Comic Con and Conference

What’s that you say? Comic Con? Why yes indeedy! It’s happening in good ol’ Salt Lake City this year and I’m soooo excited. Ever since I abandoned going to San Diego’s Comic Con I’ve felt a void in my soul that’s been needing some geeky filling.

Haven’t heard of SL Comic Con? Well of course you haven’t! I guess it used to be called GEEX, it was more about gaming. But now we’ve got William Shatner heading it up, with Adam West, Burt Ward, Kevin Sorbo, Adrian Paul, Tia Carrera and so much more.

Okay, yes, it won’t be as big of a deal as SDCC, but the point is I don’t have to fly out there and stand in line for 5 hours to get into Hall H for that one forum that was ill-placed after the Twi-hards’ stupid forum finishes! Did I mention it got to the point of ridiculousness I would find ways to sneak into forums without the line? It really pissed off the SDCC workers, but you could walk down the “OUT” corridor and when someone exited the forum you wanted, you ran like the dickens inside, disappearing into the crowd before they could catch you. Yes, friends, that’s how desperate it became. Because I HATE linecutters and people who broke the rules like that and SDCC became such an intolerable atmosphere I became one of them! Oh the humanity!

So, now I can lay that stress aside. Sure, all the big studios may not be promoting there, but somehow I’m fine with just geeking out with my local homies. I just can’t deal with the alternative anymore.

Anyway, it’s coming up in a couple of weeks. It runs September 5-7 and of course I’ll give you all the deets with photos and forum notes and any other good things a happening. Oddly enough, when we were out TARDIS playing yesterday, the kid who built it told us Comic Con called about renting it. I’m sure he’s flying higher than a kite these days, but I love that Utah hearts its geeky stuff like that. I mean, these are the same types of people who thought it would be awesome to build this.

And they were right. It is awesome.

I’m also doing a writing conference the week after hosted by the League of Utah Writers. This one isn’t as big a deal as Storymakers in my mind, but it still never hurts to workshop my writing and I can meet with an agent one-on-one again. It’s all about seizing opportunities. Of course I’ll share what I learn there with you all as well.

September is gonna be awesome!

Do you ever attend Comic Con or the like in your area? What about writing conferences? If you could attend Comic Con would you dress up? And what as? Do you secretly wish you could live in the UP house?

SMC: Voice

This was a panel given by agent Michelle Witte, who has also authored a couple of books. One is The Craptastic Guide to Pseudo-Swearing, something you children’s, MG, and even some YA writers may find valuable. The other is The Faker’s Guide to the Classics, a snarky version of cliff notes for those who want to up on the classics, but don’t have the time to read them. Having read some of the Craptastic Guide, Witte’s snark is something you’ll find extremely enjoyable. They’re both available to Kindle sample, so give ’em a try.

Okay, NOTES:

She said there’s three parts to writing that form the “story” triangle of sorts:

1. Voice
2. Writing
3. Plot

Two areas of the “triangle” can be bigger than the other. But if one is big while the other two remain weak it may be why your story falls flat.

CHARACTER

Character is the central part of voice. It’s the character who brings voice out onto the page.

“The writer’s voice in a novel generally belongs to a character.” –Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

There are two kinds of voice: the writer’s voice and the voice of an individual book. The main character defines the voice of the book.

Take Mary Higgins Clark, for example. Her novels all sound the same. Your writing is what works for you. Each book should have its own unique voice.

SMC: Writing Action Scenes

How are your action scenes? Too long? Not descriptive enough? Let this forum presented by AUTHOR give you the tips to take your action from flab to fab. Even if action is your strong suit, I think there’s great tips for all.

And now, the NOTES:

Tip #1 Do what you write
Figure out the logistics of your scene. Act it out as much as possible and see if there’s anything else you notice that might give texture to the scene for your readers. Or, if it’s not something you know a lot about, sit down with someone who does.

