Posts Tagged ‘editing’

Characters Taking Over The Story

Posted: July 22, 2013 in Novel, Reflections, Writing
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I belong to a group of suspense and thriller writers on Facebook, and occasionally the subject has come up in discussion on characters taking over the plot of the story and acting in defiance to the author’s expectations for the story. Until recently, I had no idea what that meant, though I may or may not have said that I did. With my stories, especially my novels, I wrote an outline, then I wrote the story. The characters mostly followed the outline, and any changes, such as certain areas of the climax of Reborn City, I felt were my own creative decision.

It wasn’t until this morning, waiting for the bus to work, standing in the pouring rain, that I had a little epiphany of the subject. I remembered when I first started writing the outline for Reborn City, back in high school when publishing a book was still just a very far-away dream. Originally I’d planned for bad-boy Rip to be the star of the show, and Zahara Bakur to be the deuterogamist (secondary protagonist for those of you who don’t know that term). But as I started outlining the novel, I saw that Zahara was taking up more of my attention and more of the story than Rip was. Consequently as time went by, Zahara went from deuterogamist to co-protagonist, and by the end of the outline, she’d gone to leading lady, with Rip being the deuterogamist.

Reborn City

And you know what? I thought the novel benefited from that. Sure, the Hydra leaders have a plethora of problems, and having Zahara around doesn’t exactly make them easier. But I think they benefit in some ways from Zahara, and she’s the one who goes through the biggest transformation of all. Heck, I’m only two chapters into the second book of the series (three if I can stay on track for tonight), and I’ve already noticed that she has a confidence that wasn’t present in the first book.

Sure enough, my characters are having more of a say in how the story turns out than I am. If anything, Zahara’s dictating her story to me, rather than I’m coming up with it. It’s a weird feeling, but it’s also kind of fun and exciting, and I get to experience my characters’ growths, decisions, and tribulations with them. And isn’t following a character through all that just the reason we pick up books in the first place and read them?

I’m looking forward to see what happens from here on out. I’m also hoping to see if I’ll write any more stories where the characters do more of the dictating than I do. If I do, it’ll probably be sometime soon, especially since I’m working on two novels at once!

The Quiet Game: My First Review

Posted: July 18, 2013 in Living and Life, Review, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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tqg-cover[1]

Between finishing the last post and getting out of the shower, I realized that there wasn’t enough time to watch a movie before bed (another time, perhaps). Which is why I decided to write this post, featuring my first review of The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. (If you’re interested in reading but don’t have the link, click here). It comes from one of my beta readers, and it was posted on her Facebook status. And by the way, this happens to be my mother.

Yes, I know your family is supposed to love everything you write, even if you have your character choking a baby (please don’t ever write anything as sick as that). But my mom’s a little different. For starters, my mother was the one who got me into Anne Rice and Stephen King. Yes, she did. Originally a fan of the two authors, she’s the one who lent me Interview with the Vampire and told me to read Stephen King when I’d read several Anne Rice books. She’s also lent me other books and turned me onto other writers like Dean Koontz and Dan Brown. She also introduced me to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files, shows which had a profound influence on me and my writing.

So even though she’s family and even though my mother doesn’t get the same sort of thrills I do from horror movies (I feel delightfully terrified while she’s just terrified), she’s definitely helped in molding me into the writer I am. Which was why I was very delighted when I called her and she told me she was about one short story into the book. And later when I logged onto Facebook, I was greeted with my first review. What did Rabbi Wendy Warren Ungar have to say? Why this:

“Reading Rami’s new book of short stories that was just published, (shameless promotion here), and I’ve discovered that my son is yet another author I can’t read at night!”

If you haven’t noticed, the subtitle on this blog is “Scared yet? My job here is done.” Well folks, my job here is done. Because I’ve always dreamed of giving someone a fright with my writing, and hearing that my mother can’t read my work at night gives me a small sense of accomplishment. I like knowing that I can deliver the goods when I say my stories are scary, and I like knowing I’m getting the sort of reactions I’d hoped for.

So Mom, thanks for reviewing and shamelessly promoting and all that. It means a lot to me and I hope to make even better stories as time goes on.

I also hope to post more reviews for The Quiet Game as they come. I know some friends have said they’ll write a review when they’re done, so I’m sure those reviews will show up in the next couple of weeks. Until then I hope you enjoy reading The Quiet Game as much as I enjoyed writing it, putting it together, and sending it out to you.

