Adventures in Writing: April 2016

I finished a book about a medium a few days ago, and the worldbuilding and plot choices which were created without regard to the current research brought a question to mind. When is it time to use the research on the subject instead of making everything up?

Science fiction writers really don’t have a choice. When scientists realized that Mars couldn’t support human life, writers stopped writing about Mars with humans without space suits roaming around the planet. Now, writers use hard science fact when they want humans on Mars.

Parapsychology isn’t an accepted science for many, and some scientists will never accept any form of proof that ghosts, psychic ability, etc., exist because it is against their materialistic worldview. The same is true of some non-scientists and those whose religious faith denies the existence of the otherworldly that is not part of their faith.

Yet, many people do believe in the paranormal, and many watch shows like GHOST HUNTERS and GHOST ADVENTURES. These shows and paranormal research have certain accepted facts in common like the kind of electrical energy that is generated by ghosts and the use of EMF meters to detect it and that spirit voices the human ear can’t hear can be heard on audio recording equipment.

So, the question is should you make everything up or should you use the established research to write your paranormal story?

The first thing you should consider is your readers. Most people who read paranormal novels have a working knowledge of the current information on the subject, if for no other reason than they’ve read enough stories to pick up the basics. There’s also the real possibility that someone who enjoys a good ghost story may also enjoy GHOST ADVENTURES or THE DEAD FILES. Making it all up may annoy these readers.

However, it’s your story so you can make it all up.

If you decide to create your own paranormal world, your first consideration is that you must create a reasonable set of rules for your ghosts and their interaction with the living.

If your psychic character is experienced, she should know those rules completely and not dotter around like an idiot.

Most knowlegable readers will forgive you if you create your own understandable world of spooks and the people who chase them.

They will not forgive you if you break your own rules for plot expediency.

A middle ground is to use most of the common knowledge then add elements that are strictly of your own invention, such as mediums can only see spirits from a specific period.

This is another situation where it’s best to understand the rules/current common knowledge then decide the direction you choose rather than being a lazy researcher and doing it your own way.

SOME AUTHORS WHO DO IT RIGHT USING CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE PARANORMAL:

Victoria Laurie in her "Ghost Hunter” series. (Author is a psychic intuitive.)

JL Bryan in her “Ellie Jordan: Ghost Trapper” paranormal mysteries.

AUTHORS WHO USE CURENT KNOWLEDGE AS WELL AS CREATE THEIR OWN RULES:

Robin D. Owens in her “Ghost Seer” paranormal mystery novels.

Darynda Jones in her “Grim Reaper” comic urban fantasy series.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Links of Interest

GETTING WHAT’S IN YOUR HEAD ONTO THE PAGE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/04/get-whats-in-your-head-onto-page.html

WRITING AND MARKETING A PREQUEL:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/writing-a-prequel-why-write-it-and-how-to-market-it/

WHAT THE ENDING SHOULD DO:

https://killzoneblog.com/2016/04/ending-up-at-the-end.html

EXAMPLES OF A GREAT AUTHOR PROFILE:

http://insights.bookbub.com/fantastic-bookbub-author-profile-examples

USING DEEP POV TO CREATE READER EMOTIONS:

http://marcykennedy.com/2016/04/using-deep-pov-capture-readers-emotions

HOW TO CONTROL READER REACTIONS TO CHARACTER SINS:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/control-reader-reactions-character-sins/

WHEN TO WRITE THAT SEQUEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/05/take-two-when-to-start-sequel.html

THE PROS AND CONS OF TRADITIONAL AND SELF-PUB:

https://janefriedman.com/key-book-publishing-path/

THE BASIC AUTHOR PLATFORM:

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/4219/basic-author-platform/

TIPS ON USING GOODREADS:

http://www.amarketingexpert.com/how-to-rock-out-on-goodreads/

CREATING A SUPPORTING CAST OF CHARACTERS:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2016/03/creating-supporting-cast-of-characters.html

SELF-PUBS, SELLING MORE BOOKS IN DIFFERENT TERRITORIES:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/sell-more-books-in-more-formats-in-more-territories-orna-ross-mark-dawson-joanna-penn-toby-mundy/

TIPS ON WRITING A NOVELLA:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/sell-more-books-in-more-formats-in-more-territories-orna-ross-mark-dawson-joanna-penn-toby-mundy/

