I often fantasize about what my book covers would look like. I’ve hand-drawn covers. I’ve Canva’d covers. I’ve looked at my favorite books and dreamed. Now, I have two vastly different WIPs, and it only adds to the dreaming that has been going on since before I'd completed any project. Over the years, I’ve put together a “wishlist” of book covers that I love and artists that I've come to recognize. This list only expanded once I became a Librarian (I suspect the list will continue to grow). John Jude Palencar
Combining the artistic rigor of Leonardo da Vinci with the surreal landscapes and creatures of Hieronymus Bosch, fantasy, and science fiction, painter and illustrator John Jude Palencar creates an imaginative artistic world. Throughout an award-winning career that includes paintings for the covers of books by Stephen King and others, Palencar has developed a rich language of symbols and archetypes, which he leaves open to interpretation by the viewer. -- Artsy Editorial
Do you ever pick a book because of the artist? Either you recognize the art from other books you’ve loved or it stands out way more than anything as a piece you’d love to own? Donato GiancolaAnother highly decorated, highly known, and talented artist, Giancola creates both fantasy and science fiction worlds of wonder. His interests include D&D, Tolkien, Magic the Gathering-- works and games with expansive worlds and descriptive imagery (Giancola devotes an entire gallery to Middle Earth and a book of illustrations). My first introduction to his work was again through Sharon Shinn. Her Twelve Houses fantasy series includes magic and knights, kings, vengeful priestesses, and kingdoms in unrest: Though I am less likely to recognize his work by sight as I am Pelancar, I can still find him whenever a new L.E. Modesitt Jr. book hits our library shelf. "I still spend many afternoons visiting my favorite artists -- Memling, Van Eyck, Velazquez, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Mondrian, Rembrandt. I strive to comprehend their complexities and bring that into my work." -- Donato Giancola, Behind The Canvas (2003) I love how he brings such a classical touch to SFF. Scrolling through his galleries, his inspirations are very evident. The chiaroscuro and diagonals that Caravaggio was famous for (though not as extreme in Giancola's work) is exemplified in LORD OF THE RINGS (compare to Caravaggio's The Entombment of Christ); the portraiture of Diego Velazquez can be found in Gandalf (?) (compare to San Pablo), and the depth and shadow in Rembrandt (Anatomy Lesson) could be seen in Giancola's St. Crispin's Day. I can even see remnants of Millais (see Ophelia vs Mermaid- Search Study). It would be my absolute dream to see his stylistic take on my characters and worlds (which are less Euro-inspired)! John HarrisAnother Science Fiction staple, British painter, John Harris started illustration book covers in the 80s. He’s since illustrated for Asimov, Ben Bova, Ann Leckie, John Scalzi and more. His works explore the theme of space, space travel, expansive worlds and realms of realistic and faraway places. I noticed his work, but fell in love with such landscapes on the reprinting of Ben Bova’s Grand Tour books. His sense of scale and detail is breath takingly immersive. To get a better sense of his work and the scale of it, check out Beyond the Horizon-- The Art of John Harris. "Whatever marks I make, I have to hold in my mind the essence of the feeling that arises with the image that's being called upon to be created. That immediate juncture when I make the very first mark, it has to be saturated with the feeling. after that, it almost doesn't matter. I can do almost anything as long as I can remember the action and look at the mark that came from that action inspired by the feeling that was first generated." -- John Harris (Beyond the Horizon) Adekunle Adeleke and Slava Fokk
Adeleke is a Nigerian artist and illustrator that specializes in blending black portraits and African Ankara patterns into a surrealist creations. Check out his Wax Series. His use of color combine with the varied complexions of his black models is striking. He's illustrated a number of novels across genres and ages. When the detail of the print takes over (like the Wax Series), that's when his work is the strongest and most Beautiful to me.
Photographer Mattheiu GBI don't know much about this artist; I came across his work as it was featured on AfroStyle Magazine's social media pages, which I follow. But in my vary recent research, I found that he is a French photographer and art director. It's hard to view a more comprehensive portfolio of his work since he doesn't seem to have an artists page other than Instagram. But what I've seen is inspiring. The contrasts of colors, the setting and styling. I don't know much about photography (my undergrad minor was in Art with a focus on fine arts rather than photography), so I don't know how involved he was with the concept. But these images would look absolutely stunning if adapted to Cave Stars.
