Not-Quite-Teens-Can-Write-Too: First Thing I Wrote

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arthurian legends, author, doctor who, editing, fantasy, fiction, novels, robin hood legends, science fiction, star wars, steampunk, story dynamics, writer, writing

The prompt was “What was the first thing you wrote of your own free will?”

Simple answer: I started when I was nine, writing a compilation (it was not a novel, too haphazard) of Robin Hood stories. It was poorly written, with choppy transitions, and too pleased-with-itself, and the humor was just shoved in randomly, not integrated.

Nevertheless, I had some fun with it.

Rewriting it today, I would have done it from Will Scarlet’s point of view, left out extraneous material I’d thrown in, and done a lot more research. (Watching Doctor Who has made a good impression on me. At least in that respect.)

The second thing I started to write, when I was eleven, was a complex and dedicated effort at overhauling the young people’s side of the Star Wars mythos–namely, I wrote about a Padawan Learner (different one in each trilogy.) It was essentially Jedi Apprentice, but much more ambitious. (I was eleven, and already writing at an eighth grade level. That might be hard to believe, but if you ignore the poor quality of the content and the horrible, choppy, obvious dialogue, it’s true.) This story had no central arc, being merely a series of short adventures (mind you, I had not started watching TV shows back then, so I had no real idea of how to write a story which could stand alone but also played into a larger plot. Kudos to you, Bad Wolf.) The first of these stories, in the original trilogy, starred an OC–not a Mary Sue, I am proud to say, but still horribly awkward. (I am considering rewriting some of the adventures into a separate novel that has no Star Wars affiliation, because some of these characters would fit ironically well into a steampunk setting. I recently discovered that I love steampunk, and science fiction, especially science fiction that takes its science seriously. Such a treat!)

I started a third novel a few years later about a mythical country and a young woman who had been kidnapped. This is the story that would eventually teach me that less is more, because her backstory got painfully complicated very quickly. Rewriting it today, I would make her less of a victim and more of a dynamic character with something to actually bring to the table (maybe she likes making shoes? That would be useful to the rebels!), and make her actually a real, honest-to-goodness peasant who had just been raised by her aunt and uncle, rather than a noble in disguise. Self-made nobles are far more interesting than born ones in many cases.

After that, I began work on a different angle on the Arthurian legends, which spun off into a novel about Mordred–my Mordred is a bit more like Batman, only with some anti-hero thrown in, a temper, and a vulnerable side–he desperately wants to be accepted by Arthur’s court, but he wants to be accepted for who he is, not as Arthur’s long-lost (illegitimate) son, and his best friend, Gawaine, can never find out that Mordred is really his half-brother (Morgause, in this story, is Mordred’s mother, but he was raised by his aunt Morgan.) Of course, it gets a bit violent–Mordred gets angry with Morgan and walks out on her when he turns fifteen, and of course it was acrimonious. Mordred decides to change his fate and is totally loyal to Arthur (he explains to his confidant Lady Lynnette, who is married to one of his half-brothers and found out Mordred’s secret by accident, “I don’t think of him as my father. That would be weird. I think of him as my king.”) but ends up having to make the choice between saving Arthur and stopping Morgan. Add in a bit of a dark sense of humor and there you are.

It’s not always been an easy or comfortable journey (bits of it were positively embarrassing,) but I’ve been glad to go on it, if it means improvement. Allons-y!

Thanks to Rosalie for starting up this alternative blog chain. She might think it’s awkward, but she deserves lots of hugs. You can find the launching post here.

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Authorly Bucket List Tag

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author, authorly bucket list tag, blog events, blogging, j.r.r. tolkien, new tag, practice makes perfect, story dynamics, tags, the lord of the rings, worldbuilding, writing

Okay, I’ve seen tags going around and I had an idea for a new one. (So sue me.) (And please tell me why that quote seems so familiar, too. 😛 )

So, without further ado… The Authorly Bucket List Tag!

Otherwise known as the Stuff-I-Need-To-Practice-More-Slash-Stuff-I’d-Like-To-Be-Better-At Tag. (Partly inspired by this post. Also this one.)

Basically, the idea is to list a few things you’re not very good at, and a few things which you’d like to try. Three to seven of each should be a good number. So here we go!

Things I’m Not Very Good At

1. Holding points of view through a scene. It’s a bad habit of mine–I go omniscient sometimes, or I jump heads. Big thing that needs editing. You know. That’s part of the reason why I started writing fanfiction–it helped me learn a little bit better how to hold a point of view in a scene.
2. Detachment to objects. I’m not very good at leaving stuff behind, partly because my characters are so often either not very well off (and thus need to hold on to whatever weaponry they have), or are on the run (which needs no explanation, frankly–what is wrong with me?!)
3. Certain character types. I’m very good at blatantly and manipulatively evil characters, stern characters, etc. What I am not very good with is the chronically irritating character who just gets on everyone’s nerves, the clever clown, some kinds of traitors, the double-blind traitor, and so forth. I can write a charismatic leader. Not so much an outcast who is outcast through some fault of his own.
4. Finding out the middle bits of a plot. I don’t always have a direct path through the plot, and thus I tend to occasionally write myself into corners, or lose my inspiration, and have no idea how to proceed to the next plot point that I am sure of.

