Author Archives: Poseidon's Scribe

Milieu, Ambiance, and Writing

Are milieu and ambiance important, perhaps even necessary, for the act of writing?

Milieu means surroundings, environment. Ambiance means the mood created by an environment. As a writer, you strive for a creative, productive mood, particularly one that results in a string of words soon to become a best-seller. Before sitting down to write, do you arrange a milieu conducive to achieving that ambiance? Let’s examine the aspects involved.

Sight

You don’t gaze at the screen or page all the time. Now and then you glance up. When you do, what visual surroundings do you prefer to see? Do you lean toward a natural view—vistas of the outside world including trees, flowers, mountains, lakes, etc.? Or are you the decorative indoor type—furnishing your writing space with paintings, knick-knacks, posters, figurines, or other delights for the eye? Perhaps visual clutter distracts you, and you seek a bare, spartan environment. Or do your visual surroundings matter at all?

Sound

Does noise, or its absence, harmonize with your writing? Some writers hate sound of any kind. Even the ticking of a clock or the hum of a fan disturbs them. Others prefer the quiet murmurs of nature—twittering birds and babbling creeks. Others put on recorded music, a background soundtrack of their writing passion. Perhaps, for them, certain songs match the rhythm of their creativity. Other writers tap into music more in tune with the specific mood or setting of their work-in-progress.

Smell

Scientists claim a strong link exists between odor and mood. Do you follow your nose to improved creativity or prolificness, or both? Do you achieve your optimum olfactory atmosphere via flowers, perfume, potpourri, or incense? Perhaps you turn your nose up at fragrances altogether, not caring one whiff about them.

Touch

Does the tactile sense reach out and poke your creative nerves? Does it help to stroke the fur of a pet or stuffed animal? Is the comfiness of your chair a factor? Maybe the feel of a pen in your hand rubs you the right way.

Taste

Bundled with smell, taste hits the spot for some writers. We’ve all heard accounts of authors who required alcohol to write, but I’m not sure I swallow that. In fact, I’d caution against forming a strong association between writing and tastes. Once that mental link gets established, you’ll strive to write better by eating or drinking more. Too much food or drink can harm your health.

Locale

For the above sensory factors, locale plays a role. Do you write outdoors, preferring a natural setting, disdaining the artificial? Or is the indoor milieu more your style, a place you can shape and adjust as you please, without the bother of insects?

Mental State

We’ve been assuming a process of ambiance—allowing the milieu to create a mood. Perhaps, however, you attain your optimum mental state in a more direct, way. Maybe you reach your creative mood through meditation. Or, more simply, you read and think about what you’ve written before to put yourself in the right frame of mind to continue on. In other words (with apologies to Decartes), you think, therefore you can write.

Experimentation

Maybe you haven’t a clue about the answers to any questions I’ve asked, but you’d like to find out. No problem. Do what a scientist would do—experiment. Try out different milieu and assess the resulting ambiance. Compare the way you write in these different environments. You’re not looking for surroundings that you find most pleasurable, but the one that results in your best prose. Readers, of course, may differ from your assessment and then you’ll face an interesting choice—go with what you prefer, or with what your audience wants.

As for me…

Throughout this post, I’ve proposed things for you to consider as you write. You might be interested in my choice of milieu and its ensuing ambiance. Why you’d be interested in that is a question only you can answer.

I favor the make-your-own-mental-state approach without regard to any milieu. I like to think I can write anywhere. However, if I should, one day, discover just the right environment to generate a best-seller, that would lock in that particular milieu and ambiance for—

Poseidon’s Scribe

March 3, 2024Permalink

Shouldn’t Fiction Writers Get Paid More?

As the old saying goes, if you want to make a small fortune by writing fiction, start with a large fortune. Spoiler alert—the answer to this post’s title question is ‘yes.’

The Problem

Fiction writers should get paid more than most of them do. Consider the loneliness of writing, the struggle to gather the right words—out of many thousands—and to arrange them in just the right order, the trepidation of submitting a manuscript, the anxious anticipation of awaiting a response, the crushing despair of rejection.

Mere doctors and lawyers, accustomed to their lives of ease, could never stand the strain. Yet, by the most paradoxical injustice of our universe, members of these professions earn much more money than most fiction writers.

The Plea

As mentioned in an article in The Guardian, author Philip Pullman wrote an open letter to British publishers, imploring them to pay writers more. He made his case on the basis of fairness, stating that it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure authors can make a living.

