Hello,
I received an email from a friend of an old friend. He wants to become a writer and sent me a summary of his ideas and a lot of history related to the basis of a high-concept fantasy novel. It sounded really interesting and I sent him this response, which I think contains some good information for any new writer interested in improving their craft.
(My email response)
Your novel sounds interesting, and very complicated, as well as high-concept. I think the big danger here is to try and tell the reader too much too soon in a novel like you're suggesting. The first impulse is to do what you just did, tell a lot of history right up front. The paragraphs you wrote are cool and appropriate for the type of message you wrote, but what you really need to do now is figure out who will be the main character. You need a main character. Who is he? Or she. You have an idea, but the character is the critical part. You'll have to sell the character to make the reader believe in the fairly hard to believe storyline you're suggesting. I'm not saying it's bad, because it's not. But pulling of what you suggested, making the audience suspend their disbelief can be accomplished if the reader believes the main character is a real person. That's the trick.
I know just what you mean about trying to become a skilled writer. It's taken years for me to get published. So far, two novels have been sold and nine short stories. I still have so much to learn. It's not easy. It's harder now than it ever was before. The freedom of being a novice and just plowing ahead is great.
So, you must be a dedicated student of the craft if you want to become a skilled writer. Ideas are cheap and everyone and their dog wants to write a book. 1 in 100,000 novels that are completed and submitted are published. Think about that for a moment. If you're serious about this idea of writing your novel, check out my website, www.paulgenesse.com, and go to: Writers Resources. Download the free Writers' Symposium Ezines and read the articles, which are targeted toward beginners.
Get some books on writing. Study them. I suggest many on my site. Get them at the library or buy them.
However, the most important thing to do is . . . write. There is no substitute. Write a lot. It's going to be terrible prose, but you have to start somewhere. Writing is a journey and the more you write, the better you'll probably get. At some point you'll need a writers’ group and/or skilled amateurs to help you critique your work and improve it.
Honestly, I would not recommend going into a writing, but if you are a writer, you will write. Because you must.
Learn all you can. Then get writing. Plan. Figure out a main character and put him or her into a tough situation. Then learn even more. Revise it. Revise it again. Rewrite the whole thing. Scrap it. Write it again. Repeat this process for several years. Yes, years.
If you have the drive, it'll happen. You'll finish the book. Then the hard part begins, selling it. Or you cold self-publish. Not a good way to go if you want to be taken seriously, but if you just want to get it out to friends and family, it'll work.
I hope that helps. Now write something cool and send me the first page.
Paul Genesse, Author and Editor
Author of The Golden Cord
Book One of the Iron Dragon Series
(Five Star Books, April 2008)
Website: http://www.paulgenesse.com/
Blog: http://paulgenesse.blogspot.com/
Join me on Facebook, www.facebook.com
Editor of the Writer's Symposium Ezine
www.paulgenesse.com/writerssymposiumezine
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Writers' Symposium Ezine Issue #5
The Writers’ Symposium Ezine
“Helping Writers Write”
Issue #5, November 2008
The Madness and Karma Issue
View beautiful full color versions with dozens of color pictures or download the PDF with all the good stuff of previous issues at www.paulgenesse.com/writerssymposiumezine
To subscribe, or unsubscribe please email:
WritersSymposium@paulgenesse.com
Visit the Writers’ Symposium Blog at www.WritersSymposium.blogspot.com
===========================================
Contents
===========================================
From the Editor: Paul Genesse
Featured Author Bio: Jim C. Hines
Featured Content: How to Drive a Writer Mad by Jim C. Hines
Featured Content: Karma for Multiple Jobs by Janet Deaver-Pack
New Releases from Writers’ Symposium Members
Current Releases From the Writers’ Symposium
List of Current Writers’ Symposium Members & Contact Info
Final Thought
===========================================
From the Editor
===========================================
Finishing a manuscript and selling a book is a long journey. The editing process goes on and on, often driving the writer and their family quite mad. In this issue two writers share their very personal thoughts on what the writing life is like and give tips on how to survive it. Janet Deaver-Pack, editor, author, and one of my mentors, describes how to juggle writing and your personal life in her article, “Karma for Multiple Jobs.” Author and friend Jim C. Hines details the fun that ensues after a manuscript is handed over to your agent or publisher. I know you’ll enjoy Jim’s thoughts on “How to Drive A Writer Mad,” which gives an insightful look into what really happens when you think the book is done.
Paul Genesse, Editor and Author of THE DRAGON HUNTERS—releasing May of 2009
===========================================
Featured Author: Jim C. Hines
===========================================
Jim began writing in the early 90s, while working on a degree in psychology from Michigan State University. His first professional sale was the award-winning BLADE OF THE BUNNY which took first place in the 1998 Writers of the Future competition and was published in WRITERS OF THE FUTURE XV.
For many years, he focused on short fiction. His work has appeared in REALMS OF FANTASY, TURN THE OTHER CHICK, SWORD AND SORCERESS, and over thirty other magazines and anthologies. During this time, he also picked up a Masters degree in English from Eastern Michigan University.
His first published fantasy novel was GOBLN QUEST, a funny, popular tale about a nearsighted goblin runt named Jig. Thanks to the work of his wonderful agent, the book has since been translated into several other languages, and was picked up by DAW Books, along with sequels GOBLIN HERO and GOBLIN WAR. He's now working on a new series about a trio of butt-kicking princesses. Look for THE STEPSISTER SCHEME in January of 2009.
Jim lives in mid-Michigan with his wife and children, who have always shown remarkable tolerance for his bizarre and obsessive writing habits.
Comment on the article on the Writers’ Symposium Blog: www.writerssymposium.blogspot.com
=============================================
Featured Content: How to Drive a Writers Mad by Jim C. Hines
=============================================
Actually, driving a writer mad isn’t that difficult. We’re all mad here. But that’s beside the point.
You know, it’s amazing how many times a manuscript gets read before it goes to print. (Note—I’m talking about commercial publishing with a big house here. The things I describe may or may not hold true for other publishers or other types of publishing.)
Take THE STEPSISTER SCHEME, to pick a not-so-random example that comes out in exactly two months, not that I’m counting.
I wrote, read, rewrote, and re-read that book a number of times before turning it in. Then it was read by my former agent. He gave it to my editor, who also read it. While they’re reading it, I shoot copies to a few other writers, hoping for some blurbs. Several of them were kind enough to also point out a few problem spots in the book. Later, the editor calls me up with revision requests. In this case, my agent ended up leaving the agency, so now my new agent was reading the book. New agent e-mails me some corrections. I rewrite it yet again, fixing more problems, then send it back. My editor reads it again and approves the revisions. Editor passes it along to the copy-editor. Copy-editor fixes more goofs. Then page proofs arrive, and I read through them yet again. People at the publisher are doing the same thing. More corrections are marked and sent back.
That’s a lot of people pouring a lot of energy into making sure my book is as good and polished as it can possibly be. Page proofs are accepted, and the book is now being printed.
Fast-forward a week. The book sells to Germany. Yay! My German translator dives right in on the translation. Yay! German translator e-mails me to ask, “Did you mean for this and this to happen, because you seem to be contradicting yourself. And also what about this other detail?”
Son of a crap! These are very minor goofs that won’t affect the plot, and obviously most people will read right over them, but . . .
Another friend from DAW starts reading the book, and points out two other issues.
