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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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.
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![]() For the month of June, I hosted a "Spooky Summer" book club reading The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due. Tananarive Due is a name I recognized from my childhood. My mother read her books along with Stephen Barnes and Brandon Massey, big names in Black Horror and Speculative Fiction. The Wishing Pool was my first dive into her works and I was able to share it with my biggest Horror inspiration: my mother. As far as I could remember, my mom has been watching and reading horror. I'd sit and watch with her-- The Outer Limits, the Twilight Zone, Creep Show, Friday the 13th, Carrie (original and remakes), Final Destination-- It was our thing. My mother was my "origin story." In other words, part of the reason I gravitated to the genre, even going as far as taking Horror & Suspense fiction class in college. I never once asked what her origin story was. ![]() When did you first start reading and watching horror? Mom: Watching would be when I was, I think about 8. I would stay up late at night and watch the late horror movies. But I would lay between [my mom and dad]. I was in there with them so I was good. I’d watch these horror movies until the station went off and the screen when white. But I would need [my dad] to walk me to bed because I was scared. Reading? The first one I read was Helter Skelter, and you know what Helter Skelter is. Yeah, those would scare me, but I couldn't put them down. I was in my own room by then, so I was a teenager I think. What is 'horror' to you? How would you define it? Mom: Things that scared me or bump in the night. Horror to me are things that creep up on me or startle me. I mean of course the blood and gore, but it was really scary if things creep up on me. I didn't worry about the hows and the whys. I can put in that I think my fear started-- did I ever tell you about Uncle Ralph's room? Me: No. Mom: Ok, when I was little, we were all staying over at your great grandma and grandpas house. They never wanted us to go upstairs. Upstairs was off limits. But at night-- I remember it was storming so bad. Bad storm. [My sisters] slept in one room and your uncle Warren was just a little boy then and he got to sleep in the room with grandpa and grandma. I remember asking them where do I sleep? And they said in Uncle Ralph's room [Jade's note: Uncle Ralph is my grandfather's younger brother and my mom's god-father. EDITED: He died of kidney disease when my mom was a baby]. No one ever went into Uncle Ralph's room. I was scared to death! I closed my eyes so tight and all of a sudden I felt like someone touched me. Like someone put their hand on my shoulder and I was suddenly ok. I was able to go to sleep. In the morning, everyone was afraid and talking about how they couldn't sleep because of the storm, but I'd slept like the storm didn't happen. I was afraid to open my eyes, but I wasn't afraid of the storm. I think that's what made me immune to horror stories because I would watch them, but it was like I wasn't afraid anymore. Not really. What were some of your favorites? Movies, TV shows, books? Mom: Frankenstein. The old black and white on up until the remakes in the 70s. The remake ones use to upset my stomach. I’d have stomach aches all the time… those bothered me more. I liked the old Frankenstein. They didn't scare me. They made me feel sorry for him. Dracula. I like the newer Dracula versions The Thing— the ORIGINAL Thing. That bothered me but oooh! And then the other vampire type movies. Remember the one where all of the vampires would go to Alaska? 30 Days of Night. Nowhere you could run, nowhere you could hide. Its dark all the time. Yeah, that one I like! Blackula when it first came out… but now, I realize its predictable. I didn't care too much for ghosts or “Invisible Man” type of thing, even though those came on a lot growing up. I like the paranormal though. Do you still enjoy horror? Have you fallen out of the genre? Mom: Oh no! If its something that I know it will be good… like Netflix’s horror section, I’ll look through and read the synopses to see if there's something I’d like. If its predictable, it takes away the fun. They are all basically predictable now. I want something that is more entertaining rather than something that I know its going to happen. Like Swarm. It kept me glued! Like, I had an idea what was going on and what would happen. [spoilers redacted] The twists and turns— yeah, that was good. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Mom: I think I’ll always be fascinated by the horrific SciFi. Now that I'm older, it doesn't give me a headache much. But it still makes me jump. "What appealed to me about horror, once I discovered it especially in the literary form where you get to know the character a little better-- a little more deeply, were those opportunities to find your inner courage." If you've read or plan on reading The Wishing Pool, below are the discussion question I made for my group. Enjoy!
PART I: Wishes
PART III: The Nayima Stories
PART IV: Future Shock
“Hello, my name is Jade and I am a Person Who Stutters.”
My first day, the members began with this— Person First Language. The idea was that the hardest part of all interactions was trying to hide the stutter, but being upfront about it relieves the anxieties and pressures of hiding it. When it was my turn…. I couldn't say the words. Not because of my stutter, but because all the years of negativity associated with my stutter held me back even though I was literally in a room filled with people who stuttered too. I was allowed to cry. I was allowed to sit in silence and just listen. If you’ve ever been bullied as a child, you may know how it feels to be an adult carrying the weight of those negativities that you’ve thought faded with time. How, you might ask, is this reflection relevant to writing and creativity? Once I started introducing myself this way, my relationship with my stuttering changed (don’t get me wrong, I still do have anxieties relating to my stutter and socializing in large crowds). My focus shifted to the ways my stutter has worked in my favor:
![]() It's easy to focus on the negative when the negatives are so visible— it's in the expression of the person you are talking to when you stutter. It's the scrunching of your face as you try to get out a particularly challenging word. It's in the exhaustion and embarrassment that droop your shoulders after you realize that you’ve been ignored (again). After 29 years, I’m starting to refocus myself on the positives. I never lost that childhood love of storytelling, only just shifted gears. Are you or someone you know a person that stutters?
