True Fright

Robert Frost once said, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."

As a writer of YA supernatural fiction and ghost stories, I am frequently asked, "Do you ever scare yourself?"

While I cannot pretend to be Robert Frost, I believe his maxim applies here, as well: No fright in the writer, no fright in the reader.

Truth be told, yes, I do frighten myself with my writing. Some things are more frightening than others, but when I am trying to write a scary story, I am usually dealing with my own personal nightmares. And I have a lot of them.

I grew up in a haunted house. I know that makes me sound like a complete flake, but it's the truth and I would dare anyone to spend some quality time in that house and come away with a different conclusion! What it means to me as a writer, though, is that when I am working with certain scenes and events, I will also be looking over my shoulder as I type. That may sound absurd, but it's the truth.

Case in point: some years ago I wrote a weekly column and articles for a small, local paper. One of my assignments was collecting and writing up true ghost stories submitted by our readers for the Halloween issue. Now, I make it a point to write this sort of thing only during broad daylight. I'm not crazy! And so there I was, sitting at my typewriter (yes, this was some years ago) writing up a particularly nasty ghost story while the kids were away at school and the autumn sun was shining warmly on my plant stand. And while I was typing I was distracted by a very loud crash! that resonated throughout the first floor of our townhouse. I went running, thinking that one of our shelves had collapsed and that I would find a pile of broken dishes or glasses. But there was nothing. I investigated the kitchen, the basement, and the garage, all of which lay in the vicinity of that very loud noise, and found no evidence of anything. Being the sort of writer I am, I stopped writing and got myself some lunch.

I would say that cowardly behavior on my part might seem ridiculous, but I remember reading an interview with Stephen King some years back where he stated that he never sleeps with his feet uncovered, no matter how hot the night is, for fear that the thing under his bed will grab him. I'd say I'm in pretty good company!

Happy Halloween!

The Hook

One of the most important components of a short story is the Hook. In a story, the hook serves the same purpose as it does on a fishing pole. It’s where you put a mental worm to entice the reader and get them to bite, hopefully reeling them all the way in so they will go ahead and read the story.

In short stories, the Hook can be found normally in the first or second line, definitely somewhere in the first paragraph. It’s just enough of a tidbit that it will entice the reader’s mind and make it hungry to find out what this is about. Just like many components of writing, it can be its own art form. And sometimes can be difficult as heck to come up with.

With the changing times and faster pace brought on by TV, music videos, cell phones, PDA’s, IM’s, PC games, game consoles (basically springing up concepts of instant gratification or fulfillment) short/quick/fast hooks are becoming more and more of a necessity in novels as well.

Think of the Hook in the same vein as what we’re taught out in the business world when seeking employment. Most people have an attention span of 30 to 60 seconds to get grabbed by something and make an impression before the rest of what’s being said becomes so much background noise. So when preparing to go out there and seek a job, you’re encouraged to come up with a 30 second blurb about yourself to make an impact on the prospective employer, give them useful information, and hopefully make a good lasting impression. (As they say in the field, no matter what the truth is, if you make a bad impression in those first few seconds, regardless of all that happens after, that first impression will stick around forever.)

So what makes a good Hook?

Hooks can be composed of text or description, what matters is the reaction they bring out of the reader.

Here’s the first line of my upcoming novel called “Price of Mercy”. The first line reads:

He was a fool.

BOOM - right off the bat, our fertile imaginations explode with questions and assumptions. This hints of someone possibly being in trouble and regretting a decision. Depending on what the next sentence says, it could be an opinion on someone else. Our minds instantly grow curious as the scent of trouble beckons us in for a closer look.

Of course this tiny piece of worm wouldn’t be enough to get the reader to bite, but you’ve poked at their curiosity just enough to hopefully get them to move on to the next paragraph.

Jarrin sat inside his rented coach, which waited in line to enter the gate. The Emperor’s ballroom glowed softly in the night.Behind it, much farther off, was the palace proper. Nestled in the center of the city, the Emperor’s domain was like a small kingdom onto itself. The ballroom was at the farthest edge, a mere drop of all that was kept there.

Now you’ve met the protagonist, and from the first sentence of the new paragraph comes the suspicion Jarrin was indeed talking about himself in the very first line -- doubting his chosen course as he waits in line for the Emperor’s Ball. More of the worm has been exposed, though not enough. Hints of where, when and what. Then the hopeful full clincher:

Over three-fourths of the funds the Baroness gave him were already spent. His reward for services rendered before he was summarily dismissed. Between the coach and his elaborate costume, he was about to make his life very difficult if he didn’t succeed tonight. The Baroness’s second gift had been an invitation to the ball and if he dared use it, the possibility of gaining other employment. The problem was he wasn’t even sure he wanted to succeed, but hadn’t been able to think of another course which didn’t involve shame, poverty, or starvation.

