Dolphins, Critique Groups and Good Intentions

As you might have noticed I've been neglecting the blog lately. I've had good intentions to get going again but somehow I always get sidetracked with other things, like reading other people's blogs instead. Well, one of the writers in my critique group has written a story about dolphins and I just had to post this darling picture of my daughter. I wanted to post it in our online group and I needed it up on the web to do that - so, presto chango, I'm back to blogging.

But while I'm here I just want to give a shout out to my buddies over at Uma's Alumni (as well as Supriya, Vicki and Lani) because you can't be a writer without thoughtful critiquing by other writers and I've been very fortunate to work with some very talented writers. So thanks guys!

On Finding Your Voice

One of the things I've heard over and over as I've worked to improve my writing is the need for a unique voice. That special quality of writing that sets your work apart and captivates a reader in such a way that they can't put your book down. Many times I've read of agents and / or editors who have said they can usually tell immediately if the voice 'speaks' to them or not. But how do you cultivate your voice? And does it change from manuscript to manuscript? And is the creation of voice organic or mechanical or somewhere in the murky middle?

Cheryl Klein,a well known editor, has written a thoughtful post on the subject on her blog. She says this: "Voice is to fiction as air is to life: It's simultaneously everything and nothing, essential to have and impossible to grasp, all-encompassing and absolutely individual." Which really sums the idea up quite perfectly.

She goes on to say: "When I think about voice, I think about how real a sentence sounds to me, how believable it is as the voice of a real human being, if it's in first person; and also about how elegant a sentence sounds if it's in third person (and also in first, if elegance is appropriate for that character)--how smoothly it flows, whether it chooses the right (and yet also sometimes the unexpected) words, its rhythms and its eddies."

You can read Cheryl's entire post here. As for me, I love the ethereal, nebulous concept of voice. Of striving to fulfill the challenge of capturing the true essence of the story and transforming it into words on a page that at the same time, make you forget that you're reading.

What about you? What are your thoughts on voice?

Writing that catches one Agent's eye

Many of us enjoy Curtis Brown agent Nathan Bransford's daily blog. His focus is on the art of writing and not only is he knowledgable and happy to share his knowledge but he's funny and entertaining too.

Nathan recently held his 'best first paragraph' contest where anyone could submit the first paragraph of their WIP for the potential of winning fabulous prizes. Over 1300 (!) entries later (he only had the contest open for a few days...) he picked his top finalists and posted their entries on his blog along with this thoughts about why they intrigued him - which I'm listing below. If you want to read his whole post go here. Otherwise, here are Nathan's top picks (congrats to the winners!) and his reasons why, giving all of us writers in the group a little food for thought:

The Winners:
Natalie has an immediately catchy high concept plot (ninja school!) combined with a very effective voice. In particular, I really respect the second sentence: "Of course, he’s says it all ninja-like, but that’s the gist." A paragraph about ninja school itself might make a good opener, but this sentence builds a character: the narrator's father adopts a ninja-like voice to say something as simple as "keep it simple stupid." Hilarious! Natalie's paragraph also shows a deft touch by conveying a unique voice without being too chatty. It has a breezy style, but note that other than the above-quoted sentence and the word "dude," the rest of it is not chatty. Just enough to get to sense of the voice without being over the top. Very well done.

Morgan's paragraph balances a couple of different elements in a way that I find very effective. This paragraph packs in quite a lot of plot, but that's not all that it accomplishes. It also conveys a keen sense of style -- there's a breathlessness to the writing that lends a feeling of importance to the descriptions. Also, normally I don't like it when a series of unknown words and concepts are thrown at me right away, but in this paragraph they are described and named in a way that I can get a taste of the meaning and deduce enough of the world to stay within the paragraph without worrying that I don't understand everything. And the idea of a twin within a twin.... intriguing.