Things I Want To Try

1. Dystopian, Urban Fantasy, and/or Contemporary Adventure, as well as Science Fiction. I sort of have a few books in the works, but Fantasy is my strong suit, and I know for a fact I’m not very good at writing romance, and I can’t–simply can’t–write horror. I can’t watch it, can’t read it, can’t write it. And I’m better off that way. I’m better at psychological drama and character development. (This one is mostly because I love varied and strongly-differentiated worlds in fiction.)
2. Characters who are flawed. Characters who freeze up and there are consequences. Characters who are imperfect. (Besides, your own flaws are a much better reason to angst than things that you can’t help, such as your past, things that were not your fault, and such, don’t you think?)
3. Meals that are not just soup. I think I’m mentally reverting to soup because it’s homely and hot and that’s all travelers want after a long day on the road, right? I need to figure out other meals, sometimes even less appealing.
4. Better McGuffins to tie up loose ends with and hold the story together (in the Redwall series, it’s Martin’s sword; in The Lord of the Rings, there are several, such as the phial of Galadriel or Arwen’s tokens to Aragorn.) I need to learn how to write them well into the plot.
5. Small repeated cues from a character, things that recur through a story, color scheme, etc. Anything that shows up more than once in a story, even if it’s just an Easter Egg, is really rewarding for a reader; it makes them feel good that they were paying enough attention to recognize those. Especially if it’s important to the plot. The mark of a good book is that you see new things in it every time. I want to make my books that good.

So, that’s my list of things that I wish I could do better as a writer. What’s yours? Feel free to pick up on the tag, even if you’re not on the nominations list. 😉 Just make sure that you link back to this post on my blog, and to give me a link to your acceptance posts; I want to read them. 😀

I now hereby nominate:

Sarah of Light and Shadows

Tara Therese

Portergirl at Secret Diary of Portergirl

Rachel Carrera

Proverbs31teen of The World of the Writer

IcedMocha34

Liam of This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Erin (the other one!) at Laughing at Live Dragons

Rosalie at Against the Shadows

Shiekah of Dark Link/Light Link

Amy of The Monday Heretic

Bessie Lark of Firefly

Iris at The Road Goes On

Well, that’s everyone I could think of, anyway. 😉

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Morality Sans Preachiness

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author, avoiding preachiness, characters, completely random posts, confusing nonsense, editor, insanity, muse, small rants, story dynamics, writer, writing

In modern writing, there is one big no-no, above every other taboo, except, perhaps, a poorly-thought-out plot or out-of-character characters (see Out of Character Syndrome or OOCS), and that is sounding preachy. Whatever your authorly stance on controversial issues, you must never, ever preach. Nothing sends readers running for the hills like a sanctimonious bludgeoning of preachiness thinly disguised as a story. For one thing, authors of such tripe rarely take the time to actually write a story instead of just a sermon. Your story should not be a story with a moral, it should be a story that “just happens” to have a moral. It takes talent and practice to write a story that happens to have a moral. The moral should not be the be-all and end-all of the story–rather, it should rise gradually, organically, from the rest of the tale.

But the simplest way of putting morals and morality into your story without sounding preachy can and should be easy. (Mind, I didn’t say simple–just simplest.) Simply put, neither should you as the narrator intrude on the story to preach, nor should your characters. They should not–unless it is absolutely necessary to the story–ever state their moral code, but it should be abundantly clear by their actions that they do have one. This is the very heart of good writing. Also, if the moral code in your story is ever stated, hypocrisy will become a very serious offense in your reader’s eyes. It can be used in order to create hate for a given character in your readers, and can cause a serious “alignment check.” Which means, your character may be on a fast road to the Dark Side, even if it’s only in your reader’s eyes; what your readers see is everything to them. It’s better to manipulate those emotions than it is to have those emotions slip out and betray you, which is why it’s also important to check back a couple times on what your readers will be thinking, and what they should be thinking.

To recap, your characters should not preach; they should not say “right” or “wrong” unless it’s necessary to the plot. Rather, make it clear by their actions that they are good people.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless! Love all you wonderful people. 😉

Allowed in Writing, Forbidden in Editing

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author, authors, c.s. lewis, confusing nonsense, description, dumas, editor, insanity, j.r.r. tolkien, life, living life unexpectedly, long rants, muse, rambling musings, rousseau, secret life, story dynamics, writer, writer trouble, writing

Or, How to Talk With Authors and Not Tick Them Off.

