THE ICE PICK

Between the Lines : Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing, by Jessica Page Morrell. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books, 2006. 299 p. Includes index. ISBN: 1-58297-392-X. $16.99.

We are always being told that if we want to improve our stories, we must analyze successful novels and stories and apply the lessons learned. That’s a difficult thing for most of us to do, especially when we are just beginning.

We have enough trouble trying to analyze our own work when we are told it is melodramatic or the pacing is off or it is underwritten.

Morrell not only lists novels and films which showcase the specific techniques she is addressing, but also how to reach deep into stories and find the techniques and tricks--the subtle magic that lies "between the lines"--of successful fiction, which we would love to learn about. Then she shows us how to apply these techniques in our own work.

This is no airy-fairy book, but one filled with practical hands-on help, tips, advice, and suggestions. For example, she suggests using a highlighter pen on your manuscript to mark different sensory information: "yellow for sight, pink for smells, green for sounds, etc." (You can use small colored, removable flags or page markers to prevent marking up a book.) This helps us see if we need to add more sound, smells, or visual description in our story, scene, or chapter.

World-building is so important for fantasy, horror, and science fiction authors. To prevent story-slowing info dumps of backstory, she says, "read through your first fifty pages and highlight wherever you’ve used backstory information." If "you discover that one third or more of your pages contain backstory" in a "chronologically structured story" you have a problem. We need to hold back on information, only giving out what "is necessary to understand what’s going on," thus creating "suspense and intrigue while teasing the reader with tidbits of information and minor skirmishes. . . . What lies above the surface often only hints at a more dangerous core, and this is particularly true in the first fifty pages."

In addition to discussing how to slip in sensory details and reveal backstory, Morrell gives practical advice about how to set up cliffhangers and thrusters, use epilogues and prologues, write transitions, weave in subplots, generate suspense and maintain tension, handle epiphanies and revelations, develop good pacing, create a sense of place, make effective flashbacks and lay in foreshadowing, and use imagery and language to create mood and paint pictures.

Things like epiphanies and revelations, themes and premises, character arcs and transformations all make fiction look and sound polished and professional and make the story resonate with readers, but we may feel they are beyond our ability to handle--sometimes we don’t even understand what the terms mean. Morrell explains what they are, how they impact a story and a reader, and how we can master and use them to create deeper and more successful fiction.

This is a book I wish I’d had years ago. It is a real treasure, and I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, June 2006.}

THE ICE PICK

Putting It Together : Turning Sow’s Ear Drafts into Silk Purse Stories, by Mike Resnick. Berkeley Heights, N.J., Wildside Press, 2000. 184 p. $17.50. ISBN: 1-58715-175-8.

This fascinating book has a very different approach to helping you improve your stories.

Instead of the usual how-to-write rules, inspiration, and/or advice, Resnick has taken two of his own stories and shown his earlier drafts, plus the final drafts of three other published stories along with his discussions of various points with fans and other writers.

This is a fun book just to read, but it is not an easy book to use.

If you are a serious writer wanting to improve your craft, you need to sit down with the stories, examine them, and take them apart to learn how they were constructed and how Resnick improved them with his successive drafts, and understand how and why he approached and solved things the way he did.

His replies to the questions asked him about his stories are priceless in themselves, telling far more than just about that particular story.

For example, "Every single [thing] must serve the needs of the story or be jettisoned." "You don’t have to climb on a soap box and lecture to a reader to get your point across. Give him two events to compare and contrast." "You choose words to say exactly what you want, not approximately."

You learn a lot too, just from understanding that even an expert writer, like Resnick, doesn’t start out with a polished, perfect story, but must revise and rework his ideas and his stories to achieve the results he wants.

His three drafts of "The Land of Nod" demonstrate this very clearly, as he comes closer each time to making the story work and to realizing his vision. He speaks of being "dissatisfied with this the entire time" he was writing the first draft, although "the opening was fine," and "the end was what I wanted," but "everything in between [was] pretty poor." And then he shows how and what he changed to repair the story.

This book is a real treasure, and you can learn a lot from it.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Mar. 2005.}

THE ICE PICK

Steering the Craft : Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew, by Ursula K. LeGuin. Portland, Ore., Eighth Mountain Press, 1998. 173 p. $14.95. Includes: exercises & glossary. ISBN: 0-933377-46-0.

