Writing A Novel - Xenogenesis

As an offspring of your own imagination, your novel is lathered in evidence of you - who you were, who you are at the time of writing, and the who you wish to become some day. However, if in writing your novel, some xenogenesis does not occur, your entire cast of characters will start to all morph into the same person.

 

As we write, we must produce characters that are completely unlike us, or the people we based them on. We must create beings that can move forth in a fictional world and have their own ideas, their own voice and even their own individual look. While they may begin as a perfect carbon copy of someone in reality, they must develop into their own unique identity as your story unfolds.

It is my impression that this happens naturally.  As I wrote in an earlier post on character development, I believe our characters develop through the conflicts they face. When we impose new and different conflicts upon characters that make be identical to a real life person, they automatically transform into someone new. However, there are some other things we can do to ensure a complete xenogenesis takes place:

1. Listen. Always listen when you are with others - not just for the content of their conversation, but its presentation. Who uses "um"? Who uses "uh"? What does it take for someone to drop the f-bomb? What does it mean when someone says "Hi" versus "Hello" or "Yo"? How does an accent or culture affect speech? Pick up little twangs in speech from all over the place to sprinkle amongst your characters.
2. Look. Examine eye colors - how does one pair of blue eyes differ from the other? Look at style, accessories, hair styles - who carries their cell phone in their pocket, on their belt, in their bag, in their hand? Remember what Forrest Gump said: You can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. Look at people's hands, search for scars, freckles, beauty marks, tattoos and all the other things that make them them - which of your characters needs one of these things? 
3. Connect. Make connections between the things you hear and see, then connect them to stories. Create back stories for strangers you overhear on line at the grocery store. Day dream of what their day is like and what they will be doing next. This practice will help you bring life to surface details you observe.

Once you have started making connections with strangers, you will start to develop your own internal reference for various characteristics you observe in the real world. When you come back to writing your novel certain features will just become obvious and necessary additions to your own cast of characters.

• Maybe you don't have a tattoo and never will get one, but your MC has twenty: xenogenesis.
• Perhaps you are prolific in your use of the f-bomb, but your MC not only avoids it, she apologizes when she slips out any profanity: xenogenesis.

The list can go on ad infinitum. The small changes here and there, combined with conflict, lead to unavoidable xenogenesis. That is, of course, if you pay attention to one other thing: how other people think.

Last, possibly most important step: Talk to people. I don't mean that you should talk at people where you tell them everything going on with you and then allow time for them to tell you everything that is going on with them. I mean you should talk with them. Ask questions, find out other people's opinions, maybe even have a deep conversation asking them why or how they developed such opinions.

The thing is, for true xenogenesis to take place, you character's must think differently than you, and that is the hardest part. Learn from others. Absorb.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading!

Do you think a COMPLETE xenogenesis is ever truly possible? Why or why not?

What are some techniques you use to separate your characters from yourself?

Writing A Novel - Ugly Truths

Writing a novel can be liberating, for some it is a dream fulfilled. Writing a novel can even help boost one's confidence, but lurking behind all the wonderful things one can say about writing a novel, there exist some ugly truths about the act that simply should not be ignored. In my estimation, these are the ugly truths about writing a novel: 

UGLY TRUTH #1 This sh!t ain't easy.

If you can't get past this first ugly truth, no one will judge you, but, please, don't try to act as if it isn't true! If you walk into the world of writing a novel anticipating some sort of leisurely activity at the helm of your keyboard, I believe you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I am not trying to say that you won't have fun or love what you are doing while writing a novel, I am simply stating that you will be working.

UGLY TRUTH #2 You need more than a month.

Everyone knows that I am a great lover of the NaNoWriMo challenges that gather we writers around the Internet to inspire one another as we go forth and "complete" our novels in the space of one month, but let's be honest, it's not happening. Yes, you can easily finish a first draft in one month, I'll even go so far as to say those who are real pros might be able to complete their second draft, but the whole thing? No way. To fully finish a novel, you need to have others look at, tell you what they think and adjust as necessary. For the sake of their sanity, the process must take more than a month! Which leads me to...