No book is ever perfect. There are mistakes in the goblin books. There are mistakes in just about every book you'll ever read, whether you notice them or not. The more eyes, and the more skilled the proofreaders, the more problems you can catch and fix. I know this, and I know a few tiny problems aren’t going to ruin the book. We’re not talking about the small press book I picked up this summer, which had at least four typos on the first page. Good editors and proofreaders are well worth it!
And yet we’re all human, and things still slip through. My only consolation is that if all goes well, the book will sell out and go back for another printing, at which point I'll be able to get a few more corrections made. For now, I’ll be over here obsessing and talking myself down from the “Everyone’s going to throw the book away because of this stupid little mistake and the whole series will turn into a big black hole of suck-ledge.”
Being a writer is such fun :-)
This originally appeared in Jim’s Live Journal. Please check out his funny and insightful blog for more at: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/
Praise for Jim’s Books:
“THE STEPSISTER SCHEME is not your Grandma’s fairy tale. Action, intrigue, romance, action, treachery, and did I mention action? These princesses will give Charlie’s Angels a serious run for the money, and leave 'em in the dust. Read it!”
-Esther Friesner, author of NOBODY’S PRINCESS
THE STEPSISTER SCHEME “What a romp, both light and dark, sometimes sexy, and along the way occasionally quite brutal . . . an amazing gallop to save a prince, thwart a witch, rescue a kingdom, and turn fairy tale conventions upside down in the process.”
-Jane Yolen, author of BRIAR ROSE and two-time Nebula winner
GOBLIN HERO:
“In GOBLIN HERO, as in GOBLIN QUEST, Hines recognizes that wisdom is most often common-sense and that mouthing off to the big guy with the sword is a very bad idea.”
-Tanya Huff, Author of SMOKE AND ASHES
RED’s TALE by Jim C. Hines
Is it good to be bad? Or is it bad to be good? This snarky and fun retelling of the classic fairy tale 'Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf' will have you laughing out loud as you turn the pages.
===========================================
KARMA FOR MULTIPLE JOBS By Janet Deaver-Pack
===========================================
Some of you who know me have suspected this for years. I’m admitting it: I’m a workaholic. I never seem to be comfortable doing less than two jobs. Right now, I’ve got three. Good thing that two of them are flexible.
Most authors require a career that supports writing. That’s two jobs right there. And the individuals who add another, particularly on the creative side, are downright nuts. Yup, this makes me not only crazy, but almost an expert on both juggling and stress. I’m therefore passing along some tips I’ve developed to keep from going off the deep end.
1. Love what you’re doing. If you don’t, all the hours you’re putting in are for nothing. Love is the aspect that will keep your head together and your energy going during times you really need it. It’s what makes you the dynamic creative person you are. If you use love to create, that will not only stimulate more energy, but will also make your work better.
2. Listen to your Muse, and focus your efforts on each thing you do with completion in mind. You’ll get more done this way than jumping from unfinished project to unfinished project.
3. If you have a close relationship, make certain that person understands that work makes you tick. I’ve collected a lot of stories over the years about creatives whose partners couldn’t appreciate the time they devoted to their work. In most cases this drives them apart, causes arguments, and engenders bad karma that sucks away creative energy. My mother (may her soul rest now not having to worry about her crazed daughter all the time) always asked, “Now why are you doing THAT?” She had no idea what drove me, and no real interest in finding out why. It was all a mystery to her. Obviously, we never got along. Such breeding grounds for ill humor and contempt are bad. Weed them out whenever possible. Talk to your partner or house mate about your drives, and establish a mutual understanding. Most certainly, the other person or people in your life have drives you need to understand, too.
4. Establish a specific place for each of your work sites. My writing gets done in my office, where my computer and my printer live. My knitting is accomplished on the couch in the living room under the Ott light, or next to the window in the kitchen. Because the energy required by each job may be different, it’s always good to have separate places where you can infuse that area with the strength and the vitality you need to get those specific things done. If you work at home and have only one room for everything you do, designate different walls as particular work areas. Don’t confuse one type of work with another.
5. Take breaks. Wow, this one’s difficult. We all know that creative types get immersed in our projects, and sometimes it’s hours before our minds surface again in the mundane world. Sure, you have to stay with it when the words are flowing, or the designs are coming so fast your fingers are a blur. Making tea is great. It requires you to get up and stretch when you refill your cup or warm it up. Pets are terrific: dogs require walking or going out, and cats demand their own bits of your attention. (I have to tell Shannivere he’s the most handsome blue cat in the whole world every day. This makes him purr, and gives me a little break.) Very often, returning to the screen or the design after a few minutes respite will re-focus your energy and electrify your mind. There’s more oxygen in your “little grey cells” after you’ve moved around, which assists your thinking. You’ll accomplish more after the break than before. Another type of break is changing from one type of work to another. Allow yourself a few minutes to settle in, get your mind focused, and start.
6. Choose different types of work that either support or are completely different from one another. Some people work better when their jobs are diverse; with others, similarity counts. Consider your energy: it’s not a bottomless well. Some creatives get a charge out of several different things, while others must have some similarity. Learn and embrace what works for you.
7. Be firm, but gentle with yourself. Don’t overdo it. We who are lucky enough to have home-based jobs may schedule more hours than the folks who have travel-to offices. It’s not uncommon to hear of freelancers putting in 16-18 hour days. Fine, but keep watch on your health. If you don’t, get your partner or a good friend to supervise that part of your life. Overwork for extended periods can minimize your output and leave your immune system open to viruses. Jean Rabe just had this happen. She’s recovering, but it will take time, rest, and a lot of antibiotics.
8. Work until you’re tired, but not exhausted. Fatigue that builds up over time can be a major player against what you need to accomplish. A few days or nights going to bed exhausted are good, but don’t force this into a habit. Fundamental fatigue you can’t rid yourself of can lead to health problems and diminishing results, especially when you’re not feeling your best. Figure out practices that allow you to work a little longer. Feeling as though you could put in another hour or two when you decide to quit for the day is always good.
9. Admitting you’re tired is fine. If there’s a lot going on in your life, you WILL be tired. Embrace the fact, and go on. Pushing away tiredness seems to make it intent on getting attention. It’s there, so use it. Infuse it with energy. Make it a dynamic partner in your work rather than a debility. Remember to buttress your tiredness with joy, which creates more energy than it uses.
My secretary cat Brika has just informed me that I have to wrap up this article. I’m going to a convention this weekend in Chicago, and next weekend I have a craft show at the Public Broadcasting Station in a suburb of Milwaukee that requires lots of gorgeous shawls and scarves. Meantime, I’m working at the local library, and re-writing parts of the book Bruce Heard and I just finished and are now trying to sell. There’s nothing to do here.
Onward!
Please visit Janet online at: http://www.janetpack.com/
==============================================
New Novels by Symposium Authors
==============================================
CATOPOLIS, Edited by Janet Deaver-Pack
Seventeen original stories about the “city of cats.”
Set in a world that exists on the same plane as humans, yet is hidden from us, CATOPOLIS introduces readers to an assortment of cats, ranging from a feline Seer who must take destiny into her own paws to defeat a dictatorial tomcat thug...to a black cat who can call upon the powers of the “big cats” to wage a war against evil...to a cat who would be king...to the ins and outs of cat politics and the perils of using mice as ballots...to a cat burglar looking for a musical treasure for his “boss.”
Featuring stories by Richard Lee Byers, Paul Genesse, Don Bingle, Jean Rabe, Marc Tassin, Elizabeth Vaughan and more.
