but I do know I cheered and panicked all at the same time. Interesting sensation, that. I’ll update the list when I get the chance. I’m fiddling with the idea of adding a temporary widget on one of the sidebars so I don’t cheat. But that, of course, requires more time.

With the moral support of the fabulous Ms. Jenna and the divine Ms. Jane, I’ll soon be renewing the search for an agent. I haven’t been able to devote as much time to research as I’d like, but I’m hoping that’s soon to change. I’ve decided not to pass judgment on CAROLINA NORTH, as I’ve come to the conclusion that the two of us are likely to have a love/hate relationship for the rest of our lives, and I should just learn to accept it for what it is.

Due to budget constraints, I will be unable to attend the RWA National Conference this year. I’m bummed not to be going, but it’s a relief not to have to worry about overstraining the finances. As this seems to be The Year of the Location Wedding, my priorities are naturally elsewhere. If you’re going, be sure to check out the workshop that’ll be presented by my local chapter’s Madam President and Vice-President about creating a web presence. Our chapter was lucky enough to be their guinea pigs, and it’s a wonderful, informative presentation.

After having read the Smart Bitches’s posts about the Romantic Times Convention, especially this one, I’ve decided that I most definitely need to go one day. And, speaking of RT, look who’s on the home page for the ”Ask the Author” feature. Yea Sherry!

And finally, a list of Things I Learned this Weekend:

♥ When buying pre-built bookcases, don’t forget to measure not only the width and length of the backseat of the car that’ll be transporting them, but the door.

♥ When flying, do not check in anything packed in a Frito Lay box. It’s confusing for the luggage handlers.

♥ An old German wedding tradition is for the bride and groom to saw a log together. And I’m not talking about a symbolic twig-size log, but a log-log that requires bracing of the feet, a wedge and sledgehammer, and sweat.

♥ The arrival of a large, blue parrot is similar to the arrival of a small celebrity even after a log-sawing ceremony. Lots of picture-taking commences, and if at any point you’re the one on who’s shoulder said bird perches, be prepared to have your picture taken by strangers no matter how terrible you think you look.

♥ It’s possible in this day and age for a hotel to confuse rooms and accidentally offer one that is already occupied.

♥ People are slightly horrified when you reveal that you’ve been inadvertantly eating mayo that expired in February 2007 no matter how often you explained that it always looked/smelled/tasted fine.

That’s it for now!

This is Called

Nicole needs to learn to plan better.

No Michelle today. She’s not happy I’m quelling her, but it’s too been crazy. I got nothin’ for ya, folks. Lo siento.

NeRei need Coffee.
NeRei need Sleep.
NeRei get Neither.

NeRei thinks it’s crazy not only to talk about herself in Third Person, but to use Unnecessary Capitalization and a Strange Nickname reminiscient of JLo. I’m off before I start to sound any more insane.

Oh, look–men in white coats…

Character Stories

Every good character has layers. Like an onion. Or a parfait.

A writer can achieve these layers by recognizing the discrepancy between what her character thinks his true story is, and what the writer knows his true story is. Confusing, yes? Since I’d alluded to the movie Shrek, we’ll continue with the example. Hopefully, you’ve seen the movie. If not–dude, you should totally cue up your Netflix. It’s hysterical.

But I digress.

Shrek has a fairly clear understanding of his story: he’s a big, smelly ogre saddled with a journey to save his home. He expects to go out, get the job done, and then return to being the big, smelly ogre who occasionally has to scare off pitchfork wielding mobs. Shrek’s story according to Shrek is the saving of his swamp home.

As the story progresses, however, the viewer begins to realize that this isn’t Shrek’s true story. We realize that Shrek’s journey to get his home back is a motivation, not the story, which is where a lot of fictional characters get mixed up. They confuse their motivations or goals with their stories; they define themselves by what they’re doing or what they’re about to do, and not necessarily by who they are or how they grow as a person.

Shrek’s true story is to learn to accept himself. He has to come to terms with his self-loathing, which he doesn’t even realize he carries around, and this process is forced by the relationship with Fiona and guided by Donkey. Shrek still firmly holds on to the belief that his true story is the saving of his home until it’s actually done. Only then, once home and again alone, does he begin to realize that his story’s not quite finished.

As the saying goes, there’s more to the story.

So it goes with pretty much all fictional characters. Their stories are learning processes for them; they need to grow and evolve, which means they must have an initial, inherent misunderstanding of what their story is in the beginning. This is what changes, what blossoms, and what gets the readers to connect with the characters. Our job as writers is to recognize what our characters believe and what we know to be true and then to reflect that evolution between denial and acceptance.

This is the difference between external and internal plot. The external plot is the vehicle that carries the internal plot. All our characters’ see at first is that nice, shiny new car. They want that car. What they don’t see is the engine. The gleaming chrome, cherry paint, and leather interior are only the flashing trappings of a V8; they give the engine a purpose, but ask anyone who’s had to pinch pennies, and she’ll tell you that a good, reliable engine touts the fancy trappings every time. (Well, that and a few airbags.)

The process is often subtle. Force the point too much, and a writer walks the edge of sounding too preachy, which can often turn off a reader. Not only that, but it’s possible to threaten the believability of the story. If you continuously slap your characters with the truth, the reader will become annoyed and frustrated by the fact that the character just doesn’t get what’s so obvious. Of course, rules thrive on exceptions, but usually it’s recommended to know the rules before you go about bending them.

Tomorrow I’ll haul Michelle out of her cafe corner to tell us her story, and see what she believes her truth to be. I always like to get to know a character a bit, find out her beliefs and disbeliefs, before I dig around to find the true story.

[And, as an aside, notice I said beliefs and disbeliefs, and not "likes" and "dislikes". Using the car analogy again, the beliefs and disbeliefs are the vehicle itself. The likes and dislikes are all the fancy bells and whistles: the XM radio, the GPS system, the gazillion cupholders, and so on. I wouldn't mind having them, but they're not absolutely necessary to get from point A to point B. Of course, this is all just my personal opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree.]