Have you ever compared a writer to a published author, only for them to become upset and irritated? It’s a common enough occurrence. I know that I myself have been subjected to this form of torture a few times.

Why do writers find comparison irritating? Well, perhaps because they are occasionally inadvertently compared to an author whose work they object to, or whom they simply know is not really very good at their craft. But more often, it’s like this.

While comparisons are the essence of description, they can also be trite and shallow. And when dealing with an author, it’s a good idea to not upset them. For one thing, it won’t change their mind or their writing if they feel antagonized. For another… have you seen those buttons around the internet?! You know, the ones that say “Be nice, or you’ll end up in my novel”?! There is truth to those, you know.

So, each event, no matter how commonplace, should be taken as a new and unprecedented one in the larger context. Also, an author may take you too literally when you compare them to Rousseau, for instance. They may think you are calling them unoriginal, that you think that their ideas are too similar to Rousseau to be taken practically. They may think that you’re secretly irritated with them for emulating Rousseau. (It’s true, writers oftentimes have inferiority complexes.) Instead, you should tell them, “Your prose reminds me of Dumas!” or “Your world-building brings C.S. Lewis to mind!” or “I love this description. It sounds like Tolkien’s work. I can really see it in my mind’s eye!” Rather than making a sweeping generalization, it’s better to compare different elements of their work to authors, rather than comparing their work as a whole. Remember, real life isn’t actually a paper you’re writing on how different mythologies influenced Lewis and Tolkien, making their work different, or comparing Dumas son to Dumas pere. Instead, you’re supposed to be giving useful feedback (not necessarily advice!) to an author who isn’t dead yet, so be specific.

Good luck.

If you can’t make it yours, make it your own!

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advice, author, camp nanowrimo july 2014, completely random posts, confusing nonsense, creative writing, editor, insanity, long rants, national novel writing month, rambling musings, small rants, story dynamics, writer, writing

Erin walks on, wearing a bright cyan headband over messy yet undeniably gorgeous curls.

People complain about originality an awful lot… She notices the looks at her hair, then shrugs. I feel pretty today. Normally my hair is frizzy, fluffy and horrible. Give me my twenty hours of advertised glory with that Pantene curl scrunching gel stuff. It’s better than what I normally get! She sits down on the chair on stage.

So, people are complaining that all the original plots are taken. She shrugs. So? My advice is, if you can’t make the plot yours, make it your own. If you can’t own it, OWN it! She notices that everyone is staring at her blankly. Am I talking gibberish again, or is my message just not getting across? She crosses one leg over the other.

If you haven’t got an absolutely original, unprecedented plot, then so what? You can still make the one you have absolutely unique. Just pour your heart out into it until you have nothing left to give. I know that sounds hard! She stands up and begins to pace. But that’s what writing is. It’s about going on even when you feel as if there’s no point. Well, there is a purpose to it, even if the purpose is only to get the people living in your heads to stop screaming at you for a little bit. It’s also not always about ending, either. It’s a paradox. You can unravel it if you like that sort of thing.

Even if you have an unprecedented plot, it still pays to put in that extra little bit of work. You following me? Scattered “yes’s” and “no’s.” She ignores the no’s. Good.

Even if you’re not the first person to write a plot of this cast, it will still be unique as long as you take the time to make it unique. It will be worth reading, because those who say “read one, read ’em all” are WRONG! Besides, some people like to read variations on a plot anyway!

So, what is the pith of this little post? I’m telling you to take the extra effort and make your story unique in every facet, because frankly? You’re NOT going to be the next… J.K. Rowling or Susan Cooper or whatsername who wrote the Hunger Games. You’d better start pursuing your own niche because there is no way you can ride to fame on the skirts of their coats. Cloaks. Whatever!

Oh, and if you’re not writing a completely unprecedented plot, don’t despair. Make it your own.

Cliches can be turned to advantage. With enough detailing, even a stereotype’s hardened exterior will dissolve into a most definitely non-Mary Sue.

Rant over.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Archivist of Selay’uu’s Journal: Authorized, but not recognized…?

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author, j.r.r. tolkien, kysherin, muse, selay'uu, star trek, star wars, the lord of the rings, writer, writing

Shortly after this morning’s staff meeting, I was typing away innocently at my laptop when I heard a commotion in the corridor outside. I leaped to my feet and ran to the door. In my experience of commotions in the mansion, they were generally well worth witnessing. I proceeded to see one of the oddest things I have ever seen.

