Encountering a piece of good fiction, or good design, or good art of any kind, is like finding a part of yourself that's missing. You may have known it wasn't there and was supposed to be; it might complete a mechanism that was incomprehensible and incomplete, or fix one that was damaged. Or it could just be a power up for your brain.
Something that makes you more of whoever you want, or need, to be.
The "List ten books that have affected you" non-meme has been circulating heavy on my Facebook wall, and I responded, but as my father-in-law hinted at with his deliberately intimidating list, anybody can list any ten books that sound impressive or enjoyable or shocking. And the question is not, what books did you enjoy the most, or what challenged you the most, or what you think will impress the people who read your list, but what changed you and stuck with you, years later.
Like most of life, the list doesn't mean anything without context. A simple fact that one of my former college professors illustrated by providing comments with her own list. Her's was brief and said just enough. I started to do the same, but as with many of my recent posts, which were intended to be blurbs facebook, I took it too seriously and said too much. But here it is. The ten books that have shaped me more than any other.
1. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
This novel not only felt like it was written for me, but the subject matter and voice come the closest to what I want to write. Nerdy heteronormative white guys raised in plenty really don’t have to deal with a lot of shit relative to the rest of the world, but everybody has issues and this book (the whole trilogy really) talked about mine. Trying to do something great when it seems like all the maps have already been drawn. Overcoming selfishness and privilege to be a good person. Finding genuine meaning and satisfaction in your accomplishments. Dealing with the unexpected strife of dreams coming true. And, most importantly, striking a balance between fantasy and reality. NOTE: I wrote more on this trilogy. I am going to finish it and post it relatively soon. I promise.
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
I will always think of this as the best book in the series, but a big part of that may stem from when I read it. High school sucked. The rules didn’t matter, and a handful of good teachers couldn’t overcome a school in the grip of a truly evil bastard. To this day, Umbrage remains my most hated villain, and Sirius’s death hit me harder than any other in the series (except for maybe Snape). It was also the perfect fantasy. Harry, exhibiting more personality here than anywhere else in the series, realizes that this shit with Voldemort isn’t going to stop until one or both of them is in the ground and the authority figures in his life cannot be depended on (or even trusted). But instead of merely seething with contempt like I did, he leads a rebellion, rescues his mentors, and ousts the evil bitch who is poisoning his school.
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
This is the book my wife used to start courting me. I like to think I would have found it eventually, and it still would have earned a spot on this list, because it speaks to many interests and personal struggles. The sadistically unfair battle school, certainly reminded me of my high school but it far more accurately captured the nature of standardized testing and competing for college admissions. Card’s scenes of violence are the most arresting I’ve ever read, because they manage to capture cold logic of military strategy, without losing the blood boiling nature of schoolyard rivalry (and the hatred that can morph into). It also has an increasingly relevant message about the nature of games, simulations, and their relation to war. Paired with the referral from Grace, and the time when I read it, this book will always be one of my most prominent influences.
4. Sabriel by Garth Nix
Very hard to unpack this one. The thing I love most about Garth Nix is that he proves young adult fiction need not be pedantic or preachy, but honestly, Shade’s Children does a better job of illustrating that. Sabriel is stunning, incredibly capable and personable fantasy heroine, but at the end of the day I have to give the ultimate crown to Buffy Summers. The world is incredibly rich and compelling, though not as rich with possibilities as His Dark Material’s multiverse. Those elements alone would make for a notable novel, but together, the result is stunning. The magic system is also one of the best I’ve ever read; a mix of music and runes and powerful artifacts. Moget also proves that talking animals need not be saccharine or even benevolent.
5. The Subtle Knife
This was another referral from Grace, and it is another YA book that would captivate any adult fantasy fan as well. Initially, I found The Golden Compass more confusing than intriguing. About halfway through, I started to recognize the patterns, but it wasn’t until the second book when the promise of Pullman’s world really blossomed and stamped my fiction with the concept of the multiverse. Lyra was always amazing, but I don’t think I fully appreciated her until she was paired with Will. He was more stoic and traditional, but no less compelling. If I could snatch any one relic from any book, it would be The Subtle Knife. Pullman’s war on God and fundamentalism take a backseat to telling a good story here, but it still contains the remarkable influences of Paradise Lost.
6. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatey
This book scared me so profoundly that I put it in the freezer one night. Not outside my room. Not in a drawer. In my fucking freezer. More importantly, it fostered an intense life-long fascination with demons, nearly ruined the entire horror genre by setting impossible standards, and was the tipping point that started my shift from Christianity to agnosticism. It is also a very rare example of an occasion where seeing a movie adaptation enhanced my subsequent appreciation of the source text. My memories of Reagan’s warped face and voice were present for scenes of horror that did not make the final film cut, and the emotional and interpersonal violence of the situation were exacerbated by greater context.
7. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I am not a born re-reader. That's a serious flaw for an aspiring author or writer of anything, but it's not a thing I normally do, even if I love a book. Usually I only go back to something when writing a paper or blog, or I am trying to figure out how an author I love did something almost impossible. The Magicians, Catcher in the Rye and a few Harry Potter books are rare exceptions. But I make a point of reading a Christmas Carol every year. It is a brilliant story of redemption with a fanciful time travel twist. In many ways, Scrooge is a prototype for House and other flawed yet charming lead men; even when he is an asshole, he's fun to read. But he also becomes the better man he once was, which is an element of storytelling that has tragically fallen out of style.
8. Mythologies by Roland Barthes
The basis for my approach to criticism, tragically read at the very end of my college career. Barthes singles out the “myths” and “fictions” people employ in advertising and society and takes them to task with with wit and aplomb. It's the retroactive model for what I do here.
9. The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhanThe most important theory/philosophy book I read, introduced to me by my thesis chair, Ian Bogost. The Tetrad remains one of the most useful analytical models I ever encountered (a north star for my own thesis), while many of his other predictions, delivered as incontrovertible assertions, are hilariously inaccurate. “Hilariously” is not just an emphatic; entire passages of this book made me howl with laughter.
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
One of the first books without any overt fantastic elements or implausible intrigues that really resonated with me. Today that is still a very exclusive club with a bouncer possessing the mind of a judgy, contemptuous hipster, and the body of a gorilla who got Bruce Banner's gamma radiation rage. But Holden Caulfield's sweetness, straining against the most difficult and petulant period of adolescence, felt universal and timeless. That's astounding, given that Salinger's writing always drips with the period in which it was writ.
Yes, this is slightly a different list than the one that I first posted on my Facebook wall. Some stuff has been shuffled, and some has been replaced outright. I'm keeping the old list, because like I said to my friend Jon, I think what initially springs to mind matters. But this is the real deal. The books that have shaped what I do and write more than anything else. I may do this stuff in the future for other media.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
2014 FB Highlights: On Wendig's Chapter 1 Criteria
Originally Discussed: 12/16/14
My good friend and trusted advisor, Jessica Shen, an editor for Xchyler Publishing, sent me this piece from Chuck Wendig's blog about the many requirements a novel's first chapter must satisfy, and this was my reply:
I agree with the majority of this as-written; and I think I'd agree with all of it given some clarification and caveats. The overall thrust couldn't be more correct: make an impression, make something happen, and make me care. Modern audiences, even readers, don't have patience for scenes set before 'the Fire Nation attacks' anymore (Tolkien, Jordan, I'm looking at you). Prologues are similarly archaic, though in certain genres you can make a case for them, like fantasy epics, space operas, and anything with a large cast of POV characters (multiple-POVs complicate a lot of things). There's a lot I don't like about RR Martin, but killing off prologue characters works for A Song of Fire and Ice.
Baiting the hook and giving an impression of the whole are probably the two most important features, and the hardest to square with each other. You want readers to go "I never thought I would end up here," but not "this is not what I signed on for." The hook has to make you wonder, hint at what is possible in this universe. You don't want to spring wizards on people a hundred pages in, unless you implied that was a possibility from the first chapter.
I also don't think establishing the full scale of the stakes is as important for longer work but there needs to be a problem to be sure. Something pressing enough to keep going. You can start with a computer glitch that calls the already-tired IT guy back into work; the guy's job is on the line and when he gets into work, he realizes the glitch is actually a hack, and if you make him likable enough, you can get people to the next chapter. Then you reveal that the entire company has been wormed for months and introduce readers to other members of his team. The chapter after that, his team is implicated, and now a lot of people (the company, the company's clients, who are shadier than they appeared) are gunning for them.
