Sue Bahr
  • About Sue
  • a writer's blog

Layering of baddies...

3/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
We've all read novels where the antagonist leaps off page one, seeking to destroy the MC. Think Voldemort in Harry Potter. JK Rowling paints the picture of a character so evil it can't even be named! Moreover, she does it with a characteristic moment - Voldemort proves his evil intent and ability to overcome Harry by not only killing Harry's parents, but by trying to kill him - a mere babe! Harry will face other antagonists, but they are all controlled by the penultimate baddie, Voldemort.

Other books introduce the antagonist upfront, but we know, somehow, this isn't the ultimate baddie of the story. Like Graceling. Katsa's uncle, the king, forces her to use her gifts to fight and kill for him. Yes, he's her opposing force, but with Kristen Cashore's delicate touch, we feel there's something bigger out there - a creature so vile, so evil it has no face. So when Katsa confronts her uncle within the first few chapters, we're ready... we know a higher level antagonist is waiting in the wings, and now she has some skills to take him/her on.


Picture
Do you see the pattern? The layering of antagonists? These two books represent two rich and well-developed worlds, filled with surprising twists. It's obvious the authors dedicated a significant amount of time digging into their characters (JK spent five years!) - both good and bad, and in doing so created a complex and deeper story.

As a writer, I used to loosey-goosey over my antagonists. They were some undefined force, like society's structures, or a poorly sketched baddie. I'm not sure why I never developed my antagonists to the level they deserved. Certainly writing in the first person didn't help.

Now I'm taking my time, filling notebooks on antagonists, writing pages and pages of the baddie's backstory, their dreams, their motivations, and as I world-build and plot, I know I'm honoring my readers by giving them the best well-developed MC's with clear motivations, and antagonists with their own agendas. 

So what about you? Got a favorite antagonist? Care to share?

I wish you happy writing!
Sue


0 Comments

Developing your baddies when writing in the first person...

1/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
How does one weave the antagonist's story into a first person narrative? Seems pretty straight forward, unless you're like me and you write yourself into a corner because your protagonist can't meet the antagonist in the opening chapter because the story will fall apart and you realize later you never even introduced the baddie and the reader has no idea who that is! Arghh!!!

Deep breath. Let's explore that rant a bit closer.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I write YA fantasy in the first person. My process begins with developing the MC, her wants, her needs, and her world. I love creating the character who drives the story. This is, I'm now finding, a typical beginner's error.

But it's not my fault! (best whiny voice). Just search "writing a novel" and you'll learn all about developing character arcs and plot structure, and few posts focus on developing the villain, the baddie, the antagonist. Or maybe I just had my blinders on.

This is why, 40,000 words in, I found myself at my computer, holding my head and groaning. I thought I knew the opposing force against Phila (my MC). I had some idea of the problems she would face and how she would overcome them. I even understood her lie, dang it! But no matter what I did, I couldn't press ahead. It was like a kitten had gotten a hold of my draft and tugged on all those loose ends until it ended up looking like this...


Picture
A pretty pile of tangled nothing....

Perhaps this part of this post should be called "Just how much focus should a writer give a villain anyways?"

Turns out, a lot, as in as much time and dedication as it takes to develop a solid, compelling MC.

After realizing I didn't know my antagonist, not really, I dug out my notebook and filled page after page, focusing solely on the villain's world. And what happened astounded me. I fell in love with my baddie, and not only that I realized I had more than one (more on this in the next post).

​Suddenly, I could see the antagonist... his wants, his needs, his goal in this story. And further, I understood the arc of the story better.

The hardest part of writing in the first person is remembering you, the author, have to know what's happening beyond the character's realm of understanding. That's right, you have to play God.

My MC may know someone's working hard to capture her, but she doesn't know why and that motivation brings depth to the story, especially later, when she confronts the antagonist and learns what he's after and what he'll do to achieve his goals. A side benefit? It creates an awesome twist in the second half of the story.

My next step, after finally getting a grip on my antagonist is incorporating this information into the story world.