The Star Trek 2009 (or was it 2008? I’ve forgotten…) version of Captain James Kirk was running down the hall in a state of some high emotion, though I’m not sure if it was terror, annoyance, or rage. Terror would have been quite acceptable and no detriment to anyone’s opinion of his manliness, as it turns out: Obi-Wan was after him in a flat-out fury, throwing things (such as Arthur’s pewter goblets, a bunch of sofa pillows, discarded garments, and Hon Rosie’s seedcakes and Thunderbeak’s rock-hard scones, among other things) at him, shouting imprecations at him in both Sindarin and Shendi. I was too amazed and bewildered by the spectacle to do anything, let alone intervene. Legolas shook his head as he made his way over to me. “The only person who does a better job of making a fool of himself is Jack Sparrow,” he said.

“Please tell me he’s not invading as well!” I groaned.

“Technically the Trekkers are not invading,” Legolas explained. “They’re authorized.”

“But I haven’t even seen Star Trek except for a few stray clips!” I protested.

“They’re authorized,” Legolas repeated. “Doesn’t mean they’re recognized.”

“Technically, the Elf is right,” Spock agreed, turning up nearby. I blanched.

“I think I’ve lost it. I should go see Galadriel.”

“I think it’s hilarious,” Kysherin said unhelpfully in her painfully whiny, reedy voice. I scowled at her.

“Shut up. I have a headache.”

“Galadriel’s a shrink! Galadriel’s a shrink!” Kysherin squeaked in a noxious chant. I pounced, fully intending to do murder on her miserable person.

“I will never be able to understand why humans react so to overcast days,” Spock observed.

“I’d give ’em all Vitamin D supplements,” Dr. McCoy added unhelpfully.

“Shut up,” I said, running off into my room and slamming the door. Now all I needed to do was bury myself alone in my story for several hours and I’d be fine at last.

Liebster Award (Awarded twice in two days… I don’t know if anyone else understands…)

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author, award, barbie, barbie is evil, baronness emma orczy, blogging, c.s. forester, c.s. lewis, dumas, g.a. henty, i have probably been misspelling sheikah's name all along :-p, i'll stop adding tags now lest i add too many, i've added too many tags already, j.r.r. tolkien, merlin, nanowrimo, rule of elevens, sherwood pictures, star trek, star wars, the lord of the rings, the three musketeers, the war of the vendee, writing

Rule of Elevens!!! 😛

Okay, so I was awarded the Liebster Award first of all by coruscantbookshelf (aka Rosalie, or Nasriel if you prefer) of Against the Shadows, and then again, by Sheikiah, of Dark Link/Light Link. And I have no idea who else to award it to, unless it’s okay to award to people on Blogspot? If so, please tell me and I’ll do so. (On second thoughts, I’ll do it anyway. :-P) And I have no idea how many followers most of the bloggers I know have, so forgive me if I accidentally award someone who has more than a thousand.

I guess that since I was awarded twice, I have to answer TWO sets of questions. Okay, here goes.

Since Rosalie awarded me first, I’ll answer her questions first.

1. Which do you prefer: Old or New Republic, and why? (That’s Episodes I-III and IV-VI respectively, for the old people out there.) I think I prefer the Old Republic… mainly because I have only read Jedi Apprentice and Clone Wars-era Expanded Universe, and I don’t quite care for the angle they took the post-Return of the Jedi stories, mostly because (as I’ve said before) I am a biased supporter of the celibacy requirement for the Jedi, just because it made it cool and more like an actual religious order to me. Also I am a history nut. 😛 Which is the probable reason for my bigoted preference… 😛 Also, the prequels had Obi-Wan! 😛 And the “sequels” aren’t likely to! 😛

2. Which do you prefer: Old or New Testament, and why? Oooh… this is a tough one. I don’t think I have a preference. Though I do love Luke and John’s lyrical and symbolic styles, respectively…

3. Who is your favorite actor/actress absolutely of all time? I’m having a hard time choosing. I don’t think I can pick just one. Because, honestly, I’ve seen people who are really good, but I have to say that Paul Reilly, who isn’t even professional, and Alex Kendrick, who is really a minister. Paul Reilly is Jacques Cathelineau in The War of the Vendee from Navis Pictures, and Alex Kendrick plays the protagonists in all the Sherwood Pictures films except for Fireproof. But professional actors… I’m going with Liam Neeson (no surprise there,) Ewan McGregor, and Colin Morgan. (Because the Jedi team of The Phantom Menace was awesome, and Colin Morgan is just brilliant as the title character of Merlin.)