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"Morrow Buys Kuang's Yellowface" read the headline for Publisher Weekly's Deals of the Week in 2021. Nearly three years later (and a waitlist 168 people long for the digital audiobook-- doubled for the hardcover!) I finally got my hands on it. I was luck to be hired into a library system that celebrated Yellowface with various programs and activities leading up to R.F. Kuang's Community Reads visit. One of those activities included a book club that had me reflecting on the book much more than I initially did after finishing it two months ago. I absolutely hated June Hayward. While others in the club held some contempt for the fictional author, I was surprised by how some members were able to sympathize with her. It is my belief that every character means something. Writers are not only storytellers, but wise wizards that hide their lessons within their characters. Some lessons are obvious, some are subtle. Some are good, some are not as good. And so, I started mining Yellowface for what I could learn from June. A tale of two authorsYellowface by RF Kuang tells the story of two authors: One famous and one not so famous. One with a talent for words, and the other unable to find her words. One Asian ("exotic"), and the other white ("basic"). But, as June narrates: "for this story to make sense, you should know two things about Athena: Frist, she has everything… Second, perhaps as a consequence of the first, she has almost no friends” (p. 1) From the very first page of this first person narrative, we are emersed into a Athena Liu’s life as seen by June Hayward, a “plain, straight white girl from Philly” (p. 256) who, throughout the novel, gives us a front seat to her assiduous envy and girl-crush on Athena. "A perfect combination of classical and exotic,” Athena is “tall and razor thin, graceful in the way all former ballet dancers are, porcelain pale and possessed of these massive, long-lashed brown eyes that make her look like a Chinese Anne Hathaway” (p.5). She controls a an audience with her infectious aura and beauty. She lures them with her words. Athena Liu is everything June Hayward is not.
Despite her envy of Athena and new found fame because of Athena, June maintains that she is not at all problematic. Instead, she blames her critics. “I never lied,” June says. “That's important. I never pretended to be Chinese or made up experiences that I didn't have… and if anyone makes assumptions, or connects the dots the wrong way, doesn't that say far more about them than me?” (62) June continues to roll with everything her new identity has gotten her: fame, friends, notoriety regardless of how its earned— “I was willing to make myself the villain for the sake of entertainment” and ”White lady publishes tell-all! June Hayward writes the memoir none of us wanted, because this psycho just can't stop” (p 318). Never have I hated a character as much as I hated June...and that is a testament to RF Kuang’s writing! While I did not hate the book, but I was invested in the story because of how hateable the character was. I found myself cycling through the emotions of intense dislike, irritation, and hate. Then, rather than put the book down, I thought about all the ways she could learn her lesson by the end. When wishful thinking didn't work, I was banking on all the ways June would get her comeuppance. I wanted her to fail! And, when she finds her way out of each and every situation where she’s been caught, I kept thinking "next time… They’ll get you next time!" June’s descent into madness is telling. As she begins adopting Athena’s perceived life and identity, June starts to see Athena everywhere. In the audience of her book reading and panel, online, on the street. It's at this point that you see June and Athena switching places. I saw this less as June’s conscience catching up with her and more of a “what comes around-goes around” situation. June had been obsessing over Athena for years, and now that she essentially is Athena, she sees Athena as the person she had been: the person in the audience, the person on the computer, the person always hanging around on the fringes of Athena’s life. In the end, June becomes everything that she think Athena-- she has everything... and, as a consequence to the first, she has no friends. While June never learns a single lesson from her whole ordeal, there is much for us to learn from her.... especially in the "what not to do" area. She struggles so much with her own versions of success and fails in all the ways, but from her continuous failures and victim-mentality rose these three lessons that I've learned: 1. (As authors) We must find our voices.What makes Stephen King Stephen King? What makes Beverly Jenkins recognizable from other Harlequin Historical Romance authors (besides her subject matter)? Its like movies; I love Wes Anderson’s movies and if you are a fan— you just know his style. From the cinematography, way the characters are written, dialog, music, you know its a Wes Anderson movie. It doesn't matter if its animated (The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs) or various genres of live-action (Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Asteroid City etc.). He has a distinct style; A "voice" that sets him apart. June lacked voice in three important ways: the stories she told, the voice she uses when telling those stories, and self advocacy (this last point is different from her lashing out at netizens). Early on, June describes Athena's voice as a writer: “Her voice has matured and sharpened. Every description, every turn of phrase— its all sings” (p. 14). The only completely original thing June has written and