Steve Axelrod (not the agent, btw) steadily builds a memorable image: a girl walking onto a Cape Cod island without knowing the effect she's going to have. The details are evocative and memorable, and the flow impeccable. Quite a few people have asked about the closing simile. Normally I don't care for big bold similes, but this one really works for me. It didn't take me out of the world because everyone knows what an avalanche is, and it also, in an effective way, contrasts directly with the sun-drenched imagery. It's also evocative to think of setting an avalanche off with a sigh. It just works.

MA's was the shortest of the bunch, just two sentences. It wasn't just the image of blood in the shape of a butterfly that led me to choose this paragraph. Rather, it's the combination of an evocative opening image along with the description of the blood sparkling on the kitchen floor (two pretty descriptions that contrast with the fact that it's blood). Plus there's a certain casualness and distance on the part of the observing character. It accomplishes a great deal in just a few words.

Alexa's paragraph is a study in steadily building a memorable character. Having read so many paragraphs that began with the weather (particularly bad weather), I was sucked in by the feint that the narrator is describing how the weather would be in one of her mom's novels. Combine that with a perfectly-described and memorable fashion choice at a funeral ("defiant yellow and movie star sunglasses" just flows), and you have a sense of a very unique individual. It's all built through imagery rather than straightforward description.

Lastly, Chris' paragraph snuck in precisely at the Thursday 4pm deadline. It's an intriguing setup -- a group of heliophobes meeting in a strange place with some interesting animosity toward the sun. It's the combination of a big idea (heliophobes) with small details (the z-shaped ramp, the eggs in the belfry) that makes this come alive.

Writing and Stormy Weather

I don't know what it is about stormy weather but it always brings out an overwhelming urge in me to cuddle up to my computer and write, write, write. As you can see from the picture - it ain't summer here in good, ol' western Washington yet. In fact, it's been down right cold. And gray. And wet. BUT, it is perfect weather to write.

There's nothing I like better on a cold, gray day than to ensconce myself in my cozy office, overrun by plants, with a view out to the garden and the elements of nature. I guess it's just easier to plunge into these make-believe worlds I create and dream my life away. (And yes, that is a witch with a green hat on my desk). Here's the view from my office complete with busy blue-jays today:

Case in point - I started a new novel yesterday that I am SO excited about. The story just flowed out of my brain - which is a nice, unusual surprise. My working title is either The Thief's Apprentice or The Thief King's Apprentice. Which would you choose?

Anyway, the weather is supposed to get better but time will tell. In the meantime, back to work while the weather muse is raining down on me!

Sea shells and favorite books

Sea Shells are like art. I love sea shells. They are so beautiful and fragile and functional all rolled into one. Check out this guy: Mr. Spiny Oyster... makes you think twice before snuggling up to him, eh? I don't know if you can tell from this picture but those spines are, like, three inches long. And some are broken! I have to admit there are some days (like today, er..Friday mornings when I don't want to go to work but want to stay home and write....grrrr!) that I know exactly how Mr. Spiny feels. I read somewhere that these particular oysters only exist off the Baja coast - but I'm not sure if that's true and accurate - so don't quote me! But kind of cool to think they have developed their own little secret society hidden in the briny depths, as it were.


Which leads me to my next shell - The Lion's Paw. (Camera panning slowly to the right please....) This shell became one of my favorites in part because of a book I read as a child aptly entitled 'The Lion's Paw' by Robb White. To this day I still love this book, though it is out of print and very difficult to find. I secured this copy, at great personal risk on ebay, (cough cough, make that financial risk - the tattered old 35 cent paperback doesn't sell for 35 cents anymore...go figure...). Can you see the knobby knuckles and the flanges that look like the paw of a lion? Cool, huh?

Which then leads me to the notion of inspiration in writing. Great books like The Lion's Paw are a huge inspiration for me. Books that I love, still, many (many) years later and will never forget. That's my goal with my writing - to make the characters so real and the story so magical that someone remembers it, fondly, many years later. What do you find as inspiration in your writing or if not a writer, in your world?