4. This one seems to be part of the rules: Why do you blog? Oh, I don’t know, really. Several reasons–it’s hard to pick a primary one. I think it’s mostly an outlet, in case I need to rant or just yell at the world in general, and people commiserate, which is awesome. It’s also gaining me a reader base, since I want to become a published author. But I think it started when I was over on Wikia, which some of my friends used to connect on–they had a blog option for registered users, which was great. I started posting The Hero’s Dream over there, and then when some of my Nanowrimo friends (thank you Rosalie!) wanted to read it, I started this blog and posted it serially. (Actually, the story is way more complex than that, but I think you want your answers in less than 500 words. If you all want me to post and explain how I began blogging in full, please comment and tell me so!)

5. If you could live anywhere in this world other than where you do, where would you choose? Practicality aside. Ireland. It’s a beautiful country. (Also, I want to learn Gaelic.) That, or New Zealand. They filmed The Lord of the Rings there–how do you beat that?!

6. Favorite dictionary: Oxford, Webster, Cambridge, Chambers, Collins – what? And why? The old edition Oxford–it was clean and got you what you needed to know–and Webster. Because it’s the first, and because it’s American, I guess. 😛

7. For those that write for fun: how many plot bunnies (story ideas) do you have on the go right now? How many do you think will get finished? (For those that don’t, go listen to this to kill time. Utterly epic.) Mmmm… Nine or so, I think. Probably more, if you count my Star Wars stories. Go to my Novels page if you want to see most of them. There’s another original novel brewing, but I haven’t got it clear in my head yet, so it’s not up yet. (Hint: It’s about Mordred! 😉 )

8. What’s your opinion of fictitious superheroes? I don’t really have one. I don’t particularly care for superhero movies, except for The Incredibles (which I absolutely love!), and I’ve never read any books about superheroes. However, I love anything Jedi and most fantasy, so I don’t know. I might like them. Still, I rather enjoy my non-Avengers fan status… 😛

9. What’s your opinion of fictitious everyday heroes? Cynically? People love to hero-worship. Practically? We need people to lead us and be shining examples, both fictitious and real.
Idealistically? I think that fictitious heroes give us something to strive to be, and I really wish they were real.

10. What’s your opinion of factitious everyday heroes? (Do not quote Sherlock!) (Okay, I won’t. :-P) I think that factitious heroes may not be quite the same way people envision them, but I believe that they do exist. For instance, the firefighters and other emergency response teams at the Twin Towers terrorist attack on 9/11/2001 were true heroes.
Ironically, though, I think that most people who have been named heroes by popular acclaim really don’t think of themselves as heroes, just people doing their jobs exceptionally well, or ordinary people trying to help. In this sense, I think anyone who tries to do the best they can to help others, both in the pursuit of duty and on the spur of the moment, is a hero.

11. Have you ever been given this award before? If so how many times? Never. Though I’m about to… 😛

Now for Sheikiah’s questions…

1. Why do you blog/What is your goal for your blog? Well, you know why I blog already. ;-P I already said. 😛 My blogging goal, though, is to just give people some enjoyment in fiction, as well to explain why I fiction. 🙂 (Yes, I used that as a verb. If that is NOT a verb, it should be. ;-D)

2. Out of all the established fictional realms you know of — Middle-Earth, Narnia, etc. — pick one you’d like to live and one you wouldn’t want to live in. Oh, I’d love to live in Middle-Earth, Narnia, the galaxy far, far away… Mostly because the rules are different… and in Star Wars, if you’re a Jedi, you also do not have to worry about the tax paperwork. 😛 (I hate paperwork. I recently started doing some of my own, and I repeat: I hate it! Even though hate is the path to the Dark Side!) But if I had to just make one that I would love to live in… Probably Middle-Earth. And the one I would not like to live in: drum roll, please… the world of the Harry Potter books.

3. Why those two? (I admit this is probably cheating, making this a separate question.) I have not read Harry Potter, but I wouldn’t like to be the one out who had to fight magic-using enemies without magic (or special training.) Same goes for Supernatural. Besides, I don’t feel comfortable with the way that J.K. Rowling reputedly handles the idea of magic in her novels. It doesn’t seem like something I could enjoy in all good conscience. To Harry Potter fans: I’m not attacking you! I’m just saying that I don’t think it would be my cup of tea! And the reason why I’d love to be in Middle-Earth: I’m a scholar. I would absolutely love to study with Elrond or Aragorn, visit all those places… And I’m not bad with a sword, either. 😛

4. Where on planet Earth would you most like to live? Most like to live… Well, I think I like where I do live. ;-P But otherwise… New Zealand (see above.) Mostly because it’s not in such a bad condition, politically, as other countries are… viewing it with my American Constitutionalist lens again here… 😛

5. Which film adaptation do you think is the most faithful to the original book? Why? The Lord of the Rings. Much as I like to whine about how they changed some situations, eliminated Tom Bombadil, etc., it still didn’t mangle the book as badly as some other movie adaptions. *mutters* The Three Musketeers… Barbie… I have a lasting grudge against Barbie. So insipid and sugary.

