THE ICE PICK

Mastering Point of View, by Sherri Szeman. Cincinnati: Story Press, 2001. 218 p. $16.99. Includes bibliographical references, glossary, and index. ISBN 1-884910-52-1.

This very comprehensive examination of viewpoint might be a bit too difficult for the beginning writer, but for the amateur yearning to improve or the advanced writer reaching to perfect skills, this book may be extremely helpful.

Szeman speaks of mastering or controlling point of view rather than simply handling or using it, and she defines various viewpoints far more stringently than you may be used to seeing.

Where we are often told that we are changing point of view when we switch from our heroine’s third person viewpoint to our hero’s third person viewpoint, Szeman says that is not a change in point of view at all, but merely a different perspective in the same point of view. Only a change such as that from first person to third is considered by Szeman to be a true viewpoint change.

She is also far more strict in what she considers to be a lapse from point of view than most of us are used to or have been taught. Studying what she says should make you much more aware of viewpoint and more able to control your use of it.

Szeman includes advice, like using first person to create sympathy for unsympathetic characters, and tips, like watching movies with the sound turned off to help you learn body language, which is especially helpful if you are writing in outer limited (or camera-eye) viewpoint or trying to "show" rather than "tell."

Along with explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each point of view, she explains how you can figure out which one will best reveal or hide your characters’ motives and how to know when to change viewpoints, as well as how to use point of view to keep a sense of tension and urgency high in your story.

She gives tips for handling setting and dialogue in different points of view and discusses the special problems of viewpoint when writing erotic or violent scenes.

The book is filled with examples from contemporary and classic literature illustrating the various points of view, and there are appendices covering the historical development of viewpoint in literary and commercial fiction. She covers science fiction, alien novels, time travel, alternate worlds, cyperpunk, space travel, fantasy, heroic/sword and sorcery, magical worlds, utopia/dystopia, and animal novels; plus science fiction/fantasy, futuristic, time travel, and paranormal romances; as well as science fiction mysteries/thrillers, and horror novels.

If you are struggling with viewpoint and want to learn how to master it and use it to keep your reader hooked and reading, create atmosphere and mood, and develop realistic characters, I recommend this book.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Feb. 2003.}

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The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, by James N. Frey. N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 260 p. $23.95. Includes a bibliography. ISBN 0-312-24197-6.

Much of modern fantasy, science fiction, and horror, as well as mysteries and romances, all use the myth-based story.

If you want to create screenplays or "fiction that has the power to profoundly move a reader" this book is a step-by-step guide to doing that through using the magic of the myth--not a modern copy of a Greek, Roman, or Norse myth--but the universal form and structure that has turned on readers for generations, that speaks to our deepest longings.

"Mythic forms," says Frey, "resonate in every individual human being on this planet. When a human being encounters some version of a myth, the individual responds at a very deep level, subconsciously, and is powerfully drawn to it as by magic."

Emphasizing that heroes must be interesting and well-rounded characters, Frey begins with a discussion of the physical and psychological qualities all heroes and heroines in myth-based stories must possess at the beginning of, or obtain sometime during, the story. He explains in detail the qualities required of your hero: courage, cleverness, some special talent, a wound or vulnerability, expertise at what he does, and a rebellious streak, and he tells why these are important.

He does the same for your antagonist, the Evil One. He shows how you can and should make the Evil One a rounded character and a worthy opponent of your hero. One of Frey’s techniques is to write a "journal" entry in the Evil One’s voice, so that you can get to know how he or she feels and thinks.

According to Frey, "Mythic forms and structures are the foundation on which all good stories are built." Using modern movies and books in various genres, Frey goes on to show how myth has been used and to explain how to construct your own story using the mythic structure.

He begins with "the hero in the world of the common day" who is then called, or forced, to "leave" or begin the adventure, which may or may not be a real "journey" at all. The hero is sent on a mission (or finds one at home), is forced to learn new rules, is tested, and suffers a transformation.

Discussing each of the mythic characters and motifs usually found in myth-based stories--and which you can use or refuse--he shows how you can adapt them to your story, so that you sustain tension throughout its development and end with a dramatic, satisfying climax.

No actual myth has ever had all the elements, and "when creating your own myth-based fiction," Frey says, "you should continually ask yourself: Would my story be stronger, more effective, more dramatic, more engaging, more emotional, and more gripping if I included this or that mythological element?"

These are tools to use, not a prescription, and you can follow his steps as closely as you like in your own story. "The force of myth is irresistible," says Frey. And you can use its form and structure to create your own myth-based heroes and to build your own myth-based stories.

I wish it had an index, but I love this book for its clarity and simplicity and, most of all, for its practical approach. I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Jan. 2003.}

THE ICE PICK

Description, by Monica Wood. (Elements of Fiction Writing series) Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1999. 171 p. ISBN 0-89879-908-2 pbk. $12.00.

Made up of the details you select that engage the senses and help readers "see" your story, description "is the creation of mental images that allow readers to fully experience a story."