THE STEPSISTER SCHEME by Jim C. Hines. What would happen if an author went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for his plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie’s Angels? What’s delivered is THE STEPSISTER SCHEME—a whole new take on what happened to Cinderella and her prince after the wedding. And with Jim C. Hines penning the tale readers can bet it won’t be “and they lived happily ever after.”
“These princesses will give ‘Charlie’s Angels’ a serious run for the money, and leave ‘em in the dust.” –Esther Friesner, author of NOBODY’S PRINCESS
Releasing January 6, 2009
GREENSWORD is a dark comedy about the environment, extremism, stupid criminals, and the lengths to which people will go to avoid getting a real job.
They’re about to save the world; they just don’t want to get caught doing it.
Says Hugo and Nebula Award Winner, Robert J. Sawyer: “Science fiction has always been a great vehicle for biting satire and social commentaryfrom H. G. Wells’ THE TIME MACHINE right on up to Donald Bingle’s engrossing, GREENSWORD, Bingle is a terrific writer.”
Releasing January 21, 2009
UNHOLY by Richard Lee. Byers
I saw something fouler than I’ve ever seen before. Something truly unholy I understand now what drove Fastrin mad. Why he was willing to slaughter us all.
The formerly green fields lie in war-torn ruins. The formerly living populace is undead. And the formerly brilliant necromancer, the mastermind behind the civil war that drove the ruling council into exile, appears to have gone insane. But rumor spreads of a reason behind his randomness -- a reason all survivors of Thay must rally against.
Releasing February 3, 2009
DEADER STILL by Anton Strout
“Following Simon’s adventures is like being the pinball in an especially antic game, but it's well worth the wear and tear.”
-Charlaine Harris, author of the SOOKIE STACKHOUSE series.
It’s hard to defeat evil on a budget. Just ask Simon Canderous.
It’s been 737 days since the Department of Extraordinary Affairs’ last vampire incursion, but that streak appears to have ended when a boat full of dead lawyers is found in the Hudson River. Using the power of psychometry—the ability to divine the history of an object by touching it—agent Simon Canderous discovers that the booze cruise was crashed by something that sucked all the blood out of the litigators. Now, his workday may never end—until his life does.
DEADER STILL BY ANTON STROUT RELEASES FEBRUARY 24, 2009
DAY TWO: THE WISE MAN’S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
An escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune.
In The Wise Man’s Fear Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
Releasing April 7, 2009
WHITE STAR by Elizabeth Vaughan
The Lady High Priestess Evelyn, known as Evie to her friends, is a healer, dedicated to using her magic in the service of the goddess to aid others and give strength where it is needed. Orrin Blackheart couldn’t be more different. With his black armor, a black name and a blacker reputation, he’s been feared and hated in equal parts. So on his defeat and capture in battle, the Goddesses insistence that Evie saves him from a death sentence astonishes them both—as does the growing attraction between them. But in saving Orrin Evie condemns herself to a prohibition on her magic and a penance posting on the edges of the land, while to retain his salvation Orrin must battle a spreading plague across the land. Fate clearly has plans for them both—but to fulfill them, both must survive the perils ahead.
Releasing April 7, 2009
THE DRAGON HUNTERS, Book Two of the Iron Dragon Series
On this hunt, you give up everything.
The last of an order of dragon hunters must track down the dragon king’s daughter and stop her from getting the Crystal Eye, an ancient artifact that will cause the destruction of their world.
Releasing May 15, 2009
Read chapter one at paulgenesse.com
===========================================
Writers’ Symposium Member Current Releases
===========================================
DEATH MARCH –Jean Rabe. Escaping from the slave pens of a Dark Knight mining camp was no easy feat, but what awaits Direfang, a former hobgoblin slave who has become the reluctant general of a growing goblin army is every bit as perilous.
BLACKSTAFF TOWER—Steven Schend. Young friends stumble across a terrifying conspiracy that holds the heir to the Blackstaff, the defender of the city of Waterdeep, in terrible danger.
IMAGINARY FRIENDS. We’ve all had them. We’ve all needed them. In this fun fantasy anthology, readers are given thirteen variations on what kinds of friends come in handy. Featuring stories by Jean Rabe, Don Bingle, Tim Waggoner, Paul Genesse and Jim C. Hines.
CROSS COUNTY by Tim Waggoner
When surviving gets this hard, death comes easy...
CROSS COUNTY secrets run deep. Settlers first came here hundreds of years ago, taking the land from local tribes sworn to guard its dark secrets. The Cross family now holds the power in the region. When a grisly murderer, hearkening back to a series of killing from years ago, shakes the community, it's up to the local sheriff to get to the bottom of things before it's too late.
Part murder mystery, part supernatural terror, CROSS COUNTY will appeal to fans of Greg Iles and Patricia Cornell, as well as horror fans who love Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
DAGGER-STAR by Elizabeth Vaughan
After captivating readers with her CHRONICLE OF THE WARLANDS trilogy, USA Today Bestselling author, Elizabeth Vaughan now returns to that world with a beguiling tale of daggers and destiny, a cold and beautiful mercenary known as Red Gloves, and Josiah, a lone fighter emerging from the torched fields and razed farms of his homeland. All Josiah knows about the mysterious woman is her dagger-star birthmark, a sign that she is destined to free the people from a ruthless usurper's reign of terror.
DAGGER-STAR was released in April from Berkly Sensation. Visit www.eavwrites.com for all the details.
THE GOLDEN CORD, By Paul Genesse. A hunter must leave behind the woman he loves, give up all hope of survival, as he is forced to guide his most hated enemies to the lair of the dragon king.
“The plot is well constructed, the characters are wonderful, and the middle-ages setting creates an ominous feel. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for more. BOOK ONE OF THE IRON DRAGON SERIES is a rich and compelling fantasy full of adventure, danger, dragons, battles, revenge, magic, and more.”
VOYA MAGAZINE
“. . . promises to unlock a realm of magic and warfare in a unique world of cloud-bound lands and a mysterious Underworld.”
LIBRARY JOURNAL
“THE GOLDEN CORD is indeed a hellishly good read.”
THE PEDESTAL MAGAZINE
Watch a video about THE GOLDEN CORD and download the first chapter for free at www.paulgenesse.com .
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS, edited by Julie Czerneda and Jana Paniccia. The Prix Award Winning Anthology featuring SHADOW OF THE SCIMITAR by Janet Deaver-Pack. From the true role of the Freemasons to Chronographers who steal pieces of time to an assassin hired by a group that reweaves the threads of history, here are fourteen imaginative tales of time and space and realms beyond our own-all watched over, preserved, or changed by those who work covertly under cover of darkness.
=====================================================
Writers’ Symposium Members—Visit them on their sites or on the W.S. Blog
=====================================================
Jean Rabe www.jeanrabe.com
Paul Genesse www.paulgenesse.com
Don Bingle www.orphyte.com/donaldjbingle
Brad Beaulieu www.quillings.com
Anton Strout www.antonstrout.com
John Helfers
Pat Rothfuss www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/blog.html
Luke Johnson www.lukejohnson.com
Kelly Swails www.kellyswails.blogspot.com
Tim Waggoner www.timwaggoner.com
Elizabeth Vaughan www.eavwrites.com
Marc Tassin www.marctassin.com
Richard Lee Byers www.richardleebyers.com
Steve Schend www.brainstormfront.livejournal.com/
Janet Deaver-Pack www.janetpack.com/
Daniel “Doc” Myers www.medievalcookery.com/
Sabrina Klein
Kerrie Hughes
Linda Baker
Chris Pierson
Jim C. Hines www.sff.net/people/jchines/
Jennifer Brozek www.jenniferbrozek.com/
download the issue for the missing email addresses of members
====================================================
Final Thought
==============================================================
As you can tell by this ezine, the members have been very busy lately writing books. There are lot of novels coming out and a vast quantity already released. We like to keep busy, but one of us has been too busy. Our rock and mentor, Jean Rabe ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, she’s back at home now.