In 1996, Ursula LeGuin gave a workshop that fourteen privileged writers were able to attend. She has now turned her workshop into a book all of us can enjoy and learn from.

It is always nice to find a how-to-write book by an author of science fiction and fantasy, and a special pleasure to find one as well-written and as full of practical guidelines as this one is. Le Guin understands our genres and our special problems of, for example, creating and explaining our story worlds without slowing or stopping the story with tedious expository lumps. And she writes with humor and an open spirit that encourages both participation and even feedback. In fact, she gives her address and asks readers to tell her what worked and what didn’t and what suggestions they might have.

The purpose of the book, like that of the workshop it came from, is to help you learn by introducing the skills required and then having you practice them until they become second nature. As LeGuin says, "Skill in writing frees you to write what you want to write. . . . Craft enables art."

You can work through the book by yourself, with your writers’ group, or in a creative writing class. I found the exercises always interesting and thought-provoking, though some were hard, while others were pure fun. And the examples she provides not only illustrated her points beautifully, but also made me want to go and read, or reread, the original works.

Whether you are a beginner looking for help with the basic elements of the art and craft of writing, like viewpoint, rhythm and the sound of language, how to get from one narrative sentence to the next, how to construct a verb tense that will say what you want to say, or how to focus and control description; or you are a more experienced writer looking to improve your writing, this may be the perfect book for you.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, July 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Crawford Kilian. Bellingham, Wash. & North Vancouver, B.C., Self-Counsel Press, c1998. 165 p. (Self-Counsel Writing Series) $14.95. Includes: bibliography, recommended web sites, samples, checklists, and character worksheet. ISBN: 1-55180-189-2.

Mainly for the beginner who wants to write and isn’t sure how to start or who has written a lot of stories but needs help to go further, this book also has plenty of advice for any writer who would like some help.

Kilian begins with the basics of knowing your genre and your theme and moves on to the challenge of world-building, for it is not enough to simply imagine a strange place and use it as a backdrop for your story. In science fiction and fantasy the setting is part of the story. As he says, "The writer of science fiction or fantasy must keep answering one simple question: Why?" Your answers may involve the symbolism of the place or the natural and scientific details, or both.

In Part Two, Kilian discusses work habits, including using time effectively and keeping a journal, log, or project "bible" to help you. He talks about research and how to get your science or your magic right, so that your story makes sense and is believable.

"Elements of a Successful Story" covers introducing your main characters, establishing your setting and the scene of the conflict, showing what’s at stake and your characters under stress, developing your plot, creating suspense, setting the tone of the story, avoiding melodrama, etc.

He points out that, "The conflict should be understandable to us, but consistent with the different society you portray. A merchant in the 1780s wouldn’t understand the details of a hostile takeover in the 1980s . . . of a company specializing in satellite communications or biotechnology. But the merchant would understand that money and power were at stake on a grand scale."

There are separate chapters on characters, constructing scenes, plotting, viewpoint, dialogue, and symbolism.

I found the "character resume" worksheet awkward to use for fantasy characters, but thought-provoking nonetheless. ("Address and Phone Number"? Well, how would someone contact your hero?) And I especially liked his "storyboarding" idea for organizing a plot and his "style checklist" for revising the story.

Part Three is "Getting Published." This section includes a basic grammar, which answered a couple of questions I’ve had for a long time and couldn’t find in regular grammar books. Kilian discusses manuscript formatting, query letters, and synopses, and provides samples of each. In the chapters on publishers and agents and on publishing contracts, he includes information for Canadian authors as well as U.S. ones in marginal notes.

And he concludes with a short inspirational chapter for those writers who have become thoroughly demoralized by the time they get that far.

The book unfortunately lacks an index, but the Table of Contents is fairly good, and there are wide margins for jotting down notes.

"To conceive, write, revise, and publish any story are real achievements. When you achieve any of them, you have achieved something special." And this book may help you do that. I recommend it.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, May 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

Letters to a Young Novelist, by Mario Vargas Llosa. Translated by Natasha Wimmer. New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2002. 136 p. $17.00. Includes index. ISBN: 0-374-11916-3.