6. Which adaptation is the least faithful? Why? Well… of the movies I’ve actually seen… the adaption of The Scarlet Pimpernel that stars Richard E. Grant. Much as I love this adaption, it’s very unlike the book. But as a stand-alone movie… *swoons*

7. If you had the chance to make one event in history not-happen, which and why? And don’t say “the Holocaust”, that’s just too obvious. Oooh, this is so hard… The French Revolution in general. It did something similar to France as Hitler did to Germany. I mean, left scars that are still there to this day. (And it’s been longer since, too!) Especially, I would take back the subjugation of the Vendee. Also, I would make the Vendee better remembered. The people there were so gallant and courageous! I hate it that they portray them in some movies and books as making an effort doomed to failure that only makes things worse for them! They were fighting for what they believed in, passionately, against overwhelming odds, and no such gallant action can be called “useless”! Besides, they almost succeeded–they could’ve taken Paris and stopped the Revolution right there, but they had to choose to take Nantes instead.

8. If you were in a band, what would you name it? Unless you ARE in a band, in which case come up with a different name for a hypothetical other band. Dickenson. (I love her poetry. And classical music. :-P)

9. What is your favourite book? Favorite… hmmm… I have way too many. But right now… The Lord of the Rings. I also like Tolkien’s other works, books by Madeleine L’Engle, G.A. Henty, Brian Jacques, C.S. Lewis, Meriol Trever, Constance Savery, C.S. Forester, Baroness Orczy… 😉

10. Of all the characters in your favourite book, whose life would you rather lead? Oohh…. I would rather be Faramir. (Outside of my chosen book, I know that I’d rather be Ahsoka than Obi-Wan, Luke rather than Padme, Eustace rather than Susan, and Charles Wallace rather than one of the twins. ;-P)

11. Kirk or Picard? (If you can’t answer this question, that’s fine. There are those who consider that the RIGHT answer.) I have not seen enough Star Trek to be a good judge.

Eleven random facts about me (wow, this is going to be hard):

1. I don’t particularly like to talk about myself.

2. I have thought about giving politics a try, if only to see their faces at my ideology and idealistic cynicism. (Yes, that is a term… or it should be. :-P) Also to annoy them with my arguments against certain plans that they have for this country.

3. I have been known to make up words as it suits my purposes.

4. I can be extremely sarcastic at times. (Bet you never saw that one coming!)

5. I love cats, but have an allergy to them.

6. I am also allergic to blueberries, cantaloupe, bananas, food coloring, corn syrup, and popcorn. I can eat blueberries and bananas if they are in baked goods. I also have a contact allergy to the adhesives from some Band-aids and stickers. I might just be allergic to hickory, as well. (Not the nuts, but the wood might be the culprit for my hives.)

7. I do not particularly enjoy traveling.

8. I should have done this whole thing earlier, probably.

9. My baby sister seems to be alternately a Jedi Knight and Sith Lady.

10. I know a couple of Sith via the internet ;-P

11. Depriving me of sleep is not a good idea.

I hope that satisfies!!! Now for my questions:

1. Why do you blog? How did you start blogging? (because it’s tradition, I guess)

2. What eats most of your time on the internet?

3. Have you ever attempted to write a novel upwards of 50,000 words?

4. Have you failed writing a novel and never come back to it (yet)? If so, why?

5. What is your biggest impediment to doing what you love? (Mine is my siblings)

6. Which do you prefer: more regular, tended gardens or naturalized ones?

7. What is your favorite season, and why?

8. Do you prefer historical fiction to fantasy, or science fiction to both?

9. Do you ever feel that the language you chiefly work with is confining and should have more expressive words?

10. Would you prefer some form of rodent (gerbil, hamster, rat, etc.) or some kind of bird as a pet?

11. Why do you spend time with your family? (If you don’t feel like answering… *shrug*)

And now, I hereby nominate Rayne Speryll, of Writing in Rivendell, Klarabelle Candy, and the brilliant writers of “Sink Me!” because it’s hilarious. (Don’t blame me for this, most of my friends IRL blog on Blogspot and I have no idea how many followers most of them have.) Since I don’t really feel like tagging people back (you’re off the hook, Rosalie and Sheikah!), I will also nominate Bessie Lark at Firefly (trust me to nominate a restricted access blog! ;-P), and Rachel Carrera (even though I have no idea how many people have followed her.) Congrats, ladies! (It also says something about me that I’m nominating all girls… Shut up, head-voice! Sorry about that. :-P)

Okay, so I’m finally done with this post… three days after I started working on it. Sorry if this is my longest post ever, but I had lots of crazy stuff happen and lots more crazy stuff to say and I definitely feel a lot better now. 🙂

You’re BOTH in the wrong!