All of us in the Symposium, and I know all of you readers, wish her the very best as she recovers from a serious case of pneumonia. “WE LOVE YOU JEAN!” and please enjoy a nap or two, just not during the Packers game.
Now the rest of you, get back to creating the best work of fiction that the world has ever seen.
Paul Genesse, editor
===============================================================
Thank you for reading the ezine. Please forward it to all your friends interested in writing or reading. Please visit the Writers Symposium Blog for more information on writing—and to interact with the members of the symposium. Thanks again!
www.writerssymposium.blogspot.com
Visit www.paulgenesse.com/writerssymposium
===========================================
General & Unsubscribe Info
===========================================
To subscribe, or unsubscribe please email:
WritersSymposium@paulgenesse.com
The Writers' Symposium Ezine © Copyright 2008
Helping Writers Write, except where indicated otherwise.
All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is.
No express or implied income claims made herein.
This ezine may be accessed online at:
http://www.paulgenesse.com/WritersSymposiumEzine
To contact us with feedback, questions or praise, email
mailto:WritersSymposium@paulgenesse.com
Please feel free to use excerpts from this newsletter
as long as you give credit with a link to our page:
www.paulgenesse.com/WritersSymposiumEzine
===========================================
Paul Genesse, Editor
The Writers' Symposium Ezine is an opt-in ezine available by
subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam.
Thank you!
“Helping Writers Write”
Issue #5, November 2008
The Madness and Karma Issue
View beautiful full color versions with dozens of color pictures or download the PDF with all the good stuff of previous issues at www.paulgenesse.com/writerssymposiumezine
To subscribe, or unsubscribe please email:
WritersSymposium@paulgenesse.com
Visit the Writers’ Symposium Blog at www.WritersSymposium.blogspot.com
===========================================
Contents
===========================================
From the Editor: Paul Genesse
Featured Author Bio: Jim C. Hines
Featured Content: How to Drive a Writer Mad by Jim C. Hines
Featured Content: Karma for Multiple Jobs by Janet Deaver-Pack
New Releases from Writers’ Symposium Members
Current Releases From the Writers’ Symposium
List of Current Writers’ Symposium Members & Contact Info
Final Thought
===========================================
From the Editor
===========================================
Finishing a manuscript and selling a book is a long journey. The editing process goes on and on, often driving the writer and their family quite mad. In this issue two writers share their very personal thoughts on what the writing life is like and give tips on how to survive it. Janet Deaver-Pack, editor, author, and one of my mentors, describes how to juggle writing and your personal life in her article, “Karma for Multiple Jobs.” Author and friend Jim C. Hines details the fun that ensues after a manuscript is handed over to your agent or publisher. I know you’ll enjoy Jim’s thoughts on “How to Drive A Writer Mad,” which gives an insightful look into what really happens when you think the book is done.
Paul Genesse, Editor and Author of THE DRAGON HUNTERS—releasing May of 2009
===========================================
Featured Author: Jim C. Hines
===========================================
Jim began writing in the early 90s, while working on a degree in psychology from Michigan State University. His first professional sale was the award-winning BLADE OF THE BUNNY which took first place in the 1998 Writers of the Future competition and was published in WRITERS OF THE FUTURE XV.
For many years, he focused on short fiction. His work has appeared in REALMS OF FANTASY, TURN THE OTHER CHICK, SWORD AND SORCERESS, and over thirty other magazines and anthologies. During this time, he also picked up a Masters degree in English from Eastern Michigan University.
His first published fantasy novel was GOBLN QUEST, a funny, popular tale about a nearsighted goblin runt named Jig. Thanks to the work of his wonderful agent, the book has since been translated into several other languages, and was picked up by DAW Books, along with sequels GOBLIN HERO and GOBLIN WAR. He's now working on a new series about a trio of butt-kicking princesses. Look for THE STEPSISTER SCHEME in January of 2009.
Jim lives in mid-Michigan with his wife and children, who have always shown remarkable tolerance for his bizarre and obsessive writing habits.
Comment on the article on the Writers’ Symposium Blog: www.writerssymposium.blogspot.com
=============================================
Featured Content: How to Drive a Writers Mad by Jim C. Hines
=============================================
Actually, driving a writer mad isn’t that difficult. We’re all mad here. But that’s beside the point.
You know, it’s amazing how many times a manuscript gets read before it goes to print. (Note—I’m talking about commercial publishing with a big house here. The things I describe may or may not hold true for other publishers or other types of publishing.)
Take THE STEPSISTER SCHEME, to pick a not-so-random example that comes out in exactly two months, not that I’m counting.
I wrote, read, rewrote, and re-read that book a number of times before turning it in. Then it was read by my former agent. He gave it to my editor, who also read it. While they’re reading it, I shoot copies to a few other writers, hoping for some blurbs. Several of them were kind enough to also point out a few problem spots in the book. Later, the editor calls me up with revision requests. In this case, my agent ended up leaving the agency, so now my new agent was reading the book. New agent e-mails me some corrections. I rewrite it yet again, fixing more problems, then send it back. My editor reads it again and approves the revisions. Editor passes it along to the copy-editor. Copy-editor fixes more goofs. Then page proofs arrive, and I read through them yet again. People at the publisher are doing the same thing. More corrections are marked and sent back.
That’s a lot of people pouring a lot of energy into making sure my book is as good and polished as it can possibly be. Page proofs are accepted, and the book is now being printed.
Fast-forward a week. The book sells to Germany. Yay! My German translator dives right in on the translation. Yay! German translator e-mails me to ask, “Did you mean for this and this to happen, because you seem to be contradicting yourself. And also what about this other detail?”
Son of a crap! These are very minor goofs that won’t affect the plot, and obviously most people will read right over them, but . . .
Another friend from DAW starts reading the book, and points out two other issues.
No book is ever perfect. There are mistakes in the goblin books. There are mistakes in just about every book you'll ever read, whether you notice them or not. The more eyes, and the more skilled the proofreaders, the more problems you can catch and fix. I know this, and I know a few tiny problems aren’t going to ruin the book. We’re not talking about the small press book I picked up this summer, which had at least four typos on the first page. Good editors and proofreaders are well worth it!
And yet we’re all human, and things still slip through. My only consolation is that if all goes well, the book will sell out and go back for another printing, at which point I'll be able to get a few more corrections made. For now, I’ll be over here obsessing and talking myself down from the “Everyone’s going to throw the book away because of this stupid little mistake and the whole series will turn into a big black hole of suck-ledge.”
Being a writer is such fun :-)
This originally appeared in Jim’s Live Journal. Please check out his funny and insightful blog for more at: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/
Praise for Jim’s Books:
“THE STEPSISTER SCHEME is not your Grandma’s fairy tale. Action, intrigue, romance, action, treachery, and did I mention action? These princesses will give Charlie’s Angels a serious run for the money, and leave 'em in the dust. Read it!”
-Esther Friesner, author of NOBODY’S PRINCESS
THE STEPSISTER SCHEME “What a romp, both light and dark, sometimes sexy, and along the way occasionally quite brutal . . . an amazing gallop to save a prince, thwart a witch, rescue a kingdom, and turn fairy tale conventions upside down in the process.”
