Misdirection

(I swear this isn't a post about my book by the same name... but my thoughts on this are exactly why I wrote that book).

I HATE reading a book where you know what's going to happen before you get to the end. Hate it. I don't mean know the ending like knowing that in a romance novel the characters will end up together. I mean when you see the big surprise coming from a mile away. The sudden twist at the end.

Not all books have twists, and that's fine. But you shouldn't be able to predict the whole plot of a book from the first few pages. I want to be surprised and amazed and confused.

I mean, obviously, my overwhelming intelligence (and oh so impressive modesty) makes this difficult. *snerk* But there are so many books out there where I have been surprised, or at least not seen the entire plot coming. So it's clearly possible.

It doesn't have to be a major twist, like revealing that the narrator is the murderer, a la Agatha Christie (um, spoiler?). I just feel like sometimes when teachers cover foreshadowing in grade school that future authors grab it and run with it and then fill their books with it to the point that it completely ruins any possible surprise that may be coming.

This is where misdirection comes into play. I mean, if you're going to drop hints about what's coming, drop some wrong hints too. Make the author think you're headed one way and then careen in a different direction. Shake things up a bit. Lay the groundwork for many possibilities and then let the reader scramble to try and figure out which way you're actually going.

Of course, like anything, this too can be overdone. If you try too hard to misdirect, your reader winds up never really know what's going on, with too many possibilities and dangling plot points. Tie things up neatly, people.

So, in short, please try to make your book interesting to me. That is all.

When Bad Things Happen to Good Writers

The Disaster That Has Befallen

Let me get right to the point.

Our highly beloved Julie Butcher, who brings you the Baby Evil Writers posts on a regular basis in addition to pretty much giving the shirt off her back to anybody in need, could use a hand just now.

Last Sunday her husband got on the wrong side of a chainsaw. What this means, for those of you unfamiliar with chainsaws, is that he's in the hospital with a leg that looks, I'm told, like it's been mauled by a grizzly. He's had two surgeries and will need another. He's also not likely to be working for quite awhile to come.

Here at the Evil League we believe in taking care of our own, and so we are putting together an extravaganza of a fundraiser to help Julie and family out with medical bills and expenses. The fundraiser will be run through a crowd funding site and will go live on April 1st.

How can you help?

Bless you, I knew that would be your first question. So let me count the ways.

1. Contribute goods and services. 

Between now and April 1st we are collecting items to offer up as perks and incentives. We are open to all sorts of objects such as handmade arts and crafts or copies of your books, as well as services like critiques, time with you at a convention, online chat time - whatever you have to offer that readers, writers, or the population at large might find of value.

2. Donate

When the fundraiser goes live, have a look around for perks that appeal to you and donate to the cause. You'll get something awesome in return for helping out a fellow writer in a tough spot. Win/Win all round.

3. Share the Love

Let everybody know. Share the word with your connections and ask them to pass it along. The more people  that know about this, the more money we can raise. Even if you're too busy or too broke to be able to pitch in with Contributing or Donating, if you can find a minute to retweet or repost you are definitely helping out the cause.

To make it easy for those of you who would like to contribute goods and/or services, here is a handy dandy form that will get your info directly to the Evil Goddesses who are running this show. Questions? Please ask. We will do our best to answer.

