Fairy Revel

(via Alexandra Bracken.)

Magic Under Glass is going to be re-jacketed. If you don’t know the story behind it, read here. Bloomsbury says,

“Bloomsbury is ceasing to supply copies of the US edition of Magic Under Glass. The jacket design has caused offense and we apologize for our mistake. Copies of the book with a new jacket design will be available shortly.”

Important racism issues aside, I really hope publishers will take notice and start actually paying attention to what’s between the covers of the books they are selling, and accurately reflect it on the jackets. I think this “we know what sells, and this book is getting X on it’s cover, even though it’s about Y” attitude has gone on for far too long. Do they think readers like being misled?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a romance novel with whatever hot guy the publisher deemed most appealing on the cover, and discovered a character of a totally different description on the inside. When that happens, I’m jarred out of the story as my imagination recalibrates the character’s appearance. It happens in every genre.

I don’t know the story behind the cover for Magic Under Glass, but I will say that often it seems to be the case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, or in otherwords, the art department not getting enough or the correct information before planning a cover. I’d be curious to learn how often cases like this are a result of miscommunication and a lack of interest on the part of the publisher. They just want something attractive that sells books; once that need is satisfied, does anything else matter?

I frequently ask myself the question, “Why do I have to write?” I think it’s a crucial question if one wants to survive the ups and downs of the writing life for the long haul. As a visual, tactile person, who sees strange visions of the story and feels the emotion of it before getting “ideas”, someone who is more inclined to create things that can be picked up and touched, why do I feel this burning need to write stories? I’ve always been a storyteller, ever since my days as an overly-imaginative kid running circles in my parent’s living room, telling stories out loud to myself (I never said novelists weren’t crazy). But why?

I hit on the reason awhile ago, but typically for me I’ve struggled to articulate it. It had to do with expressing ideas and beliefs, with drawing people into another world, and by doing so, putting them off their guard, so they might be willing to examine my admittedly odd ideas about the world, what it is and what it should be, with less prejudice. Not that I would necessarily change them, but that they might become willing to open their eyes and see something outside of themselves, at least while reading my work. In a recent email to her list, Holly Lisle said:

“My job as a writer is to create the best work I can, to raise the level of dialogue, to challenge my readers to see the world in new ways and to think new thoughts, to present to them worlds and ideas they have not met before in ways that make them hungry to discover more.”

There it is. She summed up my main reasons for wanting to write. I want to be able to say to other people, “The way you see the world, your fundamental premises, may be wrong. Why do you assume the segregation of children and old people is ‘normal’? Why do you get all your food from cardboard boxes or plastic tubs? Is the big, important job they promised if you went to school really big and important after all, or are you a wage slave?”

Another reason I want to write is because I am endlessly fascinated by other people and the inner workings of their minds. Visual arts can express the internal state of the artist, and possibly of the observer of the art, but it is limited in its ability to reach into the mind of another person, or many persons, and explore their every thought and feeling intimately, to uncover what drives them and what makes them laugh or shout or go quiet with awe.

I feel some tension with the writer’s life. Words are not my first language; feelings and dream-symbols are the language of my mind. But nothing fascinates me more than people and all the many puzzles that make them up.

© KY Craft

I’ve started lesson one of Holly Lisle’s How to Revise Your Novel course, and I’ve already learned some interesting things about my novel and myself as a writer.

First, I’m happier with my novel (a NaNoWriMo novel titled Dogwood for now) than I expected to be. It is a total mess, more like a series of vignettes featuring the occasional random pointless magic item than a novel, but I love the characters and setting, and there are some great moments. Definitely material I can work with.

Second, I think maybe I’m one of those writers who just loves revision. Maybe it’s because I’m a puzzle-solver and right-brained, but I can hardly keep away from my manuscript. Going through it, trying to figure out what’s wrong (not trying to fix it yet) is challenging and an extremely satisfying way to spend my time. Good thing too, because this manuscript really is like a puzzle, with pieces scattered all over the table, the floor, and some probably lost under the dog’s blanket.

Third, I am still struggling with figuring out the major through-line of the plot. I think it’s very bad to still be asking that question at this stage. I hope that by reading the manuscript through all the way, getting a bird’s-eye-view of what’s there, I can separate what’s most important from what is secondary.