Opening lines are hard as hell, and a good one will be remembered forever and quoted endlessly. And Wendig is dead on: keep it short. The most common plays I've seen are establishing voice in one line (Neuromancer), central conflict (The Dark Tower), or something that does not easily make sense by itself (Farenheit 451). The one thing I would add is that I think you generally need to get to the end before you know how to phrase your beginning to maximum effect.
In terms of take-aways for what I'm working on, it was a good reminder that I need people to care about my main character enough to want to spend time with him. He is less generic than my last book's guy, but he's also this pathetic embittered prick, and I am struggling with how to convey that while simultaneously showing he is worth fixing, even though it's a tall order. Something to keep in mind when I do my annual re-read of A Christmas Carol.
My good friend and trusted advisor, Jessica Shen, an editor for Xchyler Publishing, sent me this piece from Chuck Wendig's blog about the many requirements a novel's first chapter must satisfy, and this was my reply:
I agree with the majority of this as-written; and I think I'd agree with all of it given some clarification and caveats. The overall thrust couldn't be more correct: make an impression, make something happen, and make me care. Modern audiences, even readers, don't have patience for scenes set before 'the Fire Nation attacks' anymore (Tolkien, Jordan, I'm looking at you). Prologues are similarly archaic, though in certain genres you can make a case for them, like fantasy epics, space operas, and anything with a large cast of POV characters (multiple-POVs complicate a lot of things). There's a lot I don't like about RR Martin, but killing off prologue characters works for A Song of Fire and Ice.
Baiting the hook and giving an impression of the whole are probably the two most important features, and the hardest to square with each other. You want readers to go "I never thought I would end up here," but not "this is not what I signed on for." The hook has to make you wonder, hint at what is possible in this universe. You don't want to spring wizards on people a hundred pages in, unless you implied that was a possibility from the first chapter.
I also don't think establishing the full scale of the stakes is as important for longer work but there needs to be a problem to be sure. Something pressing enough to keep going. You can start with a computer glitch that calls the already-tired IT guy back into work; the guy's job is on the line and when he gets into work, he realizes the glitch is actually a hack, and if you make him likable enough, you can get people to the next chapter. Then you reveal that the entire company has been wormed for months and introduce readers to other members of his team. The chapter after that, his team is implicated, and now a lot of people (the company, the company's clients, who are shadier than they appeared) are gunning for them.
Opening lines are hard as hell, and a good one will be remembered forever and quoted endlessly. And Wendig is dead on: keep it short. The most common plays I've seen are establishing voice in one line (Neuromancer), central conflict (The Dark Tower), or something that does not easily make sense by itself (Farenheit 451). The one thing I would add is that I think you generally need to get to the end before you know how to phrase your beginning to maximum effect.
In terms of take-aways for what I'm working on, it was a good reminder that I need people to care about my main character enough to want to spend time with him. He is less generic than my last book's guy, but he's also this pathetic embittered prick, and I am struggling with how to convey that while simultaneously showing he is worth fixing, even though it's a tall order. Something to keep in mind when I do my annual re-read of A Christmas Carol.
2014 FB Highlights: Suck It Luminosity
Luminosity's ads are obnoxious and I have always been skeptical of their claims. So this is particularly gratifying.
Here's the ad that set me off. "It just just seems like games, but it's serious brain training." The implication is that through the alchemy of "neuro-plasticity" something as seemingly frivolous as games can be productive. When really, they are more akin to Highlights magazine for adults. Their product actually isn't terrible; but not fun enough that I would take it over something as simple as bejeweled. Play is not what sells them. They bait the hook of their product with promises like improved reflexes, recall, and critical thinking instead of doing a thing for its own sake.
All of those specific benefits are byproducts from playing games.Even a 'time-waster' like Bejeweled contains a system with tons of variation. Once you've learned that system, you carry it with you, and impose it on reality. Some games make more potent lenses than others (Portal, Braid, and any competitive or strategic game spring to mind). Luminosity's offerings seem more like crossword puzzles. Solve it once, or do your reps and then drop the concept like weights. Check your daily mental health box And look down on the kids who whittle their life away with Minecraft.
