The call of the cliche

I'm jittering like someone on their twentieth straight shot of espresso. I wonder if I eat this mini Snickers bar whether my heart will stop. Nope, still alive. But now I'm hearing maniacal laughter and I'm about 45% certain it's not coming from me. Ok. It’s Halloween. The weird thing is, despite saying yesterday that my blog today would be about Halloween, I actually don’t wanna write anything about Halloween. You know why? Because that feels entirely cliché. I mean, how many blogs out there are going to be saying things like, “So what’s with all the candy?” or “What are you dressing up as?” Oh, it’s not because I don’t like the holiday. It’s practically my favorite one. I love the masks, costumes, candy, all the goodies and just the overall “have fun for the sake of having fun” atmosphere. I just don’t want to write about it, which is ironic I guess since this whole paragraph is kind of addressing it anyways.

Moving on then. Since it’s a general goal for writers to avoid cliché, why don’t we talk about what is cliché? What makes something so overdone and trite that you just groan when you see it starting to sneak into a story? Want some examples of cliché? Take a peek at that Fantasy writer’s exam link on the right there. Funny…but sadly true in many stories you pick up. (Hint: Good stories avoid pretty much anything listed in the exam)

What causes cliché then, and how do we, as writers or lovers of a good story, avoid it? “Cliché” is something that is overly commonplace, boring, or otherwise familiar to the point of making one fall asleep and drool on the page. In the realm of science fiction and fantasy, one might list plot ideas such as mad scientists with zany schemes to take over the world, traveling back in time to kill Hitler, a rewrite of the Adam and Eve account, and (except for those few-and-far-between cases) a lot of stories that involve vampires and werewolves these days.

Fortunately, flipping on the cliché alarm in your head is easy. Just learn how to spot them. Research what’s been done before and how many times, and how it has been received. Look up stories in similar genres and themes as yours and compare them. If you start seeing a lot of similarities to the point of making yourself wince, that could be a warning sign that the clichés do lurk in the murky depths. This is not to say your idea is a bad one. You just need to revisit your novel, short story, or otherwise and figure out how you can make it entirely yours…original to the point that no one would mistake it for a recycled adventure quest about some really short guys with a powerful, but evil ring. Yes, research can be hard, but it’s worth it so you don’t spend weeks, months, or years on a story only to have some editor look at it and go, “Meh, seen it a hundred times today.”

Those are my thoughts for now, though this is a huge topic that could be talked over for hours and days. Anyone have other examples of clichés that you hate seeing pop up, whether plot points, descriptions, etc?


I see that smile.

Cry laughing

Let me give this blog a little focus. And by a little focus, I mean by telling a few (okay, a lot) of things I'd like this blog to eventually do, and therefore let folks know what to expect whenever you browse my way. I'm a bit of a trifecta, I suppose. That is to say, I both read voraciously, write as quick as I can squeeze the words out of my brain, and also work in publishing. Books are a narcotic for me, and I have spent more money on them than I likely have groceries or clothing. I am not ashamed of this, and I pray for the day when books are made from recycled corn and can be first figuratively and then literally devoured. My dream right now is to break into the "get published" realm, and from there on be paid massive amounts of money to make up stories. Or even a tiny amount of money (say, enough for food and groceries) will do just fine.
Therefore, yes, you may have noticed a lot of my posts have to do with writing or the literary world in some way. I love talking about it as much as the guy with a 20-sided die itches to pull out his character sheet and parade it around like a prize-winning poodle.

My hope is that once this blog and connecting website start to flap their wings and hop off the ground, that it will be both a place to share my writing as well as that of other authors who I love to read, talk about the writing process in all its gory glory, and hack out plots, characters, whether it's "science fiction" or "sci-fi," and all the wonderful debates, arguments, and verbal mud-wrestling matches that come in between. This is my focus, and I hope others can peer through the same ink-colored lenses as I do and join me in the fun.

Whew. That being said, tomorrow's blog will likely be something on Halloween. I wonder why.

But to counteract that, here is me sharing a book I just finished reading and absolutely enjoyed. Ever heard of Terry Pratchett? You have? Awesome. Oh wait, that person hiding in the corner hasn't.

http://terrypratchettbooks.com/

Terry Pratchett lives in England. That's usually all the little flap bio tells you from his books. He is by far one of the comic geniuses of our times. His satire is sharper than a very sharp thing. His parody, while ridiculous, makes you start looking at people you work and live with in very different ways. His sense of humor cannot be mapped, as he likes to say. I just finished reading Thud!, (http://www.amazon.com/Thud-Novel-Discworld-Novels/dp/B000F5ZH0I/sr=1-1/qid=1162254978/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5501329-8875206?ie=UTF8&s=books) one of his recent novels set in Discworld (which is a flat world sitting on the back of elephants riding a giant turtle through space). Once again, as with pretty much every one of his books, it had me laughing so hard I cried.