I have to say that even if I don’t use anything else in the course, Holly’s method for organizing your revision notes is alone worth the price of admission. I’m sure I’ll be indebted to her forever for saving me from the piles of random scratch paper I’d be buried in without it.

Usually I don’t own the books I feature for Cover Attraction, but I’m so excited about this book I’m making an exception (and I may do so again in the future). This book was hard for me to get; after fighting gift-card wielding customers at Barnes & Noble, only to find it sold out not only at the store, but at the Barnes & Noble website, I had to get it on eBay. But I’m a fan, dang it, and this was the edition I wanted to read before reading The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. Anyway . . .

Marcia at The Printed Page hosts Cover Attraction, a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. Here is mine, The Complete Sherlock Holmes Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Edition:

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Edition

This slightly fuzzy images shows the back, decorated with the plaque for 221b Baker Street, and other Sherlockian and Victorian objects, including a penny-farthing. The spine is decorated with the Hound of the Baskervilles.

The front and end-papers are decorated with tartan paper, and I fairly swooned when I saw it; it’s masculine and British and very appropriate. The page-edges are gilt and there’s a ribbon bookmark.

The book lacks illustrations and other distractions like spoilery annotations, so it’s perfect for my first read-through of the Sherlock Holmes series.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adobemac/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Since Harry Potter ended, I’ve been looking for a series to love. I’ve tried a few but have yet to find any books that hold me captivated like Harry. Twilight was fun at first, but apart from being poorly wrapped up, the surrounding media hype felt like the series was being force-fed to me. Sherlock Holmes is a new obsession for me, but since most of the series is short stories, it won’t be long before I’m in this same boat once again.

I’m searching for a series that will grab me, that I can fall into with abandon and feel like I’ve lived it. Fantasy is my preference, but any genre will do. Here are the top five things I look for in a series. While these qualities are important for any book, I think they are crucial for a series to really be great.

1. Characters who are like real people.
   The characters in Harry Potter feel like old friends. Even minor characters have first names and last names, and you get the sense that they all have lives beyond Harry and Voldemort. They also all have flaws that are just like the flaws of real people: Harry is judgemental and a tad egotistical; Hermione is a know-it-all who sometimes falls apart under pressure; Ron is thick about emotions in spite of his good intuition. They do and say funny things. They have misunderstandings that make sense and jump to conclusions due to prejudice. They are just like real people.
2. A developed setting that is more than just set-dressing.
   I’ve read books in which you can tell that there’s nothing beyond the room the characters are standing around talking in, or the castle they’re about to attack. I don’t need Tolkien-like development (though that is nice), but I should sense that if the characters went through that door, a real, functional world exists on the other side.
3. A good hero and an evil villain.
   Everyone has virtues and flaws, but I like heroes who try their hardest to do what’s right, even when they suffer for it. I don’t want to be confused about who should win and who should lose, and why. I don’t want the villain’s excuses to be treated as justifications. If I’m going to read this series for 3+ books, I want to experience a world that is basically moral, if complex, where tough decisions are made and the hero earns an appropriately happy ending.
4. Story threads that flow from book to book.
   I’m not much for cliffhanger endings, but I do like some threads left loose to be picked up in future books, and I definitely like at least one story arc, even a background one, to flow through all the books in the series, only to be resolved in the last book. Many series (mysteries especially, perhaps?) tend to resolve all plots and subplots before the end, so things are sort of “reset” at the beginning of the next book, but I prefer connecting threads.
5. A believable romance.
   I don’t know about anyone else, but I struggle to stay interested if there are no racing hearts or at least some blushing. Give me a romantic story that develops over the course of the series along with everything else above, and you’ll have given me a series I can fall for.

If you know of a series with these elements, do tell! I am always looking for Mr. Perfect Series.

At the beginning of each year, I wonder whether it’s wise to set these goals, or if it’s even important. I think about skipping this step every year, and this year is no exception. This morning, though, I realized that I finally met a long-term goal of mine in 2009: I wrote a novel. It’s a NaNoWriMo novel, hardly what you could call “complete”, but it has a beginning, middle and end and has a main story arc. I’ve finally done it! So this year, I’m going to keep setting goals and keep trying to reach for them.