Plan A

The uncaring and indifferent among you might ask where the money (these additional funds for deserving authors) should come from. The letter doesn’t cover that matter in detail because the answer is obvious. After all, publishers spend most of their time luxuriating in their vaults, counting and recounting their excess money. They use bills as scrap paper. They use gold coins to shim the legs of wobbly desks. They’re awash in cash, drowning in it.

The letter doesn’t ask publishers to part with all their money, just enough so starving writers can eat. It’s not too much to ask. Publishers will still retain plenty of scrap paper and desk-propping coins.

Plan B

On the off chance those skinflint publishers decline to cough up the necessary funding, the letter hints at another source. Pullman states it’s in ‘everyone’s interest’ to get writers paid appropriately.

Therefore, if publishers prove too stingy, we can turn to Plan B—take money from everyone and spread that sum among writers. However, Plan B may prove more difficult than it sounds. Going door to door with a tin cup strikes me as time-consuming. Also, a few citizens may hold differing opinions of fairness and disagree about what constitutes ‘everyone’s interest.’ Some might even refuse to contribute to the tin cup.

Let’s forget that method and select a far more efficient way of collecting money from ‘everyone’—taxation. We can simply persuade politicians (well known for their powers of logical reason and their sense of fairness) to raise sufficient taxes to pay writers what we’re worth. If they balk at a tax hike, they can feel free to add to the rather minuscule national debt, for payment later, by someone else.

What a grand project! Who’s with me?

The Consequences

Before we march on Washington, there’s one more thing. Failure in this endeavor is not an option. Mr. Pullman’s letter warns that if writers don’t get paid more, they will become an endangered species.

Writers, you may be aware, have almost split off from Homo sapiens to constitute a separate species—Homo scriptor. Failure to pay writers a living wage, Mr. Pullman believes, will cause that species’ population to decline.

What higher purpose does government serve, I ask you, than to protect all the species of the Earth? The endangerment of a beloved species, the possibility of its extinction, should prompt all non-writers to beg their governments to do something to ‘Save the Writers.‘ (Not a bad slogan. I should write that down.)

Rethinking the Problem

As I ponder this, a countervailing thought occurs. As the population of Homo scriptor dwindles, they will produce fewer new books. In a free market, when supply shrinks and demand stays steady or increases, the price goes up. As the price rises, more money should flow to the remaining writers, thus solving their income problem.

In fact, it’s possible this has already happened, and that the world has already reached an equilibrium, with the right number of writers all earning their fair share in a competitive market.

Well, isn’t that a buzz kill? I had my bags packed to march on D.C. Maybe, contrary to Mr. Pullman’s contention, things are as fair as they’re going to be for writers.

And if they’re not, the words of my father keep coming back. He used to ask me, “Who told you the world was fair?” That was a long time ago, before I became—

Poseidon’s Scribe

February 25, 2024Permalink

Good, Evil, and Beyond in Fiction

When contrary facts collide with opinions, opinions should change, but often resist. I experienced that while reading this post by author Catherine Nichols about the good guy/bad guy myth.

My Former View

Prior to reading that post, I’d thought of ancient stories and folk tales as excessively moral. Peopled with characters wholly good or bad, the old yarns instructed readers in proper moral behavior. (And the moral of the story is…) Good guy wins because he’s good—bad guy loses because he’s bad.

I thought of these stories as immature, unsophisticated. We tell children simple stories of clearly-defined good and evil to help them make sense of a complex world, and to point them in a morally right direction.

In my understanding, Shakespeare changed that. He gave the world more complex characters, neither wholly good nor bad, deeper and more realistic. Sigmund Freud carried the movement further. After Freud, bad guys couldn’t practice evil for its own sake. They needed origin stories, psychological explanations for turning to the dark side, thus making them not wholly bad.

That led to our modern era, where stories tend toward the amoral, outside the moral/immoral spectrum. That’s what I thought, and even blogged about before.

A View Overturned

Ms. Nichols made the opposite case, and her post jarred my neuron signals from their accustomed paths. The ancient tales, she said, didn’t focus on morality or values much. Characters acted in accordance with their personality quirks, not in obedience to some moral code.

Citing examples such as the Iliad, Norse mythology, and familiar fairy tales, she asserted that old stories made no attempt to pit good against evil, or even teach moral lessons.

Modern stories, by contrast (particularly those depicted on screen), emphasize the white hat/black hat distinction and assign moral virtues to the characters, giving them codes of conduct to live by.

Nichols said modern re-telling of old stories insert morality where it hadn’t existed in the original. She cited the examples of Robin Hood, King Arthur, and Thor, where later writers assigned moral codes to characters who hadn’t possessed them in the original versions.