published, fails, and she describes it as the novel that she'd written "in a fit of inspiration during a year bored out of my skull working for Teach for America" (p. 3). June, then, goes in to compare it to Athena's debut novel which had been praised for Athena's ability to seamlessly straddle multiple genres in one piece. (Tldr: June= one note singing in a bathroom; Athena= Polyphonic singing on stage). "She's published two more books since, and the critical consensus is that she's only gotten better and better" (p. 5) "It's a little different from your range," June's agent, Brett, says after reading the stolen manuscript she presents to him. This was the first indication of a difference between June's style and Athena's style. We continue to see that June cannot write her own material— she always needs help. She needs a story, a voice— something to emulate whether its Athena’s unpublished works, or the stories of the restaurant employees in Chinatown. The only self-reflection we get about June’s voice as a writer is when Brett proposes she take up IP work. June scoffs, “IP— intellectual property— work is for mediocre writers… it’s cheap, work-for-hire labor for people who couldn't manage to sell their own original projects.” (234). June, as we’ve seen, can't sell her own words and work, either. Finding your voice doesn't just extend to your craft. It also extends to your agent and publisher. You must advocate for your work. Now, I’m not the best self-advocate, but I try to be. I’m learning to be. A friend and fellow writer who published his debut novel two years ago, told me a bit of his experiences. He had to turn down a publisher when the editor made so many changes that essentially compromised the story he wanted to tell and his own voice as an LGBTQ+ person and writer. June didn't stand up to Daniella, her editor. She let her whole team at Eden Press take over. She reconstructed June’s image, she change characters and historic events in June/Athena’s book to “soften” the image of white people. Yes, June may have stolen the manuscript, but she continued the research to keep the story as true to Athena’s vision. Yet she caved to her editor’s changes. (The only time we see June take a stand is during the hiring of a "sensitivity reader," but she only does so out of fear of getting caught.) 2. Take Criticism— especially when writing about a community and culture that's not yours. June sees herself as an expert on the Chinese experience because she’s done her research. She even has her Chinese sensitivity reader fired. June wants absolutely zero criticism or input— especially from Asian Americans. My personal opinion is that, you can be the most well read person on a topic, but until you’ve lived it, you never truly know it. For the record, I am not claiming that White authors cannot write characters of other races, or for POC not to write outside of their races. I'm not saying "write what you know." There is a difference between writing characters of different races, and claiming to be an expert on their experiences. Accept feedback and criticism on topics outside of your identities (this doesn't mean you have to implement changes, but accept that you do not know everything). June’s experience going to Athena’s funeral and going to the Chinese Community Center was deplorable and extremely racist. There was her blatant stereotyping, disgust of their food and traditions, and over all ignorance. But it did affect her, especially when she spoke with a man who lived the story she’d “written” about. In front of her was a man with real experiences, and it made June uncomfortable. Rather than listen to him, she left. On Criticism, Ta-Nahisi Coates writes:
While there is a lot that I agree with, the idea of “I said what I said” can be harmful. I feel as though, in June’s case, she doubled down hard on this idea-- everyone else didn't know what they were talking about or couldn't possibly understand what its like in this industry. She could have learned from the criticism and feedback. She could have used that to do better in her next book— not repeat old mistakes. Growth comes from criticism. 3. Be confidentIn many ways, it was June’s own insecurities that lead to her fear driven actions. She lacked confidence in her own abilities hands down. In an interview between authors Leslye Penelope and Beverly Jenkins, the latter responds to the question about Imposter Syndrome and the feeling of not being worthy of your successes: “Writers have big egos in order to think people will buy their books. How can you have the ego and not think you are worthy of this gift— because writing is a gift.” She goes on to say of success that it looks very different to different people. “The only thing you can control, is what you write.” June's debut novel was not "successful." She was aiming for the (in her mind) instantaneous success of Athena. She doubted her own skills and sacrificed her growth as a writer by attempting to fast-track her way to the top. To me, June's debut novel was a success. Success— to me— is finally finishing my WIP. It's hooking an agent with my work. It's holding the printed copy of my labors in my hand. It's seeing just 1 person enjoy it. Its seeing it on a bookshelf. Is that my ego talking? You can't control what successes come your way, but you also can't lose your confidence what it doesn't happen the way you want it to happen. You can't quit after a few bad sales or after the first 50 rejections. (This is what I tell myself… but I’m much better at giving myself advice than taking it!) Honorable mentions that go without saying:
If you’ve skipped all the spoilers — or have read them! — I strongly recommend reading Yellowface.