Writing Goals

• Revise Dogwood, my 2009 NaNoWriMo novel.
• Write another novel.
• Write a short story and submit it for publication.

Reading Goals

• Read 50 books (every year I participate in the 50 Book Challenge; year before last I read about a dozen, in 2009 I read 27, so I’m getting there!)
• Read 20 books off my list for 100 Project.
• Conquer my own bookshelves! I’d like to put a big dent in the unread books I own.

That’s all for reading goals. I’m trying to avoid any challenges involving specific authors, series or similar since usually end up regretting them. I’m also not hosting any challenges other than 100 Project, because every time I do, the blog I host it at dies a sudden death! Though I’m sure I’ll try again in the future . . . but not right now.

Personal Goals

• Learn to make madeleines.
• Develop a homekeeping routine.
• Learn wirework jewelry making.
• Keep working on bellydance.

I have more personal goals I could list, but I think I’d better keep it reasonable. If I get to other stuff, all the better. Those are the definites.

I say “at” Christmas because only one of these was a gift. I did receive a gift card for Barnes & Noble, so technically the gifts will happen this weekend.

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories – A gift from my mother. This is a beautiful two-volume set containing all of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, and featuring the silhouette of the Great Detective himself on the spines of both books (a third volume of novels completes the image). The outside and covers of each volume are decorated with vintage color illustrations, and the text is heavily annotated, and accompanied not only by vintage black-and-white illustrations, but black-and-white photographs of actual locations mentioned in the tales, taken around the time Holmes and Watson would have seen them. This set is so gorgeous I’m almost afraid to touch it (and the designer in me is totally thrilled that they chose a lovely Arts & Crafts typeface for the titles; I will have to discover just which one it is).

Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry – This book teaches basic wire working skills, starting with “Working with Jewelry Pliers” and moving on to more difficult techniques. I’m working on getting my toolkit together, in a pared-down version, and can’t wait to get started hammering, twisting and wrapping! I’m most excited to finally be able to make my own clasps and other findings, sometimes the most expensive parts of a jewelry project.

The Mind of the Maker – I’m not totally sure how to describe this book, so I’ll grab something from the back cover copy:

This classic, with a new introduction by Madeleine L’Engle, is by turns an entrancing mediation on language; a piercing commentary on the nature of art and why so much of what we read, hear, and see falls short; and a brilliant examination of the fundamental tenets of Christianity. The Mind of the Maker will be relished by those already in love with Dorothy L. Sayers and those who have not yet met her.

A mystery writer, a witty and perceptive theologian, culture critic, and playwright, Dorothy Sayers sheds new,unexpected light on a specific set of statements made in the Christian creeds. She examines anew such ideas as the image of God, the Trinity, free will, and evil, and in these pages a wholly revitalized understanding of them emerges. The author finds the key in the parallels between the creation of God and the human creative process. She continually refers to each in a way that illuminates both.

I’m resisting the urge to put other books down for that one, but I will be good and wait, hehe.

Last night I tried to start work on one half of the story that was Amaranth, pulling out the crucial pieces and renaming it Evening Primrose. I’m hoping a re-christening will give me a fresh perspective.

I shouldn’t be stressing yet. But last night a question occurred to me that is causing me some consternation. The first inklings of this novel in my imagination consisted of three elements: a forbidden love, a medieval cozy mystery with fantasy elements, and a castle full of inhabitants who all play a part in the story, including servants.

The troublesome question is this: It feels like a series to me, and I have never read a mystery that wasn’t part of a series. (As for “fantasy-mystery”, which this book is, I have no point of comparison by which to judge.) But if it’s to be the beginning of a long series, I want to pace the forbidden love element out to span the series. In otherwords, the characters involved shouldn’t marry in the first book; I want the feeling of sustained tension. However, the way I was taught to write (and the stance I generally agree with) is to never save anything “for the next book in the series”, because that next book may never be written.

So I’m in a bit of a quandary. Maybe I can resolve smaller questions about the relationship during the course of this book? But how to create the necessary dramatic tension to break the reader’s heart?

I will miss the title Amaranth, but I think it may be best to leave it behind, at least for now.