The only games I would label as mindless are things like Mafia Wars and other Facebook games circa 2005-2009. Those are monetized Pavlov Response Tests. You click on something every couple of hours. You get fake money. End of story. Ditto traditional slot machines. Contrary to what their presentation implies, you cannot learn to master those reels. Pull lever. Hit buttons. Lose money. it takes a focused effort of inspired cynicism to make a truly mindless game. Luminosity's "do this thing to win mental health!" approach strikes me as very cynical as well. Are you playing a game for itself, or because you hope playing it will give you something?
Even accursed freemium like Clash of Clans and Candy Crush, have at least a modicum of gameplay. And Bejeweled, which is not constrained by timing mechanics, is a lot like Tetris, Lumines, or Meteos. Each of those are repetitious, and you can use them to zone out, but even then they teach you how to think around a central concept (like portals), force you to improvise within the constraints of that system and explore its possibilities.
There are diminishing returns. Somebody who has played tons of arcade puzzle games, or different match-3 games will not get nearly as much mental stimulation as somebody who has never played games before (and that is Bejeweled's target demographic). If you ask somebody who has never played videogames before to complete Portal 2, no shit they are going to do some growing. It'd be like handing your average high school student Infinite Jest and saying "Good luck!"
2014 FB Highlights: RIP Robin Williams
Originally Posted: 8-11-14
So, I was surprised by Robin Williams like everybody else, but for some reason one of my first thoughts was "that makes sense." At least, to the extent that suicide ever makes sense.
I read one his interviews where he was supposed to be promoting his new show, and even in the blurb that popped up on google, the interviewer noted that he was talking more about bad decisions and regrettable behavior than sticking to the supposed subject. It's clear that he had been struggling with some serious demons for a long time.
It would be crass for me to pretend I was a huge fan. I preferred to take his stuff in single doses. But everybody I know, even others who didn't really care for him, can name at least one of his performances that they either tremendously enjoyed or respected. In order, my favorite things by him were Aladdin, Dead Poet Society, Good Will Hunting, Insomnia, Mrs. Doubtfire, his HBO stand up special, and his appearance on Who's Line.
Each one of those performances were excellent and together they demonstrate a marvelous, magical range. Even though I thought "that makes sense," the news also hurt. More than I would have guessed. Genie, John Keating, Sean Maguire, Walter Finch, Mrs. Doubtfire, I hope you all found peace. You are missed.
So, I was surprised by Robin Williams like everybody else, but for some reason one of my first thoughts was "that makes sense." At least, to the extent that suicide ever makes sense.
I read one his interviews where he was supposed to be promoting his new show, and even in the blurb that popped up on google, the interviewer noted that he was talking more about bad decisions and regrettable behavior than sticking to the supposed subject. It's clear that he had been struggling with some serious demons for a long time.
It would be crass for me to pretend I was a huge fan. I preferred to take his stuff in single doses. But everybody I know, even others who didn't really care for him, can name at least one of his performances that they either tremendously enjoyed or respected. In order, my favorite things by him were Aladdin, Dead Poet Society, Good Will Hunting, Insomnia, Mrs. Doubtfire, his HBO stand up special, and his appearance on Who's Line.
Each one of those performances were excellent and together they demonstrate a marvelous, magical range. Even though I thought "that makes sense," the news also hurt. More than I would have guessed. Genie, John Keating, Sean Maguire, Walter Finch, Mrs. Doubtfire, I hope you all found peace. You are missed.
2014 FB Highlights: Oculus Rift
Originally Written 3/26/14
If you are not disappointed by Facebook's purchase of Oculus, you haven't been paying attention. Which of their acquisitions have been improved, or even leveraged to their full potential? When was the last time the core site added functionality you actually enjoyed or valued?
Feeds (or walls, or timelines, or whatever the hell we're supposed to call them this week) have become polluted by targeted sponsorship and throttled by algorithmic efforts to 'tailor' the content you receive, neutering them of their spontaneity and variety. People forced to develop for Facebook's "platform" have compared it unfavorably to Alighieri's Hell.
Zuckerberg's aspirations for VR resemble Second Life circa half a decade ago more than anything from Snow Crash or Neuromancer. Given Facebook's stake in developing VR as a social communications medium (read: a tarted up telepresence and home-shopping engine), it is naive to assume that the Oculus team will have nearly as much time and creative freedom to devote toward developing artistic and entertainment applications. The agenda behind an acquisition ALWAYS transforms the acquired.
All of that having been said...
