What I Learned from Sun Tzu

I bought myself a Christmas present last week. "The Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell. I read about it on Steve Laube's blog and just had to have it. Now I'm glad I splurged.

Sun Tzu presented orderly principles to his generals for battle planning. Bell ran with the idea and offers a collection of principles for writing that will help authors "write stronger books and win the battle to get and stay published." The book's divided into three sections: Reconnaissance, Tactics, and Strategy.

My favorite part was Tactics, which has 33 techniques regarding the craft of writing, and contains all sorts of delicious tidbits. I can't share them all, but I'll share a favorite or two.

Tactic #45 says "Progressive Revelation Keeps Readers Turning Pages." The first couple sentences sum it up nicely: "Reveal your plot incrementally. That means leaving mystery inherent and unfolding things progressively." This isn't the first time I've heard this advice, but it bears repeating. I find myself setting up a beautiful mystery, then feeling compelled to dump an explanation immediately thereafter. Instead, I should dole out the revelations in tiny bits to keep the reader involved. After all, I don't want my precious reader stuffing in a bookmark and reaching for the tv remote!

Tactic #50 was a hard one for me. It says, "Success may be found in three great scenes, and no weak ones." Basically, my book has to have three fabulous scenes that stand out from the rest, "packed with conflict, emotion, and surprise." The hardest part, for me, was the "no weak ones" - there can't be a single weak scene in the entire book. Bell identifies a weak scene as one that feels "like fluff or filler. No one is really going after anything. There's a lot of sitting around, small talk, waiting, reacting." Identifying weak scenes in my own writing is tough, so I'll have to rely on my critique partners to point them out to me.

This book is packed with gems like these. It's definitely worth the price, and it's the right size to stuff in a stocking. Go ahead and get one for yourself!

-Sonja

Look What I Got For Christmas!

John B. Olson, a writer I admire and study, put a fun thing on sale:
an audio lecture called "Writing in the Shadows." Randy Ingermanson
praised it on his blog and e-zine and even made a special sale out of
it last week. When I purchased Olson's book, Powers, and I got the
audio lecture for free! And a comic book! And a coupon for more sales! It couldn't get any better, so I dove in.

I listened to the lecture the moment it finished downloading, all in
one shot, even chasing the kids out of the room when they complained
about wanting lunch. And it was worth it. Though compelled to share
everything I learned, I can't do that to Mr. Olson. You'll have to buy
the lecture if you want to absorb all his wisdom. But I will share the
concept I found the most helpful in my own writing.

Every scene should give the reader an emotional response. The words I chose, the mood I create, the character's emotional reactions, all
should enhance the central tension, the emotional response I want the
reader to have.

Olson used an example from his book Shade. He wanted the reader to
feel fear for the protagonist, Hailey. She believed she was being
followed, and made her away through a building to a place of safety.
Olson used phrases like "aftertaste of decay and wet rat" and
"fighting the urge to break into a run." He used verbs like "lunged"
and "escaped." He used visuals like "the door closed behind her with a
sigh" and "the floor was quiet as a tomb." These word choices all
worked along with the action of the scene to set the mood of fear for
the reader.

I chose a scene from my current WIP and identified what I wanted the
reader to feel as he read. Then I went through and re-worked the
scene, adding phrases, changing verbs, intensifying the character's
emotional responses, all with the goal of stimulating the reader's
emotions in the direction I wanted them to go. What a power rush! It
was fun, too. I can't wait to move on to the next scene and manipulate
the reader's emotional responses some more.

For what it's worth,

-Sonja

That's what he said...

Michael Hyatt blogged recently on blogging, and one of his posts
caught my eye: Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog?

Mistake number one, according to Mr. Hyatt, is: You Don't Post Enough.

I immediately noticed that I am guilty of this mistake. Not only am I
guilty, but I've been aware of this mistake for quite a while now and
have managed to NOT fix it.

Here's the deal. I like to blog. I like to post pithy comments and
pass on creative ideas and paste in remarkable quotes. So why don't I?

After pondering a good six minutes, I came to this conclusion: I don't
post often enough because I feel I don't have anything to say that's
worth reading.

Ain't that a hoot? I, who routinely overshoot my projected word count
by a good 20,000 words, can't think of anything to write in a blog. Or
I think of something, then wonder if anyone will be interested in
reading about it. The funniest part of this whole conundrum is that
when I DO finally post something, I usually get good feedback from my three loyal readers. They don't always post comments, but I hear from them in emails or in person.

The fix for this problem is pretty easy. Post More Often. I should be
able to do, for what it's worth. I shall try harder this next year.
Promise.