UGLY TRUTH #3 You can not do it alone.

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 The art of writing is attractive to introverts. Why? Because they think that they won't have to bother, or bother with, anyone in the process. This is a misconception. While you may be able to scratch out your first draft behind the closed door of your solitary office on the third floor of an empty house (except for all of your furry friends, of course), to write a novel from beginning to end you are going to need others. This month I've discussed some of these others: your alpha and beta readers and those who will help you with promotion, but there are also those professionals you should turn your novel over to when you are done editing like a professional editor and, if you are so inclined, an agent.

I am absolutely sure there are more ugly truths about writing a novel. Some that come to mind are:

• You will hear voices.
• Long time friends may think you've lost your mind.
• No one will believe you are serious.

However, for now I must face the ugly truth that the more time I spend blogging and online, the less time I devote to my novel! So, I apologize, dear readers, I must go to work!

Thanks for reading!

Which ugly truth did I leave out?

Do you dispute any of the ugly truths I have included?

 

Writing a Novel - Theme

How did you begin writing your novel? Were you struck by a character whose voice needed to be heard? Did you suddenly divine a story idea that felt unique and timely? Or, are you haunted by theme that is so close to your heart that you felt a calling to present the world with a tale entwined in it?

I think the third option may be what most writers desire, but happens less frequently. Theme is such a huge idea in writing, I believe it is just too big to begin on. At least, for me, it has been. While I can tackle theme in a short story, so far I have been unable to approach the novel in the same way. In writing a novel I have found that the theme reveals itself over time. Of course, because I am the writer that theme ends up being something that haunts me and is close to my heart. By the time the first draft is done, I have a solid idea about which major theme my story is focusing on and then I can go back to refine it.

I think this is another reason why a first draft must be dealt with quickly and without huge "writing vacations" in between its beginning and end. When we "walk away" from our stories, our life throws new and unique conflicts at us, changing our own personal haunting themes.  We must stick with our stories in the same haunted head, or where we began may be in a completely different universe than where we started.

...or at least that's what I believe right now.

What about you? What are your beliefs about theme?

Thanks for reading!

Writing A Novel - Setting

When I think back to some of the greatest stories I have ever read, setting is often a character in and of itself. I'm thinking of places like Hogwarts, Narnia, Middle Earth, The Capitol, Camp Half Blood, the list goes on. Of course, not all places have to be magical, mystical or fantastic - with the right author any "ordinary" setting can also be brought vividly to life on the page like John Green's Amsterdam in The Fault In Our Stars, or San Francisco in Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. The setting in a novel gives your story a solid foundation, a stage on which to be performed, a backdrop for your readers to envision. Sometimes, when writing your novel, the characters and their conflict take up so much of your focus that setting, unfortunately, falls into the forgettable background.

What Builds A Memorable Setting?

To ensure that your setting makes a true impact, you must build it with the very tools that we use to observe our settings in our own reality: the five senses. As you take your characters on a journey through conflict and drama, what do they see, what do they hear, feel, and taste? Describe them so that your readers experience the same.

I can't think of Hogwarts without remembering the tastes of Harry's first meal in the great castle, feeling the stairs moving beneath the characters' feet, or seeing all of the moving portraits the walls. Narnia brings chills as I remember the snow behind the coats in the wardrobe. Middle Earth harkens back so many sensory memories from the taste of lembas bread, the sound of the Horn of Gondor, the feel of the grass in the Shire and the smell of the seemingly endless pipe smoke. In the Hunger Games the setting is rich with coal dust, make-up, costumes, mysterious animals with growls, buzzes and eyes of terrifying familiarity.