All the Things

It's apparently burn-out week here at the league. I'm not quite in the state Skyla had hit, but I realized when a multitude of "other things" came in yesterday that I'm damn close.
You see, this maddening, wonderful thing happens after you've published a few books. People want you…for everything. Do these panels at a convention? Sure! Heck, you want to lead the literary track for this other convention? OMG, yes! Donate something to this awesome cause? Of course! Do this, that, and the other thing? Why not?
It is very difficult for someone with my personality type to say no. I want to help people and I feel honored when I'm asked. So I end up saying yes far too much. I say yes until it gets to the point where I'm sitting at my computer, trying to write, and all the other things come to a head and I end up sitting there and crying instead.
And that doesn't even take my writing into account.
This is the first time I've publicly acknowledged why I'm not on social media as much as I used to be. I simply don't have time. I've volunteered myself into a corner I'm desperately trying to claw my way out of. (To make matters worse, since my divorce, I've been big on the standing on my own two feet thing, so I don't ask for help. From anyone. )
I'm using myself as an example not so everyone does the "Poor Seleste" thing. I'm using myself as a cautionary tale, because I can see all those other things pushing me to the point that I also hate the writing. (Without the writing, I wouldn't be in this situation.) I've set myself up in a whirlwind custom designed to promote burn-out.

Don't do that to yourself.

Seriously, learn to say no. And then say it early and often.
"No, I can't have all the neighborhood kids over to my house."
"No, I can't critique your manuscript."
"No, I can't come to that book signing."
"No, I can't do that conference."
"No, as much as I'd love to, I can't do one more charity anything."
"No, I cannot do all the things, no matter how hard I try."

Say yes too, of course, but say it with care. They add up and multiply before you realize it, and then you're buried in yeses and can't see your way out. Figure out your limits and then, for goodness sake, don't push them all the time.

Now, I need to get back to all the things. I'm counting the days until I'm out of this corner and can breathe again--and I thank my lucky stars there was a time limit on most of my yeses.

How Skyla Got Her Groove Back

Remember this post? Remember how utterly miserable I've been for well over a year, writing but hating it, wanting nothing more than to close up shop and sell artisan hummus instead?

Well.

Last month, I finished a really rough draft of a book I'd started last year, and I'm now 53K words into the next book. I should finish it within the next few weeks. And I am enjoying every goddamn second of it, even when I think it's terrible, or incoherent, or reads like a video game on paper. I wrote 400K last year, but this...this is different.

I wake up in the morning...thinking about The Story.

I go through my day itching, using all of my concentration to work on paying gigs...while thinking about The Story.

My gaze trails to the side mid-sentence when I'm talking, brain tuning everything out...because I'm thinking about The Story.

When I finally, finally get to write, I'm practically jumping out of my skin and stay up far past my bedtime, getting in up to 9K some days...playing with The Story.

And I drift off to sleep, playing upcoming scenes in my head. I dream...dream of The Story.

It's obsessive and probably not healthy, and my apartment is a mess, and I've eaten so many nachos I probably smell like jalapenos...but by god it is GLORIOUS.

How did it happen, when I didn't think I'd ever be at this place again? Because, really, last year I thought this was it for me as a writer. I was done. I panicked at the thought of trying to find something else to do with my time, some other career. I was miserable.

If you find yourself in this place, where your words are broken and you're burnt out and unhappy...these are the steps that worked for me.

First, a caveat: I'm talking to the workaholics and career writers in the crowd. If you're a dabbler looking for someone to reassure you Writer's Block Is A Real Thing, you won't find it here. STFU and go sit in the corner, I don't have time for you.

Second: major credit goes to Lilith Saintcrow, for reassuring me I was going through a normal thing and giving me strategies for dealing. Go buy her books.

Now, here are some basic steps, broken writers.


1. Acknowledge This Is A Thing.

If you are churning out thousands of words but you still hate the process of writing; if you've lost that burning need to tell the story; if you'd rather watch Psych reruns and knit than write...you're burned out.

People are going to tell you that you're not broken, that your writing is fine, that it's all in your head. On one hand, yes, it's in your head. So are a lot of things.

It doesn't mean it's not real.

They're trying to be reassuring and mean well, but you don't need to be reassured right now; you need to be validated. So I'm telling you, this is an actual thing. You're not crazy, it's not just in your head. You are going through a real thing, and you can't recover until you acknowledge there's something you need to recover from.


