My workspace

This morning I tweeted a photo of my brand new NaNoWriMo Plot Bunnies print, framed & hung above my workspace. A few more people posted photos of where they write, and I found it fascinating. What interested me most about the photos were all the details about each space. What do we choose to have available as we write? What do we choose to look at? So here are my answers.

Here's my workspace. You can see the Plot Bunnies print in the top left and the great window where I gaze into the horizon... I mean, which I ignore, because I'm writing.

Here's my desk. That's my work in progress up there on Scrivener, but hopefully I've sized it down enough so you can't read it. Heh.  Behind the screen is a New Murphy's Law bookmark ("Your mind is the most powerful tool you have,") my husband's new business card, a postcard from Au Chien Qui Fume (the best restaurant in Paris,) and a postcard from Carluccio's, the restaurant I love to visit before my bookclub if I'm being very good to myself that month. Why all the food stuff? I have no idea. I hadn't even realized until now.

To the right of my laptop is my nifty typewriter notebook where I jot all my insane ideas about works in progress, short stories, plot arcs, edits, and anything else. I'd keep it better organized, but it's more about writing the notes than reading them, so the system works fine.

I see my coffee mug is empty. Alas.

There's the Writer's Market, which does what it says on the tin, more or less. Pity it doesn't sell the work for you. And beneath it, Bukowski's early poems languish, half read.  Under it all is a July copy of Westside magazine, open to an interview with Daisy Goodwin that I have not read.

And behind those, a stack of very useful books indeed.  The Secret Miracle asks questions of various authors about how they write, and although it doesn't teach you much about the craft it's excellent for reassuring you that no one answer is correct for everyone. Beneath it is the Dictionary of Cliches, a very fun book that has very little use, unless you aren't sure if what you're writing is unique (unlikely.)  Then the Writer's Guide to Character Traits, a great character-building resource for characters who are imperfect. The best kind of characters.  And the 3a.m. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises, which is just that. Some of my more interesting flash pieces have been inspired by this book.

Beneath that is Paradoxes from A to Z.  Not writing-related, just interesting.  I started reading it ages ago, and... well, I'm not done yet.  Flattened under everything is my writing paper, for actual real letters.  My Grandma gets most of those.

To the left of my laptop we're getting into dissertation country.  This is a lonely pile of research-related materials, and my notebook that's been with me since I started the programme. You can't quite see it, but there's a TARDIS on the front. Yes. It's bigger on the inside. Ha ha ha.

You have to look down at the floor for the rest of the dissertation mess.  All sorts of programme materials, books, highlighters, sitting in the dust.  I can't look at this stuff while I write. It's a creativity-killer.

So what do I look at while I write? The back garden, a photo of myself and my mom at my wedding, my coffee mug, and if all goes at all well, my laptop screen!  Sadly it had gone to black before I took this photo, so no WIP for you.

I'd love to see photos of your own workspace, if you want to post them.

Time travel

This last week I was off attending a cousin's wedding. Even better, it was at a beautiful old manor house in Somerset. What a location.

Everything about these places whispers about ages gone by and people who lived very different lives than our own. And it reminds me that my own house is over one hundred years old. The first family who lived there didn't worry about how well Wifi travels through brick. Their spare time was definitely not spent the way I spend mine, chatting via webcam to Canada and studying current publishing trends with Twitter. Ah, no.

But they may have put books on the built-in shelves in the bedroom, like we have. They would have cooked family dinners in the kitchen, same as us. And they would have sat together on cold rainy nights and I dare say they might have drunk the odd cup of tea to warm up. There's crossover in our lives with the lives that came before us.

Alas, unlike Vonnegut's Trafalmadorians we cannot see all time at once as we might see a stretch of the Rocky Mountains. We see it in pieces and it's difficult to step back and see these pieces without forgetting that we're a part of them. Some day some other family will live in my house, and maybe one hundred years from now they'll wonder about this time. I'll be a ghost without a voice, but that won't matter. It's their wonder that will inspire them.

