Never Change YOUR Style

This came to me the other day as I was thinking about how competitive the writing market is.  When I thought about how competitive things are and how much agents and publishers would like for you to change some things to be more marketable, it occurred to me how easy it is to interpret that as changing your style.  Style is very important.  There really is no right or wrong; there are styles, preferences, and tastes.  Every book will have an audience.  There are some books out there on the shelves that I wonder how did they ever get published that other people absolutely LOVE and adore.  There are other books that are widely acclaimed and received that I just can't get into. 

My sister is an excellent storyteller.  She starts out with a hook to grab your interest so that whatever comes next, you are willing to sit through just to get to that end.  She throws in enough humor and drama to keep you entertained to the end.  My mother tends to be more long-winded in her stories and explanations and will exaggerate the truth of the actual occurrences to create drama to keep you interested, and most importantly she enjoys her own stories.  I tend to rush through things.  I am so excited about revealing the big twist and surprise at the end of my story that I rush through the details to get to the end.  My stories tend to be vivid and complex and provoke thought, and a lot of times I can easily lose my audience if I get too technical without the detailed explanations.

Now, if you gave my mother, sister, and I the same story to tell... we would each tell it in a different way.  We all share the memory of how our mother scared the crap out of us one Halloween when we were younger.  My mother's version involves us breaking rules and deserving a good scare.  My sister's version involves a note giving us permission to trick-or-treat, and our cunning mother switching off the electricity so that we'd be in complete darkness when we returned home.  My version involves me being the foolish hero and volunteering to inspect the thumping and bumping in the darkness and jumping ten feet back, knocking everyone over, when our mother finally revealed herself, face painted white, shouting "It's Halloween!"  The other details I would probably rush through to get to that point as I did in the previous sentence (a long one, I know).

I like to foreshadow, switch perspectives, and focus on relationships between characters.  I particularly don't believe in there being one "hero" because that, to me, is not realistic or as thrilling as the combining of forces and strengths to overcome obstacles and challenges... that's just my style.  Is it as marketable as the hero on a journey who comes into power?  Probably not, but the market is ever changing, and not to mention there's always the possibility that someone can come along and set a new standard in the market.

So here's the bottom line... stick to your style!  Write for your self!  If you love what you write then chances are others will too.  Will you have as many in your audience as J.K. Rowling or Stephen King?  Who knows.  Such thoughts can stop productivity and creativity.  If you immerse yourself in your world, then you will never be lost because you know your world like no other.  If they suggest changes... make the changes, but don't change your style.  Style separates you from everyone else.  How many times did Rowling get rejected?  How many times did Tolkien think people wouldn't read what he wrote?  But that never stopped them and they put a bit of themselves, as storytellers and as human beings, in every word... let us all do the same.

Now They Tell Me!

Okay, so back in December is when I submitted my various materials to these agencies for review.  I am almost 1,000% positive that at the time they preferred, no... required, SNAIL MAIL only.  Now, I go to their websites to check for any updating news and here's what a lot of them say now:

I hesitated about publishing this post, as agency secrets are best when kept, you know, secrets. Nonetheless, I decided that there was enough personal interest here to warrant filling in y'all weary (and wary) authors to a few suggestions. You may be asking yourself, "Should I email my query, or should I snail mail it?" Well, the answer is a resounding Email.  
(http://linnprentisliterary.blogspot.com/)

Now they tell me!  I worked really hard to print out all of those materials... chapters, query letters, synopsis, etc.  Revising them over and over and over and over again driving everyone insane who I had critique them (thanks Mom, Raqui, and Kia).  Now, it turns out I could've just emailed them... great!  No wonder they have not responded.  But still, if I sent a SASE with my submission then they should reply... or at least that would be the idea.

Sigh... oh well, I will have to call them and find out what is the fate of my materials... if they have been reviewed and replied to or if they're lying somewhere at the bottom of a waste basket.  Meanwhile the new job is going well except I'm not allowed to do what I specialize in.