2. Make Other Arrangements.

You're a professional writer? You have deadlines? Make other arrangements. Not always possible, I know, but you want the minimum amount of pressure right now. The self-imposed deadlines? Toss 'em. If you're writing to keep a roof over your head and you absolutely, 100% cannot set things aside, fine. But I'm going to go ahead and say it: if you can, get a part time job stocking shelves for a few months. Which sounds stupid and crazy, I know, but just do it.

And the reason for this is...


3. Stop Writing.

Just stop it.

Generally I tell people to never stop. Write through the suck. Write through the doubt. Write when it's hard and scary. Write through exhaustion.

You can't when you're burned out. Lili put me on a three month regime of exercise, refilling the well, and a limit of fifteen minutes of writing a day.

Of course, just when I was feeling it coming back, I lost my full time job and was thrown into a tailspin of panic and depression. I completely lost my focus--it was several months before I could buckle down and do things that required my brain, like reading and editing, etc. But the benefit there was that it forced even MORE months of rest onto me. Which was ultimately the best thing for me.


4. Let Go.

I tried to get back on the horse in January. And I hated it. Hated hated HATED it.

Then I said, fuck it.

Flipping that switch changed everything. I know it's cliche, but it's true: you have to let go ENTIRELY. Let go of the expectations. Let go of the pressure. Just say fuck this noise, I will write when I'm good and ready. Because the more you try to force it, the more damage you'll do to yourself, and the longer your recover will ultimately take.

Interestingly, also in January I had a particularly bad episode of dysphoric mania that *probably* should've hospitalized me if I wasn't so goddamn stubborn. It resulted in a week of being sedated in bed and, you know, it was probably the next best thing for me. Like a brain reset. Because I let go of absolutely everything, keeping a focus on getting better instead or worrying, and that somehow shuffled everything into place.


5. Be Aware.

I can't say how or when, but it'll click again.

If you have faith in nothing else, have faith in that. Just learn to pay attention and listen, and when you feel that tickling of the Story against your consciousness, listen to it. Follow it. Learn yourself, learn to know when you don't want to write because something's wrong with you versus when you're avoiding because you're a lazy bitch.



6. Take It Easy.

Writing after burnout--after a long absence--feels mentally like you've been in an accident and you're re-learning how to walk.

You can't push it. When I got started again in February, I was very careful--I knew trying for 5K days wasn't healthy. I started small, just 2K and 3K here and there. It was a month before I built up to long days.

It's scary. There's a constant feeling of doubt, of terror that the magic is suddenly going to slip away again. The need to second guess, to go back and edit, is stronger than ever. There's a shakiness, reworking muscles that haven't been in use, struggling to find the balance between stretching and not straining.

You can do more damage to yourself in these early stages. So don't push it. At the end of writing sessions, leave yourself wanting to do more than pushing so hard you're burned out again. If you have a particularly productive day, force a break the day after.


So there are my tips. That's how Skyla got her groove back.

Have you been through long-term burnout? What strategies would you offer others?

Baby Evil Writers 101: Don't Do This to Me Ever

Baby Evil Writers 101
Julie Butcher

So I've been doing a lot of reading for writers lately and some of the openings make me want to go and find the writer and smack them hard in the face.

Your opening is the very first time I get to meet your character and I really want to like them. I do. I’m quite sure that the lovely agents and editors want to love them. So let’s pretend that you are in a car and you've never met this person before. You’re going on a twelve hour drive with them. Just you and them. Now let’s pretend that you are telepathic and that you can read their mind.

Now go and read the first two pages of your manuscript. I’ll wait.

.

Did you have your character do or say or think any of the following things?

1.       I don’t want to be here.

2.       I hate her/him/it/them.

3.       I’m going to vomit/spit/pee/poop

4.       I need to use the bathroom.

5.       I’m bored.

6.       I’m tired.

7.       Life sucks.

8.       I wish I was dead.

9.       I wish you were dead.

10.   I want to kill them

11.   That anything or anyone is stupid. (Including themselves.)

12.   That anyone or anything is dumb, boring or gross.

13.   They want to have sex with something or someone.

Now I want you to pretend that this stranger character said all of the things that they thought and said directly to you. Do you want to be in the car with them for twelve hours? Because I probably won’t. 