Toward a New Understanding

Which version is true? Did ancient authors write stories laden with morality, intended to instruct, while we modern sophisticates have transcended that? Or did past writers spin yarns without regard for moral teachings while today, we feel the need to issue good or evil badges to our characters? Is one type of story more evolved, more worldly, than the other? Or perhaps both views oversimplify the issue, cherry-picking examples to fit a theory?

Let’s start by assuming storytellers existed in every era of humanity, all the way back to the origins of language. With the advent of writing, storytellers documented their tales.

We may also assume people through the ages have differed in practices, cultures, customs, and values. Perhaps these differences influenced each community’s preferences for story types. Only those tales that resonated with a group got passed down. As storytellers and writers experimented, they discovered what worked for their audiences.

If a writer caught a cultural turning point, a readiness for something fresh and different, that writer met the new need. Other writers rode that wave, too.

I’m suggesting that moral and amoral stories have existed in all times and places. They either catch on or not depending on the prevailing preferences of their current, local marketplace.

Whether stories endure beyond the time and culture of their writing does not depend on the degree of morality in them. Rather, classics live on because they say something important about the universal aspects of human nature.

So What?

Meanwhile, at your own keyboard, you’re wondering how this esoteric discussion affects you. Where’s the actionable advice?

Okay, here it is. You may find it interesting to ponder the history of storytelling and debate the ebb and flow of moral and amoral stories. Or you may not. Just write the story within you, and I’ll write the story within—

Poseidon’s Scribe

February 18, 2024Permalink

Oops! You Confused Your Readers

With your written words alone, you can evoke many emotions in your readers. You can mystify, fascinate, dazzle, awe, uplift, sadden, and many more. But strive not to confuse.

Consequences

Confused readers might, for a short time, give you the benefit of the doubt. Your readers might slog on a bit longer, trusting you to straighten things out, enlighten, explain.

If the confusion doesn’t get resolved soon, your trusting readers will lose trust and blame you, not themselves, for the confusion. It’s your fault for not being clear, for writing poorly. Hard to win readers back after that.

Story Level

To prevent reader confusion, let’s start with the big picture. You’ve finished your manuscript, whether short story, novella, or novel. In your mind, picture the entirety of it.

  • Does it make sense?
  • Does it satisfy in some way?
  • Could your target readers pick out the themes?
  • Is your main character vivid and engaging?
  • Could your readers describe the protagonist’s problem, and how that problem got resolved?

If not, perhaps you should do another draft.

Scene Level

Next, look at the story scene by scene. For every one, ask a few questions.

  • Have you provided enough description for each important person, place, and object?
  • From these descriptions, can your readers form a good mental picture?
  • Do your characters stay in-character? That is, do their words, thoughts, and actions make sense in the circumstances, and are they consistent with previously established motivations? If not, have you provided a reasonable explanation for the change in the characters’ behavior?
  • Do your characters choose the easiest or shortest path to achieving their goals? If not, have you provided a convincing explanation why your character takes the more difficult or longer route?

If some answers are ‘no,’ consider editing those scenes.

Sentence Level

Now you must go sentence by sentence. Sorry, but to prevent reader confusion, you must. For this, I urge you to read this post by author and writing coach Kathy Steinemann.

In her post, Ms. Steinemann lists several punctuation and word phrasing errors that can confuse readers. Her post includes examples of each along with ways to correct them.

One section deals with word order, and the examples of poor word order remind me of the old Groucho Marx joke—“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas, I’ll never know.”

Overall

The best technique for preventing reader confusion lies outside all the levels I’ve discussed. Ms. Steinemann mentions this technique in her post as two things, but I’ll combine them since they’re related: Let your manuscript rest until you can edit it with fresh eyes.

In other words, leave the story unread for a time while you work on other things. How long should it rest? The longer you wait, the better your editing will be, but also the longer the reading public must wait for its publication. You pick the best compromise there.

Exceptions

No writing rule stands unmarred by exceptions. Are there times when you may want to confuse readers? Yes.

You can get away with confusing them for a time, but only if you resolve their confusion with an ‘ah-ha!’ or a ‘ha-ha!’ You might present a confusing situation such that both character and reader get confused, as in a mystery, then solve the mystery for both character and reader. Ah-ha! Or you can make a joke as in the Groucho Marx example. Ha-ha!

Conclusion

In general, you’re not aiming for confused readers. If they can’t figure out what you mean, they won’t read the rest of the story, or any others written by you. They might tell their friends not to, as well. If this post confused you, then the only one to blame is—

Poseidon’s Scribe

February 11, 2024Permalink

An Outline Every Writer Can Love

Ah, outlines. Some writers love ’em. Others despise ’em. In which camp do you pitch your tent?