If The Devil himself offered you $2B in resources to develop your dream project, and the exposure to make it a household name overnight, most people would find it very hard to walk away. That kind of money gives you the ability to test and refine your product in ways that VC funding cannot hope to match. Facebook's (admittedly dubious) ambitions also give Oculus an incentive to escape the techno-limbo of gaming peripherals. All of the potential applications Zuckerberg described are uninspired (or insipid), but if you really want to see Virtual Reality blossom into something beyond a fetish object, this is a smart horse to put money on.
Could Oculus have pulled it off on their own? Maybe. I like to think so, but I was always the target market. Even when it was primarily a gaming peripheral, their product hinted at a world I always wanted to live in. So yeah, of course I'm disappointed that Luckey and Carmac signed up with Z-bag. If I were more invested in this, I might even be outraged. But it is also laughable that Kickstarter backers and gaming enthusiasts feel like they have the right to tell a stranger to turn down a literal fortune to develop his dream.
If you are not disappointed by Facebook's purchase of Oculus, you haven't been paying attention. Which of their acquisitions have been improved, or even leveraged to their full potential? When was the last time the core site added functionality you actually enjoyed or valued?
Feeds (or walls, or timelines, or whatever the hell we're supposed to call them this week) have become polluted by targeted sponsorship and throttled by algorithmic efforts to 'tailor' the content you receive, neutering them of their spontaneity and variety. People forced to develop for Facebook's "platform" have compared it unfavorably to Alighieri's Hell.
Zuckerberg's aspirations for VR resemble Second Life circa half a decade ago more than anything from Snow Crash or Neuromancer. Given Facebook's stake in developing VR as a social communications medium (read: a tarted up telepresence and home-shopping engine), it is naive to assume that the Oculus team will have nearly as much time and creative freedom to devote toward developing artistic and entertainment applications. The agenda behind an acquisition ALWAYS transforms the acquired.
All of that having been said...
If The Devil himself offered you $2B in resources to develop your dream project, and the exposure to make it a household name overnight, most people would find it very hard to walk away. That kind of money gives you the ability to test and refine your product in ways that VC funding cannot hope to match. Facebook's (admittedly dubious) ambitions also give Oculus an incentive to escape the techno-limbo of gaming peripherals. All of the potential applications Zuckerberg described are uninspired (or insipid), but if you really want to see Virtual Reality blossom into something beyond a fetish object, this is a smart horse to put money on.
Could Oculus have pulled it off on their own? Maybe. I like to think so, but I was always the target market. Even when it was primarily a gaming peripheral, their product hinted at a world I always wanted to live in. So yeah, of course I'm disappointed that Luckey and Carmac signed up with Z-bag. If I were more invested in this, I might even be outraged. But it is also laughable that Kickstarter backers and gaming enthusiasts feel like they have the right to tell a stranger to turn down a literal fortune to develop his dream.
On Max Barry's 15 Ways to Write a Novel
Max Barry's "15 Ways to Write a Novel," is a fantastic read for authors (aspiring and otherwise) that I found in r/writing of all places. It's so refreshing to see somebody link an article whose author acknowledges multiple ways to skin a cat instead of couching a personal epiphany as the answer to writing.
A couple of these are opposing philosophies, but I don't think any are actually mutually exclusive; especially if you take different approaches toward different projects. I have tried most (but not all) of these methods/strategies. Here is how they worked out for me:
#1. Word/Page Count: Primary method I used to finish my first book, but I did it over a year instead of nanowrimo. (I share his assessment of nanowrimo too, though).
#2. Word Ceiling: Wow, what the hell. Haven't tried or heard of this one before. Seems weird and very hard. I may try it later when I can afford to experiment. I think I could only pull it off if my ceiling was also my count. Interesting idea though. May ensure quality.
#3. Coffee Shop: If I ever become a full timer, I think I'll need to do this. Coming home from work is the reverse process but it draws the same space/time distinction to form habits.
#4. Quiet Place: Tried it, doesn't work for me. Need music or some kind of white noise. If noise is distracting me, there is something else that is wrong with the story. Usually get through it by talking to Grace.
#5. Bursts: Impossible on ADD meds (personally speaking, anyway). Feasible with untreated ADD, but more risky because you might not bounce back to the keyboard. I do my best writing in one to three hour streaks every day.
