How Do You Choose a Story to Write?

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authors, indie writers, influences, inspiration, muse, muses, story inspirations, the art of writing, writers, writing

How does a writer decide which story they are going to work on? What makes them choose, out of all the ideas in their head, one specific one to work on and devote all their energy to?

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From my perspective, it is all about timing. Sometimes there is something going on in the world that a writer has to respond to or interpret. Kind of like the 2011 novel, When She Woke by Hillary Jordan. That book is a take on the anti-abortion sentiment in the United States, which is relevant to many in recent years.

Or perhaps someone has something to say, such JRR Tolkien when he wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Supposedly, he was inspired by the events of WWI, which he fought in, as well as his take on male friendships, which he supposedly felt was too fractured.

Or some writers pay attention to trends. A few years ago, BDSM erotica books were all the rage, thanks to the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy. At the same time, YA dystopian books were widely popular, and there were many different books of that genre.

Or quite simply, a writer is inspired by a muse, and they have to get that story out. No matter the trends, no matter what is going on in the world. There is something in their subconscious that is forcing words to get to paper, or a computer screen. Sometimes the muse chooses what book to write, not the author.

How about you? Who or what inspired you to write your most recent work?

Influences: “The Last Vampire” by Christopher Pike

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book series, books, Christopher Pike, series, The Last Vampire, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampires, YA, YA books, Young Adult

When I was in junior high, I read a lot of vampire stories. I read books by R.L. Stine and Anne Rice. I even attempted to read Bram Stoker’s classic novel, but could not get into it. But one book that stands out during my vampire book days was “The Last Vampire” by Christopher Pike.

Here’s an overlook of the book, and the other five that followed it in a series. The books are about Sita, a 5,000 year old vampire who is, seemingly, the one and only vampire left on earth. Although she is tiny, she is incredibly beautiful, extremely strong and quick, and falls in love quite easily. The latter means she falls in love with the son of a detective, mainly because she believes the son, Ray, is the reincarnation of her husband from 5,000 years earlier, Rama.

But Sita is not the last vampire around; her maker, the world’s first vampire, Yaksha, is still out there and is looking to kill her to rid the world of vampires. Yet, Sita survives Yaksha’s attempt and turns a dying Ray into a vampire, to save his life. This breaks a promise she made to Krishna that she won’t create any vampires, and thus will always have Krishna’s grace.

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So begins the adventures of Sita, Ray and Yaksha. The adventures involve a trip to Las Vegas, flashbacks to Renaissance Italy, massive explosions, the death of Ray and Yaksha, Sita meeting a non-vampire who managed to live hundreds of years through alchemy (I forget the character’s name), and being changed back into human form. She also winds up pregnant, Ray comes to back to life as some sort of ghost, the baby grows at an abnormally quick pace and later turns out to be some sort of demon that Sita has to destroy. In the end, Sita meets with space aliens – or something like that – and is able to go back in time to kill Yaksha when he is born, and thus, never becomes a vampire and returns to life as though she never lived for 5,000 years.

At the very end, readers learn that Sita’s human nerdy friend, whom she cures of AIDS, had created the story of Sita in order to cope with having full-blown AIDS, and readers are to believe that the story of the last vampire was a product of his imagination.

Hmm. Sounds like a bad movie, right?

Now that I think of it…

Anyway…

I am aware that the series is being continued, years after the sixth and final book was written. I am not sure if I will ever take a peek at any of these books, especially now that I am aware that The Last Vampire series doesn’t sound very plausible. I mean, it certainly isn’t akin to the Harry Potter series in terms of storytelling.

But I do remember a few years ago, during the Twilight craze, walking through a bookstore, and seeing The Last Vampire being marketed as a new series called Thirst. I was thrilled to see that book cover, and thrilled to have memories of my early-teen days come back to me.

Those memories included chatting with friends about Sita and her adventures, and what will happen to her next. It seemed Christopher Pike’s vampire series was widely read in the mid-90s. Also included was my introduction to Hindu mythology, which these books are heavily based on. It showed me a new world, which back then was largely influenced by Catholicism.

I also grew fascinated with vampires, and wrote little short stories about myself becoming a vampire and what sort of adventures I would have as one.

Clearly, The Last Vampire series influenced me, as imperfect as they are. They also influenced the way I created my vampires. For example, I made my vampires walk around in the sunlight, depending on how old they were. This is all thanks to Sita, who could also walk freely in the sun, although she would be exhausted later on. In addition, my vampires, like Sita, do not sleep in coffins.