-Sonja

Story CPR

Janet Lee Carey teaches a class at Writer's Workshops called Story
CPR. I won't give away all her secrets, but here are some of the
highlights. The CPR stands for:

Character
Premise, Plot, Pacing
Reader Satisfaction, Renewal, Revision

If your story is sinking, delving into these concepts can help pull
the story back out.

First, take a look at your main character. He has a conflict, a
problem to solve, an obstacle to overcome. As he moves through the
story, how is he dealing with this problem? Are the obstacles too
easy? Or so hard he can't get past them? Does he make mistakes, or
simply skate through them without a backward glance? Finding a balance here could help resuscitate your story and get it moving again.

Stories lose momentum when the plot strays too far from the central
conflict, and too many subplots may confuse the reader. Focus
carefully on the main plot. Is it too predictable? Can the reader 'see
what's coming' long before you get there? Is your character intimately
involved with the conflict, or is it too far removed from him? The
closer the character is to the conflict, the more sympathy the reader
feels, and the better the story moves along. If your story isn't
moving along, maybe your plot needs to be adjusted.

Lastly, revise any weak writing in the story. Look for redundancy: is
your narrative repeating what your characters are already saying and
doing? Look for exposition overkill: do your action scenes droop with
too much description? Look for style predictability: do you have too
many long sentences? Do your dialogue tags disappear? Do you rely too heavily on adverbs? Alter your patterns and see if that helps.

For what it's worth.

-Sonja

The Big Book Stack

My stack of "books to read" changes week to week as I hit the
libraries. This week, the pile is a strange conglomeration of young
adult fantasy, mystery, suspense, speculative, and how-to. Check this
out:

Hunter brown and the Secret of the Shadow by the Miller Brothers
Getting the Words Right by Theodore Rees Cheney
Several Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich
Gone for Good by Harlan Coben
Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb
Several VI Warshawski books by Sara Paretsky
Several Robert Crais novels (two stand-alone and an Elvis Cole)
How to Write a Mystery by Larry Beinhart
Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters
Welcome to the Jungle, a Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher

So many books, so little time... (sigh)

-Sonja

100 Speculative Fiction Books

FaceBook people have been circulating a BBC-selected list of books,
and we're supposed to put an x next to the ones we've read. I found it
a strange list. Why did they list "Narnia" then add an individual
title? Same with Shakespeare's works. Why did they include Harry
Potter on the same list as Les Miserables? I was disappointed to find
I'd only read 29 of the 100 books.

Becky Miller, a giant in the world of speculative Christian fiction,
made her own list (only 70 on hers). I thought it'd be fun to play
her game and see how many of the books on her list I'd read. An X
indicates I've read the book.

Til We Have Faces – C.S. Lewis X
The Good Earth – Pearl S. Buck
Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis X
Perelandra – C.S. Lewis X
That Hideous Strength – C.S. Lewis X
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Orczy
Christy – Catherine Marshall X
The Black Stallion – Walter Farley
Fathers and Sons – Ivan Turgenev
Treasure Island – Robert Lewis Stevenson X
Lord Foul's Bane – Stephen R. Donaldson
The Illearth War – Stephen R. Donaldson
The Power that Preserves – Stephen R. Donaldson
The Assassin's Apprentice – Robin Hobb X
The Book of Three – Lloyd Alexander
The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
The Castle of Llyr – Lloyd Alexander
Taran Wanderer – Lloyd Alexander
The High King – Lloyd Alexander
Magicin: Apprentice – Raymond E. Feist
Chocolate Beach – Julie Carobini
Truffles by the Sea – Julie Carobini
The Secret Life of Becky Miller – Sharon Hinck X
Renovating Becky Miller – Sharon Hinck
A Promise to Remember – Kathryn Cushman
Waiting for Daybreak – Kathryn Cushman
The Feast of St. Bertie – Kathleen Popa
To Dance in the Desert – Kathleen Popa
Every Good and Perfect Gift – Sharon Sousa
When the Shofar Blew – Francine Rivers
Raising Dragons – Bryan Davis
Isle of Swords – Wayne Thomas Batson
The Year the Swallows Came Early – Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Something Wicked – Alan Gratz
Savvy – Ingrid Law
The Bark of the Bog Owl – Jonathan Rogers
The Book of Names – D. Barkley Briggs
Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle – R. K. Mortenson
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness – Andrew Peterson
DragonFire – Donita Paul X
Winter Haven – Athol Dickson
Heaven's Wager – Ted Dekker
The Hidden – Kathryn Mackel X
Scarlet – Stephen Lawhead
Tuck – Stephen Lawhead
Autumn Dreams – Gayle Roper
Tiger Lily – Lisa Samson
My Name is Russell Fink – Michael Snyder
Forgiving Solomon Long – Chris Well
Demon: A Memoir – Tosca Lee
Gideon's Dawn – Michale Warden
The Restorer – Sharon Hinck X
Arena – Karen Hancock X
The Light of Eidon – Karen Hancock X
The Legend of the Firefish – George Bryan Polivka X
Blaggard's Moon – George Bryan Polivka
Auralia's Colors – Jeffrey Overstreet X
Beyond Summerland – L. B. Graham
Guardian of the Veil – Gregory Spencer X
Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow – Christoper and Allan Miller
The Mill on the Floss – George Eliot
The Return of the Native – Thomas Hardy
Pilgrim's Progress – John Bunyan X
Where the Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls X
The Yearling – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Diamond of Darkhold – Jeanne DuPrau
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott X
Canterbury Tales – Chaucer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain X
Sir Gibbie – George MacDonald