If you’ve read it, please leave a comment below! I’d love to know your thoughts.
I'm in the middle of editing my manuscript, drafting my query letters, and browsing Querytracker and MSWL for agents that could possibly take on this project. I am living it now as opposed to back then. When did I know I wanted to write a novel?Short answer is: I didn't. had a ton of unfinished stories. I had a fanfiction that I'd written from start to finish (about 30 chapters). I had binders and bonders of poetry. But I never once thought that I could write a novel. Never attempted it, but saved all the snippets and scenes of possibilities. Until college. My first nerve-wracking short story submission resulted in a publication. That singular moment made me believe that I had a voice as writer that people wanted to read. I casually wrote, building upon an idea I had, but never finished. This project grew and grew, and with it, so did I. I researched how to plot chapters, how to craft stories. I took so many things from my Writing Popular Fiction class and Horror and Suspense (where I read Stephen King's On Writing). I wanted to do this writing thing right. But there is no right way to be a writer. I found myself trying to emulate the writers I read about and the writers, like Stephen King, who shared their ways of writing. I found that plotting was not for me. It slowed me down and pulled me out of myself. I finished my first novel manuscript in 2019 after the city closed down because of a Polar Vortex and I'd written it all without an outline. At 135k words, it was dense. I spent a year editing it and then, in my excitement for having finally finished something, spent the next year querying it to 35 agents. In hindsight: it sucked. I've heard many authors say that your first draft is for you. It is for you. It's to show you that you have done it. You've some how managed to push and pull that hard and heavy block of marble up on that pedestal. But its not finished. You still need to chisel and chip away at that block, forming it into the creation that you will eventually feel confident putting out into the world. That querying experience made me shelve that manuscript, but it showed me that I could write a novel. I'd developed my own way to writing, researching, learning, and creating. Stay grounded!This Facebook memory could not have come at a better time.
As I finish up my thousanth round of editing to the same manuscript I shelved back in 2022, its easy to get excited once again and charge on ahead. Its easy to let my mind wander to piggy's (?) over-confidence. It doesn't help much as a librarian, reading about how X has just signed with Y and to expect [insert books] in the coming year. I want that to be me. And so does every other writer out there. Over the past 6 months, I've slowly acclimated myself to the AI fad, experimenting with various AI tools from generative photo editing (changing the clothes of the models in a stock photo, for example) to having conversations with a bot about my work (see ChatPDF). I did explore Canva (simple to use) and a trial period of Midjourney (suuuuuuuuuuper complicated/was not a fan) to see what my characters and world would look like (see Lore-Building). The skeptic in me still finds fault with the process (and frustrated by those who use it for monetary gain), but the writer in me sees it as the gateway to Procrastination Nation. In a previous post, I talked briefly about worldbuilding with Pinterest boards. Which actor/actress looks like my characters? Which real life castle could be a stand-in for Sandthrop? What photograph best encompasses my setting? etc. What I didn't write in that post was how I struggled with these assignments. I don't pay attention to actors/actresses regularly and doing research to find the perfect actor was too much of a hassle. What if multiple setting inspired Druona? Plus, what do I search for in Pinterest to pull up the right images (especially if I don't even know what images I'm looking for)? Bing Image Create is the next big fad that I've seen making its rounds across social media, especially in the book groups I'm in. As a visual person, writing comes more easily if I can visualize the thing I want to create (more on this later). I got stuck on writing a scene where my MC is given her deceased father's ring. I knew what it looked like in my head, but I didn't know what it would look like-- as in, would it make sense in real life? So I turned to Bing Image Create to describe the ring in my head: "a masculine gold ring with a shank shaped like 2 swordfish, the shoulders shaped like its bills, and a pearl as the center stone."