Good night everybody!

I’ve Been Using Drones Recently

Posted: July 18, 2013 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Yes, you read that title right. I’ve been using drones recently. I started using them sometime this past weekend, and I’ve been using them almost every night since. Mostly I fly them around certain sections of the state of Colorado, usually near Interstate 70. I’ve fired a few missile and several bullets. The drones were fun to pilot, but they had a bad habit of getting destroyed, and it’s not really my fault. Still, I might get blamed for it, so I won’t be piloting drones for a while.

This is actually the model of drone–or a variation of it–that I used.

Now you are probably wondering variations of “What the f**k is he talking about?” and “How the hell did he get his hands on drones?” Well the answer is simple: I wrote them into the second chapter of Video Rage as part of a fun little battle sequence. I thought it’d be interesting to use drones in this chapter, especially since drones are still relatively new to us now and many people, myself included, are at the very least a little wary of drones and their use by the military, if not downright scared of them. It ended up working out very well, because the drones showed how powerless my protagonists can be even with their powers, and how hard they have to work to stay alive.

Got you, didn’t I?

The drones also allowed me to do something I planned for this novel: cause friction. Something happens to one of the characters during the drone attack, and it causes some tension in the tight-knit group of people who star in this novel of mine. Later on there will be more tension between the Hydras, and we’ll see what happens when that tension hits a boiling point. Believe me, things will get ugly as a result.

I’ll be using drones again later in VR. The drones in Chapter 2 are very similar to drones used today by the US military, but in later chapters I plan on using new drones that the military probably hasn’t dreamt of yet (or if they have, my friend Matthew Williams will know of them). It’ll be interesting to see how the use of drones will work out, both for the story and for the characters.

At the very least, it’ll make for some interesting reading.

Now I’m going to take a break, shower, and then sit down for a movie. Tomorrow I’ll try to start the next chapter of Laura Horn. Things will heat up over in that storyline as well.

 

The Quiet Game: Less Than 24 Hours

Posted: July 16, 2013 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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God, time seems to fly! Just yesterday it seems I started counting down the days till July 17. Now it’s the 16th, I’ve got so many people wanting to read my book, and I’m pretty sure I’ve solved all problems that would’ve delayed the publication of the print version if left unsolved (yes, you can breathe a little easier now).

I’d also like to reveal why there was almost a delay in the publication of the print paperback of The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. Look at the cover below.

tqg-cover[1]

You see all that lettering along the sides? Apparently it’s a little too close to the edge, so CreateSpace told me to change it so that it doesn’t get cut out when The Quiet Game goes to print. For that, I had to download a free trial of Photoshop and do a little bit of tweaking, but I ended up creating an awesome cover exclusively for the print version (the one above will be used for the e-book). Check it out:

print paperback version.

print paperback version.

Pretty sweet, huh? And I still manage to get the creepy effect without losing anything in the trim. And next time I design my own cover, I’ll know not to put too much on the edges so that CreateSpace doesn’t send me an email telling me there’s problems with the cover.

Hope you’re as excited as I am for the publication. I’ll write again when it comes out. Until then, hope you’re not too scared to read it!

The Quiet Game: Two Days Till The Release

Posted: July 15, 2013 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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2 days to go!

2 days to go!

Yes, it’s only two days away. Imagine that. When I started writing five short stories with the vague goal of turning them into a collection of short stories that I would release while Reborn City was still being critiqued, I saw the whole publication of it as far off in the future. Now it’s only two days away from hitting the digital bookstores and I cannot wait.

Unfortunately, I have some bad news I have to share with you: due to problems with the cover, The Quiet Game‘s paperback edition may be a little delayed in its release. I will try to rectify these problems before Wednesday, but if the print edition is delayed I am terribly sorry and I do hope you’ll forgive me for it.

The good news is the e-book version will be along on time, and I have no doubt it’ll be spectacular.

Whichever version you’re planning on reading, I hope you are as excited as I am and I hope you enjoy reading The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones.

A Conundrum With Resurrection

Posted: July 1, 2013 in short story, Writing
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No, this post is not about me wondering if there’s going to be an end of the world and I’m going to be raised from the dead. I’ve thought enough about it already and concluded that until the Messiah comes, it’s just not worth thinking about.