Tip #2 Use your verbs.
When it comes to action scenes, use very strong words, not passive. Ask yourself, does this verb foreshadow? Often great writers will take language that is in the climax and put it in Chapter One. That way when readers reach the climax on a subconscious level it all makes sense.

Tip #3 Avoid passive voice at all costs
Action needs to be very present and very accountable. Passive voice is abdicating responsibility. It shows a character being acted upon rather than acting, and action 100% needs your characters acting (even if they’re getting smashed to bits).

Tip #4 Use dialogue strategically.
In real life you don’t do much talking when you’re fighting, so leave out unnatural long speeches or dialogue that just wouldn’t work in an action scene. However, that doesn’t mean ex out all dialogue. When dialogue breaks up the action it’s a good thing. Dialogue can frame the action you’ve written. (Remember Empire Strikes Back? Of course you do! Anyway, think of Luke and Vader fighting. A lot of that scene they aren’t talking, but as Luke is being defeated Vader starts to insert lines that give us insight into Luke possibly losing his internal conflict as well.)

Remember, part of the battle is the psychological. The first one to lose their temper is often the loser. But don’t use fight scenes to put in exposition (aka backstory or infodumping). A fight scene should be all in the present and all intense.

Tip #5 Make sure every sentence moves the action forward.
This is not the place to dwell, wallow, or describe a sunset. Every sentence takes us closer to the climax of this action. Every sentence is a continuation of action. Only use details you’ve already introduced, don’t introduce new details because it will slow the scene down.

But remember, you don’t have to give the wikipedia explanation of everything. Sometimes writers feel like they have to prove they’re knowledgeable of something when all it usually ends up doing is showing that they’re trying to prove they are knowledgeable. Keep it simple and keep it moving.

Tip #6 Read Other Writers
One of the best ways to learn how to write great action is to read other author’s action scenes. Ask yourself, how do they “grab” me? Bad examples can teach you a lot as well. If the writing drags, can you see why? Emulate those you admire and workshop your writing (I think she means, have it beta read) to find strengths/weaknesses.

Tip #7 Give it Tension (Don’t make it easy)
Give your enemy a brain. Remember: if the action scene wasn’t planned by your protagonist, it was planned by the opposition.

The opposition must be formidable in some way. They must want something from the hero. What gives them an edge is they are willing to do things your hero can’t or won’t do.

The hero cares more and hence has more to lose. Everything your hero has on the field they want to keep. The opposition is perfectly willing to sacrifice whatever he/she needs in order to defeat the hero.

Tip #8 Foreshadow the Protagonist’s success or failure

(At this point we were running short on time, so she went way faster. I’ll try and summarize what I believe she meant by her headings.)

Use language and/or symbolism to indicate whether or not your protagonist will succeed. You can also use this to misdirect readers into thinking one thing will happen and show them it’s quite the opposite.

Tip #9 Keep it Tight (In Scene) But Let It Breathe
Set up the scene for action and then let the scene play. Understand the time/space where they figure out things. (She mentioned one author whose name I can’t remember, sorry, who had people read her action scenes while people behind her acted them out. She said it shouldn’t take longer to read the scene than it does for them to act it out. Daunting eh?)

Tip #10 Have Stakes (What does the winner get?)

Make sure whatever the winner gets that it’s really good and it’s really devastating to the opposition, be it the hero or the villain.

Tip #11 Keep Track of Time (keep it real time)
(Ah, here’s where she actually mentioned it. But it never hurts to read this twice). An action scene should not take longer to read than to physically do.

Tip #12 Keep it Primal (instinct not intellectual)

(Someone mentioned the fight scenes in RDJ’s Sherlock Holmes as the contrary example to this. But we fully believe that Sherlock would be doing the play-by-play in his mind of a fight, so it works for him. It likely wouldn’t work for most of our characters).

Let your characters react to action scenes based on instinct. Let them mess things up, misjudge things, get more angry when they realize they’re losing, etc.