In this WIP, it'll be with a few brush strokes... a brief encounter in the opening chapter to set the stakes, then it's on to finding opportunities for Phila to learn about the Balfour (the first level antagonist) from her sister, who has had direct contact with him. Scenes leading up to her encounter with Balfour that once focused only on Phila's immediate needs will now have an undercurrent running through them, and undercurrents create tension.

I leave you with this thought- how many cool stories can you create centering around your antagonist? If you're like me, you'll end up with loads of awesome, spine-tingling scenes that simply must be shared. And not one to miss an opportunity, I'll do just that. Look for short stories, snippets and villainous scenes in future posts!

I bid you happy, evil (maw haw haw), writing!
Sue
0 Comments

getting unstuck (and creating your baddies...)

12/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ever get stuck, I mean well and truly stuck, mid-way through what seemed like the easiest book you've ever written? No? Lucky you then, because I was. 

My WIP, a YA fantasy called "First Fairless" was beating me up pretty good. I'd thought I'd plotted it out.
I mean, I'd filled a notebook for crying out loud! So how could the story suddenly fall apart? All that momentum, that inspiration just vanish?

Thinking it must be a plot issue, I read and re-read KM Weiland's posts on plot and character arcs, which helped, kinda? I tried for the bigger picture - writing more notes on what must surely happen in the second half of the story to be resolved. I understood this character - I loved this character -so why, why couldn't I sit down and write???

Why? (spoken in my most pathetic little girl's voice.)

After more struggling, more teeth grinding, I full-on admitted it must be writer's block. Time to read more posts on that, which didn't help at all. I felt worse, in fact, and began to question my skills as a writer and my future as an author. 

Flash forward to one long car ride with my teenage son. We've always shared a love of storytelling and his insights and reflections are often brilliant. His first question was the only question he needed to ask. 

So, Mom, who's the antagonist?

Good question and one I could barely answer. I had a general idea of the society's structure, which was an opposing force against my protagonist. I had a general idea of the antagonist--a creepy Sage working for the High Diem.... But really, who was the antagonist??

Who????

I pulled out my notebook, revitalized and determined to figure out this antagonist, it hit me... why I'm stuck... and the revelation is changing the way I will approach writing forevermore.

Let me explain.
Picture
I write YA in the first-person so of course in the beginning stages I focus on the protagonist (in this case, her name is Philamena Scott). Who is she? What does she want vs what does she need? I get so deep into my MC's head, in fact, I lose track of the bigger picture.

Here is the question I'm facing now...

What is the antagonist's goal and how does it impact Phila? This understory drives the second half of my book. So much happens without Phila's knowledge - but I, as the author, have to understand and know this information. And even more important, I have to incorporate the antagonist's goals into this story when it's written in the first person and the MC is clueless about that agenda.


My next few posts will focus on baddies and how to weave their story into a first person narrative in hopes that it'll help other authors experiencing the same issues.

I close with a side note and one that's telling. I chose a random bad dude for the header image in this post, a generic scary clown, and a specific image for my MC. That pretty much says it all.

I guess I still have work to do...

Happy writing!
Sue
0 Comments

A shout out and a little love...

5/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
​My dear friend and fellow blogger AshiAkira is publishing a book of his wonderful haiku poems. I met him seven years ago when I was a baby blogger. All those years and he's never stopped writing and sharing his amazing gift. And now I'm happy to give a shout-out and highlight his upcoming launch. Please look for purchasing details at the end of this post.

And now, let me introduce AshiAkira, using his own words. Because, well, he says it best!
Picture
​I became interested in writing haiku poems originally in English after I turned seventy.

Born in Tokyo in 1938, I went to the United States for study after graduating from a Tokyo metropolitan senior high school in 1957.

After returning to Japan from the United States in 1963, I worked for a news agency as an English reporter, thus continuing the use of the English language I had learned in the previous years in America. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty with the news agency in 1998, I continued to work for its subsidiaries taking charge of correspondence and translation, thus further continuing to make use of my English skills.

When I reached the age of seventy, I fully retired from all the chores of work to make a living and decided to live on a pension alone. My income then drastically went down, but in return, I gained enough leisure to do whatever I wanted, and I chose to spend the remaining years of my life in writing novels, short stories, poems, or anything I found myself interested in.