Even though The Last Vampire series is not the best one out there, it still has a special place with me. It made me fall in love with vampires, let my imagination run wild, and influenced me as a writer and storyteller. Creating stories are like building blocks, and sometimes there’s just that one book that leads to the foundation stone being placed. For me, it is Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire series.

When It Comes To Writing, Don’t Overdo It

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art of writing, authors, book sequels, novelists, On Writing, the craft of writing, the writing process, vampires, writers, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, writing a story, writing advice

Writing a book teaches you a lot of things. You think you know, but you don’t know, and writing a book is quite an experience.

Writing a sequel is the same thing, only more. You continue to grow as a writer, while also learning tons about writing a follow-up.

Click here for original image on Jim Delorey’s website

One thing I am learning about writing a sequel is, don’t overdo it.

Heck, you shouldn’t overdo it when you write a first or stand-alone book.

But as I write my sequel, I realize there are times when I lose focus and I start to overdo it with my storytelling. Writing a sequel means picking up where you left off with the first book, and carrying on into another story or extending with the first book’s story. It is not as easy as it sounds. Especially when you realize there were some things that could’ve gone into the first book, and now you’re mentioning it in the second book.

And then you realize others things could be brought up. It’s like opening a can of worms when you write.

As I mentioned in my post about writing about vampires, world building is so much fun. But at times, it can be too much fun, and you might lose direction. That was a problem I had writing my sequel; I was having too much fun exploring the vampire world that I lost track of what I wanted the story to be about. When I revisited my work recently, I saw this and had to delete or re-arrange a few things.

Writing a story is so much fun. Writing a book is such a delight. But don’t try too hard. Don’t overdo anything. You can lose track and overwhelm yourself, your characters and the story altogether.

 

Writing the Theme of Your Story

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art of writing, authors, character arc, character development, craft of writing, creative writing, story arc, story development, story theme, theme, themes, writers, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, writing a story

Themes are a big part of a story, any story – especially the good ones. They’re as important as, say, character arcs, plot development and so on. They’re the heart and soul of the story.

As author K.M. Weiland explained on her website:

Why are you writing this story? Why are you writing about these characters? What is it about their journey that has drawn your heart? What is the core of the tale? Justice, mercy, love, revenge, self-discovery? Whatever it is that’s moving the characters is what’s also moving your story. That’s your theme.

Supposedly, theme cannot be planned or forced, but instead come naturally. Theme appears in the story as you write your arcs and developments. It blossoms on its own, an echo of your subconscious. It is the fuel for your story. It is the reason why a writer writes in the first place.

Anne Rice wrote Interview with the Vampire to explore death, mortality and losing God. The Kite Runner is look at the complicated relationship between fathers and sons. Love in the Time of Cholera‘s theme is love in all its variations.

So, why did I write The Dark Proposal? And why am I writing its sequel?

The reason why I wrote my first book is because I wanted to explore abusive relationships. Having been in difficult ones – though no where near as Claire did with Daniel – I felt like I needed a release. I also wanted to write a vampire story where the vampires were once again evil and deadly – the exact opposite of what was popular four years ago.

But did I succeed with theme? What was the theme of my story?

Chuck Wendig describes theme on his blog as:

Every story’s trying to say something. It’s trying to beam an idea, a message, into the minds of the readers. In this way, every story is an argument. It’s the writer making a case. It’s the writer saying, “All of life is suffering.” Or, “Man will be undone by his prideful reach.” Or “Love blows.” Or, “If you dance with the Devil Wombat, you get cornholed by the Devil Wombat.” This argument is the story’s theme.

A friend of mine says the central idea of The Dark Proposal was “be careful what you wish for”. He explains that Claire so wanted to have a rich lifestyle, that she was blind to Daniel’s abusive ways, and then later, used it as escapism for the vampire life she was about to enter. That’s one way to look at the argument.

Image via Pixabay

I have grown so much as a writer during the four years since I wrote my first book. Today, I am focused on going deep with my stories and being more honest with myself when I write. I don’t think I was very honest as a writer when I wrote The Dark Proposal. Part of me cringes when I admit that. But as one musician friend told me, if you do that, then it means you are growing as an artist.

Writing from the heart is not easy. You are literally exposing yourself as a human to hundreds, thousands and maybe even more to judge and tear apart. It is scary enough to produce a book that you poured your heart and soul into. And by that, I don’t mean every part of your mind. The best artworks come from the very essence of the person, their heart.