What you’re asking the reader to do is to spend twelve hours with a virtual stranger. FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS EVIL AND WRONG IN THE WORLD do not do those things.

If you met someone at a cocktail party, and they threw up on your little black dress, would you stay around to get to know them?

I wouldn’t.

If they said any of the above things to you, a stranger, would you want to give them your precious time?

Nope.

All-righty then. Go and delete those pages and introduce your character in a way that shows us who they are inside. Give us a glimpse of the very best part of their soul. Make us want to know them better before we learn their weird preferences and nasty quirks.

No bodily fluids.

Sympathetic is Overrated

I was in a twitter chat the other day, and we started discussing villains. Since bad guys are some of my favorite people to write, I enjoy the enthusiasm everyone seems to have for them lately. The villain, in a lot of ways, is stepping into the spotlight. That works for me. I always liked him best anyway.

And I'm not going to disagree with the idea of a sympathetic villain...well, not completely. I understand what makes a sympathetic villain compelling, and I think all characters should have depth. Of course. But, a lot of the common thread in that villain conversation went along the lines of: a villain has to be sympathetic.

Well I've never liked absolutes.

In fact, personally, I'm getting a little sick of the sympathetic villain. Not a popular opinion, I know. When I said it in chat they looked at me (a nice trick on twitter) like I'd grown a second head. But I meant it. I don't think a sympathetic villain is wrong, I just wish EVERYONE would stop doing it. But I feel the same way about anti-heroes too, and tortured, badass heroines. So I may be the one with a screw loose here.

As to villains, sometimes, every now and then, I like one that is just plain, old fashioned, bad to the bone. For no good damn reason. I don't always want to know that they exploit the weak and terrorize the country because their father didn't love them, or their kitten was stolen or whatever the feck happened to them to "make them this way."

I miss a villain who exploits the weak because he can. I like a villain who takes from others because she wants to. Who seeks power because he's power hungry. Because maybe he's just a selfish asshole. Maybe he thinks his needs are more important than others, and maybe we want a sympathetic villain because we don't want to admit that that sort of person exists.

And that's where I think we might be deluding ourselves a little.

I like to think that everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, and I usually am the first person to give it to them. Most people in this world have very good reasons for what they do, even if they aren't reasons we agree with. But I think it's pretty naive to say that ALL evil is done for a sympathetic 'reason.' Too many people have proved me wrong.

Bad people exist. They don't get a sympathetic excuse from me. Not always. Selfishness exists, corruption exists. Etc. I don't want to sympathize with everyone, because I don't want to be tempted to excuse their behavior.

Also, bad to the bone villains are fun. This is fiction, people. Mythological and archetypal models exist for completely, gloriously good heroes (They don't all have to be tortured, do they? Even if it's okay for some to be.) and wretchedly nasty villains. Fiction and myth is a safe place to let good be good and bad be bad and not get all judgey about it.

I miss that a little. And there are some great less-than-sympathetic villains out there. We never get to see Sauron's motivation, do we? Even Sauroman is, I'm sorry, just a power-hungry asshat. Baron Harkonen? Not a nice guy. Not even a good reason for being an ass. Not really, and I doubt anyone found him sympathetic in the least.

And I like a sympathetic villain too. I adored Vader until they cast him as a whiny teenager. I did. But sometimes when something is shiny, we do it to death. It's all good until we say, 'have to.' If we said all villains have to be sympathetic, or have some motivation that justifies (away) their evil acts, I think we'd lose a lot of good villains. I'm okay with keeping those that are sympathetic, I just want to keep my baddies-who-are-bad-because-they-love-to-be-bad too.