I then noticed on the internet that haiku writing was gaining considerable popularity in many countries outside Japan. I didn’t have much knowledge of haiku writing above the common sense level of a person born and raised in Japan, where saying things in the haiku rhythm penetrates through people’s lives. But I felt something amiss about many of the haikus written by non-Japanese writers, and I thought it would be interesting to write haikus directly in English.

When I told a friend of mine that I’d try to write haikus in English, he introduced me to a member of the haiku-writing club of a famous university in Tokyo. The haiku writer apparently discussed my plan with other members of the club, and he told me it was utterly impossible to write haikus in English or in any other language than Japanese. He said that I should first train myself to write in Japanese until I became familiar with traditional haiku writing. He said he resented so many non-Japanese poems that are claimed to be haikus simply because they are short and broken into three lines. He said many Japanese haiku writers feel the word haiku should not be used for the non-Japanese three-line poems.

I know it’s said that “poetry is what gets lost in translation,” but I also believe that the prosody is not all there is to poetry. Having been born into and grown up in the haiku-writing culture, I feel there is something in the core of haiku that can be retained in whatever language it is written.

I decided to call what I would write haiku poems, meaning haiku-style poems, instead of haiku to avoid hurting the feeling of the haiku experts as much as possible. I also decided to throw away all rules and tradition about the haiku writing except two basic ones, namely the five-seven-five syllables—rhythm—and its connection with nature, without which a haiku cannot be a haiku.

The Japanese language, when it’s spoken in five and seven syllables, gives to the Japanese ear a pleasant rhythm. I believe this stems from the fact that Japanese is always pronounced in combination of a consonant and a vowel or in a vowel independent of consonant clusters. It is also because Japanese is pronounced with the tone accent rather than the stress accent, like that of English.

For hundreds of years, saying things in the five-seven-five syllables was popular among the Japanese people, and it was called haikai. Several people might get together for a party where they would compose the haikai, mainly jokes to throw at each other or allusive sarcasm against corrupt or oppressive officials of the feudal rule that lasted until nineteenth century.

It was Matsuo Basho who made the revolutionary achievement of writing poems of artistic value in the haikai form in the seventeenth century. There was no such a word as haiku in Basho’s days. It was not until about two hundred years after his death that the writers of artistic haikai began to call their works haiku to distinguish them as an art from jokes or allusively ironic pieces which then began to be called senryu or kyoka, respectively.

The counting of syllables in an English word varies from speaker to speaker. The word poem pronounced by some English speakers, for instance, sounds like a one-syllable word or by others as a two syllable word. The word poet, however, is pronounced almost always as a two-syllable word. Thus, the haiku poems I write in English often follow the five-seven-five syllable rule loosely.

Connection with nature is another basic core tradition in the haiku writing. The reason for this would no doubt call for heated discussion by experts. But as a full-blooded Japanese who received more education outside Japan than at home, I must ask for others’ permission to say that the haiku artists feel that nature is the ultimate ruler of all living things deserving our due respect. We all came into this world by the natural power in disregard of our own will. And in most of the cases, we leave this world when the time for each individual to do so comes. Before nature we are powerless. We don’t know what nature is as we don’t know what life is. But we can have a glimpse of what happens in nature as its work. For example, the blooming of flowers and birds flying and chirping are works of nature. By catching a glimpse of nature’s work, only a momentary spark, and jotting it down in words as a reflection of our mind, we may get closer to knowing it. The five-seven-five-syllable poem, or close to it in any language, is a handy form of poetry to capture the works of nature when noticed. Doing so could be a way to bring the unseen power of nature into the human consciousness.

I have written around two thousand haiku poems in nearly a decade, and I have randomly selected and edited 496 of them for this publication. I plan to publish all the rest of them, in addition to other forms of poems I have also written, in the future.