Yesterday I got an email from a friend of mine who was looking at a short story of mine. The story, titled “Resurrection”, is about a man who is brought back to life from the dead through a cryogenic process, and something of supernatural origin messes it up. It’s nearly five-thousand words, which makes it a very long short story, or a very long short story in the eyes of most magazines. I was hoping I’d get some good feedback from my friend, which I did, but I did not expect this to appear in the response:

“It is very good. Actually, it could be expanded into either a novella, a full blown book or even a screenplay.”

That was the first time I ever used the center-alignment option on this blog. I don’t know why I’ve never done that before.

But that’s beside the point. What my friend said got me thinking, and since then I haven’t been able to stop thinking! I mean, I could see this story being expanded in some form or another, though I don’t think a novella or a full-blown novel is in the works right now, with all that’s going on. A screenplay might work, and heck, other horror writers have written screenplays before, Stephen King being chief among them.

Of course, there’s a couple of problems: I don’t know anything about writing screenplays! And to top that off, I’m still a relatively unknown writer with some short story publishing to my name, a collection coming out in sixteen days, and a novel in November. The way Hollywood is right now, what are the chances my screenplay will make it to the lunch table, let alone to the big screen? And considering how much Hollywood hacks slash, rewrite, and ultimately murder screenplays, would I really want them to do that to my own work?

I’m not so sure.

So for now I’m going to put “Resurrection” on a shelf until I know what to do with it. I may edit it and try to publish it in a magazine. Or maybe I’ll expand it into a different format of creative literature. Or maybe I’ll even turn it into a screenplay. Or maybe I’ll save it for another collection of short stories. Who knows?

Until then, I think I’ll wait and see. Time usually tells, and I’m sure time will tell me the right answer, once I’m ready for it.

Still, I wouldn’t mind your thoughts and opinions on the subject, if you’re willing to give them to me.

Snake: The Final Draft

Posted: June 30, 2013 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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Now that’s a scary image.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but for some reason it keeps slipping my mind. Might as well write it now while I wait for the Doctor Who episode I’m watching to load.

Well, it’s finally happening. Snake is getting its final draft before I get ready to format it, create a cover, and send it off for a copyright. And helping me with all this is Angela Misri, who goes by the screen name Karmic Angel and writes the blog a Portia Adams adventure (and I so wish she would publish her casebooks, independently or otherwise. They sound really good!). Anyway, Angela’s been looking at Snake and giving me her thoughts. I’m telling you, she’s very good. She’s pointed out several inconsistencies and problems I hadn’t even noticed.

Well, that’s why I like beta readers. They see the stuff I don’t. And Angela’s doing a great job. She’s currently got chapters 9-12, and at the rate she’s going, she’s going to have the whole book done by September, December at the latest.

Angela, thanks for helping so much. You’ll definitely get your own special mention in the Acknowledgments section of Snake, the one I have yet to write but will once the novel is finished.

And speaking of which, I know what the basis for the cover of Snake will be. I plan to use Lilith, a painting by John Collier. It features a humongous snake, and it has parallels to themes within the novel. Of course, I’ll have to use a type of cover available through CreateSpace that covers certain things. After all, I don’t want people looking at this book the wrong way.

I’ll have more as time progresses. Hope you’re as excited as I am, and thanks again, Angela.

Laura Horn: Initial Research

Posted: June 21, 2013 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Reflections, Writing
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Spy novels and espionage novels are not my forte. I never attempted in my youth to write a James Bond story. Never even imagined one. And now I know why: it’s a lot of work, involving plenty of research and detective work. Just today, I looked up dates for the year 2017, the US Intelligence Community, and what causes embolisms. Makes me wonder why I made Laura Horn an espionage novel, even though it started out as a story about a girl and sexual assault victim who comes to terms with her past and her trauma through events forced upon her.

Oh wait, now I remember why I did that! I thought it would be cool to have a story that took place in Washington DC. And even better, why not make it involve the White House? That could work. It’ll involve a lot of research and guesswork, but what the hey? It’s good for the story.