And with the trend the way it is, I'm kind of scared to see the movie, Maleficent. I love her in the spotlight, I do. She's my all time favorite. But I'm worried someone will want to explain her...and what made her so amazingly wicked, what made her (in my opinion) rise above all other Disney villains, was how bad she was. She was evil. Just for cuz.  And that's scary and awesome at the same time. If we find out why, I'm not sure it will be anymore.

The big reveal

Don't worry, I'm not getting naked, or anything. I'm talking about covers. I love cover reveal day on Twitter, when authors finally get to show off their shiny new covers to the world. It's like giving birth, except a whole lot less painful, I imagine.

And no, I'm not going to reveal a cover to you either. But I just got sent a draft cover and I was thinking about that moment. Even if you're not revealing it to the world, there's that moment of anticipation before you open the email... Am I going to love it? Hate it?

It's all personal preference really. I mean, some people like CGI people, others like cartoony covers. Some people even enjoy symbolism, for some reason. I kid. Symbolism is awesome, yo.

You never really know if you and your cover artist are going to mesh. Of course, with some publishers, as the author, you get to have input on what your ideas are for the cover, but unless you're an amazing graphics artist along with being an author (I hate you, Skyla), you don't get to see your vision appear on your book. Or maybe your cover artist is psychic. Who knows?

At any rate, I'm not super creative visually, so I have to try and explain, with words, to the cover artist what I think is relevant to the story and what the characters look like. Sometimes the artist gets me and my vision, and sometimes they don't.

On the cover of my first book, I had a naked lady holding a gun. I loved her and the rest of the cover, but it didn't seem like the greatest in gun safety ads for her to be running around naked with a gun. Fortunately, modern computer geewhizy stuff is awesome, so they gave her a dress and we called it good.

Artists are awesome - in the awe inspiring sense. I can't even imagine doing that - creating a picture based on words described by a (probably crazy) author. So impressed!

I guess the moral of the story here is consider your cover when writing your book... and maybe be an artist yourself  :)

- Skye

On Being Stuck and Getting Unstuck

Sometimes writing moves along at warp speed. You sit down at the computer, start hitting keys and - whoosh! In what seems like five minutes you're in a whole different part of the galaxy.

Other times, it's more like the becalmed ship in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Not a wind of inspiration blows and you begin to feel "like a painted ship upon a painted ocean." All around you lie dead ideas and the rising stink of failure and...

Well, you've probably been there at some point. If not, great news - you probably will be sometime before you die.

But wait, there's truly good news - when you hit that dead spot you don't need to stay there. Since you're not a cursed mariner (you haven't killed any sea birds lately, have you?) you're not stuck on the ship and there are things to be done.

The next question is this: is the problem one of head or heart?

Maybe you're not stuck at all and what you need to do is just keep on slogging, one word at a stinking time until something breaks loose and you're on the move again. 

But if you're truly up against a brick wall and you keep stupidly beating your head against it, this is not helpful.

Bloody and victorious is a good thing.

Bloody and stupid is something else altogether.

Chances are good that if you are feeling this way about your writing you need a little help.  

1. Call in the reinforcements - beta readers, critique partners, writer friends - whoever is available and willing to listen. Bounce ideas off of people. Talk to yourself. The cat. The dog. Don't talk to the parrot, though, because this will come back to haunt you.

2. Journal. Write about the story. Try writing in character voices and let them talk to you.

3. Refill the well. Sometimes it's okay to take some time to do other things. Watch movies. Go for walks. Read a good book. Knit something. Give yourself permission to take a short vacation.

4. Take long walks. Do yoga. Hang upside down from the monkey bars in the park. Whatever it takes to get more oxygen to your brain.

5. Write something else. Sometimes writing is like a cat. If you choose to just step away and focus on something else it will climb your pant leg and settle itself into your lap and knead at you with its little sharp story claws until you start writing again.

And sometimes - well, there are times when a story idea is well and truly dead. And then you need to bury it with all due ceremony and mourning, and move on to writing something else.