Read him. Laugh. Repeat.
That's all there is to it. Oh, and while you're at it, check out this collaborative effort between him and Mr. Neil Gaiman, yet another favorite author of mine:

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Omens-Accurate-Prophecies-Nutter/dp/0060853964/sr=8-1/qid=1162254651/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5501329-8875206?ie=UTF8&s=books

There you have it. Some reading recommendations for today in case you are running low on your own eye-munchies. I welcome anyone to share their recent reads for other's enjoyment. I look forward to it.



I see that smile.

The write spot

I've come to realize there are several elements in my apartment that drive me to distraction and detract from my attempts to write. The first is the internet. If I have something I need to get done, a story draft, whatever...sometimes it's so bad I literally have to unplug my cable cord and make myself leave it out until at least an hour or two have gone by. This cuts out email, chat, surfing, and all that other "stuff" that can keep us mindlessly entertained for hours.

And since home is where all the familiar things are, it's easy to move from one to another. Amazing isn't it how we try to avoid chores most of our lives, yet we look up and realize the latest novel chapter is languishing on the hard drive while we are cleaning the grout in the shower? Gah. And after that, maybe the gym, or cook dinner, or flick through the news, and then maybe a walk for some fresh air.

So here's the two-pronged question for you all who pick up the pen (or the keyboard). 1. What are those things in your environment that you just have to shove aside before you can focus? and 2. Where is your "write" spot? What is the best place you know that just puts you in a writing mood?

For me, there isn't a specific spot outside of my apartment. All I know is it helps for me to actually go somewhere for a couple hours with the mindset of "This time is for writing and writing alone" and then when I come back home, all of a sudden shower grout doesn't look so attractive does it? It can be a lonely corner among the shelves of Barnes and Noble, a little cafe I come across, maybe even a park bench if the weather is nice enough. Lunch time during work hours is also excellent, because I'm just there, eating, and ideas have been brewing and bubbling up in my mind's stew.



I see that smile.

On raindrops and swordfighting

It's one of those blustery days here, where it feels like the wind wants to pick you up and dance with you. That or give everyone the bed-head look. The sun winked at us for about five minutes this afternoon, but now clouds and raindrops are sweeping up the sidewalks. So while I am sitting in my apartment, enjoying the fresh breeze whisking through my window, I came across a topic near and dear to all of our hearts:

Swords! And not just those swords you see at Ren fairs or cons with blades as wide as a sumo wrestler and that can only be wielded by characters in computer games, but this website has some of the most historically accurate info on swords, how they are used, and how one can train to use them.

http://www.thearma.org/essays.htm

That link is direct to the essay section of the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, which holds many esoteric ponderings such as "What did historical swords really weigh?" or "The myth of edge-on-edge parrying" and even "The use of kicks in swordfighting."

Pretty indepth material, especially for any of us who like to include action scenes in our writing. It helps get rid of some of those nasty myths and errors that one reads in fantasy books where you think to yourself..."There's no way he could've just killed twenty men with that toothpick."

Aha. But it's a magic toothpick, dontcha know?

Many hours of reading and research on that site, and they may just have a branch of their organization near you. Enjoy the wonderful world of the blade.

I see that smile.

Would not make someone vomit

Who out there has heard of NaNoWriMo?

Anyone? No. It isn't some nanotech cyberpunk term. It's the National Novel Writing Month, founded by Chris Baty, where thousands of people sign up one month out of the year and dedicate themselves to writing 50,000 words in 30 days or less! Apparently Baty wants to inspire people to write who either have always wanted to write a novel, or feel they don't have the motivation for it. His key elements are stress and a deadline to kick people into writing mode, as well as lowering your standards from "writing only bestselling material" to "would not make someone vomit."

This is fun. I've got a project going on already, otherwise I'd be quite keen on signing up for this myself. However, for anyone out there who feels stuck between novels or never even started a novel, Baty has not only provided a kick in the mental tush, but he has also provided a guidebook for the entire process titled No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811845052

Take a looksee. And while you are at it, here is the official NaNoWriMo website:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Who knows? Maybe that idea lurking around in the dark corners of your cranium might just leap out and grab this opportunity by the jugular. (And if it does, please clean up after yourself)

Whatever the case, enjoy the zany creativity of it all. And enjoy the book, which I'm told is by turns hilarious and insightful.

I see that smile.

Six words tell the tale

It's early, but I ran across this while browsing Neil Gaiman's site. Wired magazine had a number of writers try to compose stories of six words only. The results are...well...see for yourself.

http://wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/sixwords.html

My favorites are the ones by Ronald D. Moore, Orson Scott Card, and Richard Powers.

Now I must go ponder what six words I would choose. Results may be posted later. If anyone out there comes up with an idea, do let me know.

I see that smile.

-----

All right. After not being able to get this out of my head, here are a few results of my six word story brainstorming:

I frowned. My reflection smiled back.