Dilemma

In general, plotters love outlines. Plotters plan before writing, and that requires an outline, as detailed as possible. It comforts them to know where they’re going, what to write next.

In contrast, pantsers (as in writing by the seat of) abhor outlines. Too restrictive, too inhibiting. They want to write free of constraints, letting the story take them where it will. They figure if they don’t know how it will end, the reader won’t guess either.

Might there exist some rare species of outline acceptable to both types? Such an outline would strike a perfect balance, detailed enough for plotters, yet simple enough for pantsers.

Solution

The folks at Author Accelerator may have found it. They call it the Two-Tier Outline. (For pantsers repulsed by the very word ‘outline,’ you may call it the Two-Tier Guideline, or some similarly inoffensive term.)

The Author Accelerator post explains it better than I can. Although they focus on novels, the technique should work as well for short stories and novellas.

The method is simple: list your story’s scenes. For each scene, add two sub-bullets. The first states what happens in the scene, and the second states why the scene matters to your protagonist. Keep the whole thing under four pages.

How Plotters Benefit

Plotters often focus on action, on events, the essence of plot. When they do, what gets left out? Feelings, emotions, motivations, thoughts. Good plotters add those to the manuscript as they write. Bad plotters fail to include them in the story. The resulting work bristles with action, but contains flat, uninteresting characters.

The Two-Tier Outline forces plotters to include these otherwise missing elements. Also, the three-page limit constrains plotters’ tendencies to over-plan.

I blogged about a different way to factor in motivations here, but the Two-Tier Outline seems simpler.

How Pantsers Benefit

A simple, minimalist outline format grants pantsers plenty of freedom to go where the story leads them. However, having thought through the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the scenes beforehand, pantsers may avoid writing themselves into a box, and therefore avoid major rewrites.

Also, if the story does end up deviating far away from the original outline, the pantser hasn’t wasted much time outlining. Nor would it take much time to re-do the outline, if desired.

Worth a Try?

Maybe this in-between, one-size-fits-all outline method will work for you. Consider adding it to your writer’s toolkit. If it works, great. If not, modify it to suit you better, or discard it.

An outline tool useful to both plotters and pantsers? Until Author Accelerator introduced it, nobody could have imagined such a thing, least of all—

Poseidon’s Scribe

February 4, 2024Permalink

Warehouse of Unwritten Stories

Today we visit a warehouse, a dark and dusty place of vast dimensions. Innumerable cobwebs stretch between wall and ceiling. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of crates stand stacked in utter disorder. We’ve entered the warehouse of your unwritten stories.

Most writers don’t suffer from a lack of ideas. Story ideas spring up all the time, born from new experiences, fresh acquaintances, travels, chance meetings, TV shows, daily life, other writers’ books—from everywhere. Many authors scribble these ideas or tap a note on their phone and save them in a file for later use. Let’s picture that file as a warehouse, into which more crates accumulate every day.

What happens to the items in there? On rare occasions, I venture into my warehouse, open an interesting crate, and write the story. Infrequent, but it happens. Most of the crates remain there, unopened, unexamined, gathering dust. I suspect your warehouse looks much the same.

In this helpful post on LifeHacker, writer Nick Douglas provides several methods of dealing with all these unused ideas. He doesn’t use the warehouse metaphor—he calls the phenomenon ‘Idea Debt.’ I’ll summarize his options here, in my own words, but I encourage you to read his post.

Mr. Douglas’ approach presupposes that you’ve rummaged through your warehouse, become overwhelmed, and fled in despair. So many good story ideas, so little time. Douglas’ steps represent a way to assess the warehouse inventory, sort it, and reduce the backlog.

  1. Shrink and Submit. Some of the best and most time-sensitive ideas might lend themselves to this method. Look at the idea and imagine the smallest viable product you can make from it. If you originally saw it as a novel, consider a short story, even flash fiction. Look for a way to turn it into a written product quickly, and get it done and submitted. Sure beats letting it linger in the warehouse.
  • Add to WIP. The smaller ideas, maybe just character sketches or scenes without a plot, could work here. Examine the idea for inclusion into your current work in progress. If it fits, presto, you’ve reduced some clutter already.
  • Gift It. Still have a lot of crates in the warehouse? Some you’ll gaze at, thinking, ‘I’ll never find time to write that,’ or ‘I’m not the one to write that.’ Maybe you know another writer who could use it. Give it to that writer. That’s how I ended up writing After the Martians. Another author gave the idea to me. Douglas also suggests you could post your idea/gift on social media as a giveaway.
  • Give Them Away. Looking around, you still see way too many crates. Face it, you’re never going to get around to most of them. The one-at-a-time process of gifting in step 3 would take forever. Time to break out the forklifts, load up the semi-truck, drive to the center of town, and dump the crates by the side of the road. In other words, gather the ideas in one long list and post the list on an open forum for others to use.
  • Manage the Remainder. What’s left in the warehouse now? Only those ideas that can’t be shrunk, won’t fit in your WIP, and are too valuable to give away. For those, you must become a disciplined project manager (or use an app that helps you become one). Writing those stories is now your next project.  Set goals, organize the work, break it down into tasks, schedule and accomplish the tasks. Get those stories written and submitted.