"All creators of fiction," says Vargas Llosa, "are embroiled in the same process . . . a reasonable human longing to live a life of adventure, an undying love--that makes them wish passionately for a world different from the one they live in, a world that they are then compelled to construct of words and upon which they stamp, usually in code, their questioning of real life and the their affirmation of that other reality which their selfishness or generosity spurs them to set up in place of the one they’ve been allotted." And, perhaps, never is this more true than among those of us who write speculative fiction.

Not having read any of Vargas Llosa’s works, I was unprepared for this delightful little book. Written for the "young novelist" of all ages, Vargas Llosa leads and teaches with a gentle humorous touch, exploring the "inner workings of fiction" and explaining not only his own philosophy of the creative urge, but also how to improve our writing.

Using the works of writers from many different literary traditions around the world, Vargas Llosa shows how wannabe writers can begin to write the kinds of stories "that would dazzle . . . readers," while warning "that those who see success as their main goal will probably never realize their dreams."

He is blunt in his dislike of "disagreeably academic language" and his assessment of those famous writers whose work he considers boring or who have irritating or "stuttering" styles, while he praises those with "the power of persuasion" who "awaken in us a lively curiosity."

Throughout his clearly written and straightforward discussions of how to create and use style, different narrators and their space, fictional time, "levels of reality," and possible shifts within all of them, I was impressed by the number of classic authors he cites who wrote works which are actually what we would call speculative fiction.

Beyond the usual inclusion of Henry James, Kafka, and Antoine de Saint-Exupery are Julio Cortazar’s "The Idol of the Cyclades" and Juan Carlos Onetti’s use of the nesting Chinese boxes (one story within the other) in a "voyage between reality and fantasy," plus Ambrose Bierce’s "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Jorge Luis Borges’ "The Secret Miracle," Gunter Grass’s "The Tin Drum," Alejo Carpentier’s The Kingdom of This World, which unfolds on fantastic and realistic levels that "almost make us live inside the myths and legends of his story," and many others with which we should be familiar, but which I’m sure most of us probably have not read.

It made me eager to read Juan Rulfo, Roger Caillois, and Hermann Hesse, as well as works by Vargas Llosa himself.

Written in an easy, eloquent, and conversational style, this book is one that can help get you started writing stories and improve those you are working on, aid you in making a switch from short stories to novels, and expand your horizons both as a reader and a writer.

Like the layers of reality within fiction, which Vargas Llosa so carefully explains, this slender book possesses deeper and deeper layers of truth, from which I think you will learn something new every time you read it.

And if you fear translations for the awkwardness usually found in them, this one reads seamlessly. Natasha Wimmer has done an excellent job.

I loved the book and I highly recommend it to you.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Feb. 2004. Reprinted in Write Connections, Mar. 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature, from Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest : How to Write Fantasy Stories of Lasting Value, edited by Philip Martin. 1st ed. Waukesha, Wis., Writer Books, 2002. 240 p. $16.95. Includes: bibliography, index, "list of top markets for fantasy fiction." ISBN: 0-87116-195-8.

From the Hildebrandts’ cover art through the market list and "other resources for fantasy writers," this book is a treasure.

The book covers fantasy from children’s literature to dark fantasy in essays by Patricia A. McKillip, Elizabeth Hand, Jane Yolen, Gregory Maguire, and Ray Bradbury, and in interviews with John Marco, Donna Jo Napoli, Diane Schoemperlen, Franny Billingsley, Kij Johnson, Ursula K. LeGuin, Peter S. Beagle, Susan Cooper, Midori Snyder, and Terry Pratchett.

The first part of the book explains Pottermania and discusses what fantasy is, why it has endured through the centuries, and how you can tap into that power. As Lloyd Alexander says, "Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it."

Whether your fantasy is about "lofty purpose and great causes," "adventure for its own sake," magic in everyday settings, "personal transformation," or "dark themes of sharp satire [or] urban decay," you will find it defined and discussed.

And whether you "follow the forms closely . . . or bend the rules and break the frame at every chance . . . knowledge of what is being bent and broken can help a writer succeed in the key act of writing" and in presenting your tale to editors and agents.