So that’s why I decided Laura Horn should find herself while taking on the power struggles of DC. And it’s going to be a tough job. I’m not familiar with the workings of the US Intelligence community, or Washington DC for that matter. Let’s face it, there’s only so much you can learn from high school government classes and The Daily Show. But if I can get this novel written and do it with all the elements I want it to have–the 2016 election, the NSA scandal, a few other items that are hot right about now–I could end up writing a damn good story.

And isn’t that the point? I think Laura could be a great character, a character plenty of people could identify with, but I have to give her a great story first. And for that, I need to do a lot of work to make sure the details are right. It’s not going to be easy, but I plan to pull it off somehow and right a damn good story.

So let’s see what happens. I bet by the time I’m done researching and writing the outline, this’ll be an entirely different story than when I first thought of it. But it’ll be a story I’m damn proud of, and that’s important enough that I’ll research till the cows come home.

Wish me luck! I’ve got more work to do tomorrow morning.

Oh, before I go, the photo above of the monarch butterfly deserves an explanation. When I envision Laura Horn, I see her as an angel that’s been forced down to earth by evil forces and cries over it. Unfortunately, there’s only so many photos and illustration that feature that sort of subject material in the theme I’m looking for. So I’m doing things that are similar to my angle theme: butterflies, flowers, birds, and yes, angels. But first a butterfly, a metaphor for transformation. This story is going through a transformation and so is the main character. I hope that by the end, the transformations of both will result in something beautiful.

The Quiet Game: The New Cover

Posted: June 20, 2013 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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Ladies and gentlemen, you remember the cover I created for the e-book version of The Quiet Game:

TQG cover

I was especially proud of this cover. I created it all by myself, using just a photo taken on a cold, snowy night, Photoshop, and the advice of experienced assistants at Ohio State’s Digital Union. So when I learned how to use CreateSpace, I wanted to bring The Quiet Game to print paperback. But at the same time, I didn’t want to give up that cool cover. It’s awesome!

So I found a cover that would allow me to keep my first cover. And here it is:

new TCG cover

You like it? I wasn’t sure what color I was supposed to use for the back cover, but when I settled on Bright Orange, I saw a Halloween motif and went with it. I also put the words on the back in a black font, so that it’ll be easier to read.

And you know what this means, right? The Quiet Game will be available in both print and e-book version! And they’ll both be very affordable. So I hope you’re able to buy a copy when it comes out in…oh, how many days was it again?…27 days! Get excited people, because it’s coming out soon.

Writing The Video Rage Outline

Posted: June 19, 2013 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Reflections, Writing
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With RC there weren’t many photos I could use. Not so with it’s sequel!

Recently, I read the novel Misery for the first time. At a certain point, Annie Wilkes says that when dealing with a cliffhanger, the resolution has to be “realistic” and “fair”, but she also wants this to apply to all literature. What does she mean? Well, if you’re on a plane and it’s about to crash, pull a parachute under the chair. Somewhat fair, pretty realistic. If a character with several broken bones suddenly is able to get a doctor and do experimental blood transfusions in the 19th century, then it’s not fair or realistic at all.

Paul Sheldon had a hell of a time getting the balance right, especially since he was being threatened with missing limbs if he didn’t deliver. And although I’m not in any danger of losing any limbs, I feel the pressure to make things realistic and fair with Video Rage, the sequel to Reborn City. My philosophy with sequels is that you have to build up, do something better than the first book. To do that though, I find myself having to think really hard about how I plot the story as I write the outline, and I’m wondering if what I’m writing down for each chapter is any good.

I’ve often preached about sequels and how people just don’t know how to make good ones, but I have to admit that it’s hard. Most of the action of VR takes place on the road, and besides normal conflict, there’s also the conflict of relationships which I’m trying to insert. And when I add certain elements–a hunting cabin to hide in, a Lakota village with a hospital–I wonder if people will buy this or if they’ll call BS. I’d have someone critique the outline, but there’s only one person in the world besides me who’s even read RC, and I don’t want to spoil it for him by having him critique the outline.

Well, this is why I advise taking a break after writing the outline to creatively recharge those batteries. Perhaps after the outline’s first draft, I’ll be able to figure out if things need to be changed. However at this point I don’t intend on changing much…except possibly making one of the antagonists much more involved with the fighting instead of using drones and soldiers.

Wish me luck. I’ve got more work to do in the morning, where I’ll try to finish this outline. Honestly, VR could potentially be longer than RC, the way I’ve been writing the outline.

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