by Naomi L. | April 18, 2014 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
Her skin glows a pale blue-green in the moonlight.
Her eyes shine like emeralds, hypnotizing anyone who dares to gaze into them.
She sings ethereal melodies that melt the coldest of hearts.
Her voice lures the unwitting into her company.
The razor-sharp claws and teeth are what keep them there forever.
Based on a writing prompt from Writer’s Carnival: Make Me a Monster!
Using no more than five sentences, create a new monster. You can make it as silly or scary as you want.
It’s not the most original creation, but it was still fun to imagine. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
by Naomi L. | April 16, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Welcome to another round of Writers Reveal! Once again, I’m pressing pause on the story behind my first “novel” to write about a topic sent by one of the amazing writers in our group. This month’s prompt comes from Ashley Howland, who suggested we write about “quirky writer’s habits”. Thanks for the prompt, Ashley! Here goes nothing!
The Quirky Things I Do
Yes, I consider myself a quirky person. What writer doesn’t to a certain degree? We all have our strange habits: some help us find inspiration for our writing, some give us the motivation we need to create, and some are just byproducts of the odd ideas in our minds. But they’re all part of what makes us the unique people we are.
So what are some of my quirks? I have quite a few, actually:
- I get up and walk around while brainstorming for a story.
- I make faces and mouth words when thinking about the dialogue between my characters.
- I sing and/or dance when I’m alone (or at least I think I’m alone).
- I reread favorite books from my childhood out loud.
- I talk to myself as if the voices in my head are having a conversation.
And these are just the quirks related to my writing!
Old Habits, New Ideas
I’m not afraid to admit my quirks, but don’t mistake them for the random acts of a geek (which I am, but that’s beside the point). Although I’ve been practicing these habits for a long time, they’re almost always helpful to my writing, even if it’s just to fight off the inevitable stress of a creative block. How so, you ask?
1) I walk around because I’m the type of person who thinks better when moving than when sitting still.
2) I subconsciously move my face in sync with scenes playing out in my head. This helps me get a better sense of how certain ideas will (or won’t) work in a story I’m planning.
3) I sing and dance to release tension. Music inspires me to create and motivates me to keep writing when I feel stuck. Plus it’s loads of fun!
4) I read books out loud as an exercise to get a feel of narrative voice. This is especially fun to do with Dr. Seuss’s stories, which almost always have rhyme and rhythm.
5) I talk to myself to get the words in my mind out in the open. I don’t care if it makes me seem crazy sometimes; it’s a great way to clear my head and hear how some of my ideas sound out loud.
Writers have their fair share of quirks (as most artists likely do), but in the best cases, we can make them work to our advantage. Our habits are much more than average idiosyncrasies; they help shape our artistic spirits and spark our creativity. And if not, at least we can take comfort in knowing they keep us from being utterly boring!
What are some of your quirks? Are they ever helpful to your creativity?
This has been a special topic post for Writers Reveal, a monthly blog swap among several talented writers. Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the event. Thanks for reading!
Other bloggers in Writers Reveal
Melissa Khalinsky: Melissa Writes
Becky Fyfe: Imagine! Create! Write!
Rhianna: A Parenting Life
Ashley Howland: Ghostnapped
Emily Hawker: You Learn Something New Every Day
by Naomi L. | April 14, 2014 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: decorum
Pronunciation: di-KO-rəm
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety; etiquette
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Monica: (after Chandler “steals” her bath) What do you think you’re doing?
Chandler: Leaving my troubles behind?
Monica: I know that you’re new at this, but this is completely unacceptable bath decorum.
Chandler: Oh, it’s so hard to care when you’re this relaxed.
– Friends (Season 8, Episode 13 – The One Where Chandler Takes A Bath)
The first time I read this word on a flashcard, I didn’t realize I had already heard it before. It wasn’t until I watched a rerun of Friends years later that I noticed it in the dialogue. Some time after Monica teaches him how relaxing baths can be when drawn well, Chandler tries to make up for his failed attempt at drawing his own by stealing one of hers. Catching him in the act, Monica explains that his behavior is not in keeping with “proper bath etiquette”, a comment that Chandler simply shrugs off as he enjoys another of his wife’s perfectly drawn baths.
“Decorum” is a type of behavior that’s proper and tasteful. In the mid 16th century, the word arose as a literary term to denote suitability of style. It stems from the Latin adjective decorus, meaning “seemly” or “noble”.