The key with building a memorable setting into infuse these tasty little morsels just enough that they compliment your story without over powering it. I think of setting as the spices in our meal - if you balance out those flavors appropriately, you will take your story from bland to lip-smacking good, but if you put too much, your readers will be running for the hills looking for something to wash its memory away.

Set Your Scenes In Draft 1.5 
 
If you did not plot with setting in mind, then you should probably run through your first draft as quickly as possible and, before you commit yourself to second draft work, you should write draft 1.5 - the one where you pour through your story looking for the opportunities to spice up your scenes. Take that scene where your character turns away in anger and describe what she sees. Rewrite the flashback scene where your protagonist's grandmother imparts some life lesson so that it takes place in the kitchen, over a fully stocked stove - describe the smells, the sounds and the actions. I think, when your story is done, it can be easier to find the right places to add your spice to maximize its effect.

When I Write With Setting In Mind

In a post I wrote earlier today called Earth Day 1997 I wrote with setting in mind. I had a specific memory I wanted to reflect upon (since Earth Day is very important to me), but since I knew I was going to write about setting in this post I tried to use it as a focus for myself. What do you think? I tried to use my senses to bring the story to life. Could I have been more descriptive about the details of the physical places involved, sure... but I did have a story to tell that I didn't want bogged down by the mundane. It's a difficult task to take on. As I have written many times this month, I am no expert, but I'm practicing!

What are some memorable settings from your reading life? 

Are there any authors whose settings you particularly respect?

In your opinion, is there such a thing as "too much setting"? If so, what qualifies?

Thanks for reading!

Writing A Novel - Revision

A couple of months ago I enrolled in an online Revision workshop with a bunch of other people writing a novel over at Savvy Authors. Due to my wonky health, I was unable to keep up with the work all the way through, but even the little I learned from the beginning lessons was invaluable. Cathy Yardley was our instructor and the first thing she asked us to do was to go through our entire manuscript and write our GMCD for every single scene.

This was overwhelming and considerably enlightening. It is the reason that I realized it was time for me to move on to a new novel. Through the GMCD lens my in-expertise was glaringly obvious. I discovered by the end of that process that, while my story was okay, the conflict wasn't engaging enough.

What is GMCD?

If you are like I was when I first started the course, then you may have seen this "GMCD" thing thrown around on the Internet, but you still have no idea what it is. Here's how GMCD works (my cliffs notes version):

• declare who's POV the scene is in.
• G - GOAL: what is the goal for that character in that scene?
• M - MOTIVATION: what is the character's motivation to do whatever he/she is doing?
• C - CONFLICT: what is the conflict in the scene?
• D/R -DISASTER?RESOLUTION: what is the disaster at the end of the scene that keeps us hanging on for the next scene escalating the conflict? Or, what is the resolution of the conflict?

This is a labor intensive project to undertake for an entire novel, but looking at your story through this bare bones outline, without all those words and sentences you fell in love with, can truly show you what you may need to work on.

What Did I Learn? 
 
In each of my scenes my goal and motivation was clear, but the conflicts were oftentimes weak and I think I had more resolutions than disasters. It's just something I have to work on. I ultimately stepped away from that novel because I was too attached to the story as it was. In order to escalate the conflict to the point necessary to hold my audience's interest would transform the entire storyline in a way that I am currently unable to do. Instead, after two years of battling with the same story, I decided to take this newly understood information to help me with a brand new project.

Where To Learn More

I wish I had it in me to go through the entire course. However, all is not lost! Cathy Yardley's two books that review her process, and she has an awesome blog called Rock Your Writing. If you are battling with a project and you are not sure what exactly is missing, I recommend you take a stab at this process to see if it reveals something to you!

               

Thanks for reading!

What has revision revealed to you?

Do you have a process for revising that has been successful for you?

Writing A Novel - Quarantine

If you have been following along with this month's challenge, you probably expected that for my "Q" day that I would be writing about the query process for writing a novel. I thought about it. I planned on it. Then I decided that I had more experience with another "Q" in writing a novel: QUARANTINE.