*****

I really found this forum helpful and recently got feedback from a friend on a certain scene that wasn’t utilizing these tips. It’s been great timing for me to post it. 😉 I challenge you to look at your action scenes and see if there isn’t anything you can do to pep them up.

Did you find anything helpful? Do you feel more confident in writing action scenes? What do you do to research action scenes? Any of this advice you’re already utilizing?

SMC: Powerful First Pages

This breakout session was taught by Josi Kilpack, author of the Culinary Mysteries series and several other books. Check out her author website here.

And now, THE NOTES.

If we want other people to read our books we must fulfill their expectations. We’ve created a sort of reader contract with them. The first chapter is your first chance to fulfill or fail those expectations.

OPENING HOOK vs BOOK HOOK

The book hook is what your book is about. The opening hook is getting right into the story and making sure right away that it is interesting to your reader. So while your whole book must have an interesting premise and blurb to entice readers to read the book, the first chapter must have it’s own mini-hook that drives them to proceed anxiously to chapter two.

A side note: A lot of people will point to other authors who break the rules as their excuse for breaking the rules in their own novels. But here’s the thing: In order to break rules you must 100% absolutely understand why that rule is in place and know exactly why you’re bending it. Otherwise it’ll likely turn into a gimmick—and you’ll push potential readers away.

HOOK vs GIMMICK

Your goal is to gain the reader’s interest. You will lose most readers after the first chapter if it’s not good. However, sometimes things we think must be interesting aren’t if we allow them to become a gimmick and not a hook.

For example, let’s say there’s great action in the first chapter, but it didn’t match the book. The rest of the book was more of a careful, slow build to a different kind of story—more like a Steel Magnolias tone vs. Die Hard. It didn’t fit, it didn’t give you a good idea of what this story is about. It’s become a gimmick if you’re trying to manipulate readers into reading the book and setting up a false hope of what the story will be about. Not every book must be an action story, nor should it, but don’t set up false expectations of what kind of story your reader will be getting.

BEFORE YOU START

1) Mood/Tone – What do you want your reader to feel when they read this chapter? Sympathetic? Anxious? What feeling do you want your readers to take away from this first chapter?
2) Goal – What’s the goal of this chapter? What’s the character’s goal? What’s the plot’s goal? We need to know the starting point, and why it’s important we chose it. Do it in the present. We’re often tempted to do backstory and a lot of setting, but we must start our story now, where the story begins.

Tips for Starting Active:

• Have dialogue
• Have movement
• Have momentum
• Create tension
• Show interaction
• Have action (though this doesn’t necessarily mean guns blazing, just that something is happening)
• Show conflict
• Enter at the middle of the scene

SMC: Character Arcs

This fun panel was brought to us by Jordan McCollum who also made access to her Prezi (like Powerpoint but cooler) via her website. So if my notes don’t make any sense, you can always check out hers. Plus she’s got links and sources. Nothing but the best for all of you peeps.

CHARACTER ARCS

Your character needs to have made some change by the end of your story. This can be many different types of change. Examples:

• Mystery to truth
• Fear to courage
• Ambition to destruction
• Doubt to decision

The internal journey is a major part of the elixir—the process of fixing what’s wrong in his/her life. Sometimes this can be more compelling than the external prize he/she can gain.

What if you don’t know your characters well enough yet? Are you trying to find a good internal conflict, or you still can’t figure out how the external events of the plot are going to affect them internally?

Focus on what motivates your character. Is it her:

• Profession
• Hobbies
• Journey & changes in the story

What compels her to go on this journey with you? What are her values? What does she prize above all else?

PERSEVERER

Let’s pretend our MC is going on the show “Perserverer” (think Survivor, but since that’s copyrighted, we’re using this title instead). Why would our MC be going on the show? Money is the obvious reason, but it’s got to be more than that to be a compelling story.

The external events of the story directly influence the character’s emotional journey. A well-executed internal character journey is intertwined with the external plot. The events of the plot show the characters’ starting and ending points. But the external plot’s events also force the change and show the stages of the journey throughout.