What does worldbuilding look like in the age of AI? Personally, I don't feel pigeon-holed into building my world with things that exist. It might be a small, simple thing, but to see that ring made my world seem more real. I may not have the "people" figured out through Generative AI (every person I've generated seems to pull from the same model), but I can generate important objects and places. Granted, a reader's eyes will see completely different things from the writer, but for me, these visuals gratify me in more ways than a Pinterest board ever did. Of course, my generative creations are never done to gain profit. They go into folders, character sheets, and my worldbuilding boards. Other blog posts on Worldbuilding and Generative AI: It has been a while since I've done a blog post. Stresses from my personal and professional life have contributed to my silence.... and my missing the publication of my short story, The Gate, in the Great Lakes Review.
Click to check it out below! I participated in a thread recently that questioned whether or not characters should have names (and if they did have names, should they have last names, too). If you recognize the man in the picture, chances are, you've already recited his name along with the rest of his declaration. One cannot think of his name without thinking about his entire purpose. His character is tied to his name. His name is memorable because of his character. This was essentially the argument given in the thread. Another was which types of works can you get away with not giving a character names-- short stories. Ok, I can agree with this because, in my short story Pigeons, my POV character and her grandmother do not have names. Similarly, my POV character for another story (soon to be published) started off without a name... but the longer the story became, the more I realized that someone would have to say her name sooner or later. My thoughts shifted once again when I finished reading Wild Spaces, a novella by S.L. Coney. When is it acceptable to give a character a name? What are the prose and cons? Like a lot of things I daydream about, I fell down the rabbit hole of research. Names of characters in stories are like the names of acquaintances in real life – the better we get to know them, the more important it is we know their names. -- Michael Haughe Every detail is important, says TV Tropes. Even names. Like Inigo Montoya, names stick with you far longer than plots (I watched The Princess Bride in elementary school and remember next to nothing about it except for Inigo). Another would be Bartleby the Scrivener, the subject of Herman Melville's short story of the same name. When you think of his name, you automatically think of what he says: "I'd rather not..." (ironically, though Bartleby is the subject of the story, the POV character who takes issue with him is unnamed). Michael Haughe, an author, lecturer, writing and consultant, likens characters to acquaintances. If we want to get to know a person, we ask for their names. If we want a connection to someone, a name is a good way to start. In concurrence, "only people that are relevant to the plot or a sidequest will be blessed with names," (Nominal Importance, TV Tropes). Yet, there are a few acceptations.... Leaving a character unnamed is also a way to show that he or she is experiencing a personal crisis of identity. Instead of the person’s name, we focus on how he or she is affected by a drastically different world, a different culture, a new job or new relationship. -- Writers Relief
Spoilers Ahead! Wild Spaces is about a boy ("the boy") and his dog Teach (the only active character with a name). His parents are simply known as "his mother" and "his father." The story begins after the boy's grandfather (known as just that) arrives and begins living with them. Though the boy, Teach, and the boy's grandfather are very important characters to the plot, they are (with the exception of Teach) nameless. In fact, when the boy's father tries to call the grandfather by his surname, the grandfather vehemently rebels against the name ("That's not my name!"). This leads into the theme of control. The mother leaves the grandfather because she didn't want to be controlled by him. The grandfather rejects his human name because he doesn't want to be controlled by it. The boy fears losing control of himself and letting the nameless thing inside him take over. It's my assumption that this is why they don't have name. Teach, the dog, knows who and what he is. In fact, Teach is very special and knows a lot more than the boy what kind of monsters are out there. The novella is 120 pages long and a 2 hour listen on your audio apps. Similar to Wild Spaces is The Bear by Andrew Krivak. I listened to this audiobook during the height of COVID while required to work from home. It was very beautiful and deeply emotional (a book that had me calling my father and sobbing about how much I missed him). In it, none of the characters have names. It is simply "the girl" and "her father." Even the setting is nameless and the events prior leave nothing telling of the setting. The story follows the girl as she learns from her father about how to survive in the wild. The two share a cabin and only have each other. When the girl suddenly finds herself without her father, she uses everything he's taught her to live her life all alone. The animals know her; though her father taught her how to hunt, he also taught her how to respect nature and in turn, nature will respect her. The animals watch over her and she begins to think of them as her father watching over her. When she dies, the animals welcomes her back into nature. It didn't occur to me during the book that they had no names, but now, I wonder why that is. I wonder if the emotional journey would have been compromises had names been given to everything. Would the allegory have less of an impact if it was all spelled out for the reader? The Bear is also a short listen at 4 hours. Do you always name your characters? Have you read the stories mentioned above?