#6. Immersion: I try to be as immersed in my world as possible but rarely disconnected. Often need to look things up... though come to think of it, I get a lot of good writing done on planes, or writing in notebooks when internet is not feasible. A reassessment may be in order.
#7. Intoxicants: ...part of my process more commonly than I ought to admit on the internet. I'm no Hunter S Thompson, but from what I’ve heard, my booze and caffeine intake strikes a chord with Hemmingway.
#8. Headphones: these days I almost always have a play list going, but never through headphones. It makes it too intense; I focus on the music more than the words.
#9. Break of Dawn: Did this the last few chapters of my first book. Worked very well, but prescriptions were in a weird place at the time; I am not a morning person by default. Also occasionally made me run late.
#10. Dead of Night: More my style, though usually I try to write about thirty minutes after getting home. I use this as more of an ultimatum: you can’t sleep until you've busted this clot. Great for breakthroughs, bad for the following morning.
#11. Jigsaw: I can never start a book like this, but I do it throughout the process; write a thing I like, find it doesn't work there, pull it out and plug it in later. Or save it for a different project!
#12. The End to End: This is another thing that got me through the first book. When I start jumping around, things become inconsistent. You need to have at least a general ending in mind for this to work though, making it very hard to square with The Journey approach. Why editing the first third of this new book is taking so long.
#13. The Outline: My standard approach; never would have completed a story if I couldn't do this at least once. But this approach swallowed everything I attempted before The Harrowing. It's very dangerous to do this with stories that require a lot of world building. You can get lost in the beautiful details without ever creating a character anybody but you will care about, or write something that feels more like a textbook than a story.
#14. The Journey: Started my current book this way. It was terrifying, and it resulted in tons of bloat and inconsistencies. But it forced me to write characters who feel more like people; who challenge me and say "I'm not doing that for the sake of your plot. Screw yourself." I think I also ended up with a very richly developed and more coherent world. But once I finished the first third, I got an idea where this was heading, and had to go back to the beginning to address the inconsistencies before moving forward. Time will tell if that was a mistake... Not one to start with I think.
#15. The Restart: This is how all of my Outline approaches ended up prior to my first novel. I usually find the idea itself is the problem. Instead of scrapping 'mostly' everything, and trying again immediately, put the thing in a box. Let it age. Maybe for a couple years. As long as necessary. An idea I had in high school will finally pay dividends in this novel.
Fellow writers! Please share which methods have worked for you!
A couple of these are opposing philosophies, but I don't think any are actually mutually exclusive; especially if you take different approaches toward different projects. I have tried most (but not all) of these methods/strategies. Here is how they worked out for me:
#1. Word/Page Count: Primary method I used to finish my first book, but I did it over a year instead of nanowrimo. (I share his assessment of nanowrimo too, though).
#2. Word Ceiling: Wow, what the hell. Haven't tried or heard of this one before. Seems weird and very hard. I may try it later when I can afford to experiment. I think I could only pull it off if my ceiling was also my count. Interesting idea though. May ensure quality.
#3. Coffee Shop: If I ever become a full timer, I think I'll need to do this. Coming home from work is the reverse process but it draws the same space/time distinction to form habits.
#4. Quiet Place: Tried it, doesn't work for me. Need music or some kind of white noise. If noise is distracting me, there is something else that is wrong with the story. Usually get through it by talking to Grace.
#5. Bursts: Impossible on ADD meds (personally speaking, anyway). Feasible with untreated ADD, but more risky because you might not bounce back to the keyboard. I do my best writing in one to three hour streaks every day.
#6. Immersion: I try to be as immersed in my world as possible but rarely disconnected. Often need to look things up... though come to think of it, I get a lot of good writing done on planes, or writing in notebooks when internet is not feasible. A reassessment may be in order.
#7. Intoxicants: ...part of my process more commonly than I ought to admit on the internet. I'm no Hunter S Thompson, but from what I’ve heard, my booze and caffeine intake strikes a chord with Hemmingway.
#8. Headphones: these days I almost always have a play list going, but never through headphones. It makes it too intense; I focus on the music more than the words.
#9. Break of Dawn: Did this the last few chapters of my first book. Worked very well, but prescriptions were in a weird place at the time; I am not a morning person by default. Also occasionally made me run late.
#10. Dead of Night: More my style, though usually I try to write about thirty minutes after getting home. I use this as more of an ultimatum: you can’t sleep until you've busted this clot. Great for breakthroughs, bad for the following morning.