So as I seek to be more honest as a writer, what theme do I hope will come out of The Dark Proposal’s sequel? I know I cannot force it, but I really hope redemption and healing would be one or both. Actually, I hope it will be the theme for the whole trilogy (yes, my book was meant to be the first of three). I also like the whole “be careful what you wish for” theme will come into play. I’m sure there’s always more than one theme in a story, or different ways to figure out the theme.

Or rather, what kind of redemption and healing do my characters need in order to fuel that theme?

Claire needs to heal and be redeemed from her mistakes and naivete. Daniel needs to be redeemed from being so evil. There is room for redemption and healing for Hilde, the Five Brothers and even The Black Roses. Even Samantha and Monica need to heal. There’s a lot of pain in The Dark Proposal, and everyone has a lot of coming to terms to do.

Which raises another question: what kind of writer do I intend to be? Sure, I want to be one that goes deep with questions and the human experience. But will be the regular theme in my stories? Will there always be a re-occurring one? Who knows? But since themes come from the heart of the writer, maybe the themes of my stories will be similar, just written differently. Or not. It also depends on the perspective of the reader.

The key here is to keep on writing, and get more to the heart of what I’m trying to say, or express. But I obviously cannot force myself to expose my heart in a story, just like a theme cannot be forced.

I’ll let Chuck Wendig finish off the meaning of theme:

A writer can engineer the theme — building it into the work. Or a writer can unearth it — discovering its tendrils after the work is written.

 

Writing a Story is Like a Coloring Book

I have to say that writing a story is like those adult coloring books. You probably have heard that the latest trend now is coloring books made for adults. I have a book myself, and I find it so addictive! It certainly helps me focus when I feeling stressed.

Image by Maxime De Ryuck via Flickr

Anyway, as I color and as I write, I notice how the two are related. When we color in our adult books, we are filling in the blanks with the most appropriate colors for a specific drawing, or the best color that blends well with another.

I feel it is the same with writing a story. You have a blank page, and then the outlines are put in. Then slowly, bit by bit, you color in those outlines with the best colors to detail the story. Once all the colors are in, you’ve got your story fully done.

What I mean by that is, the outline of a drawing in a coloring book could represent the basic outline of your story. It could be a literal outline, or the first draft. The colors, especially the main ones to fill in the large blanks, are the major factors of the story. They include character development, climax, resolution, and all the others that make a story a story. Finally, when you color in the smaller blanks, you are adding specific details, such as a description, background information or brief dialogue. That is what I mean by a coloring book being like writing a story.

Of course, unlike coloring books, you are free to delete certain scenes or re-do them with different…colors, so to speak!

Writing a novel is not easy. There’s a lot of blanks to fill in and the outline has to be well-done in order to proceed with those blanks. But if done carefully, you can create a beautiful story.

 

Outlining Your Story Using Spreadsheets

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I’ll be the first to say that I am a Spreadsheet Queen. I can’t live without spreadsheets. Whether it is to keep track of finances, freelance work, or plans for the summer, spreadsheets is the way to go for me, and likely for many other people.

That probably also includes fellow authors outlining their next book. Some authors choose between outlining or flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to writing. I myself have debated this issue. But lately, due to my crazy schedule, I find it best to outline. And I’ve made that possible for myself through spreadsheets.

How do I outline using spreadsheets? Simple. I make each column represent each chapter. So when you see my sheet, you’ll see Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3… all lined up in columns. Next, I put the scenes of each chapter in the rows. This is a good way to figure out which scene should end or begin a chapter, or which scene belongs in which chapter.

Photo by Craig Chew-Moulding on Flickr via Creative Commons

Doing this has made the planning of my sequel very easy. Granted, I do not stick to it religiously; I have moved a few scenes around and added a few more without consulting my spreadsheet. But overall, spreadsheets has been helping me keep track of the scenes of my second book.

It is not unusual for authors to use this to help plot their books. JK Rowling plotted her Harry Potter books using spreadsheets, and I’ve seen a few other, less-known authors do the same thing.

Because life can be so busy sometimes, I recommend authors to outline their stories. It is too easy to come up with an idea, only to not be able to write it down because either you’re at work, going to or from work, or busy with home life. Also, writing is a discipline, and if you are working on a book, you need to be organized and professional about your craft and your story. I was not like this when I wrote my first book, but then again, I was unemployed at the time. That meant having plenty of time to write whenever I pleased, as much as I wanted.

Nowadays, I do not have that luxury and I have to rely on spreadsheets to make my next book possible. It is funny how being a professional these days has made me rely on a program intended for professionals, in order to be more professional with my story!

Raise your hand if you use spreadsheets to help organize your story!