WRITING FAST-PACED ACTION SCENES:

http://venturegalleries.com/blog/tricks-for-writing-fast-paced-action-scenes/

10 THINGS TO DO FOR MARKETING:

http://www.molly-greene.com/2016-book-marketing-plan/

MAKING CHARACTERS SOUND DIFFERENT:

https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/masterclass-snapshots-how-to-write-several-narrators-and-make-them-sound-distinct/

WRITING THE NOVELLA:

http://eadeverell.com/how-to-write-a-novella/

WORLDBUILDING CHECKLIST:

http://writeonsisters.com/writing-craft/1-key-question-for-worldbuilding-a-handy-checklist/

SHOWING VERSUS TELLING CHARACTER EMOTION:

https://lewiseditorial.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/showing-vs-telling-character-emotion/

HOME PAGE BRANDING:

http://cksyme.com/give-your-latest-book-a-boost-with-home-page-branding

https://janefriedman.com/creating-images-social-media/

WRITING RESOURCES, ARTICLES, ETC.:

http://inkpageant.com

ADVICE ON USING TWITTER:

http://www.ingramspark.com/blog/twitter-the-authors-linkedin

SELF-PUBS, SELLING YOUR BOOK YOURSELF:

https://www.bookworks.com/2016/03/productize-my-book-you-bet-sell-direct/

CREATING YOUR OWN AUDIOBOOKS:

http://www.milesanthonysmith.com/blog/15-snappy-steps-to-self-publish-record-an-audiobook-for-85

ONE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE USING TWITTER AND FACEBOOK FOR PROMO:

http://www.digitalpubbing.com/indie-author-marketing-analyzing-facebook-and-twitter/

CREATING A LOGLINE:

http://fixmystory.com/2016/03/03/the-killer-tool-that-can-help-you-sell-your-book/

SELF-PUBS— GETTING ISBNS, BARCODES, COPYRIGHT, AND BOOK DESIGN FOR YOUR BOOK:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2016/03/monday-mailbag/

AMAZON ADVERTISING, ONE WRITER’S EXPERIENCE:

http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-kindle-sales/another-look-at-amazon-advertising-with-someone-who-is-having-success/

NARRATING DREAMS AND VISIONS:

http://mythcreants.com/blog/narrating-dreams-visions/

FINDING OUT WHO YOUR READERS ARE:

http://thewritepractice.com/find-out-who-your-readers-are

FINDING THE RIGHT PEN NAME:

http://writetodone.com/use-a-pen-name/

KINDLE RESOURCES FOR FIRST-TIME SELF-PUBBED AUTHORS:

http://thewritelife.com/favorite-kindle-publishing-resources

PUBLISHING 101 FOR NEW WRITERS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2016/04/are-you-being-taken-advantage-of-as.html

Monday, April 18, 2016

Creating a Character's Physical Actions in an Action Scene

When I write physical fights like a sword battle, I visualize the fight like it's a movie. I see what each character is doing and what is happening around them. (I do this for myself so I can keep a sense of what is going on around the viewpoint character. In my writing, I stay strictly in the viewpoint character’s head.)

I also get up from the computer and pretend I'm holding a sword, imagine the opponent's move, and block it noting my balance, what I'm leaving open, and the possible return blow.

To vary the fighting, I use the physical location of the hero. The floor may be bloody from his first opponent so the hero or villain may slip and fail to parry a blow, etc. If more than one good guy is fighting, the fighters may affect each other as an enemy steps into the hero's range, or he falls beside him.

I rarely write out blow for blow because I think that's boring. Instead, I'll give occasional overviews of what's happening while staying in the character's viewpoint. For example, the hero is thinking about how his body is learning the rhythm of the fight, or he's aware of other fighters around him.

I try to avoid using technical terms to describe the fight because I'm writing as much for those unfamiliar with swordplay as those who are, but I try to be accurate about how to use the weapon, and I use a sprinkling of correct terminology to make it seem more realistic.

I've never fought with a sword, but I've held a number in my hand, and I've watched others fight with them. I try to remember the weight of the weapon, the sound a fighter makes as he swings the heavy sword, and the sheer weariness of the weight of fighting something or someone above you.

I also include different senses in the description. What is the character hearing? Feeling? Smelling? Tasting?

This method also works with fist fights and other man-to-man combat.