#11. Jigsaw: I can never start a book like this, but I do it throughout the process; write a thing I like, find it doesn't work there, pull it out and plug it in later. Or save it for a different project!
#12. The End to End: This is another thing that got me through the first book. When I start jumping around, things become inconsistent. You need to have at least a general ending in mind for this to work though, making it very hard to square with The Journey approach. Why editing the first third of this new book is taking so long.
#13. The Outline: My standard approach; never would have completed a story if I couldn't do this at least once. But this approach swallowed everything I attempted before The Harrowing. It's very dangerous to do this with stories that require a lot of world building. You can get lost in the beautiful details without ever creating a character anybody but you will care about, or write something that feels more like a textbook than a story.
#14. The Journey: Started my current book this way. It was terrifying, and it resulted in tons of bloat and inconsistencies. But it forced me to write characters who feel more like people; who challenge me and say "I'm not doing that for the sake of your plot. Screw yourself." I think I also ended up with a very richly developed and more coherent world. But once I finished the first third, I got an idea where this was heading, and had to go back to the beginning to address the inconsistencies before moving forward. Time will tell if that was a mistake... Not one to start with I think.
#15. The Restart: This is how all of my Outline approaches ended up prior to my first novel. I usually find the idea itself is the problem. Instead of scrapping 'mostly' everything, and trying again immediately, put the thing in a box. Let it age. Maybe for a couple years. As long as necessary. An idea I had in high school will finally pay dividends in this novel.
Fellow writers! Please share which methods have worked for you!
Sarcasmancy: Now Featuring Greatest Hits from Hank's Facebook
I know it has been a long time since I updated. It's something of a seasonal pattern. But I recently had one of those 'obvious to everyone else all along' epiphanies. I treat my Facebook feed (or whatever the hell we're calling it this week) more like a blog than this site, and post on it more regularly. Sarcasmancy has always essentially been a nerdy editorial column that is mostly read by facebook friends and relatives.
Originally the idea was that I would 'maybe' use this blog to build a following and maybe become a legit entertainment critic, but you can't 'maybe' do either of those things. There are too many bloggers and aspiring critics writing good content to succeed with half-assery. I made peace with that a long time ago, and decided to just used this place to practice my writing, establish a voice, and analyze the entertainment I consume so I can learn from it. Occasionally ranting about politics, or current events, or responding to articles. My Facebook feed is the same thing, but in brief.
So Sarcasmancy is just going to be a public, remastered, highlights-reel of that feed. Why do this? Often times I end up putting off posts indefinitely, because I feel they have to reach an arbitrarily-determined depth of discussion. And between work, book writing, and everything else, the time for that depth rarely appears. Whereas with friends, I fire off things as quick as I find them, with a witty quip, comment, or opinion.
In terms of content changes, you can expect more political and political posts, more stuff on design, and more linked content. I will not be including links to the weirder inane fluff that catches my fancy--at least not here. I may start a Tumblr or something to scratch that itch, if people are interested.
To my potentially imaginary Not-Facebook-Friend readers, I cherish you, and sincerely hope you enjoy the new format and keep reading.
Originally the idea was that I would 'maybe' use this blog to build a following and maybe become a legit entertainment critic, but you can't 'maybe' do either of those things. There are too many bloggers and aspiring critics writing good content to succeed with half-assery. I made peace with that a long time ago, and decided to just used this place to practice my writing, establish a voice, and analyze the entertainment I consume so I can learn from it. Occasionally ranting about politics, or current events, or responding to articles. My Facebook feed is the same thing, but in brief.
So Sarcasmancy is just going to be a public, remastered, highlights-reel of that feed. Why do this? Often times I end up putting off posts indefinitely, because I feel they have to reach an arbitrarily-determined depth of discussion. And between work, book writing, and everything else, the time for that depth rarely appears. Whereas with friends, I fire off things as quick as I find them, with a witty quip, comment, or opinion.
In terms of content changes, you can expect more political and political posts, more stuff on design, and more linked content. I will not be including links to the weirder inane fluff that catches my fancy--at least not here. I may start a Tumblr or something to scratch that itch, if people are interested.
To my potentially imaginary Not-Facebook-Friend readers, I cherish you, and sincerely hope you enjoy the new format and keep reading.
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