 

Getting Past the Third Chapter

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art of writing, author, books, creative writing, fiction writing, novel, novelists, novels, On Writing, writers, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, writing fiction

I did it. I finally did it.

Earlier this month, I finally did something I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do.

I completed the third chapter of my sequel.

Holy crap. I did it!

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

I always felt the third chapter should be the springboard in a story. It certainly was with “The Dark Proposal”, and I wanted the same with its sequel. The first two chapters were like a gathering of information, an intro to what the book will be based on. The third chapter feels like it will build on all of that, and set off the rest of the book. But for a long time, every time I worked on the sequel, I just couldn’t get past the third chapter.

This was due to a lot of reasons. There were times where I wasn’t fully sure with what I wanted from my story and characters. It is tough to write a sequel because you have to improve on a lot of things from the first book. You have to delve deeper into the story, develop the main characters (and possibly other characters) more, and really improve on your storytelling skills. In other words, a sequel is a step up from the previous story in many ways.

Then came times when I wasn’t sure if I was really over the hurdle. Meaning, I would read over the third chapter again and again, revising and revising it, trying to make sure it was good enough. Was it as much of a springboard that it needed to be? Did it really prepare the reader for the rest of the book? Was the chapter strong enough for me to move on to the rest of the story?

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I felt that way. I felt my third chapter was satisfying enough for me to continue writing the story. The springboard had a bounce to it.

While it will obviously go through rewrites and revisions like the rest of the book, I felt it was good enough for me journey on. I had gotten past the hurdle.

And boy, what a relief that is.

 

 

The Joy of Writing About Vampires

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Anne Rice, authors, books, interview with the vampire, novels, paranormal, paranormal books, vampire books, vampire novels, vampires, writing, writing a novel

As I work on my sequel, I find myself overcome with excitement at times. Sometimes it is due to the thrill of a good scene, or feeling as though I’m on the right track. But other times, it is because I am creating a world filled with many possibilities.

I have often wondered what is the appeal about vampires, and the list can have a variety of appeals. Sometimes it’s the sexuality, the idea of being alive for centuries, being a night creature with supernatural abilities, and so on. But as I write the sequel to The Dark Proposal, I realize there’s a long list of why writing about vampires is so much fun. Aside from what I just mentioned, I think it also is because when an author writes about vampires, they are also writing about a whole different world.

Click here for original image on DevianArt.con

Vampires are not human, and don’t live like humans. Therefore, their world is entirely different from ours and their sense of self is equally different. That being said, an author would have to be very creative when coming up with a world unlike ours. It is one thing to write about vampires from the outside looking in, but when it is time to write about the vampire world from the inside, a lot of creativity and fun can come in.

Think about it. Vampires are their own specie, or even their own tribe. They have cultural norms different from human norms, and possibly even have a hierarchy or political system unlike most humans. Since vampires often live separately from humans, their world will not, and even cannot, be like ours. Imagine, as an author, what fun it can be to create a totally different world!

And ideas and angles to tackle! A vampire author could write about the political system of vampires, or the gender issues vampires face, if any. A writer could tell a story about the religious beliefs of vampires, if any. Or they could write about how vampires make money and become rich (or live simply) while not being too involved in the human world. A writer could write the complexities of being a new vampire, or a very old vampire. Or create a world where centuries-old ties and bonds create harmony or friction among the vampires. Imagine digging back hundreds of years to figure out what went wrong between a couple, or what has kept them going for so many long years.

The possibilities are endless – and its great!

There are so many different topics and angles to write about when it comes to vampires. More so than romance and love, though that can take on different angles in terms of gender, sexuality and longevity. The thing is, writing about vampires is so much fun because it allows an author to create a world on his or her terms, and it depends on what subject they want to tackle. And in the case of vampires, it could be any subject.

The one risk that comes up is getting too involved in this different world. There have been times when I had to take a step back and re-evaluate a couple of characters, scenes, notes and outlines. This is because I got in too deep with what I was exploring. For example, I was exploring the relationship between Daniel and his makers, Hilde and Michel. It started off being very exciting because I got a chance to go through history, the personalities of each character, the politics of the vampire world, and how it has dealt with human hunters over the years. Unfortunately, I got so wrapped up in this, I lost track of what I was doing, and had to stop and erase what I had done. It was disappointing. Writing about centuries-old creatures that have their own social norms is fun, but it can get too much fun, and then you’ll have to start over again.

Maybe, if necessary, novellas and short stories about certain characters may come in handy down the line. Kind of like how Anne Rice keeps writing about her vampires, years after she wrote Interview With The Vampire. She created a whole new world with colorful characters, and she built a career around them. From a business standpoint, that’s not a bad idea!

