Write Me A World

What I Learned in a Week Without My Computer

A few weeks ago, my computer had some issues. The kind where things won't stay open more than a few minutes and an ominous clicking starts about 20 minutes after each reboot.

Needless to say, I didn't get much writing done. Scratch that. I didn't get ANY writing done.

I'm diligent about backing everything up, so I wasn't concerned about that. But it WAS a challenge to get anything new out on page in between all the mini-crashes and restarts as I tried valiantly to salvage the system through fixes.

What I did discover were new ways to keep moving forward on my story, sans laptop.

You can get an amazing amount of things done on your phone, including voice texting yourself blog posts. (I did two!) And cleaning up that pesky Twitter feed.
The backlog of writing may melt your brain.
Mini tape-recorders are a God-send. I actually managed to "write" a couple thousand words via dictation. I typed them up once I got my new laptop.
Catch up on some quality reading time. In between all the reboots while trying to salvage my old laptop, I enjoyed a great read with Maria Dhavana Headley's MAGONIA.
And, when all else fails and you're ready to chuck it out the window, go to bed early. Sometimes it's the best way for imagination to strike.

I'm back in action with a new laptop now. No more brain melting for me!

Touring the Senses...Again!

Last year, I did a blog series on how using the five senses can improve your writing's power. People found it pretty helpful, so dust off your author passports - we're doing it again!

Follow the links below for your very own "Tour of the 5 Senses."

Using SIGHT in your writing
Using TOUCH in your writing
Using TASTE in your writing
Using SMELL in your writing
Using SOUND in your writing

Leaving Room for Spontaneity

Imagine how boring and stressful our lives become when we don’t leave room around the edges for spontaneous fun or spur-of-the-moment decisions. The same holds true for characters.

While we know every moment of our book is plotted, readers should feel like our characters could spin off into random actions every once in a blue moon. Otherwise, the most beautifully twisty plots become semi-predictable and overburdened with tension. But how do we convey that spontaneity in a way that doesn’t seem contrived?

Let your characters do something totally different than the heart of the current plot (notice I didn’t say totally unrelated to the plot). If war is pending, have them race to the river on a dare, let them check the home-brews they’ve started on their space shuttles, or go dancing in the sky. It’s funny how often—in fiction and in real life—THESE are the moments that stick with us and carry the most poignant meaning.
Time of day can also be helpful. Early morning or late evening and night are great times for spontaneous walks, flights, swims, and reflection. It also provides a pause in the action so your character (and readers!) can catch a breath.
Have your character meet someone new or strike up a friendship with a previously distant co-character. The novelty and new set of dynamics between the two will help their actions feel spontaneous even in instances where it’s a little more scripted.

So, there you have it. A trio of ways to add spontaneity to your tightly plotted novel.

It’s also fun to track the spontaneous things you do in real life. Next time your friends ask you to get drinks, go fishing in the Amazon on a whim, or catch that flight to Iceland at the eleventh hour, start a list. You can use the ideas as inspiration.

Now, I’m off to do something wholly unplanned and adventurous!

Oh, and don't forget to catch up on all our reviews, author interviews and fandom posts over at Books. Fantasy. Fandom!

Writing Wrap-up

I've come across some wonderful quotes and links on Twitter lately, so I thought it'd be fun to do a mash-up for you below.

Also, if you haven't yet stopped by Books.Fantasy.Fandom., here's a recap of our latest:

Happy reading and writing!

BFF's First Review & My Favorite "Tell Me a Story" Books

Happy Summer Monday, everyone!

First off, stop by Books.Fantasy.Fandom. to check out Ashley's review of A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. It kicks off our first official week of posts. I'm so excited for our Q&A with Kate Elliott on Wednesday (one of my fave fantasy authors), and our reactions to the Sherlock Special trailer for Friday Fandom.

'Tell Me A Story' Books

You know those books that draw you in and wrap you gently in their story as it unfolds like you were listening wide-eyed around a campfire or on a cozy winter night on Grandpa's knee? I call these "Tell Me a Story" books and, boy, do I love them! They make us feel like kids again, surrounded by the wonder of adventure and danger, honor and friendship.