Wow! Your warehouse is empty, thanks mostly to Nick Douglas and, in lesser degree, to—

Poseidon’s Scribe

January 28, 2024Permalink

Mickey Mouse, LOTR, and Copyright

Two separate legal battles, over two different creative works, may prove instructive to the writers among you.

Recently, I blogged about the Julie and Julia Formula, where you transform a passion of yours into literary success. A workable formula, true, but you must take care to avoid the legal peril of copyright violation.

Copyright

In concept, copyright strikes a duration-specified balance between respecting the right of a creator to profit from creative work without competition, and providing the public unrestricted access to all ideas. Our nation’s founding fathers set that compromise at 14 years. Over time, Congress lengthened it to either 95 years after publication or 70 years after the author’s death, whichever comes first.

Mickey

Two recent events brought copyright into the news. I’ll start with Mickey Mouse. As of January 1, the early depictions of Walt Disney’s iconic cartoon rodent entered the public domain. You’re free to write or draw your own Mickey Mouse story and sell it. The Disney legal team won’t bury you in cease-and-desist orders if you do.

That lifting of a restriction arrived far too late for Dan O’Neill, who, in 1971, attempted to profit from his comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” which featured the famous mouse. Though Mickey is just a mouse, the Disney lawyers must have seemed to O’Neill like some larger and more voracious animal.

Tolkien

The other recent event concerns JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Tolkien got his book published in 1955, so it’s still under copyright. A writer going by the name Polychron published an unauthorized sequel in 2022. An army soon attacked. Not an army of Orcs, but, worse, an army of lawyers hired by the Tolkien family heirs.

Temptation

What might we learn from these two cases? The obvious lesson—don’t infringe on someone else’s copyright.

Easy to say, but that lesson doesn’t say it all. Often, we take up writing because we’ve fallen in love with another author’s work. We love that author’s world and characters. We immerse ourselves in the book. We imagine other adventures for those characters. Ideas for sequels and prequels spring to mind.

We write a new story out of love, enjoying every minute of the project. We adore the finished product. What’s the harm, we think, of making a few bucks? The character’s original creator is dead, the family is wealthy, and our work is a tribute, after all, not some crass satire.

The Other Side

To see the harm, picture the matter from the other side. No matter what you think of the 95/70 years rule, it’s the current law. Imagine you dreamed up a memorable character, one the world fell in love with. Your book became a best-seller and the resulting movie a blockbuster. You’ve made a well-deserved fortune and you’ll die knowing your heirs will live in financial comfort.

Along comes some upstart, a writer who couldn’t be bothered to create an original character in an original world. This thief steals your work, your intellectual property, and seeks a profit from it. (Here, I’m not referring to anyone in particular, just to a hypothetical copyright violator.) In such a case, you’d hope the lawyers fight for the rights of your heirs.

Takeaway

Rather than stealing another author’s character, be creative. Turn that love of another’s work into something different. Honor your favorite author by slanting your book down a unique path.

Or, if you must use someone else’s ideas, pick those old enough to have advanced to the public domain. If you go that direction, don’t just add zombies—I’m begging you. The ‘classics plus zombies’ mashup is cliched. If any readers harbored doubts about your originality in copying an idea freshly emerged into the public domain, you’ll only confirm a reputation as an unimaginative hack by inserting zombies.

Go write a story involving the early Mickey Mouse if you wish. But, however strong the temptation, do not copy the ideas of—

Poseidon’s Scribe

January 21, 2024Permalink

Author Interview–Nancy Craig

For the first author interview of this year, I invited Nancy Craig, a writer from one of the critique groups I’m in, and she accepted. Here’s her bio:

I was born in Kansas, the first of two daughters of an Army family. Children of military families are collectively known as ‘brats’. I have lived all my adult life in Texas with the exception of eight months in Stirling, Scotland. I am a graduate of Texas Western College, now known as UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso). I am a retired school teacher, have been married 57 years and have two daughters and five grandchildren. I love gardening, cooking, traveling and writing.

