Last week, I watched a live interview with Erika L. Sanchez about her book Crying In The Bathroom. I had never read anything by Sanchez before, but her interview made me pick up a copy of her memoir. “What are some reactions that you’ve received from other people about your memoir?” the interviewer asked Sanchez. “Well the most surprising thing as I mentioned was you know people thought I wrote too much about my pussy… or that I’m too vulgar or I swear too much. Whatever.” Through out the interview there was “fuck,” “shit,” more “pussy” and “damn” and I cringed each time as I looked around the room at my five attendees— between the ages of 17 and 60— hoping not to see them offended by the humorously crass interview. I don’t swear myself— or at least, it is not a big part of my vocabulary. It has never been part of my vocabulary and I’m not saying it out of some need to sound high and mighty. My parents never swore around us kids. My grandfather was famous for using alternatives like “Great Googa Mooga!” and “Cheese And Crackers!” (instead of “Jesus Christ” or “jeez”). My mother used “Fudge” as a substitute for Fuck. The real words just never sounded right coming out of my mouth (and I tried…. I sound like a dork, especially when I ended up stuttering! We can’t all be Samuel L. Jackson). Reading such words in books always filled me with giddiness as I hunkered down over the book like a coveted secret, snickering as I read the “real” word. To this day, I can't help myself from displaying titles like Nightbitch and Boyslut front and center while I picture myself becoming the purple devil emoji. …And so, I checked out Crying in the Bathroom, sold on Sanchez’ easy way of speaking and unwillingness to sugarcoat her words. “I write the way I speak,” Sanchez said. This has got me thinking: why do we have a fascination with swear words? How is it that I still get a reaction from reading curse words— It's everywhere. The first time I’d heard a swear word (that I remember) was in the first grade. We were walking single file across our school campus when a boy in front of me said “bitch.” The other kids giggled mixed with a few “awwws.” Me, being the intellectual know-it-all-wanna-be at a very young age said “Do you even know what ‘bitch’ means?’ (I didn't). My teacher had overheard me, and I was the one who got in trouble for saying the word… and then again for arguing that I wasn't the one who said it first. My first lesson in swearing came from a high school English class that follows more or less from Writers Digest:
The Writer’s Digest article then goes on to say: we use these words because we are human. We get angry. “Well-written raw talk can make your characters seem lifelike and more authentic.” This is why, while the words are not in my spoken vocabulary, I have no problem reading them or writing them in my pieces. My fictional characters have their own way of speaking just like I do. You’ll find Aminat in The Red Lord particularly obscene, while Genta in The Path of the Cave Stars can be prone to profanity and swearing using his deity's name in not the best of light. I do these things for a reason. Genta, for example, has lost all faith in the gods and goddesses and doesn't care one way or another how he speaks about them. On the how to use vein, “Spicy language generally works best when it’s used sparingly, or at least in moderation" (WD). Since we are in the Romance (of various spice levels) Era, I feel its safe to update the WD’s list:
In this context, I cringe. I like Romance/Erotica as much as the trend dictates, but, while reading the “bad words” thrilled/s me, reading the “spicy” words makes me feel dirty. Like a voyeur peeping into the explicit thoughts of lovers. I am not a prude (that's it… there is no following “but”). Reading smut doesn’t offend me or make me clutch my pearls. The Red Lord is my first venture into the spicier side of writing. Aminat and Thane go pretty hot and heavy on multiple occasions… in multiple locations. On the scale, it would be a Level 3. What keeps it from being a Full-Frontal-4 would be my lack of graphic talk. In the context of Spice, I just can’t make the words sound sexy… because it doesn't sound sexy to me (sorry!). What are your thoughts on foul language? --------------------------------------------- Bonus Article: I Can’t Believe Readers Are Still Getting Upset Over F*cking Swearing by Amy Poeppel (Musical Chairs)
0 Comments
In the writing groups I float in, there has been a lot of talk about the steps to writing a novel. Despite having started the MFA track while I was in undergrad (had the opportunity to do a dual program of English Literature and get my MFA, but decided to opt out of it for various reason, one of which was having to play “catch up” because I started my major late), I never really learned the structure of actually writing a novel. In Introduction to Popular Fiction (one of two writing classes I got to take before dropping the Dual program) outlined the typical novel: Beginning. Middle. End. The structure varied depending on genre. So… how does one actually start writing a novel? That question— and the concept of not knowing— really surprises me. My first thought after seeing it pop up so many times was “easy…. Just write!” and, though there were a few similar responses to mine, the more technical replies made me turn inward and examine my own writing process.