-Jane Yolen, author of BRIAR ROSE and two-time Nebula winner
GOBLIN HERO:
“In GOBLIN HERO, as in GOBLIN QUEST, Hines recognizes that wisdom is most often common-sense and that mouthing off to the big guy with the sword is a very bad idea.”
-Tanya Huff, Author of SMOKE AND ASHES
RED’s TALE by Jim C. Hines
Is it good to be bad? Or is it bad to be good? This snarky and fun retelling of the classic fairy tale 'Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf' will have you laughing out loud as you turn the pages.
===========================================
KARMA FOR MULTIPLE JOBS By Janet Deaver-Pack
===========================================
Some of you who know me have suspected this for years. I’m admitting it: I’m a workaholic. I never seem to be comfortable doing less than two jobs. Right now, I’ve got three. Good thing that two of them are flexible.
Most authors require a career that supports writing. That’s two jobs right there. And the individuals who add another, particularly on the creative side, are downright nuts. Yup, this makes me not only crazy, but almost an expert on both juggling and stress. I’m therefore passing along some tips I’ve developed to keep from going off the deep end.
1. Love what you’re doing. If you don’t, all the hours you’re putting in are for nothing. Love is the aspect that will keep your head together and your energy going during times you really need it. It’s what makes you the dynamic creative person you are. If you use love to create, that will not only stimulate more energy, but will also make your work better.
2. Listen to your Muse, and focus your efforts on each thing you do with completion in mind. You’ll get more done this way than jumping from unfinished project to unfinished project.
3. If you have a close relationship, make certain that person understands that work makes you tick. I’ve collected a lot of stories over the years about creatives whose partners couldn’t appreciate the time they devoted to their work. In most cases this drives them apart, causes arguments, and engenders bad karma that sucks away creative energy. My mother (may her soul rest now not having to worry about her crazed daughter all the time) always asked, “Now why are you doing THAT?” She had no idea what drove me, and no real interest in finding out why. It was all a mystery to her. Obviously, we never got along. Such breeding grounds for ill humor and contempt are bad. Weed them out whenever possible. Talk to your partner or house mate about your drives, and establish a mutual understanding. Most certainly, the other person or people in your life have drives you need to understand, too.
4. Establish a specific place for each of your work sites. My writing gets done in my office, where my computer and my printer live. My knitting is accomplished on the couch in the living room under the Ott light, or next to the window in the kitchen. Because the energy required by each job may be different, it’s always good to have separate places where you can infuse that area with the strength and the vitality you need to get those specific things done. If you work at home and have only one room for everything you do, designate different walls as particular work areas. Don’t confuse one type of work with another.
5. Take breaks. Wow, this one’s difficult. We all know that creative types get immersed in our projects, and sometimes it’s hours before our minds surface again in the mundane world. Sure, you have to stay with it when the words are flowing, or the designs are coming so fast your fingers are a blur. Making tea is great. It requires you to get up and stretch when you refill your cup or warm it up. Pets are terrific: dogs require walking or going out, and cats demand their own bits of your attention. (I have to tell Shannivere he’s the most handsome blue cat in the whole world every day. This makes him purr, and gives me a little break.) Very often, returning to the screen or the design after a few minutes respite will re-focus your energy and electrify your mind. There’s more oxygen in your “little grey cells” after you’ve moved around, which assists your thinking. You’ll accomplish more after the break than before. Another type of break is changing from one type of work to another. Allow yourself a few minutes to settle in, get your mind focused, and start.
6. Choose different types of work that either support or are completely different from one another. Some people work better when their jobs are diverse; with others, similarity counts. Consider your energy: it’s not a bottomless well. Some creatives get a charge out of several different things, while others must have some similarity. Learn and embrace what works for you.
7. Be firm, but gentle with yourself. Don’t overdo it. We who are lucky enough to have home-based jobs may schedule more hours than the folks who have travel-to offices. It’s not uncommon to hear of freelancers putting in 16-18 hour days. Fine, but keep watch on your health. If you don’t, get your partner or a good friend to supervise that part of your life. Overwork for extended periods can minimize your output and leave your immune system open to viruses. Jean Rabe just had this happen. She’s recovering, but it will take time, rest, and a lot of antibiotics.
8. Work until you’re tired, but not exhausted. Fatigue that builds up over time can be a major player against what you need to accomplish. A few days or nights going to bed exhausted are good, but don’t force this into a habit. Fundamental fatigue you can’t rid yourself of can lead to health problems and diminishing results, especially when you’re not feeling your best. Figure out practices that allow you to work a little longer. Feeling as though you could put in another hour or two when you decide to quit for the day is always good.
9. Admitting you’re tired is fine. If there’s a lot going on in your life, you WILL be tired. Embrace the fact, and go on. Pushing away tiredness seems to make it intent on getting attention. It’s there, so use it. Infuse it with energy. Make it a dynamic partner in your work rather than a debility. Remember to buttress your tiredness with joy, which creates more energy than it uses.
My secretary cat Brika has just informed me that I have to wrap up this article. I’m going to a convention this weekend in Chicago, and next weekend I have a craft show at the Public Broadcasting Station in a suburb of Milwaukee that requires lots of gorgeous shawls and scarves. Meantime, I’m working at the local library, and re-writing parts of the book Bruce Heard and I just finished and are now trying to sell. There’s nothing to do here.
Onward!
Please visit Janet online at: http://www.janetpack.com/
==============================================
New Novels by Symposium Authors
==============================================
CATOPOLIS, Edited by Janet Deaver-Pack
Seventeen original stories about the “city of cats.”
Set in a world that exists on the same plane as humans, yet is hidden from us, CATOPOLIS introduces readers to an assortment of cats, ranging from a feline Seer who must take destiny into her own paws to defeat a dictatorial tomcat thug...to a black cat who can call upon the powers of the “big cats” to wage a war against evil...to a cat who would be king...to the ins and outs of cat politics and the perils of using mice as ballots...to a cat burglar looking for a musical treasure for his “boss.”
Featuring stories by Richard Lee Byers, Paul Genesse, Don Bingle, Jean Rabe, Marc Tassin, Elizabeth Vaughan and more.
THE STEPSISTER SCHEME by Jim C. Hines. What would happen if an author went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for his plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie’s Angels? What’s delivered is THE STEPSISTER SCHEME—a whole new take on what happened to Cinderella and her prince after the wedding. And with Jim C. Hines penning the tale readers can bet it won’t be “and they lived happily ever after.”
“These princesses will give ‘Charlie’s Angels’ a serious run for the money, and leave ‘em in the dust.” –Esther Friesner, author of NOBODY’S PRINCESS
Releasing January 6, 2009
GREENSWORD is a dark comedy about the environment, extremism, stupid criminals, and the lengths to which people will go to avoid getting a real job.
They’re about to save the world; they just don’t want to get caught doing it.
Says Hugo and Nebula Award Winner, Robert J. Sawyer: “Science fiction has always been a great vehicle for biting satire and social commentaryfrom H. G. Wells’ THE TIME MACHINE right on up to Donald Bingle’s engrossing, GREENSWORD, Bingle is a terrific writer.”
Releasing January 21, 2009
UNHOLY by Richard Lee. Byers
I saw something fouler than I’ve ever seen before. Something truly unholy I understand now what drove Fastrin mad. Why he was willing to slaughter us all.
The formerly green fields lie in war-torn ruins. The formerly living populace is undead. And the formerly brilliant necromancer, the mastermind behind the civil war that drove the ruling council into exile, appears to have gone insane. But rumor spreads of a reason behind his randomness -- a reason all survivors of Thay must rally against.