If I counted right, I've read 19 of the 70 - not so great. Becky did
the same thing as the BBC, though - listed only a few books by an
author, instead of all of them. And why is Little Women in a list of
speculative Christian fiction? (For that matter, Robin Hobb isn't
Christian, although her books had some fantastic moral lessons to
teach). I think Becky's list should be expanded to 100. How about
adding these?

The Shadow Within – Karen Hancock X
Shadow of Kiriath – Karen Hancock X
Return of the Guardian King – Karen Hancock X
Dream Thief – Steven R. Lawhead X
Emperion – Steven R. Lawhead X
Siege of Fiera – Steven R. Lawhead X
In the Hall of the Dragon King – Steven R. Lawhead X
The Warlords of Nin – Steven R. Lawhead X
The Sword and the Flame – Steven R. Lawhead X
Taliesin – Steven R. Lawhead X
Merlin – Steven R. Lawhead X
Arthur – Steven R. Lawhead X
Pendragon – Steven R. Lawhead X
Grail – Steven R. Lawhead
Byzantium – Steven R. Lawhead X
Royal Assassin – Robin Hobb X
Assassin's Quest – Robin Hobb X
Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb X
The Mad Ship – Robin Hobb X
Ship of Destiny – Robin Hobb X
Fool's Errand – Robin Hobb X
Golden Fool – Robin Hobb X
Fool's Fate – Robin Hobb X
Lillith – George McDonald X
Three – Ted Dekker X
Boneman's Daughter – Ted Dekker
House – Ted Dekker X
Shade – John B. Olson X
Adrenaline – John B. Olson X
Dragon's Keep – Janet Lee Carey X

Now my count is 47 out of 100. Not too bad. Don't get me started on a
list of mysteries... For what it's worth.

-Sonja

Saying good-bye

I just finished reading an excellent series of books, and now I find
myself feeling a bit melancholy. Why? Because I've just said good-bye
to characters I absolutely adore. There won't be another book about
these characters until next year sometime, and while I'm dying to know what happens next in their lives, it's sad that I won't find out for a long, long time.

Am I the only one who goes through this grieving process? I seem to do it at the end of every great book I read - especially if it's the final in a series.

For what it's worth,

-Sonja

In the beginning...

Last weekend, at the Christian Writers Renewal Conference in Seattle,
Dennis "Doc" Hensley taught a class on literary fiction. I touched on
a few of his points in the last post. Today, I'll pass on what Doc
said belongs at the beginning of any story.

A. Introduce the main character so the reader can bond. SHOW the
character doing what he does and who he is, as opposed to an
information dump in a narrative paragraph. For example, if the
protagonist is a competent, neat-freak, high-powered business woman,
show a conservatively dressed woman march into the office, order the
staff around, and straighten a picture on the wall. The reader
understands her from her actions and her speech, and it whets the
reader's appetite for more.

B. Let the reader know what kind of story it is. If it's a murder,
begin with a body. If it's a comedy, begin with something funny.

C. Set the tone quickly and clearly. If the story is full of irony and
cynicism, those must be present in the first few paragraphs. If it's a
horror story, set the dark mood.

D. Establish the locale, both where and when. Nothing drives a reader
crazy like reading a story set in the Caribbean on a cruise ship, only
to find out six pages in that the story takes place in 1945 instead of
modern times.

E. Get to the conflict quickly. Doc offered five different ways to
accomplish this:

1) Show a strong descriptive passage, as in "Red Badge of Courage."
The description of the scene (the unfolding of a battle scene) sets an
ominous tone that leaves the reader feeling something spectacular is
about to occur.

2) Show tension through dialogue, as in "The Return of Tarzan," when
the old man's wife catches her first glimpse of the ape man and utters
her lustful reaction aloud. Her husband is clueless and demands a
reason for her reaction. She refuses to elaborate, with her eyes still
glued to Tarzan.

3) Start in the midst of the great tension, as in "The Moon is Down."
This Steinbeck novel shows enemy forces overrunning a small town
without any resistance.

