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Fran Wilde is both a Taos Toolboxer and a graduate of Viable Paradise. Thanks, Fran, for stopping by.

Tamago: Tell us about the first thing you can remember writing.

Fran: I remember writing new Starblazers and Superfriends scripts for my neighbors to act out – that totally dates me, doesn’t it? And I remember a poem I wrote in third grade that made it into the school newspaper. It featured a flying horse, I’m pretty sure.

Tamago: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Fran: Probably seeing that poem in print was enough to toss me over the cliff. I was a huge reader, and I’d read anything. The local indie bookstore would sometimes sneak me an ARC, especially if I helped them shelve books, or told them what I thought of a book I’d just read. And the local librarian, Mrs. C., encouraged me to write. So I was a bibliophile first, then a writer – by third or fourth grade, probably. There was a bit of time later when I wasn’t doing very much writing, but that passed.

Tamago: Who are your writing role models?

Fran: I think Daniel Abraham has a great attitude about the writing life. I read N.K. Jemisin, Vylar Kaftan, and Elizabeth Bear‘s blogs a lot for inspiration. Steven Gould’s a big proponent of the “Be good, be on time, be nice,” model, and I do my best to keep that mantra in mind. Debra Doyle has an excellent blog about various elements of writing, and her husband James D. Macdonald gives wonderful tips over at the Absolute Write forums. Also Mur Lafferty and Mary Robinette Kowal with their podcasts. And I love the enthusiasm of the SF Squeecast for genre fiction.

I try to write every day, so the writers who remind me of that habit, especially when I’m dealing with family needs or calendar snafus, are my biggest role models. But most of all, my role models are my peers and my writing groups – the people who nudge me on, even when the going is tough, and whom I nudge back now and then.

Tamago: How does having an advanced degree in poetry affect your writing?

Fran: I think the benefit of any advanced degree is the depth of reading. So, I have an MFA in poetry and a masters’ in interaction design and information architecture. Both of those inform my writing, because I still read heavily in both fields. Poetry makes me very aware of words, and somewhat obsessed with sound and rhythm. Sometimes I have to watch that I don’t get too ensorcelled. It also gave me a nice grounding in epic literature. Information design keeps me current with technology and the programming required to make it work, as well as narrative techniques for games, visual hierarchies and wayfinding, and new techniques for hypertext fiction.

Tamago: I know you write science fiction, fantasy, and YA. Do you find that your writing process is the same or varies for these different types of speculative fiction?

Fran: I think it’s the same – a lot of research, then a bit of seat-of-the-pants writing, then a plot outline and scene studies. Then I’m ready to write and … oh look the kitchen needs cleaning…

It kind of goes like that.

I average 1,000 to 3,000 words a day. On tough days, it’s a job to get to 500 words, but I still try to do it. Even if they’re words that I’ll toss out later. Most days, I find writing a synopsis for what I’m going to work on helps me hit my goal faster. But some days I forget to do that and I flail all over the place.

So it’s sort of like that, too.

Tamago: How did you come to apply for Taos Toolbox?

Fran: My friends Oz Drummond and Gregory Frost suggested it.

Tamago: I know that you’ve been to both Viable Paradise and Taos Toolbox. What advice would you give an author who is considering a neo-pro workshop?

Fran: Submit your best work. Give your group the best critiques you can. Remember that everyone – students and instructors – at a workshop are human beings, and try to treat people with respect.

Do your best to silence your brain weasels after a critique – they’re going to tell you that the comments you just received are an overall indictment of your value as a writer. The brain weasels are wrong and you are better than they are.

Tamago: Which writers would you say are your influences?

Fran: In no order whatsoever: China Mieville, Jorge Luis Borges, N.K. Jemisin, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Flannery O’Connor, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Stross, Greg Egan, science writers David Quammen and Richard Preston, William Gibson, Pat Cadigan, Neal Stevenson, Neil Gaiman, Tom Waits, Joe Haldeman, Andy Duncan, Genevieve Valentine, Italo Calvino, Connie Willis, Walter John Williams, Jo Walton.

Tamago: What are you working on now?

Fran: I’ve got two short stories in development, one for an anthology. I am polishing my second novel, Bone Arrow.

Tamago: Where can people find out more about you and your work?

My website.

Thank you for having me by, Cath.