Anyway, writing about vampires is tons of fun, and for good reason. Imagine creating a world of blood-sucking night creatures that can do things humans cannot and can live forever. Imagine what its like to be one, and there’s others like you. Now imagine what that existence would be like, especially if that existence has been around for centuries or even millennia. Sounds amazing, right?

Now go ahead and write that down! Just maintain your focus and you’ll be on your way!

 

The Synopsis Method That Saved My Sequel

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author, authors, books, meme, Natasha Lester, Pinterest, sequels, synopses, synopsis, writer's block, writers, writing, writing advice, Writing tips

…or at least, I think it did!

A few weeks ago, I was on Pinterest, checking out my feed page, when I came across a meme titled, “6 Sentence Synopsis Method”.

Turns out, it was a list that gave tips on creating a synopsis for your story. The method was made up by Australian author, Natasha Lester, who has written two books with another one on the way. I am thrilled she came up with this method because it has helped me arrange my ideas for “The Dark Proposal’s” sequel.

Before finding her method, I had several ideas for the sequel, but I had trouble putting them altogether, creating a theme, and an overall meaning of not just the sequel, but the whole trilogy. These six sentences have been a lifesaver for me.

Click here to read Natasha Lester’s blog post on synopses!

I’d say out of all the writing tips out there, this one has been one the most helpful for me.

Thank you, Natasha!

Should Authors Step It Up at Explaining Their Stories?

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authors, bad endings, books, minor details, nitpicking, novels, poor character development, stories, story loopholes, subplots, telling a story, writers, writing

Not too long ago, I was having lunch with some friends when the usual topic of what book we were reading, or movie or TV show we were watching. Since many of us love either one or all of those mediums, we spent a good deal of time talking about them.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Not surprisingly, this kind of conversation led to complaints on how a book didn’t explain something well, or a movie ended poorly, or a TV show had a subplot that made no sense. As the complaints went on, one of my friends said, “I think the audience is getting smarter. So writers are going to have to step it up and not get lazy.”

That sounds like a challenge. And a daunting task. I once discussed how it is common for writers of all mediums to cut to the chase in order to move storylines along. It makes sense why we do it. But are we being lazy?

If our endings fall flat, then yes, we are being lazy. If a character does something out of left field, then yes, we will have to explain how that person got out of character, so to speak.

But if a minor detail is not fully explained or developed, does that matter? And what if a major part of our plot leads to more questions that turn into a long list of possibilities, did we as authors not think out our plots well? Meaning, what if our plot creates a domino effect and makes someone say, “Hey, if that were to happen, then XYZ would happen. And this would happen. And why would not that happen? And how then would that happen?” – ad infinitum.

I agree that all writers need to take responsibility for everything they write about, but how much is too much when it comes to explaining our stories? Should we worry about minor details that really don’t effect our stories as much as we worry about major details? And how deep should we go when we analyze storyline ideas? I’m sure many of us wouldn’t want our readers to wonder about the storyline possibilities that we didn’t think about. I’d want to analyze the possibilities thoroughly before creating a story, and knowing I missed a minor detail or forgot about the chances of something else happening would be a little embarrassing for me.

But if we were to be extra careful, would we come up with any storylines?  I mean, if one thing cannot be done then neither of the other 10 plotlines, or else the domino effect will come up as I mentioned earlier. Maybe just taking a look at one possibility is enough rather than looking at a much wider picture. After all, wouldn’t we writers drive ourselves nuts if we looked at 20 different possibilities?

As for minor details, I think if they really don’t play a role in the plot or character development, then I don’t see the point in getting tangled up in them. Granted, it may be laziness, but it also may be necessary if they are simply meant to be minor details.

Now when it comes to endings, yes it is imperative that we writers get that right. We don’t like it when they’re terrible, so why have our readers feel the same way when they read our work? Same for character development gone awry or subplots not making sense. I’d say this is when the belief that writers should write a story they want to read comes in. We all don’t want a lousy story or maybe even a mediocre one, so why reduce our stories to that level? And if we are the type to nitpick at every little thing, then we should do the same to our work.

But I’m sure if we were to try that, not only would we give ourselves headaches, but we also won’t get anything done.

Besides, I think it is safe to say that every story ever told has some flaws. Look at the negative book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. There’s always someone who will find something wrong with a book, no matter how many more think it’s excellent. Remember, writing is subjective. Does that mean laziness? No, it just means that there’s no such thing as the perfect book. We writers can try our absolute best, but we will fall short somewhere. That’s just the way it goes.