What I am talking about here is involved in the process of writing. The part where I feel like I can't discuss my story with anyone without possibly contaminating it. I put my imagination into a quarantine.

I realized right away with my first novel how dangerous talking about story can actually be. Immediately after telling someone about the basic premise of my story - a girl keeps getting diary entries from a fellow, anonymous student in her locker - people had a bunch of things to say about it. They were well-meaning comments of interest, curiosity and attempted support:

• "Ooo! That reminds me of ____" and then fill in the blank. It reminded people of lots of different things. Once they'd tell me that, my mind would work out how it was different. If it wasn't different enough, I would doubt my story and think about changing directions (sometimes I actually would change directions).
• "Ooo! I love mysteries!" Leading me to think, Is this a mystery? Should it be more sleuth-y? And, in general, second-guess the entire premise of my book.
• Questions, questions, questions! About characters, about plot, about plot twists, about the ending - well, about everything. While many questions were helpful in helping me clarify portions of my story, but others I just wasn't ready for yet. I started thinking about things before they were developed. It screwed me all up.

There was only solution for novel number two: complete and utter quarantine. To take Stephen King's advice of writing the first draft "with the door shut" to a new extreme. So far, this month, I think it was a very good idea, but only time will tell. It has been difficult in some cases (I usually tell my husband everything), but it's been worth it.

Do you go into a writer's quarantine or do you share as you go?

Thanks for reading! 

Writing A Novel From A to Z

April first marks the beginning of Camp NaNoWriMo. Since this past November's NaNoWriMo was a bust for me, I am taking this opportunity to begin (and hopefully finish) my brand new novel. At the same time, in the blogging world, April first marks the beginning of the A-to-Z Challenge, something I've wanted to do for a long time. I spent all of March daydreaming about numerous themes to embrace for the challenge unable to to see the perfect theme that finally struck me this morning: Writing A Novel!

This month I will be on the journey of creating my second novel and steeped in the writing process. I will come up for air, escaping my fictional world briefly each day to come here, to  Rivera Runs Through It, to share some gems (alphabetically appropriate, of course!) about writing a novel.

Here is how the calendar lays out for the challenge:

While this doesn't show the topic I will be writing about each day (I'll be figuring that out along the way and would love suggestions for future letters!), at least it gives you an idea about the schedule. Also, for fellow bloggers, this shows you how the A-to-Z Challenge will play out this year if you want to join the fun (the theme is your choice!).

Okay. It is time for me to get to work. I am writing a novel this month. I am doing an A-to-Z blogging Challenge. Lots to do. Wish me luck!

Fellow writers, are you signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo this year?

Do you have any suggestions for a "Writing A Novel From A to Z" topic you would like to see me cover this month?

Fellow bloggers, are you joining me for the A-to-Z Challenge? If so, what's your theme?

Thanks for reading! 

_________

Here are my A-to-Z Entries for April 2013

A: Writing a Novel - Act Structure
B: Writing a Novel - Beta Readers (and Alpha Readers, Too!)
C: Writing a Novel - Character Development 

D: Writing a Novel - Dialogue
E: Writing A Novel - Editing
F: Writing a Novel - First Draft
G: Writing a Novel - Grammar  
H: Writing a Novel - The Hero's Journey
I: Writing a Novel - Insecurity  
J: Writing a Novel - Journaling
K: Writing a Novel - Keep Going! 
L: Writing a Novel - LINKS!
M: Writing a Novel - Motivation
N: Writing a Novel - No Nos
O: Writing a Novel - Organization
P: Writing a Novel - Promotion  
R: Writing a Novel - Revision
S: Writing a Novel - Setting
T: Writing a Novel - Theme
U: Writing a Novel - Ugly Truths  
V: Writing a Novel - Voice
W: Writing a Novel - World Building 
X: Writing a Novel - Xenogenesis
Y: Writing a Novel - YouTube
Z: Writing a Novel - Zen 

_________