***

Thank you for coming by!

with Jason Hough, Elizabeth Moon, Adam Troy-Castro, Mary Robinette Kowal and Chris Gerrib

Lots of different types of series.
Series that are really one fat story arc.
Series that have an arc for each book. (Something needs to bring these arcs together.)
For example, the Discworld series, where the setting unifies the books.
Also, the template series. A reboot of characters, say Spiderman or James Bond.

Series can have multiple POV.

Planning a series takes a different type of planning than planning a novel.

Sometimes writers are asked for a stand alone book, and then asked if they can write more books.

It’s better if you can put the books out faster.

Sometimes series last longer than you want (Sherlock Holmes as an example.)

How do you handle the orienting back story? It’s okay to leave it out if it’s not referent to the current book.

Scott Lynch cited by Mary. Sequel to Lies of Locke Lamora does not tell you what awful thing happened in Lies of Locke Lamora, only that it was bad.

Kowal’s Glamour in the Glass is a book that stands apart from the first book.

Back story is best if it comes out in the narrative.

Cliff hangers!
Early serials cheated terribly.
Reread your first book and make sure you are dealing fairly with the cliff hanger.

Watch out for continuity errors.

In a long arc series, sometimes there is no good place to break a book. So cliff hanger!

Cliffhangers can alienate an audience.
Pay off must be there.
This is the same for a cliff hanger at the end of a chapter as well as one at the end of a book.

You may want to have a series bible, digital or in notebooks.
Although sometimes your notes may go by the wayside, and you may surprise yourself as you write.

Make sure you read your book aloud for audio book concerns.

What do you do if you are tired of the series?
Suck it up and write the character.
Go back to the last place you were excited. What excited you? What still excites you?

Some issues may never be resolved at the end of the book.

If you have the whole series written, let the publisher know. That might make them more interested.

Any book can go on, unless it’s the end of the universe.

I’ve been tagged by Fran Wilde to do The Next Big Thing, a post about one of my WiPs.

So, without further adieu,

1. What is the title of your work in progress?

The title is Abigail Rath Versus Blood-Sucking Fiends.

2. Where did the idea for the book come from?

I’ve seen a lot of movies about fearless monster hunters, and I had this thought: What would it be like to be a kid whose parents were fearless monster hunter? This book is about that.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

This is a middle grade fantasy. In some places it spans into horror, but since it’s for younger kids, I’m not trying to make it too scary. At least until the stakes are high. No, that was not a pun.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would love to get Christopher Lee to play Lee Christopher. Yup, it’s that obvious. Reginald Rath would be Hugh Laurie. Pauline Rath would be Emma Thompson (with an American accent). And the kids? Well, there would have to be a nation wide talent search for Abigail, Vince, Marty, Coral and William.

5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book??

Abigail Rath wants to impress her parents with her natural monster slaying talents, but discovers that humans and monsters co-existing is much more complicated than she thought.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I will be seeking representation for Abigail Rath Versus Blood-Sucking Fiends, as I do for all of my projects.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

One month. It was last year’s NaNoWriMo project. Currently I am in the third rewrite.

8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?

Would you believe Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Because there is a group of friends that work toward a common goal. And these three series: the Gilda Joyce series by Jennifer Allen, the Theodosia Throckmorton series by R. L. LaFevers, and the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Hammer and Universal horror films. My husband Bryon, who has a great interest in and a vast knowledge of this unique kind of camp. My friend Steve, upon whom the initial portrayal of Reginald Rath was based.

10. What else about this book might pique your readers’ interest?

Well, I plan five of these, each a spin on a particular monster. Much of the action in the book takes place at a roller rink. I get to talk about vampires and sparkling. And I’m learning how to be Californian for the book.

***

You know Fran tagged me. Go check out her site above.

And I’m tagging:

Miranda Suri
Absent Post

Matt A. Hughes

Christopher Kastensmidt
The Elephant and Macaw Banner Post

Catherine Evleschin
Rivers Still Run

with Tim Waggoner, Richard Lovell, Eldon Thompson, David Manusek, and Laura Ann Gilman

Formula for persevering; Stubborness plus ego plus goal equals perserverance

To be an author, you need a high tolerance for discomfort and uncertainty. This can wear you down.

You should be thinking long term. Finished? Publish? No, wait. Take time.

Don’t listen to everything everyone says.

It’s hard to make a living as an author. You need a day job and you need to persevere with your writing. Perseverance is also necessary for the long term career. There will be the grind of “I have to write this.”