When your writing the conflict, you’ve got to take it way back. The starting point 1) must be shown and 2) it must be bad. You must have it on screen. You can’t have people tell the reader about it nor can you just tell the reader about it.

Michael Hauge says there are plenty of ways to create the starting point. It can be:

• Longing
• Wound (something that’s really affected them)
• Belief (start wrong, lead them to assume a mask)
• Mask (not who they truly are)
• Essence

An example of this for character arcs can be Shrek. He believes that because he is an ogre everyone will run away from and fear him and so he wears that mask making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But when you’re writing these arcs, don’t forget character sympathy! If they just let life keep kicking them, it’s hard to sympathize with them. Make sure they have struggles AND strengths.

The emotional starting point must be BAD, so bad that the character must fix it. They’ve probably already learned how to cope with it, but when the story begins you must weave something in so that when they face it this time they have to do something more to overcome it. And the more ingrained this is the harder it is to change.

Go back to Shrek. He’s so convinced about his mask of being “the ogre” he’ll even travel to Lord Farquaad’s kingdom to have him order people away when secretly what he wants is acceptance. He’ll do everything he can to keep people away, to hide his vulnerability.

“Save the Cat” is a great book on story telling. Some pieces of advice from this book is to make sure you take a step back. We must show the audience everything, and sometimes you have to make it worse for your character.

Character-driven fiction is about internal change. -Alicia Rasley

THE SAGGING MIDDLE

Sometimes in between the starting point (or inciting incident) and the climax, our stories drag in the middle. Our character may retreat into the familiar and failure.

• link the external events and internal arc in stimulus/response units (I think you could also call it action/reaction).
• character should try to maintain their world view most of the story—doesn’t want to change.
• character is presented with real choices, stacked choices
• they may make a wrong choice, and slowly they’ll learn their old world view isn’t working.
• choices hurt him until he has no other choice or realizes he needs to make better choices.

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK

Make every response somehow different, and then assemble them in order of emotional risk. -Alicia Rasley

THE CLIMAX

In the ultimate moment of character change, show that the character has learned his lesson and can defeat the bad guy.

Set up the bad guy (internal, external, weather, whatever) the right way. Align the bad guy with the mask. Going back to Shrek: I’m a big scary ogre, the bad guy believes the same.

Show how the MC is (or has been) like the bad guy. Make the MC choose and affirm the choice.

TIMING

We want the internal and external climax to come as close together as possible. Readers will only believe the internal change if they see it on an external level. -Alicia Rasley

So how do you have a fulfilling ending, even if your character doesn’t achieve his/her external goal? (Hint: it’s the title of this notes post…)

CHARACTER ARCS IN RELATIONSHIP STORIES (NOT JUST ROMANCE, BUT OFTEN)

Each charcter in the main relationship needs their own arc, needs their own wound, and/or their own mask. The love interest must be able to see past the mask eventually to the character’s true essence. The MC will have problems with their love interest when they retreat behind their mask. The MC’s wound should somehow match the strength, personality, etc. something about the love interest/buddy. This trait helps heal the character’s wound. (Think Donkey and Shrek. Donkey is good at talking and relating to people. He helps Shrek gather the courage to share his true feelings with Fiona, something he wouldn’t have done before.)

ARE THERE CHARACTERS THAT DON’T ARC?

Yes. They are often seen in series. They already have larger than life qualities and often go on larger-than-life adventures. (James Bond, Indiana Jones) This isn’t as common as it used to be with readers. Most these days like being with a character that arcs. You know, like Harry Potter.

Or this guy:

 

Character arcs in fiction show the power of transformative experiences. Watching that tranformation, rooting for it, and growing the character are the major reasons we read fiction.

What do you think? Do you plan character arcs into your stories? What tips do you have for those trying to figure out their character arcs? Do you miss David Tennant? Anything else you would add?