Now the reader knows Jarrin is using almost all he has on a gamble. That his luck has not been good since he was dismissed from service. There’s also the question of what kind of employment could you possibly be expecting to find at a costumed ball. And the doubt Jarrin even wants to succeed adds to the mystery unfolding. Hopefully all enough to Hook the reader into going further.(You can check out how well I do or do not do this in the (not final) sample chapters at gloriaoliver.com) (Price of Mercy should be coming out in 2011 under Zumaya Publications Fantasy Imprint.)

One of the best Hooks I’ve ever come across came from Martha Wells awesome book The Wizard Hunters (The Fall of Ile-Rein Book 1)

It was nine o’clock at night and Tremaine was trying to find a way to kill herself that would bring a verdict of natural causes in court when someone banged on the door.

Instantly the reader springs with several questions at once. Why would Tremaine want to kill herself? Why does she need it to look like natural causes? What has driven this person to this course? (CHOMP) The reader has bit the Hook. The curiosity has been enflamed and they must now proceed or never get answers. They’re hooked!

Grab the nearest book at hand and check out those first few lines. See what beautiful worms they dangled before your eyes on the Hook to get you to bite. Come back here and share those great hooks and let’s be enticed together.

Writing who you know

The idea for this blog came when I learned The Henge Betrayed -- Refuge was released yesterday by Mundania. The characters in the book are one I know -- my grandchildren. But this was not my first foray into basing a character on someone I knew. Years ago when I was writing "sweet nurse romances" I needed a very fussy character who drove ten miles below the speed limit. My much loved aunt fit the description and so I used some of her endearing characteristics. When the book was released I really worried that she would recognize herself and be upset. She never did and I was thankful for that. Actually she thought the character was amusing and one of her favorites.

Have you ever based a character on someone you know only to have them never recognize what you have done?

Now my grandchildren know they're in the Henge books but they know not all that makes up the characters is them. They understand fiction and how a writer changes things. My youngest grandson will be so psyched to know before long he will be receiving a copy of Refuge. He will take it to school and tell everyone he's in a book that his grandmother wrote.

The young people in this series, Ashlea -- Air, Brandien- Water, Jaydren - Earth and Kylandra - Fire. Their elements in the book point to their Astrological signs and fit the way I often form my characters. A fifth grandchild - Sydli will find her way into the third book in the series, the way she found her way into our lives. She's Air and so is her birthday.

If you've used someone and they know you have, how do they react?

Now for a bit of promo about the new release.

Refuge

Jane Lane Walters



The Henge Betrayed Book 2



Ebook

978-1-59426-331-6

$4.99



Trade Paperback

978-1-59426-330-9

$13.95

256 pages





The adventure begun in Flight continues. Ash, Bran, Ky, and Jay, led
by the mysterious birds they believe are their parents, find refuge
with a doma while they await the arrival of their friend, Zand.



The doma plans to take them to safety in the highlands but news of the
capture of two friends by "He who walks with evil" sends them on a
rescue mission.



They soon realize their powers are not strong enough to defeat the
evil dom, but they must find a way to succeed, or risk seeing their
friends corrupted forever.

The Twilight Zone

A few days ago I'd been to Wichita Falls and was now on my way home, a twenty minute drive. I pulled onto the freeway from the exit ramp and entered the Twilight Zone. It was so weird. Of course I entered on the right hand lane. And as far ahead of me as I could see were motorcycles. As far behind me as I could see were motorcycles. A parade of them. They were traveling in one lane at a steady pace, not too fast, not too slow.

 Now to take my turn off of I-44 to 287, I needed to be in one of the two left lanes. So, I looked back to see if there was an opening. After all, I couldn't run down a motorcylist. That's when it got really bizarre.

No other cars were visible in any lane, in either direction. Nothing but guys and gals on motorcycles. I was spooked. The music theme from the old TV show Twilight Zone, echoed in my ears. I was the lone car. I wanted to go home.

Close to panic, I zipped between two motorcycles.  The guys probably were yelling "You silly old lady. What are you doing?" (Maybe not in exactly those words, but something similar.)

I took the 287 exit and soon was safely home.

My writing is a lot like this experience, which I laughed about later and tried to find out what they were doing. Anyway, when I start a new story, I have a good idea of where I'm going. Not all the details, necessarily, but a road map of sorts guiding me in the right direction to my end destination.

Like the parade of motorcycles, however, surprises sometimes await me and I have to adjust my thinking and my actions. Characters are notorious at popping up and telling me to do this or that. They delight in changing my direction. They often have other plans and want to do things their way. So I go along with them, even though I may question their reasons and ask them why they're interferring with my plans.

It turns out, most of the time my characters are right.

How about you? Do your stories ever go in totally opposite directions than you originally thought?

Ten things to do while waiting to hear back from editors and agents

You've hit the send button on that submission package, or dropped it into the mail. You can't take it back. It's gone and you just have to deal with the consequences.

Congratulations - you're a real author! Now comes the Dreaded Waiting.

Publishing is a slow business. I think that's partially due to the fact that it's one of the few remaining industries run completely by human beings. Sure, with the help of electronic submissions, they get there faster, but so do everyone else's. And people still have to read each one and make a decision. That takes time. (I've had a full manuscript out with an agent since late June, which is not even a long time. I'm totally unconcerned.)