Make sure you take a break every day, but also write every day.

While you have to writing, don’t think it is only onerous. Writing is a joy.

Treat each day as unique. Don’t focus on past failures. That is good advice for everything. Shake it off. Be done.

Continue on in the face of rejection. Remember every career has its ups and downs. Be diverse and flexible.

Don’t sweat the things you can’t control, like rejection, bad reviews. Move on. As something is released into the world, don’t obsess on it. It now has it’s own life.

Some stories about the most frustration moments in career.

Tim: My agent disappeared after 18 years.
Eldon: Dealing with Hollywood.
David: Hollywood.
Richard: Rights trouble and idea trouble.
Laura: Having a good story rejected for good reasons.

Stories where perseverance paid off?

Eldon: Selling my favorite book!
David: Writing a story in twelve year intervals.
Robert: Long time to publish a story.

Tim: Remember, dreams can come true.

Keep up your ego and keep working.

How do you know your ego hasn’t clouded your judgment? Beta readers. We write alone, but we do not work alone.

Using the awesome powers of orange juice and SHEER FORCE OF WILL I am back from the land of viral incompetence. Promptly after attending the wedding, I came down with some incapacitating tiredness at Toys R Us, and Bryon took me home, where I stayed until Tuesday.

When I am ill, I can’t do much. Reading or writing is generally out. So, in the great tradition of avoiding boredom, I watched through two seasons of Dead Like Me, once again appreciating some awesome character centered/quirky story telling. Then on Wednesday, because I woke up with the ringworm, Bryon had just gotten rid of, and I was tired of being sick, I stumbled into the doctor, who promptly gave me medicine for one thing, but no meds for the VIRUS, because that’s the way doctors roll these days.

However, Thursday, my antibodies triumphed. And I finished chapter 10 of Abby Rath yesterday. It’s SO good to be well.

***

So. I’m writing today. Yes, I am. I just wanted to let you all know that I hadn’t died in some sort of car accident or something. Tomorrow is vintage hair day with my friend Mary and her daughter Katie. Sunday is Greek dinner with Allen. AND this weekend, I’d like to get through chapter 11, which is new material and will need a couple of smoothing rewrites, ultimately.

How are you?

Caveat: I didn’t arrive until about half an hour in, but I picked up from there.

With Patrick Rothfuss, Darlene Marshall, John Berlyne, Nick Mamatas, and Carol Berg

One of the authors suggests we avoid POV shifts (head hopping)
Agent John Berlyne suggests avoiding constraining yourself by conventions if you have good reasons to do something.

Some discussion about revealing information. Don’t. Build tension. Don’t sap it.

Some people do short fiction better than novels and vice versa.

All choices should be in service to the story.
1. What is the point of the story?
2. Who cares?

Continue reading “Worldcon Panel: Beyond the First Two Pages”

And what’s happening this weekend?

Saturday: A wedding and a boat load of rough drafts for the ‘dents.

Sunday: Visiting the MiL and our comics guy. and a boat load of other rough drafts for the ‘dents.

And…that means I’d best be Abigail Rathing right now.

Just thought I’d bop in to share the cool links I found to the Alex Theater and the Alex Film Society that are important to new chapter seven. Go, Glendale!

Some day I should actually visit Glendale, since Abby lives there. Until then, vicarious Internet exploration it is!

I hope you all have great weekends.

Rebecca Stevenson, still catching up on her sleep from Taos, settled down to answer a few questions for us. Rebecca is fluent in many genres and uses a lot of them at once, which this reader likes!

Tamago: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Rebecca: Like a lot of people, I started writing very young, but I think I would pinpoint 2008 as the year of decision. That’s when I decided to stop messing around and take the endeavor seriously, started trying to learn more about the craft, find beta readers, and set concrete goals.

Tamago: What are you working on right now?

Rebecca: I am writing the first draft of an urban fantasy novel set in Boston, which includes a lot of Arthurian mythos and Lord Byron. I’m also doing final revisions on a kitchen-sink science fantasy — AI ships, magic, nanotechnology, and shapeshifters saving the universe!

Tamago: Which writers are your influences?

Rebecca: Early on, my outlook was heavily influenced by Barbara Hambly and Tanya Huff. Later on, Guy Gavriel Kay and Walter Jon Williams are two of the big ones.