“I love writing short stories. I’ve been publishing novels since 1995 and writing screenplays for twenty years, but in many ways, short stories feel like my purest fiction.” — Tananarive Due ![]() In a 2022 Writers Digest article, Dallas Washburn lists the importance of the Short Story:
When I was old enough to be allowed on the family computer, I began typing short stories (or novel length ideas that only got as far as shorts). I’d sit for hours, 1 finger typing out these stories that emerge from dreams. I learned a few things about myself during this time: 1: I loved horror/Speculative (I even took a Horror and Suspense writing class when I got to college). 2: I liked to experiment with rhythmic prose or prose poetry, writing stories that had more of a poetry fairytale feel. 3: the more I wrote, the more I learned “the rules” (beginning, middle, end). My first short story publication was Sophomore year of college, “The Invisible Boy.” After years of writing, that first publication really showed me that I really was a “writer” and could be an “author.” It would be years still before I attempted (and finished) my first novel. ![]()
Contrary to what the title says, my first fantasy love was not the Avatar series. But, as see pictures from the set of the new live action remake and start the Earthsinger Chronicles, I'm reminded how I got to Avatar in the first place.
My first fantasy series obsession was the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy by Kate Constable. In a world where magic is conjured by song, we find our main protagonist, Calwyn, as a young convent novice at a in the froze North, surrounded by a wall of ice. The ice protects not only the priestesses and the village, but Ice Call— the magic that allows the priestesses to make and manipulate ice and snow. Ice Call, like all magical abilities in this world, cannot be learned but inherited. Calwyn's a bit of a pariah amongst the novices and the priests. Her mother broke her vows in more ways than one a priestess when she went beyond the wall and when she came back with baby Calwyn. Without her mother, Calwyn has had to put up with a number of abuses from her peers and superiors who remember her mother as a traitor, but Calwyn always wondered about the outside world. Enter Darrow, a man with Iron Call who does the impossible and climbs over the wall from the outside— and subsequently falls and breaks his leg. Afraid, yet curious of the outsider, Calwyn hides him away and nurses him back to health. But Darrow comes with a warning: there is a man that has learned more than one song and he is looking to harness all of the songs to become ruler of Tremaris. Once Samis' apprentice, Darrow has been on the run. He warns Calwyn that Samis will come to the north to steal Ice Call and kill him once he finds him. When Samis does arrive and attacks the convent, Calwyn has no choice but to flee with Darrow, still far too injured to fight Samis. Together, Calwyn and Darrow must find a way to stop Samis from achieving his goals, while also trying to stay far enough out of his reach. Calwyn finds that Samis isn't the only one skilled in acquiring other songs and she just may be the only one who can lock him away for good. Each book tackles a different issue: battling Samis in Book 1, tackling Darrow’s traumatic past and the fraternity of sorcerers that made him who he was in Book 2, Calwyn dealing with the loss of her abilities. As the trilogy progresses, so does her relationship with Darrow and the rest of their ragtag team comprised of a surly fisherman begrudgingly roped into Darrow and Calwyn’s mission early on, a half-deaf misfit from a men’s college, a young Wind Call girl rescued from pirates, and Calwyn’s mute long lost brother whom their mother had left behind when she returned to the convent (like Toph, he's learned to adapt his abilities). I kid you not, I reread this series again and again, too stubborn to move on from the world of Tremaris (and my first book crush, Darrow!). (Not seeing a connection yet? Stick with me now...) ![]()
After I finished the series, I was older but still wanted something similar: insert The Pellinor Saga by Alison Croggin. The concept is similar: magical world fueled by song and name. Instead of being shut away in an ice convent, the protagonist, Maerad, is shut away in a slavers settlement where she is a slave. Cadvan, one of the Great Bard of Lirigon, becomes her "Darrow" as he takes her away and becomes her mentor. He teaches her as much as he can about magic and enrolls her in the School of Pellinor to learn more while he goes away on business, but an uprising results in murder and Maerad and Cadvan must flee together to stop dark forces threatening to regain power. The books grow darker and darker with each one. Child soldiers, death, and army of the fallen, murder, we even see Maerad permanently maimed before the series conclusion.
How can I possibly top these series written for Middle and High Schoolers? ![]()
I discovered L. Penelope’s Earthsinger Chronicles during the COVID closure. The library was closed to the public. Staff had taken the opportunity to shift the entire fiction collection, replace old labels, and reorder yellowed and stained copies. I came across Song of Blood and Stone and, after reading the synopsis, nostalgia came flooding back to me.
In the first book of this Adult fantasy series, Jasminda (like Calwyn and Maerad) is an outsider in her community. As a mixed race young woman living in a territory that only sees the side of her they hate and fear (the side of her that inherited her Lagrimari father's gift of Earthsong), she struggles just to survive as an ordinary citizen. But when she rescues an Elsiran soldier, Jack, as he's being held captive by Lagrimari enemies, she is thrust into the start of a war between the two nations. Though it took me a while to finally pick the book up again to actually read it (work, life, and a TBR list longer than the COVID lockdown), so far, I am not disappointed! It looks like each book focuses on a different set of characters, so that should be interesting. Hmmm, swap the genders and substitute Singing with Martial Arts… ![]() My writing de facto is imagery. I love it. I feel it's what I'm good at— painting pictures with my words so that my readers can see, taste, and feel it. However, there is something to be said for a good hook. As a librarian, I participated in "Blind Date With A Book" trend (*NOTE: libraries have been participating in this activity as earliest as 2013). The concept is simple: us librarians wrap up a bunch of books and write the genre and the first line of the first chapter. The hook. Books that got picked for a “Date” were almost always the ones with a catchy, eye grabbing, short but sweet, hook. I’m still experimenting with this in my own work, but as I read in my spare time, I’m always taking notes. These are some of my favorite attention grabbing hooks:
What are your favorite hooks? |
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