But hey, I still have my buddy (my cat) Sam, my health, my Xbox 360, and Domino's Philly Cheese Steak Pizza... ah, ain't life grand?

Back In The Saddle

Whew... I don't know what has been going around lately but it sure got to me.  I caught a cold at the beginning of last week that totally knocked me out of commission for a few days.  I hadn't been sick in a long time (I even "knocked on wood" whenever I said that statement), but I figured I was about due for a cold.  Luckily for me it was just a cold and not the flu or anything.  I stayed in bed as much as possible watching episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and as many movies as I could get my hands on.

Still no word yet from any of the agencies I submitted my query letter and materials to, but it is to be expected.  I will continue to be patient and hopeful.  I'm still waiting for the revision juice to flow back through me... I feel a bit burned out still especially now after having this cold. 

I still have a few agencies that I want to submit to, but first I wanted to see what the feedback might be from this first group.  I want to see if they all have the same feedback and maybe I just have some general changes to make or if the feedback will vary.

Does anyone know if agencies have more or less of a tendency to lose your materials if you submit them via email versus snail mail?  My concern about email submissions is of course junk mail filters.  I submitted via snail mail to three agencies but I did an email submission to one back in November and haven't heard anything since then.

Welcome To The New Year

Back to work, for those of us fortunate enough to have a job, and for those of us who are less fortunate it is back to job hunting.  Either way, we welcome a new year with new goals to accomplish.

At the beginning of every year I start a new journal.  I look back on my journals of 2009 and I see all of the things I'd set out to accomplish... the trials and tribulations.

One of my main goals was to finish my novel.  Now, in the past I'd said that every year... "This year I want to finish my novel by June... July... November," and so on and so forth.  I think I had that goal for at least two years.  However, 2009 was the year I would finally see it through and I honestly attribute part of the accomplishment to the support I received from my friends (Thanks Rachel!  You're the best!).

My goal for this year is to get my novel published (this is me shooting for the moon), or at least make significant progress in that direction (and here are my stars in case I miss hehe).

I have a printed version of my manuscript finally (thanks mother!), which is a good solid 375 pages.  I will begin reading it through soon once the January rush settles down for me a bit.

I hope to hear something from the agencies I submitted to.  I mailed my materials to them December 9, 2009.  January 9, 2010 will mark the fourth week they've had them.  I'm supposed to give it up to six weeks for a few of the agencies, and I know some of them take longer.  In the meantime I have lots of work to do and I have to not be so lazy about doing them... I have a mission to accomplish!  Let nothing and no one stop you from achieving your goals!

The Human Body

The human body is amazing to put it simply.  I like to compare the human form to a machine, and thus in a great deal of my writings I tend to have cyborgs, androids, robots, and synthetic humans.

When I started writing The Mechanical Room, I was having some health problems and struggling to find the right amounts of fiber to help with my digestion process.  I'm trying not to be too graphic and gross here, but I think you get the picture.  Let's just say having a colonoscopy... no fun.

When you're sick and your condition is "pre-existing" then you are pretty much screwed in this country (currently).  You have to be a miniature doctor yourself and research your symptoms and try to find some common things that may help you.  During the research process, I found myself dipping back into my old college textbooks on Human Anatomy.

I remember reading that there are cells in the human body that doctors and scientists are still baffled by their exact function and purpose.  This notion is like someone igniting a fuse of creativity for a science fiction and fantasy writer.  Once I formulated the basic concept of my novel, I began perusing through one of my textbooks looking at each system in the human body.

To me, the idea of exploring certain systems (i.e. the nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, cardiovascular system, and lymphatic system) from the perspective of someone in a fantastical world and setting was exhilarating.

I designated a system of the human anatomy as a home for each race in my book.  The dwarves lives in the nervous system along with the cat people.  The dryads make their home in the respiratory system.  The gnomes live in the cardiovascular system.  The gremlins dwell in the digestive system with their cousins, the imps, living in the urinary system separated by a shadow veil.  The Alliance of Defenders rightfully reign over the lymphatic system.  The next challenge was to map out this world, which was definitely challenging but fun at the same time.