4) Start right at the beginning of the action, as in "The Cask of
Amontillado." Montresor states that he will have his revenge against
Fortunato, then the tale is off and running, showing the reader
exactly how that revenge is achieved in the wine catacombs with bricks and mortar.

5) Suspenseful dramatic irony: the reader knows what's going on (what
the danger is), but the protagonist is clueless, as in "Jaws." The
reader knows the shark is coming; the swimming teenager does not. Her boyfriend begs her to leave the water, the shark closes in, she doesn't come out of the water, the boyfriend begs, the shark gets closer...

That's where my notes end. Class broke for lunch, and if Doc had
anything further to say on the matter, he didn't elaborate. In my next
post, I'll talk about Janet Lee Carey, a fantasy author who taught a
fabulous class on "How to revive a Failing Story."

-Sonja

Seattle Writer's Renewal

Last weekend I attended the Christian Writer's Renewal Conference in
Seattle. Keynote speaker Dennis "Doc" Hensley inspired us with his
talk on the Power of Words; agents and editors offered advise and
listened to writers pitch ideas; teachers dispensed wisdom; and Clint
Kelly gave away books. It was a magnificent time to chat with other
writers, listen to professionals, and generally make a nuisance of
myself by following my favorite people around the building so I
wouldn't miss anything they said. Over the next several posts, I'll
dispense a little of the information I soaked up and try to convince
all you writer-types out there to attend a writer's conference if you
haven't already done so.

In his keynote address, Doc Hensley said the English language contains over 616,000 words, and as authors, all we have to do is string them together in the proper order. "We are not creators of words," Doc said, "we are re-arrangers of words." He gave an animated reading of "The Jabberwocky" to illustrate is point that even nonsense words have the power to move the reader to great emotional heights. His amusing stories had the audience laughing so hard, it was difficult to take proper notes.

In his three-part class, Strategic Writing, Doc analyzed a short story
by Jack London ("War") to see how he used object symbolism, irony, and flashback. When I first read the story, I hated it (tragic endings aren't my thing), but after seeing Doc pick the story apart, I had to admit that it's a work of art and I learned a ton from the experience. We also discussed the symbolic meaning of colors, numbers, and names (my favorite example was Perry Mason, who "parries" all the prosecutors offensive attacks and them builds his case, just as a mason builds a wall), and the Nine Basic Plot Points.

In my next post, I'll share the five items Doc Hensley said should
come at the beginning of every story.

-Sonja

Research Makes or Breaks the Novel

A thousand pardons to my two loyal readers -- I haven't posted anything all year. My New Year's Resolution is to post at least once a
month.

Something fabulous happened last week: I finished my fourth novel! I completed three fantasy novels in the past few years, but there's no market for them. So I set them aside and tried my hand at a murder mystery. My editor calls it a "cozy" but that doesn't seem quite right to me. It's in the same vein as the Jesse Stone novels: small town
cop, witty dialogue, tons of sarcasm, quirky townspeople, lots of fun (aside from the two dead women).

I found that the amount of research necessary for a murder is on par with the research for fantasies. Before, I had to research the "old" way of doing things: How do you make butter? How do you sharpen a sword? How do you make boots?

In a modern-day mystery, I had to research things like: What's learned in an autopsy? How long does it take the State Crime Lab to analyze tissue samples or ballistics? How many cops are are employed by a town of 20,000 people? How do you "book" someone? What kind of gun do cops carry, and do they carry all the time?

I discovered that I LIKE doing this type of research. Granted, I ran into a few things I couldn't find on-line and couldn't find an expert who could help me, so I had to make a few things up. But I found nearly everything I needed, including two unlikely sources: the pharmacist at my local grocery store was pleased to tell me all about the prescription drugs in my novel, and the public information officer at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab volunteered quite a bit of information on tissue/ballistics analysis and timelines.

I also found a series of books from Writer's Digest called the Howdunit Series. They go in-depth on all the topics you'd need for a mystery: writer's guides to missing persons, private eyes, ballistics
and weapons, crime scenes, body trauma, poisons, homicides, etc. I found a plethora of information in these books that were crucial to
the success of my novel.

Granted, I ran into several walls. Originally, I called my family
physician to ask about pharmaceuticals. She didn't have time in her schedule to chat with me about these things, so I had to find an alternative (hence the pharmacist). The web is bursting with information about pharmaceuticals, but finding the answer to a single question (like how many milligrams of liquid fit in an epi-pen?) is daunting and proved to be too sophisticated for my meager surfing skills.

The bottom line is that research is a necessary evil for writers of any genre, and I discovered that people get really excited when used as a resource. My local pharmacist now waves to me every time I come into the grocery store and asks when he'll see my book at the bookstand. He'll be even more excited when he sees I've put his name
on the "thank you" page.

For what it's worth,

-Sonja