When you know what you want to write... but don't know how to write what you want to write... or even if you should write what you want to write and in the end, just sit there like:
I'm using The Red Lord for my first attempt. Following this structure, the playlist should tell the entire story.
(Implementing a rule from the other challenge: No repeat artists! Though repeating featured artists are fair game!) Though its a Dark Romantasy, I'm finding a lot of pop/R&B songs fit the general vibes of my characters in love... though it does give the since that the story is lighter than it really is. What did you find out duringt his process? Two aliens walk into a bar, drawn in by the music of the vintage jukebox and dance to Doris Day's "Dream a Little Dream of Me"This was the only concept I had for my first novel writing endeavor. No characters (other than two aliens). No world in which to build (though I had the vague idea of a retro Sci-Fi setting... hence the jukebox). Prior to this, I'd never had cause to "world build" since my longest projects have been short stories. (Note: I believe that any project, no matter the length, has to have some element of worldbuilding in order to stay consistent and have characters that interreact remain true to their environment... even if its a small town in the middle of nowhere Iowa). Primarily associated with (but not limited to) the Fantasy and Science Fiction genres, Worldbuilding is "the process of creating a fictional world within your novel that offers an entirely new and unique location with exotic creatures, societies, religions, and governments" (Self-Publishing School). In college, I followed the MFA tract while also getting my BA in English Literature (though I opted out due to schedule constraints with my BA). I took Writing Popular Fiction with paranormal fiction author, Nicole Peeler. Her class was my first introduction into worldbuilding, as well as my first introduction into Pinterest. The instruction was to create a Pinterest board for each character as well as setting elements, culture, and lore. While I only used Pinterest for that assignment, I've taken to create folders within Google Drives of all these worldbuilding elements. When to WorldbuildAccording to the Self Publishing School, Worldbuilding should be the very first step an author should take. However, different writers write differently! I, for example, write as I go (aka. Discovery Writer/Pantser/Gardener), while others write from outlines of varying meticulosity (Outliner/Plotter/Architect) (see "Outlining/Plotting Vs Discovery Writing/Pantsing" for more details!). If you are the latter, worldbuilding expert, and director of the award-winning worldbuilding and novel writing software World Anvil, Janet Forbes instructs it should come in the plotting stage. You need to be aware of tour characters, traditions, systems, technology, etc. early. But if you don't outline? Forbes writes in "When Should You Worldbuild for Your Novel?" "Most pantsers I know love to craft characters, even if they don’t know what will happen to them over the course of the story! And characters are full to the brim with worldbuilding opportunities!" This is true enough! Though my "world" came slowly, my characters were already starting to develop-- and with it, their story. Though I kept the two "aliens" from my concept, they were not the aliens of "little green men" lore. They were inspired by the various myths of ancient being arriving on Earth. They look like us, and act like us, but were from civilizations light years away. How would these "ancient aliens" look? I envisioned them resembling the Tuaregs of the Sahara, the Dogon People of Mali, the Cushitic tribes of the Eastern horn of Africa (AKA, Kush people and Cushites). My Diadasi people were immaculately beautiful and well cultured despite being centuries behind in terms of space travel. My Diadasi people went through various changes (from being more alien in appearance to less; from having purple skin the color of their sand, to simply having rich black skin). Their appearance evolved over the years as I wrote their stories. Forbes recommends taking notes after each writing session, "Try spending 5 minutes documenting the people, places and things you came up with... mention a creature, a character, a location or a technology, scribble down a few notes about your ideas." I've learned a lot more about my characters and worlds after I've already written them (for example: my two Diadasi like Doris Day😁)! I wasn't allowed to play Sims growing up. There was something cool about creating a virtual person, dropping it in a world where I had control over where it lived, when/how it ate, the weather, its friends. Whether or not it lived or died. It was