There are a myriad of structures of various lengths and breadths. What's my process? I was an Art Therapy major before I pursued English Literature and writing during my time in Under Grad. Writing is like a lump of clay. Its already there, shapeless and blob like. There is a vague vision. Sometimes no vision at all. You work the clay, playing around with it, feeling a shape take form beneath your fingers. When your done moving the lump around, it begins to resemble something. The more you work the clay, the more of that something you have until the sculpture at the very end. Its not perfect, but its there. All that's left is to define it, fire it, polish it, check for any imperfections. Display it. I finish my draft of The Path of the Cave Stars (I have no idea which draft this is... I lost count somewhere after the 4th revision). I am now refining it-- running it through a Text To Speech Reader so that I can hear my words out loud and make further edits as I follow along. Once that process is over, I’ll seek 3-4 Beta readers and shift gears to another project while that's being read. As writers, the onslaught of ideas are constant. So is the stopping and starting of various projects! So, how do you get around this? How do you stay focused on your WIP? I am a part of multiple writing groups and forums, and my answers to these remain the same: Progress Journal. I began my Progress Journal in 2019. Until then, I'd never done one. I didn't even know what one was (I thought it was a blog, to be honest). There were various Progress Journals posted, and they were created in various ways. But for mine, I bullet pointed all of my projects at the time (projects, to me, were documents that had more than twenty pages to them). For each of those, I listed the word count thus far, a summary of the plot and how far I'd gotten into the story. I had 10 projects! Eventually, I narrowed it to 3 (some make Progress Journals for each project. I used 1 journal to track my 3) From there, I collected my notes on those three projects, tracked any questions that came up while writing. Any problems I had and how I worked them out. I tracked mile stones like finishing my first draft, edits, and Beta reading troubles. I can see how I solved a problem and problems I've yet to find solutions for. I can look at the information I've collected and find a use for them or scenes I've scrapped but are suddenly relevant again. I've even set goals for myself (you know how much I love goals). Its kept me focused and accountable. With my Project Journal, I was able to finish the first drafts of two out three manuscripts! So, how do you make a Progress Journal? Just as there are various ways to organize one, there are multiple ways to create one.
If you are having trouble getting started on a Progress Journal or just don't know how to structure it, check out the WIP journal on Etsy. I was gifted this journal, and I must say, it is very detailed! I am not a linear notetaker, so a lot of the detail in it pulled me out of my focus. I would say this journal is great for those who plot/outline their projects. However you organize your Journal, I hope you stick with it! I am 2 chapters away from being done with the edits to The Path of the Cave Stars, the first draft of which I completed in 2021. I'll be taking some time off from blogging so that I can focus on the final chapters. Stay tuned for my next blog post on "Next Steps!"
I ran with the Striders during the summer. I trained with Coach Kilgore and his daughter who I ended up competing against in high school (from teammates to rivals) during breaks and, when we went to college, I visited and trained with them when I came home. Coach always said that we have nothing to prove to anyone else but ourselves when we PR (personal record). I learned to set goals for myself which started with “catch the person in front.” It evolved into “beat my last race.” That's how I measured my success. If I could at the very least beat the person in front of me— and at the very most— beat myself, then my race was a success. In many aspects of my life, I remember my various track coaches and what I learned from my races. But I can't do that with writing. At least, I have not found a way to apply it. It's easy to do with sports where your successes and wins are determined by a point system or timed on a clock. There is a set of criteria that must be met. It's measurable. Art is different. Art is subjective. In the eye of the beholder. One person’s art is another's trash and vice versa. Some artists create masterpiece after masterpiece, while others create one or two notable works in their lifetime. Most were only recognized after death. Writing is no different. I struggle with Imposter Syndrome. Something I never had while running track. Every accolade and publication, I think of as a fluke. It will never happen again. My work is just not that good (this isn't me fishing for compliments or my lack of confidence in myself). It's simply feeling undeserving. Feeling doubtful in my abilities because, unlike with sports, there isn't anything measurable with art… …or is there? My Goals: Goal 1: get at least 1 publication a year. With the exception of the four years I was in Grad School, I’ve been meeting this goal. See Publications Goal 2: submit 150 queries and aim for 100 rejections (QueryTracker tracks no-responses as rejections. As of the writing of this post, I’ve had 60 confirmed rejections) It's still not enough for me, and I don't think it ever will be.