I admit that when I came across the word “decorum” while studying vocabulary, the first thought that came to mind was that it had something to do with decorating. Maybe these words have similar origins; after all, “decorated” is one of the definitions of the aforementioned Latin adjective, though I assume it’s in the sense of “honored” rather than “adorned” (which may make it easier to remember). If you write for a lot of heroes, “decorum” would probably be a good word for defining the behavior of your noble characters. As for the less-than-noble, you could always come up with some creative solutions for how to address their lack of “decorum”…
Monica: Fine, you can have the bath, but I am taking your boat. Now you’re just a girl in a tub!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | April 9, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing |
On to Part 6 of my story. Only just joining me now? Here’s what you’ve been missing. I’m in the process of telling the story behind a “novel” I recently published online: a fanfiction titled Chaos and Control. Part 1 is about the idea for the story, Part 2 is about the planning stage, Part 3 is about the writing stage, Part 4 is about the editing stage, and Part 5 is about the publishing stage. Have fun reading the next part of the story!
Yes, the story behind my fanfiction is almost over. Today’s topic covers the final stage of the process: the feedback I received on the novel. This was the point where I would finally find out if all my hard work was worth the effort, at least in the eyes of my readers. Enjoy!
Part VI: The Feedback
The site on which I published Chaos and Control, FanFiction.Net, has a system that allows readers to post one (and only one) review on each chapter of a story. This meant that my readers would each be able to leave a maximum of 14 reviews on my novel, not including additional comments they might leave under a guest name. I was eager to learn their thoughts on every one of my chapters, as well as their opinions of the story as a whole.
In truth, only one person left a review on every single chapter, and that was the same person who had been supporting my work from the beginning. He’d already made his opinions clear to me directly, yet he was kind enough to also make them public. A few other readers left several reviews throughout the fanfiction, and though their comments differed slightly, there was one thing they all had in common: they loved Chaos and Control. And with a 100% approval rating from my audience, how could I not be proud of my work?
Glowing Reviews and Hidden Fears
I mentioned in the previous post that my story didn’t receive as much attention as I’d hoped, at least in the beginning. However, the attention it did receive was entirely positive, so for that I was grateful. Of course, I can’t say with any certainty how much of the Sonic fanbase is truly critical, but just the fact that readers were willing to take the time to comment at all was a good sign. At least one of my fears had been quelled: that no one would read my story.
The main reason I was afraid of not being able to gain an audience was the fact that I hadn’t been active on the site for a long time. I don’t just mean publishing my own stories, but also reading and reviewing those of other fanfiction writers. Because of this, I was sure almost no one on the archive would remember me, despite the popularity of Generation Beta and the 30+ members who had added my profile to their alert lists. In the end, I had to trust that my story could attract readers entirely on its own, and taking that into consideration, I suppose it was relatively successful. What I had to worry about next was exactly how successful my writing would be.
The Invisible Details
Meet Cream the Rabbit, Amy’s best friend and one of the secondary leaders of Control. Her Gift is in Flight, and she’s a mother of 5-year-old triplet girls.
As a writer who puts a ton of thought into every detail of her stories, another of my biggest fears regarding Chaos and Control was that my readers would miss the subtle hints scattered throughout the plot. Would anyone recognize the constant references to the stars as a play on Shakespeare’s notes on fate? Would they notice the color symbolism in scenes like when the lead couple meet, where Miles (Control) is wearing mostly black with some white and Maria (Chaos) is wearing mostly white with some black (black being one of the colors of Chaos and white being one of the colors of Control)? Would they catch the foreshadowing clues that are briefly mentioned: Sonia’s secret fear of losing her Gift, the Chemistry test that Eugene aced, the knife Miles and Maria borrow from a building site they pass on their last day together, etc.? Would they realize that the moment Maria stops calling her father “Daddy” and starts calling him “Dad” is the defining moment when she finally becomes a woman? Some details function as plot devices, others are simply there to illustrate the characters’ development, but all of them are important to me, and I hoped they wouldn’t go completely unnoticed.
The most significant plot device appears in the middle of the story: a novel the students read for Literature class. This novel is important for two reasons: (1) it sets off the downward spiral in the second half of the plot; and (2) it hints at the course of events the main characters will possibly face for the rest of the story. The book is a parallel to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, telling the tragic story of teenage star-crossed lovers Ronan and Julia, whose forbidden affair in Renaissance-period circumstances ends in both their deaths. My hope was that readers would recognize this as an analogy to Miles and Maria’s story, though whether it was foreshadowing or simply a red herring (or both) would be revealed in time.