much different than a Tomogatchi or any of those similar pocket pets that came out during the early 2000s (toys which I was allowed to have, by the way). The reason I was given was that it was "too adult" for me, and "something you wont understand." (Either that or they don't want me to become a little megalomaniac, but hey, I'm an Ares). To this day, I've never played Sims. I never had a reason to because I could create my own worlds and characters to drop in them. I have control over everything. Especially when and how my characters die. Two of my published stories end in contentment, if not hopeful and happily. The others are somber. Melancholic and heavy on the feels. Three end in death while a forth, its implied. "Have you ever tried writing something... happier?" my dad asked me once after he'd read "The Hanging Tree." Its not that I can't, its just... I write the story that needs to be written. Even if it ends in death. I love watching Romances... but I can never be purely a "Romance" writer.I just finished watching the Chinese drama, Love Me If You Dare (2015). While it had its flaws, it was enjoyable. However, despite the plot being a Sherlock Holmes-esque murder mystery involving heinous crimes, it seemed like the series was afraid to let beloved characters suffer. For example, the female lead, Jian Yao, has a traumatic back story (the gruesome murder of her father and grandparents while she was a young child) that is only mentioned once by another character who found her file. This trauma was never explored. Not in her relationship with the male lead who she helps solves these murders, and not personally. She mentions it once more at toward the end of the series, but there is no emotional pull to it. Then Jian Yao's best friend gets "blown up".... but surprise! He's alive. Not even injured, just kidnapped. They find him, though, but while recovering in the hospital, he's involved in a shootout. Jian Yao sees her childhood best friend shot multiple times in the chest, we see him die, and Jian Yao kidnapped by a serial killer who likes to torture his victims to death. Neither Jan Yao nor her love interest bat and eye. (fear not-- the friend is seen lying in a hospital bed alive, and captive Jian Yao is never harmed by this supposed serial killer, even though we see all of his crimes throughout the series). The male lead, who is the love interest might I add, has no urgency in rescuing Jan Yao. He has no emotional reaction to her being taken by his arch nemesis. When he does finally rescue her, the two are unaffected by any of the events that have taken place, and happily prepare for Jian Yao's wedding. Romance always end in a Happily Ever After (or a "Happily For Now"). It skipped the emotional journey and jumped straight to HEA. There were no equal parts to the story and seemed like, halfway through the series, it wanted to be solely a Romance. I'm not a sadist; I don't want suffering and death just for the sake of it. But sometimes, character deaths just write themselves... ... and tragedies need to happen in order for the remaining characters to grow, (or to progress the plot in an emotional if not jarring way). There's no more compelling and engaging plot device than killing off a major lead or supporting character. In his article on Screen Craft, Ken Miyamoto explains in detail 10 reasons to kill your characters:
A character’s death, when done right, makes sense if viewed in light of the rest of the world you’ve created, even if the initial jolt of surprise and grief is hard to deal with for the reader. However, a character's death should not be trivial.
A year a go, George R.R. Martin weighed in on his heavy handedness in killing his characters, "In our entertainment, television, film, books, over the centuries as it’s evolved, death is often treated very cavalierly... If I’m going to write a death scene, particularly for major characters, I want to make the reader feel it " (The Independent). Death should be difficult-- not only for the writer to write, but for the reader to read. I guess this is why I've struggled to kill off a supporting character in The Path of the Cave Stars. I want to-- so badly! I've visualized the outcomes of the characters death and how it impacts my two MCs. But I don't do it. I cycle through these thoughts with a different character but still just as important to my MCs and their growth. I question myself: am I holding on to this character to be sentimental? Do I want to kill this character just because I can? What does this story need? I control the characters, but sometimes the story has more control than the hand(s) that write it. |
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April 2024
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