NeverEnding Whaaa??

Really??

Maybe this is old news but I had no idea that a 'reboot' was even in the works!  I have to say I'm torn by this news.

On one hand I'm kind of excited.  According to the article they are going to explore some of the nuances in the book that the movie left out--which is great!  The book and the movie were two different things.  I have to say, I enjoyed both.  They missed some of the themes that were present in the book with the movie, and some of the portrayals and symbolism, so maybe this movie will highlight those. Also there was a lot in the book that was really cool but the filmmakers just couldn't add because of the limits of technology at the time.  So in terms of really bringing the book to life, this might be great.

On the other hand, the 1980s movie is classic.  It's got a kitschy charm to it that is one of the things that makes it what it is.  One of those things that just shouldn't be touched.

It may end up being like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where you have an old one and a new one.  They're both good, just different.  Two different things inhabiting two different worlds.

Well...we'll see in 2012.

Book Review at the SF Scrivener

WHABAM!  Check it out HERE.

Favorites

Our favorite writers are such influences on who we are and they’re important to us in so many ways.

For me,I love Patricia A. McKillip.  She is, hands down, my all time favorite fantasy writer.  Reading her books just make me happy.  They make me happy because she writes the things I like to read about and the kind of things I like to write.  I don’t like to write traditional sword and sorcery fantasy, but rather I like putting in mythic elements or fantastic elements that are just different and strange and beautiful.  I like focusing on characters, I love exploring motives and means and giving my characters depth and life.  I like music, and folklore, and books, and words, and little things that contain power.

It’s not always the most common sort of fantasy, and that’s one of the reasons I love McKillip.  Her success  (see multiple World Fantasy Awards, Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, Locus, and Nebula awards) made me realize that its okay to write what I write.  I love her, not because we’re the same type of writer, but because it lets me know that its okay to be that sort of writer.

It’s interesting how we gravitate towards writers who are like ourselves. Or in some cases unlike.

Who is your favorite writer, and why?

Tools of the Trade

What are words?

Is ‘this’ a word?

Words a unit of language, yes, but what do they do?  What is their purpose?

How about this: F=ma

Is that a word?

Words are tools, plain and simple.  That’s all they are.  They are a way of conveying a thought or a feeling or an idea.  This is why we consider math a language, because it is a way to explain the workings of the universe.   So when we select a word, we’re trying to select the most appropriate tool for what we’re seeing or feeling in our heads.

And we have a LOT to choose from.

I’m thinking about this as I write a letter to my host parents over in Germany.  When you’re taught (correctly) how to speak another language, you’re taught the words that match what you want to get across, not translate from word to word.  If you translate from word to word, often times you miss the thought/feeling/action the original word was trying to convey and end up choosing the wrong word.

What do I mean?

Something as basic as the word ‘go,’ can have a million different connotations associated with it.

Go (on a trip)= Reise

Go (by train/car/bus)= Fahren

Go (by foot, leave, command)= gehen

Go (by plane)= Fliegen

Go (as in ‘operation’ to get something to go)= Funktionerien

Go (to leave a building)= an

Go ahead=Schiess los!

Go on!= Drauflos

Go (as in ready to go)= aufbruchsbereit

And so on.

If I don’t choose the correct ‘go’ I will make no sense to my host parents for, while the words are the same, the connotation behind it is not.

We have to think about this when we’re writing.  We can’t just smack words out willy nilly on the page or our readers won’t be able to view our stories as we see them or as we want them to see them.  It’s not about a single word, but the connotation behind them.  So choose appropriately or your words won’t makes sense or won’t have the impact you truly intend.  And if they don’t have that impact, then your words are as necessary as a beard cap.

 Not necessary but kinda awesome

Plagiarism: not good but sometimes hilarious

As writers, I think we can all agree plagiarism is bad.  It's a form of theft and writers who do it don't really deserve to be called writers.

However, for readers, it can sometimes be hilarious.

I'm digging THIS out of the annals of old news.  It happened back in 2008, so you may recall it.  If not, well, it will make your day just a little bit brighter.

Just Because You Can...

I realized something today.  My first WIP, The Fox and the Sparrow (working title), had hit a wall a while ago.  I loved the story, but I came to a point where I was lost as to where I was going, and today as I was driving home, I did some hard thinking as to why that was.

And I came to this conclusion: I had two different sorts of characters and worlds trying to inhabit the same novel.  Rather I was forcing them together.

I love my characters Tam and Quill.  Their strength is their mysterious and interesting past, their personalities, and their strong relationship and loyalty to each other.  They would have to be the focus of a story to really give them the platform they needed.

The strength in The Fox and the Sparrow is the world and the City of Immerhaine.  The masks, the Peacock, all of it creates a certain feel and aura that just doesn’t quite fit with the world of Tam and Quill.  It deserves its own novel to really shine.

I mean, I could have written them together.  In fact that’s what I was doing, but it was like building a bridge between two different sorts of places and hoping it would work.  I’m sure it would have, but I would have ended up with an incredibly complex epic fantasy.  Nothing’s wrong with that (I am a Tad Williams fan after all) but I realized the world of the Fox and the Sparrow would be stronger and better if it was on its own in a stand alone.

Which leads me to my bigger point:

Just because I could make it part of something large and epic, didn’t mean I should.

It’s a good rule to remember because some times, I know in my over eagerness to write something, I end up not showing off the characters in the best possible way. Self editing can be a good thing, so ask yourself when things start to get muddled, or even before you begin writing: Just because I can, should I?


In some cases, no, you really shouldn't.  Really really shouldn't.

The Problem of Hiro

Hiro Progatonist.