In fact, no one mentioned this novel in their reviews, which was disappointing to say the least, but they did seem to notice some of the other details I had planted. One reader took notice of the changes in Maria’s behavior in a later chapter, and another pointed out the synchrony between the lovers when they yell the same words at the exact same time, despite being on opposite sides of town. Although not every detail seemed to be noteworthy, I was happy that my audience was able to appreciate the story beyond the superficial theme of forbidden love.
Mary Sue, is that you?
Meet Tikal the Echidna, Rex’s mother and one of the secondary leaders of Chaos. Her Calling is in the Mind class, and she’s one of the few pacifists of Green Hill.
If there’s one mistake on every good fiction writer’s list of worst nightmares, it’s the dreaded Mary Sue. No writer should ever aim to make their characters perfect, because with perfection comes boredom. Around the end of the writing process, I had become terrified that my Romeo might be perceived as a little too “good” in some aspects: too sweet, too selfless, too brave, etc. Yes, he’s supposed to be a hero, but his flaws also need to be apparent so he’ll be relatable. I had the same fears to a lesser extent with my Juliet, whose strong character development at least kept me confident that she would be likable; and I hoped my supporting characters would be appreciated for both their positive and negative traits, especially my Mercutio and Tybalt. I also wanted to avoid making my Paris “pure evil”; although he is an extremely unlikable character, I tried to make it clear that his personality is a product of his circumstances and not really his own fault. So the question arose: would all my characters come across as multidimensional as I’d planned, or would some of them fall flat?
Fortunately, my concerns seemed to be mostly unfounded. Both my lead characters were quite popular among my readers, and nobody expressed any dislike for the supporting cast. One person even claimed to be undecided on whether Miles or Sonia was their favorite character. Although my best friend thinks he should have been killed off, someone else expressed pity for Eugene, despite the awful things he does throughout the story (mostly in the last few chapters, *hint hint*). There was one review that stated the reader’s favorite part of the fanfiction was the characterization, and she liked how much thought I had clearly put into it. I even had readers tell me they thought my story was better than the original Romeo & Juliet! I’m not saying I would agree, but it was very flattering nonetheless.
Overall, I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished with Chaos and Control. Sure, it’s still not as popular as Generation Beta, and I highly doubt it ever will be. Maybe the chapters are too long (Chaos and Control averages over 10,000 words per chapter while Generation Beta never passes 5,000), or maybe Sonic fans in general prefer action/adventure to romance, or maybe the fact that the story takes place in an alternate universe just doesn’t make up for writing canon characters OOC and toward the background. Regardless, I managed to tell a story that I love and that my readers enjoy. For everything I’ve put into it and learned from it as a dedicated writer, Chaos and Control is a story that I’m pleased to consider my first serious novel.
This concludes the sixth and penultimate part of the story behind my fanfiction. The final post will be a brief review of everything I learned throughout this amazing experience. Thanks for reading!
Note: If you’re interested, you’re more than welcome to read my story and even leave some reviews. I promise you don’t need to know too much about the Sonic universe to appreciate it. Reviews are positive, but contain spoilers! Thank you!
Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters belong to Sega. All official artwork is displayed for illustrative purposes only. I own nothing!
by Naomi L. | April 7, 2014 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: tenacious
Pronunciation: tə-NAY-shəs
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: not readily relinquishing a position, principle, or course of action; determined
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
I decided to post a slightly more common word for today’s Word of the Week. Unlike many previous entries in this segment, “tenacious” is a word that I’m quite accustomed to hearing, reading and even writing into my own stories. Maybe it has something to do with the type of characters I like to read about. After all, who doesn’t like a hero who never gives up, right?
A “tenacious” person is someone who doesn’t willingly back down on a position, principle or course of action. The word arose in the early 17th century from the Latin adjective tenax, meaning “stubborn” or “steadfast”. This adjective, in turn, stems from the verb tenere “to hold”.
Though I featured my favorite definition in this vocabulary post, “tenacious” has a couple of alternative meanings. Depending on context, the word can also mean “keeping a firm hold of something” (as in “a tenacious grip”), or “persisting in existence” (as in “a tenacious legend”). I prefer to use the definition that applies to characters, but it works equally well for ideas, so use it however you think works best for your writing. What matters is that you’re “tenacious” about creating the highest quality stories possible!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
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