Tags

aladdin, author, barbie dolls, characters, disney, kysherin, muse, rambling musings, sherlock, star wars, story dynamics

*blushes* Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean you, my dear readers.

I just got mad at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan because they’re getting on each other’s nerves (not a rare occurrence) and they’re having a shouting match (a very rare occurrence!)

And I don’t even know how it started!

Ahem.

Anyway, I think that now is a very good time to address a Point of Importance: *takes a deep breath and holds it* Get ready, here it comes…

*exhales suddenly and says all in one breath*

NotevenMr.Perfectisrightallthetime!

What? You want me to repeat that? Okay.

Not even the main character can be right all the time. *glares at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon* Nobody’s perfect… *mutters under breath* especially not you two!

Only a Mary Sue would be as trite as to be perfect and always on the right side (okay, for the nitpickers: the author’s side!) all the time. Only a Sith (or somebody worse) deals in absolutes… because nobody is perfect. (Of course, there are absolute morals, absolute-right-and-wrong, that sort of thing, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.) And Mary Sues are even more worse than Sith. Hey, even villains don’t ruin the book! After all, they make the story in the first place! From a certain point of view (aka, Moriarty’s.)

(Wow. Referencing Star Wars twice in one paragraph and then Sherlock… I must need coffee.)

So? you ask.

So, sometimes the characters must be in the wrong! You heard me. In. The. Wrong!

I don’t care if you have a loving husband and wife blowing off steam by getting into a shouting match (as long as I get fair warning enough to grab my earplugs! :-P), or two friends getting into an annoying argument about which one of them is a heretic (though they may not be an ingrained and sinful one; there is such a thing as accidental heresy… though I’m not sure the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls it that… GAH! I forget the term! Don’t rush me! Oh, sorry. Caffeine-starved, again.), or a couple of stupid people just shouting for the sake of shouting (hey, they’re more evil than the rest of the bunch!–Shut up, Kysherin, this is my blog! Erin’s blog! NOT the annoying deadbeat muse’s!)

Sorry about that. Sometimes the voices… we’ll call them in my head though they’re really in my mind palace–won’t shut up. Last night, Anakin was wandering around singing “We are never ever ever getting back together!” And I asked him if Padme had ditched him, but it turns out he was just singing the song because he liked it… ah, lovebirds. Deceptive lovebirds, but lovebirds all the same. He was singing “A Whole New World” from Aladdin to Padme as I left.

Anyway, so, to recap: Don’t be afraid to have people in the wrong. Let them argue over nothing at all. Even if you’re writing a sappy, sugary, asinine little allegory, your characters will not come across as such if you let them argue and fight over nothing at all just because they’re grumpy, mad, or have low blood sugar.

Have fun with the battles!

Authors are all high-functioning sociopaths… they call us high-functioning because we limit our murders to fictional people.

Thanks for stopping by, and God Bless!

A Rant on Role Models

Tags

author, characters, role models, star wars, story dynamics

*points up*

‘Nough said.

Obi-Wan’s thoughts on finding that people actually idolize Anakin. ;-P

There’s always a risk that people will pick your characters for role models. So… have your characters be role models worth following! 🙂

I have never been able to understand why people seem to think Anakin makes a great role model. Sure, he may be a great character, but he is not, and likely never will be, a good role model. You see, we’re talking about a kid (later adult) who whines, goes about deliberately disobeying his authority figures, disrespecting his mentor, consistently and selfishly chooses the good of the people he is close to above the good of the many, compromises his morals from time to time… the list goes on and on. (And he blames Obi-Wan for everything. Ummm… excuse me? Though Obi-Wan probably started the problem by blaming himself for everything, still, Anakin, that’s uncalled for. Do I sense jealousy here? Like, does Anakin secretly think, “Obi-Wan is better than me. I’ll never be as good as Obi-Wan.” and from this it follows “Obi-Wan drives me insane with his goody-two-shoes attitude” and “It’s all Obi-Wan’s fault”?! Gah! Whiny all over again! It’s so annoying!!! >:-S Sorry, but it really irritates me.)

And ultimately, he turns evil and commits genocide and murders his own wife.

True, he is always trying to be a hero, but he isn’t trying hard enough, and he could be trying harder. And people see him as a role model? I think not!

He’s ultimately redeemed, and there was blame on both sides, but I really think I like his Clone Wars incarnation better. Oh, and AUs are also good. As are snuggles (unfortunately, Obi-Wan kind of shies from physical contact with anyone… bummer. 😛 Anakin probably does okay cuddles, but would bear-hug the life out of me. 😛 So, no snuggles for the author… :-P)

*giggles* I know sound completely nuts, but that much said, I really do think they’re an awesome team. And I also think that Anakin should start snuggles more often, because obviously Obi’s not gonna do it. 😛 Also, they’re so dysfunctional it’s hilarious…

Did I mention I like Skywalker/Kenobi friendship/partnership a lot!?