--------------------------
Question #45676 of questions that never fail to stump me: What's your favorite genre? (its right up there with "what music do you listen to?") I use to say something like, "Everything" or "I don't have one," but then I realized how short and conversation-ending it was, so here is my answer: My favorite genre is whatever genre I am reading at the moment. I like to call myself a "Mood Reader," for lack of a better term. Not the kind of person that can see auras or a mood ring-esque reader, but someone who lets their mood carry their interests. This has led me down some pretty interesting paths. A couple of years ago, I did a library series of programs on Death: I hosted Death Cafes, featured an art historian to talk about Death in art, Dia De Los Muertos and other death celebrations. My reading habits followed. I read all of Caitlin Doughty's books and binged her Youtube videos (most may know her my her channel, "Ask A Mortician"). I delved into her group, The Order of the Good Death and read books by her fellows, such as Dark Archives and Rest in Pieces. During my Epic Fantasy Mood, I binge read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and David Eddings' Belgariad books. Weird Science Mood: I was obsessed with Pandora's Lab: Seven Instances of Science Gone Wrong, Gory Details, and The Icepick Surgeon (I had to wait for this one to come out after I finished the other two!). Beneath the Tamarind Tree set me on my path to seeking books relating to Islam and the Middle East (The Underground Girls of Kabul, The Bookseller of Kabul and A Woman Is No Man). This was never the case when I was younger. I stuck pretty much to Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) and Horror for much of my my life with a bit of coming-of-age titles thrown in (I think every young girl has read at least one Sarah Dessen book). It wasn't until I started working at a public library and took on the duties of a Readers Advisory and Collection Development librarian that I started to explore other genres-- Amish/Inspirational, Erotica, Mysteries, Romance, International, etc. With that being said, the next question that always seems to follow around writers is: Do you write what you read/read what you write? For some writers, yes. I can't tell you exactly how many, because I don't know. But for me personally, my reason for writing is much the same as my reason for reading. Through books, I can escape to places I've never been. I am different people experiencing different things. I am learning. Don't get me wrong, some genres are more fun to write in than others (like SF/F, for example). Some genres allow me to explore emotions and feelings I don't typically explore (literary and romance as other examples). In the end, though my reasons for writing and reading overlap across all genres, what I write is quite different (see my earlier blog post on Core Stories). Current Mood (if you haven't guessed from last week): |
[Love Interest] is a character mentioned in a passage on page 18 of the PDF. He is described as a man who speaks to [Main Character], and whose voice is slurred as if a heaviness weighed down his tongue along with the corner of his lip. [M.C.] realizes that [L.I.]is the man who should be dead, implying that he was presumed dead but has somehow returned. It is not clear what role [L.I.] plays in the story beyond this initial introduction. |
I made a note so that I could revisit this character's introduction to make it evident who he is and the role he will play in the story.
ChatPDF is like having a critique partner. It never told me what to do or how to write, but helped me see the weak spots in my manuscript.
I'd say, its a good tool for the initial editing phase, before it reaches a Beta reader, for example. I actually really like it! However, I stand firm in the belief that this tool (and all the others like it) cannot replace human interaction and input. My manuscript still needs human eyes, human thoughts, and human emotions to tell me whether or not what I am trying to convey comes across beyond just the words.
I give this tool 3 out of 5 stars.
Where it failed to earn the other two was that I found, the longer the PDF, the more chatbot "skimmed." There were questions I asked it where it said "no information" but the the answers I knew were in the story. I even directed it to a specific page ("that page does not exist") and a specific chapter ("that chapter does not exist"). So, it seems that it reads up to a certain point in longer PDFs.
50 pages at a time seems like the sweet spot, though.
-----------------------------------------
Have you used this tool?
What are your thoughts on AI and bots?
Author
Writer, Reader, Author, Dabbler, Journeyer, List Maker
Archives
April 2024
March 2024
December 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
Categories
All
Adult
AI Technology
Alison Croggon
Artifact Of Doom
Artists
Book Covers
Book Suggestions
Celebration
Character Deaths
ChatPDF
Core Story
Creativity
Currently Reading
Default
Diverse Books
Exercises
First Post
Friday Funday
Gas Powered Stick
George RR Martin
Goals
Hooks
Horror
Interview
Jayne Ann Krentz
Juneteenth
Kate Constable
L.Penelope
Media Monday
Mid Week Musings
Mid-Week Musings
Muse (Band)
Names
Nappy.co
NYC Midnight
Playlists
Poetry
Progress Journal
Publications
QueryTracker
Reflections
RF Kuang
Romance
Short Stories
Spider Punk
Spiderverse
Stuttering
Tananarive Due
Tropes
Wheels Of Fortune
WIP
Worldbuilding
Writing
Writing Prompts
YA