by lcelum@yahoo.com | Feb 24, 2019 | Blog, Book Reviews, Lands Uncharted
The Tethered World features Sadie Larcen, the eldest daughter of six children. As a homeschooled student whose mother runs a popular blog about myth and lore, she’s used to a life that defies definition as “normal”. When her parents mysteriously disappear, it’s up to Sadie to keep everyone calm, safe, and protected. That’s a lot to ask of a sixteen-year-old, but it’s only the beginning of the seemingly-impossible things Sadie will have to deal with in order to get her parents back.
The things I enjoyed the most about this story were the unique elements the author incorporated. My favorite of these were:
Read more here.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Feb 20, 2019 | #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, Blog, Book Reviews
I have a problem.
I can’t write a short story to save. my. life.
I want to. Heaven knows I’ve tried. But
every time I sit down with an idea that I think works well for a short story, I
discover more and more layers and nuances to the idea until… viola!… I’m wrestling
with a new novel-length project.
Apparently, I’m not alone. I’ve heard
several novelists say they struggle in this area, as well. It seems the
prevalent thought is novelists write novels because, well… they are good at
novels, and the same for those who write short stories. This is good, I
suppose, in a misery-loves-company sort of way. And yet, a part of me refuses
to be satisfied. I yearn to master the short story form, not to be mastered by
it.
Whenever this urge becomes strong enough
that I’m tempted to try again, I do what I always do in situations like these:
I turn to the indefatigable library of writing how-to books and research
another author’s instruction on the form.
During my most recent skirmish with the short story form I discovered a short-ish resources titled How to Write Short Stories and Use Them to Further Your Writing Career, by James Scott Bell. Intrigued as I was by the first five words of the title, I didn’t fail to notice the rest. “Further Your Writing Career” had a definite ring to it. I decided this was The Next Book to help me master the skill that eluded me and promptly curled up with it in my favorite chair with my favorite blanket and began to study.
This book begins much as any other writing
how-to in that chapter one introduces the short story form and chapter two
discusses the structure, including the subtle ways short story structure differs
from novels. In Chapter Three, James Scott Bell introduces what he calls The
Big Key. This is the idea that a great short story is about the fallout from
one shattering moment.
If you’re worried that I’ve spoiled the
resource with that revelation, don’t be. In order to understand the full impact
of that statement (which is explained in the rest of chapter three) and how to
apply it to your writing (chapter four), then you need to read the book
yourself. Added bonus: the next chapter has a load of ideas for story
generation and is followed by a primer on how to publish your short stories on
Kindle.
Why is it that a person can hear something
all of his or her life but not fully appreciate the meaning of that something
until someone comes along and says it in a slightly different way that really
makes it sink in and connect? Whatever the reason, this book did that for me.
Reading it made me feel as if I finally understood how to approach the short
story form, and it gave me a new way to start sparing with it once again. If
you struggle as I do, I recommend this resource as one for you to try.
What do you think about writing short
stories? If you have any recommendations, tips, or tricks about how to do it, I
would love to hear them!
Until next month,
Cheers and happy writing!
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by lcelum@yahoo.com | Nov 27, 2018 | Blog, Book Reviews, Lands Uncharted
In his book Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury discusses his habit of making lists and how it helped him generate story ideas. He especially discusses making a list of favorite things and using those things as the basis for his stories. One of the things on his personal list is circuses, which led to his writing of Something Wicked This Way Comes. However, I’m not discussing either of those books today. I mention them only because I imagine Stephanie Garber having circuses on her list of favorite things every time I think of her book Caraval.
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by lcelum@yahoo.com | Sep 18, 2018 | Blog, Book Reviews, Lands Uncharted
One of the benefits of being a writer is hanging out with other writers. This means all sorts of cool things, including the opportunity to indulge in Advance Reader/Reviewer Copies (ARCs) of books that are not released yet. One such book I had the honor of reading is J. Anderson’s upcoming novel Legacy’s Impact, which will release in two days.
Read more here.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Jul 17, 2018 | #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, Book Reviews
During last month’s blog hop, Adam Gentry’s article “Writing as a Waking Dream” discussed a common battleground for authors: finding the writer’s “flow”. In the comments, TD Storm recommended a book titled From Where You Dream. Like the many other authors who commented, I also have trouble finding and settling into a state of flow, so I decided to check out the recommended book.
From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction is edited by Janet Burroway and is a compilation of Robert Olen Butler’s workshop lectures and exercises. It is important to realize that the book is Burroway’s translation of the transcripts of Butler’s workshops.
From Where You Dream is divided into three parts: The Lectures; The Workshop; and The Stories, Analyzed. Part I: The Lectures begins with Butler warning authors to avoid “abstraction, generalization, summary, analysis, and interpretation” and to focus, instead, on sense-based emotion. The section chapter talks about accessing the writer’s zone of flow and gives three tips for how to do just that. The following chapters, however, discuss why characters must have desires; the definitions and specifics of shots, scenes, and sequences; and other techniques writers should master. Part II: The Workshop provides a before-and-after look at one of Butler’s own short stories, then walks readers through two of Butler’s workshop exercises and the actual implementation of those exercises in a workshop session. Part III: The Stories, Analyzed contains three stories from Butler’s workshops and their analysis.
Overall, the book was not what I expected. I was looking for a resource to help me learn to tap into my sense of flow at a moment’s notice. I realize that may not be possible, but you can’t blame a girl for trying, and aren’t we all looking for the most efficient way to get more high-quality writing done? That being said, I still think From Where You Dream is an invaluable resource. Even though only two chapters deal specifically with the idea of flow and what Butler calls dreamstorming, the book takes a very comprehensive look at avoiding abstraction, generalization, summary, analysis, and interpretation. This is a crucial skill, as Butler points out, and is one every author should seek to master. Because From Where You Dream goes into detail not only about why to master it, but also about how (including two chapters centered around exercises that help authors understand and implement the concept), this work is a must-have in any author’s toolbox.
To continue hopping through other great blogs in the monthly #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, or to join in, click here.
by lcelum@yahoo.com | Jul 5, 2018 | Book Reviews, Lands Uncharted
What if every time you did the right thing, something wrong happened?
This is exactly what happens to Repentance Atwater, the protagonist of Sally Apokedak’s dystopian fantasy novel The Button Girl. (To read more, click here.)