Good Guys, Bad Boys

Some discussion was aroused on Twitter yesterday thanks to this Guardian article, "Superheroes of today are 'bad role models'":

"Professor Sharon Lamb, from the University of Massachusetts in Boston, accuses the new generation of superheroes, exemplified by Robert Downey Junior's playboy millionnaire Iron Man, of being bad role models for young boys.

Unlike conventional superheroes such as Superman, who stood for justice, fairness and decency, the modern macho superheroes portray a negative masculinity, characterised by mindless aggression and rampant sexism."

At least two readers took serious issue with this almost immediately. What upset them most wasn't that they thought Robert Downey Jr.'s version (or at least his director's version) of Iron Man was oh-so-moral, but that Professor Lamb was dismissing 60 or 70 years of characterization in favour of the films, which only use a few hours of bling and sex to make a show.

Whatever the Professor's intention, whether it was to blame comics for juvenile delinquency or just point out degradation in the quality of film adaptations, what became clear and more interesting to me was that these superheroes weren't just characters. They spoke for their fans in a way that has lasted from one medium to the next, through many different writers and a tremendous amount of criticism. It seems that they deserved better treatment than the article provided, because these heroes are actual heroes in their own real-world way. How wonderful is that?

I don't know enough about their comic book history to adequately judge Professor Lamb's take on the situation. And though I might prefer Superman over Batman (another billionaire playboy,) I've noticed that Batman is more often the preference for males. Whether the professionals approve of him or not, something about the Dark Knight and his type has lasting appeal and it can't be dismissed as macho nonsense without a serious fight.

Not that he needs the help, but hey.

If you're interested in comic heroes at all, take a look at the article and let me know what you think. I suspect the professor may have been intending to compare new films with old comics, but it's possible that her real message got lost in the brevity of the article.

The Art of Flash Fiction

Someone on Audioboo asked me if I'd talk about the techniques involved in writing flash fiction, and how it differs from longer fiction. I thought, what better day to post it than a Friday the 13th when I have no Friday Flash to post?

Then the internet ate my post, and I wondered at the wisdom of posting on Friday the 13th at all. But I'm trying again anyway.

Quality & Quantity

Longer fiction tends to contain a series of moments or scenes, each of which changes things a little, until a culminating moment when nothing is ever the same.

Some people write short fiction the same way, but I don't believe it's necessary. I think a short story can be excellent with just one scene, or one moment so profound it was worth sharing. This is the power of flash fiction. It is to fiction what minimalism is to visual art.

Here are a few techniques for using your moment wisely.

The Snapshot

In "The Kid" I wanted to relate what fascinates me about one of my favourite characters, Billy the Kid. And what fascinates me isn't how he murders or how he was killed--either of which would make a very exciting story--but the surreality of his life, and how he became immortal even as he died so young. To relate this I didn't even need a whole scene, I just needed atmosphere. So all that happens in my story is that Billy takes a drink and goes outside, but I like the story because of everything that isn't said, and all that's inferred.

There's a reason that an interesting photograph can be a great writing prompt. It is one snapshot, but it says a lot more than what it shows, and flash fiction is a terrific medium for this. Choose the right moment and describe it well.

One Idea

I was given a writing exercise where I was supposed to write a list of ideas and bash them together to make a better idea. It's a great exercise and this is a technique Stephen King describes: he takes two What If?s and together they give him his story. But for my story "A Trick of Memory" I took just one What If? and built on that: What if the endings to all the classics were suddenly changed? It's not nearly enough for a long story or a book, but for flash, it's perfect. It produced a quirky story that made people laugh, and to be successful that's all it needed to do.

I've seen potentially great flash fiction kind of spoiled because the author added too much detail or too many characters. It doesn't need it. In under 1000 words, flash has little time to get its point across. So that point should be clear and concise. Elements that might need to be explained in a longer piece can be left in flash fiction. The reader won't mind. Use a good idea and keep to the point.