Full moon. Curb your dog, please.

Then I woke up. Just kidding.

Immortality gained. Chronic boredom sets in.

Artificial intelligence writes book. Critics assimilated.

Memory loss. What? Memory loss. What?

Frankenwebsite

It’s always a challenge when one particular line in a story or poem just evades you. You grab for it, dig for it, beg for it. But no good. It sits up on the high rocks like the egg from an eagle’s nest and mocks you. Wait. Eagle eggs don’t mock people. Crap. Going to have to work on my analogies.

Anyways, been niggling at this poem all day like a loose tooth. Maybe if I print out the draft I have so far and stick it under my pillow, the poem fairy (didn’t know there was one of those, didja?) will leave me a bright, shiny, new poem in the morning. Either that or I’ll wake up covered with paper cuts and with a crumpled printout. Hmm. An experiment.

On further news, I’m getting a full blown website in the works. I have a great friend, Becca, who is going to apply her amazing website guru know-how to help me find a web presence that doesn’t deserve a paper bag over its face. The link for it is on the right here (jrvogt.com), so keep an eye on it for updates and face-lifts to come soon. Once we get the basic structure going, I can start getting actual content in there, maybe post a few stories and suchlike.

I see that smile.

A night with a King of the writing craft

Tonight was spent at the Symphony Space down off 96th St. where I got to sit about fifteen rows away from Stephen King and John Connolly. Now, if I have to actually tell you who Stephen King is, I'm going to start checking you over for an extra appendage, or the spacecraft you just stepped from. (actually, I'm pretty sure any aliens would know who he is too, if they were any sort of decent extraterrestrials and monitored our planet) John Connolly, who might be less known but no less deserving of being read (http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/index.html) was the fellow who interviewed and chatted with Stephen King tonight. About 700 people waited in line for up to 12 hours outside (myself: 2 hours after work) in the bluster and chill of the evening to get inside and get the inside story on King's new book, Lisey's Story. I was given the chance through work channels, since I do work in publishing, to read this book a couple weeks before it came out in the stores. It isn't standard King fare, ie. the usual hack and slash horror that makes you keep the light on at night. But it is still wrenching, vivid, and a tale of love, madness, marriage, and death. Find it. Read it.

So, aside from some funny stories and audience questions, and a marvelous reading of a selection of the story, I came away with this piece of advice...you'll pardon me if it isn't a perfect quote, but unless someone who reads this was there tonight, how else are you going to know if King said these exact words or not?

"To any writers here tonight, consider your writing as a craft, not as art. You don't have the position to call what you do art. That is for someone else to decide. The critics. Your audience. What you are doing is labor, working for the rewards of your imagination and sweat. You produce something, like a carpenter produces a table. If someone else takes it and calls it art, then so bet it. But so long as you love the work you do, then it will be worth every moment. That's all that matters."

To my Muse

For some writers, their muse is something in their heads, nebulous, maybe in the misty form of some woman in a toga. Women in togas never really did anything for me, I'm afraid. My muse has always taken the form of a cat. Cats are rather arrogant creatures that manage to hold sway over most of us with their glowing moonlit eyes and soft pads of their feet...just before they claw their way up our legs or piss on the carpet behind the couch. My muse has both tortured and enchanted me, in this manner. Of course, I speak of this metaphorically, but those who know me also know I have pet cat named Muse. She is black. She is a Manx, which means she was born without a tail. And she hops when she runs. A rather unique cat, I'd like to think, who used to sit in my lap while I typed away with one hand, the other stroking her so she purred and drooled on me.

Then I moved to NYC and had to leave her behind, sadly, but at least in the care of my wonderful family, and especially Katie Beth, oldest sister, just below me. From all told, she has been having a wonderful time at home and I've gotten to see what a big furball she's become the few times I've managed to make it back.

Now, unfortunately, I've received word that Muse is very ill...she's had a latent virus in her system since birth that has now spread out as full-blown leukemia. This makes me pretty sad to lose her, but I am glad that she's lived in comfort and love for the past year. It also makes me incredibly thankful for the support of my family, even in little things like taking care of my black cat. You've been a good kitty, Muse. All Dogs Go To Heaven was a crappy cartoon movie, I thought, so I'll try to write the screenplay for the cats version sooner or later in commemoration.

...five minutes later...
And there's the call...a quick, easy passing...

-raises a toast to the Muse-

A beginning

This is a start. A chance to nudge ideas and stories out into the open (they are such painfully shy things, aren't they?) and see what happens to them once they waddle out into the wide world of web. An adventure in the making, so let's see what we have on hand to throw into the first stew.

To start with...a link to the magazine that will be issued within the next month or so, containing my short story, The Soul Shop. Magic potions, the Devil, souls in peril, half-off coupons...what could be more fun?

http://www.leadingedgemagazine.com/