So what do you do with all that nerve-wracking, nail chewing time between your submission and the rejection notice (or hopefully, better news)?

10. Learn a new skill. Crocheting, knitting, and underwater basket weaving are sure ways of sucking up all that extra time that you spent writing, polishing, and perfecting that manuscript.
9. Clean your refrigerator. After all, if you're thinking about identifying that mystery gunk on the bottom shelf or wondering how long it takes before Chinese take-out spoils, your not thinking about how the agent or editor could be reading your submission THIS VERY MINUTE.
8. Clean the house. Once the refrigerator is clean, you might as well move on to the rest of the house. I mean, the cats always need vacuuming, right? Imagine each dust bunny you suck up as getting yourself one step closer to that big publishing contract.
7. Play Farmville. Chasing down that last nail for your next barn is very productive.
6. Update your Facebook status every hour with the following : "Still no news..."
5. Rearrange your Netflix queue and catch up on all your DVR'd TV.
4. Stalk the editor or agent. Become their friend on Facebook and double-check their Twitter feeds and blog, hoping to see some inkling that they've read your manuscript and LOVED IT SO MUCH that they want it NOW. (I actually have editor and agent FB and Twitter friends. I am not stalking them, I promise.)
3.Impulsively and obsessively check your email. From the minute you send the submission. Every five minutes.
2.Impulsively and obsessively run to the mail box. From the day after you send the submission. Peer out of your curtains, waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting mailman, then wail and ask him WHY he hasn't brought you a letter TODAY.

What you SHOULD do the minute that submission leaves your hands:
1. Write the next book. Seriously.

Well, I mean what happens if that agent or editor really DOES want your book RIGHT NOW?? You have to be ready to tell him or her what else you have? Even if it's just ideas, write them down, flesh them out. And if, as happens so often, that manuscript ends up on the Island of Forgotten Toys, you will have already moved on with an even better idea.

Give Yourself Permission to Fail

For many writers, rejections are a bit like a trips to the dentist. They’d do almost anything to avoid them rather than risk getting bad news.  

You can understand someone being afraid of dentists (I know I am), but why fear rejection? What’s so terrible about someone passing up the chance to publish your work?

I think it’s partly because, no matter how much we like to pretend we don’t care, it hurts to have a story turned down. And so it should. If you don’t care if your story gets accepted, why submit it there in the first place? But I believe there’s more to it than worrying about the sting of being told ‘No thank you’ by someone you’ve probably never met.

A rejection, especially when we’re starting out, is a hammer blow to our self-confidence. The bad news for would-be writers is that you’re going to get rejected, probably quite a lot. If getting published is important to you, those rejections are going to hurt.

The good news is that it gets easier. The more knocks you take, the tougher you’ll get, and if you make the effort to improve your craft, if you’re willing to recognize your mistakes and learn from them there’s a good chance that you will get published.

So go on, give yourself permission to fail. Take a deep breath and pitch that story.

One day, your dream will thank you.

__________________________________________

Born in England, Jon Gibbs, now lives in New Jersey, where he’s a member of several writers' groups, including SCBWI and The Garden State Horror Writers. He is the founder of The New Jersey Authors’ Network and FindAWritingGroup.com.

Jon's debut novel, Fur-Face (a Middle Grade fantasy about unusual friendships, unlikely alliances, and wanting to fit in), was published in eBook form by Echelon Press in 2010 (click here to see the trailer).

His presentation/workshop, The Fine Art of Self Promotion is based on entries from his popular online journal,

An Englishman in New Jersey.

Jon can usually be found hunched over the computer in his basement office. One day he hopes to figure out how to switch it on.

Do You Believe?

I have long had a fascination with things paranormal and extraterrestrial. I remember reading Lucky Starr books when I was a kid. I was a Star Trek junkie. Movies like ET drew me in. I didn't particularly care for frightening movies about aliens. I never really thought that aliens would be like that. Still, I found shows such as The Invaders and The Outer Limits to be creepy and chilling.

Now technology is allowing mankind to do things that used to be only dreamed about or found in the pages of a science fiction book. I just watched a fascinating video about holograms. A building looked as if it were changing shapes, with balls rolling down the front facade. Some speculate that mankind can project images into the sky. Perhaps we will see God, or a host of spaceships floating above our cities.

There are so many unexplained things on this world and in the space surrounding it. I have never written science fiction because, truthfully, by the time I finished penning a book, technology might have surpassed what I had just written. It would be passe, old hat, the stuff of archaeology.

The Mayan calendar predicts a huge change in our world in 2012. Jokesters say to max out the credit card, have fun, enjoy what time you have left. Others are more profound, wondering, watching, waiting. Will it be a time of enlightenment? Or will it be something so devastating it throws the earth into another ice age? Will it come and go with nary a worry?

What are your thoughts on the future? Do you look at the heavens and wonder? Do you ponder crop circles and their meanings, their origins? Have you ever seen a UFO? Do they exist? Do we have intergalactic neighbors or are we alone in the cold, dark vastness of space? What is science fiction and what is science fact?