Writing history: First book, The Liar’s Legacy (novella), four children’s books written under general title of Nanny Boo Adventures, The Final Decree. Three more books in line for publishing—Belonging, Achieving, and It Was Never a Dead End.

Awards: In 2020, It Was Never a Dead End received a first-place award in Narrative Nonfiction from the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (OWFI). In 2023, Belonging received a first-place award from OWFI for in the Unpublished Mainstream Book category. Also in 2023, The Final Decree received a second-place award from OWFI for Unpublished Historical Fiction. I’m a member of the Fort Worth Writers critique group.

Now, on to the interview:

Poseidon’s Scribe: How did you get started writing? What prompted you? 

Nancy Craig: Several things prompted me to start writing.  I had five young grandchildren and wanted to write a book for each. Idleness makes me crazy. I needed projects, something to do after I retired.

P.S.: Who are some of your influences? What are a few of your favorite books? 

N.C.: When teaching a gifted and talented class I gave them an assignment to write an Indian legend. FYI, legends are created to explain things in nature. Their creativity and imagination inspired me.

Favorite books—I tend toward historical fiction and contemporary drama. John Jakes, James Michener, and Diana Gabaldon for the historical fiction, and John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and Terry Hayes for contemporary fiction.

P.S.: You’ve written a series of four children’s books for kids aged five to ten—the Nanny Boo Adventure series (Tadpoles, Picnics and Field Goals, Babysitting, Lifeguards and Yard Sales, Movin’, and Birthdays, Bicycles and Braids). What prompted you to write these, and what kind of a girl is Nanny Boo?

N.C.: Nanny Boo is really me. I chose this character to portray events in my childhood. Also, they present social issues as seen today and a way for a child to handle them.

P.S.: Your first book, The Liar’s Legacy, seems to involve a spoiled woman forced to come to terms with her character flaw. Have I got that right? Please tell us about its main characters, Karen and Sarah.

N.C.: The Liar’s Legacy is about a young, vibrant media personality who is close to self-destruction because of her habitual lying. Karen Powers has alienated her parents, two husbands and her children. Her childhood friend, a lawyer who is defending her in a lawsuit, tells her to get professional help before she is all alone. A mental breakdown forces her children to institutionalize her in a private facility for a brief time. Alone, and now without any financial resources, she finds herself in a state mental hospital where she can no longer talk herself out of therapy. She connects with doctors, finally realizing how her lies have impacted others.

Her recovery comes, but with a price she never expected.

P.S.: What are the easiest, and the most difficult, aspects of writing for you?

N.C.: The easiest aspect of writing is imagining ideas to move a story along. The most difficult is staying on track with those ideas and not going down rabbit holes that gradually take me away from the main plot of the book. My mind seems to expand exponentially and I get off track very easily.

The greatest difficulty is maintaining a single point of view in a scene. I tend to wander into other people’s minds with extreme ease!!

P.S.: The description of your recently-published novel, The Final Decree, sounds like it might be alternate history. Is it? Let us know what it’s about, and why you wrote it.

N.C.: It’s mostly historical fiction, but I changed some things. The Final Decree makes use of several events and royalty to tell the story of a Decree written by King George III granting Scotland independence. History tells us that George had many mental shortcomings and was not an effective ruler. He sends his uncle the Duke of Cumberland to Scotland to proclaim the decree. The Duke becomes incapacitated and cannot complete his task. Fearing the worst, Cumberland goes to see a minister at Paisley Abbey to leave the decree in his safe hands. Copies are made of the decree and its hiding place in the abbey. The duke dies. Several days later a freak accident takes the life of the minister. The decree has been missing and forgotten for 250 years. It resurfaces before the voting on the 2014 referendum to give Scotland its independence. All of Britain learns of the decree’s existence. Questions arise as to its authenticity and legality, leaving both Scotland and Parliament wondering what will happen next.

As to why I wrote it? I hoped it might be an interesting read for Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander fans as we wait for her next book to be published and the TV series next production season.

P.S.: Is there a common attribute that ties your fiction together (genre, character types, settings, themes) or are you a more eclectic author?

N.C.: There is nothing specific that ties my fiction together. I’m willing to experiment with a variety of genre.

P.S.: I had the pleasure of reading an early draft of your upcoming novel, Belonging. Tell my readers about that story, and let us know when we might expect to see it published.

N.C.: Belonging!! I’m ready to take the big step to publish this story. I’m hoping for a date no later than March.

Belonging is the story of Serena Lewis, a widowed teacher with two adolescent children whose home is no longer safe. She petitions the Lincoln Institute for Social Studies and is accepted into their gated, segregated community. The town of Peace, Arkansas has been established to question the wisdom and inflexibility of the 1954 Supreme Court decision which declared separate but equal schools for Blacks are unconstitutional.