The Universal

In my story "Familiar" I wanted to show a moment we can all relate to: a person thinks they recognize someone else on the street. They're mistaken, it's not that person, but it doesn't matter because the recognition inspires all sorts of memories and regrets. We all know that situation, we all have those memories, and boy, do we have the regrets.

Any length of fiction can connect with an audience by carrying universal importance. You might have spent a semester studying Moby Dick, as I did, to find the underlying themes of humanity. Flash fiction can present those themes right away, no digging required. This makes it powerful, and memorable, and relevant.

So?

So those are a few things you can do to make good flash fiction: a universal theme, one clear idea, and a snapshot of a memorable moment.

If you've never tried to write flash fiction before, I encourage you to try! I'd love to read what you produce. And not only is it great exercise for your creative muscles, there is a fabulous community of other writers readily available for feedback and support. I am extremely grateful to the Friday Flash crowd for sharing so much great fiction with me, and taking an interest in my own.

For examples, search for the hashtag #fridayflash on Twitter, or see J.M. Strother's Friday Flash collector.

Photo by longhorndave at flickr

Reflections on Chinese Whisperings

In February I was asked to join the intrepid writing team at Chinese Whisperings to produce the second in a series of anthologies. This has been a remarkable opportunity. Over the last few months I have better gotten to know Jodi Cleghorn, who first introduced me to the series, Paul Anderson, my editor for this project, and many other great writers who are putting together the collection.

Jodi and Paul have asked us all to write a little something about the experience and my post has been published today. I talk about how I got involved and some of the fears and hopes I have for the project. You can read it here at the official blog.

Next month we'll be posting reflections on the writing itself, and I get to tell you a little bit about my story, "Lost and Found" (which I love, of course.)

Elif Shafak on the dangerous power of circles

Turkish writer Elif Şafak believes in the power of circles. Angela Dorsey pointed me towards this talk Elif gives on the politics of storytelling. It's fascinating, a smooth rush of ideas that had me scribbling notes and backing up to hear it again. Definitely worth a listen.



Since I'm also reading Shirky's book on creativity in a connected age, I found it very interesting to consider Elif's idea about storytelling connecting our separate cultural and social circles, and preventing us from drying up inside. She says that her grandmother, a spiritual and not altogether rational woman who read coffee grounds to see the future, used to cure people's acne and warts and things by drawing dark circles. "If you want to destroy something in this life, be it acne, a blemish, or the human soul, all you need to do is surround it with thick walls. It will dry up inside."

"Communities of the like minded are one of the greatest dangers of today's globalized world, and it's happening everywhere...We tend to form clusters based on similarities, and then we produce stereotypes about other clusters of people. In my opinion, one way of transcending these cultural ghettos is through the art of storytelling."

And,

"When we are reading a good novel we leave our small cozy apartments behind, go out into the night alone and start getting to know people we have never met before, and perhaps have even been biased again."

Stop reading this and go watch the video. Seriously!

An interview with Angela Dorsey

I'm lucky to know such wonderful writers (and human beings) who allow me to interview them about their writing life and publication. Today I'm interviewing Angela Dorsey, who has authored three series of books for juveniles, published worldwide. She's also a great sushi dinner companion. She's going to tell us about how she achieved her current success, and why it almost didn't happen. Angela,

Tell us about your road to publication.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I gave up twice, but both times realized I would regret quitting, so went back to hitting my head against that wall. It may sound odd, but I actually never expected to succeed at becoming an author. All I knew was that I would regret the not trying, plus I'm a sucker for lost causes. I took courses, did lots of writing, and finally dreamed up my first book idea, Freedom. I wrote and rewrote the book about a million times over the next eight or so years (or so it seemed), until it was finally picked up by an agent for a one time submission. That submission worked out and I am still with the same agent, and still selling books to that publisher, plus others.

Tell us about your first published book, Freedom.