• Cozy Mysteries
  I’ve never read mysteries much before, just one novel with Jane Austen as the detective, but since I started watching the Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series starring Jeremy Brett, I’ve become obsessed and will now fill that gap in my reading history. This Winter I plan to read the Sherlock Holmes stories. I also have a copy of Alone, #2 in the Valentino Mysteries (featuring film archivist detective, Valentino) that I’m going to try out, and Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers has been sitting on my bookshelf forever, waiting to introduce me to her detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. Also, if I can get a copy, I’d like to read Death at Wentwater Court, volume 1 in the Daisy Dalrymple series by Carola Dunn, since I unwittingly bought volume 17 (Black Ship, because of the cover, of course) in the series a while back.
• Patricia A. McKillip
  Yes, I read her a lot so this is really nothing new. But I’m hoping to finish her Riddle-Master trilogy before the end of the year, and hopefully The Tower at Stony Wood. It really all depends on how much time I have. I’m reading Riddle-Master of Hed right now and it’s classic high fantasy, with all the usual tropes, including the farm-boy (or more accurately, farmer-prince) who discovers he’s more than he seems, but McKillip’s writing is so much better than most others who’ve attempted this plot that it makes the classic motifs feel brand-new. If you miss this kind of story and want to read an excellent example, try Riddle-Master.

I think more than that would probably be overdoing it. At my usual reading rate, this certainly is overdoing it, but if I just use it as a general guideline, no harm done, right?

This is probably the weirdest National Novel Writing Month I’ve participated in yet. Aside from totally out-of-the-ordinary events happening almost every day from November 1st onward, I’ve been writing using a peculiar process for my first draft, and I’m not at all sure where it’s taking me.

I started with a vague idea of setting and a small, under-developed cast of characters. With those in mind, I started writing scenes. I’m writing them in whatever order they spring to mind, and though they are written in third-person past-tense, they sometimes resemble background notes more than scenes. As the story grows, I seem to have two plotlines developing side-by-side, the events of one happening in the “now” of story-time (i.e. 1931 or 1934, I haven’t decided which, and no, I don’t know why those two specific years are the options) and one happening in the past (about 1925). These two plotlines involve different but closely related characters. It’s all very surprising.

Beyond that, I’m frequently running into the problem of still having absolutely zero idea where my main plot is going. The subplot has figured itself out and wrapped itself up fairly nicely, but the main plot, the “now” plot, is completely without direction. I know there are some good guys, some bad guys, and some ambiguous guys, but that’s about it.

In an article called SOLVED: The Outlining vs. Organic Writing Debate, Larry Brooks says,

To outline or not to outline… that’s the wrong question.

The issue isn’t about outlining. The issue is simply the degree of foundational story architecture awareness that a writer brings to their process.

I think there are two layers to this writing truth. The first is a basic awareness, a general grasp on story structure that is indispensable to every writer. The second is an understanding of the main conflict for the specific work-in-progress.

Since I started writing, I’ve grown exponentially in my understanding of story architecture. I’ve read a lot of books since then (and the number of books I read each year is still growing), fiction as well as non-fiction books, many about writing and story structure. I’ve also explored a number of different outlining methods, and though none of those methods were ultimately successful for me, but I learned more about story architecture through each one. Essentially, I am burning story architecture into my subconcious, so that I’m subtly aware of it now that I’m making my first expedition into writing without an outline.

Not that it’s going totally smoothly, which brings me to the second necessary element when writing organically. It’s important, at least to me, that I go in with some sort of plan, especially an understand of the main conflict. I can see already that a big portion of what I’ve written will be dumped in revision. I know that all stories have scenes cut, but switching main plots mid-stream is frustration I’d prefer to avoid. I think if I’d mapped out the basic story trajectory in my head, working out the major conflict before starting to write, I could have avoided that. Instead, I just have to hope I can connect those doomed scenes to the main plot somehow, but most likely those will be lost words chalked up to “exploration”.

Which is how I’m trying to view this draft: “exploratory”. I expect I’ll do better in the future when I’ve taken the time to do the necessary bare-minimum planning. But hey, in a way that’s what NaNoWriMo is for—experimenting and having fun. I’ve learned a lot already, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of Week Two plays out.

Follow my NaNoWriMo progress.