Releasing February 3, 2009
DEADER STILL by Anton Strout
“Following Simon’s adventures is like being the pinball in an especially antic game, but it's well worth the wear and tear.”
-Charlaine Harris, author of the SOOKIE STACKHOUSE series.
It’s hard to defeat evil on a budget. Just ask Simon Canderous.
It’s been 737 days since the Department of Extraordinary Affairs’ last vampire incursion, but that streak appears to have ended when a boat full of dead lawyers is found in the Hudson River. Using the power of psychometry—the ability to divine the history of an object by touching it—agent Simon Canderous discovers that the booze cruise was crashed by something that sucked all the blood out of the litigators. Now, his workday may never end—until his life does.
DEADER STILL BY ANTON STROUT RELEASES FEBRUARY 24, 2009
DAY TWO: THE WISE MAN’S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
An escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune.
In The Wise Man’s Fear Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
Releasing April 7, 2009
WHITE STAR by Elizabeth Vaughan
The Lady High Priestess Evelyn, known as Evie to her friends, is a healer, dedicated to using her magic in the service of the goddess to aid others and give strength where it is needed. Orrin Blackheart couldn’t be more different. With his black armor, a black name and a blacker reputation, he’s been feared and hated in equal parts. So on his defeat and capture in battle, the Goddesses insistence that Evie saves him from a death sentence astonishes them both—as does the growing attraction between them. But in saving Orrin Evie condemns herself to a prohibition on her magic and a penance posting on the edges of the land, while to retain his salvation Orrin must battle a spreading plague across the land. Fate clearly has plans for them both—but to fulfill them, both must survive the perils ahead.
Releasing April 7, 2009
THE DRAGON HUNTERS, Book Two of the Iron Dragon Series
On this hunt, you give up everything.
The last of an order of dragon hunters must track down the dragon king’s daughter and stop her from getting the Crystal Eye, an ancient artifact that will cause the destruction of their world.
Releasing May 15, 2009
Read chapter one at paulgenesse.com
===========================================
Writers’ Symposium Member Current Releases
===========================================
DEATH MARCH –Jean Rabe. Escaping from the slave pens of a Dark Knight mining camp was no easy feat, but what awaits Direfang, a former hobgoblin slave who has become the reluctant general of a growing goblin army is every bit as perilous.
BLACKSTAFF TOWER—Steven Schend. Young friends stumble across a terrifying conspiracy that holds the heir to the Blackstaff, the defender of the city of Waterdeep, in terrible danger.
IMAGINARY FRIENDS. We’ve all had them. We’ve all needed them. In this fun fantasy anthology, readers are given thirteen variations on what kinds of friends come in handy. Featuring stories by Jean Rabe, Don Bingle, Tim Waggoner, Paul Genesse and Jim C. Hines.
CROSS COUNTY by Tim Waggoner
When surviving gets this hard, death comes easy...
CROSS COUNTY secrets run deep. Settlers first came here hundreds of years ago, taking the land from local tribes sworn to guard its dark secrets. The Cross family now holds the power in the region. When a grisly murderer, hearkening back to a series of killing from years ago, shakes the community, it's up to the local sheriff to get to the bottom of things before it's too late.
Part murder mystery, part supernatural terror, CROSS COUNTY will appeal to fans of Greg Iles and Patricia Cornell, as well as horror fans who love Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
DAGGER-STAR by Elizabeth Vaughan
After captivating readers with her CHRONICLE OF THE WARLANDS trilogy, USA Today Bestselling author, Elizabeth Vaughan now returns to that world with a beguiling tale of daggers and destiny, a cold and beautiful mercenary known as Red Gloves, and Josiah, a lone fighter emerging from the torched fields and razed farms of his homeland. All Josiah knows about the mysterious woman is her dagger-star birthmark, a sign that she is destined to free the people from a ruthless usurper's reign of terror.
DAGGER-STAR was released in April from Berkly Sensation. Visit www.eavwrites.com for all the details.
THE GOLDEN CORD, By Paul Genesse. A hunter must leave behind the woman he loves, give up all hope of survival, as he is forced to guide his most hated enemies to the lair of the dragon king.
“The plot is well constructed, the characters are wonderful, and the middle-ages setting creates an ominous feel. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for more. BOOK ONE OF THE IRON DRAGON SERIES is a rich and compelling fantasy full of adventure, danger, dragons, battles, revenge, magic, and more.”
VOYA MAGAZINE
“. . . promises to unlock a realm of magic and warfare in a unique world of cloud-bound lands and a mysterious Underworld.”
LIBRARY JOURNAL
“THE GOLDEN CORD is indeed a hellishly good read.”
THE PEDESTAL MAGAZINE
Watch a video about THE GOLDEN CORD and download the first chapter for free at www.paulgenesse.com .
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS, edited by Julie Czerneda and Jana Paniccia. The Prix Award Winning Anthology featuring SHADOW OF THE SCIMITAR by Janet Deaver-Pack. From the true role of the Freemasons to Chronographers who steal pieces of time to an assassin hired by a group that reweaves the threads of history, here are fourteen imaginative tales of time and space and realms beyond our own-all watched over, preserved, or changed by those who work covertly under cover of darkness.
=====================================================
Writers’ Symposium Members—Visit them on their sites or on the W.S. Blog
=====================================================
Jean Rabe www.jeanrabe.com
Paul Genesse www.paulgenesse.com
Don Bingle www.orphyte.com/donaldjbingle
Brad Beaulieu www.quillings.com
Anton Strout www.antonstrout.com
John Helfers
Pat Rothfuss www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/blog.html
Luke Johnson www.lukejohnson.com
Kelly Swails www.kellyswails.blogspot.com
Tim Waggoner www.timwaggoner.com
Elizabeth Vaughan www.eavwrites.com
Marc Tassin www.marctassin.com
Richard Lee Byers www.richardleebyers.com
Steve Schend www.brainstormfront.livejournal.com/
Janet Deaver-Pack www.janetpack.com/
Daniel “Doc” Myers www.medievalcookery.com/
Sabrina Klein
Kerrie Hughes
Linda Baker
Chris Pierson
Jim C. Hines www.sff.net/people/jchines/
Jennifer Brozek www.jenniferbrozek.com/
download the issue for the missing email addresses of members
====================================================
Final Thought
==============================================================
As you can tell by this ezine, the members have been very busy lately writing books. There are lot of novels coming out and a vast quantity already released. We like to keep busy, but one of us has been too busy. Our rock and mentor, Jean Rabe ended up in the hospital. Thankfully, she’s back at home now.
All of us in the Symposium, and I know all of you readers, wish her the very best as she recovers from a serious case of pneumonia. “WE LOVE YOU JEAN!” and please enjoy a nap or two, just not during the Packers game.
Now the rest of you, get back to creating the best work of fiction that the world has ever seen.
Paul Genesse, editor
===============================================================
Thank you for reading the ezine. Please forward it to all your friends interested in writing or reading. Please visit the Writers Symposium Blog for more information on writing—and to interact with the members of the symposium. Thanks again!
www.writerssymposium.blogspot.com
Visit www.paulgenesse.com/writerssymposium
===========================================
General & Unsubscribe Info
===========================================
To subscribe, or unsubscribe please email:
WritersSymposium@paulgenesse.com
The Writers' Symposium Ezine © Copyright 2008
Helping Writers Write, except where indicated otherwise.
All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is.
No express or implied income claims made herein.