Beginning with a chapter that explains how to choose the "telling detail" that makes a story come alive and drive it forward without overwhelming it, Wood discusses how to write good description and use it to make your prose fresher and stronger and your story better and more memorable.

She says that "showing and telling are equally powerful and important descriptive techniques." She explains their differences, their uses, and when and how to apply them, depending on the effect you want to achieve. In describing "something wildly disappointing or moving or confounding," for example, "a scene almost always does the trick better than narrative."

Wood discusses how to use description to keep your story moving and how to create "context" for a complex story, or one that has lots of characters or extends over a long period of time.

Through many examples, Wood shows the interrelationship of description with dialogue and how description can improve your characters’ dialogue. For example, the use of setting and character actions during a conversation can make the dialogue come alive and also influence what the characters say.

She discusses the impact of point of view on description. Age, gender, education, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and occupation will all affect how your viewpoint character sees things. And she addresses the problems of describing your viewpoint characters without resorting to clichéd mirrors and ponds or having friends gush over your characters’ appearance.

Wood analyzes description in relation to style and shows how the two are interdependent.

The chapter on setting may be especially important for science fiction and fantasy authors, who must create whole worlds without boring their readers with large blocks of description.

Her last two chapters address special descriptive problems (animals, weather, emotion, and sound) and give tips and tricks you can use in revisions or when you’re stuck.

Each chapter has a summary "wrap-up" section to give you an overview and more examples, and there is an excellent index.

Wood explains things clearly and simply and with humor, making the book an enjoyable one to read.

No matter what kind of fiction you write, you have to be able to handle description and do it well, for "description is not so much an element of fiction as its very essence."

If you do not already have the 1995 hardback edition, I highly recommend this paperback reprint.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, July 2002.}

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Writing Horror, edited by Mort Castle. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1997. 224 p. ISBN 0-89879-798-5. $17.99.

As this book says, "A monster’s purpose in life shouldn’t be just to annoy people." Authors should have rules for his/her/its behavior, powers, motivations, love life, beliefs, etc.; just as they should know a human antagonist’s strengths, weaknesses, drives, and quirks.

Although you can obtain books which address the problems writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror all have in common, such books often treat horror as a poor cousin. Books of advice dedicated to writing horror alone are difficult to find, so this collection of thirty-nine articles and essays by members of the Horror Writers Association is a real treasure for horror writers.

Authors as diverse as Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison, Gary Brandner, J. N. Williamson, David Morrell, and Robert Weinberg are represented, plus an interview with Stephen King.

Covering all aspects of the genre from developing your ideas and avoiding what’s already been done to marketing and promoting your finished work, these different authors discuss crafting your plot, characters, mood, dialogue, style, setting, etc.

In addition to advice on short story and novel writing, juvenile and young adult horror, comics, erotic horror, and interactive horror are included, as well as an article by John Maclay on writing for horror theme anthologies.

The advice ranges from the philosophical to the practical. As a very small sampling:

"The biggest problem faced by new writers," says Robert Weinberg, "is not lack of skill," but lack of originality because too many read only Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or Anne Rice and then proceed to imitate their work. He gives a list of twenty-one books that every horror writer should read lest they end up using old dead plots and ideas.

Tracy Knight has an essay to help you get manias, phobias, and psychoses straight and tells you to remember in creating characters that "everyone is doing his or her best . . . people in general make the best choices they can at any moment."

"True action," says Jay R. Bonansinga, "can only be generated through character. . . . Don’t merely describe the blood and guts; describe the mind, what the pain and the fear feels like, the colors and textures. . . ."

Joyce Carol Oates advises that "the standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for ‘serious, literary’ fiction in which originality of concept, depth of characters and attentiveness to language are vitally important."

"Breaking into the horror field isn’t easy," says Robert Weinberg. "Even if you use every tip, every suggestion in this book, there is no guarantee you’ll make it." But you knew that.

If you are serious about writing horror, particularly if you are a beginner, this book is an excellent place to start. I recommend it highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Aug. 2002.}

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Never Be Lied to Again : How to Get the Truth in 5 Minutes or Less in Any Conversation or Situation, by David J. Lieberman. New York : St. Martin’s Griffin, c1998. ISBN 0-312-20428-0. $12.95.

To accurately portray characters in your stories, books on popular psychology are always valuable. You can use such books to create believable stereotypes to populate your story’s background or to make more rounded major characters whether the books are on body language; handwriting analysis; male-female differences; the effects of divorce, adoption, birth order, or a nomadic life on children; or some other hot topic of the day.

This book is particularly helpful. In many stories someone is trying to hide something, and someone else is trying to find it out. Whether it is your hero or your villain who is trying to learn the truth, you can use this book to set up dialogue, to create credible body language, and to make your stories more realistic.

For example, among the forty-six clues to deception that he offers in the first part of the book, Lieberman states that a person being deceitful "will rarely touch the other person. . . . Touch . . . is used when we believe strongly in what we’re saying." You can use such information either to help show that your character is lying or to help your character throw off other characters.