The book’s second part deals with the "building blocks of fantasy stories": characterization, viewpoint, setting, patterns, plots, and themes.

This section is full of practical advice to help you become a better fantasy writer. For example, Jane Yolen, in showing how precise details make your fantasy more realistic and believable, suggests you "write out a travelogue of your world. Take yourself for a trip to its most famous points of interest. Or pretend you are writing an article for an encyclopedia that will include customs, laws, historical background, flora and fauna, and the Gross National Product."

Common threads of fantasy are discussed: the power of names, repetition, magic, duels, riddles, premonitions and prophecies, symbols, humor and parody, and myths and legends. These things have been common to the fantasy tradition for centuries, and their appeal is still a powerful one for readers.

Along the way, the fantasy authors reveal "secrets" about problems they have faced and solved, characterization, tying up loose ends in the last book of a series, etc.

The third part of the book deals with "techniques of writing fantasy," which includes generating ideas and keeping track of them, planning a story, doing research, creating maps, setting goals, overcoming writer’s block, revising, submitting your story, and handling the inevitable rejections.

I found this book enjoyable to read and very informative. "This is not," as Martin says, "a ten-easy-steps book. Rather, it tries to share the words and thoughts of great writers. . . . They gladly share their knowledge, but you need to find your own path. . . ." And this book can help you do that. I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Jan. 2004.}

THE ICE PICK

Creating Short Fiction, by Damon Knight. Rev. ed. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books. ISBN 0-89879-166-9. $9.95.

Aimed primarily at beginners, including those who want to write a story but have no idea how to go about it, as well as those who are writing but feel the need for advice, this practical book is a treasure. His explanations of plotting and viewpoint, and how to choose the right point of view for your story, are especially excellent.

The author, Damon Knight, well-known to science fiction readers and writers, is a master of the art of the short story. If you’ve never heard of him, and you yearn to write science fiction stories, do look for and read some of his work.

The book is divided into six parts, plus an introduction. The introductions of some books are important. This is one of them. It’s only five pages long. Read it.

The first part of the book is "Developing Your Talent as a Writer" and contains several exercises in how to learn to see, hear, feel, and think like a writer. If you are still floundering and trying to get started, or if you’ve been writing, but are now stymied by writer’s block, this is the place to begin. It is pure inspiration.

For those still asking "Where do you get your ideas from? And how do you make a story out of them?," the second part, "Idea into Story," and the third, "Beginning a Story," deal with how to get ideas, and how to get those ideas out of your head and onto a piece of paper. They cover organizing your thoughts, and the basic form and structure of story-making, including situation, conflict, plot, characters, motivation, setting, and viewpoint.

One of Knight’s techniques is to visualize your story idea as a tent, with character, emotion, setting, and situation as the four corners, and theme as the center pole. You can begin with any one of these tent poles, but eventually you must include the others before you have a story.

Parts four and five, "Controlling a Story" and "Finishing a Story," discuss taking your raw story and making it a good one. Here Knight includes the elements of revision plus the narrative techniques of style, voice, tone and mood, etc. that enable you to create the magic and illusions that are the basis of all good fiction.

The final part, "Being a Writer," addresses work habits, the pleasures and frustrations all of us writers face, some excellent advice on what reference books we should own (and use), and what we should be reading ("Everything!"). Personally, I think this section should be earlier, and you might want to read it first, but as Knight himself says, "There are no non-linear books. . . . The topics dealt with here are all interrelated." Read it in any order you like.

Preceding the index are suggested readings, well worth checking out, and a list of the helpful exercises found throughout the book. The index is excellent for what it covers, but is not as inclusive as I would have liked. For example, an important point he makes about writing a character’s thoughts is under Tense on pages 139-140, and does not show up in the index at all. In general, you should be aware that Knight does give a bit of a short shrift to character and to dialog techniques, and I recommend you supplement him with other how-to-write books on these subjects.

Included in our Workshop’s list of Mandatory Reading, because it really can help you, this is a truly excellent book--especially for beginners--and I highly recommend it.

{Published in GPIC, the Oklahoma Science Fiction Writers Newsletter. Dec. 1998. Reprinted in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Apr. 2000.}