It is the institute’s desire to create and maintain a safe, healthy, active community that provides any tool necessary to help its residents become proud, successful, involved citizens.

The Lewis family thrives in the new environment, making friends, developing skills, learning how to be a productive member of the community.

Five years is the maximum stay in Peace. With her son and daughter graduated and gone, Serena moves to Harmony, a nearby community. She takes her skills as a teacher and a dynamic personality to create a new life for herself. All is not as she planned and a person from her past comes back into her life seeking revenge. Friends, both old and new help her to resolve the situation.

Lexie Lewis and her focused lifestyle have landed her a most prestigious position as a journalist. In a speech to the Capitol Press Club in Washington, DC, Lexie offers to share her means to success.  “My Mama is my mentor. She’s always been there, beside me advising, behind me urging me forward and in front of me leading by example. In Peace, you learn the importance of community. When you engage you get something back. You belong. And when you belong you embark on a journey to becoming.”

P.S.: Let’s say you’ve traveled through time and met yourself at a point when you were first thinking of being a writer. What would you tell this younger version of you?

N.C.: I would tell a younger me to write down memories. Keep a journal. You’ve begun the steps to comfortable writing because you write what you know. There’s no research necessary. Someday, kids or grandkids will ask questions about events that happened years ago. With your journal in hand, you’ll have answers that your memory has lost.

P.S.: What can you tell us about your recently finished first draft of your next novel, Achieving? It’s a sequel to Belonging, right?

N.C.: Achieving is complete in its first draft. It continues the story of Lexie Lewis and her journalistic world in Washington, DC, as the managing editor of The King Report, a monthly publication for the Black community. It’s a bumpy ride for Lexie, who is sent back to Peace to write a story about what Federal officials say is domestic terrorism. There are factions who want Peace erased from the Arkansas landscape and will do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal. There are others who work industriously to make the lives of the Peace residents a happy productive experience.

It is also a time of a love interest in Lexie’s life, a person she has known for many years. Happy family times in Peace collide with fear, danger, and even the death of loved ones.

Poseidon’s Scribe: What advice can you offer aspiring writers?

Nancy Craig: My advice to aspiring authors is to read, listen, remember. You were taught writing skills. If you’ve forgotten them, get a refresher course. Sentence structure, punctuation, subject/verb agreement, spelling, and proper use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are essential to telling a story and having it understood.

Poseidon’s Scribe: Thank you, Nancy. Best of luck with your upcoming novels.

Readers may keep up with Nancy Craig’s writing career by visiting her pages on Facebook and Amazon, and by reading updates about her on the Fort Worth Writers site.

January 15, 2024Permalink

Building Memorable Characters from Details

If you, Hopeful Writer, wish to astonish the world with a fictional character whom readers can’t forget, read this post by author Anne R. Allen.

I’ll repeat some of her major points here and add a few of my own. But my post serves only as a supplement to hers, not a substitute.

She advocates creating your character through the judicious use of details—the right details. Choose details both telling and distinctive. As when describing any object or place in words, make as much use of the five senses as is prudent, and add those qualities undetectable by any of those five. In describing characters, the predominant senses you’ll use are sight, hearing, smell, and possibly touch.

Senses

Start with the sense you’d like to emphasize most. We’re visual creatures, but you need not start with sight.

Still, let’s start there. In describing a character’s appearance, Ms. Allen’s post focuses on clothing, though body shape and dimensions also may deserve mention. Makeup, grooming, hair style, facial expression, even characteristic poses or hand gestures and nervous habits or tics come into play. The gait or manner of movement might also bear mentioning.

What distinctive noises can a character make? The speaking voice comes first to mind, but don’t limit yourself to tone or register, but also consider characteristic phrases, dialect, and speech mannerisms. Other parts of your character can also make noise, from the rustling of clothing fabric to the clomping of a cane or the tapping of shoe heels.

You might mention a person’s odor, whether pleasant or not. It can result from the body itself, perfume, clothing, an accompanying dog, etc.

On occasion, you might try the sense of touch—how a character feels on contact. Even if you don’t show another character touching the one you’re describing, you can suggest the potential for that action in another character’s mind. Perhaps the skin appears rough, or smooth, or certain articles of clothing might be of corduroy or silk.

Intangibles

How about those characteristics lying beyond the normal senses? In her post, Allen suggests mentioning the character’s music playlist. But such intangibles might include preferred food and drink, occupation, hobbies, habits, etc. Does the character possess some psychic connection to someone or something else? These things can help define and identify a character, but can’t be sensed.