One day, I was driving the back roads from Kitsault to Terrace, a very, very long way! It was a hot, drowsy day, and I was creeping along a rough logging road; there was no traffic and nothing too significant to look at. The scenery was nice but I'd just spent a month in the bush and scenery didn't mean a whole lot right then. Anyway, I was beyond bored. Normally, I'd read or sleep, but I was supposed to be driving so... I zoned out. After a couple of hours of this, my brain was good and empty, and an image popped into my head: a 12 year old girl in an ancient, unlit barn, bending down to fluff up some straw, and hearing the far-away, ominous snort of a horse come from the corner. And then, like a movie the story unfolded in my head, slowly, steadily, completely. It felt like a gift.

What made you almost quit... twice?

Extremely discouraging rejections.

One publisher said they wanted it, but first requested a rewrite that changed the story significantly. It was a hard decision, but I finally decided to go against my better judgment and make the changes they requested. They were the experts after all. The story took a year to rewrite and was completely different when it was finished. I didn't like it as much but thought it was what they wanted - and of course, they rejected it, saying the story had too many problems. Yeah, problems you requested! Anyway, it was a tremendous lesson learned. I always stick with my gut feeling now.

The second time was again when a publisher showed serious interest and backed out. The editor was excited about the book and planned to present it at their next editorial meeting - and then silence. Months passed. I tried to contact her but heard nothing back. Finally, another editor at the publishing house contacted me, saying they're still interested, but that "my" editor had left and she would now champion my novel. Great. Except then again, there were months of silence. After I tried to contact her a number of times and heard nothing in return, I official withdrew Freedom from their consideration - and then sulked for about a year before I tried again. LOL.

So why did I keep going? I believed in that story more than anything.

Do you have any opinions about ebooks vs. traditional books?

I like to read, no matter what the format, so I don't see one as being better than the other. I don't have an ereader, due to cost, but if I did, I could see myself using it quite a bit.

As far as publishing goes, I would prefer my books to be sold in both formats.

Why did you choose to write in your genre, for juveniles?

Simply because that was the first idea that I had. I took a lot of courses on writing, and initially was focusing on non-fiction. Then along came Freedom, my first book idea. I then learned to write fiction.

What's it like having children as an audience?

I love it. They are very open and not shy about contacting me. I appreciate my fans a great deal and still write to girls who have read my books in the past but are now close to adulthood. It's very fun to watch them grow into the great adults they will soon be.

What are you working on right now?

Three things: a juvenile fiction series (finishing book 5 and starting book 6), a screenplay based on my first novel, and I'm playing with an adult fiction novel as well.

What it's like to try to change your writing style from juvenile to adult?

It's something that I found very intimidating for years. I always felt my adult stories were simplistic and unsophisticated, and sought a lot of feedback over the years from different professional writers and writing teachers. They all said the same thing and though it took me a long time, eventually I accepted what they had to say: the problem is all in my head. My adult writing is not like my juvenile writing, just as my different stories for adults have different moods, levels of sophistication, and styles, depending on what that specific story is trying to accomplish. So I guess I was lucky in the sense it wasn't something I had to deal with consciously; my brain sorted it all out, probably many years ago as I read books in the different genres I love. The hard part was accepting that I didn't need to worry about it anymore.

What's your favourite fiction book and why?

I share this with a Jose Saramago book (Blindness) and two books by Jon Macgregor (If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things and So Many Ways to Begin.) I still haven't read his third book, Even the Dogs, but can't wait to get a copy.

Give us a DO and a DO NOT for aspiring writers.

Do be persistent. So much of success is just showing up, day after day.

Do not ever stop working at becoming a better writer, no matter how good you get.

Angela Dorsey is a B.C. writer who has over 20 juvenile fiction novels published around the world. In addition, she has one non-fiction picture book, co-written with her daughter, Marina Miller, and a number of short pieces published in literary journals and magazines in Canada. To check out her juvenile novels, go to www.angeladorsey.com.