When I read stories and articles about how someone miraculously beat cancer, survived a car crash with no injuries, was shot in the head but recovered without any complications, or is able to remember every moment of their life... to me that is amazing. 

In many ways my book, The Mechanical Room, pays tribute to the miracles of the human body.  For those of you out there who have New Year's resolutions to take better care of yours... I salute you and wish you luck on YOUR journey.

Merry Christmas 2009

Here in southern California, the sun is shining and the skies are blue.  I try to think of all the good things and how much was accomplished this year.  Many lives around the world that experienced tragedy and loss and many lives that experienced triumph and victory.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are traditionally known for being times where one is most thankful for things in life (here in the United States).  However, I tend to try to be thankful for something everyday.  Today I am thankful for family and the support that I receive from them and also my friends around the world.  Thank you all.

As we come about the close of the year, we set our sites upon the horizon as the new year rises over the old.  Hope shines through and though we see ourselves as separate... we all approach this coming year together with hope for a better tomorrow.  A new chapter in my story, the story of Nevada Wolf, will begin and others around me will embark on their own adventures.  That is for tomorrow.

Today, I am thankful.  We all have something to be thankful for.  So even if you are alone during this time of year you can at least find yourself counting the things in your life that you are most thankful for and remembering that life is a challenge... these days are what brings out the best in us all.  I welcome the new year and the new challenges that will accompany it.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Magic In The Mechanical Room

"I use magic, in some ways, as a metaphor for technology.  For example, I have these sisters who have books called Journey Books, and they can communicate using these Journey Books.  When they write something in one, it appears magically in its twin, and the person who's carrying the twin can return messages in the same manner.  It's email!  Big deal... I use magic as a metaphor for freedom.  The use of magic is the exertion of freedom to be one's best..."

-Terry Goodkind (author of the Sword of Truth series / aka Legend of the Seeker)

I love magic.  To me, science has always been a form of magic.  I remember playing a PC game called Arcanum and in this game you were a wandering traveler set in the Industrial Revolution era.  From the start, you chose if you would be someone that used magic heavily or someone that relied heavily on technology.  If you chose magic you would have to learn schools of spells and pick a specific school to specialize in.  If you chose technology then you would have to study a specific field such as Explosives, Gun Smithy, Smithy, etc.  The way the developers did it, however, was done in such a way that even the technological schools and disciplines seemed magical, and this is how I like magic to be.

I believe there is magic in everything.  The Mechanical Room has several magical races in it:

Dwarves
Gnomes
Pixies
Fairies
Sprites
Dryads
Imps
Gremlins
Shadow Stalkers
Cat People

I tend to think very practical like Terry Goodkind.  For instance, one chapter I write in first person because the character is addressing his journal (think Captain Kirk from Star Trek- "Captain's Log. Star Date....").  A few of his officers rush into his study chambers and begin arguing over who should speak first.  To settle matters, he creates a Turn Sphere.  In order to use a Turn Sphere you must place a personal possession inside of the glowing magical sphere.  Then, it will rotate at rapid speeds and whichever object shoots out first determines the order of turns.  It's dice!  Big deal!  I'm dealing with magically endowed beings who live and breath this stuff everyday and so they must come up with practical uses for their gifts, and it has to be something we can relate to. 

Often times in mythological stories the average person would behold something that they could not understand fully and so they tried to explain it as best they could.  Their explanations tended to be very fantastical.  Some people saw tall men and women and so they called them giants, or shorter individuals and they called them dwarfs, etc.

There is magic everywhere and in everything.  When creating The Cat People in my book, I simply referenced my cat Sam.  If I looked at him through the programmed eyes I would have a label for every thing he did and every part of him.  If I looked at him through eyes that had never seen such a creature before, then suddenly he is magical and has special powers like incredible agility, night vision, and super reflexes.

I try to make my magic believable by basing it on what already is.  The magic, or science, is not the center focus of the story.  The magic simply helps move the story along just as the characters do.  My focus tends to be on emotion... touching the human emotion through these characters I create.  There is magic everywhere and in everything.