Finally, since so much must be squeezed into the seventeen syllables, I take full advantage of poetic license to disregard grammar or any rule of the language. Since I intend my haiku poems to appeal directly to the imagination of the readers through words only, the use of pictures or illustrations is avoided. And like any other form of poetry, each haiku poem, although it’s so short, is meant to be independent. I would be honored if the readers read them as such.
AshiAkira's book will go into full global distribution networks, including Amazon.com and BN.com in the next 6-8 weeks. For the time being the book can be purchased directly from Lulu, and the link to the page for the purchase is:  http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/haiku-poems/20836642
0 Comments

NaNo moments

11/14/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I haven't been posting for a while, but at least I have a good excuse.

I've been writing.

For those of you who've experienced Nanowrimo, you understand what I'm about to say. Now is not the time to waste precious words or fingers crafting long-winded posts. Now is the time to let the words flow, the characters take hold, the plot unfold as you dig and push and never give up, even when your dog is whining and supper isn't cooked and you can no longer speak in full sentences.

Your family and friends should understand, and if they don't. Too bad.

I've been productive. The story is taking shape. Allow me to share a few of my more treasured Nano moments thus far:

Hitting my goal and staying on target. Okay, for those of you who don't know me, or how stinking slooooooowly I write, this is a big deal.  It's time to finish the damnable YA fantasy that's been batting around in my mind for the past year. Time to get 'er dun.

Freedom of expression. Forget wine or booze or medication. Nothing can soothe a soul like digging into and falling in love with your characters. You can even find gratification in killing off a few of the more annoying ones. The point is, in this world, I am master. I can tune out real life and live in my head, if only for another 2 1/2 weeks.

Writing. It's pure expression. Or maybe I should call it drafting, because my inner editor is shut down. Yup, I'm crafting crap and loving it. An example: I recently came up with this beauty:

She wiped her face, and faced her accuser. 

Good times. Good times.

There's something about Nano that gives me permission to let the flood gates open and write. I can't nit pic, can't review and obsess over the minutia, not if I want to reach my goal and finish the book. Forget about finishing it on time - I just want this thing done.

Then I can step back, review and edit. Then I can delete such stupid sentences. Because I'll have something to edit, right? 

Anyhoo, I'm sure this post is full of typos, and poorly crafted sentences, maybe even a stray comma or two, but the point is.

WHO CARES. I'm doing NaNo.

Happy writing (and I mean it!)
Sue
0 Comments

why I read...

8/22/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
image credit: pixabay.com
​I love reading. I love turning the pages of a book, or flicking the screen of my Kindle, and watching a story unfold. It's always about the journey, not the destination. It keeps me in the now and takes me away from my worries.

When I read, I find inspiration. Words, strung together in a magical way. Characters that behave contrary to the norm, who charm me, steal my breath with their aliveness.

Am I envious? I'll admit to wiping the drool occasionally.

Am I content to enjoy the work of others? Absolutely.

When I recently went through a bout of writer's block, all I could enjoy was take notes and read. Sometimes, reading was the only thing my brain seemed capable of doing.

And it makes me wonder, if you studied the habits of your favorite authors, if you'd find they are voracious readers?

I leave you with this. What are you reading? Has it helped you find inspiration?

I wish you all the best and..Happy reading!
Sue

Like this post? Want to keep in touch? Great! Please see the side bar to sign up and receive these posts via email.

0 Comments

The pesky business of internal dialogue...

8/15/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
image credit: pixabay.com
 I enjoy writing in the first person. Sometimes I use present tense (for ya contemporary), and other times I use past tense (for my fantasy books). What ever the tense,  I'm a sucker for internal dialogue.

Oh, the joy of belching out that stream of consciousness, allowing the character to speak freely, the ability to drive the story deeper, delving into the inner most thoughts of a character's mind...It's just so fun!

I enjoy reading first person narratives too. And I've been discovering something lately...

Crafting  good internal dialogue is tougher than it looks.

And so I've compiled four things to watch for:

1. Info. Dumps.  (see my previous post for more). Internal dialogue is probably the most confusing place to dump information because, really, if the character knows so much why are they in that pickle? Nothing launches me quicker out of a story than when a character reveals information via an internal narration that they shouldn't know. Which leads me to the next point...