Creation Process

Given the infinite number of choices, how do you select the right ones for your character? Allen mentions, and links to, several websites that might provide suggestions. I prefer to start by brainstorming. I imagine dozens of possibilities until a multi-sensory vision of my character emerges in my mind. I write ideas as I go, crossing out the ones that don’t work. While doing this, I do the sort of website research Ms. Allen advises. In time, I have a final description I can use.

You might not use every attribute you created, but use the ones most distinctive and telling, the ones that best convey your character’s essence. Old-style fiction writers used to lump all aspects of a character together in one batch, whether a paragraph or several pages. The modern method is to provide a few details at the first mention of a character, and sprinkle in other attributes later.

As the story proceeds, look for subtle ways to remind readers about your character’s description. Don’t overdo it, and don’t use the same words to describe a given attribute each time.

One clever technique is to change one or more attributes (or just the tone with which you describe it) as the story progresses. This change becomes a metaphor to suggest the way the character changes as a result of events in the story.

One cautionary note about character descriptions—make every effort to avoid stereotypes, tropes, and cliched characters. Here’s a way to detour around that pitfall—start with a stereotypical character, but add a clashing incongruity, a contradictory twist. Real people are complex, and you can make your characters complex, too.

Perhaps you’ll create your own famous and beloved character by following the advice of Anne R. Allen and—

Poseidon’s Scribe

January 14, 2024Permalink

10 SciFi Predictions for 2024

Yes, my predictions prove false more often than they prove true. But as the adage goes, a scientist is blamed for one falsehood in a hundred truths, while a seer is praised for one truth in a hundred falsehoods. So give this seer a break, will ya?

It’s all a matter of hitting on the right method. I’ve tried crystal balls, tea leaves, tarot cards, astrology, and palmistry, but none of those worked. This year, I realized I should turn to our modern-day version of the Oracle of Delphi—ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot by OpenAI.

I gave ChatGPT this task: “make 10 predictions about topics or themes science fiction writers will write about in 2024.”

The AI couched its answer by stating that predictions are iffy. Further, it said its last training update occurred in January 2022, so the predictions are based on trends known up to that date. Personally, I think it was just being humble.

With all the caveats out of the way, here’s what we can expect in 2024:

  • AI Ethics and Rights. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, science fiction writers may delve into the ethical considerations and legal rights surrounding sentient AI beings. This could include questions about consciousness, autonomy, and the responsibilities of creators.
  • Climate Crisis Solutions. With an increasing focus on climate change, science fiction could explore innovative and speculative solutions to the environmental challenges facing the planet. This might include technologies to reverse environmental damage or new ways of sustainable living.
  • Neurotechnology and Brain-Computer Interfaces. As developments in neurotechnology progress, science fiction writers may explore the implications of widespread use of brain-computer interfaces. Themes could include mind control, augmented intelligence, and the potential societal impacts of such technologies.
  • Space Exploration and Colonization. Given the growing interest in space exploration, science fiction could continue to explore themes related to interplanetary travel and the challenges of colonizing other celestial bodies. This may include the societal dynamics of living in space and encounters with extraterrestrial life.
  • Genetic Engineering and Biohacking. Advances in genetic engineering and biohacking may lead science fiction writers to explore the consequences of manipulating DNA, creating designer organisms, or even the potential for genetic warfare.
  • Virtual Reality and Alternate Realities. With the evolution of virtual reality, science fiction could depict worlds where the lines between physical and virtual realities blur, exploring themes of identity, addiction, and the consequences of living in immersive digital environments.
  • Post-Pandemic Societies. In the wake of global events, science fiction writers might explore the long-term societal impacts of pandemics, including changes in governance, healthcare systems, and the dynamics of human interaction.
  • Quantum Computing and Reality Manipulation. The advent of quantum computing may inspire science fiction narratives centered around the manipulation of reality, parallel universes, and the consequences of unlocking the full potential of quantum technology.
  • Social Media and Surveillance Culture. With the increasing prevalence of surveillance technologies and the influence of social media, science fiction could examine dystopian futures where privacy is almost nonexistent, exploring themes of control, rebellion, and the impact on individual freedom.
  • Augmented Reality in Everyday Life. As augmented reality becomes more integrated into daily life, science fiction might explore the societal implications of a world where digital information overlays the physical world. This could include themes of information manipulation, addiction, and the consequences of an increasingly connected reality.

Now you know. The oracle has spoken. By ‘oracle,’ I mean, of course, ChatGPT, not—

Poseidon’s Scribe

December 31, 2023Permalink