This ezine may be accessed online at:
http://www.paulgenesse.com/WritersSymposiumEzine
To contact us with feedback, questions or praise, email
mailto:WritersSymposium@paulgenesse.com
Please feel free to use excerpts from this newsletter
as long as you give credit with a link to our page:
www.paulgenesse.com/WritersSymposiumEzine
===========================================
Paul Genesse, Editor
The Writers' Symposium Ezine is an opt-in ezine available by
subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam.
Thank you!
Friday, November 14, 2008
New Ezine coming soon
Hello,
The newest ezine is coming soon. It'll come out within the next few days, so stay tuned.
Paul Genesse, editor and author of The Dragon Hunters
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Gen Con 2008
Hello,
Gen Con 2008 was amazing. I was without internet access in my hotel and wasn't able to blog during the con. Needless to say. A lot happened. If you were there, thank you for attending the writing panels or serving on them.
Needless to say, the writing panels were a lot of fun and well attended. I really enjoyed myself and I think the attendees did as well, judging by the great comments.
Here's a link to some of the photos I took at the con.
http://gallery.me.com/paulgenesse
The most fun was at the Eye of Argon reading on Friday night. The Eye of Argon is the worst fantasy story ever written, but it's also the funniest. Next year when we read it out loud (again) we need to act out a scene as it's being read. Kelly Swails can be the blond lusty woman and Patrick Rothfuss should be Grignr the barbarian. Don Bingle as the evil king would be perfect.
To find out about the panel topics download issue four of the Writers' Symposium Ezine. Over 70 hours of panels were given. Yep, that's a lot.
Next year will be even better and I'm sad Gen Con is over. Seeing all my friends and meeting new ones was fabulous. I haven't been blogging as I'm on a short deadline for the rewrite of book two, The Dragon Hunters. I should be working on it now . . .
Best wishes and thank you for reading.
Happy Writing!
Paul Genesse, Author and Editor
Author of The Golden Cord
Book One of the Iron Dragon Series
www.paulgenesse.com
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
World Building: Temperate Forests
By Sabrina Klein
World-building in Temperate Forests
Economics: Temperate forests have a unique perspective of being economically very stable. Inhabitants can use the forests for timber for building, and for construction of other products. The prospects of cultures clearing timber for agriculture or of using internal grasslands adjacent to the temperate forest create lots of potential for agriculture. Forests also have an unusual abundant fauna population. However, the inhabitants would usually hunt that for their own food. It is very easy to upset the balance in a temperate forest. Culling to much in the forest can damage the forest by throwing the predator and prey system off. Too many predator and the predators begin to hunt each other. Not enough predators and the forest dies from too much culling form the herbivores. This could also cause the group to move from place to place within the forest.
Language: Talk of the forest may or may not have influence from other sources. Most likely they would have a heavy influence from traders. Long vowel sounds may be prevalent because they carry better through woodlands. The root of the language here would be extremely important. Many woodland languages evolve from the sounds around them. Keep this in mind when constructing a woodland language.
Kinship and Descent: Travel among woodlands is usually much easier than other ecologies. Rivers, lakes, and grasslands often mingle with temperate forests. Keep in mind if the climate is more warm than cold that travel to find mates will be far further ranged than if it is primarily cold. The perception of the forest is very important here. If the perception of the forest is male the descent may follow patrilineal lines. Vice versa is the forest is perceived as female. The perception of where the power of the forest lies could also challenge this. For example if the forest is perceived and female, but he fauna is considered to be where power lies and is personified in general as male then the linage will be patrilineal. This principle can be arranged in several different combinations.
Organization & Stratification: The motif that the forest is either male or female may repeat itself here. The forest perpetuates a sense of time, particularly old forests. Warm forests are especially perpetual; cold forests seem to be a frozen landscape that can be very mystical when the snow falls through them. In an old enough forest time can seem lost there, so can the immensity of the landscape and the peoples in it. It is very easy for a small creature such as a human to feel small in the grand scheme of things. I think that age would therefore be an asset here rather than a hindrance when dealing with leadership. Leadership therefore would sit with elders, whether male or female in a temperate forest.
Religion & Magick: For religion and magick to not be tied to the forest would go against the very grain of growth within the forest. Magic is often said to flow like a river, grow like a tree, or burn like fire. All of these things can be said of the forest. It needs all these things to grow, water, fire, and the nurturing power of the earth. The forest breathes as a living being and therefore needs air. It is the balance of all things. Religious specialist would also find balance on other ways. Magic within a culture that lives within the forest would demand balance of the caster. Male and female within the magical community would be a growth from that balance. Religious specialists would be of both sexes. The elements make up the forest and it requires all of them. The forest would make up the physical part of their magic as well, yet possibly in places being regarded as holy to the peoples who require it to live. The hunters would prey to it’s should and thank it for its bounty.
World-building: The culture is a group that worships the forest as a whole not just the trees. Trees are considered part of each person as they grow old. When they die each becomes part of the forest itself, helping it to live and breathe. Elder parts of the forest, become centers of wisdom for shaman. They would be traveled around at all cost, and considered ill omen if not invited by the grove to enter.
The people would harvest from the forest in places that would help the forest to grow, ritual surrounding the cutting of trees. Yet the act of culling the forest would not be an act of sin, but an act of care. The forest can’t exist as a perpetual fixture. As life grows it also changes and so does the needs of the forest. The animals within the forest would therefore be understood to have a symbiotic relationship with everything around them. Circles of nature creating an outstanding presence of balance within the lives of the peoples here.
The council of elders might be made up of the eldest amongst the groups. Not just one group having a governing body, but each group having one elder that helps to govern the entirety of forest peoples. Possibly even being the religious specialist or the religious specialist in some groups may have a taboo from holding both positions.
There may be two languages. One that is spoken, and another used as an oral tradition to set forth records of lineage and tales of glory, and a holy language that wasn’t spoken, but, universally known to all within the entirety of the culture, pictographs using symbols created by circles and lines. These symbols could direct someone through the forest as carvings in the trees made by shamans.
World Building: Stratification
by Sabrina Klein
Stratification of culture comes in many forms. However, in a world that has many races that differ not only in appearance but in ability it brings about a whole different perspective. Stratification in the anthropological sense is the division of a group of people by some defining difference that may or may not be changed by the individual being divided. Fantasy and science fiction have unique view upon this common everyday occurrence.
In the reality of our world peoples are divided by many things “race”, religion, occupation, age, sex, marital status, social rank of nobility, and many other ways that are smaller and usually occur within or in combination with the previous listed. Cultures within themselves may or may not persecute people for these differences, yet one culture may or may not persecute another culture or group for a difference. In kindergarten we are all taught to see what is different rather than what is the same. However, this is also human nature. Fantasy races are usually modeled after humans in some way, whether it is via anthropomorphization or through physical form. Modern and ancient literature gives many examples throughout the real world.
There are several ways to apply stratification. It can be divided up between the parts of culture. For instance, the stratification of leadership is the most predominant in any culture. It is the most prominent form and usually employs the others to define it. Leadership can come in many forms, and often is defined by what the culture reveres as the most precious. Types of leadership come in many forms, and can also be defined by; age, sex, religious status, economic status, or status by birth in an existing cast system as seen in India.
Caste systems make defining stratification easy because the system is just about written in stone and it takes serious upheaval to make changes. The process of status change within a caste system is often well defined, and usually close to impossible except via marriage to a higher stationed family. Caste systems can also follow occupation or any other form; age, secular & profane, as well as sex. One culture can divide itself using any of those in combination with others and just about any other reason.