Tamago: I know you write both fantasy and science fiction. How important do you consider the concept of genre in speculative fiction?

Rebecca: I come to this question as a technical writer — it’s important to understand the audience, to understand their expectations. Genre helps set the guidelines for both writers and readers, and provides a context in which they have a conversation.

Naturally, one doesn’t have to live by those guidelines, but it gives you a sense of where you need to signpost for the audience that you *are* diverging. With my science fantasy, I tried hard to get a number of cross-genre elements onto the first page, so that readers wouldn’t think they were getting one flavor only to trip over elements from a different genre later.

Tamago: You are a very busy person, with a full time job and 3 kids. How do you find time to keep writing in your every day life?

Rebecca: I set small goals and try to keep to a routine. I’ve recently adopted a 500 new words/day primary goal and created a spreadsheet that tracks my projects. That’s far from ambitious, but almost always something I can manage to do. Being able to make measurable progress every day is a huge boost. Tracking *everything* I write is also helpful; the numbers tell me if I’m spending more time than I want to on side projects. I am very distractable. 🙂

Tamago: At Taos, you seemed to blossom. What did you learn at Taos that you think will make you a better writer?

Rebecca: It was the first time I’ve really been able to hang out with other writers for an extended period. Just being surrounded by people with the same enthusiasms was a huge lift. I feel like I came out of it with a better technical understanding of the writing process, a greater degree of trust in myself, and some wonderful friends. I’m looking forward to hearing about everyone’s future successes.

Tamago: What advice would you give an author about to enter a workshop?

Rebecca: Pack light. Be open to the unexpected. Bring a camera. You can catch up sleep when you get home.

Tamago: Where do you hope to be in 10 years as a writer?

Rebecca: I hope that by that time I’ll have something published, and that I’ll continue to grow. No matter what, I’ll still be writing–the part of my brain that comes up with stories never turns off, so I might as well write them down.

Tamago: What is your dream project?

Rebecca: That’s difficult to answer, since whatever book I’m working on at the moment tends to be the one that I most want to write. I do have an idea for a project that would absolutely require me to spend a lot of time in the south of France to do research, so probably that one!

Tamago: Where can people find your work?

Rebecca: My hard drive. I have some fan-fiction on Archive of Our Own, but no published work. Yet.

My osteoarthritis does not stem from underusing my joints. It is the result of an athletic injury. Once I too was a hardcore runner. And then my weird knees rubbed against each other, and I have some floaters in my knee. Bone spurs, cartilage, things like that. I also injured my ankle in high school by jumping off a log and landing on my ankle, not my foot. That was exactly as painful as it sounds.

I have been really been missing exercise. Tonight I get to EASE back in. Guess what turns out to be the best exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee? Walking. But only half as much to begin with.

What else is recommended? Tonight I get to practice sitting down and standing up, and I get to stretch and tense a wide variety of muscles in my legs. There’s also a fair number of leg lifts.

For the ankle, apparently the best thing I can do to strengthen is to stand on one foot. I’m also supposed to do some flexing exercises.

From here on out, it’s going to be exercising, keeping at it. If it hurts, I may have to take a little time off, but overall, it’s important to keep moving.

I just won’t be running any marathons. Otherwise, I should be able to have all my range of motion return, and I have to keep at it.

If you need any links to ankle or knee therapy, let me know. I got ’em.

This week, I am being sucked into the black hole that is my job. Lots of late night meetings, essays due, and the beginning of teacher evaluation season. This means little writing this week. And I’m hot to do some, so that’s frustrating.

I will be off training teachers today. While that’s happening, I’ll be thinking about how I’m not getting orientation around.

But next week? Next week I get some of the time I’m giving to the college this week back. And I will type and type and type.

***

The burning, soap operatic question–Will Abigail Rath be ready for my self-imposed deadline? Yes, it will. Just like Miranda Suri’s Absent project, October will be International Rewrite Abigail Rath month. I am about halfway through the 3rd draft. It looks doable. Then, the book goes out to betas in November.

I need betas, by the way. I already have some nice enthusiastic adult readers, but I would like to find a couple more kids than the one I have. So if you have a daughter or son who would like to test drive a middle grade novel about vampires and monster hunters, please let me know. I’d take anyone between the ages of 10-13.

All right. Gotta go help our Ryan set up the workshop, and act like a coordinator. See you on the other side of that.