Because, Anakin’s a hilarious idiot (when he’s not being an obnoxious one) and Obi-Wan is an adorable idiot (at least, that’s what Padme told me when she heard about how he feels guilty over things that are not his fault…) and between Obi-Wan analyzing things and Anakin breaking them, we somehow have balance…

Behold, the eighth wonder of the known galaxy! 😛

Oh, and I just realized. I made 100 posts on this blog! Thanks to all my followers and all the other awesome people out there who’ve supported me. Even if I don’t realize it’s the anniversary until I’m four posts later… *facepalm* 😛

Thanks for reading… even though I got off-topic there at the end. ;-P

Authors Must Take Sides (And a Few Notes on Speaking Out)

Tags

a tale of two cities, author, charles dickens, insanity, long rants, mark twain, politics, rambling musings, story dynamics

It’s true. While much of the population can beat about the bush as far as moral dilemmas and controversies go (though it’s annoying when they do that, I’d rather be attacked ferociously by a troll than see an insipid someone who goes mmm-hmm and tries to agree with everyone on everything!), we of the storytelling subculture must take sides on controversy and then fight our viewpoint.

Why? The answer is wholly expedient… (And also advocated by Saint Paul…) In two words: Lukewarm books.

No one wants to read a lurid story where no one takes a stand for what they believe in, where everyone breaks their moral codes every three seconds, where there are only shades of gray and no black and white whatsoever. Though I admit that it’s difficult to write a good story without gray shades (not without sounding preachy and being too-sweetly allegorical, which I abjure right along with Tolkien, applicability for the win! WHOO!), it also makes no sense for people not to take sides. If people didn’t take sides, there wouldn’t be a conflict.

And as such, the author must take sides, too. An author must write the right and wrong into the story, and to write right and wrong, the author must at least temporarily believe in right and wrong. (I’m all for permanency, myself.)

Though in real life, people who speak out are either told to shut up or are ignored, in fiction people love ’em. Characters who take a stand are characters with charisma, characters who can be leaders. Characters who will carry away the reader with them.

This post has a bonus; a few short notes on standing up for your beliefs and rights in real life. First of all, the most important rule on standing up: It’s okay to be angry and outraged over a severe issue; this is called righteous anger. But while you’re protesting the issue, control it, and definitely don’t show it. People listen to calm and steadfast speaking-out; anger only provokes more anger. (This is true in every context, by the way.)

Second, if you’re speaking out about a controversial topic, one that “nice” (aka tepid and dissembling) people don’t mention in polite conversation, you will most likely be ignored, or blushed at and then ignored. If you’re in the right, people are likely to get angry when you impinge on their comfort zone, so if you see anger, it most likely means that either you’re being obnoxious (which is a big no-no,) or you’re doing something right. So what do the entrenched-in-error people do? They hide their anger so you can’t see that you are doing something right.

Third, you don’t want to go for ad hominem attacks. An ad hominem attack is, basically, attacking someone’s character, rather than respectfully disagreeing with them. This is the worst possible way to go about changing people’s minds, which is basically what you’re trying to do. Forget about politics–this is about people you know every day! This is grassroots. Eventually it’ll get into politics. Change comes about slowly, whatever the current presidential administration may say. (Madame LaFarge makes her point well in A Tale of Two Cities. I rest my case.) So don’t attack people! (You may notice I just made a joke about the continuing goals of the Obama administration, making fun of their plans rather than them directly. This is called Republican humor, and might be taken as an ad hominem attack by oversensitive, besotted liberals… who, sadly, do actually exist… *sob*… 😛 … but it really isn’t. I just humorously disagreed with their goals and ideas, I said nothing about the administration’s actual members, themselves. It may be “off-color humor,” but you’ve got to admit, it isn’t mean humor.) Also, if you libel celebrities, it’s a surefire way to start a war, and that is NOT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO.

Fourth, if people do get angry over what you’re saying, when they stalk off in a huff, call cheerily after them, “Thanks for the discussion! It was AWESOME!”, “God bless you!”, “Have a great day!” or equivalent. It confuses people, and it’s FUN. It’s called heaping coals of fire on their heads, and it changes minds. It’s also a naughty pleasure for impish Christians.

Hopefully, you enjoyed this post, my mischievousness, my bad political jokes, and whatever else in here that was funny (I probably didn’t intend the last category as humor, but who cares?!) Mark Twain rules. (If you got the Dickens and Twain references in this post, I will love you FOREVAR.)

Thanks for reading, and God Bless! (see what I did there? X-P)

Kenobi out.