That is the name of the protagonist, or hero, in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash.   I know, it has all the subtly of a sledgehammer.

And yet it doesn’t annoy me.   I find it really neat, to be honest. Which is odd because it’s the sort of thing that would dive me nuts.  Normally, to me, such blatant symbolism betrays the concept of symbolism and puts me off because it illustrates to me that an author isn’t skillful enough to portray a message through smaller quirks.

So I’ve been sitting here tonight trying to figure out why this name works.

I think it is because that it fits in perfectly with the ethos and world Stephenson creates.  The world of Snow Crash is very in your face, and full of audacity.  Which is exactly what the name Hiro Protagonist is.  This is also a world where people can come up with their own names, sometimes even just to suit their whims so it is feasible that Hiro Protagonist’s name is Hiro Protagonist.

And I think the author wants the name to have the subtly of a sledge hammer to further emphasize who the character is.  Not what the character is, or what his role is in the story, but who he is.

It only works because the story is bold, the author is bold, and it fits into the ethos of the world.

I started to think, then, would it work in Fantasy?  If I named a character “Hero,” and made him a Frodo, or another protagonist of that ilk, it would come off as extremely stupid.  Like young immature writer shouting  “hey aren’t I clever you guys!’  I think if I did use the name ‘Hero,” I would disguise it by making the word 'hero,' a meaning, rather than an actual name.  Or I would address it directly.  Maybe something like this:

She looked at him curiously.  “Your name is really Hero?”

He chuckled.  “Heh, it’s something right?  My parents thought I would be great some day.  Oh yes, I’m supposed to be a great man with a name like Hero.”  He drained another tankard of ale.  Two more sat at his elbow.

“Always comes in here, he does,” a passing barmaid said softly, gathering the empty mugs.  “Be kind to him, eh?”

Hero, lost in the fog of drink, was now sobbing into his hands.  “Who,” he murmured, “who am I supposed to be?”

So, basically, I’d make it a plot point, or a serious part of the character.  Such a strong word can’t be ignored unless it fits in with the society or the strong world, as Stephenson did.  Otherwise it looks like the author is trying way too hard.

Alright, now that my thought processes are done, back to reading  Snow Crash :)

On Strong Female Characters

Strength is a funny word, especially in regards to characters.  When we think about characters in general, and we say we want a strong character, we know we don’t mean it in the physical sense.  In other words, we're not looking for a muscle bound figure trying to do something like this:

One word: Ridiculous

No, what we mean is that a strong character is a strong person.  They have depth and dimension and really root your story to the ground.  They’re relateable and memorable.

The interesting thing is that strong female characters aren’t in the same abundance as male characters.  And it’s a shame.  When it comes to female characters, I think people forget everything they know about literary strength, or what makes a character strong.  Why do I say this?

I’ve talked about this before, but it seems that so often now, to make a female character strong, people either:

a) make her some sort of warrior
b) make her, literally, start kicking people’s butts,
and/or c) make her snarky and/or bitchy (C’Nedra for example).

Since when did any of that equal strength?

I’m not saying that a female character can’t have these things, but I feel as if some writers rely on those traits to make a woman strong.  Especial male writers who I think, sometimes, are afraid of offending women *coughChrisEvanscough.*  It’s as if they are afraid that a by writing a woman too “soft” there will be a feminist backlash.

But is softness always the opposite of strength? And what is wrong with embracing so called feminine traits like gentleness, compassion, etc?

This fear and misunderstanding of female strength is a complete result of society, and how its progressed through history.  We all know how women used to be viewed: simpering, fragile, delicate things, who couldn’t do much on their own.  No one wants to read about a main character like that.  Boring and yes, weak.  As time progressed, however, and the feminist movement rolled around, we get this ‘men and women are equal.’  With this idea in mind its understandable people try to write female characters with more masculine traits.

But here’s the thing.  I can tell you, as a female, that women are not men.  Women are very different from men and they handle things differently and react differently.  In some ways we are alike but in many ways we are not and no matter how you slice it, women and men are different. 

So when we think about this idea of equality, it’s important to remember that equality does not equal sameness.  We’re just as strong as men, but our strength comes in a different package, and a different form and not acknowledging that fact when coming to female characters can be a downfall.

If you don’t, you can fall back on these simiplistic proxies for strength, like being able to kill someone, or having a hard a vicious personality.

To make a female character strong, you have to treat her like you would any other character and not focus solely on her femininity.  Forget for a moment her gender and concentrate on her personhood.  What makes her tick, what does she believe in, what does she want.  Her gender will naturally help form who she is, who she wants to be, the actions she takes and the decisions she makes-some of the most important parts of a character-,without being the focus.

So what good strong female characters are out there?

I’ve already talked about Jamethial Knorth and her pure awesomeness several times.  I’m also a huge fan of Briony Eddon from Shadowmarch.  Audrun from Karavans is an absolutely killer example of a strong wife, mother, and female.  Tamora Pierce also tends to write some great female characters for young/teen readers.  While some of these characters may have martial abilities, that is not what defines them.  Their personhood defines them.

Where can we find some good female characters?

Well here are some kick butt females characters of the real world:

Sophie Scholl: one of my favorites.  She worked with the White Rose, a student resistence group in Munich Germany, against the Nazis. 

Fatimah: Daughter of Muhummad, loyal, steadfast, and honorable and a support to those around her.

Aisha: Last wife of Muhummad who was a renowned scholar and source of many of Muhummad’s hadiths.  She was strong minded and strong willed which led to her participation in The Battle of the Camel.

Joan of Arc: helped lead a resistance movement against the invading British

Harriet Tubman: spy and famous for her work with the underground railroad.  After the civil war she helped fight for women’s suffrage.