Fictional worlds define other things that separate peoples going beyond simple appearance, but stem into abilities is where stratification becomes instantly apparent. If you have one race that has a significant advantage in an area over another, and that area is critical to the social food chain the race with the advantage is going to keep the social as well as possible economic advantage. The advantage in a sci-fi setting could be the ability to repair technology really well could put them at the top or the bottom of the social food chain. However something that needs clarified within the aspect of this culture is how this advantage comes about to this race. Do they have an advantage because they came from a more technologically advanced society? Or is it something within their racial makeup that gives them special insight. It would depend on how the two races were introduced. If the second race instilled fear and kept them as slaves they would be at the bottom of the food chain. Until someone started a cunning enough rebellion to create equality or give them their own space in which to live free from the suppression of the other race.
It could also work the other way. If the technologically inclined race kept the innovation information from the other races it would give them a decided advantage. This could also work in two cultures of the same race. Insert magic and you have the same scenario with magic instead of technology. Except, with magic there is general something that is innate within the practitioner that allows them to work with the supernatural.
Therefore it couldn’t necessarily be learned, as technology could be learned. It would also be a little harder to keep the magically inclined race from upsetting the social order without a physical form of enslavement. This could be drugs given to them to make them either addicted or subservient. Drugs have been well known in primitive cultures and even technologically advanced cultures to be used to control a population.
Examples in classic literature of peoples who became servants because of their differences include the Sidhe, a.k.a. Tuatha de Dannan, and the humans. In Irish mythos the Sidhe were the peoples that were considered gods. They had special powers and were faster, had magic and they were stronger. They also had weaknesses. The Irish mythos gives us several examples that are described well. These Sidhe had magical powers and the humans feared them. There are other examples of other races in classic literature. In Norse literature there are Aelves, Dwarves, and Ettin. The Greeks had nymphs and satyrs. The only difference is that these races didn’t live side by side. The Sidhe did, to an extent, but they were often two separate communities with a dominant and subservient relationship.
World building:
Within an overall stratification there can be sub-stratification such as an ancestral/elder stratified culture using a matriarchal governmental system. This would mean that women would form the hierarchy, and the eldest of all regardless of who was related to who would be in charge. A culture could use money as the stratifying means and thereby creating a capitalist system. The rich would always be the ones in charge, but that could always change and competition would create a cut-throat society. Families would become the second dominating power and marriage to a family of status would be a means of breaking through the next higher class. There by a culture such as this would not only stratify by money but also by marriage, and to throw a huge monkey wrench into the works. What if it inheritance was automatically inherited by the first born. Now to being a first born child has its own status. Then what if polygamy and polyandry were acceptable? Wouldn’t that brighten up the complicated nature of the stratification of a culture?
The above example creates a capitalist culture with inheritance of status via wealth. That wealth is inherited through first born children regardless of sex, and those first born children who define the top of the food chain may have as many spouses as they deem fit. This creates a highly competitive and potentially cut throat society with a multi stratified culture.
All in all what purpose does stratification serve within world-building? Conflict. What purpose does conflict serve? Without conflict there is no motivation to excel, and it is major force behind change. Conflict serves the purpose of creating obstacles for the people within the world. There are arguably other ways to create conflict; war, oppression, slavery, greed, but all of these usually have a root. The stratification of the culture in question. Creatures that are self aware will always want something better for their children or at least they want to keep what they have already. If something threatens that dream, conflict happens. Conflict doesn’t always happen outside the people, it also happens on the inside. Internal conflict is usually fueled by a perceived external or real external conflict.
LIST OF TYPES OF GOVERNMENTS:
Types of stratification: Governments.
-cracy: defined as rule; From Greek a root that means; strength or power.
Democracy: a government in which the supreme power is held by the people. IE: United States 1776-present.
Monarchy: a nation or state of government by a monarch. IE: Great Britain, France, H.R.E., & Spain circa 1100-1600 C.E.
Theocracy: government by official regarded as divine, those who pose as gods are who are believed to be empowered by gods IE: Ancient Egypt to circa 30 B.C.E., usually this form of government is ruled by those viewed as gods.
Hagiocracy: this form of government is ruled by those whom are regarded as holy within the principles of the governing religion. IE: Vatican State to present.
Empire: a large state or group of states under a single sovereign who is usually an emperor. IE: oldest known: Akkadian Empire, Ottoman Empire, Roman Empire, Persian Empire, Imperial China, & Incan Empire.
Parliament: a formal governmental conference, an assembly that constitutes the supreme legislative body of a country. IE: England (later Great Britain) 1200 C.E.-present, France 13th c. C.E. to present.
State: centralized political system with the power to coerce. *please note that this definition is an anthropological perspective.
Republic: a government in which the supreme power is held by the citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives governing according to the law. Rome (6th c. B.C.E. to 1st c. B.C.E.)
Federation: constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between central authorities and constitute territorial rights. IE: Germany & Austria at present (fictional: United Federation of Planets-Star Trek)
Coalition: a temporary union for a common purpose. IE: NATO, Delian League & Peloponnesian League circa 477 B.C.E.
Aristocracy: government by a noble or privileged class. IE: any form of government in the European Middle Ages that passed power on via heredity.
Dictatorship: government or country in which absolute power is held by a dictator or small clique. IE: Cuba 1959-present, Known real Dictators: Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Gaddafi of Libya, and Manuel Noriega of Nicaragua. Some regarded Julius Caesar of Rome, Adolf Hitler of Germany. (fictional: Big Brother, 1984, George Orwell; The Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum)
Tyranny: government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler.
Tyrant: one who governs oppressively or brutally? Nero of Rome c.37 C.E.-68 C.E., Caligula of Rome c.12 C.E.-41 C.E., and Tuthmosis III of Egypt c.1458 - 1425 BC ( he was perceived as the embodiment of a god from the perspective of the ancient Egyptians- but to us a dead false god...)
Chiefdom: regional polity in which two or more local groups are organized by a chief, who is head of the hierarchy. * Please note that this definition is an anthropological perspective. Usually this is associated with a tribe. (IE: Various Native North American Tribes)
Other Types of stratification: *not limited to.
Caste: any group distinguished by its social position. (IE: Hindu caste system, Ancient Greece & Sparta (free peoples and slaves), ancient Hawai’i.)
Age (IE: Dogon of west Africa)
Sex (IE: Jewish)
Kinship (IE: feudal Japan)
Occupation (IE: USA-Unions)
Language (IE: Medieval Christianity: Latin was used as the holy language, and the serfs weren’t permitted to learn it)
Religion (type) (Abrahamic Traditions)
Religious stature (secular/profane)
Economic status (Crusader England)
Race (however perceived within the world)
Ethnic heritage (1920’s Chicago, Boston, New York)
Physical limitations (blindness, deafness, etc)
Lineage (lines of nobility) (Medieval Europe, Imperial China)
Military status (warriors may have higher rank within a culture, as may hunters) (IE: Ancient Sparta)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
World Con 2008
I'm off to World Con in Denver! Over 3,000 fans, writers, editors, agents, and publishers of science fiction and fantasy will be gathering. I'm doing some signings--times to be determined when I get there--and I'll be meeting with a couple of my editors. I'll also be rooming with my buddy, Brad Beaulieu, a great writer and a member of the Writers' Symposium.
I'll be at the Magnolia Hotel August 7, leaving August 10. Anyone in the Denver area who wants to hang out please get in touch and we'll do lunch or something. My cell is 801-651-668seven. Hope to see you there.
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)