​2. When internal narration becomes just plain narration.  Ever read an internal dialogue and suddenly feel like its off somehow? When that happens to me, I go back and reexamine (which means I'm no longer in the story. Which is bad btw) and usually find the voice has changed somehow. I'm no longer in the character's head, but the narrator's head. 

3. Character dumps. This is similar to information dumps, but the information is specific only to the character. Let me explain.

When I write first drafts I allow the character to share with the readers all their deepest fears, their challenges, their struggle in long, drawn out internal dialogue blocks. I find this useful in getting to know the character better. The trouble comes when it's left intact and not edited, because in the strictest sense, this is telling, not showing!  Don't agree?

Well then, ask yourself:

How much stronger would a scene be if the character enacted or lived their deepest fear instead of telling the reader they had one?

4. Not enough internal dialogue. Does that seem possible? Probably not! But I've read some ya books lately that go a bit too far with culling and cutting back internal thoughts and dialogue. The action's great! But where's the reaction? Sometimes, it makes it harder for me, the reader-who-is-now-the-character understand or empathize with the character's plight.

What do you think? Love/hate internal dialogue? 
I'd be happy to hear from you!
cheers-
​Sue

Like this post? Want to keep in touch? Great! Please see the side bar to sign up and receive these posts via email.




0 Comments

Writer beware! Info dumps come in many forms...

8/8/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Information dumps., aka large clumps of information designed to keep a reader on track with what the writer wants the reader to know. Why do fantasy writers in particular struggle with this issue?

Perhaps they're worried their readers won't be able to keep up and they think let's get all the world building done in one clump? Maybe fantasy writers are inherently worrisome? After all, most genres allow the story to unfold and trust their readers to figure it out as they read along. Who really knows?

It's easy to spot the obvious info dump--just look for pages of technical or world-building information that goes on and on... leaving the reader feeling, well, like they've just attended a lecture delivered by a bored, monotone profession on a Friday afternoon on the last day before school break...

Well, you get the idea. But if you don't, here are two examples:

"Gee, Jane, did you know the baddies are from Planet X, have three eyes, have ten stomachs and eat humans, live for two hundred years and can fly?"

"No, John, I didn't."

"Yup. The planet was destroyed in a civil war that lasted three hundred years. The Zargonots pledged to overthrow the vicious Scallawags and developed a cyber weapon that wiped out all electronic devices. After they won, the Zargonots tried to rebuild their infrastructure but without the Scallawags help, they couldn't. When they ran out of food, they sent a probe into space, hoping to find a new planet--one that they could take over. The probe veered off course and discovered our lovely blue orb, and now they're here!"

Gasps. "You're kidding. Tell me more!"


Okay, so this may be obtuse, and perhaps you're chuckling (you should be, btw), but I've actually read this form of dialogue in published books. When an author conveys info via dialogue, it can come off as stilted and unbelievable. Who wants to be lectured? Just ask my teen, it's annoying!

Another form of info dump comes from the protagonist in an internal dialogue. 

Jane grasped the gun in her hand, aiming low to hit the slobbering beast stalking her. This was the first time she'd seen a space alien and she'd never imagined anything quite so disgusting. Planet X grew fierce some creatures with an appetite for humans. Their three hundred year war had decimated their food population and now they had set their sights on Earth...

​
Did you catch it? The dump?

Also hidden within this last example is something I like to call a narrator tell. Really, how would Jane know so much about Planet X if she's never been there? Who told her about the war? The narrator may know it, but how would Jane? (more on this in an upcoming post).

But don't get me wrong. Info dumps have their place. Yes! In first drafts! Those dumps are often full of plot points and character development. Once you have a draft, go back and pull that information apart. Keep some, inserting it judiciously throughout the story (with it being revealed by multiple characters.) The rest, save in a separate file, and never let it see the light of day.

Just remember, even though you may love all this detail, your reader may not. And it's never wise to bore your reader.

I wish you happy writing!
Sue



0 Comments

Managing expectations when drafting...