In addition to showing how to tell whether someone is lying or not, Lieberman provides ways to find out the truth "without beating it out of them," tactics which may be useful to your characters whether alien or human. He also includes sections on self-deception and tricks used by people to block your ability to detect deceit.

And while creating aliens or other creatures and different societies, you may want to invent your own signs of deceit for your worlds.

With a book like this it is important to know the credentials of the author. Lieberman is a board-certified hypnotherapist with a Ph.D. in psychology, who offers programs, training, and workshops to governments, businesses, and law enforcement personnel and who represents corporations in various negotiations.

The book is clearly and simply written and loaded with scenarios and examples. The table of contents is very complete, but the book lacks any kind of an index, which is frustrating and means that you are better off owning your own copy, which you can mark up.

It is a fascinating book, and although you may upset your friends and family if they see you reading it, I recommend it highly.

{Published in GPIC, the Oklahoma Science Fiction Writers Newsletter, Nov. 2000. Reprinted in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Feb. 2006.}

THE ICE PICK

Characters and Viewpoint, by Orson Scott Card. (The Elements of Fiction Writing series) Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books. ISBN 0-89879-307-6, 182 pages, $13.95.

Well-known to science fiction readers and writers, Orson Scott Card shares with us in this book his award-winning techniques for inventing original and memorable characters.

Creating characters is not, and should not be, "a mechanical process." As Card says, you shouldn’t expect that you can use a book like this as a blueprint for creating characters, but rather "bring the questions and ideas in each chapter to your own work, the stories you believe in and care about."

In addition to showing you how to make characters by using strangers and people you know, Card explains how to create them from within yourself and from within the story. Clearly and simply, he shows how you can influence readers to love or hate characters and how you can make characters seem like real people through their background, actions, motives, habits, talents, and hobbies, plus through using stereotypes and physical appearance.

He discusses how important it is to choose the correct names for your characters and to refer to each of them by the same name throughout your story or novel (although other characters may call them by nicknames or titles). He recommends keeping a notebook--which he calls a "bible"--for your characters, so that you won’t forget whether your heroine is blonde or brunette or whether your hero’s father captained the Viceroy or the Victory.

Although traditionally science fiction and fantasy stories, and other stories in which the idea or the milieu of the story is paramount, have not required the strong characterization that other genres required, readers now increasingly "expect a deeper level of characterization. . . . Readers expect to get to know the characters. . . . This is the fashion of our time, and you can’t disregard it." However, Card says, "it’s a mistake to think that deep, detailed characterization is an absolute virtue in storytelling." You must, he says, understand the needs of your story and know when deep characterization is necessary and when a stereotype will do as well.
The last part of the book is devoted to helping you choose the point of view needed for your story, the advantages and disadvantages of each kind, and how to change viewpoint characters in the middle of a story. Some stories require that you explore your characters’ attitudes, emotions, and thoughts very deeply. Others do not. Card explains with great clarity the differing levels of mental penetration to help you decide which level is best for your particular story.

This is an excellent book and I recommend it highly.

{Published in GPIC, the Oklahoma Science Fiction Writers Newsletter, Mar. 2000. Reprinted in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Nov. 2001.}

THE ICE PICK

Characters Make Your Story, by Maren Elwood. Boston, The Writer. ISBN 0-87116-019-6. $14.95.

"It is characters that sell stories," says Maren Elwood.

One of the major criticisms of sci fi/fantasy/horror is of the flat characters that so often people these genres. If the reader doesn’t care what happens to Capt. Snarf or Sir Barf all the wonderful plotting in this, or any other, world won’t help. Look at the popularity of Star Trek and Star Wars. The science may have been bad, but the characters were lovable and reached far beyond sf/f/h fandom to touch people’s lives. Can you write accurate sf/f/h background/plots and lovable characters to cheer for and weep with? If you can, maybe you can write a best seller.

Do you sometimes fall in love with a character and wonder how you could "steal" the author’s technique to make readers fall in love with your characters? Elwood shows you how to do that with solid, practical advice on how to actually make your characters (and your story) come alive.

When do you tell about a character and when do you show? Separate chapters explain creating your characters through their appearance, by walk and gesture, by facial expression and glance, by their voice and manner of speech, through dialogue, through their thoughts, and by their action.

Do you have difficulty showing motivation, individualizing minor characters, or making your readers feel a certain emotion? Further chapters show how to develop your characters’ motivation, how to handle simple and complex characterization, and how to use contrast in setting and description to bring your characters to life.
And of special interest to those who write fan fiction is a chapter on how you can develop plot from your characters. Other chapters deal with the common problems of characterization in the short-short story, film, or novel, and in juvenile versus adult stories.

Elwood also discusses the taboos in writing. Some look pretty silly to us now, but ask yourself what taboos we have right now. What new ones may exist in a few years that will make today’s look just as offensive?
As a bonus, in the back of the book are five short stories, analyzed so you can see how different techniques are applied.

Given the short print life of most how-to-write books, any one still in print after fifty-five years deserves some serious attention.

{Published in GPIC, the Oklahoma Science Fiction Writers Newsletter, Nov. 1997. Reprinted in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Jan. 1999.}