The kind that have perfected narrative distance to achieve an almost-omniscient tale that feels like someone's speaking it right to us. Whose opening lines whisk us away and make us lean forward, elbows on knees, thinking, "Oh, this is going to be good!"

To round out the summer reading season, I wanted to a share a few of my favorites with you. They hail from many different genres, so hopefully there's a fit for all!

The Deed of Paksenarrion, Elizabeth Moon - Epic Fantasy
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle - MG/YA Fantasy
The Emerald Atlas, John Stephens - MG Fantasy
The Far Pavilions, M.M. Kaye - Historical Fiction
Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen - Nonfiction, Memoir

And, if you're still looking for a good read. Check out my review of Karina Sumner-Smith's RADIANT at Fantasy Faction.

Sneak Peek of Books. Fantasy. Fandom.

Fun news, guys! Ashley Nixon and I are starting a book review and reading blog! You may have seen the hints on Write Me A World already. While we both love (and will continue) our writing blogs, we also wanted a site where we could fan out as readers. And we figured you might too!

The result is Books. Fantasy. Fandom. Or, BFF for those who like clever acronyms.

On the site, you’ll find:

Weekly reviews of fantasy books across all ages
Friday Fandom posts about our favorite fandoms on the large and small screen
Q&As with authors like Kate Elliott, KA Stewart and more
Categories and tags that help you find reviews in our archives (even tricky finds like “YA for boys”)
Our review policy in case you’ve got something you think we’d love!

As you can probably tell by the number of exclamation points, we’re really excited about BFF and hope you are too!! In fact, we hope you’re so excited you’ll spread the word and stop by to enjoy. We can’t wait to share our favorite books and new reads with you!

If you have questions, salutations or are interested in a guest post, email us at booksfantasyfandom[at]gmail[dot]com.

Happy reading!

The Eyes Have It...Or Do They?

If you're anything like me, you've watched your share of gut-punchingly emotional scenes in movies or TV shows where the characters seem to say EVERYTHING with their eyes.

No words.

No actions.

Just the subtle play of their eyes in that split second to capture what they feel: heartbreak, hope, fear, disappointment, anger, love.

Even in our daily lives, the eyes tell a story of someone's moods, thoughts, and reactions. Talented actors and actresses can convey even more. (The 100's Bellamy Blake seems to have a corner on the expressive eye emotion market.)

So, if you're FURTHER like me, you watch these great scenes and think, "That! That right there is what I want to capture in my novel."

And here's where those eyes begin to lead us astray. The danger is that, while eyes can be a powerful nonverbal cue on-screen, readers can't actually SEE them on the page. We end up describing the eyes (telling) rather than the emotion itself (showing). All that great potential too often fizzles in feeble phrases like "He looked..." or "Her eyes widened."

This last one is a good example of the limitations. While "eyes widened" is a nice lead-in phrase, what does it actually tell us? People's eyes can widen in surprise, in hurt, in fear. Which one is your character facing?

On TV, we naturally intuit the answer from tiny clues. A frightened eye looks different than a surprised eye. But those are nearly impossible to communicate on page via eyes alone. In order for it to have meaning, we need to take it deeper and that can be danger-ground for telling.

But it doesn't have to be. Instead of letting the eyes do all the work, opt for other supports and alternatives that pack more punch on page:

Facial expressions and movement - What does your character do with her eyebrows, forehead, lips, nose, chin that helps convey what she's feeling?
Action - Make your character DO something. Even a subtle shiver or the clenching of a hand can speak volumes. Action is doubly effective for emotion, because it can be seen, and sometimes felt, by both the POV character and any other characters in the scene with him.
Internalized actions - Showing action doesn't mean your character needs to physically move. Throats can tighten, stomachs can turn cold, spines can stiffen.
Inner dialogue or thoughts - A character can't see her OWN eyes to describe emotion, so unless you're writing omniscient, sprinkle in some thoughts to give us a peek at her internal reaction.
Dialogue - This is your best bang-for-the-buck at conveying emotion and advancing the story. Dialogue on the page is what eyes are on-screen. Readers intuit the tone, subtle undercurrents, and what's left unsaid as much as what your characters discuss aloud.

Now, go forth and make us weep!