8/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
image credit: pixabay.com
I'll admit it, I've been in a slump lately. I was banging on those keyboards, creating, editing, writing whatever my brain damned well pleased and then I hit a wall. I'd submitted a ya fantasy to an acquisition editor, who loved it, but offered pages of suggestions to make it viable... all of which amounted to a complete rewrite.

This is where my newbie status reared its ugly head.

I thought I knew how to edit, when really I knew how to figgle with a story (figgle= trying to improve the quality of the entire arc by picking away at the small stuff.)

It was hard, hitting that wall. I still feel bruised. I remember thinking when I read that wonderful email... just how am I supposed to do this? How?

After that, everything I wrote seemed like garbage. I questioned every word, every thought...so afraid no matter what I wrote, no matter how well crafted it would end up like before. NEEDING TO BE REWRITTEN WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DO!

I couldn't write. It wasn't productive to keep trying, so, I took a break and did only what felt doable. Like spending time imagining the story at a deeper level, and filling a notebook with pages and pages of ideas, thoughts, questions, tearing the character and plot apart, only to rebuild it.

I didn't write in full sentences. I couldn't.

You may have noticed some large gaps in my blog posts. They coincide with this period. Was I full of self-doubt and tormented at the thought of that editor, patiently (???) waiting for me to do a complete rewrite? You betcha. Could I do anything about it?

Nope. I couldn't even write a stinking post.

Then a funny thing happened just last week. I was pulling out my hair, trying to get the damned story to focus, when I realized I was beginning to hate it. Not too strong a word. Trust me. I HATED IT.

So, I put it aside, which just about killed me, and panicked at the image of that editor, calmly moving on.

I was miserable one day, sitting at my computer made me more miserable, and then I remembered I'd loaded one of my other stories onto an email and decided to give a poke on my phone. Did I pray to the Muse Gods that it would spark my confidence?

You betcha.

And wow. What a blast. I couldn't believe how much I'd written, and how good it was! It felt like a curtain pulled back, revealing the real me! I was a writer, damn it, and a good one, or at least good enough to face this challenge.

After a week of working on that story (another 10,000 words closer to completion, thank you very much), my mind unlocked, and suddenly I was pulled back to the original ya fantasy. And now, as I finish chapter 4 (all full sentences), and write this post, I feel my confidence returning.

What I've taken from this experience? Managing expectations.

I didn't want to, I was forced to honor my creative spirit and value the times when it's screaming for a break. I may have expected to have this story crafted and back in the hands of that waiting editor pronto, but it couldn't happen at the pace I set. It'll get done. And the story will be stronger.

Because I am stronger now.

I wish you all happy writing, in whatever form it takes.

Sue


0 Comments

Dear Writer... can we be honest?

5/16/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Dear Writer,

Please indulge me for a moment and allow me to share a brutal moment of honesty. This may sting a bit, but I feel it needs to be said.

As I perused my Kindle recently, searching for the next big thing, I began to get frustrated. Each sample downloaded held so much promise! Each lame opening sequence, or undeveloped character left me sour. 

Where was it? Where was that captivating story premise? That character so compelling I HAD to know buy the book to learn what happened to them? Where was the creativity?

I'm not going to dis self-publishing, but it is a gift wrapped in an enigma. A total Pandora's box. I guess I thought, when I bought my first Kindle reader, I'd spend hours glued to that little gray screen (yup, it was that long ago). But for every 10 books I sample, I read maybe one or two.

AND I LOVE TO READ!!!

So let me, your reader, pass along some advice. 

Make your story it's best before uploading! Take the time, dedicate the time to properly develop your story and character arc. Invest in editing. Use beta readers! Please, let's raise the standard of self-publishing to new heights!

Because I want to read your book. I want to love reading your book. I realize the vast amount of effort, of love and time you've invested in your baby. I know you're entrusting it to me when you place it up for reading, so why would you settle for anything less than the best most polished version?

I'm on your side. I'm your reader. Take care of me and I'll take care of you.
I promise.

Sincerely yours,
your reader
1 Comment
<<Previous

    Archives

    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    May 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014

    Categories

    All
    A Letter From A Reader
    Creating Awesome Antagonists
    Editing
    Writer's Journey

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.